JayeL Audio

I’m not ready to say it tops Lil’ Wayne’s recently released No Ceilings mixtape, but Lupe Fiasco‘s Enemy of the State is pretty good. Its hard to believe its been 2 years since Lupe’s stellar sophomore outing, The Cool, but we really haven’t heard much from him since then (“Everybody N.O.S.E.” remix verse was pretty great).

Enemy of the State doesn’t feature any new production, but Lupe does go in on various beats you’ll recognize from artists like Jay-Z and Radiohead. When I first heard that, I wasn’t too thrilled, but its kind of nice to hear Lupe tear thru beats that you wouldn’t normally hear him on. In particular, “Fireman (Yoga Flame)” he extinguishes Wayne’s work with lines that touch on everything from zshare to Patrick Swayze in “Ghost”. His rapid-fire flow works to near “Go Go Gadget Flow”-perfection. He also blesses Diddy’s Dirty Money single, “Angels” with two verses that could be his best guest appearance to date.

Lasers isn’t slated to drop until early 2010 (whatever that means), but I won’t be disappointed if Lupe releases a few more mixtapes like this. Original production or not.

Lupe Fiasco – Enemy of the State Mixtape (via 2dopeboyz)
01 Intro
02 The National Anthem (Radiohead)
03 Turnt Up (Travis Porter)
04 Fireman (Yoga Flame) (Lil Wayne)
05 L.A.S.E.R.S. Manifesto Interlude
06 Angels (rmx) (Dirty Money)
07 So Ghetto (Jay-Z)
08 Say Something (Timbaland)
09 Thank You (Jay-Z)
10 The One (Slaughterhouse)
11 Popular Demand (Clipse)

**Update – the link is dead. I’m not sure if its Lupe’s camp running around killing links, but use your Google searching skills and you’ll find it somewhere.

So I’m a pretty big Black Keys fan. You might have noticed I’m also a hip-hop fan. Needless to say, I was definitely excited when I heard The Black Keys were collaborating with some hip-hop heavyweights like RZA, Mos Def and Raekwon as BlakRoc.

If “Ain’t Nothin Like You (Hoochie Coo)” wasn’t enough for you on my October mixtape, BlakRoc is streaming the entire album here. I’m not sure how long it will last, so hurry up and check it out.

Early observations:
-Raekwon and Dan Auerbach continue their stellar track record in 2009
-I love mash-ups, but I’m really glad this is a true collaboration album
-I’ve never been a huge M.O.P. fan, but Billy Danze sounds amazing over these blues rock beats
-Does Dame Dash know that NOE sounds a lot like a young Hova?
-I may have to pick this album up. Cop it this Friday.

BlacRoc Tracklist
1. Coochie (featuring Ludacris, Ol’ Dirty Bastard) – 4:10
2. On the Vista (featuring Mos Def) – 2:39
3. Hard Times (featuring NOE) – 2:38
4. Dollaz & Sense (featuring RZA, Pharoahe Monch) – 3:47
5. Why Can’t I Forget Him (featuring Nicole Wray) – 4:16
6. Stay Off the Fuckin’ Flowers (featuring Raekwon) – 2:31
7. Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) (featuring Mos Def, Jim Jones) – 3:23
8. Hope You’re Happy (featuring Billy Danze of M.O.P., Q-Tip, Nicole Wray) – 2:11
9. Tellin’ Me Things (featuring RZA) – 2:39
10. What You Do to Me (featuring Billy Danze, Jim Jones, Nicole Wray) – 5:14
11. Done Did It (featuring Nicole Wray, NOE) – 3:29

What’s your take? Buying the album? Is this a good look for the Black Keys? Has Dame Dash lost his mind?

JayeL Audio 11-24-09
Disc Two http://www.sendspace.com/file/k8z7ru
Beyonce’s lil’ sis Solange gets some indie cred by eloquently covering Dirty Projectors hit, “Stillness Is The Move”. She definitely get bonus points for reworking one of my favorite beats of all time. Sea Wolf showcases the only upbeat song on the New Moon soundtrack. Yeasayer is clearly on continuing their momentum from All Hour Cymbals and “Tightrope” from Dark Was The Night. Listen to Think About Life ‘s “Havin My Baby” a few times and tell me you aren’t addicted. Ellie Goulding might be the female singer I’m most looking forward to hearing in 2010 (see “Starry Eyed” and her cover of “Sleepyhead”).

