Real Niggas Light Candles

If you follow me on twitter, then you might've had this since last weekend. For the rest, I give you what is the culmination of a pretty busy year of RNLC mixtapes. First I'd like to thank all the people who've let me know how much they appreciate these joints. It's been infriggingcredible. Whether in person or over the internets, your support motivates me.

After rushing out 3 mixtapes between February and April of '09, I wanted to take some time with this one. Seven is a pretty important number to me, and for a while, I contemplated retiring the series after this edition. (Not gonna happen, RNLC8 is well on its way.) Still, this one is especially personal. 2009 hasn't been very kind to Mr. Garr--a lot has gone awry. (Why else do you think there've been so many of these emo-mixtapes? They're my therapy.) Accordingly, these songs speak to the emotional rollercoaster I've been riding for the past year. Hopefully you guys don't mind riding shotgun. Just make sure you buckle your safebelt.

Those of you who got the early leak off twitter were blessed with a single track mixtape with no tracklisting. Now you can finally know wtf you were listening to. As always, I tried to provide a healthy mix of tracks and artists you know and others I think are worth knowing, along with those you might know of, but may not really appreciate like I do.

Well, enough of the preliminaries. It's the seventh time around, you should know the routine by now. Turn off the lights and light a candle, cuz that's what real niggas do (just ask Teddy Penderazzdowngrass). Click the album cover above for the single mp3 version (I personally prefer that one), or scroll down below the tracklisting to get the single mp3 and the split-track version. And to my fellow bloggers and twitterati, feel free to repost and retweet for the masses. Your support is always appreciated. And don't forget to leave a comment or hit me on twitter with your thoughts--good, bad, or anything in between. Now get to clickin'. Disfruta.

Tracklisting:
1. "In My Room" - The Beach Boys
2. "James" - Camera Obscura
3. "Starting All Over" - Jeremih
4. "Giving Everything Away for Free" - Daniel Merriweather
5. "Terr et Tiwa dorment" - Alain Goraguer
6. "Dedicada a Ela" - Arthur Verocai
7. "A Forest" - Nouvelle Vague
8. "Too Long" - Yael Naim
9. "Penny's Confession" - Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program
10. "Auburn And Ivory" - Beach House
11. "The Artist" - Jagat Skad
12. "You Have Cum In Your Hair And Your Dick Is Hanging Out" - Palace
13. "Master Sigh" - Andrew Bird
14. "Human of the Year" - Regina Spektor
15. "Galvanize" - Cryptacize
16. "Doctor Blind" - Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
17. "The Strangers" - St. Vincent
18. "Fly" - Nikki Jean
19. "Visions" - Stevie Wonder

Real Niggas Light Candles 7 - single mp3 (twitter leak)

Real Niggas Light Candles 7 - split track

Pot of Gold

It's Stevie. It's live. It's 1970's Stevie. Actually, it's just a couple years before he released Songs In The Key Of Life, which means it's Stevie when he had so much mojo he didn't even need to see.

You're pretty much required to download this if you don't already have it. Odds are, you don't. I even found a better bitrate version than the one I have. For you guys. You're welcome. I love you too. Click that album cover. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hypnotize Minds

Who is Salem? What is Salem? I don't really feel like I could accurately answer that question, but I do know that this collective of white guys with a possible crystal-meth addiction make tripped-out screwed-up crunk music that is simultaneously accessible and impenetrable. It's definitely not for everyone--one of their EPs is entitled Yes I Smoke Crack-- and I'm sure that my affinity for music like this is prolly an indicator of my own fragile sanity, but hey, this joint rocks.

If you weren't scared away by the song (or that weird fan vid) then click the album covers below. Links are stolen cuz I don't feel like uploading. Don't sue me.

Yes I Smoke Crack EP

Water EP

Fantastic Planet

To celebrate Music Monday, I figured I'd continue my present audiophile series and blow the dust off another obscure cult-classic. Back in the day when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore but sometimes I sit and wish I was a kid again a "soundtrack" wasn't just some haphazard compilation of songs from a label's artist-roster. Soundtracks were albums that actually featured original music from a movie.

This soundtrack was produced entirely by the composer Alain Goraguer for the French film La Planete Sauvage. It's a perfect meld of 70's funk, hippy psychedelia, and French je ne sais quoi. The movie is a classic in its own right--even more so than the soundtrack--so if you've never seen it, find it. It's 1970's intellectual sci-fi. In other words, drugs were involved. (Don't believe me check out the trailer.) This notwithstanding--"accordingly" mighta made for better word choice than "notwithstanding"--, the soundtrack has inspired countless hip-hop producers. Quasimoto's Madlib-produced "Come On Feet" is probably one of the most notable--and drug-induced--examples. Check that one out after the trailer. Then head back up and click that album cover to download. Disfruta.

