Nikki Lynette - Roses N' Guns Mixtape

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For more info on Ms. Lynette check out her blog.

CJ Monk - Resurgence Mixtape

Mr. Monk A.K.A. CKSan hit me up on last.fm and asked me to check out his instrumental album. He listed RJD2, Flying Lotus, Dimlite, Madlib & J Dilla as some of his imfluences.

He describes his style as a mix between, Hip-Hop, Trip-Hop and Jazz.  What say you?


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NNEKA Interview

ReelBlack sat down with Nigerian recording artist Nneka on the eve of the release of Concrete Jungle, her first collection of songs to be released in the US. In this exclusive clip, she ruminates on the power of music and the meaning behind her work. Already touted by Rolling Stone, Nneka is an artist to watch in 2010.

Last month NNEKA released a free mixtape with J.Period. You might want to check it out.

Ivory Dome Gives You AYO

Ayo (Ayo Ogunmakin), Nigerian-German singer/songwriter, has been on my radar for a bit and this past weekend, I see she's on Banana Republic ads for their City Stories campaign. I found myself listening to her album and finding a new appreciation for her simplistic approach. I'm over acoustic guitar, "singing a song and being shy" music but this works. She has a new site up and has put up a video for a new single from Gravity At Last, her follow up project to 2008's Joyful. Watch Lonely here.

Idasa Tariq - Smiling Faces

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If you like what you hear you can find more on his myspace page: Idasa Tariq

Ivory Dome Gives You Giovanca

Giovanca, model turned singer from Amsterdam is perfect for rainy days . Giovanca's voice has a soft and warm quality that puts a smile on your face. Her latest EP Subway Silence is just that , a lovely smile from her to you. Tracks like Joyride deals with feelings about her uncertainty in a relationship. Her qualm is delivered with an ease that the dude on the receiving end would probably drop his angst at the door. On My Way strikes a note on independence without the aggressive undertone one would expect. For her simplistic style, Dig this please.

Kooley High - Everywhere/The Bomb

Earlier this month I posted a mini documentary about a day in the life of Kooley High. Here are a couple samples of their work.



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Ivory Dome Gives You Lorette Fleur

This multi-talented Parisian based songstress, producer, mixer e.t.c can get my money and then some. I recently discovered Lorette Fleur on one of my sleepless, myspace music search nights and I was glad to find a gem. Her voice is super smooth and compelling. She's collaborated with Georgia Anne Muldrow, so what do you expect. Her lyrics are a glimpse into humanity and amor. Get the full effect on tracks like Look Around , it starts out as a heavy jam session and then intros a soothing call to awareness. I believe French accent with an African tinge makes singing in English much more seductive. Vraiment !

The Car That Will Save The Planet . . . Maybe!

BYD Auto is a car manufacturer out of China that is claiming to have built an electric car that will get 250 miles off of just one charge! According to Jalopnik.com the car can possibly be charged to 50% power within 10 minutes. The car is currently a concept car, but do you think we might actually see something like this on the streets and somewhat affordable in our lifetimes?



The businessman of all businessmen, Warren Buffet, is enough of a believer to buy a 10% stake in BYD Auto.

What do you think?

Ivory Dome gives you Brittany Bosco

'09 is going to be Brittany Bosco's year. I'm cheering on the sidelines for this vocal genius. I got the chance to see her live at the now closed Knitting Factory near Canal Street in New York and I heard spine tingling liquid gold vocals. She is a force to be reckoned with, so get on board with her Jazzy, Hip-Hopy, sultry and soulful sound, which is courtesy of a tight production team, I mean super tight (Alex Goose, Branden Collins...). Highlights are the Intro Welcome to Funkyolon, with it's funky groove. 8-Trak takes it to another level definitely a body moving track with heavy drums, her "love is like the 8-Trak you can't find" she says. Blues for Blue is a Jazz melange that takes my breathe away. It pulls you into a different world, open bruise... blues blood, damn it's all Brittany Bosco Magic.

Spectrum EP Download

Making The Band: True School Edition

Here's a mini documentary on the North Carolina group Kooley High.

Roscoe Wiki - Space Love

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D. Julien Is Incredible

Mr. Incredible on Myspace.

D. Julien - Understand Me

This young man hit me up asking for a little exposure. Well, I geeked that someone even noticed my blog . . . but then it hit me. What if I don't like his music? Am I actually going to have to turn him down? Well, luckily he's nice so without further delay . . . straight out of Broolyn . . . D. Julien!



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RaTheMC - A Mixtape About Something . . . I Think!

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You can find her here: RaTheMC

Coming To A Beef Street DVD Near You!

I think I was reading a Newsweek a few weeks ago and saw a little blurb about a group called Little Jackie, which it turns out is the new project from Imani Coppola. So on a whim I copped her album, The Stoop from the Zune Marketplace since I still had some credits left. I was pleasantly surprised at what I had found. I remembered her from her single back in '97, Legend Of A Cowgirl, which I found quirky and funny. Well she still has that same sense of humor, but backed with some more old school Motownish beats. I love this song:



With all of that being said . . . this post was all to mention her song on the album called Cryin' For The Qeen, where she goes IN on Amy Winehouse!




Cryin' For The Queen

Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen
Go back to the motherland
Have your mama hold you hand
If you eat your eggs with runadines (?)
Save all that crying for the queen
Judging your behavior and your junkie routine
It's time for you to get clean and stop creating a scene
Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen

*insert Funkmaster Flex bomb sound effect*

There's a recall on all imports
You behaving all out of sorts
You can't hold the liquor
Quicker ya'll get off my turf
I'll show you who got the curve
Think I'm being territorial?
I'm'a get patriotic on ya ass
Stars and stripes
Acting all sassy and crass
Class is in session, please stand for the pledge
All you pretty party girl step away from the ledge
Have a seat
So I can begin to teach
Today we're gonna learn about the word: moderation
Liberty and justice and something like one nation

Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen
Go back to the motherland
Have your mama hold you hand
If you eat your eggs with runadines (?)
Save all that crying for the queen
Judging your behavior and your junkie routine
It's time for you to get clean and stop creating a scene
Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen

*insert standard mixtape gunshot sound effects*

Those who know me know I ain't no straight-lace sober freak
But when it comes time to get the job done I make sure I'm at least
Able to speak
Try to give a damn about presentation
Try to make it look like it's not a vacation
People paid to see a show
They didn't just make a kind donation
When you're singing that song for the one millionth time
And you're too gone to see that you no longer shine
You start wishing for another way to make your dime
You wanna make a buck in America?
Grab an application and get in line

Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen
Go back to the motherland
Have your mama hold you hand
If you eat your eggs with runadines (?)
Save all that crying for the queen
Judging your behavior and your junkie routine
It's time for you to get clean and stop creating a scene
Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying

Cause you know you'll be missing that same ol tone
Two weeks what you look like every afternoon
Then it comes you be like, "Cha-ching, cha-ching!"
But minimum wage after taxes is like, "you must be f**king kidding..."

*insert MORE standard mixtape gunshot sound effects*

Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen
Go back to the motherland
Have your mama hold you hand
If you eat your eggs with runadines (?)
Save all that crying for the queen
Judging your behavior and your junkie routine
It's time for you to get clean and stop creating a scene
Girl you ain't got shit on me
Ain't got shit on NYC
Got nothing on this city
Save all that crying for the queen

. . . and the winner is . . . Asher Roth?

Yeah, he sounds a lot like early Em sometimes, but that's a good thing. The kid is nice & funny.






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