"I Got a Hundred Thou' Then I Freaked It"

Continuing the trend of holding Hip Hop on his shoulders, Kendrick Lamar proved that he's just as capable of dishing assists to his TDE label mates. Jay Rock is well-known name in Hip Hop, but he hasn't released a lot of impact single lately like the one below. Capitalizing on a multi-faceted beat from Mike Will and some subtle vocal help from James Blake, Kings Dead is an attention grabbing track. Evidently a lot of the other Soundcloud commenters share my disdain for Future on this track, but his boat anchor verse wasn't enough to take away from the fire that everyone else brought. Ironically enough, this is the track #9 that I alluded to earlier in the week off the upcoming Black Panther Soundtrack. Similar to the way the Compton Soundtrack was basically a Dr. Dre album, this provides more hope that the Black Panther Soundtrack will be a side release of Kendrick's. The soundtrack is available to stream in full on Spotify and early indications are it's 🔥🔥🔥...#KingsDead

Jay Rock feat Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake - Kings Dead (prod by Mike Will)

Videos of the Week February 7th

Folks, there's a lot of value added content in this week's top five. I'm not trying to gas you up when I say that PBS did a great job with Blank on Blank in animating Jimi Hendrix's last interview. A few weeks back I posted a similar one featuring 2pac, so if you were a fan of that slice of creativity, you'll enjoy this one too. In other news, Chromeo's brand of funk is really starting to grow on me. Their newly minted visuals for Come Alive are on point.

The rest of the videos this week are really awesome covers. It's a coin flip between Childish Gambino and Lorde for who produced the better cover, but if you twisted my arm I'd probably give the nod to Donald Glover. P.M. Dawn's classic, Die Without You, isn't an easy cover, but he really showed off his dynamic ability as an artist on the track. Oh and this just in, The Roots might be the most unde appreciated band on the planet. The have been and will continue to be one of the few Hip Hop acts that are above average to see live in concert...#RealTalk
Jimi Hendrix's Last Interview Animated by PBS

Chromeo – Come Alive (feat. Toro y Moi) (Video)

Lorde Cover James Blake's Retrograde

Childish Gambino Covers PM Dawn's I'd Die Without You

Justin Vernon and The Roots Perform Holocene


Image Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week November 8th

Not a lot of interesting music videos this week, but fear not, I found some interesting tidbits to share. James Blake continues to be one the more intriguing artists in the music and he's found a way to firmly entrench himself on my concert bucket list. If you're wondering why, check the video out below.

If you have an hour to blow and want to get a thorough glimpse of Drake's life, you'll enjoy the Q interview. For quick drive-by entertainment check J Cole's inspiring performance of Crooked Smile on Letterman, some great behind the scenes footage of Big K.R.I.T.'s 4eva N a Tour and to top it off a quirky Jason Derulo video with a whole lotta trumpets...

J.Cole – Crooked Smile (Live On David Letterman)

James Blake Performs Measurements at Terminal 5

Big K.R.I.T. – 4Eva N A Tour (Behind the Scenes Pt. 1)

Q Presents Drake Uncut

Jason Derulo - Trumpets (Video)


Photo Credit: YouTube

James Blake Comes Thru With Some Drake

I'm still trying to figure out why, but James Blake's interest in Hip Hop is fascinating. His style that is consistently characterized by mellow vocals over calming synths wouldn't seem to translate well to Hip Hop, but he finds a way to make it work. That being said, you can understand why I'd jump at him offering up a freeemix he did of a recent Drake track. For quick reference check out the before version of Come Thru before checking out the remix below...

Make no mistake, he managed to inject some booty shaking synths into Drake's original. Fast forward to the 1:09 mark if you're wondering what I'm getting at. In general, I'll always have respect for an artist who refuses to stay in his lane that others create for them. Major dap is in order for JB, who flipped the original in a way that made it just as likable, but in a completely different way...#ComeThru

Drake - Come Thru (James Blake Version)

Videos of the Week October 18th

Without a doubt the most eye opening video this week was the odd collaboration between James Blake and Chance the Rapper. The core of that statement has to do with the never-ending intrigue I have with cross-genre collaborations that mix two drastically different styles. It seems like Indie goes with everything these days, but the Life Round Here (Remix) struck me as somewhere beyond awesome and just short of epic.