I Love Jews

God chose them for a reason. Hilarity has ensued.

I'm not willing to give a backstory, if you haven't heard about this yet, get to google or hit me on twittaaaaa...

In The Clouds

Shawn Sky - Laugh At 'Em Freestyle

A new(er) artist out the DMV, Shawn Sky's been doing his thing for a while now in and out the beltway. His next album is due soon and this is the first of 7 freestyles leading up to its release. Support inde-f*ckin-pendent hiphop! Get to clicking and lemme know what yall think.

Viva Brasil

Click the album cover to download

You'll be happy you clicked the cover. Arthur Verocai's self-titled album is a classic that should be in the library of any person claiming to be an audiophile. And I don't mean "classic" the way niggas just throw that word around nowadays. The album is almost 40 years old--37 to be exact--but it stands the test of time. Consider this my gift for being away for so long. Don't sleep, or else I'll be the one to say I told you so months later when you get it from somebody else tryna get their brazilian music game up before the World Cup.

You're welcome.

Alarm Clock

Click the album cover to download

Tied for top spot with Feist on my "White Women Who Can Singer-Songwrite For That Ass" list is none other than this curly-haired Ruso-American Jewess. Chick's got range, and her lyrics can go from saucy humor to vulnerable shame after one delicately enjambed word. This album came out over the summer but I'm sure most of you slept on it so wake up and get to clickin'. Word to Larry Fishburne.

For you skeptics, I'll offer one of my personal faves.

Regina Spektor - "Human Of The Year"

Back By Popular Demaaaaand

Click the album cover to download

Your eyes do not deceive you. It's a new post, and Folarin's debut no less. Considering the fact that my Wale-peonage carried YouHype! SikeNah... through its early years, it's in some ways appropriate. It's the webrip, so digital purists forgive me.

Where are you Greazy?

We are more likely to fail as craftsmen, I argue, due to our inability to organize obsession, than because of lack of ability.

-Richard Sennet

So obviously, I've been neglecting the blog. There are a number of reasons why, I'll give you just a few:

First and foremost, the main gig, i.e. teaching, has taken its rightful position as top priority. Any and all other things (and people) are accordingly placed on the back burner, fridge, or even the freezer--yeah, that was a corny extended metaphor, so what?

Secondly, there's this place called the real world, and in it, ppl talk with their mouths and not with keyboards. It's a kinda cool place. You get to see the ppl you talk to and have conversations in real time. It can be difficult to live in the real world and the internet. To be honest, I don't fully understand how some of you are capable of doing both. It's a feat I've yet to accomplish.

While in the real world, I've been able to shake hands with the new school of industry movers and shakers, ppl who could quite possibly be the gatekeepers of the next generation. It's personally humbling to be connected to the connected, and to know that I'm a voice that gets heard among the infinite internet chatter. I forever plan to be the outsider's insider and the insider's outsider but it's a tight rope to walk, especially as you begin to meet the artists whose music ur giving out for free.

Lastly, my trusty old desktop, Roberto Miguel de Dell, or "Bobby Michael" as I was sometimes fond of calling him, has officially kicked the bucket, leaving me with only my macbook. While on one hand, that may seem like a boon rather than a loss, the majority of my bootlegging activities were made possible thanks to the limitless nooks and crannies of the Windows operating system. (Ironically, those same nooks and crannies allowed the Russians to hijack my computer and kill it from the inside, but that's another story.) I've since been left having to figure out how to reproduce said feats on a new platform, and, given reasons 1 and 2 above, I haven't had proper time to dedicate to such endeavors.

Accordingly, I've chilled, but from the looks of things, not much has suffered. The internet is still up and running and music seems to still find its way onto your hard drives and ipods one way or another. But still, I know that there are artists out there that still need little guys like me to cosign them so that the big guys can take notice, and no matter how many bloggers throw their hat into the mixtape game, few can match what You Hype! Sike Nah... does. (Had to throw some blogger bravado in there for old times' sake lol)

So with that said, stay tuned. RNLC 7 is in the works, as is a whole new mixtape, tentatively titled "The Grown Up," which might result in a few of yall getting pregnant or impregnating somebody, depending on the type of anatomical plumbing you have. Keep a box of Trojans on deck, cuz I plan on heating things up come winter time.

(This may or may not be the cover... It's an open call to any and all graphic designers...)

