Straight Goods: A Merry Christmas Music Delivery

First off, happy everything to everyone everywhere... See how politically correct I am? But for real, Merry Christmas all! Just some tracks to vibe out your christmas break.

First up, using a beat from the always timeless Charlie Brown's Christmas, Ryu gives us a new and very listenable Christmas track...not an easy task. I'm not gonna pretend I know anything about Ryu, other than being a badass streetfighter character, but I like what he brings to the table on this one.

Ryu- I Did It to Myself

Next is a way back Lil Wayne track that I completely forgot about. "On the first day of Christmas guess what Santa brought to me? A gloc, a magnum, and a rusty M3." Christmas in the hood sounds like a time. Lil Wayne goes hard to complete this solid little number, despite the damn reggae horn.

Lil Wayne-Rappapompom (Ft Junior Reid)

And as each song get a little less Chistmasy, why not just ditch the theme entirely. Chip tha Ripp gets me a little fired up every time I hear this one. Plus, it's important to Feel Good during the holidays right?

Chip Tha Ripper- Feel Good

Enjoy folks and hit the eggnog hard!

Lupe Fiasco- The Show Must Go On: VIDEO

I have been patiently awaiting Lupe's new CD Lasers for months now and even tho the record doesn't come out until March 8th Fiasco has given fans a Christmas present. So heres the video for "The Show Goes On" and for all you hardcore Lupe fans March can not come sooner!

Merry Christmas from Straight Goods Music

Macklemore - My Oh My (Dave Niehaus Tribute)

My musical world has been greatly lacking in Macklemore for some time now. Other than the release of Vs Redux, which was pretty sweet, it's been a while since my ears were treated to some new material. Thankfully, the drought is over. The new song, titled My Oh My is a tribute to the late Dave Niehaus who was the announcer for the Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in '77 up until his death last November. Macklemore's delivery and lyrical content are definitely the most honest of any hip hop artist that I know, the only other artist that I can compare to him is Slug of Atmosphere. They both have the ability to tell cohesive stories through their songs which makes them incredibly interesting to listen to. Add that to Ryan Lewis' production and you're guaranteed a good song.

Macklemore - My Oh My

Rockie Fresh- "The Otherside Mix-Tape"

Rockie Fresh came up on my radar a little while ago when i posted his song "Living". I liked the fact that he sounded like Kidz In The Hall rapper Naledge and proved himself as the two completed the song "Living" together. With instant credibility placed on the kid, I patiently waited for his "Otherside Mixtape" to come out. Well, the wait is over and the record did not disappoint! In the video for the single "What's The Hurry" Rockie gives fans a little perspective into the future of his career and life, along with proving that he can intellectually rhyme. I like these rappers who talk about their days in college, bettering themselves... instead of talking about there lack of attention span when it comes to educating their minds. I'm all for stoner or gangster rap but sometimes you gotta listen to positive Hip-Hop that promotes you to do something that doesn't involve Xbox. Rockie features an array of artists on the mix-tape, one of them being G.O.O.D music singer Mr. Hudson. Hudson has is an obvious Brit but has a pretty insane voice that goes good on rap tunes.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

"All I Wanna Do Is Sip My Brew And Party"... New Grynch

Exams are done for me and my Seattle connects are helping define my life for the next week or so. Grynch is back at work with a new feel good track "All I Wanna Do" which basically states what I will be doing with my Christmas break. Seattle's been pretty quite as of late which is pretty disappointing for my musical listening but thankfully Grynch is holding his city up with another vibed out track. The mans flow is always smooth and this chorus is just too catchy to look past, so crack a brew put the feet up and vibe out.

The track also features fellow Seattle rapper Sol who I have never heard of but will defiantly be exploring in the near future. 

Grynch- All I Wanna Do  

Introducing: Sia

Lately I've been getting into Sia, an Australian singer songwriter with a powerful voice and eclectic taste. Sia falls into the category of jazz styled pop, but that makes her sound much more normal than she really is. Sia is actually a very quirky individual, and that's what I like about her. The music she releases reflects her personality perfectly, as she has been known to counter the bland pop that consistently saturates the radio waves. This approach may mean that you might not like everything she puts out, but she's probably got a couple of gems that fit your preference if your willing to look. The songs I've been giving the most play by Sia come off her latest album, We Are Born, which just came out this past summer. When reading up on Sia I found out that she has also provided the vocals for some tracks by Zero 7, a downtempo, laidback electro duo. I had the song destiny by Zero 7 on my tunes already, and it makes it that much better knowing who's on the mic.

