Kendrick Lamar Sells Out Australia

Pimp Pimp, Horray!

Those were the chants that started out Kendrick Lamar's sold out show at the Rod Laver Arena a few weeks ago. Kendrick needed no opener, and didn't have to come out for an encore, as he left it all on the stage during his show which pushed on to almost 3 hours of pure KDot. This was one of the best shows that we had seen in a while, as the whole crowd was into the music and nobody was killing the vibe. The only fight we saw was in the line for beer, which is to be expected, but even this ended with a handshake and some goodwill.

Kendrick started out with the classics, going through through the music from good kid, m.A.A.d city and Section 80 - until he reached back to some of his originals from the early 2000's - asking who had been there since day 1 to a booming response. The one thing that Kendrick did leave out for the Melbourne show was his fan led freestyle of M.A.A.D City, like he did in Houston, but given the rap talent in the room, it was probably for the best. Not saying this was a bad thing, but being in Melbourne, there was probably the most beards and longboards there has ever been at a Kendrick Lamar concert.

It’s not friendly, but it’s where I lay up…

With the release of What a Time To Be Alive – Drake and Future have added another notch to their rapid fire campaign of content into the hip hop market. Drake has been more strategic than ever lately, with this mixtape controlling the top of the charts, and his unrelated single Hotline bling, holding the #1 position on iTunes singles – while everyone continues to salivate for Views of the 6 – his upcoming release that has been building buzz for years now (or so it seems...).

This mixtape was released exclusively to Apple Music for a couple weeks, managing to rack up over 25m streams, before going live to Spotify and all the other outlets. Spotify has been responding to these exclusivity agreements, with the same effectiveness as it had when dealing with TaylorSwift, which is unfortunate. Spotify did have a good head start before Apple got into the market, locking down a lot of smart people (see linkedin for an expensive group of Ivy leaguers and ex-consultants), but we still see the music landscape continuing to fragment, which could actually be a good thing?

As I listen to OVOSound Radio on Beats1, (which Drake is getting paid 19 million annually), he clearly has bought into Apple and their business model for music. At this point Drake is a business himself, with many more ventures than just music. To start, the man has more partnerships than a Nascar driver, with product and companies named in his music taking him to the next level in terms of endorsements (call your ass an uber I got somewhere to be / I get boxes of free Jordans like I play for North Carolina / I avoided the coke game, went with Sprite instead / I just got me the Mercedes Pullman, if you haven’t heard about it you should hit up Google / I pull the knife out my back and cut they throat with it momma, I'm Game of Thrones with it momma / Versace Versace Versace, etc.).

All of this is exciting, but it is nothing like what he has done for Toronto. In my time, I have never seen a city rebranded like this – moving from the street name effectively moving from T.Dot to the 6ix in less than a year. The content marketing strategy he has is unrivaled, even in the corporate world. The level of community that he can bring with things like OVOBounce, OVOfest, Nomad, section 416 at the Air Canada Centre is ridiculous, and if this isn’t a case study on how to capitalize on popularity I don’t know what is. He took this to the next level with the beef with Meek Mill – putting the city behind him (with meme’s at OVOfest) – and delaying him at the border, to prove that Toronto can stand up. On top of this, being the Global Ambassador for the Toronto Raptors has improved his position and the team’s – allowing him to solidify his credibility in the scene, and letting MLSE truly launch the We the North campaign with almost guaranteed results.

In the last couple of years Drake (and supporting cast) has put Toronto on the map, and while 'Merica is a different beast, if Kanye can be President, it’s safe to say Drake can be at least Mayor of the 6.

     

Alt-J in Melbourne

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to see Alt-J live in Melbourne and it was quite the treat. The UK lads were welcomed with open arms to a sold out show, which was replicated in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane shortly after.

These guys put on a great performance, with a nice contrast between melodic songwriting and quick indie rock. In the arena the energy would swing drastically from the calm visions built in "Arrival to Nara" to the haunting translucence of "Hunger of the Pine" to the earthy undertones in "Dissolve Me" - keeping the audience interested in every note.

Playing the part of opener was Asgeir, an Icelandic folk band that is gaining global notoriety - after an extremely successful local launch (10% of the Icelandic population now owns their first album).

A$AP Rocky: SVDDXNLY

One of my favorite stories of an artist going from unknown to global superstar belongs to ASVP Rocky – who we originally covered back in late 2011 - when he broke onto the scene as an independent rapper from Harlem looking to make it in the big city of NYC with his crew.