1. Yeasayer – Ambling Amp
2. Tegan & Sara – Hell
3. Lissy Trullie – Don’t To Do (mp3)
4. Solange – Stillness In The Move (Dirty Projectors cover)
5. Freelance Whales – Starring
6. Exlovers – Fast Song (mp3)
7. Birdmonster – Yuma
8. U.S.E. – We The People
9. Wolf Gang – The King And All His Men
10. Penguin Prison – A Funny Thing
11. Think About Life – Havin My Baby
12. Thao With the Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster
13. Bobby Ray – No Mans Land
14. Monarchy – Gold In The Fire
15. Kinema – Circles
16. Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed
17. Jupiter – Mama Used To Say
18. Magic Kids – Super Ball (mp3)
19. Kings Of Convenience – Mrs. Cold
20. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
21. Timbaland – Crazy Girl ft Justin Timberlake

Thanks to Disco Dust, 2dopeboyz, My Old Kentucky Blog, PMA and Largehearted Boy (for the promos aplenty).

A trip back to MSU, moving to a new apartment and working some late hours not only means I don’t get you new music in a reasonable manner. It also means that my RSS feed is filled to the brim with new tunes. I’m crazy enough to think that any one of those links could lead to my favorite new song of the moment, so its hard for me not to check 95% of them out. Overwhelmed, I was finally able to catch up last week.

There were so many good tracks (and many newcomers) released in the last 2-3 months, I soon realized I wouldn’t be able to release one disc that encompassed everything. Hopefully, this isn’t music overload, but here goes:

JayeL Audio – 11-24-09
Disc One http://www.sendspace.com/file/ou2dup
Kings of Convenience show off their side project, The Whitest Boy Alive, by flipping a sample that Daft Punk made legendary (“1517″). Bon Iver & St Vincent turn out the best song off the New Moon soundtrack. Janelle Monae sounds like she’s been watching an excessive amount of the Bride of Frankenstein. One For The Team came up with one of my favorite song titles of ’09 in “Questions and Panthers”. *Disclaimer: Shakira and Kesha appearances are only due to affiliation with Kid Cudi and Fred Falke making another ridiculous remix of a song that I’m not a fan of.
1. Heavy Mojo – Later
2. N.E.R.D. – Soldier ft Santigold
3. The Raveonettes – Bang!
4. The Whitest Boy Alive – 1517
5. Old Canes – Little Bird Courage (mp3)
6. Bon Iver & St. Vincent – Roslyn
7. Ellie Goulding – Under The Sheets
8. Janelle Monae – Come Alive (The War of the Roses) (mp3)
9. Tegan & Sara – Alligator
10. Blitzen Trapper – Big Black Bird
11. Kesha – Tik Tok (Fred Falke Remix)
12. Shakira – Did It Again ft Kid Cudi
13. One For The Team – Questions and Panthers
14. Pearl and the Beard – Oh, Death! (mp3)
15. Meeting of Important People – Brittney Lane Don’t Care
16. Mike Posner – You Don’t Have To Leave
17. Amanda Blank – DJ
18. Tahiti 80 – Good Boy
19. Local Natives – Camera Talk
20. Fanfarlo – Ghosts
21. The Very Most – Autumn Air
22. Mr. Hudson – Knew We Were Trouble
23. Camera Obscura – The Blizzard
Check back for Disc Two!

This is about the most disheartening news rap fans have heard in a minute.

“I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned,” Em told RapRadar.com. “Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year.”

Thats right. Seriously, do major labels really wonder why people don’t buy albums anymore? This is the exact reason. Put out an album that was already bought by 1.5 millions fans since May, with 7 “new songs”. In the shambles that the recording industry is currently in, why not try to milk a so-so album for a few more dollars? Ridiculous.

One track is “Forever” (good, but not new) and another is “Taking My Ball” (DJ Hero track I could do without). So now you’re already down to 5 new songs. If any of them end up to be the Just Blaze produced tracks I’ve heard about, then I’ll at least check for it, but still wouldn’t buy it. I’m with eskay on this one, if you already have 5 songs ready to be released, why not just put out Relapse 2 or an EP? If anything, this just guarantees that I’m not going to buy this and neither should you.

Tracklist via Nah Right
01. People Make Me
02. Taking My Ball
03. Insult To Injury
04. Outlet
05. Carrington Pool
06. Forever featuring Drake, Kanye West & Lil Wayne
07. Stainless Ego

See below to see Travis Barker go nuts with his remix to “Forever”

I’ve been following Decatur, GA’s Bobby Ray (formerly known as b.o.b.) for more than a minute. “Haterz Everywhere” caught my attention early, but he has had numerous underground hits since then (see “I’ll Be In The Sky” and “Lonely People”). Bobby Ray has been signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle records, but typical major label politics (via Atlantic) had his debut album delayed to what seemed indefinitely.

