Nirav
The Way I See It | Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq gets absolutely creative on his latest album. Though his previous albums have been soulful and a great listening pleasure, none of them have made me feel like I literally jumped eras in history.
Dahlak Single - Never Know
New Dahlak Brathwaite single that remixes the Kanye West song Love Lockdown.
Matisyahu
Yes, Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew. And yes, he’s white and singing reggae. And despite what you might already be inferring, he’s totally amazing. His first album shows off a host of his lyrical, beatboxing, and reggae skillz. And on top of that, its such a fun album to listen to when you’re looking for some quality music to fill your background space.
Amino Alkaline | Mos Def
Last weekend on September 21st, 2008, I got the distinct pleasure along with Dan to see the most amazing and versatile hip hop artist perform on stage. And not only did he lead the show with his vocals and emcee skills, he also orchestrated a 25 piece orchestra with full string and horn sections. Maybe he didn’t do that actual orchestrating (props to Robert Glasper), but he damn well led them in front of a sold out Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. I love this man!
Year Of The Gentlemen | Ne-Yo
To me, Ne-Yo fits into the bill of very talented R&B artists who still maintain to keep it conscious and smart when it comes to producing their music and lyrics. He reminds me of where R&B first started, the good ol’ simple days of the genre. Year of the Gentlemen (2008) follows along the path of Ne-Yo’s first album but with more simplicity, smarter lyrics, and definitely a growth his vocal range.
DJ 2-Tone Jones
It’s 2008 and we still have the word Mixtape in our vocabulary. Though no longer an actual cassette tape, the mixtape still dominates the distribution of hip hop into mass culture. Artists like Lil Wayne have gotten extremely famous by creating more than hundred different mixtapes and never releasing an official album.T There are lots of mixtapes out and its hard to find something which you are fully satisfied with. Our favorite set of mixtapes at Obnoxious Listeners are created by D.C.based musician DJ 2-Tone Jones.
Metallica’s Slackin’
Analysis: Metallica’s Death Magnetic Sounds Better in Guitar Hero
Street Signs | Ozomatli
Using over three languages to compose their verses and stanzas, Ozomatli sounds like an international band and rap group. But they are actually from our good ol’ state of California. The 10-piece band, composed of multi ethnic members, use their family cultures and languages to compose their music. Ozomatli to me is the best collaboration of rock, hip hop, jazz, funk, and salsa that I’ve ever heard in my life. And I’m generally not a fan when an artist even tries to mix 2 genres. If only latin influenced music sounded more like Ozomatli instead of reggaeton, how different would the world be?!?
Boney James
If his music played in elevators, I might actually go out and get myself a job. Boney James has made jazz and the saxophone totally cool again. It’s soothing, its hip, and I’m sure it can help get the girls!
1st Born Second | Bilal
Though he’s been on countless artists’ albums, Bilal only has one album to call his own. 1st Born Second (2001) is a good mix of Bilal’s collaboration skills as well as his solo abilities. He can hit some high notes that I thought were impossible to reach by the male species.
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