Due to some solid A&R work Rocky was picked up from the plethora of artists that fit into the underground hip hop scene and was quickly signed for $3m to make two albums; one solo record for himself and another for his crew. This was not a route that many record labels were taking, as the industry was still in a tough period of transition and this method obviously had some serious risk associated with actually paying off. In ASVP’s case; both Rocky and the crew had that something very special and it worked out like no other – with sold out shows, critically acclaimed albums and a second record already in the works. The best part is that it's not only about him - because when you’re a group that’s getting compared to the Wu Tang Clan, you know that you can't really be in a better place. Now Vice Media (one of my favorite media outlets these days) has had its music arm, Noisey, pick up on this epic story for ASVP and has released a 5 part synopsis of this journey that the crew has been on. This includes not only how they got picked up, but the development and growth that has inevitably occurred along the way. 

Peep the first video below and the other 4 parts after the jump. This will be officially premiered at SXSW this year and definitely won't be the last time Vice gets A$AP Rocky in front of the camera.

Shaking things up: Sydney, Australia

After a lot of deliberation and negotiation - it's now finally official - my girlfriend and I are moving around the world to set up shop in Sydney. As you may have noticed from my past commentary, I have always had a fascination with the land down under. So when my company offered me the position to help establish our presence in the region, I knew that it was time to make a big move.

I'm a firm believer that learning happens when you step outside of your comfort zone... and it was getting too cozy around here. I've lived in the Southern Ontario bubble for the past 21 years of my life, and although it is beautiful here and there's great community - we're digital now - it's not that hard to keep in touch with friends regardless of where you are. When people ask me what my family thinks of this maneuver, I simply point to the fact that I was born internationally myself, on a Canadian Air Base, during my Mom & Dad's 5 year stint in Germany. Exploring is in my blood.

So we leave in just over a month to explore a culture with subtle differences, sunny weather and unique adventures. I think we will fit in nicely with the laid-back demeanor. I'm going to do my best to get into the music scene as well, as we have been covering artists like Horrorshow, Spit Syndicate & Hilltop Hoods for years now, and it will only make sense to get it domestic. On cue, here's a video shot in Sydney from SS (and a few tracks off their latest album, Sunday Gentleman).

Shad K- "Remember to Remember" OFFICIAL VIDEO

I still remember seeing Shad perform at my high school and in small bars for crowds of 20-30 people. Being able to watch visuals like this from him makes me feel a little warm and bubbly. With a positive aura that has never left, Shad continues to amaze fans with unmatched lyricism and quality realness that has kept me coming back for almost 10 years. The video features Canadian Electropop star Lights aka the future mother of my children and also some amazing and unforeseen high budget visuals. I'm still not ready to give the album a review because I don't believe in doing so. I need some time with an album to truly let the artistry sink in. "Remember to Remember" has been one of the stand out songs for me so far and I'm proud that this generation of much music rap listeners are getting quality messages through Shad's music. I still remember being the ripe age of 12, living in the suburbs and seeing K-os' video for " Superstar pt.zero" and being absolutely entranced on the television. 3 years later I saw this Shad character open up for Common in Toronto. I bought a "I want a Claire Huxtable" shirt that I wore religiously for years.Unfortunately I've grown old and fat so my classic Shad shirt no longer fits but the emotional value associated with Shad will never leave. I hope there is a young hip-hop fan who stumbles upon this post and ultimately Shad's music, whose life involvement with hip-hop will be changed forever.

and just because its awesome:

Sol- "Turn Me Loud" VIDEO + Nelson Mandela Salute

This past year or so has been an absolute whirl wind for fans of Macklemore and Seattle hip-hop in general. As Macklemore has been nominated for best song, best album and best new artist of the year it's clear that Seattle has solidified itself within rap legitimacy. The general aura around this new found music scene is that the artists who comprise it seem to be a very tight knit group of individuals. A passionate love for life and the experiences whether good or bad that it entails, seems to be the relevant connection between them. 

Sol is no different in the fact that he lets his emotions drive his music. He spent a year traveling the world and came back as his album title alludes to with his "Eye's Open" to the injustices of the world. With the stellar visuals for "Turn Me Loud" Sol expresses the power of his voice and the joy he gets from experiencing crowds of fans who share in his passions. As the death of Nelson Mandela helps us understand that our voice and beliefs should never stifled, It is up to gentlemen like Sol and Macklemore to express these thoughts to our often misguided youth. Like every other musical medium, there is change. It was once the b-boy then the thug that dominated rap and now we've woven a mosaic of difference for hip-hop for fans to enjoy.  

