Willow Smith drops off a 3-track mixtape
Healing human light bodies with vibrational melody within the chaos of society. - Just for ambient vibes
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2015
Stream Willow Smith’s 3-Track Mixtape ‘Interdimensional Tesseract
Willow Smith drops off a 3-track mixtape
Healing human light bodies with vibrational melody within the chaos of society. - Just for ambient vibes
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Willow Smith | Heart | New Music
With "Heart," Willow Smith has graced us with two new minutes of heady, celestial meanderings. Over production by Chaotic, the 14 year old floats ideas like, I don't think it's fair that you're on Earth/ And I'm up up here making stars and and galaxies and planets/ Making the life I know the dimensions. Apparently, the song was inspired by the "chaotic" period during which she was for some reason locked out of her SoundCloud profile: "I thought I'd post a little something celebrating the end of the chaotic time whilst I wasn't able to long in this account," she writes in the songs description. The stars, they forget their SoundCloud passwords just like us.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
The weeknd often | Dance | Shaadow Sefiroth & Drey
Shaadow Sefiroth + The Weekend
Bookings and infos: shaadow.killaa@gmail.com
Twitter: @shaadowtrilla
Instagram: @ShaadowSefiroth
Monday, December 29, 2014
10 Best Music Books of 2014
By: Rolling Stone
From the stage to the page: The year's best biographies, rock crit, photo essays and more
In 2014, the rock star tell-all autobiography train rolled on with Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Carlos Santana, Mick Fleetwood, George Clinton, Paul Stanley and Billy Idol among others all getting their turn. But some of the years best books were the stories you didn't already know, including a great alternate history from Greil Marcus and a closer look at a post-punk pioneer
10 'The Haight: Love, Rock, and Revolution: The Photography of Jim Marshall,' by Joel Selvin
Jim Marshall, one of rock & roll's greatest photographers, was at counter-culture ground zero in San Francisco in the mid-to-late Sixties. This gorgeous oversized book documents the era through iconic images — the Beatles at Candlestick Park in '66, the Grateful Dead at a mobbed street fair in '68, Hendrix torching his guitar at Monterey Pop. Just as illuminating are verité shots of street life, hippies and straights rubbing wary shoulders as the Age of Aquarius, for a magic moment, dawned over them all. By Will Hermes
9'Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars' by Neil Young
Neil Young is a man of obsessions. Over the years he's fixated on everything from toy trains to digital audio quality, but the one constant has been classic automobiles — which meant many fans groaned when they learned his new book would focus on the many cars he's owned over the years. Thankfully, their fears were unfounded. The car angle is merely a clever framing device for Young to tell his life story in a more linear fashion than his scattershot 2013 memoir Waging Heavy Peace. Along the way we learn about the making of After The Goldrush ("I had just purchased a pound of Panama Red"), his regrets over his mistreatment of the members of Crazy Horse and Buffalo Springfield ("I was mostly juvenile and had no patience") and a crazy morning last year when his electric car LinkVolt broke down in Manhattan on his way to film a bit with Bill O'Reilly and Stephen Colbert, almost stalling out in the Lincoln Tunnel ("It was not a good day for us"). People wanting a straight account of Young's life will still be better served by reading Jimmy McDonough's definitive biography Shakey, but Special Deluxe is an enjoyable trip into the singer's endlessly fascinating mind. By Andy Greene
8 'Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir,' by George Clinton with Ben Greenman
As funk's bravest cosmonaut, George Clinton spent the acid-fried Seventies in a world of Doo Doo Chasers and Thumpasorus Peoples and Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadooloops. But his look back on the methods to his madness are as clear-headed as a textbook, reading less like a gauntlet of antics (and there are antics — including a donkey taking a "regal shit" on the steps of London's Albert Memorial) and more like a great piece of rock criticism with himself at the center. He's a fan first, with omnivorous taste, and can break down theories with zeal, whether its meetings with fellow boundary pushers ("Listening to Sly Stone was like taking a master class in brilliant nonsense") or talking about how keyboardist Bernie Worrell used Bach-esque counterpoint. By Christopher R. Weingarten
7 'Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.,' by Viv Albertine
If Viv Albertine's memoir had only focused on the broadest outlines of her life — her six years as the guitarist in influential post-punk band the Slits, her return after a decades-long absence — this would have been fascinating enough. But Albertine's approach is far closer, pushing past candor into the uncomfortably honest. Some of this memoir involves talk of romantic liaisons in the heady days of London's late-Seventies punk scene, but there's also a harrowing account of her struggle with cancer and grapplings with suburban isolation decades later. A fully realized portrait of its author. By Tobias Carroll
