In 2010, producer/rapper & FRSH SLCTS family member since day one, DaveNotti,
started the Neck Brace Producers Showcase here in Portland, OR
to both bring together & showcase some of the city’s beatmakers –
both established & rising talents alike.

After two successful showcases at Someday Lounge on his own,
FRSH SLCTS joined forces w/ Notti for the third installment on June 16th, 2010.
& w. the help of VTech Phones, were able to bring out Neck Brace’s first national guest -
the one & only, Exile – who not only performed one of his patented live MPC sets,
but also did a quick Q&A w/ Notti for the local producers & audience.

Ex was joined that night by our 4 resident producers, this time including:
DaiN – a New Orleans transplant recently signed to Wandering Worx,
Xperiment – a Humble Beast signee who had just recently moved from Denver,
DJ FlipFlop – the official tour DJ for CunninLynguists, now living outside of L.A.,
& Theory Hazit – a rapping vet originally from Cincinatti, also signed to Humble Beast.

Ex was nice enough to come through & not only give one of his world-reknowned live MPC sets,
but also do a quick Q&A w/ Notti and build with both the local producers & general audience.

Following up on the previously released videos from each of those five segments,
we know have a corresponding free instrumental EP,
including a track from each of our residents,
an exclusive live-in-the-studio version of an Exile Radio favorite,
& even a bonus joint from our gracious & most humble host, DaveNotti.

You can stream three of the five tracks before downloading the EP below,
& catching up on the five videos at the bottom.

1. DaiN – DaiNtendo (instr.)
2. Xperiment – Hard To Fathom
3. DJ FlipFlop – June 4th
4. Theory Hazit – Kray-Z
5. Exile – In Love (exclusive live version)
6. DaveNotti – Best To Do It (instr.)

All tracks Produced & Mixed by their respective artists
Curated by DaveNotti for Neck Brace & KNNY FRSH for FRSH SLCTS
Compilation Mastered by Doc Adam
Artwork by Dan Kinto
Special thanks to Tom Bacon, Someday Lounge & Paulius Kontijevas

Released today is a new video from last year’s AM/FM -
the remix/companion album to Exile‘s Radio.
The album featured remixes by either Exile’s production peers
using the same radio samples he did,
or some of his vocal co-conspirators singing or rapping over the original instrumentals.
An example of the latter being what we have today – “Sound Is God,”
which features FRSH KPT SCRT alumni, ADaD,
adding some static stories to the spiritual glitch of the original.

Setting things up for a full-length ADaD x Exile project coming down the line,
(as well as projects matching him with Waajeed, Dibia$e & more),
ADaD took it upon himself to make this video happen –
enlisting his own film mentors, Keith Purvis & Darryl Parham,
& editing the clip himself,
further adding to his video resume
which already includes the Proh Mic collaboration, “Life”,
as well as Proh Mic & Coultrain‘s “Turn It Over,”
which will be premiering right here sometime next week.

Along with the video,
ADaD has also exclusively provided us with a translation of his “Sound Is God” scribe,
including the album version’s third verse,
which could not appear on set the day of the shoot due to a scheduling conflict.
You can read up on those after the jump below.

Dirt on the money
Murder in the lies
Oil on the water
Fire in the skies
Pain in the belly
Hunger in the lies
Ugly in the clip
Thats a sign of the times

[third verse not in video]
My hemoglobin feeling heavy as mud
Kinda dirty
Got me walking some troublesome blood
Kinda worried
Yesterday I lucky ducked from a scud
Tried to hurt me
To the ground from the sky it was a dud
Lord ha-mercy
Mercenaries steady fucking me up
Got me worried
As I’m hanging off the back of this truck
Looking for the flurries of…
Bullets from children of brainwashed fathers
Who told them to show them that they should be martyrs
Strapped to a black box
Ready for departure
Over sun burnt earth
And it couldn’t get harder
I wonder everyday will I get me a tomorrow
I wonder will it stop when everybody get shot up
And we don’t even know why for
We just aim and mame and pop shots
Right through the door
And they tell us its for free(dom)
To keep the people safe
I think that its for money
A glorified rape
They been fighting for forever
It’s never gonna break
Cuz this is how they live
The reason that they wake
But now they coming at us and they leaning on the hate
So raise that machete, and take it to the snake
The bombing won’t stop until the Earth get baked
But by then it’ll be too late
Watch the words son!!!!

