King Fantastic: Westcoastsynthesizerbeachbumgangstermusic

Gangster never left. This is the claim of Killer Reese One, the lyrical half of the duo known as King Fantastic. The other half is held down by internationally known DJ, Troublemaker. Their debut album Finger Snaps and Gun Claps was released mid 2010, and is described as a "concise study in Westcoastsynthesizerbeachbumgangstermusic as interpreted by Killer Reese One and Troublemaker." If you slept on this one, wake up. The video for "Why? Where? What?" had a million views within a month and I'm gonna go ahead and say it was a top contender for video of the year, as it features adult film star Kristina Rose wilin' out and getting seductive. View the video below--nudity will ensue. I'll throw up the video for "Lost Art of Killing" as well, as it's a more accurate depiction of the rawness that is KF. I've heard attempts at dub-rap or synth-rap or whatever you want to call it, but these dudes are "revolutionizing gangsta shit". Heavy, obscene, and violent, with bombastic bass and gritty ass lyrics. Check these tracks, peep these videos, and download the full album here for free.

Why? Where? What? - King Fanastic

The Lost Art of Killing - King Fantastic

Because- The Bird and the Bee (King Fantastic Remix)

Bass Head- Bassnectar (King Fantastic Remix)

Drive it like you Stole it-Glitch Mob (King Fantastic Remix)

VIDEO: Why? What? Where?

VIDEO: Lost Art of Killing

Tayyib Ali "Keystone State of Mind Mix-Tape"

Since hearing the single "Keystone State of Mind" a while back I was instantly addicted to the chilled out Cali feel of Tayyib Ali. The kids only 18, has some damn smooth lyricism and the dope ability to mix new-school and old-school songs together to make his mix-tape flow like an album. The mix-tape game isn't the same anymore, artists actually put some effort in now-a-days as tapes like Tayyib's Keystone State of Mind are put together like actual albums. One of my favorites from the tape is "Do It" that has a classic hip-hop sample feel that allows Tayyib to spit his easy going Cali flow over ever so nicely. Along with the classic feelin' tracks, the kid also goes hard on the up-beat Xv-ish sounding track "I'm Ready" and "Never Change" has been absolutely destroying my Itunes in the last couple days.   These are just a few of my favorites but the tape features some excellent summer tracks... so cop that shit and get ready for some summer living (free download from datpiff.com below).

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Asher Roth Videos from "Rawth Ep"

 
After Asher Roth's initial success in hip-hop I was just waiting for him to burst onto the mainstream. Most of the fans from his unfortunate yet catchy "I Love College" days have since evaporated but for me Asher's lyrical talent has finally been recognized by true hip-hop fans. I passed up the chance to post his RAWTH EP that featured some absolute bangers and impressed the hell out of me. The two videos that have been released for "Gotta Get Up" and "Enforce The Law" show the unique creativity apparent in the originator of college rap. Both videos are based on movies, the first one being "The Big Lebowski" and the second "Training Day". Asher and Nottz both bring their individual acting skills to the table and it makes for some entertaining videos... enjoy

"Gotta Get Up" - Asher Roth from Luke Tedaldi on Vimeo.

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

As you may or may not know, Hip Hop pioneers the Beastie Boys are set to release a new album on May 3rd and if you consider yourself a fan of the genre, you should probably give it a listen. I remember listening to this documentary about sampling in modern music years ago and a huge part of it was about what the Beastie Boys did back in the 1980's. Sampling in hip hop has always been a bit controversial because of copyright laws and all that, and the brooklyn boys were at the centre of it all. Don't know what I'm talking about? Listen to Led Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks, then listen to Rhymin and Stealin by the Beastie Boys, you can't miss it.

Anyways, I've only heard the one song off the new album so far, and I've been playing it on the 'reg.' It's exactly the kind of neck snapping production you'd expect from them and the vocals would fit in on one of their albums 15 years ago. Its pretty unbelievable that these guys have been making music for 30 years now. Something about their music just has this timeless feel to it that has allowed it to survive generations of hyper-judgmental hip hop fans. I was going to write a blurb about the video, but this post is running long so all I can say is: The only way that you can't recognize the massive number of celebrities in it is if you literally stepped out of a time machine 35 seconds ago. *edit* - apparently the entire short film titled Fight For Your Right Revisited is out now, so you might as well watch the whole thing.

Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right Revisited

Introducing: Spree Wilson "The Never Ending Now"

We're at the tail end here folks, summer living is around the corner and I'm looking forward to some much needed chill times. Naturally as I attempt to study for my last exam I constantly end up procrastinating by traveling into the wonderful blogosphere. Today in my inter-web finds is singer/ rapper Spree Wilson. His rap style reminds be of a young B.o.B minus the H.A.M (Hard As a Muha) southern accent. My favorite track from his mix-tape "The Never Ending Now" is "Transition" which is one of the only tracks that features his smooth lyrical talent. Other than that this Spree Wilson character gives us some amazing vocals and beats that have instantly stinted my productivity and forced a craving for Pabst Blue and sunshine. The up beat jazz feeling "No Use in Running" has got me jamming the hell out of this tiny study room and to accompany these jams the mix-tape supplies some sick vocal abilities as Spree is accompanied by Canadian songstress Esthero. The combo results in an intoxicatingly relaxing track... so enough with the book learning and relax a bit

Spree Wilson- Transition Featuring Novel

Spree Wilson- No Use in Running

Spree Wilson- Don't Pass Me By Featuring Esthero

Oh My - Run This Town

What is it with female pop artists from the UK? I don't know if this is one of those 'grass is greener' kind of situations but the brand of pop that they produce just seems so much better than what we come up with in North America. Think Ellie Goulding, La Roux, Adele, etc. Just saw this song over at P&P a minute ago and couldn't resist putting it up.
Oh My is a female pop duo out of the UK, but don't get put off by the pop label, they've got a rougher edge to them than you'd expect. They are the newest addition to the London-based record label 679 Artists and when you take a look at the musical acts in their stable, the quality of this track makes perfect sense - Oh My's label-mates include Little Boots, Marina & the Diamonds and Plan B, who are some of the heavyweights in the British pop scene.
Run This Town (unrelated to the Jay-Z version) is an awesome little piece of dance-punk/pop with some serious re-play potential. The simple, thumping drum beat combined with the raw guitar section immediately reminded me of Death From Above 1979, which can't be a coincidence since DFA1979 released an album on 679 (can we go easy on the 79's?). Can I mention that these two girls are absolute rockets? If somebody tells me what city you can find a large population of hip-looking girls like this, I will pack my bags and hop on the first flight out, until then:
 
And if that picture up top didn't make you fall in love with these two, they offered this teaser video for your consumption

Wale x Meek Mill "100 Hunnit"... Maybach Music

If you would of asked me a couple of years ago if Rick Ross would still have a rap career, I probably would of said no chance. But, he's not only gathered a huge following on his own but was all over the Kanye album and has been grabbing rapers left and right for his new group "Maybach Music". "100 Hunnit" is the most recent track from the Wale and Meek Mill that features an infectious beat that both rappers kill. Don't know much about this Meek Mill character but he was one of the XXl mag freshmen of the year and sounds entertaining. I've been waiting for Wale to live up to his potential for a while so hopefully Ricky Ross can be the key to his success. enjoy

Wale x Meek Mill- 100 Hunnit

Atmosphere - The Family Sign (2011)

I'm trying so hard to study, but I just got the new Atmosphere album and I can't stop listening to it. For most people I've talked to and myself, the lyrical aspect of Hip Hop makes it too distracting when you're trying to read/retain "knowledge," which is why you might have noticed that our study mix was really light on the hip hop compared to our usual posts. Anyways, I've momentarily stopped pretending to study to write this post to try to help keep SG up to date with the music world.

For a lot of hip hop heads, including myself, the release of a new Atmosphere Album is a huge deal. Ant and Slug are the poster boys of the underground and have been for a while now, so naturally there was a lot of anticipation leading up to today's release date. 2008's When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold was a trip down a different path with Ant using more live instrumentation and Slug taking on a slew of social issues, so the question on everybody's mind was: What direction will The Family Sign take? After a few times through, its safe to say they've stayed the course. If I had to make a comparison, I'd say Family Sign is to Lemons as Cudi's Man on the Moon II is to his debut (I'm comparing the feel of the album, not so much the quality). Except unlike Mr. Rager, Slug didn't decide that he's too cool to rap. Like the title indicates, The Family Sign is a trip down the path of Slug's mature psyche as he bluntly tells tales of spousal abuse, fatherhood, love, loss, etc. Just as in Lemons, Ant's production is on point and he uses a lot of live instrumentation, namely guitar and piano, but the drums all seem to be MPC (or whatever it is he uses). Overall, I'm a fan of the album, although I kind of wish there was a bit more of the humor/light-hearted side that Lemons had to even out the feel of the project. Earlier songs like Yesterday, The Best Day and Sunshine are awesome songs to have a few beers and relax on the porch to, something I can't see myself doing with The Family Sign.
On to my early favourites:

Atmosphere - Just for Show


Atmosphere - Who I'll Never Be

Atmosphere - My Notes

Notorious B.I.G. Big L, Big Pun - "New York Royalty"

 As I post music that's been shared with me recently I instantly think of a mixtape that a buddy of mine showed me a few years back that's been able to stay as a staple in my collection. This throwback mixtape, New York Royalty, doesn't have much coverage on the internet, but it is not one that should be missed by any serious hip-hop head. The post humorous reproduction by The Usual Suspect offers a collaboration of the works of Big L, Big Pun, and Notorious B.I.G when they were in their prime, and the combination gives us a glimpse of what could have went down if the rap industry wasn't so hard in the 90's. This concept was actually meant to be created into an album by the artists themselves, but due to certain career ending events in the lives of Biggy and Big L it never saw the light of day. This tape gives us some new production to hear who the real kings of New York are though, and i'd start my listening at New York Royalty, Too High, or Everyday Struggle and go from there.

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Brenton Duvall - Blow the Skrilla (feat. Too $hort, Skrillex sample)

 

A good friend of mine recently shared the new Brenton Duvall mashup with me, Blow the Skrilla, and the sample in it really got a hold of me for some reason. Duvall has always had a great choice in the songs he mashes together, and this song in particular made me really respect the kids decisions. The mashup features Too $hort rapping over a sample that sounded really familiar to me, even though I had never heard the song before. I tracked the sample down and found that the original song by Skrillex, With You, Friends, is even more of a banger than Duvall's version. Putting this on when you have people over will effectively change it from a hangout to jam every time... so be careful around this track if you don't want things to get out of hand.


Brenton Duvall – Blow the Skrilla (Feat. Too $hort):

Skrillex – With You, Friends (Long Drive):

A Thank You Gift From Shad - Give You All I Can

Hope that study mix is treating you guys well, sorry about the technical difficulties on the playlist. I've been trying to fix it but I've got an exam tomorrow and I'm not that skilled of an internetizer to start with.

Our love for Ontario's own Shad is pretty well documented on SG (use the search bar on the right if you don't know what I'm talking about), so it's not like I'm going to do some kind of review of his music. Instead, I'll let Shad do the talking:

It's 6am and the end of a wild weekend that started with a blog post for the Vancouver Sun that got printed as an op-ed piece and then got Facebooked and Twittered around enough to become a major point of conversation between Jian Ghomeshi and I on his show Q. I played 'Live Forever' with the super dope Dallas Green for the first time, and I rocked out to ''Rose Garden' and 'We, Myself, and I' live on Much Music. That was Thursday/Friday... On Saturday, very surprisingly and somewhat ironically, I won a Juno. perhaps also worth noting is the fact that i referenced Theo's friend Cockroach in the ensuing speech I met some of my musical heroes, toasted with colleagues, and was flooded with emails and txt msgs from most of my favourite people in the world, among other fun, joyous things. I figure you guys got me here, so voila a little thank you for the love and cheers to a successful weekend... new joint - beat courtesy of my man Skratch Bastid.

Shad - Give You All I Can

Straight Goods Study Mix-Tape: Please Play Again

When you don't do anything for the first two months of a semester, the mass amount of work and exams that gets dealt at the end puts some extreme stress upon your brain thinking. We here at Straight Goods Music understand that your all trying to jam a semester's worth of knowledge into your head within 2-3 days (if that), so we have collectively created the "Straight Goods Study Mix" to get you through these tough times. Whether your trying to graduate into being one of those grown up folks or just attempting to get by, we hope we can entertain your ears into summer living.