6 'Songs Only You Know: A Memoir,' by Sean Madigan Hoen
"My bandmates saw me at my most inspired, screaming every pain I had access to," Sean Madigan Hoen writes in his gritty, gripping punk-rock memoir, "though I had told them next to nothing of where I'd come from." Hoen, it turns out, had plenty to scream about — a father addicted to crack, a sister consumed by depression, his own feelings of alienation, helplessness, adolescent angst; if his former band, Detroit art-core self-immolators Thoughts of Ionesco, was his young-adult self's cathartic outlet, Songs Only You Know is his older, wiser reevaluation, no less vein-bulgingly visceral but infinitely more nuanced and poetic. It's funny at times, always brutally honest; a half-healed bruise, tender and multi-colored. Few books convey the fever-pitch intensity of youth with such vividness and so little glamorization, or as deeply explore the heartbreaking complexity of family — both those we're born into and the ones we choose. By Brandon Geist
5 'Dancing With Myself' by Billy Idol
In his self-penned memoir, Billy Idol fleshes out his charmed life with an even mix of thrilling tales of sex, drugs and rock & roll. The singer is refreshingly candid about his heavy heroin addiction in the Eighties, a regrettable Rolling Stone cover story interview when he got too drunk and yelled at the writer, an unrequited threesome that landed him in court on sexual deviancy charges and the harrowing motorcycle accident that stymied his acting career (he says he'd tried out for the T-1000 in Terminator 2 but lost the role due to a limp). He also recounts some of the weird stories behind some of his greatest hits — "Dancing With Myself" was inspired by a Tokyo disco where people stared at themselves in mirrors and "Rebel Yell" was named after a whiskey he drank once with the Rolling Stones. He also writes about his post-drugs fallout in such a heartfelt way that he almost makes a case for reconsidering Cyberpunk. By Kory Grow
4 'Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James,' by Rick James with David Ritz
Those looking simply for stories of sexual and pharmaceutical excess can re-read Mötley Crüe's The Dirt. In Glow, Rick James' posthumously published autobiography with author David Ritz, the funk pioneer surprisingly eschews repetitive freaky tales for a deeper look at an insane life. Sure, there are unflinching looks at the singer's crack binges and violent behavior — an already unbridled id made worse by the death of James' mother — but it's the lesser-known adventures that make this essential reading for those only familiar with James' dark side. A mob-connected dancer mom who smuggled James into the club as a child to see Miles Davis; a chance encounter with future members of the Band, who saved a teenage James from getting his ass kicked; a headache that prevented the musician from hanging out with people who would be murdered by the Manson Family that night. Any hack can make a lost weekend enthralling, James and Ritz can make the history of "Super Freak"'s four-note descending bass line as intriguing as a pipe-filled motel-room breakdown. By Jason Newman
3 'Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin,' by David Ritz
Back in 1999, David Ritz helped Aretha Franklin write her memoirs, sanitized enough to be allowed into an operating room. This year, he issued Respect, his uncensored 520-page biography of the Queen of Soul, and it's clearly the book he's been preparing to write his whole life. It's stuffed full with revealing interviews from Franklin's family, her musical collaborators and subjects of Ritz's other books, from Smokey Robinson to B.B. King. MVP interview: the saucy Etta James. ("Who wants to admit that you're praising the Lord at the 8 p.m. service and servicing some drop-dead gorgeous hunk of a singer an hour later?") Knowing the details of Franklin's complicated, sometimes painful life — starting with the two sons she had at ages 12 and 14 — helps deepen an appreciation of the pain and passion that fueled her music. By Gavin Edwards
2'Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story,' By Rick Bragg
"He did not need a song to make him inappropriate. Jerry Lee Lewis had always been inappropriate, and being a little bit famous did not change it; you can paint a barn white a thousand times, but that won't make it a house." In this gripping biography, Pulitzer winner Rick Bragg tells the story of rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis with the full force of history, poetry and two years of exclusive interviews with the Killer himself. Bragg grounds his story in the texture and tradition of the South, but when he tells the epic tale of the creation of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," he captures Lewis's divine madness. Reading the saga of rock's piano pioneer, you will likely agree: "It was like any life, really, but with the dull parts taken out." G.E.