After The Rain

Click the album cover to download

We've all been patiently awaiting Little Dragon's follow-up to their cult-classic, self-titled (I like hyphens) debut, or at least I and some other random ppl I know have. Irregardless, it's here. Do what it does and get to clickin'. Disfruta.

School's In Session

Last time I was in nyc, one of my homies had me listen to this. For obvious reasons, first thing I thought about was my students.

No Shirt, No Service. No Homo.

Click the album cover to download

I'm not mad at Trey Songz at all. He somehow managed to get ppl to notice him again when all signs were pointing to C-list R&B stardom and outlet mall tour dates with the remaining members of Pretty Ricky. (And by "somehow," I really mean he owes Wheelchair Jimmy a cut off whatever he makes off this jawn.) Even though I hate that "I Need A Girl" song, it's catchy,  and he still has a couple other jawns I eff with. Plus, he's from this place called Virginia, which I hear breeds pretty awesome individuals. Disfruta.

Sigel Desert Eagle

Click the album cover to download

Stop acting like you don't know what to do. I'm mad Beans got on the RocaWear skully tho. I guess Jigga always gets his cut, lol. Disfruta.

More Ish I Can't Afford

Visvim stays killing it. I've been looking for both logans and fbt shamans on ebay for a while now but prices are always ridiculous. (Half a stack for kicks is not recession-conducive.) These new jawns for Fall/Winter '09 are hot fiya tho. Someday, Mr. Garr. Someday...

Two Pair

Thanks to the recession, I haven't bought a new pair of sneakers all year. I've almost pulled the trigger a couple times , but priorities being what they are, the AMEX stays put. This might change if I ever come across these in person at Ubiq or in Soho tho. Get these jawns now, by the time Spring '10 hits, they will be oh so broken-in and fresh.

Take this as a mini-lesson folks, cuz I'm starting to share again.

Only For You

Click the album cover to download

I haven't actually listened to this yet, but I trust that it's at least halfway decent based on dude's track record (pun intended). Album's in stores sometime this week I think, and if you likey-likey, you should buy it. I won't cuz I'm broke, but you should. Get to clickin' and disfruta.

New Wave

Click the album cover to download

I've literally been meaning to post this album for about 2 years, so I'm glad I finally got to it today. The group and album's name are the same. They're French, but don't worry, the songs are all in English. If you listen to more than just hip-hop, then you'll recognize that these are all covers of some classic songs by some cult-classic bands: Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Cure--just to name a few. But rather than just do simple covers, they're reinterpreted with some brazilian bossa nova flair. So songs like "Love Will Tear Us Apart" lose some of the languidness of the original and sound almost happy, and definitely sexy. You'll dig it, or your money back. Get to clickin'. Disfruta.

Coldest Nigga Of All Time

One of my favorite tracks off Dom's last mixtape Futurestreets/Lovesounds. I plan on dropping a toilet full of old albums and mixtapes, but then again, I may never get to it. In the meantime between time, click play and disfruta.

Mr. Piano Man

Julian Velard will be performing tonight at Tin Angel. Tix are $12. Julian is from the States but spends most of his time in the UK and the rest of the European continent touring and such. I caught dude a couple years ago at the Tin Angel and it was a good show. I posted some music of his a long time ago, but blogger promptly deleted the post for said reason. His song "A Dream" was featured on RNLC6 though. He's like a hybrid of Billy Joel and Tom Waits, with some of the wit of Jason Mraz thrown in for good measure. If you got nothing to do this humpday and ur in Philly, it'll be a good show. And if you're hungry, you can have a pre-concert dinner downstairs at Serrano (which is one of my favorite restaurants in Philly), which entitles you to a reserved table upstairs at the concert. Nice.

Get tix here or at the door @ 20 South 2nd St. in Old City.

Are you in the mood for slow jams? Cuz I am!

Everybody remembers KP & Envyi's classic club track "Shorty Swing My Way." Fewer remember the sexied-up, slowed-down remix though. Whereas Envyi held it down in the background of the original version, they actually let that white girl tear it up here. This was my JAM back in the day. I've been meaning to put this on a mixtape (it'll prolly make it on one eventually), but i'm presently in the mood to give, so do as usual: disfruta.


KP & Envyi - "Shorty Swing My Way" (Remix) |Aqui|

Tweeting with a baby coming out of you is not OK.

I jus read that this woman tweeted during her entire labor. Are you serious? I wish my babymama would tweet during childbirth. I'd break that phone quick as a mug. Woman we gotta concentrate and get the baby out! This is no time for phones!

