Fresh Selects » Black Spade

HVW8 presents… Hawthorne Headhunters x dâm-funk “PCH”

Kenny Fresh — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:15:18 +0000

Just a quick re-post from the HVW8 blog for you guys today – keeping everyone in the loop with the latest from the trifecta conglomerate of synthed-out soul & unquantized bump that are the Hawthorne Headhunters. As if the aligned stars of Black Spade, Ced No and Proh Mic that are the HH constellation weren’t enough – they’ve come together with the new/vintage funk shooting star that is dam-funk to form a single song galaxy, known as “PCH.” This is just the very first of HVW8’s leak campaign of unreleased tracks from the Hawth Heads, dam’s upcoming group Master Blazter (alongside J1 & Computer Jay), and others – so be sure to keep it locked to their site for those and much more.

And if you haven’t already, make sure you get FRESHclusive Hawthorne Headhunters Mixtape and also cop the EP out on iTunes now. There’s also limited quantities of vinyl available now at the HVW8 Gallery in LA – with a full vinyl release coming soon. And if you’re in the L.A. area this week – be sure to look out for Hawthorne Headhunters performing as a full band with J1 on the drums and added support from Coultrain & JimiJames on vocals. Full dates and info for those shows plus the free download of “PCH” can both be found below.

DOWNLOAD: Hawthorne Headhunters x dam-funk “PCH”

SUPPPORT: Hawthorne Headhunters EP out now

EVENTS: Catch the Hawthorne Headhunters in L.A. all throughout this week

FRESH KEPT SECRET: ADaD – Intro To ADaD Mixtape Mixed by DJ Tone B. Nimble

Kenny Fresh — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:49:26 +0000

Here is the FRESHclusive premiere of the brand new mixtape from one of my new favorite MC’s, ADaD (pronounced uh-dod). Coming out of Chicago, ADaD has been making a name for himself as part of the All Natural, Inc. crew for years now, releasing both an EP and full-length release as one half of the group, Eulorhythmics, with producer Kenny Keys. Recently, he’s been making a lot of noise as a solo artist with The Unbenounced Mixtape – a free download project where he brings a whole new light to the Music From The Color Purple beat CD (which in itself was a free download, inspired by a certain Minneapolis funk pioneer).

I personally first heard of ADaD from Exile and DJ Day, who both went out of their way to recommend his music to me on separate occasions, coincidentally on the same night. So with my interest officially sparked, I checked him out only to be pleasantly surprised that he lived up to all that they were saying, and then some. ADaD is what I consider to be a total-package MC – he effortlessly flips an array of topics through countless styles and cadences, all matched with catchy, well-written hooks and a choice selection of beats. After immediate and endless replays of his mixtape, he has quickly cemented his place in a very small group of up-and-coming/current MC’s that I’m truly impressed with these days.

So, if you’re like me and are just now catching on to ADaD this late in the game (but yet still so early) – his latest offering, the Intro To ADaD mixtape is the perfect place to start. It serves as a smorgasbord of old, current and upcoming music of his, all mixed by All Natural’s own, DJ Tone B. Nimble. Included are tracks featuring original production from Black Spade and Kenny Keys, as well as ADaD’s fresh takes on familiar instrumentals by Dilla, Madlib, Exile and more. For further listening, I’ve also included a download link to the full Unbenounced Mixtape, courtesy of AllNaturalHipHop.com.

You can preview tracks from Intro To ADaD before downloading both that and Unbenounced below. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Also, special shout to my official Chicago connect, DJ Sean Doe (who also co-hosts Intro) for helping making this all happen and for supporting since day one.

