Eddie Hendricks - Goin’ Up In Smoke (LP)
Airto - The Essential… Airto featuring Flora Purim & Special Friends (LP) countdown to Brasil…
Levert - I Get Hot (LP) jheri curl fonk overload!!
David Ruffin - Everything’s Coming Up Love (LP)
Janet Jackson - Control (12″) with acapella!
Stacy Lattisaw - Sneakin’ Out (LP) personnel include Narada Michael Walden, Randy Jackson and Sheila E.
The Ramsey Lewis Trio - Upendo Ni Pamoja (LP)
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - Lost In Emotion (12″)
Edwin Starr - Contact/Don’t Waste Your Time (12″)
Paul and Linda McCartney - Ram (LP)

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Details:

REVENGE OF THE CAT-HEADED BABY, and Other True Tales About Life & Death

location:
Cole Studio, 1714 REAR 15th ST NW 20009

dates:
Friday 7/11/08 8pm
Sunday 7/13/08 3pm
Wednesday 7/16/08 6:30pm
Saturday 7/19/08 9pm
Saturday 7/26/08 5pm
Sunday 7/27/08 4pm

SpeakEasy DC is a great event/organization run by Amy Saidman that exists to promote the fine & entertaining art of STORYTELLING.

“REVENGE…” is an ensemble storytelling piece that is being presented
as a part of this year’s Capital Fringe Festival.

-your master storytellers are:
Slam Poet Twain Dooley
New Dad Edwin Kubal
Poet/hip-hop artist Darrell Perry
Stand-up Comedian Vijai Nathan; and
Peace Corps Therapist Tabbie Mann

-tickets available HERE.

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WATCH:

LISTEN:

“Over and Out” featuring Buff1

PURCHASE:

iTunes

LINK UP:

myspace.com/HustleSimmonsMusic

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Fortunately a real hip-hopper was on hand among the Hollywood stiffs to bear witness and capture the moment. Sure is nice when you can land gigs like that.

So I need to buy my ticket now.

Right now.

Will notes that the tour will be all classic material with nothing new. Now I know Will is one of the biggest actors on the planet and the rap game is quite a different animal but I think that if Will got back with Jeff, stopped giving a damn about fitting in with what cats are doing now and just focused on the fun and chemistry him and Jeff still have, they could make a decent record. I believe ?uestlove had some brief discussions with him about collaborating. A bootcamp with Jeff and a lot of the underground talents he keeps around him could get Will back in fighting shape quickly. No ghostwriters, no hot producers of the moment, just back to basics. Maybe being an intergalactic megastar has extinguished the type of energy a hungry emcee has to draw from but he’s Will Smith, he doesn’t have anything to prove. He doesn’t have to worry about sales. He really could approach it from a purist perspective.

Wishful thinking? An old head’s desperate self-delusion?

I just hope the Scientology thing isn’t true.

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Meistro:
Bebel Gilberto - Aganju (Latin Project rmx)
Plastyc Buddha - String Vibe (Nickodemus and Osiris NY Hip Harmonic Remix)
7 Samurai - Feel The Same (Dubben rmx)
Soul II Soul - Jazzie’s Groove
????
Alice Russell - Fly in Your Hand (DJ Vadim rmx)
Casbah 73 - Big Shoes, Small Feet
Gecko Turner - Un Limon en la Cabeza (Quantic rmx)

Stylus:
Afro Life - Sidewinder
Ohmega Watts - Adaptacao feat. Tita Lima
Common - Time Travelin’
Cloud One - Patty Duke
Milton Bros. - Living in the City
Tigercity - Are You Sensation?
Owusu & Hannibal - Lonnie’s Secret
Matisyahu/Rolling Stones - Chop ‘Em Down/Miss You Mash

Meistro:
Beatfanatic - Sumthin Betta
Common - Go (King Most rmx)
Amp Fiddler ft. Corinne Bailey Rae - If I Don’t
Casbah 73 - Freshly Sqeezed!
Bionics - Love Chains
Keyshia Cole - Shoulda Let You Go (Eli’s put echo on everything mix)
Space Lady - Gift Pt II
Faith Evans - Mesmerized (White label rmx)
Mark Hype and Jim Dunloop - The Mexican
Kathy Diamond - All Woman
Afro Heat 4 - White Label
Recloose ft. Joe Dukie - Dust (Roc Wun rmx)
The Rebirth - Evil Vibrations

Stylus:
Sesso Matto - Sessomatto
Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even

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Stylus:
Reel People - Upside
Nick Straker Band - A Little Bit of Jazz
Patrice Rushen - Number One
J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science - Conga Rock
John Arnold - Supadupe
Kelis - ’80s Joint
2000black - So Right
Aloe Blacc - Bailar

Meistro:
Faze Action - Hypnotic (Disco Mix)
Idan K - Ijidan Tribute (unreleased)
Louie Vega - Mi Gente (dub)
Matthias Heilbronn & Candela Allstars – Brobombique (Matty’s II Deep Mix)
Bunny Mack - Let Me Love You (DJ Gregory Original Vibe Mix)
Oreja - Manana por la Manana
Nickodemus - Conmigo
War - Galaxy

Stylus:
Ian Friday feat. Erro - Everything (Tea Party Vocal Mix)
Tiger Stripes - Missing You (Raw Artistic Soul remix)
Reel People - Alibi

Meistro:
Yam Who? - Flunky Gone Punky (we are ready)
Cymande - Brothers on the Slide (Ruffy Tuffy edit)
Awa Band ft Tony Allen - Bababateur (Quantic rmx)
Faze Action - Kariba (Copyright rmx)

Stylus:
Alice Russell - Somebody’s Gonna Love You (featuring Quantic)
Fela Kuti - Shakara

Meistro:
Nickodemus - Puerto Rico Pa’Gozar
Damn! - African
African-Scanian Music Continuum Rerouted

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“List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring or summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.”

