hip hop
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.
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.
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?!?
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.
MF Doom
Also known as King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, Zen Love X, and Metal Fingers - MF Doom has been truly grinding (working hard) in the hip hop circuit. Not only has he published multiple albums in single years, he’s been non stop touring around the nation. With all that work and strong reputation, it’s weird to see him go unsigned.
Subject | Dwele
If you’ve heard of Dwele, its most probably in reference to when he sang the hooks for Kanye West’s song Flashing Lights on Graduation (2007). That was Dwele’s official break, though he had a few singles that made it into the radio waves and DJ booths far before. My introduction to this obnoxious soul artist was in 2003 when I was in college and heard Find A Way playing at a D.C. lounge. That introduced me to a neosoul, laid back, and conscious artist who produced a solid soul album entitled Subject (2003).
Video Interview | Dahlak Brathwaite
2 HBO Def Poetry Jam appearances, 2 Time SF Bay Poetry Slam champion, a National Poetry Slam championship, and a sold out album are all accomplishments of Dahlak before he turned 22. We found out how he got there and what he’s doing now.
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik | Outkast
Being their debut album, Outkast showed the world what they were about and how they could flow. Though totally produced in their basement studio, this album sounds amazing and reflects the life work of both these emcees. For those of you who don’t see it outright, you pronounce this album as Southern Playalistic Cadillac Music.
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