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Smif-N-Wessun returns with “The Album”
Not everyone realizes how popular the Duck Down family is. On the West Coast, heads mostly remember them for the impressive run of albums they generated in the early 90s, just before the jiggy era permanently consigned dusted hip-hop styles to the underground. But on the East Coast, Duck Down is a full-blown cult that’s highly admired for staying true to its core values of uncompromising street rap over more than a decade.
Smif-N-Wessun — also known as Cocoa Brovaz — may be the most popular group of the collective. Tek and Steele have cranked out a series of hits during its career, from its classic debut Dah Shinin to "Super Brooklyn." Their fourth album, The Album, includes cameos from Rock from Heltah Skeltah and Joell Ortiz (on the first single, "Stomp Thru") and beats from Tommy Tee, Ken Ring and others. As previously reported, it arrives amidst a heavy schedule for the mighty Duck Down Enterprises.
The Album drops October 23. The track listing is below.
Alpha Pup fall slate: edIT, Daedelus, Carlos Nino
Alpha Pup, the West Coast indie label and digital reissue company founded by producer Daddy Kev and his fiance Danyell Jariel (pictured above), is prepping a full slate of releases for fall 2007.
Tagged by XLR8R magazine as one of "ten record labels to peep in the months ahead," Alpha Pup’s recent catalog includes Subtitle’s Terrain to Roam and Scream Club’s controversial queer-rap epic Life of a Heartbreaker. In August it issued underrated L.A. producer Omid’s instrumental suite Afterwords 3.
The big title on its schedule, however, is edIT’s Certified Air Raid Material. Once primarily an IDM jock, edIT has been tearing up L.A. nightclubs with his glitchy hip-hop mixes. He brings a similar aesthetic to his second album, collaborating with the Grouch, Abstract Rude, Busdriver, TTC and DJ D-Styles. Certified Air Raid Material drops as a digital release on September 18, and in physical CD form on October 9.
Antipop reunites!
In a recent Pitchforkmedia.com news story, the three members of Antipop Consortium announced that they have reunited.
Antipop Consortium may be one of the most distinctive rap acts of the past decade. Their name, motto — "disturb the equilibrium" — and blend of experimental techno with freestyle raps laid the foundation for the future soul movement that courses through underground music today.
Beans, High Priest, and M. Sayyid banded together as Antipop Consortium in 1997 — with Earl Blaize handling much of the production — and issued several limited-edition mixtapes (some of which were collected in the Japan-only compilation Shopping Carts Crashing) before releasing their debut, 2000’s brilliant Tragic Epilogue. A second album, Arrhythmia, came in 2002 before the trio fractured from intra-band tensions.
Beans went on to drop two well-received solo albums on Warp, and has finished a third album, Thorns, for release next year. High Priest and M. Sayyid pursued careers apart and as a duo, Airborn Audio. High Priest dropped his first solo album, Born Identity, last February.
In the Pitchforkmedia.com story, the group chose not to dwell on Antipop’s initial breakup, which shocked fans at the time. "Everybody’s examined their own individual selves as well as their relationships in the collective, and it’s just about moving forward, not so much about the past," says M. Sayyid.
"It’s about having my friends back. That’s the number one motivation," continues Sayyid. "I can’t stress that enough to the people out there who supported us, how great we feel just being back, putting bars on things. APC represents not always being inside the lines, represents that creative freedom, so that’s another reason why I’m real happy to be back on deck. I’m just really happy to be experimenting and trying new ways to break up flows, to break up productions, having my man Blaize, having Beans in the mix. That gives me an extra push to just kill it."
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Tagged Antipop Consortium, Beans, Earl Blaize, High Priest, M. Sayyid
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Lyrics Born prepares new album, tour
Lyrics Born is one of hip-hop’s great showmen, as well as a much-underrated influence on the underground rap scene. His live album, 2006’s Overnight Encore, is sonic proof of his onstage abilities, but it can’t match the real thing.
So take his upcoming tour as a chance to witness a great concert experience. The jaunt — he usually does one a year — prefaces Everywhere At Once, which will only be his second solo album in a 15-year career. Scheduled for February 2008 on Epitaph Records, it’s also his first album since 2004’s Later That Day.
The tour dates are below.