ADaD “Blown” (prod. Black Spade)

ADaD “Bitch” (Black Milk beat)

ADaD “Get It”

DOWNLOAD: ADaD – Intro To ADaD Mixtape

BONUS DOWNLOAD: ADaD – The Unbenounced Mixtape

SUPPORT: Eulorhythmics (ADaD & Kenny Keys) – Extended Play on iTunes

HVW8 RECORDS x FRESH SELECTS present… Hawthorne Headhunters Mixtape Mixed by DJ Needles

Kenny Fresh — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:55:39 +0000

I know its been a minute but here it is – the highly anticipated mixtape from the new hybrid supergroup, Hawthorne Headhunters. For those of you who still don’t know, HH is a three-headed production/vocal beast consisting of Stoney Rock (better known as Black Spade), Ced No (or I, CED when he’s solo) and Proh Mic. The group’s debut project, a five-track EP, drops next week on both vinyl and iTunes as the first release on HVW8 Records.

To go along with the EP, we’ve put together this mixtape, mixed by STL cohort DJ Needles, featuring the best of the group’s unreleased works over the years – both solo and as a unit. Also highlighted in the mix are their solo productions for some of their up-and-coming collaborators, including Coultrain, Jada Avenue, JimiJames, Stopha Vasquez, and TeLuv – most of which appear on the EP.

And even with 18 exclusive tracks – this mixtape is just the beginning of a barrage of material coming from the Hawthorne Headhunters. So stay tuned to right here and HVW8.com for plenty more music coming soon. In the meantime, download the mixtape below and let us know what you think.

Tracklisting:
01. Proh Mic – Cosmic Beauty (Intro)
02. Black Spade – Hater (feat. Coultrain & Jada Avenue)
03. Jada Avenue – Heartbeat (prod. Ced No)
04. JimiJames – Still In Your Heart (prod. Proh Mic)
05. Stopha Vasquez – Damn (prod. Ced No)
06. Proh Mic – Bang Smooth
07. Black Spade – Loose Bars
08. I, CED - Love…Meaning (Bossa Nova Remix) (feat. Coultrain)
09. I, CED - Voice Demo (Interlude)
10. Proh Mic – Smile (feat. G. Soulo & Tiffany Wilson)
11. Black Spade – Nigga Ray Leonard
12. Black Spade – Across 110th Street
13. TeLuv – Falling Sky (prod. Ced No)
14. Hawthorne Headhunters – Oddyssey Lover (Instrumental)
15. Hawthorne Headhunters – Never Give Up (feat. Coultrain)
16. Hawthorne Headhunters – Get Up!
17. Hawthorne Headhunters – Shining Star (Instrumental)
18. Hawthorne Headhunters – Solar Madness (feat. Stopha Vasquez & Jada Avenue)

DOWNLOAD: Hawthorne Headhunters Mixtape

SUPPORT: Hawthorne Headhunters EP on vinyl/digital July 7th

STAY TUNED: More from Hawthorne Headhunters coming soon on HVW8.com

FRESHCLUSIVE: Hawthorne Headhunters “Never Give Up” (feat. Coultrain)

Kenny Fresh — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:30:27 +0000

Coming back from the holiday weekend with a new exclusive from the Hawthorne Headhunters group for you guys. For those who don’t already know, HH are a trifecta squad made of established solo artists & producers – Black Spade and I, CED (or Ced No) from St. Louis, and Proh Mic from L.A. by way of Seattle.

The song I’ve go for you guys today is the motivating anthem, “Never Give Up,” which co-stars vocals from extended Hawthorne family member, Coultrain. The song is an unreleased outtake from the same 2007 sessions that the group’s forthcoming debut EP was pulled from. The EP will be the first release being put out by LA-based art collective, HVW8, on July 7th.

We’ll have plenty more exclusive outtakes, remixes and leaks from the project, and even an all-exclusive Fresh Selects mixtape from the Hunters before the EP drops, so be on the look out for much more coming soon. But in the meantime, download “Never Give Up” below and leave a comment letting me know what you think.

DOWNLOAD: Hawthorne Headhunters “Never Give Up” (feat. Coultrain)

SUPPORT: Hawthorne Headhunters’ debut EP dropping July 7th

STAY TUNED: Hawthorne Headhunters x Fresh Selects mixtape coming soon

WEEKEND BEATS #5: Hawthorne Headhunters present… Proh Mic – Nice 2 Beat U Vol. 3

Kenny Fresh — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:43:47 +0000

For this weekend’s selection, I’ve got a full-lenght beat CD from the homie Proh Mic. The Seattle born, L.A.-based producer/MC is currently making moves as one third of the group, Hawthorne Headhunters, alongside collaborators Black Spade and Ced No. To hold you over till their debut EP drops later this spring, he’s offered up a re-posting of an older beat CD, Nice 2 Beat U Vol. 3.

