Check out this incredibly chill, irresistibly cool remix of Selena Gomez & A$AP Rocky’s “Good For You” from Swedish EDM artist and producer Anevo.
[Future House]
Adele – Hello (Pegassi Remix)
[Ambient Chill] Adele – Hello (Anevo Remix)
Next up, two great remixes of Adele’s “H3llo” the first a Future House take from British EDM producer Pegassi, the other a much more ambient-chill version again from producer Anevo.
Joe battles with an inner issue in this song. Is there something deeper in this song that what’s on the surface? Maybe. To me, it seems like his old friend depression is the cause behind his lack of focus and flip-flop of things.
At times he’s pumped, he’s motivated, he’s ready to hit the studio but then there’s days where he doesn’t want to do that. He sees it as pointless. It’s a waste of time.
This throwback post recalls one of Joe Budden‘s “unreleased” tracks from his 2009 mixtape Halfway House, an EP many speculate, Budden wrote while depressed. As someone who has dealt with bouts of the ailment myself I can relate in parts of his “Sidetracked” song [Sometimes I wanna make music/sometimes I feel it’s just useless…]a deep recollection of the darker side to fame over hip-hop beats (and a sick Coldplay sample).
In general, I try to avoid depressing music but there are times when it feels right to me (especially during the colder months). Sometimes the raps can hit close to home and stir emotions, at other times (to me) these songs may be sonically great, or have a sick beat/sample but the depressing lyrics turn the would-be banger into a “pity-party” that I probably wouldn’t play around other people at least not for cranking round the city or getting ready to hit the club. I feel neutral as this music certainly has it’s place; some of Kid Cudi’s greatest tracks are fairly sad. But, Cudi balances it pretty well.
This mixtape of Budden’s, a lot of Charles Hamilton’s music, almost all of Cinos‘ songs I’ve heard (apart from Rain Zone) and even some from Lil B squarely fit this bill. How do you feel about songs that are sad?
Check out this classic KRS-One anthem dedicated to b-boys and b-girls across the world, “Steady Bounce”.
[Breakdance Hip-Hop:] Steady Bounce – KRS-One
Steady bouncin’ them jeeps on the New York streets
steady bouncin’ them jeeps on the New York streets
steady bounce-steady bounce-steady bounce….
For this Hip-Hop & Rap Origins post we’re featuring a classic, beat-heavy KRS-One track dedicated to b-boys and b-girls. From the album Strickly For Da Breakdancers & Emceez “Steady Bounce” is relatively simple in its structure and layers — and that worksperfectlyhere. The result is a certifiably, windmill-ready mix of beats and repeating hooks harkening to the days of olde; sweats, fresh sneakers and bodies contorting over cardboard boxes on the sidewalks and them city streets.
For today’s rap/hip-hop post we have a dark, ambient-chill rap track coming from up-and-coming rapper, and suspected soon to be OVO member, SAFE. Word on the Internet is that Drake’s label and collective, OVO has been looking to add new members and SAFE is one rapper several sources claim may be next up. With two tracks released, “Now” and “Feel”, the two generated enough buzz to give SAFE some pre-release hype. This track “Feel” has a very atmospheric, almost foreboding feel and rhythm that is certainly along the lines of Drake, The Weeknd, and other singer-songwriter rap acts.
Talk to Me – Roy Wood$
Along a similar vein with the dark, ambient moody rap we have “Talk to Me” from Roy Wood$ which similarly channels Drake or Frank Ocean. The result is a very calm, relaxing groove with lyrics describing a lost love. Woods’ cadence and cycling between rapping and singing are a breath of fresh air in the hip-hop world.
Bare TIngs – Devontée
Devontée‘s “Bare Tings” is a catchy and manages to use the phrase “my woes” without coming across as annoying or lame. Devontée’s rapping style and the overall flow of the beat reminded me very muchof Chip Tha Ripper or someone along those lines. Check out the song above and check out more from Devontée on his Soundcloud.