Sia - You've Changed


Sia - Buttons (CSS remix)

Zero 7 - Destiny (Feat Sia)

Wiz Khalifa's leakin

Now that I'm finally home for the holidays and things have cooled down a little bit I'm going to start sharing some of this music thats been accumulating on my recently added. Wiz Khalifa, who has been leaking a bunch of his music recently, has been gettin that buzz ready for his newest album set to drop in early 2011. In one of his latest leaks titled Huey Newton (after co-founder of the black panthers), Wiz lights up a great sample that has been making it's rounds in the music world, in Toto's Africa. Two more leaks, called Star of the Show and Real Estate shows us that the classic, smooth, wiz flow is still strong and stickin. Finally one of the last tracks I'm going to include from Wiz isn't a new song, but a mash up by Brenton Duvall who's been talked about on here before. Duvall mixes Wiz Khalifa's This Plane and Taylor Swift's Mean, an unlikely combination that actually ends up working so well it makes you think that Taylor Gang isn't all about Chuck T's.

Wiz Khalifa - Huey Newton


Wiz Khalifa - Star of the Show


Wiz Khalifa - Real Estate

Brenton Duvall - Mean Planes & Taylor Gangs (Wiz Khalifa Feat Taylor Swift)

Mike Tompkins Featuring Shad K- Only Girl Cover

Canadian producer/ singer Mike Tompkins goes through Rihanna's radio smash "Only Girl" and puts his own vocal spin on it. Not only does he sing but he also makes the noises for each instrument/sound using his own voice.  The video is mad entertaining and if Tompkins beat boxing the whole song isn't enough he grabs Straight Goods favorite Shad K off the bench to drop a line or two. Shad's verse fits in perfectly with the track and makes the fact that there's a guy singing this song so much more legit. The end of the video is one of the best parts as Tompkins goes through each sound/ instrument and shows you how he made them flow... enjoy

New: "Blu and Exile-Seasons"

Over my years of listening to Hip-Hop there have been many songs and albums that have come and gone, but some just embed themselves in my musical listening. One of my favorites of all time is Blu & Exile's "Below The Heavens". Although both went there different ways and produced a lot of great tracks along the way, none felt the same as those from Below the Heavens. There is nothing better than a rapper and producer who come together to create a great album. The two have joined forces once again in this video and give us hope for another Blu and Exile record in the future. The track "Seasons" features a smooth melodic beat from Exile that always fits well with Blu's insanely lyrical flow. It's not a video that will entertain you greatly but if your a huge fan of the two like me then i'm gonna assume your gonna enjoy it none-the-less.

No Greater Love- Blu and Exile

Six foot, seven foot, eight foot, bunch!

Lil Wayne vs. Harry Belafonte

Tha Carter 4 is on the horizon...and for us long time weezy fans, we finally have something to look forward to. When you gain popularity as quickly and as explosively as lil wayne, your bound to run into some criticism. And when you release as much music as weez, some of it is bound to be shit--and lil wayne has his fair share of shit. But I choose to play the moderate lil wayne fan, listening to whatever he releases with an open mind, then dismissing the shit and bumpin the bangers. And when it comes to the first single off the new album, Six Foot Seven Foot, my speakers can't go loud enough. The track, just released today on iTunes, features Bronx rapper Cory Gunz and with Bangladesh on the production, you can't help but get that old A Milli feeling back. Oh, and you gotta love the sample: Harry Belafonte's version of the traditional Jamaican folk song, Day-O (The Banana Boat Song). You can listen to both tracks below:

Lil Wayne ft. Cory Gunz- Six Foot Seven Foot

Harry Belafonte- Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

Dow Jones - Tweeters

I can't believe I let Pigeons and Planes beat me to posting this since it was posted in our shoutbox last week... procrastination kills. Shout out to creasybear and living tree music. Tweeters by Dow Jones thankfully has nothing to do with twitter or any other social networking site, instead it refers to high frequency speakers. The song itself is awesome, I was planning on trying to explain it in detail but i've got a ton of work to do today so I've gotta cut this one short. Tweeters is single #1 of his recent free ep liquor and lyrics which you can download here.

Dow Jones - Tweeters

"When You In The Club Get Your Ass On The Floor"- Dirty Money

Through all the name changes Diddy has gone through i've pretty much lost faith in him ever doing anything cool. There are so many good rappers out there yet Bad Boy always finds the randomly brutal ones. His new group Dirty Money is composed of two talented female singers (from Danity Kane) and sees Puff Daddy return to the mic. The track "Ass On The Floor" features super-producer Swiss Beatz using the beat from Major Lazers summer smash "Pon De Floor" and transforming into a melodic jam. Other than the fact that Diddy partly ruins the song by attempting to rap on it, the song is oddly addicting. I'm still a little mad at Diddy for ruining J.Cole's "Coming Home" but ill forgive him for now due to this catchy ass song he's given us.

Whether I'm personally a fan or not there's no denying that this song is dope...enjoy 

Diddy and Dirty Money- Ass On The Floor (produced by Swiss Beatz) 

Voli-Here

Found Voli a couple of months ago and was instantly impressed. I was glad to here that the former college student has released a new single called "Here". The production on the beat is a little different and has kind of a Rasta feel to it but it gets pretty live and Voli can obviously flow. I personally think they should gather all auto-tune machines and burn them but Voli only uses it a bit so I can tolerate it. Along side the unique beat the catchy Rasta course completes the song nicely. I enjoyed the shit out of his first mix-tape so I can only hope for more in the near future.