In Proh’s own words, “I started releasing these beat tapes about a year or so ago. They’re ‘throw away’ beats. Ironically I always end up selling a bunch of beats off these. LOL. I posted this vol a few months ago, thought I’d repost it. Im posting Vol 4 next Fri.” I guess one man’s throwaway’s are someone else’s weekend soundtrack.

I’ll have much more for from the Hawthorne Headhunters coming soon, including a full-length exclusive group mixtape coming in the next month or so. Included after the jump is a video of Proh & Black Spade performing some songs live at a HVW8 Gallery barbeque in L.A. Get up on it.

Proh Mic “I Got Over (Love)”

Proh Mic “Broke, Broken”

Proh Mic “I’m That Dude”

DOWNLOAD: Proh Mic – Nice 2 Beat U Vol. 3

SUPPORT: Hawthorne Headhunters’ debut EP coming soon

BONUS VIDEO: Proh Mic & Black Spade live @ the HVW8 Bar BQ

VIDEO UPDATE!!! FRESH RANT PROOF Charles Hamilton steals beats: Black Spade’s “Shinin’”

Kenny Fresh — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:30:18 +0000

UPDATED WITH VIDEO EVIDENCE, ORIGINAL POST BELOW
Okay, first off – here is Black Spade’s side of the story for the first time since the original e-mail. Note that everything else in the original post and subsequent comments under my name were my thoughts, opinions and words. So here are his:

Credit due to Made Monarchs for putting the video together.

On the other side of things… after two days of dodging questions and beating around the bush, Charles Hamilton finally came through on his word and uploaded the ProTools session files for his version of the “Shinin’” track. Below is a video the homie Primuts Luta of AvantUrb made showing that Black Spade’s original beat is sitting right there in the very file Charles himself uploaded, titled “08 – Shinin’” as it appeared on the beat CD and all.

So what this means is that Charles Hamilton, one way or another, took Black Spade’s original composition (note its a stereo track and not original source files) and added other elements to it. Now, all in fairness – what most likely happened was Charles was given the Black Spade beat on a CD by a mutual friend or something, and he used the beat thinking it was either that person’s beat and they were cool with it, or he thought it was the original break itself (since Spade did re-create it and sing it to mimic the original).

Not a big deal, right? However – Charles should’ve just said that shit from the jump and this wouldn’t have even been an issue, but he didn’t. He claimed that he did the beat all by himself straight from the original record, that the voice heard on his song was a filter and not Spade’s (note there’s no filtered voice part in those sessions), etc. So now this kid’s credibility is completely shot and I can only hope that people continue to treat him as such from here on out.

This is 2009. We are WELL into the internet age at this point. You CANNOT get away with blatant bullshit like this and not expect to get called out and exposed for it.

So in closing – I hope this a lesson for everyone. True artists – please be careful about sending out your demo beat CD’s, uploading tracks to your MySpace, etc. Watermark your shit, date it, copyright it, whatever – just make sure you don’t get Charles Hamilton’ed. And for all the fraudulent artists out there trying to pull similar jack moves – stop.

Don’t be the next contestant on that Fresh Selects screen

ORIGINAL POST:

Okay… so you guys know me, I usually play it cool on artists that I’m not into and instead, stick to supporting & promoting those that I do feel. But in this case, enough is enough – this Charles Hamilton shit needs to end already. And I’m not even tripping off of his personal life shit like a lotta people do – i.e. wearing pink, trying way to hard to make his fascination with Sonic characters sound deep when its not, his little schoolgirl blog writing style, etc. All of that is whatever to me – I’m talking strictly music and his career. Besides being massively underwhelming and suspiciously overrated as an “artist” – this dude has time and time again shown both a general lack of knowledge in hip-hop, as well as a arrogant disregard and overall lack of respect for it. You should already know how I feel about that wack ass mixtape he did over Dilla beats. And oddly enough, he left a comment replying to that post even though I never said his name in it and what he said just further confirmed that he is a newjack and doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. Saying that he “anticipate[s] buying a real CD if it should drop” over a year and a half after the CD’s release date… ?!!?? LMnonpinkAO.

