Pictures On My Wall

There's a coming of age action that spans all teens, putting things on their bedroom walls.  For me, putting pictures up was a very important self definition. Musicians, athletes, and cars were found on my bedroom walls when I was 14.
The scene that XV paints is much more dramatic and traumatic than my personal experiences. Having a wicked step father pushing him down, made the pictures on his walls even more inspiring, encouraging, and important. He was "in a room full of his idols" just as nearly every teenager feels at some point in their life. Enjoy!

Pictures On My Wall - XV (right click to save as)
XV

Select Sundays: Rebel

Look, I understand that the appeal of this song is the sample from The Crystals "He's a Rebel." I don't care, it's still super catchy. And after watching the very recommended documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, I learned that Darlene Love and her backing group, The Blossoms, actually sang this song, not The Crystals. Woowhee! Also, it seems like ripping from Sixties songs is G-Eazy's thing -- see "Runaround Sue" -- but it's pretty hit or miss. This one though, I can't get enough of it.

Rebel - G-Eazy (right click to save as)
G-Eazy

West Ghost

Her lyrics stick. There's so much goodness in this track. The hook has a funky swing, with a touch of R&B that is easy to hum after the song is over. The part that has me coming back is the rasp of her voice in conjunction with her rhyme style. There's an attitude that's created and it's one that I wish was my own, she's untouchable and persistent, she'll get what she's after that's the only thing certain. Enjoy!

West Ghost (feat. Allen Stone) - K.Flay (right click to save as)
K.Flay | Allen Stone

Select Sundays: Hardcore Girls

After reading this Atlantic article about female rappers, "The Novelty of Up-and-Coming Female Rappers Isn't That They're Females," I checked out all the artists mentioned and am already a big fan of Rye Rye. She obviously pairs nicely with Azealia Banks, who I loved already. Now if only I could hear this somewhere out on a dance floor!

Rye Rye - Hardcore Girls (right click to save as)
Rye Rye

Yellow

I've been re-watching the Chapelle Show, so when this last verse said "fuck yo couch" and followed up with "yea, remember that Dave Chapelle shit". Besides some the amazing rhyming that happens in this song, I'm attracted to the stripped down production. There's a drum machine, some hand claps, urban ambient sounds, and heavily chopped vocals. Enjoy!

Yellow Feat. Heems - Weekend Money (right click to save as)
Weekend Money | Heems

Select Sundays: Gettin Up

New York took a beating from Hurricane Sandy, as we all know. One of the things I've re-discovered since coming back out here in recent months is how much certain bands need to be enjoyed in their natural environment. In this case, it's A Tribe Called Quest and the subway. Q-Tip's 2008 solo album, "The Renaissance," is what Tribe fans wanted from him years ago. The whole album is killer but this one is classic and smooth. ATCQ!

Gettin Up - Q-Tip (right click to save as)
Q-Tip

Why Even Try

Jon went to a Theophilus London show in NYC a while back, and he somehow managed to miss the performance of this song with Sara Quin. Personally I'm a humungous fan of Tegan and Sara, so I stressed the importance of him seeing this.  Alas, RAC has sprinkled just the right amount of his magic on this track, there's a fun imbalance of happy feelings and uplifting beats for the melancholy song lyrics. Enjoy!

Why Even Try Feat. Sara Quin (RAC Remix) - Theophilus London
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Theophilus London | Sara Quin

Office Musik

I am a huge fan of the American version of The Office.  I think that Lil Wayne's lyrics over this beat match perfectly. The beginning sample of Jim and Dwight seals it for me, Count Choculitis, Ha!

I feel that when it comes to music, and people who are serious about their music tastes and collections, egos start to get in the way. Music can be a very serious multi-billion dollar industry, but it can also be a non-serious three and a half minutes of fun. Enjoy!

Office Musik (Clockwork Edit) - Lil Wayne vs. The Office Theme
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Lil Wayne | The Office

No Prayers

There's three distinct parts to this song; the hook, the lyrics, and the dubsteppy bridge. I love the hook, the silky beginning with record pops and piano behind her beautiful voice. The lyrics are easy to grasp and relate to, the music continues in-flow with the hook, adding a bit more meat and muscle to the track.
Then as things ramp up, that bridge slams in with a mediocre dubstep inspired womp womp -and I'm left second guessing if I like this song or not.  Perhaps that third part will grow on me?  It's not that I dislike dubstep, I just am not the biggest fan of the dubstep in this particular song. Enjoy!

No Prayers feat Omar LinX- Zeds Dead
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Zeds Dead | Omar linX

Select Sundays: 1977

I have no idea what Anamaria Merino, aka Ana Tijoux, is saying but that's okay because you can just tell she's doing it with style. A French-Chilean rapper, her second solo album was influenced by Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, and Tribe Called Quest. Also, the video for this track is a total throwback -- hoodies, track suits -- and you can see that her image is just as cool as her voice.

1977 - Ana Tijoux
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Ana Tijoux

I'm A Brat

There's something very "on" about the syncopation of this song which sounds somewhat "off". Don't blink, cause the song is just over a minute and a half long, which makes for a good reason to play it once again. The bomb dropping beat and chimes dangling in the background really tie it together. Enjoy!

I'm A Brat - Machinedrum
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Machinedrum

Select Sundays: That's the Way

This one's for the old guys and gals in the audience. When's the last time you thought about Mason Betha? Like five minutes ago right? This might technically be DJ Clue's track -- as you can tell by his annoying call outs -- but it's really Mase's best work! "Mase too smooth, call me debonair / hits every year, so shake your derriere."

That's the Way - Ma$e
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Ma$e featuring Fabolous and Foxy Brown

Heartbeat

This is not just another hip hop love song.  I enjoy the soft and vulnerable beginning, which then is interrupted with that bassline going through massive distortion effects. But then his vocals come, and that's what stands out to me.  I like how the vocals are raw, selfish, realistic, and emotional. It's as if this track is written lyrically as an inner-monolouge instead of a polished final draft of heartbroken feelings delivered to that ex-lover. Enjoy!

Heartbeat - Childish Gambino
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Childish Gambino

Select Sundays: 212

With a look reminiscent of Tatyana Ali, but armed with a mouth like Foxy Brown, Azealia Banks is apparently ready to bust out in 2012.  After initialing not believing the hype, I'm all in on Ms. Banks because not only is she a talented rapper and singer, she's got a boatload of charisma just in her flow alone. It's hard for me to decide if I like this track better or l8r, the best 1:35 minutes of rap I've heard all year.

212 - Azealia Banks
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Azealia Banks

The Vent

Carefully constructed lyrics and rhymes speak to me. The Vent strikes me as both of these characteristics, with lines like:

"Most people stop for signs but I've driven through it,
If it don't touch my soul then I can't listen to it
the radio don't play this shit i used to love
or maybe i'm just growing up"

I've been feeling extra critical about Hip-Hop music these days, and perhaps it's because I'm so far away from the target demographic of 16-23 years old. This track stands out to me, for being somewhat positive but moreso I don't feel that my intelligence is insulted by this song. It really is a beautiful combination of beats and rhymes with Big K.R.I.T.'s sincere voice and smooth delivery. Enjoy!

The Vent - Big K.R.I.T.
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Big K.R.I.T.