1 'The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs,' by Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus carved his stern visage into rock criticism's Mount Rushmore decades ago, but he won't rest on his laurels — and he won't let rock & roll either. And so he kicks off this ferociously cerebral and warmly empathetic super-listicle with a monster sentence that reels off lots of critically acclaimed musicians — it takes, like, five pages — and by the time you've gotten from the beginning (Chuck Berry) to the end (Jay Z), his intent is clear: Forget all of this. Rest assured the 10 songs he picks from there will surprise, and/or amuse, and/or enrage and undoubtedly challenge you: They span from Joy Division (as filtered through that goofy Ian Curtis biopic) to Phil Spector (as filtered through Amy Winehouse) to Etta James (as insufficiently filtered through Beyoncé) and beyond. Whether he's talking Buddy Holly or Cyndi Lauper, Robert Johnson or the Flamin' Groovies, Marcus writes with a philosopher's zeal and a superfan's joy, drawing connections between artists and eras and solar systems you'd never even imagined. It's revisionist history of the best and most necessary kind. By Rob Harvilla
Jim Marshall, one of rock & roll's greatest photographers, was at counter-culture ground zero in San Francisco in the mid-to-late Sixties. This gorgeous oversized book documents the era through iconic images — the Beatles at Candlestick Park in '66, the Grateful Dead at a mobbed street fair in '68, Hendrix torching his guitar at Monterey Pop. Just as illuminating are verité shots of street life, hippies and straights rubbing wary shoulders as the Age of Aquarius, for a magic moment, dawned over them all. By Will Hermes
9'Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars' by Neil Young
Neil Young is a man of obsessions. Over the years he's fixated on everything from toy trains to digital audio quality, but the one constant has been classic automobiles — which meant many fans groaned when they learned his new book would focus on the many cars he's owned over the years. Thankfully, their fears were unfounded. The car angle is merely a clever framing device for Young to tell his life story in a more linear fashion than his scattershot 2013 memoir Waging Heavy Peace. Along the way we learn about the making of After The Goldrush ("I had just purchased a pound of Panama Red"), his regrets over his mistreatment of the members of Crazy Horse and Buffalo Springfield ("I was mostly juvenile and had no patience") and a crazy morning last year when his electric car LinkVolt broke down in Manhattan on his way to film a bit with Bill O'Reilly and Stephen Colbert, almost stalling out in the Lincoln Tunnel ("It was not a good day for us"). People wanting a straight account of Young's life will still be better served by reading Jimmy McDonough's definitive biography Shakey, but Special Deluxe is an enjoyable trip into the singer's endlessly fascinating mind. By Andy Greene
8 'Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir,' by George Clinton with Ben Greenman
As funk's bravest cosmonaut, George Clinton spent the acid-fried Seventies in a world of Doo Doo Chasers and Thumpasorus Peoples and Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadooloops. But his look back on the methods to his madness are as clear-headed as a textbook, reading less like a gauntlet of antics (and there are antics — including a donkey taking a "regal shit" on the steps of London's Albert Memorial) and more like a great piece of rock criticism with himself at the center. He's a fan first, with omnivorous taste, and can break down theories with zeal, whether its meetings with fellow boundary pushers ("Listening to Sly Stone was like taking a master class in brilliant nonsense") or talking about how keyboardist Bernie Worrell used Bach-esque counterpoint. By Christopher R. Weingarten
7 'Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.,' by Viv Albertine
If Viv Albertine's memoir had only focused on the broadest outlines of her life — her six years as the guitarist in influential post-punk band the Slits, her return after a decades-long absence — this would have been fascinating enough. But Albertine's approach is far closer, pushing past candor into the uncomfortably honest. Some of this memoir involves talk of romantic liaisons in the heady days of London's late-Seventies punk scene, but there's also a harrowing account of her struggle with cancer and grapplings with suburban isolation decades later. A fully realized portrait of its author. By Tobias Carroll
6 'Songs Only You Know: A Memoir,' by Sean Madigan Hoen