But whatever, I said my peace in my reply back to him, stayed cordial and kept it moving. Since then, I’ve been hearing a lot of stories about him being on some overall shady shit – jacking different producers’ beats and saying he did them, showing up unprepared for gigs & trying to use the opening act’s live band for his own set, starting YouTube/blog beefs with more established rappers, etc. But the e-mail that I got this morning from St. Louis producer/MC and Fresh Selects alumni, Black Spade, was the nail in the coffin as far as my tolerance for this dude.

Basically, Charles jacked a beat straight from Black Spade’s MySpace player and rapped over it, released the song on one of his endless barrage of half-assed & disposable mixtapes, and ironically ended up performing the song right in front of Black Spade at SXSW the other week. So Spade approaches him after the show saying that he did that beat but liked what he did with it (his opinion, not mine), asked where he got it from, etc. So the jig is up, right? Nope! Aparently, this fool Charles still tried to act like he made that beat and even went on to say that it was HIM singing on there, when anyone who’s ever heard a Black Spade song can clearly recognize that voice as Spade’s.

So with Charles refusing to admit that he took the beat from Black Spade, I’ve decided to post both of them here for you to decide for yourself. Below is Black Spade’s demo beat and then Charles’ song – both of which are coincidentally called “Shinin’.” Besides the different mix, you’ll notice that Charles’ song also has an intro before the beat drops – that’s something that Spade only included on the track when he uploaded it to MySpace, which is how he knows thats where Charles got it from. I’ve included the full e-mail I received from Black Spade after the jump to further explain the story and to seperate his thoughts on Charles from my own.

Black Spade aka Stoney Rock “Shinin’ (rough mix)”

Charles Hamilton “Shinin’”

Now I know beat jacking is nothing new – its probably as old hip-hop itself. But that doesn’t make that shit okay – especially if the thief in question can’t even own up to it when they’re not only caught in their lie, but even given props for the song. And this instance aside, the only reason this kid’s manufactured buzz has worked for him so far is because not enough people have been calling him out on his bullshit from the beginning. Thankfully, more people have been speaking out lately, namely Rhymefest, Xplosive World, and even former supporter, Karen Civil (although she quickly removed her post from her blog the same day it went up).

And I know this isn’t the only story of Charles pulling this type of shit with someone else’s beat – so if you know of a similar situation or just want to add your two cents on the issue, leave a comment and lemme know.

FULL STORY: Check the full e-mail from Black Spade after the jump

FRESH SELECTS RADIO #1

Kenny Fresh — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:01:25 +0000

Today marks the debut of my new podcast, simply titled Fresh Selects Radio. Even though this is the first episode, it feels like the second in a way, because its more or less a follow-up to the Loose Joints mixtape I put together last fall. Just like that, its a collection showcasing both new and unreleased tracks from some of my favorite artists, some projects I’ll be working on in the near future, artists you should be on the lookout for, and more. I’ve also thrown in a few tracks that have been previously been posted on the site that you might’ve missed. But unlike the Loose Joints .zip, this podcast is one single track, which freed me up and allowed me to include some super-exclusives that I know I couldn’t post as individual downloads.

Originally, I was going to host the podcast like a radio show – but instead I decided to let the music speak for itself. If you feel like it sounds unfinished, I left the instrumental interludes I was going to talk over in the mix, so feel free to fill in the blanks yourself. However, if people get on some bullshit and rip some of the exclusives from the mix and re-post them as downloads on other sites, then next time out I’ll have to talk all over all the good shit – so just behave yourselves & act right and I’ll be able to keep bringing you the latest & greatest without any problems.