Sol saluted Mandela in a recent Facebook post and dedicated one of his most recently released songs to the man who has helped changed political thinking forever: 

Today we say goodbye to one of the most inspiring human beings in all of history. The embodiment of hope and forgiveness, Nelson Mandela taught us how to love our enemies and grow together. In the five weeks I spent in South Africa, despite their many current problems it was all of the forward thinking young South Africans influenced and raised by Mandela that I met that gave me such excitement about S.A.'s future. Thank you for your contribution to humanity and Rest In Power. #NelsonMandela

The Range - Nonfiction

I am by no means a fan of the EDM scene. I actually find myself frustrated with the genre for its formulaic approach and tendency to absolutely butcher some of my favorite artists' work by sampling, speeding up and sandwiching pieces of the chorus within “Sweet drops”. This being said, every once in a while an EDM artists comes across my plate that seems to dissolve the formula and move beyond the “Just wait for the drop bro” approach - see Pretty Lights, Flume or Jai Paul.

Hailing from Providence RI, The Range has earned my illusive respect, as an electronic music producer, gaining integrity for the genre through honest and driven music. Hip-hop, R&B and Drum and Base influences ring through the album's core and its unobtrusive sound has an infectiously peaceful undertone. 

 For long work days, extended study sessions or a little extra entertainment while throwing dinner together or engaging in some mass multiplayer online warfare, this album has the perfect balance of melodic and engaging songs that will keep “The Range” planted in my iTunes search bar. Check out the highlights from James Hinton’s first full-length album, Nonfiction, below, or just skip that step and get the full album, because this one is a doozy.  

The Range - Sad Song

The Range - Loft Mane

The Range - The One

The Straight Goods Monthly Recap

Let me introduce you to the Straight Goods Recap - the latest development by SG M+E, a podcast styled radio show, covering all of the best music we featured on the site monthly, as well as the various music and stories that managed to slipped through the cracks.

Run by SG M+E's newest member, "The Prince", who comes to us with a background in running a radio show at the Wilfrid Laurier University called Verses from the Abstract for the past few years. Since The Prince has now finished his university career, we jumped on the opportuntity to bring him up into the big leagues of the SG empire - http://www.radiolaurier.com/category/shows/verses-from-the-abstract/.

Listen to the first official SGM Recap below, but we will be featuring this ongoing podcast/radio show in the right sidebar, so it will be easy to listen to and catch up with SGM at any time. As always, send your feedback or ideas for improvement to info@straightgoodsmedia.com

We're always listening, as you should be.

Sol- Jump In & Tomorrow

Until September of 2012, Seattle's hip-hop scene was virtually an irrelevant aspect of popular music. Whether it was top 40 fiends ("God I love Pitbull"), Hypemers ("I'm soooo underground") or hip-hop heads ("all new rap sucks, I hate everything"), I found myself struggling to explain to people how Seattle has more to offer than 8 dollar Starbucks frapamochalattewhatevers. In September of last year everything changed. My then beloved hidden gem Macklemore released "Thrift shop" and thus began his meteoric rise to extreme pop stardom. Now, this is in no means a Macklemore attack. I would never hate on that man or the success he's seen. Does a little piece of me die every time I hear "Can't Hold Us" on the radio 5 times in a 45 minute period? Yes, but It's not my fault. I'm an arrogant hip-hop fan, I had planned on hoarding Macklemore for years... Now I have to pay 80 bucks and fight through a group of drunk tweens to see him live.

But that is neither here nor there. Alongside Macklemore in Seattle's budding hip-hop scene are rappers like Grynch, The Blue Scholars, Grieves and most importantly for the sake of this post Sol. Last year Sol released a stellar album in "Yours Truly" that featured an array of gems, I would strongly suggest the purchase. After the release of that album he toured for a little then went on a year long voyage around the world, Must be nice Sol... Must be nice. Twitter/Instagram really makes following artists lives and music much easier, and slightly creepy.

Anywho, Sol's new album "Eyes Open" will be released Tuesday and will feature both "Jump In" and "Tomorrow". I've personally been bumping "Jump In" on repeat at the desk all day and like most Sol tracks it's uplifting, passionate and features some intriguing brass sections.

Shad K - Stylin (feat. Saukrates)

The one and only Shad K is back in action with his new track "Stylin". The track features a gritty Skratch Bastid back beat and fellow Canadian rhymesayer Saukrates. Shad has an abundance of sentimental value for me but regardless of his past, this track brings some excitement for the future of this educated cunning linguist.