"My bandmates saw me at my most inspired, screaming every pain I had access to," Sean Madigan Hoen writes in his gritty, gripping punk-rock memoir, "though I had told them next to nothing of where I'd come from." Hoen, it turns out, had plenty to scream about — a father addicted to crack, a sister consumed by depression, his own feelings of alienation, helplessness, adolescent angst; if his former band, Detroit art-core self-immolators Thoughts of Ionesco, was his young-adult self's cathartic outlet, Songs Only You Know is his older, wiser reevaluation, no less vein-bulgingly visceral but infinitely more nuanced and poetic. It's funny at times, always brutally honest; a half-healed bruise, tender and multi-colored. Few books convey the fever-pitch intensity of youth with such vividness and so little glamorization, or as deeply explore the heartbreaking complexity of family — both those we're born into and the ones we choose. By Brandon Geist
5 'Dancing With Myself' by Billy Idol
In his self-penned memoir, Billy Idol fleshes out his charmed life with an even mix of thrilling tales of sex, drugs and rock & roll. The singer is refreshingly candid about his heavy heroin addiction in the Eighties, a regrettable Rolling Stone cover story interview when he got too drunk and yelled at the writer, an unrequited threesome that landed him in court on sexual deviancy charges and the harrowing motorcycle accident that stymied his acting career (he says he'd tried out for the T-1000 in Terminator 2 but lost the role due to a limp). He also recounts some of the weird stories behind some of his greatest hits — "Dancing With Myself" was inspired by a Tokyo disco where people stared at themselves in mirrors and "Rebel Yell" was named after a whiskey he drank once with the Rolling Stones. He also writes about his post-drugs fallout in such a heartfelt way that he almost makes a case for reconsidering Cyberpunk. By Kory Grow
4 'Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James,' by Rick James with David Ritz
Those looking simply for stories of sexual and pharmaceutical excess can re-read Mötley Crüe's The Dirt. In Glow, Rick James' posthumously published autobiography with author David Ritz, the funk pioneer surprisingly eschews repetitive freaky tales for a deeper look at an insane life. Sure, there are unflinching looks at the singer's crack binges and violent behavior — an already unbridled id made worse by the death of James' mother — but it's the lesser-known adventures that make this essential reading for those only familiar with James' dark side. A mob-connected dancer mom who smuggled James into the club as a child to see Miles Davis; a chance encounter with future members of the Band, who saved a teenage James from getting his ass kicked; a headache that prevented the musician from hanging out with people who would be murdered by the Manson Family that night. Any hack can make a lost weekend enthralling, James and Ritz can make the history of "Super Freak"'s four-note descending bass line as intriguing as a pipe-filled motel-room breakdown. By Jason Newman
3 'Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin,' by David Ritz
Back in 1999, David Ritz helped Aretha Franklin write her memoirs, sanitized enough to be allowed into an operating room. This year, he issued Respect, his uncensored 520-page biography of the Queen of Soul, and it's clearly the book he's been preparing to write his whole life. It's stuffed full with revealing interviews from Franklin's family, her musical collaborators and subjects of Ritz's other books, from Smokey Robinson to B.B. King. MVP interview: the saucy Etta James. ("Who wants to admit that you're praising the Lord at the 8 p.m. service and servicing some drop-dead gorgeous hunk of a singer an hour later?") Knowing the details of Franklin's complicated, sometimes painful life — starting with the two sons she had at ages 12 and 14 — helps deepen an appreciation of the pain and passion that fueled her music. By Gavin Edwards
2'Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story,' By Rick Bragg
"He did not need a song to make him inappropriate. Jerry Lee Lewis had always been inappropriate, and being a little bit famous did not change it; you can paint a barn white a thousand times, but that won't make it a house." In this gripping biography, Pulitzer winner Rick Bragg tells the story of rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis with the full force of history, poetry and two years of exclusive interviews with the Killer himself. Bragg grounds his story in the texture and tradition of the South, but when he tells the epic tale of the creation of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," he captures Lewis's divine madness. Reading the saga of rock's piano pioneer, you will likely agree: "It was like any life, really, but with the dull parts taken out." G.E.