Voli- Here 

Get In The Christmas Spirit With Grouch and Rhymesayers Entertainment

Looking through the window at my Hamilton scenery is pretty depressing... the rainy weather that surrounds me does nothing to get me jacked up for the Christmas season. Fortunately for me Brother Ali accompanied by his friends at Rhymesayers Ent give us their rendition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Featuring Bay area great The Grouch, Rhymesayers have put out a holiday Hip-Hop classic "How The Grouch Stole Christmas". Brother Ali supplies us with another always catchy up-beat track which, The Grouch and his Rhymesayer friends absolutely slaughter... so get in the spirit and jam this tune.

How The Grouch Stole Christmas- The Grouch Featuring Rhymesayers (Brother Ali and Eligh)

Deadmau5 Featuring Neon Hitch- I Can't Behave Myself

Its been a while since i've posted a non-hip-hop song on Straight Goods, but exam time has forced me to all time high's in procrastination. As I sit isolated in my study corral I desperately look for a reason to think about something not related to school. This brings me to one of my favorite past times, and that's havin' a time. One requirement of havin' a time is some catchy electro tunes. "I Can't Behave Myself" is a re-mastered pop version of Deadmau5's "A City In Florida" That features British singer Neon Hitch, who not only sounds sexy but is also awesome on the eyes. These British girls have the coolest style to their voices and are currently being exploited by electro artists everywhere. This song is catchy as hell and makes me wanna party...so lose the study notes for a while and jam this tune.

Deadmau5 Featuring Neon Hitch- I Can't Behave Myself

G-Eazy - Yes. I make all my own beats and record all my shit in my dorm

G-Eazy's take on Marathon by Tennis was going to be on my 'songs of 2010 that I should have blogged' list that is currently in the works but instead of doing that i decided to look into the guy a little bit and I can't explain how happy I am with that decision. G-Eazy is a member of the growing 'college rap/indie sampling hip hop' genre that includes chiddy bang, hoodie allen, etc and like the artists i just mentioned, Eazy's sample selection is on point. So far he has put his spin on Matt & Kim's Good For Great off their recent release, and Marathon by Tennis, both of which are great songs. I love this genre of hip hop because it introduces me to new bands and artists, plus G-Eazy's got a nice sounding flow and produces the majority of his beats. Check out the three songs below and head to his website to download his latest mixtape, 'Big.' Random fact: G-Eazy's been opening up for Drake on tour... just saying. He had to peace on it for exams though haha.. good luck with those bro

G-Eazy - Waspy ft. Tennis

G-Eazy - Good For Great ft. Matt & Kim

G-Eazy - My Life is a Party

Ellie Goulding - "Bright Lights"

Ellie Goulding is one of my favourites. What she drops not only captures my attention though, as her music shows up again and again in the weeks following a release, altered by various producers into different genres. Whether it be changed to house, dubstep, minimalism, techno, or even sampled into another artist's song, Ellie's vocals cut through any amount of noise and still sound clear and contrasted. Her sound works well under a wide range of conditions and adds an element that seemed to be missing to the songs she is featured on. This week Ellie has re-released her album lights, but the album is not just more interpretations of her old music, as she includes six new songs on the ep. The aptly named Bright Lights brings more of Ellie's diverse taste of music; with her longing, haunting vocals smoothly blended into acoustically inspired electro melodies with synth wavering throughout. Look for these new songs (or at least parts of them) around the music scene, because they will be making their rounds.

New off Bright Lights...

Lights - Ellie Goulding

Little Dreams - Ellie Goulding

...and some quality samples of her music for good measure,

Lights - Wale & Waka (by Brenton Duvall + Patrick McKelvy (Potomac Boys Club)

Starry Eyed - Theophilus London & Ellie Goulding (Penguin Prison Remix)

Some Down South Rap From T.I... Why Not?

Are  you gonna hear me listening to Wakka Flokka Flame anytime soon, No chance. Am I a fan of Southern rap, not so much...but sometimes you listen to  a song and your ears instantly force you to listen. T.I is one of those southern rappers that every once in a while puts out an absolute banger that I am compelled to listen to. "Castle Walls" comes from T.I's future CD "No Mercy" and features the always sexy Christina Aguilera. Yea the former promiscuous Christina Aguilera absolutely murders this track and proves that she's not only hot but can actually sing. I truthfully enjoyed T.I's last CD and i'm gonna assume that this one's the same if not better... some southern gangster songs, some bangers...the man goes to jail and is unfazed... good for you T.I.