He cleverly discusses the irrelevance of educational conversations within rap, the constant battle of networking yourself efficiently and the unfortunate societal reality of knowing someone versus working hard. Shad uses his distinct variant flow to linguistically touch on the issues he finds to define our ability to stay stylin'.  For me this is the classic politically motivated play on society that I love about him. Shad himself can be seen as a paradox in terms of rappers and he uses the fact that he is an educated drug-free Canadian rapper to metaphorically represent the issues that face many recent graduates, whose last name or familial connections are no help to their career. "Cause we don't know how to tie ties and my grandparents weren't tycoons" pretty much sums up the unfortunate reality that Shad struggles with.

Regardless of the message or how in-depth you analyze the lyrics, the beat, complementary flow of shad and artistically engaging music video make for a solid dose of entertainment. Oh and by the way I'm infinitely excited about seeing Shad in Toronto on October 19th.

A Little "Dose Of Dopeness" From Cudder

With Kid Cudi doing the whole WZRD thing and a sub-par sophomore album, there has been a missing aspect to my hip-hop needs. I understand and completely respect that artists will evolve and their music will change with them but there is something about the early Cudi’s flow and lyricism that I haven’t been able to find in any other artist (including recent Cudi). Dot Da Genius has recently given me a little fix of the old K.I.D. by releasing the studio version of “Dose of Dopeness” (2008) with some filthy production accompanied by Cudi spiting that one of a kind flow that we all have grown to love. Check out the track below and lets all hope that Cudi goes back to that good old fashioned hip-hop every once in a while.

Kid Cudi - Dose of Dopeness (Prod. Dot Da Genius)

Album Review: Sol - "Yours Truly"

Hot damn Seattle just can't stop producing true hip-hop stars. Sol has been one of my favourite Seattle artists for some time now and he has just proved himself even more with his newest album Yours Truly. The man speaks some realness and chooses some true hip-hop head production every time. With the success of the previously leaked tracks "Stage Dive" and "2020" there was so much anticipation for this album and it did not disappoint. The man is one of the most versatile rappers in the game now-a-days as he can rock some solid stoner rap tracks but can also get real epic and emotional. I've been listening to Yours Truly on repeat for days and am having a hell of time choosing my favourites from the project. I haven't seen triple digits in my bank account in soo damn long and this was one album I actually purchased. The guitar riff on "Need Your Love" is absolutely intoxicating and is complimented perfectly by vocals from Ray Dalton. Over all the album is one of the best true hip-hop projects I've heard in a while and I would suggest saving up your pennies and purchasing "Yours Truly". You can grab a physical copy from http://solsays.com/  or the digi copy from Itunes.

Sol-Need Your Love featuring Ray Dalton

Tony Williams - Blazin High (feat. Wale, Emilio Rojas and Macklemore)

Recently I came across an absolute jam from a rapper named Tony Williams. Apparently he’s got a pretty gangster collection of friends, as his newest mix-tape is aptly titled Some of My Best Rappers are Friends. “Blazin High” features Wale, Emilio Rojas and Macklemore, which in its own is a crazy sick collection of hommies. The number one thing that bothers me about both Wale and Emilio is their production, which is usually a little to hood for my taste, but the instrumentals on this track are sick and if you listen closely you can here the background beat from Jay and Kanye’s hit “N*igga’s in Paris”.  Tony Williams doesn't rap on the track himself, but does sing a pretty nasty hook that is complemented at the same caliber by three verses from the rest of the crew. Get it below.

Tony Williams- Blazin High feat Wale, Emilio Rojas and Macklemore 

Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius - WZRD

 It looks like Kid Cudi is getting a little unsettled in his current style of music, so he's attempting to switch things up once again. Cudi is teaming up with his long time producer, Dot Da Genius, claiming to be making a different hip hop album - influenced purely by punk rock. Now called WZRD, this duo has quite a bit of experience working together, operating under the name, 2 Be Continuum, for most of their earlier work (including the albums that got Cudi famous). Taking a note from Will Smith, WZRD is said to keep it clean and include no vulgar language, further showing how Cudi tries to distance himself from the rap community.

Cudi just released the single for WZRD, Teleport to Me, which features him covering the all too common problem of distance, over Desire's Under Your Spell (which also made an appearance in the movie Drive). With samples taken from Synthpop groups like Desire, and the only appearance coming from Empire of the Sun, I'm not too sure how WZRD is punk rock, or why Cudi wants to label it, but it interests me regardless.


WZRD - Teleport to me


Desire - Under Your Spell

Rapper QueST and His Electro Side Kick Mt.Eden

Over the years I have on and off again followed a variety of artists. Artist's such as J.Cole, Chiddy Bang, and Outasight apparently have received a variety of mainstream attention. But over time its an unfortunate product of having actual responsibilities that forces me to forget about certain artists.