Little Brother waits for “Getback,” tours with Evidence
In a MySpace post, Little Brother figurehead Phonte Coleman announced that his group’s third album, Getback, is being delayed from September 25 to October 23.
"I’m over this shit," writes Coleman in a post titled "Oh well….whatever…..nevermind… (c) Kurt Cobain." "All I ever wanted was for my music to be heard. If it was solely up to me I’d throw up a zshare laink for y’all to download tonight, rather than leave it in the hands of people seemingly hellbent on fucking up what many have called our best and most complete record to date. I never understood how animals could eat their young until now."
Coleman may be getting overemotional, however. Having just announced the album’s release less than two months ago, the slight pushback allows ABB Records more setup time for an album that’s generating positive buzz among those who have heard it. "As an artist, I vow to keep creating, keep recording, and keep releasing new music, but I refuse to keep puttin my energy into Getback when we’re surrounded by lies, half-truths, and incompetence on the label’s end. Why keep nursing a stillborn baby?"
Meanwhile, Coleman has other projects in the can, including an 80s-themed EP with Maryland artist Zo! and the follow-up to his acclaimed Foreign Exchange project with Dutch-born producer Nicolay. His LB partner Big Pooh has another solo album coming next year as well.
But first comes Getback…eventually. The group has announced its first round of tour dates as well, many with Evidence from Dilated Peoples. The track listing and itinerary are below. (October 18 update: The tour itinerary has been updated.)
Daedelus brings new music, concerts
Alfred Darling, better known as Daedelus, has been in the lab for the better part of a year, working on his official Ninja Tune debut, among other projects. This fall, he’ll reveal some of the fruits of his labor as well as a few limited-edition goodies.
First comes Fair Weather Friends, an EP of material that serves as a prelude to the Ninja Tune joint. Due out on October 8, it finds him refining his singing skills over five tracks. Then comes a live album, Live at Low End Theory, that captures a gig performed at the Los Angeles club night. It should land in stores iTunes via Alpha Pup before the end of the year.
There are other bits and pieces, including a track on one of Dublab.com’s infamous limited-edition EPs (Echo Expansion). But the best way to get some Daedelus is in person, since he always takes plenty of rare and unusual merchandise with him on tour. This fall, he’ll head out on the road with Busdriver, who has worked tirelessly to promote his nifty but weird Roadkillovercoat. The dates for the tag team duo are below.
Kanye West trumpets “Graduation”
Yes, I know that I’m extremely late in posting the news about Kanye West’s third album (although, like everyone else, I’ve been writing about it all year.) At this point, a whirlwind of hype and buzz has already enveloped Graduation.
One of the tracks, "Stronger," sits on the Billboard top ten singles chart. Another, "Can’t Tell Me Nothing," gets constant airplay in urban markets. Two more, "Big Brother" and "Barry Bonds," are mixshow favorites. Meanwhile, 50 Cent, perhaps in a bid to pump up his failing fortunes, has announced that his Curtis dud will compete for the number one slot when both discs arrive on September 11. Even lame country singer Kenny Chesney has joined in the fun.
All of this fake noise is to ensure that West’s Graduation actually goes platinum; alarmingly, it would only be the second hip-hop album released this year to do so. Place your bets, Soundscan nerds! The track listing is below.
PB Wolf compiles “2K8”
2K Sports sure likes hip-hop. For the past few years, the video game company has teamed with Decon Records to organize a series of rap-themed projects and promote its latest video games. This year alone, as previously reported, 2K Sports has sponsored a DJ Z-Trip-helmed compilation, All Pro, and an upcoming tour featuring Common and Q-Tip. Now, fan favorite Stones Throw is getting involved, too.
On October 2, Stones Throw will release 2K8: B-Ball Zombie War, an album compiled by the mighty Peanut Butter Wolf himself. It will feature the usual Stones Throw cast members, from the late James "J Dilla" Yancey, MF Doom, Oh No and Madlib’s many guises (Beat Konducta, Quasimoto) to Talib Kweli and Q-Tip. Enticingly, it will also feature the official premiere of Supreme Team, a touted collaboration between Madlib and J Dilla confidante Karriem Riggins.