The King of the South always attracts big names on his CD's and proves his title as he rips it along side T-Dot's own Drizzy Drake on "Poppin' Bottles". Straight Goods love for T.I stems from the fact that the ATL rapper has never spit a soft rap in his life...hard as nails every-time. If you had questions about whether or not T.I.P was hard or not he features one of the original gangsta's of rap Scarface on his track "How Life Changed". 

Castle Walls- T.I Featuring Christina Aguilera 

How Life Changed- T.I Featuring Scarface 

Poppin Bottles- T.I Featuring Drake 

Exam Season Playlist

Another semester is pretty much done here at school, and except for exams were practically on vacation. As we get ready to hit the library to cram for these finals sometimes the only thing that can get me to focus is a steady stream of music that can keep me in the zone for hours. For the last few weeks I've been putting together a playlist for this coming exam season, and with case exams and essays taking up my time I've been able to fully test it out. As the playcount on the list reaches 50+ I think I've figured out a consistent list to study to. I find that the perfect kind of music for concentrating is a delicate balance between songs that are stimulating enough to keep you awake, while not being too distracting from your work. There are many people who will only study to instrumental or classical music, but I think that having a blend of different genres helps to keep you aroused while still staying focused on your book learnin. Personally I don't mind this time of year, it's a nice change of pace from having to wake up for classes, and it's a good chance to listen to some quality music.

Exam Season from Surebuds on 8tracks Radio.

RAC mixes: Remix Artist Collective

It's not often I come across a consistently enjoyable remix artist, but RAC brings more to the table than your average techno/electro artist. They say it better than I could:

We provide re-interpretations/remixes of individual songs for artists/labels. Above all, we strive for excellence and good taste regardless of genre. We aim to maintain a style of remixing that strays from the “club mix” archetype, creating new incarnations of songs that stem from the original structure, but expand on their genre and musical arrangement. RAC mixes typically feature a unique blend of hip-hop and electro drum samples, analog synthesizers, melodic hooks, and original performed instrumentation. Listen to our portfolio, get an idea of what we do, and shoot some ideas through us. We’ll make it work.Whatever their genre is, something about this style of music relaxes me. And considering the remix service RAC provides is non-profit for the most part, the fact that they still produce quality earns my respect. Making subtle changes while steering clear of intense beat drops and heavy dubsteps, RAC provides some uplifting listening for exam crunch time. Give these tracks a shot and if your feelin 'em, click here for a lengthy playlist on their official website.

Madison- #1 (RAC Mix)

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes- Home (RAC Mix)

Tegan and Sara- Back In Your Head (RAC Mix)

Study Tunes - American Analog Set

Crunch time is upon us university students again so its time for me to find down-tempo music to listen to that won't distract my brain. I was going to do a 'study mix' but i honestly never take the time to make playlists so i gave up on that dream.

American Analog Set is a band out of Texas that has the ability to take simple guitar parts and weave them together to form some relaxing indie rock that you can play over and over again. In my high school days i used to routinely raid my older brothers (who runs the fancy-word using Living Tree which you should add to your blog list) itunes for non-radio/mainstream music and AmAnSet is the result of one of those raids. I've honestly only ever listened to one album by them, their 2001 release Know By Heart, but i've listened to it a ton. I'm sure theres lots of quality stuff on their other 5 releases but i've only really needed the one. Check out the songs below and grab some more material by them if you're in need of some new study tracks

American Analog Set - The Postman


American Analog Set - Slow Company


American Analog Set - Like Foxes Through Fences

Canadian Talent: Cadence Weapon featuring Shad- Baby I'm Yours

The always classic Shad has recently been found featuring on fellow Canadian Cadence Weapon's track "Baby I'm Yours". Edmonton native Cadence himself has a pretty choppy flow but when the beat fits his style its pretty damn sick. The beat for "Baby I'm Yours" uses a lot of live sounding instrumentals which Shad is infamous for. The track sounds great laced with some sick rhymes from both Shad and Cadence. I feel like this style of rap is directly related to Canadian artists, which makes me proud to rock that maple leaf. Weapon's mix tape "Tron Legacy: The Mixtape" as whole is kinda crazy and he often goes off on rants about who knows what but there's defiantly a couple gems. "The Suburbs" although short speaks to the many suburban gangsters throughout Canadian cities. As a proud Suburban G I've gotta bump this track... enjoy

Baby I'm Yours- Cadence Weapon Featuring Shad 

You Shook?