Tell em Dr. Kuni:

Click Yo Heels

Where the doors are moaning all day long,
Where the stairs are leaning dusk 'till dawn,

Where the windows are breathing in the light,
Where the rooms are a collection of our lives,

This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place that I call my home...

Police Brutality? You Tell Me...

The story goes as so: an elderly black woman was in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Ohio, waving a knife and threatening to stab people. She had reportedly slapped a kid already or something like that, so there was a crowd of ppl gathering around this old senile black lady. For obvious reasons, the police were called. Now watch:



Did that officer use excessive force? Well, considering the fact that the poor old lady was left leaking blood out the back of her skull--literally--after RoboCop bodyslammed her to the pavement, I'd say "*@#$ yes." I mean, some asian woman with her child walked right past this crazy lady and didn't as much as flinch, but Officer Schwarzenegger felt the need to return the dragon and knock this poor lady's wig clean off her head? She walked with a cane, dog. It woulda took her minutes just to thrust the knife at somebody, much less pierce skin. The unofficial slogan of youtube is "They shoulda never gave you niggas webcams," but in this case, I'm glad this was caught on tape. The sad thing is, though, that there are plenty of people who will side with the police on this one, and be sincere about it.

*Sigh* before we end this on a sad note, I'd be remiss if I did not also point out the humor of the video as well. The negroes behind the camera are hilarious. Candid nigga moments at their best. "This is goin' on the news!" (Sure enough, the next day, it did.)



Guess Obama can't call this "stupid" either, huh? Something's brewing folks...

Why Shouldn't I Be Out?

You had to know this was gettin posted--with autoplay love. It's obligatory. Chew lead--or just click pause (no homo,lol)--if you no like, but this is the song of the summer.

I wish I was a lil bit taller yall... I wish I was a baller...

These niggas done took the game to a whole nutha level. Hilarity has ensued.

Welcome To My Life

Well played. I prefer the gold databank myself tho. Lol.

Philly Gets Niggas

Drake comes to Philly.*
Drake busts his @$$.
Drake gets carried off the stage.

Something about this happening in Philly (of all places), seems strangely appropriate.

*Wayne, venturing as close to Philly as he'd dare (Susquehanna Center in Camden). Is he really scared of Gillie? lol...

Classroom Management 101

This is how us good teachers keep our kids in line.

Back 2 Work

Black People? Let's Talk.

What's going on? You'd never know our president was black...


"...Bunny Colvin would not approve."

Laughing-to-keep-from-crying quotables abound, but still, SMH. We got a long way to go folks. And at a school? One named after Harriet Tubman, no less... 

That's deep.

Humble Pie

(We're on obvious youtube mode over here right now.)

My previous hate of The Cool Kids notwithstanding, this song GOES. In my younger days, a song like this'd be liable to get a lil somethin started if the circumstances called for it nahmean?!

Ha! Sike nah... But for real, I digs this.

Reason #2,401 Why I Like White People

That just happened. Yup. It did.

Best Interview Ever

Hilarious.

dope

I support this.

I'm from Virginia...

A lil unprovoked homestate pride for ya. Lord Willin' was one of the greatest rap albums ever. And this track? Classic.

There are NO niggas in Portland

Cuz if there were, this woulda been veeeeerrrry *ahem* different.

Your Daily Dose of Soul

Kick your feet back, close your eyes, and enjoy--that is, after you click play.

You Know What Time It Is

Is that not the dopest wall clock ever?

Shoes attract shoes

This dude's bout to blow.

Necklace Over My Shades? Yeah, She Did That.

Ace Hood - "Champion" ft. Jazmine Sullivan & Rick Ross

I intentionally slept on Ace Hood's album Ruthless. (I mean, it's Ace Hood after all.) This song has forced me to go back and actually download it though. First, Ace actually raps well over this track, and Ricky does what he does (which is rap well as well--Weezy would been a better feature though). But you KNOW Jazmine murders it dead. That hook is like sanctified hood gospel. And you know I ain't complaining about Ms. Sullivan looking all sexythick in the video neither. Get it how you live baby.

Postscript: "You can't tell me nothing," is perhaps the most beautiful use of the double negative in the English language. No hyperbole. I love ebonics.

The Morning After Meets The Night Of...

You think I'm posting this cuz of the eye candy don't you? Nah son, they're just added bonuses. This track is a banger. Methinks I need to find the instrumental...

The Show Must Go On

You Hype! Sike Nah... fave Little Dragon will be performing in Philly on Tuesday, July 21 at The Fire. Tix are only $7 and are sold at the door the day of the show. I missed their last show in the city of motherless thugs cuz I was on my schoolyear grind, but I definitely won't miss this one. And if you don't know Little Dragon, write your name on your eyeball with a sharp piece of glass, or get this and get familiar.


