Video: Lil Wayne on SNL

Weezy did the Saturday Night Live thing, complete with purple jeans (for playing soccer on them Cocaine streets, no doubt).

Download: Illa J f. Guilty Simpson - R U Listenin?

Illa J, the brother of the late J Dilla, is bringing out his own album of dirty hip-hop inflected beats. This track bumps along like the summer of 95. If I keep posting like this, I'll eventually get to the summer of '08.

Download: Illa J f. Guilty Simpson - R U Listenin?

Video: Cool Kids - Delivery Man

Gotta love it, the Cool Kids move beyond the hi-hats and snares and still deliver a thundering beat over which they can rhyme about delivery men in their own 'do the right thing' patois'. Great throwback video too.

Stream: Jadakiss feat. Jay-Z - Who Run This

A jaded yet lively Jada is back, with a sinister synth powered beat and Jay-Hova on the adlibs. Great comeback track for him, and am looking forward to the album which can't be too far behind.

Stream: Jadakiss feat. Jay-Z - Who Run This

Download: TV on the Radio - Family Tree

Another track from the always excellent TVOTR.

Download: TV on the Radio - Family Tree

The SOURCE evicted from their offices in Manhattan

I sorta can believe it, considering all the stuff that's been going on with that magazine the last few years. I stopped reading it after they started beefing with artists and using the magazine as a platform for the beef, that's just poor journalism. That said, the Source is an institution in Hip Hop and I do hope that some of the great journo's down there are being looked after.

Article via Maya B's Cave of Wonders

Video: Q-Tip - Gettin' Up

Q-Tip is back again, with a new video for his track Gettin' Up. He seems to pop up every couple of years, whether it be on Chemical Brothers tracks, Janet Jackson hits or wearing outrageously huge mink coats on his album covers. Anyway, this track ain't bad, and gets him back on familiar gound - upbeat, slightly soulful good-time hip hop.

Video: Ryan Leslie feat. Fabolous and Cassie - Addiction

I'm not saying much about this video, other than Cassie's not in it, because I've already posted twice about this one song! So, lets make it a trilogy and enjoy R-Les' sweet vocals.

Video: Kano - Hustler

Kano's been on a bit of a downward spiral since his promising debut Home Sweet Home. He followed that album up with the mixtape favourite Layer Cake, but since then his product has been a little thin. However, this track bangs a little harder, and accentuates Kano's unique rhyme flow, putting it front and center. Back where it should be. Bo!

Video: Kanye West at the VMA's - Love Lockdown

Kanye goes crazy on the Auto-tune, and then thrown in the left-overs from the beijing olympics drum-team. Don't know if like this one yet, but it sounds like a grower, so i'ma give it time.

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Video: Common feat: Pharrell - UMC (teaser)

UMC Teaser from kwest on Vimeo.

Stream: Basement Jaxx (feat Devonte Hynes of Lightspeed Champion - My Turn

The Jaxx are back, and what a welcome return it is. A sweet, demure track featuring Devonte Haynes, which, given their history for blustery brazilian freakouts and the like, is a surprise. Stream the track from their myspace.

Myspace: Basement Jaxx

Stream: Justice - Planisphere

Justice is streaming their epic instrumental Planisphere (dispersed into four parts) over at their Myspace page. It sounds like the soundtrack to my own Survivor adventure.

Myspace: Justice

Download: Dr Dre - '85 Live (Mixtape)

This is for the old-school heads out there who remember Yo MTV Raps. Dre recorded this way back in his pre-NWA days and it features all the poppin fresh jams that 80's so great (before they were compartmentalized down into fluoro t-shirts and bad synth music).

In related news, Dre's son Andre Young Jnr, was found dead in his home last week. Police have concluded their investigation saying there was no foul play in the 20 year old's death.

Download: Dr Dre - '85 Live (Mixtape)

Stream: Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit: "Rain Dance" [ft. M.I.A.]

Anyone who's listened to Diplo's/Santogold's Top Ranking mixtape will have heard this joint, but it is good to now hear it with the addition of Esau Mwamwaya over the top of it.

New Kanye West Single, Album??

Apparently DJ Semtex is playing a new Kanye track tonight on his BBC Radio show. The track is called 'Love Lockdown'. Could it be true? Has yeezy stopped blogging long enough to hit the booth? Well MTV UK also reports that a new record could be coming as early as December. What?? Yeaaaaaahhhh!!

Stream: Syclops - I've got my Eye on you

Maurice Fulton AKA Syclops, is a dance music legend, and I could not overstate that fact if I tried. The following short article will give you the lowdown on his history, and provide a link to a site that is Streaming his newly released (on the DFA label) Album in full for one week only. Hop to it!

Syclops - I've got my eye on you

Download: Alan Braxe - Addicted (Original Mix)

Braxe has done it again. Moving away from the funk infused grooves of summers past, he's ridin' dirty and fast forwarding to a an electro fuelled future. Bravo Mr Braxe, bravo.

Download: Alan Braxe - Addicted (Original Mix) (zshare)

Playlists vs. Mixtapes

In this Ipod-centric age, the notion of a mixtape as a means of sharing music is becoming a little outdated. By the same token, Playlisting is becoming a more acceptable way of passing on your music knowledge and collection. However, is it as easy as slamming a few songs together? Or do we design our playlists as we used to our mixtapes? As the character Rob in High Fidelity espouses, mixtapes need to be create with emotion for the receiver and a fairly decent knowledge of music. The next article tackles that idea practically.

In post-Hornby times, playlists dominate mixtapes

Video: New track from Lupe Fiasco

Lupe FIasco, he of The Cool and Food and Liquor (and that skateboard song you couldn't escape a couple summers ago), premiered a banging new track in concert recently. He declared that he's making the greatest album of all-time, a statement which doesn't really surprise given he's a) A musician, and b) a rapper. Anyway, the beat sounds dope, in a Kanye-Stronger kinda way, and we're looking forward to it.

Download: Rihanna feat Jay-Z VS. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me/Umbrella

TV on the Radio have a new album coming out (See recent posts about that), which might have prompted this Mash-up. It reminds me of the ole Aguilera Vs. The Strokes days in terms of it juxtaposition. It sorta works, mainly because they are both great songs (and because of the screwed up Jay-Z verse smack dab in the middle).

Download: Rihanna feat Jay-Z VS. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me/Umbrella
Via Am Fm Pm

Video: Cassie feat. Lil Wayne - Official Girl

Cassie was last seen giving the r&b world the kiss-off with Step up 2 Single 'Is it you'. The song showed that Cassie could bump and bang with the big boys (and girls) with little more than a shrug and shuffle beat (but what a slight beat it was!).
Here she's back with a beat produced by man-of-the-moment Danja (who's sounding like he's gone where Timbaland should've gone after JT). Lil Wayne add the sprinkles, but Cassie takes the cake (groan).

Video: The Streets - Everything is Borrowed

Mike Skinner's plea ridden poetry is rife throughout Everything is Borrowed, and the video echoes the songs plaintive maturity. There's the wife, the kid and the unkempt Mr Skinner and not much more, until the repo men move in of course.
With this being the albums first single, it begs the question of the albums direction. Is Mike all grown'sed up?