Stones Throw will promote its latest all-star comp with a label showcase tour featuring PB Wolf, Madlib, J-Rocc and others. Dates for the tour, which takes place at the end of the year, will be announced soon. Meanwhile Percee P, whose long-awaited debut Perseverance drops on September 25, is jumping on the 2K Sports Bounce Tour with Common. (The earlier post with those dates has been updated to reflect Percee’s involvement.)
The track listing for 2K8: B-Ball Zombie War is below.
Krush takes “History of Krush” on tour
DJ Krush is one of the few non-American producers to have a major impact on the U.S. hip-hop scene. As a Japanese artist who doesn’t speak fluent English, he’s nevertheless recorded several albums considered classics among the beat/downtempo/electronic set, from 1994’s Strictly Turntablized to 2001’s Zen. His dusted free jazz beats demarcates an entire era in beat culture.
For the past two years Krush has been reminiscing on his glorious past, beginning with last year’s Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed Best, followed by a fall tour that was heavy on memorable tracks like "Kemuri." This year brings another retrospective in History of DJ Krush. Set to drop on September 18 via Red Ink/Sony, it’s a 3-DVD set featuring a 1996 tour documentary created around the time of 1996’s Milight, his first U.S.-distributed album; a documentary tracing his career; and a set of rare videos. The cherry on the cake, however, will be another North American tour. DJ Krush is one of the most compelling live acts in the DJ world, with compositional skills comparable to DJ Shadow.
The dates, which kick off in October, are below.
Buck 65 faces “Situation”
Ricardo Terfry, better known as Buck 65, has enjoyed a large cult following in the United States throughout this decade. Imports of his Canadian albums so are pervasive, in fact, that few realize only one of his albums has officially been released here: the 2000 watermark Man Overboard, thanks to his early affiliation with Anticon. (V2 issued a compilation, This Right Here is Buck 65, in 2005.)
So the new Situation is a major event. Buck 65’s current U.S. benefactor is Sage Francis, the Providence, R.I. radical who took him on a successful summer tour, and introduced Buck 65 to a whole new audience. What those kids will encounter is an unusual ride back to 1957, a year recounted through the eyes of several semi-fictional characters. Situation drops via Francis’ Strange Famous Records on October 30.
Common, Q-Tip head on 2K8 Sports Bounce Tour
Last week, I posted an item about several spot dates Common will fulfill next month, a few as part of the Heineken Red Star Soul tour. Well, only several days later, it turns out that the much-beloved Chicago rapper will undertake another corporate-sponsored jaunt, too.
Some fans might remember that A Tribe Called Quest reunited last year to headline the 2K7 Sports Bounce tour with Rhymefest and Consequence in tow. This time, Common will lead the 2K8 Sports Bounce tour. According to MySpace bulletins sent out by the artists, opening acts include Q-Tip, who continues to promise that The Renaissance will come out this year; Termanology, a rising Boston MC known for mixtapes and assertions of lyrical superiority; and 88-Keys, a producer who has credits on classics like Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides, and who is prepping a solo album, The Death of Adam, for Decon Music. (September 4 update: Percee P has just been added to the tour.)
This is the third edition of the 2K Sports tour; Tribe led the 2006 version, and the Roots inaugurated it in 2005. Also, Z-Trip produced a 2K Sports-affiliated compilation, All Pro, and completed a tour for the album this summer. Which means 2K Sports really likes hip-hop, I guess.
Official details about the tour have yet to be released, but all of the artists have posted dates on their MySpace pages. Those dates, along with the rest of Common’s itinerary, are listed below. This post will be updated when official information becomes available.
Lupe Fiasco promises “The Cool”
Back in May, I noted with some amusement that Lupe Fiasco planned to release another album before the end of the year. It was going to be called Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, named after one of the tracks on his acclaimed debut Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. I didn’t take it seriously…most rappers talk up projects well before they’re completed. (See Dr. Dre’s Detox, et cetera.)
Well, the summer’s almost over, and Lupe Fiasco continues to insist that The Cool will hit stores in 2007. However, it has been pushed back from October 31 to November 20. Most of the production, it seems, will be handled by Pro and Soundtrack — the guys who drew some criticism for overproducing Lupe’s debut. Fiasco previewed two of its tracks, "Us Placers" and "Superstardom" (feat. singer-songwriter Matthew Santos, last heard on Food & Liquor‘s standout track "American Terrorist") during a showcase set at Lollapalooza this month.