Also, everybody's favorite underdog, Teedra Moses, will be performing in DC on July 25 as part of the Triple Star Sound Stage. I'll be doing my best to get down there for that. Little Dragon has a DC date as well, but you can't expect me to do everything for yall. Bing that jawn on google or google that jawn on bing.

Word to Griffins on Mountaintops

Dave jus dropped a slew of these in my inbox. The Paxtons spent their 4th of July weekend back at home in their beloved Chi-City. Betwixt the barbeques and Suzie-Q's, they got a few hometown heads to share why they support the Paxtons. First up is one of my personal faves, Chitown rapper Skech 185.

Honestly, if I were you, I would take 3 minutes and watch this video, not for The Paxtons shoutout (no shots of course), but just to listen to when they let Skech loose. At the 1:30 mark, Skech lets you know that NO OTHER RAPPER can eff with him. I'll bet my mama on that one, and I'm a Cancer, which means I LOVES my mama.

Still skeptical? Stop reading and click play. First listen to why he supports Chris and Dave (and why you should) then put a pillow somewhere beneath your chin, because your jaw will definitely drop to the floor after listening to these bars. I'm done.

Distance Has No Way of Making Love Understandable

You should know by now that I'm a fan of The Bad Plus, especially their last release with Wendy Lewis, For All I Care. (<-Click that to get that.) It is easily one of the best releases of the past twelve months. It combines great piano playing with masterful drumming and bass-work. Add in Wendy's dark, sultry voice and the music becomes undeniable. Not to mention that it's an album of covers, which is my most basic musical affinity. (See Cibelle's cover of Tom Waits' "Green Grass," Marc Broussard's "S.O.S.," etc.) Bonus points if it's a live cover. To those who have ever suggested that I do music professionally--after I first gave you the mean side-eye--I would say that if I did ever make music, I'd prolly only do covers.



Cuz at the end of the day, what makes a good song worth remaking is the songwriting. Lyrics that wrap themselves around each note, rhythms that seem to be lyrics themselves; when it's on, it's on. What's great about The Bad Plus is that they know how to maintain the integrity of the original song while still finding a way to make it different and new.



"Comfortably Numb" is an excellent example of that fact. Taking a Pink Floyd song that is already disturbing enough by itself (the video below will attest to that fact), the trio-turned-quartet find a way to make it as dark and ominous as possible sans actual wrist-slitting. Listening to the cover version, you'd think they recorded it in complete darkness, with maybe a lava lamp somewhere in the studio so nobody ran into each other during the most frenetic sequences. 



If you haven't gotten For All I Care yet, you might as well pour piss in your hair. (Did that gross you out? I hope so; that's what I was going for.) I can't guarantee that you'll dig every single last track--my tastes do have a larger range than most--but if you listen to it and can't find at least a few tracks that make you say "UHH!!" you might as well stop visiting this blog because I probably wouldn't like you in real life. No bull.

WORK Release Recap

Thanks to everybody who came through Ubiq last night for The Paxtons x Anml Hse party. Johnny put up a couple pics from the night. It was definitely a good time.

The Paxtons x ANML HSE x Ubiq = FREE PARTY

This Tuesday, The Paxtons will be in Philly along with the world-famous ANML HSE crew at Ubiq. It's a FREE party with FREE liquor, FREE music, FREE dancing, FREE fun, FREE twerkage, a FREE performance, and some FREE giveaways. We will also be dropping an AnmlHse collaboration tee for sale that day during the event (more info on that later). All I can say is, if you want a tee and you're not in Philly, get at me. Especially all you Wash U folks, the tees are certified vicious. (And you know I only rock the finest of cotton tees.)

And oh, I almost forgot. It's all FREE!!

Tuesday, July 7.
7-10pm
Ubiq Walnut (1509 Walnut St., Center City, Phila)

They'll also be performing at Sneakerpimps Philly on Thursday. More on that later.

Wee Small Hours

Click the album cover to download

Bad dreams suck. Hope everybody enjoyed your Independence Day festivities. I managed to hit the beach long enough for minimal sun burnage and got back to Philly in time for a 4th of July party with this guy at what amounts to an inner-city mansion. From the roof deck I watched fireworks in Camden, Penn's Landing, Northern Liberties, and, of course, the Art Museum simultaneously. It was nice. What sucks is when I finally got to sleep, your boy had the goonies show up in his dreams. (Not really, but I had some disturbing dreams.) Needless to say, I woke up a lil shooken. To calm my nerves, I had to holler at my boy Chet.

