January Heatrocks

Yo I don’t know where to start dog, check it out. Music is my total existence, dog straight up. Everything in my life revolves around music. It’s like I can’t get in a relationship because I’m still with my first love, music. You know what I’m sayin for real, it’s the reason I’m here. J Dilla it’s like that, peace.

Rest In Peace

A little late but just consider it a Valentines day treat. Here were the tracks from January that kept me warm at night. Before you get into this go ahead and grab the tunes!

Download January 2010 Heatrocks

OC Notes is Seattles biggest musical secret. Blowing both those who were familiar and were not away with his late '09 smash with THEESatisfaction "Icing" - the song proved that the narcoleptic from the basement of the Okay Hotel should not be ignored. Sitting down with him for an interview (watch for that to drop soon!) opened my eyes to just how much work this man has done and excites me to think that their is so much we have yet to hear. Enjoy this trippy little jam from who knows what project or when, but it sure is funky.

I know very little about Lord Newborn & The Magic Skulls other than the fact that it's a collaboration with some very talented individuals. Money Mark has been making sounds funky since the Beastie Boys moved to LA and while I've never listened to Tommy Guerrero or Shawn Lee I've heard many a good thing about the former and together they delivered an enjoyably psychedelic mind trip of an album. This particular track with it's happy guitar melody and doo wop style vocals made me smile, perhaps it will bring you some happiness as well.

It's a little late for a new year's song but it is the January edition of the Heatrocks and what can i say, I heard this song on New Years and was in love. The fact that it's by the Black & White Affair, a seattle funk institution, is only icing on the cake. Spark one up and ring in 2010 one last time.

Speaking of blowing clouds, how about those Helladope dudes Tay Sean & Jerm? Congrats on the Goodie Mob and Snoop Shows - y'all are about to be superstars! Tay sean dropped this little gem on the internet and it's filled with what sounds like some live instrumentation, the track is mellowed out, smooth and breezy. Missing the spacey synths Helladope has built a rep on, this shows a whole other avenue the young producer is capable of exploiting to his benefit. I say let's hear anything Tay Sean wants to grace us with.

Nosaj Thing takes Drakes horenduous vocal performance and transforms it into something hauntingly poetic. The snap of the lighter in the background is a great sound effect that shouldn't be so important but here almost works like drums. It's an inventive use of sound and proves why the brainfeeder camp is killing the game right now: outside the box production ideals lead to musical concepts we haven't been bombarded by for the last decade plus, we are ready for "something new" ((c) fresh espresso). For more of my thoughts on this track check out this post.

I don't know much about this dude Ka$h, I think he might be down with or in Pac Div (if anyone has info hit me up!), but he dropped a solid mixtape inspired by the show you love to hate 24. Say what you want but I'm a fan and this season just got even more ridiculous. But enough with that. This track speaks for itself, either you dig it or you don't - I don't see why you wouldn't though.

Big Sean is an up and coming talent to watch for sure. Kanye knew what was up by signing him to G.O.O.D. but it has yet to yeild an album. He dropped a top 10 mixtape last year with UKnowBigSean and "Desire, Want & Need" was my cut from jump. Recently I found myself craving the track so here it is. I think we can all relate to what he has to say, perhaps not always literally but that's the beauty of art, translation varies person to person. Let me know your thoughts, are you working in some way towards your dreams every day?

I guess a big part of January is sifting through the remnants of the past year. While U-N-I certainly were never forgotten about "My Life" is just one of a multitude of reasons they found themselves in my top 10 of the year. Ro Blvd. delviers one of his best beats here with a beautiful vocal sample chopped to perfection, excellent use of explosive synth and drum build ups coupled with silence - sometimes you don't need anything, just let the people recover. An awesome horn finds it's way in towards the end. I haven't even touched on the vocals from Y-O & Thurz, if you know how they do, even if you don't, you shouldn't need any coaxing get the song and get the album.

Sa-Ra Creative Partners are some of the most forward thinking modern musicians continuing in a Sun Ra styled tradition and Shafiq Husayn's solo album is something to sit with and really digest. I'm not there yet, but I'm not mad at that. It's a tough but beautiful listen in it's complexity and depth. Dig in.

I'm asuming Stenchmen made this slowed down B.O.B. dubstep remix. It's actually pretty dope hearing the slightly deeper vocals from both Big Boi & Dre, they've always had bars but this is certainly one of their defining moments. Not only does he let the beat rock for a second time around but drops the vocals again, guess dude really loves the song. It's all good, the beat is a very nasty tune with heavy intentions and some hard woboly synths. It's a well chosen matching and should find it's way into any DJ's late night party rocking folder.

One day, maybe it'll be this week, I'll get myself to write this Killer Mike review for his recenetly rereleased for free on the internet street album I Pledge Allegience to the Grind Vol. 2. "Bang!" is hard from the jump with the sparse kicks, handclaps and the arrogant little synth in the background. Mike comes out spitting like he does every time he opens his mouth. There is litterally no reason you shouldn't have this mixtape on your computer. No free space, I garuntee you anything you delete you will not be thinking about after one listen to this. Plus you can always find it again... (google blog search...).

The already mentioned HellaDope pop up here again this time for their work as a group rather than Tay Sean doing his production thing. They are preparing to drop their debut album in March and everyone should be incredibly stoked for this fact. "Shine On" proves the name, get it and get familiar or refamiliar, whatever the case may be.

Cody Chesnutt made a two disc Headphone Masterpiece and disappeared to live off of "Seed" royalty money. Good for him. I bet one day he appears again with another sprawling opus. Until that day replay what you got from the man as much as you can. "Can We Teach Each Other" is a song for every person in or has been in a relationship i.e. the whole world. You are an alien if you don't get this and with his beautiful backing vocals and poetic guitar melody how can you not just love it?

I'm fitting to make all my readers NoCanDo fans, by force if I have to. This dude is righteous. Knowing that a battle rapper can't come out with a debut full of battle rhymes he took his time and found the right camp to give him beats that suit his off candence flow. It's great that Low End Theory, Brainfeeder and everything else in the LA beat scene is getting emcees on their tracks as their tunes are exaclty what more people should be rocking over.

Last Valentines day I saw Nappy Roots kill it at Nectar. I wish they were playing tonight. They are about to be dropping a new album and you know I'm already drooling at the prospect. This lead off leak is a perfect mellow tune for them. They make country rap tunes with the best of them. They have never left or forgotten their Kentucky roots. Join them for "The Ride" and get into what they be about.

Enjoy the cuts, let me know what you like!

Download January 2010 Heatrocks

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