I might still write up some liner notes to go along with the tracks, but it might be a while. We’ll see what the feedback & response is like first (*cough*leaveacomment!*cough) and then take it from there. So yeah, lemme know what you think. In the meantime, the tracklisting with the artists’ MySpace links is listed here and then you can download or stream the mix below.

1. DaveNotti – FSR Intro (Thrilla Music Group)
2. Blu – Say Say (CD-R)
3. Finale feat. Invincible – The Waiting Game (prod. Khrysis) (iM/Universal)
4. Waajeed – Fat Bottom Girls (Bling47)
5. Konphlict – Socialize (prod. TaRaach) (Lovelution)
6. M64 (Ragen Fykes & Ohmega Watts) - Helium (prod. Ohmega Watts) (TBA)
7. Hi-Res – Yahhhhh (Pt. 2) (Thrilla Music Group)
8. G&D feat. MED & Rapper Big Pooh – Endure (prod. Georgia Anne Muldrow) (Mello Music Group)
9. MAGr (DistantStarr & Al Mighty) – Butterfly (prod. Hudson Mohawke) (TBA)
10. Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program – Been A Min… (Brainfeeder)
11. Cubic Zirconia (Tiombe, Nick & Todd) – I Wanna Freebase You (TBA)
12. PPP feat. Coultrain & Karma Stewart – Rocket Science (prod. Waajeed) (Ubiquity)
13. Hawthorne Headhunters (Black Spade, I, CED & Proh Mic) feat. JimiJames & Coultrain – She Wanna (HVW8)
14. Exile feat. Muhsinah – Stay Tuned (Stay Here) (Vocal Remix) (Plug Research)
15. TaRaach vs. Tiombe Lockhart – Kalifornia (Instrumental) (Lovelution)
16. DJ Cadik feat. Invincible & Finale – Don’t Look Back (All Soundz)
17. Devon - Shoes (Thrilla Music Group)
18. SA-RA Creative Partners - High Moon Lust (Rawkus)
19. Luck-One – The Coolax (prod. Dekk) (Architect Ent.)
20. Johnson&Jonson feat. Miguel (Jontel) - Stadium (CD-R)

Artwork courtesy of Lyle Owerko & Wuzz Magazine.

DOWNLOAD: Fresh Selects Radio #1

STREAM: Fresh Selects Radio #1

SUBSCRIBE: Through iTunes or Google

ALSO CHECK: Fresh Selects – Loose Joints mix .zip

FRESH SELECTS: LOOSE JOINTS

Kenny Fresh — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:48:18 +0000

As promised, here’s the first-ever Fresh Selects mixtape. No, it’s not really mixed – its just a .zip full of tracks that I’ve been feeling lately, and/or been meaning to post about. I’m gonna be gone for the next couple of days so I wanted to put this up to hold you guys over until I come back. But if all goes well, I should be coming back with a bang. We’ll see…. but until then, bump this.

Tracklisting & download links below. Oh, and I also did some quick liner notes for each track after the jump, for those of you who are into that sort of thing.

Also, I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks to everyone who’s been spreading the word about the site whether it be through linking me on your own blogs, posting the link on your MySpace or Facebook, whatever it may be – thank you. This one’s for you.