Thanks to the judge's recent blog binging and some rare stevie D contributions SG has been completely taken over by hip-hop. I'm bringing in some diversity in the form of electro courtesy of remix genuis Shook. Shook has been on my radar for a while now thanks to a sweet remix of Penguin Prison's The Worse it Gets and my brother just showed me another great one, this time of Pheonix's Lisztomania. Shook is always great for some nice synths and classic 80's style keyboard section, see what I mean below

Pheonix - Lisztomania (Shook Remix)


Q-tip ft. Stevie Wonder - What the Fuss? (Shook Remix)


Penguin Prison - The Worse it Gets (Shook Remix)

Introducing: KnowMads

Nothing like rappin' up your Wednesday with some hip-hop heads outa Seattle. Came across the the KnowMads free album Saturdayzed today and I liked what I heard. Seattle hip-hop music is a very diverse genre. Starting to gain nationwide appeal from artists like the Blue Scholars, Seattle is no longer limited to the underground scene. But the underground is still alive and well with artists like the KnowMads. The trio bring together a little taste of the old school mixed with some heavy lyrics--a combination you just gotta nod your head to.

Take a listen to these songs and if your like what you hear grab the entire album HERE for free. They also released there first official album, Seattle, late last year...so if your feel like supportin good underground music, buy it here.

In The Bassment- KnowMads

Pick Me Apart (Bonus Track)- KnowMads

Oh Well- KnowMads

New Video: Mac Miller - Knock Knock

Heres your feel good track of the day. This youngin' never ceases to impress me. His videos usually consist of a well orchestrated display of freshness. Despite getting dangerously close to a reproduction of Greece the musical, this one is no different. From the kicks on his feet to the steezy white girls dancin around in vintage 60s gitch, this video has it all. The track itself is a banger. A catchy hook with Mac spitting about livin hard and jammin out. The hip-hop world needs to look out for this kid...he's found the formula.

Rockie Fresh Ft Naledge and Phil Ade- Living

"Visibly rise like Derozan with the lyrical" 

As a huge Kidz In The Hall fan i always get excited to hear Naledge featuring on some new tracks. This track features Rockie Fresh sounding like he should be the second rapper in Kidz In The Hall and kills the chilled out beat with Naledge like flow. The two compliment each other and Naledge even throws out a Toronto Raptors line as he reps my boy Demar Derozan. The songs real relaxing so chill out and enjoy 

Rockie Fresh Featuring Naledge and Phil Ade - Living

Lupe Leak- Never Forget You

Lupe gets a little emotional on future Lasers track "Never Forget You" featuring John Legend. The tracks a little soft but it's still pretty Hip-Hop and Lupe really gets deep and meaningful on the lyrical side. As much as i don't wanna ruin Lasers by having half of it leaked I always appreciate some new Lupe. Heres "SLR" as well which is a freestyle that he released a while ago. It reminds me of the good old freestyles from Fiasco during the Food and Liquor days... he truly is Super Lupe Fiasco

Never Forget You-Lupe Fiasco

SLR-Lupe Fiasco

Emilio Rojas- Life Without Shame

Emilio Rojas has finally dropped his mixtape "Life Without Shame" and has not disappointed. Being produced by Green Lantern you have to struggle through the random DJ yelling that unfortunately happens on mix-tapes, other than that the projects got a couple bangers. One of my favorites is "Tell No Lies" featuring B.o.B which features a pretty simple but dope beat. Emilio has one of the quickest flows I've heard in a while, which allows him to spit over such a variety of instrumentals. The man has obviously has talent and I wouldn't be surprised if he blew up at some point soon.

p.s Green Lantern shuuuut up and stop ruining songs

Tell No Lies-Emilio Rojas

Close To Me-Emilio Rojas


This is the song that got me instantly hooked on Rojas... nasty flow

Runaway-Emilio Rojas

Ambitions In The Sky-QuESt

I have been following this QuESt character for almost a year now and I am still patiently waiting for another mixtape, CD or anything from the  talented young rapper. His flow is one of the smoothest i've heard in a while, which causes me to wonder why he has not garnered more attention in the industry. His full length project "Defense Mechanism" has been pushed back till January but QuESt has given us a early leak. "Ambitions in the Sky"has a kind of glitchy beat that is calmed down by a subtle piano. His flow is pretty unique but i've become a huge fan of the story-telling style of his rhymes.

Ambitions in the Sky- QuESt

Talib Kweli-Cold Rain

As a long time Talib Kweli fan I have struggled through a long haul of mediocre songs from the Blackstar legend. With Talib I feel like the production is the most crucial part as he is already a proven lyricist . Ski Beatz helps him out with a simple piano beat for "Cold Rain" that is accompanied by a catchy gospel-esque course. The track is the first leak off his "Gutter Rainbows" release that should be out in the near future. This song brings me back to the old Talib I knew and loved, the mans always classic... enjoy

Gutter Rainbows will be released January 26th

Cold Rain-Talib Kweli

LCD Soundsystem

For our 137th post in 2010, I thought I would introduce you to one of my favorite artists to listen to when I'm stressed out and I just need to moss. LCD Soundsystem is a producer named James Murphy that creates music with an interesting combination of electro, dance and punk influence. Maybe it's the repetitive rhythms that he uses throughout his songs, but when I'm listening to it I feel like I'm staring out the window of a car, entranced by every note that passes by. Murphy was a successful NYC DJ until 2002 when he decided to start producing and playing his own music instead. Murphy then used his connections to start up Death From Above records who has worked with artists such as Hot Chip, N.E.R.D, Soulwax, and MIA (you might remember the popular paper planes DFA remix.) Currently LCD Soundsystem is on tour with Hot Chip and Sleigh Bells following up his album this is happening, which was released earlier this year. Here's a song from that album, as well as a couple good ones off his older eps.