According to a Billboard story, Fiasco is also relying on a few cliches, namely the "supergroup" concept and the "retire before I fall off" concept. The former is in regards to CRS (Child Rebel Soldiers), his pairing with Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.
Sadat X re-emerges
Derek "Sadat X" Murphy is finally free. After spending several months in Riker’s Island on weapons charges, the veteran New York rapper beloved for his solo music and work with Brand Nubian is back on the streets, and is working on re-starting his career. "The God is back in town," reads a message on his MySpace page.
There’s no word yet on when a new Sadat X project will appear. In the meantime, West Coast fans have a brief tour to look forward. Sadat will take along Coolzey, a rap-rock band, with him. For the rest of us, Traffic Entertainment is issuing a previously-unheard collection of recordings from Brand Nubian. Titled Time’s Runnin’ Out, it features songs recorded just prior to their acclaimed 1998 reunion, Foundation. It comes out today (August 21).
Tour dates are below. Check with venues and area resources prior to the concert, as many shows are still being confirmed.
Atmosphere returns to the road
It’s an annual tradition. Every year, Minneapolis heroes Atmosphere head out on the road, bringing their brand of emotional hip-hop to American youth everywhere. This year has been a relatively quiet one so far, though. Slug and Ant (who just produced Brother Ali’s critically acclaimed The Undisputed Truth) have been hard at work on their sixth album, When Life Gives You Lemons…, which is tentatively set for release next spring.
Earlier this month Atmosphere issued an EP on its Rhymesayers label, Sad Clown Bad Summer, to tide their fans over. They also scheduled a month-long jaunt. But this tour won’t aim at the indie-rap loving Emo’s clubs of the world. Instead, the group will head to secondary markets like Lubbock, Tex. and Santa Cruz, Calif. Fans in those cities will get a nice package, since Portland goth-rappers Grayskul, living legend Luckyiam, and Minneapolis upstart Mac Lethal will be joining them. (September 6 update: New dates have been added below.)
Tour dates are below. Try to purchase your tickets through Atmosphere’s Ducat King vendor; it will contribute a dollar towards victims of the recent I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis for every ticket sold.
Common hits number one, quickly plummets
On the week of August 11, Common’s Finding Forever debuted at the top of the charts. The most impressive thing, however, wasn’t the fact that Common landed the first number one album of his decade-plus career. With movie roles, a high-profile creative partnership with Kanye West, and much critical acclaim for his work, Common was expected to do well with his latest release. Remarkably, however — and no one noted this — he may be the first rap artist in history to top the Billboard charts on his seventh album. His resiliency is a great rebuttal to the ongoing debate over hip-hop’s durability in the mainstream marketplace.
On the following week, however, Finding Forever quickly tumbled from the top to number seven on the Billboard charts. (Ironically, it was replaced by UGK’s self-titled sixth album, making for perhaps the oldest hip-hop group to achieve a number one slot.) Unfortunately, most rap stars still depend on radio hits to move major units; since nothing has yet emerged from Finding Forever, it’s doubtful (but not impossible) that Common can translate his amazing feat into massive record sales.
Meanwhile, dude is heading out on the road for several spot dates, some of which will be for the Heineken Red Star Soul tour with promising new soul artist Emily King. He’ll probably announce a more extensive run during the next several months. In the meantime, check out the dates below.
Solillaquists build creative center for youth
Some people like to gossip about whether Lil’ Wayne reunited with Trina or if Kanye West is gay. Me, I like to write about artists who are actually doing shit instead of speculate about their personal lives.
Case in point: Epitaph Records quartet Solillaquists of Sound. The quartet, which consists of two married couples, want to build a creative arts center in Orlando. "The Solilla Center 4 Creative Kids will offer kids yoga, a kids art gallery & store, massage, a smoothie and juice bar, language, art, poetry, theater, gardening, vegan cooking and raw food courses, & an after-school tutoring and study program!" writes Alexandrah. "Our goal is to raise $20,000 in 30 days."
Solillaquists are asking for $2 donations, which will earn contributors a coupon good for, uh, $2 at the group’s gift shop. How they’ll be able to raise 20 Gs from $2 donations apiece in a month is anyone’s guess. But hey, it’s a worthy cause.
"This center is a much-needed outlet of expression for Orlando’s Kids, so please spread the word!!" writes Alexandrah. To donate, visit solilla.myshopify.com.