1 'The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs,' by Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus carved his stern visage into rock criticism's Mount Rushmore decades ago, but he won't rest on his laurels — and he won't let rock & roll either. And so he kicks off this ferociously cerebral and warmly empathetic super-listicle with a monster sentence that reels off lots of critically acclaimed musicians — it takes, like, five pages — and by the time you've gotten from the beginning (Chuck Berry) to the end (Jay Z), his intent is clear: Forget all of this. Rest assured the 10 songs he picks from there will surprise, and/or amuse, and/or enrage and undoubtedly challenge you: They span from Joy Division (as filtered through that goofy Ian Curtis biopic) to Phil Spector (as filtered through Amy Winehouse) to Etta James (as insufficiently filtered through Beyoncé) and beyond. Whether he's talking Buddy Holly or Cyndi Lauper, Robert Johnson or the Flamin' Groovies, Marcus writes with a philosopher's zeal and a superfan's joy, drawing connections between artists and eras and solar systems you'd never even imagined. It's revisionist history of the best and most necessary kind. By Rob Harvilla
Friday, October 10, 2014
L’Orange ft Red Pill | Entering The Silence
In the aftermath of L'Orange's 2014 album The Orchid Days, the After The Flowers EP is a warm vignette- a glimpse into life after the end of the world. Waking up to a surreal heavenscape, our tragic figure searches for his place somewhere between life and death.
Expanding on the themes of love and loss, L'Orange teams up with artists Chuck Inglish, Meyhem Lauren, Red Pill and producer Amerigo Gazaway to bring us a stream of consciousness epilogue to his 2014 album The Orchid Days.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Ibeyi | Better In Tune With The Infinite | Jay Electronica cover
Late last month, French-Cuban sisters Ibeyi played one of their very first UK live appearances with a set at Rough Trade West. The twins went behind the counter, beyond the vinyl shelves to perform a handful of songs, and their set closed with an eerie cover of ‘Better In Tune With The Infinite’ by Jay Electronica.
Now a live recording has emerged of the track being played at Residence La Revolution, all booming piano notes and inventive percussion. The original song is taken from Jay’s ‘Act II: Patents of Nobility (the Turn)’ album.
Ibeyi’s previous output has included ‘River’, ‘Oya‘ and ‘Mama Says’, with a Richard Russell-produced debut album slated for an early 2015 release on XL Recordings.
Watch Ibeyi's Cover of Jay Electronica's 'Better In Tune With The Infinite', recorded live at Residence La Revolution, July 2014.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
"Loving Bboying Again" | Interview with Do-Knock | Part 3 | #SXSTV
"Loving Bboying Again" | Interview with Do-Knock | Part 3 | #SXSTV
Our Part 3 Interview with Jon Cruz aka Do-Knock (Battle Monkeys, Full Force, Super Cr3w) takes us through revolutionary battle history with Freestyle Session, Bboy Summit, and more.
Do-Knock explains his previous history with Red Bull BC One and his future solo battle plans. In his words, "I'm loving b-boying again."
As usual Do-Knock shares with us some profound knowledge and inspiration for all dancers to take.
BIG THANKS TO:
Arturo Cecena ( Step x Step Las Vegas and Host)
https://www.facebook.com/arturo.cecen...
Footage courtesy of You Got Served; Battle of the Year
*For promotional use only
Filmed by: MPArt (Step x Step)
Song:
Busta Rhymes - Thank You (Featuring Q-Tip)
Ogden Mart: (seriously amazing sandwiches and great people)
823 E Ogden Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 387-0006
Do-Knock:
https://twitter.com/doknock_sc3
http://instagram.com/doknock
Shon Roka (pronounced Shaun Roca) the DJ also known as Shaun Ortega was born on the west-side of Chicago. He started gaining fame as a bboy in 1991 and later became a member of a well known crew called the BRICKHEADZ. He would perform for such artist and events such as The Roots, KRS One, Immortal Technique, Dougie Fresh, Common, Rhymefest, Cypress Hill, Pharoah Monch, Nas, Diddy, Mariah Carey, Taste of Chicago, Lollapolooza, Looptopia, B96 Summer Bash just to name a few. The BRICKHEADZ also won many breakin' competition nationally and internationally. While Shon Roka was being active as a bboy he was working on his craft of being a DJ.