1. Hi-Res – This World (Thrilla Music Group)
2. Black Spade vs. 88-Keys & Kanye West – Stay Up! (Viagra) (Stoney Rock Remix) (CD-R)
3. Mike Slott feat. DistantStarr – Boxed In (All City)
4. Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins – Shine On (prod. Black Milk) (Mello Music Group)
5. Devon – Hold Up Zelda (Thrilla Music Group)
6. SA-RA Creative Partners – All In The Kitchen (CD-R)
7. Black Spade feat. Coultrain – A Lil Taste (CD-R)
8. Finale – Ice (prod. DJ Final) (CD-R)
9. Dill Clinton (TaRaach vs. The G.O.A.T.) – LiveWire (Lovelution Prosper)
10. Knowledge – Relief (CD-R)
11. Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program – Clair Huxtable (Brainfeeder)
12. Waajeed – Can’t You Feel It (Instrumental) (Bling47)
13. TaRaach feat. Mia Simone – Benjamins (prod. AmDex) (CD-R)
14. Noni Limar – Monogamy (prod. Black L.A.) (CD-R)
15. Finale – Run It Back (prod. Rashid Hadee) (CD-R)
16. DaveNotti – Get Real (prod. DaiN) (Thrilla Music Group)
17. Kissey Asplund & DistantStarr – Car Ride (To The Future) (prod. Jay Scarlett) (CD-R)
18. Troubleman feat. Steve Spacek – Without You (Waajeed’s Flash Gordon Remix) (Bling47)
19. Fatima – Wildchild (prod. VeeBeeO) (CD-R)
20. Donel Smokes – Got Me High (Bridgetown Steel)
21. Devon – Sleep Tight (Thrilla Music Group)

All tracks selected & compiled by Kenny Fresh for Fresh Selects.

DOWNLOAD: Fresh Selects – Loose Joints

LINER NOTES: Track-by-track commentary after the jump

1. Hi-Res – This World (Thrilla Music Group)
Hi-Res is an up-and-coming producer from Portland, down with the Thrilla crew. I wanted this mixtape to have a kind of spacey, futuristic feel to it – so I thought this would would make the perfect intro. This is off Hi-Res’ free instrumental album, Sittin’ Up In My Room. Highly recommended.

2. Black Spade vs. 88-Keys & Kanye West – Stay Up! (Viagra) (Stoney Rock Remix) (CD-R)
Exclusive white label remix from Black Spade AKA Stoney Rock. Bigs up to the homie Ced of Hawthorne Headhunters for this one. I haaaate that corny Borat line at the end of the first verse – makes me cringe every time. LOL!

3. Mike Slott feat. DistantStarr – Boxed In (All City)
This is a track the homie Distant from MAGr did with Mike Slott of Heralds Of Change. Great late night driving music.

4. Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins – Shine On (prod. Black Milk) (Mello Music Group)
Big ups to Mello for sending this through. This one’s actually for sale so if you dig it, support it. I dig this – no comment on its subject matter though….

5. Devon – Hold Up Zelda (Thrilla Music Group)
As far as this new era of beat shit goes, Devon’s definitely a name to remember. Actually, my very first post was about Devon. Be sure to check that if you haven’t already.

6. SA-RA Creative Partners – All In The Kitchen (CD-R)
This is another exclusive Shafiq from SA-RA hooked up last week. Goofy, off-the-wall shit.. but still dope.

7. Black Spade feat. Coultrain – A Lil Taste (CD-R)
This starts the Dilla dedication section of the mix. All of the next 4 tracks sample or reference Dilla in someway. But yeah, this is an old Black Spade track I got off his MySpace about a year or two ago.

8. Finale – Ice (prod. DJ Final) (CD-R)
Finale is one of my favorite MC’s right now – his album is gonna be crazy. More on that soon… in the meantime, this is a track he did with Norway producer, Final, that references the Jaylib track, “Ice.”

9. Dill Clinton (TaRaach vs. The G.O.A.T.) – LiveWire (Lovelution Prosper)
This is from Runnin 4 Precedent, a top-secret TaRaach project thats been in the work for years now. Word is the election campaign is coming soon… stay tuned for more on that.

10. Knowledge – Relief (CD-R)
Knowledge is another name to remember, he’s been putting in a lot of work lately. I first heard him on Invincible’s track, “Ropes” off of ShapeShifters but he’s done so much since then it’s hard to keep up. Look out for more from him & Devon on Fresh Selects coming soon.

11. Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program – Clair Huxtable (Brainfeeder)
Dope new track Ras just hooked me up with the other day to close out the Dilla set. On this, Ras flips the sample to one of my favorite Slum Village tracks, in tribute to everyone’s MILF crush, Clair Huxtable. Ras explained to me this is for “the Clair after the kids left, the Clair Cliff saw before Rudy knocked on the door.” LOL

12. Waajeed – Can’t You Feel It (Instrumental) (Bling47)
This beat seems a little random on here – but it’s one of my favorites right now, so fuck it. Coultrain actually recorded a song to this for the forthcoming PPP Mixtape – so look out for that. As far as the beat goes – all my indie rock heads should be able to spot what Waajeed chopped up on this. Don’t get it twisted (hint) – there are samples galore in indie rock music.

13. TaRaach feat. Mia Simone – Benjamins (prod. AmDex) (CD-R)
Man… I almost have too many TaRaach exclusives – I might need to do a mixtape with all of these someday. In the meantime, here’s an oldie-but-goodie from 2003 that he recorded in Germany with AmDex of the Vinyl Junkies.

14. Noni Limar – Monogamy (prod. Black L.A.) (CD-R)
Noni is someone I’m really looking forward to hearing more from. You may remember her from C.R.A.C.’s “Buy Me Lunch” (which she also directed the video for). I got this off of her MySpace, hopefully she doesn’t get mad at me for using it :)

15. Finale – Run It Back (prod. Rashid Hadee) (CD-R)
Another one from Finale. He raps with such intensity on this one – you can’t help but feel it.

16. DaveNotti – Get Real (prod. DaiN) (Thrilla Music Group)
Notti & Dain were 2 of the first artists signed to the Thrilla crew – and this track is a good example why. Dave’s really beasting on this one – 5,000+ bars (I’m rounding up) and no hook. DaiN killed this beat too. Both of them have a lot more heat still in store.

17. Kissey Asplund & DistantStarr – Car Ride (To The Future) (prod. Jay Scarlett) (CD-R)
Another exclusive that Distant hooked up. This is off his upcoming project w/ Swedish singer, Kissey Asplund. Can’t wait till that one comes out.

18. Troubleman feat. Steve Spacek – Without You (Waajeed’s Flash Gordon Remix) (Bling47)
Long story behind this one – but basically Troubleman’s label put out this remix without paying Waajeed. Not a good move. But it’s a dope track and it fit the feel of the mix, so fuck it – don’t buy it, get it right here instead.

19. Fatima – Wildchild (prod. VeeBeeO) (CD-R)
Fatima’s another singer I’m expecting big things from. You might remember her from the Hygher Baby post I did. I really like how she came off on this one – her voice is definitely that of an old soul, despite her age. I dig the sparseness and simplicity in the beat too.

20. Donel Smokes – Got Me High (Bridgetown Steel)
I’ll be an honest – I don’t know much about Donel Smokes – except that he’s in Bridgetown Steel, rapped on Exile’s Dirty Science album and a track that got left off of Blu’s Below The Heavens. I love this beat though – I don’t even smoke, but when this shit comes on?? Pass some of that over here.

21. Devon – Sleep Tight (Thrilla Music Group)
Damn… all that smoking made me tired. A nice sleepy beat from Devon to close things out.

New from Coultrain:“The Wanderer” b/w PPP’s “Angel” Remix

Kenny Fresh — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:46:03 +0000

I know — its been almost a week since my last post. But no worries, I’m back I’m packing heat. St. Louis heat to be exact – in the form of two new tracks from Coultrain. If you’re not already up on him, then I’ve really got some shit for you. With his naturally vintage-leaning vocals matched with his very modern approach and his forward-thinking lyricism – Coultrain is quickly gaining a loyal following among both modern music listeners & nostalgic soul heads alike. Building upon the buzz created with his self-released solo debut, The Adventures Of Seymour Liberty (the first in a three-part series of concept albums released earlier this year), Coultrain has recently been in the lab both writing and recording with co-conspirator, Waajeed, for a wide range of projects they have lined up together. Among the first of which to be released will Abundance, the highly anticipated second album from Waajeed & Saadiq’s rotating super-group, PPP – in which Train played a leading role in not only leading the new cast but also writing the bulk of the songs on the album.