I recently came across some new stuff from rapper QueST which features production from electro/dub step group Mt.Eden. The track The Walk is set by a glitchy sounding beat that is complemented by QueST as he spits complete awesomeness all over it. the fact that QueST sounds like Twista on steroids fits in well with an electro/dub step group producing his tracks. Although I'm not a huge dub step fan, the extent of the wobble wobble that I can handle is used in the track Still Alive (Where I Have To Go). The beat goes in the opposite direction and is just simply slowed to the point where QueST is able to absolutely tear it apart. At many times in this track I feel like I'm listening to spoken word, but I think it's this uniqueness in his flow that draws my ears to his music... enjoy

QueST - The Walk

QueST - Still Alive (Where I Have To Go)

DubFx - Live from the Streets

Every now and then I come across an artist with more than just music to offer. Whether this has been William Fitzsimmons' deep story growing up with blind parents or Suzanne Vega's perfect MP3 tuning pitch, with unique experience these artists set precedent and trend for the rest of the industry to follow. Recently by the way of a good friend, I was lucky to be guided to another one of these musicians.

Let me introduce you to DubFx. A vocal artist originally from Australia, who left everything behind a few years ago when he realized life was becoming too stagnant and the music was slipping away. DubFx quit his job and took to the streets of Europe, with only the support of his conscious rhymes and the rest of his voice to carry him from there. The thing with DubFx is that he creates every single dubstep/drum & bass sound in his music live on the spot, layering different vocal loops using only pedals and distortion. You think this would limit him, but it doesn't at all, as he links music together better than most artists do in the studio. This is a man that truly understands sound. Oh and by the way, DubFx isn't on the streets anymore - he's been running his own label and is now recording with artists on rooftops in Italy. Don't be afraid to chase your dream kids.

I'll let DubFx do his own introduction though with, Made, live from the streets of Bristol, UK.



Check that song and a few others below that carry the same heat. Don't be shy to watch the videos. Live music is usually best experienced when you can see it...

• DubFx - Love Someone [Video] 
• DubFx - Flow (Featuring Mr. Woodnote) [Video] 
• DubFx - Soothe Your Pain [Video]

Intuition - Old Enough (Video)

Its been a minute since we heard from one of my favourite names in the world of underground hip hop so its not surprising that new material from Intuition finds itself posted here on Straight Goods Music. The combination of Intuition and producer Equalibrium is akin to the genius that is Macklemore-Ryan Lewis (December 10th - Toronto, mark that calendar) in that the two complement each other's styles so well. The 'new material' that I speak of comes in the form of a video (unfortunately there is no download link available yet as far I know) for a brand new track titled Old Enough. To be completely honest I don't really understand the video, there's some sort of heist thing going on and there's a little kid in sunglasses that's married to a blonde bombshell.. Somebody explain this to me.
Regardless of my confusion over the plot line of the video, this song is the shit, can't wait for more music from this MC, who's near the top of my 'how isn't this guy more popular?' list

Common - Blue Sky

The comeback!! I just noticed that the judge is back in action, time for the boys to take the load of of surebuds' shoulders. Predictably, my first post since who knows how long coincides with my first trip to the library since I used to come here for the free wireless. I've been wanting to post a song for a couple weeks ago but none of the music I've been hearing lately has been all that inspiring, until I heard this song. Leave it to one of the vets to come through in the clutch for me. This track is from Common's upcoming album The Dreamer, his 9th, which is produced entirely by No I.D. Hats off to the guy because this beat on this song is more addicting than any hip hop production I've heard on the blogs for the past few weeks. The whole song has a very Kanye-ish feel to it, from the layered vocal samples to the distortion on Common's voice during his third verse. Just listen to his delivery on that third verse, I can't help but hear Kanye. Am I losing it?

Common Blue Sky

J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story

 

Today marks an important day in the hip hop community, as following three mixtapes, sharing the stage with legends and headlining sold out tours… J. Cole has decided it’s time release his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.

Produced by Roc Nation, this album was anticipated to be a debut much like Jay-Z’s Blueprint, bringing that timeless appeal to give Cole some staying power. This is helped by the fact that Cole World has no real weak songs, and appearances by Drake, Missy Elliot, Trey Songz, and Hova himself adds the variety needed to never have to skip a track. The way the album was put together also deserves some credit, as the songs are arranged to make for a smooth run through of a larger piece of music. Cole World was slated to be released today, but it seems like everyone was tipped off to the leak early, including me. It’s always nice to know someone on the inside of the art world. Preview it below, then Buy or Download the whole album for yourself.

J. Cole – Rise and Shine



J. Cole – Nobody’s Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliott)


J. Cole – Lights Please / In The Morning