DJing for w/ Nike, Jordan, Under Armour, Adidas, Vans, Uprise (Chicago) Skateshop for numerous in-stores, sporting events, galleries and corporate outings. Also Shon Roka is a resident DJ post Covid in Chicago at McGee's, Tantrum, Imbibe and Harbee's. While being a DJ, he has been teaching music production and the Art of Skateboarding through Maggie Daley's After School Matters. Also known as Gallery 37.
For more information contact via email.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Soul x Ne-Yo | "Waving For Love III" | The Final Chapter
"Well then my "Waving For Love" series has come to an end, shot this a few months ago when i was stationed in Arizona for a month. Each time i do a series, i always try to top my last work and i believe that i have done just that with this final installment. Hope you all can relate to this piece in some way & fashion". Soul
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Tink on Love, Loyalty and Loneliness
For two years, Tink has been deftly straddling the rapper/singer divide. The 19-year old Chicago-based artist resembles a grittier, rawer Aaliyah on heart-wrenching ’90s-R&B-style love songs and raps with the kind of witty, takes-no-shit attitude (“What if I told you that you bore me and it’s no longer fun/ And while we’re talking I’ve been texting three niggas at once?”) She’s been releasing consistently impressive mixtapes since her debut project “Winters Diary,” which contained the ride-or-die ballad “Bonnie and Clyde” that first caused ripples online, and 2012′s “Blunts and Ballads.” It’s still the best showcase of her fierce-to-tender talent range, but the widespread critical acclaim she’s received for her latest release, “Winters Diary 2,” seems to be her tipping point to stardom.
It’s about time, too: Tink’s talent is undeniable, and she has an alarming knack for wringing out every emotion on the romantic spectrum, whether it’s lust, heartbreak, frustration or sheer adoration. She’s a sweet-voiced teenager, but she sings with a moody maturity and conviction that makes her sound like an older sister: warning you away from unfaithful, ain’t-shit dudes, yet empathizing with you when you run back to them anyway. I caught up with Tink over the phone to discuss money, loyalty and the dubious aspects of being a “female rapper.”
*****************************************************************************************
I hear you’re in New York right now, what’s going on there?
I’m doing a lot of interviews and networking, and I’ve been in the studio with Sleigh Bells. I’m working with them on one of their songs they’re about to release.
You’re dropping a lot of new music on your Soundcloud right now. Recently you tweeted, “I can’t stop working. I need a mil by age 21.” Can you tell me a bit about what drives you to work so hard at such a young age?
Yeah, that’s real. I have a point to prove. I want to be able to reach people through the music, and I want it to be bigger than just Chicago; bigger than just America. And of course, with the hard work comes the money, the millions; so I’m chasing it.
Tink, 'Molly Love'
via YouTube
A lot of your music and your Boss Up mixtape in particular is about pursuing money, and in your songs you quite often talk about money being a bigger priority for you than romantic relationships. In a lot of ways, your music is like the female version of “money over bitches.” Can you talk to me about that?
I like to bring messages to the music, and especially with female [rappers], we don’t have a lot of empowerment in the music. So when I’m writing and putting songs together, I always think, “What’s gonna motivate somebody my age?” They listen to me, especially young teenagers and young females. I do talk about money a lot. The guys, though they do the same thing: “money over bitches,” “money over hoes.” In my eyes, it’s the same way. If they’re gonna feel that way about us, well, I’m gonna feel the same way about them. I’m gonna make money my priority as well.
You’re from Chicago and you’re coming up alongside artists like Katie Got Bandz and Sasha Go Hard. What’s it like being female and trying to make it in the rap world? Are there any particular challenges that your male counterparts don’t face?
The females, we have to do so much more to be recognized. It’s crazy, because guys in the music game don’t have to have a specific look, people just accept them the way they are. A guy doesn’t have to do much, but they expect females to have a certain look or dress a certain way; move a certain type of way. And we get stereotyped as far as the music; people expect female raps to be about sex and to be explicit for them to listen. For me, I don’t like staying in that type of lane; I like to talk about real matters. That’s really the biggest thing as a female: getting that respect.