Chet Baker was a legendary jazz trumpeter. He was also a vocalist in his own right and this album is nothing short of classic. I'd actually planned on posting this jawn a while back, but never got around to it. I guarantee you'll enjoy it or your money back. Disfruta.

Nappy Headed Hoes vs The Booby Queens

Drake - Best I Ever Had

This video is the winner for best opening ever. I can pretty much guarantee that this will be MTV Jams Jam of the Week next week. Jay's "D.O.A." is the current week's Jam. Coincidence? I don't believe in them.

Drake definitely deserves props for this one. The video is cooteriffic. I just hope somebody sent Don Imus his check for inspiring the treatment. And the cut-ins are hilarious. "When they put that D on you, take that D!" Double entendres FTW.

Falsetto

Click the album cover to download

I'm not a Maxwell fan at all, but some of yall are. I don't care what kinda Jenny Jones makeover they gave this nigga, his music always annoyed me. That includes his latest single. I honestly don't know the name of it, but I know it has "wings" in it and the video has hoes floating in the air for no reason. (I'm sure there is some kinda reason, but since I'm not a fan, I'm hating.) Anyways, this one's for yall. Disfruta.

You Must Be Stevie

Click the album cover to download

I was definitely pleasantly surprised by Jeremih's debut. Even though "Birthday Sex" was and is an instant classic, I was skeptical that the Morgan Park-grad could deliver an entire album of catchy sing along songs that didn't come off as corny. Pie on my face. This jawn is decent as a mug, and the songwriting is actually pretty good. Jeremih's debut is basically a bedroom party waiting to happen. Maybe it's something about the way the wind hits Lake Michigan but this dude might be able to carry Kellz's banner for the young folks (no pedo). The mood and melodies are updated takes on what made Kellz famous (minus the child porn, of course.) And I can't hate on someone who sings "The perfect equation, like mx+b=y, we are probably apart." Some of you might can hate, but me? I can't. That's slope-intercept form, nigga.

Enough of me, get to clicking. Disfruta.

All In A Good Day

Click the album cover to download

You knew this day was coming. So yes, your favorite blogger's favorite blogger has been on a bit of a hiatus as of late. May and June (and most of April too) were busy as uckfay, and let's be real, blogging doesn't pay the bills, WORK does.

Which brings us to today's post. Longtime readers know that I've been hitting you with exclusives from The Paxtons for a good minute since pre-Members Only. You should also know that your boys pulled Atmos, Ubiq, and The Smoking Section along for the ride, along with other Paxton faithful (what up Khal!) who have supported Chris and Dave throughout this entire process.

Today, you finally get to listen to what all the fuss is about. The digital version is missing 2 tracks. It was intentional though. To get the two missing tracks, you have to go here. Also this free download is for a limited time only. Feel free to support good independent hip-hop by getting at that iTunes and downloading it. If you're like me, you prolly don't pay for music, but real talk, even I coughed up some money when Janelle Monae first started selling "Violet Stars, Happy Hunting" on her Myspace page purely because I wanted to help an independent artist. Support good music!

Now that you have the whole thing, I'ma put my quarter-dollar in and give you the run-down on three of my faves. Production-wise, this jawn is not to be effed with. For anyone who thought The Paxtons music was a lil too saccharine for their liking, "Theme Music" is so raw there might be traces of E. coli in your earhole after listening to it. Word to Colorado beef. "Atlas" is my hands-down favorite track off the whole album, and it took a lot for me to not leak it to yall earlier. Tagging it with "Perspicacity" is by no means an accident (yeah, these niggas got vocabularies).

Last, but definitely not least, is this friggin "Still Waiting." First, let me remind you that The Paxtons produced the ENTIRE album. Every track you hear, they made. Chris and Dave were sitting on the instrumental to "Still Waiting" for a minute. In fact, some of you might remember that I streamed the instrumental on the blog over a year ago after Dave slid it to me. I was promptly hit up with emails and comments about what that beat was and who made it, but had to keep it close for the niggas Paxton. To all of our benefit, these dudes rip this track to pieces rhapsodizing about their beloved hometown of Chicago, Illinois. As Oscar Wao explains, there's no place like home, and after a long day of WORK, that's prolly the first place we all wanna be. Scroll up and get to clicking. It's yours now. Disfruta.