While working with the PPP/Bling47 crew in Brooklyn, Coultrain is also staying true to his St. Louis roots through numerous collaborations with artists from back home. One such artist is producer, I, Ced (aka Cedric Norah), who released a single with Coultrain earlier this year, and also produced Train’s latest solo offering, “The Wandering”. Picking up where the Seymour Liberty saga left off, “The Wandering” is meant to serve as somewhat of an epilogue to The Adventures Of…, but also a prologue to the series’ next chapter. Train broke the song down to me as only he could, “Its not a lost track its an inbetween track. Its a track 2 continue the story. Check it, The Adventures Of… ends w/ The Sabbatical, while on the sabbatical Seymour becomes a Wanderer, u dig?”

And on the PPP side of things, I’ve got an exclusive download of Waajeed’s recent remix of the Coultrain-featured track, “Angel.” This version finds Waajeed providing a more hip-hop oriented, bang-heavy backbeat to Coultrain’s anthem, instead of the stadium rock-funk feel of the album version. This remix is off the upcoming Abundance Mixtape, which features new Waajeed remixes of all your PPP favorites album, as well as some un-used gems from the Abundance & Triple P sessions. If you missed out on the first leak off the mixtape, “Shotgun (Waajeed’s Plinky Remix)” featuring Dilla, then here ya go.

And the fun doesn’t stop there – after the jump, I’ve got 3 bonus tracks from Coultrain’s other collaborations with both Waajeed and I Ced, including a free download of a track he did with the Hawthorne Headhunters – a new group consisting of I Ced, Black Spade, and Proh Mic. Also included is a video interview I did with Train earlier this year for Bling47 TV, where he breaks down his involvement in the new PPP album, his songwriting process, and more.

PHOTO: Coultrain live w/ PPP in Madrid Oct. 08, courtesy of One Dragones.

Coultrain “The Wanderer” (prod. I, Ced)

DOWNLOAD: PPP feat. Coultrain “Angel (Waajeed Remix)”

SUPPORT: PPP’s latest single “On A Cloud” b/w “Angel” available now. Abundance album in stores everywhere January 20th.

AFTER THE JUMP: 3 more from Coultrain (including another free download) & bonus video

BONUS TRACKS

Coultrain vs. Waajeed “The Hustler”
from Garth Trinidad’s Suite903 Mix CD, Vol. 15 (Cornerstone, 2007)

I, Ced “Love… Meaning” (feat. Coultrain)
from “Love… Meaning” single (Move Next Music, 2008)

FREE DOWNLOAD: Hawthorne Headhunters “She Wanna” (feat. Coultrain & JimiJames)
from Hawthorne Headhunters EP (HVW8, 2008)

BONUS VIDEO

PPP: Meet The Cast #2 – Coultrain

FRESH ELECTS:“Change The World” w/ “Obama” & Black Spade

Kenny Fresh — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:07:34 +0000

I won’t get too preachy on you – but you already know what today is and what’s at stake. Hopefully you’ve already done your part by making sure your voice gets heard – whatever your position may be. Anyway, to celebrate (and hopefully inaugurate) the change I feel we all need – here’s two Election Day FRESHclusivses from St. Louis multi-talent (producer/MC/singer/fashion designer, etc. etc.), Black Spade, and his alter-ego, Stoney Rock.

First up we have Stoney Rock’s “Change The World” – an optimistic anthem for the new generation that mixes soul, hip-hop and even a touch of house music into one boiling pot of hope. Joining in on the concoction is a guest verse from Chicago-based rapper, Simeon Viltz (aka See-Me-On) of the group, Primeridian. I first found out about this track through this video that Ty G of HVW8 filmed & posted on MySpace. So big ups to Ty for putting that together, as well providing the track for me to share.

To go along with it, we’ve got Black Spade’s simply-put endorsement, “Obama” – a hypnotizing looped chant for change. Play this one for some Republicans while waving a watch in front of their eyes and see what happens. Shout out to Ced No for hooking me up with this one. I’ll have plenty more new music coming out of St. Louis for you guys at the end of the week, so stay tuned.