Do you feel a sense of solidarity with the other women in the game right now or is it more of a competitive vibe, or both?
It’s definitely competitive. I think females kind of distance ourselves a lot more than the guys do. Guys will reach out to other male artists and work from there, but with females it’s very competitive. I have nothing but love for every female artist. We stay in our lane, but it’s not like I have a problem with or look down on any other female rapper from Chicago. I wanna see everybody make it.
What do you think of labels like “female rapper” — does it ever get annoying to be defined by the fact that you’re a woman in this industry?
Yeah, sometimes. To me it’s so obvious: People don’t go around saying “Hey, we’ve got a new male rapper on the rise!” It goes back to the thing I said earlier about having to work harder for respect: We don’t even get called “artists,” it’s always “female artist”; you have to start at “female” before you say what I am. It is annoying because at the end of the day it’s females that go harder than some of the guys; for me it needs to be unified.
Tink, 'Treat Me Like Somebody'
via YouTube
Who else do you think is really killing it right now?
I look up to Chance the Rapper so, so much. His takeoff was just so authentic: over the past few years when he was rising, doing everything independent — it’s motivating to see him come from the same place I came from. I really look up to him a lot. He doesn’t follow trends, which I also like. When Chicago was coming up with the drill movement I noticed that he didn’t conform to it, and that’s great to see.
One of the themes that comes up a lot in your music is loyalty, especially within romantic relationships, and that’s a hot topic at the moment now that Chris Brown’s “Loyal” remix is all over the radio. What’s your take on the idea that “these hoes ain’t loyal”?
Guys can say that “these hoes ain’t loyal” but I don’t feel like they really look in the mirror. I’ll be honest: Females react off how we feel; a female can be loyal, but you can’t expect her to be if you’re not loyal yourself. It’s only so much that a female is gonna take! It’s just sad that the guys can point the finger, but they can’t admit to what they do. Nowadays guys think it’s OK for them to do whatever they want and the females can’t. They expect the females to stay loyal — you can’t do what you want, or talk to whoever — but I’m gonna talk to these other chicks and that’s OK ’cause I’m a guy. I think it’s a bunch of BS; it’s unfair.
One thing that’s so compelling about your music is its emotional depth, and you touch on every romantic feeling — from being deeply in love with a guy to being heartbroken to not giving a fuck about dudes at all. On “Don’t Tell Nobody” you say, “Fuck that love shit, I don’t feel none of that.” Can you explain that? Is that where you’re at right now?
We all have our moments where, even if we are in love, we just don’t really feel it. It can get to a point with a guy where you can be in love and you’re in a relationship, but when he acts up and doesn’t treat you the way you should be treated, you just feel like this can’t be love, you know? I don’t feel love right now, this isn’t how love should feel. So that line is a “moment” type statement, when you’re mad and you’re like “fuck love, I don’t feel that.” One of those argument statements that you make!
Tink, 'Don't Tell Nobody'
via YouTube
You have a project in the works with Timbaland right now. Can you tell me about that? What else is coming up for you?
Yeah, we’ve been in the studio working; working hard. I don’t have a due date or a release date or even a time for it yet, because I really want this project to make sense; I can’t rush it. I have to take my time with it, but it’s going to be soon; you’ll start to hear the production. Me and Sleigh Bells have a joint together and we’re going to shoot a visual for it. This summer and going into the fall I have so much planned, and I really want to start collab’ing with people outside of my genre and push myself to tap into different sounds. Just expect a lot of different things from me.
That’s exciting. Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to your haters?
My message would honestly be that you can’t stop shit, simple as that. You can do whatever you want, you can hate all day, but you can’t stop shit.
By Madeleine Holden
Contributor/Wondering Sound
Monday, July 14, 2014
Via Rosa | We Cant Touch
"Tomorrow im dropping a short EP i did with my friend Sani called Cinderella "99
which is a Fairy Tale like story about a girl on her journey to find love
it was very Bossanova inspired its also one of Sani's favorite strain of herb
but today i share with you a song i wrote last night around 1am
to a loop from The Tallest Man on Earth's - Dreamer
the song is about loving someone your not
supposed to touch but hoping one day maybe you'll be able to" .......Via Rose
Friday, June 13, 2014
Junglepussy | Nah | prod. By Shy Guy
Early into the second song on Junglepussy’s excellent debut album 'Satisfaction Guaranteed,' she raps, “How dope is this?