LCD Soundsystem - Home


LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends


LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great

Introducing: Yonas- "Nobody Else"

My first interaction with Hip-Hop was Tupac, as I grew I found my self liking less gangsta and more positive rap. Not that I didn't like getting a little gangsta on occasion but growing up listening to artists like Common and Talib Kweli I eventually came accustomed to lyrics involving a variety of topics. Bitches and Hoe's are great but one topic that all three often covered was the relationships they had with their female counterparts. "Nobody Else" features a beat that sounds amazingly similar to something Tupac would of rapped over in the 90's.  Yonas takes us through the relationship he has with a lady friend and why he needs her. The first song I heard from him was "Ya'll Know" which is pretty hood but i feel "Nobody Else" shows a different side and proves his lyrical ability... enjoy

Nobody Else- Yonas

Ya'll Know- Yonas 

Much Music Post

For the most part, Much Music programming consists of sub-par, underfunded reality tv, along with angsty teen dramas. 1% of the time they play a show called Video Flow where Much Music actually plays music videos, and surprisingly they're representing some pretty solid music. Sure there's a lot of top 40 crap like Taio Cruz, Enrique, etc, but every few songs, something decent comes on and in the past weeks I've found a couple of sweet songs. I'm probably not introducing you to any new artists but these singles are quality jams.

First Up, the latest single/video from Brit Pop stars The Ting Tings. This song, Hands, features a driving drum beat coupled with snowboard video style synths topped off with Katie White's unbelievably catchy vocals. It's impossible not to feel this one.

The Ting Tings - Hands

Next, in the Indie/Pop category is The Drum's addicting single Let's Go Surfing. This one has one of those incredibly simple guitar riffs that are the most boring things to play, but manage to carry a song perfectly. Grab your skinny jeans and wayfarers kids:

The Drums - Let's Go Surfing

Third, heard this collab between electro artist Kaskade and Canadian New Wave/Synthpop group Dragonette. Dragonette singer Martina Sorbara sounds sexy as hell on this one, I'd lose it if I heard this song at the bar, which will probably never happen.

Kaskade ft. Dragonette - Fire In Your New Shoes


Last but definitely not least, another collaboration, this time between Neverending White Lights who you may (or may not) know from a song they did with Dallas Green a few years ago, and rapper JDiggz. I can't remember why but I had JDiggz written off in my head, maybe because he has a random 'z' in his name, that usually tips me off to mediocrity. Regardless, this one came pretty damn close to being its own post after I dug into it a bit but laziness got me. This Time is a bit of an moody song thanks to NWL but it comes out nicely. It's off his latest mixtape the X-Periment (why couldn't we just go with experiment??) which I just downloaded it and it sounds likes its got a few good tunes and features help from Colin Munroe on vocals and production, get it here if you're down with zip files. Don't think the whole tape is like This Time, its got a lot of variety. Toronto goes hard???

JDiggz ft. Neverending While Lights

Girltalk releases All Day

Yesterday (Today?) morning Girl Talk has released his next album for free from his label's site, Illegal Art. This album came out spontaneously, which suited Girl Talk's style perfectly. This album will definitely keep you entertained for a while, it features 372 overlapping samples over 12 tracks. The full list of samples can be found here. The album is actually intended to be listened as 71 minutes of continuous music, almost making it too easy to throw on at a party and forget about it. I find that I like this type of music best in small doses although it is very hard to get bored listening to Girl Talk's ADD fashion. I found this EP in particular to be much more of a complete album than he usually ends up producing, as his transitions and flow just keeps getting better. There has been such a large response for this download that the servers on the labels' website have crashed.

Girl Talk - That's Right

Girl Talk - Triple Double

Roc Nation Welcomes Jay Electronica

On this awesome Monday afternoon I am happy to hear that Jay Electronica has signed to Roc Nation. I was introduced to Electronica a couple years ago when I saw him perform at Rock The Bells in Toronto. He put on a pretty crazy performance featuring him rockin' a golden staff but his abilities were obvious. Jay-z has recently signed the cunning lyricist and welcomes him to the Roc with the track "Shiny Suit Theory"... enjoy

Black Keys vs. Big Boi & a sick Tracy Chapman sample

Just stumbled onto an unreal mashup of Tighten Up by the Black Keys, who's music I've already expressed my appreciation for, and Shutterbugg off Outkast Alumni Big Boi's latest offering. I'm not usually a huge fan of the mashup fad but I can't deny, when its done right with songs that I like it can be magic. In my opinion this is the case with this mashup by Wick-It who I've never heard of before, wicked name though (hahaha?? yeah you get it).