2000black - So Right
The internets is going crazy and rightfully so since the geniuses behind 4Hero, Silhouette Brown, Agent K and DKD are blessing us with new hot goodies.

De La Soul - Dinninit
Does this even need explanation?

Carl Anderson - Buttercup
I’m just getting hip to this cat some four years after he passed away. And Stevie Wonder lent a hand too?!? Songs like this are why digging is so rewarding.

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 - Mas Que Nada
I was torn between this and Elza Soares’ version which is actually my favorite but I just saw Sergio at Wolf Trap and I’m still happy about it. It gets no more summery than that. Gotta big up the original though. Brasil here we come!

Louie Vega - Let The Children Play
My inner child needs as much help as he can get. This tune is like his vitamins. I REALLY want to play at or throw an afro-cuban party this summer. White skirts, congas and catching spirits. Maybe I just need to finally get to Libation.

Ronnie Foster - Mystic Brew
This lowers my blood pressure and makes me want to lay down in a hammock somewhere with the breeze gently rocking me back and forth. And yes, it did give birth to another perfect summer anthem.

Choklate - Reach For The Moon
Although it’s standard practice and I can’t find it streaming anywhere, I don’t want to post a download of this out of respect for the sista. I really want her to win and this is a lovely bit of work from her. Catch it on her myspace player and hopefully on an upcoming release.

Tag. You’re it.

Rhonda Marie
Lisa
Kimmie
DJ YZO
DJ Statik
Dee Phunk
DJ Brainchild

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WATCH:

LISTEN:

Album sampler

PURCHASE:

Amazon
Traxsource
Groove Distribution

LINK UP:

Asahra Music
myspace.com/AvenueTo

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So the 4,444th song I’ve scrobbled to my Last.fm profile is:

Todd Terje & Prins Thomas - “Reinbagan” (cop the analog or digital jont)

Those funky, funky Germans (and friends.)

More than a little bit of Augustus Pablo in there and one hell of a rhythm section, like the breakdown at the end of “I Shot The Sheriff”. Pretty summery too. You can rock this with the top down, or as the soundtrack for a beach sunset.

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I basically have to play music I hate for people I can’t relate to. This nullifies my biggest asset, which is my ability to make an emotional connection with my audience, otherwise known as that whole vibe conducting thing.

It should be easy actually, because most of today’s popular music takes no skill to mix. Actually, you generally don’t have to mix at all. Most of the songs are mad slow and you just drop them on the one and folks go nuts.

To keep the ho stroll money steady, I have to stay current. Usually I just get a zip file from my WPGC connect. That’s much better than the days when I’d have to prepare for such gigs by actually wasting money buying the records. Of course those songs weren’t as bad as today’s songs either. Still, the instant playlist approach means that I end up not knowing the songs very well, so sometimes I have to break down and listen to the radio (nOva, you’re a bigger man than I.)

It withers the soul and makes my brain ache.

Occasionally there’s a decent tune. I’m not mad at the new Lloyd jont, with Weezy interpolating “Paid In Full”. But that appeals to my old school sensibilities so maybe that’s not a good example.

I was struck by the fact that The Dream has a tune with a good melody. The most classic way to make a solid song is so rare on commercial radio that when you hear a standout melody it’s an event. I can’t front though, T-Pain has crafted a few quality melodies. But the props I had ready for The Dream were soured when I heard the album version that has a refrain of “fuck that nigga” sung in falsetto. I recommend the radio edit.

And sometimes I feel like I’m the only one noticing things that should make everyone howl in disbelief, like hearing Too Short’s old ass (who I admittedly loved as a youth) drop these jewels…

I got ten bad bitches, actin’ retarded
I’m tryin’ to meet a few new ones
What’s up with you girl, maybe we can do somethin’
Do you drink, do you smoke?
I could tell by your purse and your shoes you ain’t broke
Hang with me, the first thing you do is get stuck
Take you somewhere, later on you’ll get fucked, beotch!

…sandwiched in between shout-outs from local high school girls. Sometimes I wonder if we’ll ever learn.

But the pièce de résistance (for now) has to be “Bust It Baby”. This one is actually worth an embed. First of all, I can’t believe this saga has three parts, one of which features Janet Jackson (to hell with you Jermaine Dupri).

I now offer an exercise in audience participation. What is the most coonerific facet of the video below?

- the song
- the “performance”
- the outfit
- the comments

Even my little sister - a millennial who generally digs such fare - was like “I have to draw the line somewhere”.

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