Teach you how to grow and live.” The line—rapped quickly, with her rollicking flow, kind of like a slinky expanding and contracting with each breath—also works as Junglepussy’s motto.
She’s here to please you, help you, teach you, and, most importantly, introduce you to her tropical lifestyle.
*******************************************************************************
Monday, June 9, 2014
Lenzman ft. Martyna Baker | Anticipate
The new single from Lenzman's forthcoming LP 'Looking at the Stars'.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The Art of Storytelling | ProDanceTV
Subscribe to ProDance right here!: http://bit.ly/SwaLLi
ProDance Agency Showreel | 'The Art of Storytelling'
featuring ProDance artists: Junior, Cico, Brahim, Mouse, Babyson & Roxy
http://www.prodance.co.uk
Produced by: One Red Pixel
Directed by: Russell Dodgson
Director of Photography: Paul O'Callaghan
http://www.oneredpixel.co.uk
Music: 'Time Stops' by Explosions in the Sky
Makeup by: Fiona Florczak
Narrated by: Roxanne Milliner
ProDanceTV
Online Dance TV channel covering some of the biggest Hip Hop Dance events across the globe featuring raw uncut battle footage, event trailers, interviews & freestyle clips. Capturing the Essence of our Culture.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tink x DJ Dahi | Men | Songs from Scratch
"Men" is a collaboration between @Tink_g and @dj-dahi-1 and the latest in Yours Truly and adidas originals #songsfromscratch series.
"Men"
Produced by DJ Dahi
Additional production by J.lbs
Mixed by Sean Tallman
Mastered by Patrick Brown
BRIKA | EXPECTATIONS
The Miami singer-songwriter and recent signee to Art House Records has a vocal tone that rivals the best in the indie-pop business, and it won’t be tough to pull out the big-name comparisons once you’ve digested the track.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
KM Tha Original ft. London Lo | Special One | Shot by @DGainzBeats
KM Tha Original ft. London Lo | Special One | Shot by @DGainzBeats
Shon Roka (pronounced Shaun Roca) the DJ also known as Shaun Ortega was born on the west-side of Chicago. He started gaining fame as a bboy in 1991 and later became a member of a well known crew called the BRICKHEADZ. He would perform for such artist and events such as The Roots, KRS One, Immortal Technique, Dougie Fresh, Common, Rhymefest, Cypress Hill, Pharoah Monch, Nas, Diddy, Mariah Carey, Taste of Chicago, Lollapolooza, Looptopia, B96 Summer Bash just to name a few. The BRICKHEADZ also won many breakin' competition nationally and internationally. While Shon Roka was being active as a bboy he was working on his craft of being a DJ.
DJing for w/ Nike, Jordan, Under Armour, Adidas, Vans, Uprise (Chicago) Skateshop for numerous in-stores, sporting events, galleries and corporate outings. Also Shon Roka is a resident DJ post Covid in Chicago at McGee's, Tantrum, Imbibe and Harbee's. While being a DJ, he has been teaching music production and the Art of Skateboarding through Maggie Daley's After School Matters. Also known as Gallery 37.
For more information contact via email.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Mizan | Thru
NY-based Mizan is a relatively new songwriter and vocally-gifted musician who has released her debut Dark Blue EP, and is one by one unveiling each track off this nuanced release. Setting ahead the goal of creating and working by her own convictions, based on her Ethiopian upbringing, Mizan’s strong character has allowed her to define her individual emotive sound.
The third single off her Dark Blue EP is the deep, dusk-flavoured “Thru” and never could a title of an EP be so fitting for the musical tone of its tracks. Mizan creates an urban dreamscape of synthesised beats and minimal keyboard accompaniments, in which the upbeat motion of the track perfectly compliments Mizan’s soulful voice. While being softly-spoken, Mizan lyrically sounds at ease and confident, like a sort of metropolitan Sensei, philosophising and preaching about love, life and the universe.
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