Black Keys vs. Big Boi - Black Bug (Wick-It remix)

This next one has been on heavy rotation in the Straight Goods household for the past couple weeks, mostly thanks to the awesomeness of the sample. Tracy Chapman's Give Me One Reason has that timeless classic feel to it and you could easily have convinced me that it was recorded decades ago if I didn't know better. Ground Up, a three-piece Hip Hop group out of North Philly that has been around for a couple years now took the sample, slowed it down a little which makes Tracy sound like a man and spit over it. Lyrically, the song doesn't blow anybody out of the water but the song as a whole is a gem, listen below.

Ground Up - Turn Around

Introducing: Olu-Boy Meets World

Randomly stumbled upon this Olu character the other day. The mixtape “Boy Meets World” was released a while ago but has a couple bangers on it none-the-less. He produces and writes all of his music and is pretty good at both. Using samples like “Heart Skipped A Beat” By The Xx and “Daylight” by the always classic Matt and Kim, this 18-year-old kid runs train on both beats. If you don’t like Olu’s style by then try “Who Am I” to see some original beat material.

Get the whole mixtape here: http://www.mediafire.com/?zmmguymwotn

Give You More- Olu


Daylight- Olu

Who Am I- Olu

Big Sean - Too Fake. Ft Chiddy Bang (Produced by Xaphoon Jones)

I'm posting the video for a Big Sean/Chiddy track that came out a minute ago just because of the great sample they use in it. Hockey's song "Too Fake" is another indie gem that has been uncovered, already by RAC, and now Chiddy Bang (Xaphoon). When a song is good, it's good, and it can and is used across genres by producers, cover artists, DJs, that pick up on it. Sometimes it's just a matter of the song being translated to the right genre before it gets it's widespread appeal. Trust your ear, stick by your definition of good music.

"Everybody's watching, but nobody cares,
oh wait does it go,
nobody's watching but everybody cares?"

Hockey - Too Fake (RAC Remix)

Hockey - Too Fake

Chiddy Bang - Dancing with the DJ

At a party we had last weekend the song that ended up on repeat most of the night was The Knocks - Dancing with the DJ. The track is perfect for loud jams, you can't have a bad time listening to it. Everyone ends up feeling the groovy futurepop sound and wants to hear it again and again. It got pretty out of hand but I didn't know Xaphoon and Proto stopped by, because a week later, another fresh Chiddy Bang remix floated it's way into the straight goods household sampling the very track. If you like the original just wait until you hear this remix as Xaphoon and Proto get right into it. I find that I'm listening to the production of these songs just as much as the lyrics, and Chiddy is always on point in both categories.

The Knocks - Dancing with the DJ (Chiddy Bang remix)

The original:
The Knocks- Dancing with the DJ

Mansions on the Moon - Paradise Falls Mixtape

Sometimes it takes me ages to get around to posting good music that's been on heavy rotation on my Itunes, other times I hear something and get so jacked up about it that I have to post it immediately while I sit in front of my computer, intensely nodding my head to the beat. This is an example of the latter. I just stumbled onto Mansions on the Moon today thanks to the reader comments section of another blog and although I don't know a tonne about them, I know that they are a 3 piece band out of Virginia Beach consisting of Lane Shaw and Ben Hazlegrove, along with singer/songwriter, Ted Wendler. This release, titled Paradise Falls is a remix album featuring a bunch of cool artists including Junior Boys, Deadmau5, Washed Out and our boy Xaphoon Jones of Chiddy Bang.

I'm not sure how to describe their sound, the best thing I can think of right now is this: 60% Miike Snow, 20% m83, I haven't figured out the last 20% yet but trust me, its awesome. Download the whole mixtape here.

Mansions on the Moon - Satellite x Deadmau5


Mansions on the Moon - Broken Paradise x Washed Out


Mansions on the Moon - Glimpse Into the Future (Xaphoon Jones Remix)

Lasers to see the light of day

Lupe Fiasco has been one of my favourite hip hop artists for a long time now, even though I'm not sure what the meanings behind all his songs are. There has been a lot of drama surrounding the release of Lu's third studio album, soon after the release of The Cool the rumours were that he was only going to release one more album and it was going to be a 3-disc trilogy called L.U.P. End. For whatever reason that idea was dropped and Lasers was going to be his next studio album. Supposedly Lasers was fully recorded over a year ago and differences between Lupe and his label kept it from being released, however it seems everything's been resolved now and Lasers is set to drop in March of 2011, which brings me to the song that I'm posting. Lupe just released the first official single from the album and its pretty damn cool. The melody is based on Modest Mouse's hit Float On, which is flipped by producer Kane Beatz into a very radio-friendly track titled The Show Must Go On. Check it out below:

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Must Go On

Introducing: Rockwell Knuckles- Bouncing

Don't really know how this Rockwell Knuckles character is but during one of my many study breaks I stumbled on the track "bouncing" featuring Tef Poe and Theresa Payne. Both Rockwell and Tef Poe are the type of rappers that i usually shy away from but this song has a got a dope beat that both their flows complements. I always feel like Southern flow is something you either hate or love but recently artists like J.Cole and other so called "Trill" (what ever the hell that is) artists have been bridging the gap and making their rap style more comparable to none southern artists.