It seems like I get a weekly reminder that I should have been in Philly for the Made in America Festival. This week's reminder came in the form of the trailer that successfully captured what I expect was the unbridled energy that the show created. Aside from those two big highlights, Bruno comes through with creative videos and Sleigh Bells has absolutely mastered the ability to rock a party. Because it was a slow week, I resurrected a favorite from the vault. If the final video doesn't somehow improve your day, you are way too left-brained and simply need to play more...#MorePlay

James Blake feat Chance the Rapper - Life Round Here (Remix) (Video)

Made in America Festival Trailer

Bruno Mars - Gorilla (Video)

Sleigh Bells Performs Bitter Rivals on Jimmy Kimmel

Ferrets Playing in Packing Peanuts

Photo Credit: Showtime via YouTube

James Blake is a Retrograde Weapon

Ever since my good buddy Mikey Mike put me on to @jamesblake, I've been keeping an eye out for his music. I still haven't been able to put my finger on why I have an appreciation for his music because the at times painstakingly slow tempo of his music...how should I say this...is a complete 180 from the stuff I usually post. Still, there's no doubting how talented his is as a vocalist. Between the humming and the every so melodic way he goes about laying down his stories, it's hard not to admire. Check the video for his new single Retrograde...

The track is the first of many to come off his new album Overgrown, due out on April 8th. If mellow is the glass of wine you feel like sippin' tonight, the play button on this guy will be your friend below...#Retrograde

James Blake - Retrograde

James Drake - James Blake x Drake Mash-up Mixtape

Few things excite me more than when two of my favorite artists collaborate. In this case, though, it isn't so much a collaboration, but a mixtape mash-up of @jamesblake and @drakkardnoir, produced by Philadelphia's own DJ Bombe and Mr. Carribean, that has me incredibly excited.

James Drake Mixtape (DJ Bombe & Mr. Caribbean)

James Blake, the UK sensation, took the indie-world by storm this past year with his debut self-titled LP, headlining shows and festivals across the globe.

Drake, I probably don't need to preface. He's been killing it for years now, and judging by the two leaked singles from his forthcoming album, Marvin's Room and Dreams Money Can Buy, things are only getting better for this dude.

In what's come as a bit of a surprise to me, Drake has really taken on a life of his own in the indie-world. Recently, his track Marvin's Room, took over the #1 spot on Hypem.com's list of most popular singles, a site known for promoting the best of the best in Indie. And also, more importantly, the elitist tastemakers at Pitchfork.com seemed to have taken a real liking to this guy, too, consistently mentioning his whereabouts and promoting the projects he's involved in.

Enough talk though, let's get to the mixtape. The first half of the album is much stronger than the second, in my opinion, with Wilhelm's F***ing Best being an instant favorite.

Drake x James Blake - Wilhelm's F***ing Best

Successful CMYK and Forever Bells are also worth noting, but Drake fans be warned, this mixtape is definitely geared more towards James Blake fans. Blake's style is very much dub-step, fairly slow and methodical, and you won't find a lot of singles here, just an abundance of consistently good tracks. This project definitely showcases the talents of these producers, in their ability to fuse together two seemingly contrasting styles, but I was definitely holding out for more.

These two artists are stars, and maybe I was being greedy in expecting too much, but if you like James Blake, it's still very much worth checking out, just don't expect a revolutionary album, a la the Danger Mouse's Gray album

James Blake - "I Don't Know About My Lovin' Anymore"

When you start talking about the most anticipated Indie albums of 2011, James Blake's self-titled debut, due out next Tuesday, is at, or near, the top of the list.

The 21 year old from London has been picking up steam for a while now, first as a composer, and more recently as a solo-artist. I had heard his remixes previously, but it wasn't until I heard his cover of Feist's, Limit to Your Love, that I was truly blown away.

James Blake - Limit to Your Love
|Download

In late September, Limit to your Love was named "the hottest record in the world" by famed BBC radio personality @zanelowe, and it has since become a mainstay on radio playlists throughout Europe.

The Second single is even better people! You can see footage below of @jamesblake performing the song live in studio. What can I say? This song begs to be played over and over again.

I haven't been this excited about an artist in some time, and if you check the blogosphere, you can see I'm not alone. Listed among his current tour dates is a stop in Austin for SXSW. I'll be there ready and waiting to hear these songs in person...

James Blake - Wilhelm Scream
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Pre-Order his album on iTunes or Amazon