Rush Hour

I been slacking in a lotta ways, but definitely on my boys The Paxtons. What's good though, is that they know better than to count on me for ish lol. With a team at WORK and cosignatures aplenty, the album is looking for homes on hard drives all over the 7 continents. WORK drops officially at The Smoking Section sometime today. I'll be giving it to yall later tonight or tomorrow (press pause productions). In the mean between time, follow Chris and Dave as they do what they do.

Rest In Peace

Like A Boss

Today marks a quarter-century on Planet Earth. It's kinda like a big deal.

Poseidon, Look At Meeeeeeeeee

Click the album cover to download

This is my gift to those who live under rocks, boulders, and other geological masses. Andy Samberg, et al have been killing it for a while. I first caught wind (no flatulence) of dude with his "Chronicles of Narnia" sketch on SNL a few years back, and everybody remembers "Dick In A Box," but this Jew went in with his boys and made a complete album of original, hilarious songs.


Aside from declaring the death of autotune well before Jay (and in a much more nuanced way), "I'm On A Boat" might be second on my list of summertime bangers after The Clipse's "I'm Good" (which is currently enjoying one-song playlist status right now.) Here are two more standouts off the album:





Click that album cover and disfruta.

Gomorrah

Somebody remind me when this jawn comes out in August. I don't usually do nonfiction, but this one should be good.

7 Days

I need this.

Windows

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Back in April, we gave yall For All I Care. If you never downloaded it, then you'se a bamma. These dudes are truth-incarnate. This is one of their earlier ones, featuring a cover of Nirvana's most iconic song (you know exactly which one I'm talking about). Disfruta and you're welcome.

Donuts!

Nah son, this ain't a Dilla tribute. If you didn't know, the first Friday of June is National Donut Day and today, June 5, 2009, is the first Friday of June. You know what sucks though? I live in Philly, which has ZERO Krispy Kreme shops. ZERO! The nearest Krispy Kreme is in Manhattan. Man-friggin-hattan. I'm kinda pissed, but not really (it is just donuts). Still, I feel some typa way about not being able to celebrate National Donut Day with a freshly baked Krispy Kreme donut. So much so, I might hop that Chinatown bus just to get a dozen...


Sike nah.

New Rules

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Mos Def's latest. Even if the album sucks, I appreciate the album cover. Click it and get it. Disfruta.

BTW, that Daniel Merriweather jawn is a banger.

Two Niggas In A Escalade...

So this past Tuesday night, I'm making spaghetti and watching Curb Your Enthusiasm when it's interrupted with one of those annoying test screens by the cable company. At least I thought it was a test. In reality, it turned out to be an official All Points Bulletin notifying me and every person watching TV that a white woman and her daughter were abducted by 2 black men in a Cadillac Escalade here in Philly. The report was made by the woman, who said she was locked in the trunk.

The next day, I and my coworkers discussed the alleged kidnapping along with some of the other crazy news stories that only happen in Philly. The whole "2 niggas in a Escalade" story didn't seem too kosher from the jump. And how are you making phone calls if you're kidnapped? Wouldn't a kidnapper have enough sense to take ur phone off you if he was gonna lock you in the trunk? Not to mention that they found the woman's real car somewhere downtown, parked nice and neat.

Well, turns out this heffa snuck off and went to Disneyworld like she wouldn't get caught. White people...

Stop Me

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Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but hopefully it's in the vein of that first single we gave yall featuring Adele (and blogger deleted) or the joint he dropped way back in '07 off Mark Ronson's Version. Disfruta.

At the Coffeeshop

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I picked this up at the beginning of the year and have been enjoying it. It's part of a double CD but to be honest I think I only picked up the second one so that's the one I'm throwing out to yall. This one is all instrumentals tho so if you want lyrics, get on your boards and get to web surfin. To prepare you, it's definitely in the demographic of white ppl who listen to NPR and hang out at coffee shops all day, which, in this case, is a good thing. You know what to do. Disfruta.

Hilarious sidebar: So right now, i'm actually blogging around the corner from the crib at a coffee shop on my laptop b/c my home computer has swine flu mixed with full blown AIDS. While uploading the album cover, a mustachioed white guy with dark plastic-frame specs (read: typical NPR/coffee shopper) looks at my screen, smiles, and says randomly, "That's a great album."

Point proven. Click it and get it.

Love and Calculus

Y'all know I'm a nerd at heart, so reading this out the NY Times was a definite treat. I would normally just leave the hyperlink in hopes you would click it, but I'm blockquoting the entire jawn right here. Disfruta.

Loves Me, Loves Me Not (Do the Math)
BY STEVEN STROGATZ

“In the spring,” wrote Tennyson, “a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” And so in keeping with the spirit of the season, this week’s column looks at love affairs — mathematically. The analysis is offered tongue in cheek, but it does touch on a serious point: that the laws of nature are written as differential equations. It also helps explain why, in the words of another poet, “the course of true love never did run smooth.”

