The Roots: "All in the Music" Video
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Dragon Fli Empire is a Calgary-based hip hop duo that has quickly gained critical acclaim across Canada and beyond. The team of Teekay (emcee) and Cosm (DJ) aim to "bring the soul back to hip hop" with funky and melodic beats, thought-provoking rhymes and killer cuts. Originally formed as a side collaboration project, the DFE released their first album "Conquest" as a local CD-R in the summer of 2002. It featured "Mount Pleasant", now a Calgary classic. The song recalls observing life while riding the bus over an infectious groove. College radio, local press and countless music lovers gave the tunes rave reviews. The buzz only continued to grow in 2003, with CBC Radio 3 naming "Mount Pleasant" one of their top twenty tracks of the year. 2004 saw even more growth for the DFE. "Conquest" was cleaned up and re-released professionally with some new tracks including the popular "D-E-F". The group continued to receive support from CBC. This included performing on the Radio 3 "Connect the Dots" tour, appearing on the New Music Canada Vol. 1 compilation CD and taping live performances for ZeD-TV. More radio stations began to spin the DFE regularly including CKUA in Edmonton. The group also began to perform more regularly, and to date have opened up for established acts like De La Soul, The Beatnuts, Lyrics Born, Aceyalone, Lyrics Born, Zion I, Afu Ra, Planet Asia, Abstract Rude, Royce da 5'9, Swollen Members and Sweatshop Union. They were also invited to perform at the WCMA Industry Awards at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary. An important detail to note is that the DFE has accomplished all of this without a record deal, distribution or management; while working full time jobs or attending college. The DFE is still going strong. They have been featured on CBC's flagship news program "The National" with Peter Mansbridge and MuchMusic's "Going Coastal" for the prestigious "MUCH does Calgary" showcase. They have also started to take their high-energy live show on the road, playing cities like Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Recently, DFE finished their long-anticipated second album- "Invasion". Reflecting three years of added experience, it is a step up from "Conquest" and is certain to give the group even more momentum. The album goes from fun and funky to more serious territory, taking the listener on an enjoyable and diverse journey. Special guests (including Mindbender, Ndidi Cascade, Epic, Ohmega Watts and folk-singer Tariq) plus a sprinkling of live musicians are the icing on the cake for this fantastic sophomore project.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Peedi Peedi: "Brand New Funk 2K7"
“Brand New Funk 2K7” is taken from the much acclaimed The Return Of The Magnificent album by DJ Jazzy Jeff. A celebratory summer vibe is the focus as Jeff and Roc-A-Fella signing Peedi Peedi (reprising Will Smith’s role on the 1988 original) bounce though the streets of Philadelphia in a borrowed ice cream truck on their way to get busy in front of a sold out crowd. The video features clever references to the original version and “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” along with a plethora of cameo appearances from hip-hop mainstays such as DJ Premier, J-Live, Young Leek, DJ Excel, Megan Rochelle, Young Gunz, Jay Ski, Touch Tone and Young Steff. Featured vocalist Peedi Peedi is a member of Roc-A-Fella’s State Property crew. He also recently contributed a verse to the Roots’ latest album Game Theory. Peedi’s appearance on “Brand New Funk 2K7” gives the track a sing-song bounce, adding youthful energy to the well loved beat. “Brand New Funk 2K7” has been receiving early support on top commercial radio from 103.3 The Beat in Philadelphia to 97.9 The Box in Houston, as well as nationally syndicated hip-hop stations on XM, Sirius and Music Choice. Diverse, soulful, edgy and warm, The Return Of The Magnificent is everything flavor-of-the-month rap music isn’t in 2007. Easily as substantial as its prequel, it reminds us that Jeff is as capable a producer as he is a DJ; equally proficient in playing other people’s records as he is making his own.