Charles Hamilton – Writing in the Sky [Soulful Sample]
Charles Hamilton’s timeless “Writing in the Sky” was a bonus track off of his early mixtape, The Pink Lavalamp. Sampling the timeless R&B/Soul hit by The Stylists “Betcha by Golly, Wow” the song is a very calming and inspiring anthem with Charles spilling his heart out over the track. The echoing soul-filled vocals in the background sample further contribute to the chill, spacey ambiance set by the song.
Hamilton has largely been quiet in terms of releases since his short run from around 2007 to 2010. He has recently begun to re-enter into the industry, however. Hamilton was featured on the soundtrack for the break-out music-industry drama and TV-show, Empire. He raps alongside songwriter group, The Invisible Men on “New York Raining”.
Charles Hamilton with The Invisible Men – New York Raining (feat. Rita Ora)
[Indie Underground Hip-Hop | Conscious Rap:]
I-An-I – My Grind (feat. Willow Smith)
I-An-I is a little known hip-hop group introduced to me by my brother, that released a stunningly “real hip-hop” mixtape titled, Free Love around 2010. Released through I-An-I’s music group Purple Reign, the EP is chock full of “real hip-hop” beats, smart, conscious lyrics and soulful samples.In theunderground banger “My Grind” I-An-I samples Will Smith‘s daughter and pop music songstress, Willow Smith. With a very catchy hook and some quite emotional heartfelt lyrics, “My Grind” is not a song to be missed by rap enthusiasts.
“Free Love” is not Purple Reign’s only “fye” extended play, member of the group, chad. (born Chad Charles) released a similarly scorching hot, authentic underground rap album, Conquering Lions with some amazingly clever raps and one-of-a-kind beats you won’t hear anywhere else. Here are a few standout tracks from that mixtape, which can be found on DatPiff, Bandcamp and ReverbNation.
If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out the music video for new artist on the scene Fetty Wap’s “679”. The track, popular on airwaves throughout the US and the world features more of Wap’s characteristic singing over a quite laid-back and chill beat predominately found in “radio rap”. Neverthelss, the song is very catchy, with Wap receiving back-up from his squad, the Remy Boyz.
Check out more from the New Jersey rapper below, including a remix of 679 featuring Meek Mill and Rick Ross:
679 [Remix feat. Meek Mill & Rick Ross]:
679 [DJ Taj Remix]:
679 [Jersey Club Remix] *DJ Friendly!!play it at 1.25x speed!
To keep the conversation light, I tell the girl a comical line…
Off of one of Wiz’s earliest mixtapes, Show and Prove, “Keep the Conversation” is a favorite with it’s smooth use of sampling and the very original, unorthodox beats that Wiz often rapped over in his days of coming up. Wiz’s production team was just as fire as the rapper himself and delivered top-quality music that would set the course for a new direction in hip-hop music that began when Wiz emerged (from 2006 onward) and ushered in an era of “unorthodox” rappers such as, Kid Cudi, Curren$y, Charles Hamilton, J. Cole, Wale and many more.
It’s global warmin’, the world is shifting watchin’ Sweet Sixteen, bitchin-ass rich kids!
The ever-classic Common is one of the rappers at the forefront of the “conscious hip-hop” movement or “intelligent hip-hop/rap” as I also call it. Music in this genre (and subsequently, in my playlist of the same name on my iPod) are focused more around the message of the lyrics, use more old-school style or soulful beats or are otherwise non-mainstream.
Common’s Finding Foreverwas a very iconic album for many reasons and some would say it was the album that jettisoned Common onto the national and international stage. It also signaled his induction into Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. music group. He collaborated on the album with British Pop/Hip-Hop songstress Lily Allen (Drivin’ Me Wild), Kanye West (Southside) R&B singer D’Angelo and the late legendary beat-maker, J Dilla (So Far to Go).
![[Hip-Hop/Breakdance Origins] [B-Boy Rap Beats] KRS-One – Steady Bounce](https://illuminousmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/hqdefault.jpg?w=480)
LUMiNOUS Musings 