To illustrate the approach, suppose Romeo is in love with Juliet, but in our version of the story, Juliet is a fickle lover. The more Romeo loves her, the more she wants to run away and hide. But when he takes the hint and backs off, she begins to find him strangely attractive. He, on the other hand, tends to echo her: he warms up when she loves him and cools down when she hates him.

What happens to our star-crossed lovers? How does their love ebb and flow over time? That’s where the math comes in. By writing equations that summarize how Romeo and Juliet respond to each other’s affections and then solving those equations with calculus, we can predict the course of their affair. The resulting forecast for this couple is, tragically, a never-ending cycle of love and hate. At least they manage to achieve simultaneous love a quarter of the time.

The model can be made more realistic in various ways. For instance, Romeo might react to his own feelings as well as to Juliet’s. He might be the type of guy who is so worried about throwing himself at her that he slows himself down as his love for her grows. Or he might be the other type, one who loves feeling in love so much that he loves her all the more for it.

Add to those possibilities the two ways Romeo could react to Juliet’s affections — either increasing or decreasing his own — and you see that there are four personality types, each corresponding to a different romantic style.

My students and those in Peter Christopher’s class at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have suggested such descriptive names as Hermit and Malevolent Misanthrope for the particular kind of Romeo who damps out his own love and also recoils from Juliet’s. Whereas the sort of Romeo who gets pumped by his own ardor but turned off by Juliet’s has been called a Narcissistic Nerd, Better Latent Than Never, and a Flirting Fink. (Feel free to post your own suggested names for these two types and the other two possibilities.)

Although these examples are whimsical, the equations that arise in them are of the far-reaching kind known as differential equations. They represent the most powerful tool humanity has ever created for making sense of the material world. Sir Isaac Newton used them to solve the ancient mystery of planetary motion. In so doing, he unified the heavens and the earth, showing that the same laws of motion applied to both.

In the 300 years since Newton, mankind has come to realize that the laws of physics are always expressed in the language of differential equations. This is true for the equations governing the flow of heat, air and water; for the laws of electricity and magnetism; even for the unfamiliar and often counterintuitive atomic realm where quantum mechanics reigns.

In all cases, the business of theoretical physics boils down to finding the right differential equations and solving them. When Newton discovered this key to the secrets of the universe, he felt it was so precious that he published it only as an anagram in Latin. Loosely translated, it reads: “It is useful to solve differential equations.”

The silly idea that love affairs might progress in a similar way occurred to me when I was in love for the first time, trying to understand my girlfriend’s baffling behavior. It was a summer romance at the end of my sophomore year in college. I was a lot like the first Romeo above, and she was even more like the first Juliet. The cycling of our relationship was driving me crazy until I realized that we were both acting mechanically, following simple rules of push and pull. But by the end of the summer my equations started to break down, and I was even more mystified than ever. As it turned out, the explanation was simple. There was an important variable that I’d left out of the equations — her old boyfriend wanted her back.

In mathematics we call this a three-body problem. It’s notoriously intractable, especially in the astronomical context where it first arose. After Newton solved the differential equations for the two-body problem (thus explaining why the planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun), he turned his attention to the three-body problem for the sun, earth and moon. He couldn’t solve it, and neither could anyone else. It later turned out that the three-body problem contains the seeds of chaos, rendering its behavior unpredictable in the long run.

Newton knew nothing about chaotic dynamics, but he did tell his friend Edmund Halley that the three-body problem had “made his head ache, and kept him awake so often, that he would think of it no more.”

I’m with you there, Sir Isaac.

Clave

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside

I'm definitely a closeted Red Hot Chili Peppers fan.

Mortal Kombat

A few weeks ago, your boys Chris and Dave of The Paxtons made a trip up I-95 to holler at the Ubiq homeys. After chilling with the crew and meeting random niggas at Rittenhouse, I had the opportunity to catch these niggas doing what they do best: rapping.

Back in the day, "freestyle" meant "freestyle"--unwritten unplanned improvised rapping. Nowadays, freestyle means "I wrote this on my blackberry 2 weeks ago," which isn't bad, but it makes it even better when you see a nigga really go in. Slowly but surely, The Paxtons are winning over fan after fan, but it's good to see that these niggas are true emcees and can hang amongst the best. Press play and catch Dave freestyling for 6 and a half minutes straight. (The unedited version is even longer.) You'll enjoy it, te prometo.