Track List (in no particular order): FREE DOWNLOAD

Homboi- Shrimps
Bonobo- Kong
Ancient Astronaughts- I Came Running
Atypicals- Love Electric Soul
The Knife- We Share Our Mother's Heart (Ratatat Remix)
Kuhn- Quiet Nights
Little Dragon -Twice
Phoenix- Heatwave
Hot Sugar + Aaron Livingstone -Color Wars
Radical Face- Welcome Home
Electric Wire Hustle- They Don't Want
Caribou- Odessa
Satellite- Mansions on the Moon x Deadmau5
RJD2- The Highest of Courts
Washed Out- New Theory (RAC Mix)
Four tet- She Just Likes to Fight
Diamond Messages- Liquid Summer
Radiohead-Everthing in its Right Place (Gigamesh/ DiscoTech Remix)
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra- Kiss the Sky
Moby- Porcelain
Dj TLO- Spirits
Amp Live- Nudez featuring Too $hort and MC Zumbi
Heartless Bastards-Be So Happy
Undertow- Warpaint

Please Play Again--The Ultimate Study Mix from stevied11 on 8tracks Radio.

Introducing: Guy Harrison "3am Visions"

As I sit here studying I unfortunately force my self to listen to music with no words in it. During this time in the library,  I like to give myself a musical break from time to time. The song that has been giving me some quality mental health happiness is "3am Vision" by Guy Harrison. I don't really know anything about the rapper currently attending Syracuse University but this beat is amazing and the kid flows over it ever so nicely. I see some potential in the kid, so jam "3am Vision" or try and find some other jams on his "The Deadline" mix-tape that is available to listen and download for free below.

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AmpLive - "Murder at the Discotech"

Am I using this new AmpLive album as an excuse to post more music from a mixtape we already featured last year? Maybe, but one of the best tracks off the tape (Gary is a Robot) is being re-released as the single for the new ep, and I think it's a good enough excuse so I'm going to do it anyway. AmpLive's new album that's coming out on the 16th, titled Murder at the Discotech, is an album that he says, "is aimed at both Zion I fans, and new ones if they want to come along". AmpLive has a very eclectic taste in the music he produces, and if you try to research what his style actually is you'll find that his studio has him listed under 16 different genres... from hiphop/soul/electro/disco/techno/funk the list goes on, you can't put a label on the guy. This kind of artist really keeps my interest because of this unpredictability, but realistically not all of his music isn't going to fit your preference. When a song from an artist like this does though, it always tends to stick on my playlists, just because of the fact it's so unique. ESPN's picked up on AmpLive as well, and have been using his beats in their highlight reels for some time now. This album is filled with appearances from a number of artists, and one of the leading songs Hot Right Now, features half the rap industry pretty much. I don't think I've skipped a track off his RainyDayz mixtape ever since I downloaded it last year though, so I thought I might as well share a couple gems from that might of passed you by as well. I already posted the track Chick Pop from it a while back, which was also re-released on the new album, but there's two more tracks that have gotten a hold of my ears as of late. The RainyDayz Remixes, Weird Fishez and Gary is a Robot definitely both fit into this eclectic music genre I'm talking about, so try them on for size and see how they feel. Can't be afraid to go for the mystery box every now and then.

AmpLive - Gary is a Robot (Re-released as the single for Murder at the Discotech):

AmpLive - Hot Right Now (Feat. Eligh, Fashawn, Grouch, Mickey Factz, Myka Nyne, Yak Ballz, Zumbi):

G-Eazy- "The Outsider" Mix-Tape

snows melting, sun is shining, and before I enter the library for the rest of my weekend I'm gonna thoroughly enjoy bumping some new G-Eazy on my walk to school. The new mix-tape features two of my favorite oldies "Waspy" and "My Life Is a Party" but also adds some absolute jams to the mix. As I write this blog and try to decide which songs are best, the amount of talent on "The Outsider" has got me legitimately torn. Despite his whiteness and corny name, the kid has got a unique sound and lyrical abilities that let him spit on a wide variety of beats. The substance of the lyrics is obviously not driven by any thing other than some Mary J and liquor sauce but thats what separates rap from any other genre. Rappers either tell a story of the life they wanna live or like G-Eazy give us a little insight into the Dream life their currently experiencing. To some, the antics of this youngen may seem irresponsible but when I go to have a brew on the porch I wanna escape into the relaxation presented on "The Outsider" mix-tape.

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