September 30th, 2010

Yet another VTech & Fresh Selects exclusive first listen – once again coming your way live from Portland, Oregon. This time, we present you with “EaseYourMind” – a song from one of the year’s most anticipated releases, Blu’s NoYork! album. The song is a melodic, jazz-tinged tune that was originally produced by Blu’s frequent collaborator, Exile, but is seen here performed live by the full NoYork! band at where else but The Fix – Portland’s premier party for quality music of this sort.

This was just one of the dozen or so brand new songs that Blu & the band played for one of the first times anywhere that night back in September – and they did it at The Fix. It was another special occurrence in Portland that we were glad to bring to the city & can now bring to the rest of the world.

Also included as a free bonus download below the video is the song “SLNGBNGrs!” – a possible contender for the NoYork! album which Blu recorded over this song – a Dibia$e remix of the devonwho song, “Fedoraworm.”

And remember – “We’reNotBjork,ThomYorke,MikeYork,ZooYork…It’sNoYork!”

Curated & Produced by KNNY FRSH for Fresh Selects
Filmed by Paulius Kontijevas & Daniel Evans
Edited by Paulius Kontijevas
Audio Mixed by Doc Adam
Opening Act: G_Force

The Fix DJ’s:
Rev Shines
& DJ Kez
& Dundiggy
& your host Ronin Roc

June 16th, 2010

Here it is… the 5th and final video from that fateful night at Someday Lounge in June – that was DaveNotti’s The Neck Brace III. You’ve already seen the 4 resident producers of the night – DaiN, Xperiment, FlipFlop & Theory Hazit, now here’s a taste of the performance from the special Featured Producer – the one and only, Exile.

Known in Portland for having already killed, alongside DJ Day, at The Fix the year previous (which he then DJ’ed at the following night), Ex was a natural fit to be the first Featured Producer at a Neck Brace. His live MPC set was also the perfect way to introduce a live performance into the beat showcase’s already established format.

Above, you’ll see Exile performing the track “In Love,” from his 2009 album, Radio, (which was first premiered by yours truly here) live on both his MPC and two turntables. And if you’re in the Portland area, be sure to check out the 5th edition of The Neck Brace this Wednesday 10/20 at Someday Lounge w/ new residents Ohmega Watts, Hi-Res, G_Force, and 5th Sequence – plus featured producer, DJ Babu! We’ll have all the footage for that one for the rest of you soon enough – so stay tuned!

Curated by DaveNotti & KNNY FRSH
Produced by KNNY FRSH for Fresh Selects
Filmed & Edited by Paulius Kontijevas
Audio Mixed by Doc Adam
Hosted by DaveNotti
Executive Producer: Tom Bacon

The Neck Brace III – Resident Producers:
DaiN
& Xperiment
& DJ Flip Flop
& Theory Hazit

Here is the FRSHCLSV 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.

Always one to throw some extra support the homies’ way, Blu recently caught some inspiration and added his two cents to a song from Exile‘s latest album, Radio. So what was once an instrumental “Love Line,” has now become “LoveLine(s),DedicatedToLastFe’vrier.” And as usual for when Blu & Ex connect, the tone is personal and the timing is impeccable. Also, rumor has it that this isn’t the only Radio track to be given a new voice… but you didn’t hear that from me.

Also included below is the original, instrumental version of the song. I chose to stream the promo version of the track because I personally think that Exile’s watermarks are hilarious and worth noting for others releasing press copies of their projects.

After the jump, there’s also Exile’s self-directed clip for another Radio track, “We’re All In Power,” in case you missed it when Okayplayer first premiered it in January.

Photo: Blu & Exile live in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Joshua Hoffman.

Exile “Love Line” (promo version)

Closing out an already pretty crazy week, I’ve got first dibs on the newest leak from San Diego rap veteran, Blame One‘s upcoming album, Days Chasing Days. The song is “Wonder Why,” featuring the dynamic duo, Blu & Exile – but in a refreshing reversal of roles, the song actually features Exile rapping (with Blu providing the hook), and Blu GODlee Barnes on the beat. If his work on HerFavoriteColo(u)r didn’t already, “Wonder Why” should assure you that Mr. Barnes is truly no slouch on the production tip.