Prefuse 73 makes “Preparations”
Scott Herren is arguably one of the most influential producers of the past decade — if not necessarily in hip-hop (he’s got a lot of competition in that department), then most certainly in electronic music.
So why all the haterade? Perhaps because, over an 8-year career, he’s made a lot of music under many guises. Not all of it’s great, and some of it is pretty dismal (I particularly didn’t like Security Screenings). His predicament reminds me of J-Dilla, another prolific producer who drew a lot of criticism around 2001-2002. This was four years before he died and became deified by the hip-hop faithful. Hopefully Herren won’t have to die to get his props.
So here comes another Herren adventure, this time under his most successful pseudonym, Prefuse 73. Preparations, set for release on October 9 via Warp Records, arrives only five months after Golden Pollen, his recent album as Savath y Savalas. The man is currently planning a U.S. tour, but in the meantime here’s the track listing.
Perkins and Muldrow preach “The Message Uni Versa”
On September 25, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins will unveil The Message Uni Versa. For fans of Muldrow’s brilliant Olesi: Fragments of an Earth, this album is more straightforward and spiritual-based than her searing, sometimes-anguished solo work. For fans of Perkins’ solo albums (not including his music as Declaime), it finds him collaborating with a new partner, not the mighty Madlib.
With two talents as formidable as Muldrow and Perkins, there isn’t any need for cameos and guest appearances. Muldrow handles the bulk of the beats, but Perkins chips in some beats. The music is a unique blend of hip-hop, funk and soul.
Some may surprised that The Message Uni Versa isn’t arriving via Stones Throw Records. Instead, it comes through Look Records, the Bay Area label founded by onetime Stones Throw artist DJ Design. The Message Uni Versa, says Perkins in a press release, "means one song in the universe; we’re trying to reach the masses through this album to let everyone know we are all one."
As for Epistophik Peach Sounds, the duo’s erstwhile label? Its first release will be Jimetta Rose’s "America" 12-inch. Produced by Muldrow, it’s scheduled to arrive with Groove Attack Distribution on September 21.
Meanwhile, the track listing for The Message Uni Versa is below.
DJ Vadim tours for “The Soundcatcher”
This fall, UK producer DJ Vadim will head across the U.S. on tour in support of his latest album The Soundcatcher. Accompanying him will be Yarah Bravo, the rapper/vocalist who collaborated with him on his One Self project; and L.A. rap veteran Abstract Rude. The trio plan to course through the nation’s bohemian cafes and small nightclubs, and are looking for people to help spread the word.
"If you are familiar with One Self. Then you are probably familiar with mine and my crew’s work ethics," wrote Vadim in a MySpace message. "We are looking to create a Street Team in all the cities we are hitting. We need people who can help us distribute flyers and posters to record stores, clothes stores, coffee shops, colleges … hit up local radio, campus radio, promote at local shows etc … and spread the word! If you got a website, or run a blog etc … feel free to post it on there as well. We’ll make online flyers too."
So consider this modest post a contribution towards the effort. If you want to help, contact the Russian through his MySpace page. In the meantime, check out the tour dates below.
Percee P debuts with “Perseverance”
On September 18, Bronx MC Percee P will finally release his debut album, Perseverance. Amazingly, it’s the first full-length of his career after nearly twenty years of obscure 12-inches, scene-stealing cameos and obscure CD-Rs. The album itself arrives after nearly two years in delays and promises from his label, Stones Throw Records.
Perseverance is completely produced by Madlib. Not counting the Talib Kweli EP Liberation, it is Madlib’s first full collaboration since the Madvillain classic of three years ago. Other guests include Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks, Guilty Simpson, Diamond D, former Jurassic 5 rapper Chali 2na, Prince Po and Aesop Rock.
For much of the last several years, bloggers, crate-diggers and rap experts have celebrated Percee P’s legendary "fast rap" style, essentially calling the greatest MC no one had ever heard of. With Perseverance, everyday Stones Throw geeks will finally get to decide if he lives up to the hype.
The track listing is below.
August 9 update: I was wrong about Perseverance being Madlib’s first full collabo since Madvillain. How could I forget about Dudley Perkins’ Expressions (2012 a.u.) from last year? Sorry, Dudley.