The Smoking Section seems to love this man so i'm gonna jump on the band wagon and throw him on my lengthy artists to watch list.

Rockwell Knuckles- Bouncing Featuring Tef Poe and Theresa Payne

Rai Knight - New New

One of the most addicting songs I've heard lately comes from eclectic pop singer Rai Knight. I'm finding that I like beats that include more instruments than synth lately and with horns, piano, and real percussion on her song New New, she's hard to ignore... and turn off. Rai Knight, and her genre "triphop," are both just starting to become popular and its definitely worth it to give them a listen while they're still young. New New has actually already been scooped up by Pepsi for use a future commercial so it's not too long now for Rai. Check New New in song and video format below, she's got great girlstyle.

New New - Rai Knight


But if this is still a little too soft for your tastes then check out Pat-Lee's remix of the song. Coming out of Birmingham, Alabama this 20 year old has great flow to match the style of this song, dropping a dope verse to start it off. Plus he respects the sample and adds too the song, he's not trying to take it over. Check out more of him on his myspace here

New New (Pat-Lee Remix) - Rai Knight

Blue Scholars - Big Bank Hank

I love when Blue Scholars send out new music. When most artists send emails they pretty much say "Check it out, New song!! Download here." Blue Scholars always give you some random story/information about the song and its cool to read that kind of stuff, plus the artwork is always interesting. At first I wasn't the biggest fan of this beat but after listening to it a couple more times it really grew on me. Judge it for yourself:

Blue Scholars - Big Bank Hank

Pretty Lights

Some music that has caught my attention lately comes from Pretty Lights, a electronic/hiphop beatmaking duo made up of Derek Vincent Smith (Producer) and Adam Deitch (Drummer). Pretty Lights has a distinct glitchy, synth sound that's balanced with soul samples and funk. This results in an addicting, almost unpredictable style similar to artists like RJD2, Ratatat, LCD Soundsystem. While writing this post and checking out pretty lights out I found out about a concert they did on June 4th, 2010 in NYC with Chiddy Bang, A Cool Stick, and RJD2... whaaat... where was I and how do I go back in time.

All of Pretty Lights' music is free to download, all you have to do is sign up on their website.

Maybe Tomorrow - Pretty Lights


Total Fascination - Pretty Lights


Finally Moving (remix) - Pretty Lights

Flight Facilities - "Crave You"

Flight Facilities is an Indie DJ duo who does their best to stay anonymous, and they do it well. I couldn't find one legitimate source with their real information, just a bunch of comments and blogs saying different things. Flight Facilities states on their myspace/facebook that they're out of Trinidad and Tobago, when they are really from Australia, where they just finished their premier tour. All these guys want to do is make music and its good to finally see a group that actually doesn't care about anything but.

Even though they're being as sneaky as possible, their song Crave You is already getting some buzz and people are starting to ask questions. This song can be played over again and again and will never get old, trust me thats from experience.

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Ft Giselle)

In one of their earlier sets they did a rework of Bag Raider's club track Turbo Love, and take it in a totally different direction. It takes a good ear to be able to hear the connection between the two different genres, and I think it transfers over perfectly for them. So Classy.

Bag Raiders - Turbo Love


Bag Raiders (Flight Facilities Ft. Louie Austen)- Turbo Love (Business Class Version)

Some Nice Hip-Hop...Bop Alloy and E.Dubble

Too much book learnin' as of late has forced Straight Goods staff to read/write some shit unrelated to music , which is no where near as entertaining. Unfortunately i've been forced to pass up blogging some music i've had stashed away for a rainy day.

First and most importantly is Substantial and Marcus D who in combination become the duo "Bop Alloy". Marcus D makes some crazy jazz influenced beats which sound like they've been sampled from a wedding reception but sound awesome with substantial rappin' over them. I feel like if rap came out during the days of Lionel Richie this is what would have happened... and i like it


Chillaxation- Bop Alloy


Jazzmatic- Bop Alloy


Secondly is E-Dubbles track "Get On Board". The track is uplifting and E-Dubbles flow sounds great on the uniquely spun sample. i've never heard of this E-Dubble character but he kinda reminds me of Sage Francis minus the crazy... He's got mad potential is what i'm trying to say. apparently he does a freestyle friday (This being number 37) so i guess i now get new E-Dubble and Kanye tracks every friday...Dope

Get On Board- E.Dubble

Shouts out to hillydilly.com for being awesome