This is the second song released from the album, as a follow-up to the first single, “Disturbed,” which featured Sean Price and was produced by Exile. While Ex handes the bulk of the production on Days Chasing Days (he’s also billed as presenting the album), Blame also shines over beats by other heavyweights such as Black Milk, Oh No, Kankick and more.

For more from Blame One, you can check him out freestyling over another one of Exile’s beloved live MPC improv sessions. You can watch two videos of those practice sessions going down after the jump after you get your free download below.

Just in case you didn’t already get it from one of the other gazillion blogs that posted it – here it is, the new free download EP (NOT a mixtape) from the man of the hour, Blu, entitled HerFavoriteColo(u)r. On this self-produced project, Blu not only continues to show off his personal and flavorful rhyme style, but also shows he’s really no joke on the beats either. GODlee Barnes really comes into his own on here – crafting conceptual collages from quotes, chops & loops of some of my favorite movies, as well as greats like Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield, Etta James, Radiohead and others.

To go along with it, I added a bonus download of the track “Life’s A Gamble” which was the only track from the heavily bootlegged advance version Below The Heavens that didn’t make the retail version of the album. So that’s for anyone who missed out on that (which means you actually waited for the CD to come out to check it – so big ups). The track is of course produced by Exile, and also features guest verses from Donel Smokes, Trek Life and Co$$.

HerFavoriteColo(u)r liner notes (written in BluSpeak) & downloads from both the EP and the bonus track below.

Finally,
AsIfIleftYouWaiting.
NoBigWords,JustFeelings
Congrats,YouAreTheBest!
ThankUForYourTime,
TheEnd
CreditsRollForever
AndWeStillSittingInTheTheater,
TrippingLike,
IDidntKnowAllMyBoysWereInThisFilm
IKnewHim,Him,Them&Them.
ProductionCreditsGoToMe,
ForProvidingTheSet,TheProps,TheStandIns&StuntMen.
AndMostOfAllForCastingTheNewLeadCharacter.
WhoGotTheGrammies?
Oscar&Granny,TheTitleOfTheFilm.
SlatedForAFullLengthButEndedUpAShort
w/TonsOfSpecialFeatures,
Fuck.
INeverWatchedThose.
SomeOneToldMeICouldBorrowTheDVD.
ILaughed,Cried,Smiled&ShoutedOutObscenities
ThenBowed.
TheEnd.

ToYouAll,FromMyApreciationForYourInspiration.
HerFavoriteColorIsntBlu(e)ItsU.
ProducedByMe.
ForYou,
All.

GoodDay
February14th,2009

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.

Hot off the heels of releasing two critically acclaimed albums in 2008, Rhode Island native/L.A. resident, Shawn Jackson, is already going for it in 2009 by releasing two new singles in the last month.

The most recent one being the 12″ EP and digital single of my personal favorites from the First Of All album – the “grown man business” anthem, “Maan Up!”. The track features Fresh Selects favorite, TaRaach holding it down on the beat, scratches & a guest verse, joined by Big Tone on the hook. The 12″ also features another album highlight, “Fix Ya Face” produced by Jack Sample Pros, and the vinyl-exclusive C-side, “Here We Go Again” featuring Co$$ & produced by Exile. Being that the song is vinyl-only, I have the exclusive free download of “Here We Go Again” for you guys below. Before that, there’s also full-length streams of “Fix Ya Face” and “Maan Up!,” as well as the exclusive rough version of the track’s instrumental, taken straight from a Raach Box beat CD.

Also out now is Shawn Jackson’s collaboration with UK-based producer, Ben Grymm, the five-track 7″ EP, “Back In My World.” You can find a free download of one of those five songs, “BloodSweatNTears” at the bottom of the post.

Sorry, folks – no bonus tracks this time around. I’m not really sure if anyone was really checking them before, so I’m trying decide if they’re still worth the effort. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Shawn Jackson feat. TaRaach & Big Tone “Maan Up!” (prod. TaRaach)

TaRaach “Maan Up! (Instrumental)” (beat CD version)

Shawn Jackson “Fix Ya Face” (prod. Fly Jack & Chordz of Jack Sample Pros)