Shake over at 2dopeboyz has been one of Bobby Ray’s biggest supporters and got pretty fed up with Atlantic Records’ business (Aside from T.I., what hip-hop artists have they really been able to push?). Last month, he put together a free mixtape of Bobby Ray’s leaked tracks that would have made a pretty amazing debut entitled, Should Have Been The First Album. It must have worked because Shake claims the official album will drop in April 2010 and a new single is coming to radio soon.

Bobby Ray aka b.o.b. – The Features mixtape (via 2dopeboyz)

Check out one of my favorite tracks from B.o.B. vs Bobby Ray mixtape:

Go see Bobby Ray at these upcoming tour dates:
Nov 19 2009 8:00P Lafayette College Easton, Pennsylvania
Nov 20 2009 8:00P University of South Florida Tampa, Florida
Nov 24 2009 8:00P S.O.Bs NYC (Hot 97 whos next) New York, New York
Nov 27 2009 8:00P Carleton University Ontario, Ontario
Dec 4 2009 8:00P Spring 4th Center Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 17 2009 8:00P Smiths Olde Bar Atlanta, Georgia

Now that I’ve actually had a minute to listen to One Foot Out The Door, I’m impressed with Mike Posner‘s latest. One Foot Out The Door leans more electro-pop than A Matter of Time, but thats perfect for my recent tastes. He doesn’t forget hip-hop on “Bring Me Down” and “Mirror’s Edge” remix either.

The stand out track for me so far has been “You Don’t Have To Leave”. And I was completely ready to praise the beat Mike Posner crafted as a great house-pop feel that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Cut Copy or The Rapture album. Then, I checked out Miami Horror’s new video for a track called “Sometimes” over at My Old Kentucky Blog.

Turns out Mike Posner can definitely produce and create catchy songs (see “Cooler Than Me” and “I Don’t Trust Myself”), but Miami Horror should take the credit for the beat on “You Don’t Have To Leave” (for some reason, I missed it on the tracklist). That is totally fine and rappers do this often on mixtapes, I think I was just hoping he produced it. I’m still partial to Mike’s version, but its good to see he has his ear in all genres (like Kid Cudi, Drake and Kyle Lucas).

Which do you version do you like best?
Mike Posner – You Don’t Have To Leave

Miami Horror – Sometimes

Miami Horror ‘Sometimes’ (Directed by Rhett Wade-Ferrell for MOOP JAW) from Moop Jaw on Vimeo.

Leave a comment or cast your vote in the Poll on the side.

I sometimes have mixed feelings when bands get their music integrated into ads or tv shows. On one hand, its a great way for them to get their music out on a mass reach vehicle they wouldn’t normally have access to. On the other, sometimes I worry they’ll get overexposed, be considered “sell outs”, the band only becomes known for that ad, etc. Whatever, thats the music snob in me.

In the case of Passion Pit‘s “Sleepyhead” backing the launch of the Palm Pixi, this is the right way to use an up and coming band’s song in a commercial. The director of the ad even must have seen the music video for “Sleepyhead”, because it utilizes some glitchy visuals in a fun manner. I definitely agree with PreCentral that this is much better than the eerie Palm Pre ads.

Does this ad make you want to check out the Palm Pixi? Would you own a phone called the Pixi? Will this new exposure help or hurt Passion Pit?

Thanks to Mr Bender for the heads up.

Pick up Passion Pit – Manners here.

I’ve never been a huge fan of pop rappers Shwayze. (at least admittedly). But if Alan Wilkis is involved, I’m listening.

Alan was commissioned to remix Shwayze’s newly released track, “Get You Home”. The remix turns the original from a bouncy, pop cut to a Justice-like glitch-fest with thumping bass and quicker tempo.

I’ve yet to be disappointed by Mr. Wilkis.

Shwayze – Get You Home (Alan Wilkis Remix)

Hopefully, you already have your tickets. Vonnegutt will be opening for Heavy Mojo and Hollyweerd (i like the new Van Halen-esqe logo) tomorrow, Nov. 6th at The Loft in Midtown ATL. Kyle promised that the guys will be performing most of their debut, Falling Up The Stairs and I’m sure some of the covers they’ve been tearing through.

Join me at the Loft tomorrow at 8:30 (doors at 8pm). Buy tickets here or $18 at the door.
Vonnegutt – On My Side (demo)
Vonnegutt – Bright Eyes
Kyle Lucas – Purple Ribbon Representative (DJ Booth Freestyle)