Directed by Mazik Saevitz Featuring...John Yancey Common Will.I.AM Black Thought Talib Kweli Karriem Riggins Frank N Dank Styling by Las Vegas based Fruition (www.fruitionlv.com). James "Jay Dee aka J Dilla" Yancey was born and raised on the mean streets of Detroit?s east side. Little is known of his musical upbringing, but he has most definitely become one of the most talented, innovative producers of our time. Gaining inspiration from listening to Whodini?s ?Big Mouth? back in the day, Jay tried his hand at making beats by using the ?pause? and ?record? buttons on his tape deck. After learning to work an MPC-60 back in 92? from Amp Fiddler, J Dilla was on his way to becoming one of hip-hop?s illest beat makers. After hooking up with two high school friends, T3 and Baatin, they formed the crew called, Slum Village (circa 1988), and Jay started to polish his rhyming skills to match his dope production. As Slum Village began to show themselves in Detroit and around the east coast Jay was also busy getting his production noticed by other artists in the music industry. One thing led to another and by the end of 1996, Jay Dee had produced joints for the likes of The Pharcyde, Keith Murray, Busta Rhymes and De La Soul. After hearing Jay?s ill productions Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) brought him in to lend his expertise to their 1996 release ?Beats, Rhymes and Life?. Jay Dee became one-third of the ghost production team now known as the Ummah, which included Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed. That year also saw the first release from Slum Village with ?Fantastic Vol. I?, a classic hard to find item. A chance meeting with Janet Jackson led to his 1997 remix of the chart topping ?Got Til? Its Gone? single that paired Janet?s smooth vocals with Jay Dee?s intoxicating drum kicks. Now dabbling in other music genres, Jay went on to lace beats for artists like Macy Gray, D?angelo, N?Dea Davenport and Erykah Badu. 2000 was a stellar year for Jay Dee, with his group Slum Village finally releasing their critically acclaimed ?Fantastic Vol. II? through Goodvibe Recordings, he also received notoriety with many other acts. With the now defunct Ummah production team non-existent (breakup of Tribe Called Quest in 99?), J Dilla became a member of The Soulquarians, which includes Ahmir ??uestlove? Thompson (The Roots), James Poyser and D?angelo. Jay produced a substantial amount of Common?s 2000 release ?Like Water For Chocolate? and contributed to D?angelo's Voodoo album. In 2001 Jay Dee released his first solo effort entitled ?Welcome 2 Detroit? (BBE Records). The ?W2D? album showcased a few emcee?s from the Detroit area, but also showed the versatility of Jay Dee and his craftiness. This 16 track ensemble of lyrical tracks, classic ?instrumental? covers and bouncy grooves solidified Jay Dee as one of the illest producers of his era and beyond. Other albums that followed included Jaylib (Jay Dee & Madlib) as well as an instrumental series at Bling47.com and production of 2 songs (Love is... and It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)) on Common's recent 'Be' album. J Dilla leaves behind a body of work which will be loved and rediscovered for years to come. His most recent album "Donuts" was released on February 7th, the day of his 32nd birthday. Two other projects, "The Shining" (BBE Records) and "Jay Love Japan" (Operation Unknown) are completed and will be released in 2006. Other production work has been completed for artists Madlib, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, A.G., Visionaries, Truth Hurts, Phat Kat, MF DOOM, Skillz, and Frank N Dank.
For its fifth release, Blackalicious has created a record of such sonic depth and breadth and lyrical ambition that it can proudly stand alongside the work of Bay Area funk fathers Sly Stone and Shuggie Otis, or hip-hop classics like Outkast's Aquemini, The Roots' Things Fall Apart and Gang Starr's Daily Operation. But The Craft is not nostalgia for some "golden era" that never existed, it represents state-of-the-art hip-hop with an expansive worldview. From its opening, the sublimely orchestrated Stereolab-esque suite of "World of Vibrations", The Craft moves from peak to peak-including the Prince-ly rush of "Powers", a sinuous funk summit with George Clinton on "Lotus Flower", and the seductive meta-futurist soul of "Automatique," which features special guest vocals from Floetry. The Craft reveals one of global hip-hop's best-loved crews achieving another artistic breakthrough. "It's my favorite of all of our albums," says the Gift of Gab. "I think that it's our best album."
Public Enemy: "Public Enemy No. 1"
Live footage from this seminal hip-hop groups first UK tour. This is from the DVD "It Takes a Nation: The First London Invasion Tour 1987".
'Houseclouds,' the follow up to the album's first single ‘Plaster Casts Of Everything’, introduces yet another facet to the band whose pioneering transformations album to album are now legendary. "They embody the anthropophagic attitude of tropicalismo;" says Devendra Banhart in a recent New York Times article. "constantly changing and taking from the cosmos, yet always remaining rooted in themselves… Like being engulfed in a thunderous heart of sound and altruistic experimentalism"
An escalating drum roll opens Our Ill Wills, the sophomore album from Shout Out Louds… and rightly so. It's been a few years since the release of their first full-length record, the critically acclaimed, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, and anticipation is great. But the band's been anything but idle. These last years have seen their passports fill up with stamps and their photo albums with snap shots from all corners of the world. They've done their own headline tours as well as being the support act of choice for bands such as The Strokes, The Magic Numbers and Kings Of Leon. Being on the road means you have plenty of time to think, to drink, to reminisce on the past. To play computer games. To miss loved ones. To get lost in new towns. To misbehave and to get your priorities in order. It's all there, on Our Ill Wills, out September 11th on Merge Records. Well, maybe not the computer games so much.
Strange Fruit Project feat. Erykah Badu: "Get Live"
Taken from the Critically Acclaimed Album "The Healing" released on OM Hip-Hop
Back in the summer of 2005. It was with those spirited,explicit lyrics, laid on a bootyshaking pop electro beat, that Yelle, a young girl from Brittany (France), thought it was time to give Cuizinier, member of the provocative Hip-Hop band TTC some change for his money.
This sunny video from Calexico is from a tune off their "Feasts of Wire" recording. The result of the thousands of miles travelled since 2004's "Feast of Wire," Calexico's "Garden Ruin" takes into account the enlarged line up of the band, its multicultural roots, the band?s growing input into the songwriting and arrangement process, the arrival of a producer, new domestic arrangements, international affairs, broadening horizons, developing ambitions and changing scenery. Produced by JD Foster, Joey Burns, and John Convertino, "Garden Ruin" is definitely not the sound of a band standing still.
