The more I explore my own musical tastes here, the more I realize I'm growing increasingly tired of hip-hop. I've been on straight hiatus of dj mixtapes. They bore me at this point. I'm almost scared that I'm getting "old" but anybody who knows me knows that's not about to happen anytime soon.
I haven't given up on hip-hop though. I've just returned heavily back to my roots and the tunes that brought me extreme pleasure, and in 1994, Nervous records was IT. "It" being official backpack music before that subgenre existed. These two albums...the were required headphones and Walkman material. They were what New York hip-hop was before it switched over and became glamourized - steady beats, hard but precise scratchs and samples and lyrics that explored the minds of the youth who dreamed big but faced the daily reality of struggle to achieve.
I can just feel a 90's mixtape/post bubbling in my veins lol.
Black Moon - Enta Da Stage FIXED
Smif-N-Wessun - Da Shinin FIXED
So what have I been listening to? Glad you ask. It's been all over the place and varies greatly but mostly older R&B and soul with a few doses of other genres. Here's a lady whose voice ooozes with soul. A live album was upped last week and was well recieved. So we're going to try to put up her catalog as well for you to enjoy in full.
Sade Catalog - Installment One
Diamond Life (1984)
Promise (1985) FIXED
This lady ooozes soul as well...and she's only a teenager. And oh yeah...she's white lol. She's winning critical acclaim all around though. Don't ask me how I found this joint or why I'm listening to it but all I know is you need to give her a listen. I can't even stunt....Soul Sessions , a collection of covers, is thoro. Backed by barebones, minimal production, her voice is strong and powerful and she can seemingly see yourself in a smoky room while she sits on stage belting out notes.
Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul FIXED
Joss Stone - Soul Sessions
And I scoured the net this weekend looking for this album. I reached out to all of you and a few specific folk. Luckily, these specific folk, e-Junkie.net, came through in the clutch and satisfied my jones.
Why did I want this album? Well, I've long stated my infatuation on locating the sources of inspiration for today's leaders, musical or not. Kanye mentioned this album and Jon Brion on his MTV special, along with Portishead's Dummy (you already know my love affair with that album). I did some research and it was called "just as dark" as Portishead's album and you know I was all in.
True to form, it's just as good and it was worth the fight in finding it. A 90+ word album title? You know there's some serious work contained inside any disc with that type of title. For a full write-up, check e-Junkie.net.
Fiona Apple - When The Pawn... FIXED
PW - www.tha-industry.net
More music...
Ras_Kass-Verbal_Murder-2005
Stat Quo - Street Status (Retail)(Statlanta Prequel)
DJ Drama & UTP-We On Bubble(UTP Movement) Backup Link
Chamillionaire and DJ Smallz- Man On Fire Mixtape
