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