Rhymesayers, the Hip-Hop McSweeney's

The packaging for Freeway & Jake One's Stimulus Package from indie hip-hop label Rhymesayer's is so amazing, it propels them into McSweeney's (i.e., indie publishing design GENIUS) territory. Have you seen issue 33 of McSweeney's Quarterly? Awesome.

Watch & listen to the new release from Freeway & Jake One!

Among the many things we here at OSS are fond of is Jack Splash-- beat maker, rapper, and a very successful producer in both the hip hop & mainstream pop sectors. Still, I can't help but feel like Splash doesn't quite get the attention deserves. After all, he doesn't even have a wikipedia page. This is a travesty of epic proportions; the man is a genius.

You may remember his previously released mixtape, Heir To The Throne-- a nice mixture of beat driven, head-bopping hip hop numbers complete with all-star appearances by the likes of Kelis & R. Kelly. Splash has now followed up that great collection of songs with one almost arguably better-- King of the Beats, Vol. 1. The mix is more of Splash's signature rhymes & rhythms, a mixture of funk, hip hop, pop, and electronic. It even includes a few instrumental pieces that still manage to create a solid flow throughout.

King of the Beats, Vol. 1 is another free release meant to hold us over until his first official solo release through J Records later this year. Head over to Get Right Music for a full download, and give it a listen.

Gil Scott-Heron Returns

It's been 16 years since Gil Scott-Heron has released a proper studio album (1994's Spirit album released on TVT). Having been in and out of the NY state prison system for the last decade, as well as wrestling with his own demons, Scott-Heron's artistic output had been put on hiatus (save for the hip-hop album cameos and rare live performances when he was out of the pen). XL Recordings chief, Richard Russell, tracked him down at Rikers Island Prison and offered to produce an album when he was released in 2007. And so enters Scott-Heron's latest album, I'm New Here, which will be released in the US on February 8th. You can stream the album from Scott-Heron's website. The Guardian's music blog is touting it as one of the albums of the year (already), and expect to see many comparisons to the epic Rick Rubin-Johnny Cash pairing. What I like so far about the album is Russell showcases Scott-Heron's talents against a different musical backdrop than what one normally associates with his music (jazz, hip-hop). The setting is more sparse and bluesy, and definitely more electronic. He even covers Smog.

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Listen to Me and the Devil

On the Corner

Because they deserve their own post...

On the Corner is an amazing soul, hip hop, funk, jazz, & rnb radio show that throws down every Wednesday night from 8-10 (CST), via the University of Minnesota's amazing college radio station, Radio K. Last week OTC featured a Sam Cooke tribute. This week is a celebration of J Dilla. These dudes seriously do not mess around. They frequently have guests - local Minneapolis dj's Jimmy2Times & Plain Ole Bill, heck, even the multi-instrumentalist soul man Mayer Hawthorne showed up. You would be doing your ears a favor by tuning in. Plus, not many other stations are gonna play Dam-Funk.




You can stream shows, and check out OTC's archives and playlists here.

Authentic Sh*t, Delancey Music Service, & The Rub

We are big fans of the musical taste of Mark Ronson. BIG fans. I've heard so much amazing music (new & old) on his Friday night East Village Radio show, Authentic Sh*t, it's unbelievable. J.Period & K'Naan, the amazing Joker remix of Simian Mobile Disco/Beth Ditto's "Cruel Intentions," Penguin Prison, Theophilus London, Jay Electronica, Primary 1, Mr. Chop, Mayer Hawthorne, Diamond District, The Electric Prunes, Todd Terje, new jams by the Clipse... and I COULD go on. For a really long time. I can't think of anyone who has been more influential with the type of music I listen to these days, so, thank you, Mark. You can listen to Authentic Sh*t archives here. And, as it happens so many times, when you discover one artist/dj/tastemaker, you get a tiny glimpse into their world and what/who influences them. Through Mark I've become a big fan of Dj's Eli Escobar, Stretch Armstrong (together they host their won East Village Radio Show, Delancey Music Service), Aaron LaCrate (he guested on A.S. last night, btw), and the geniuses who make up Brooklyn's The Rub (DJ Ayres & Cosmo Baker). These guys are all mad talented and have brilliant taste in music. Thanks for all the tunes and inspiration!

JJ

Everyone loves a mystery. Not only is there very little info on Swedish band, JJ, but their sound is also a bit of a mystery (in the best way). Some songs offer gentle twee stylings with the ethereal vocals to match, others employ everyone's favorite global rhythm phenomenon, and then there's the Lil' Wayne sample? What? Who are you guys/gals, and, where have you been all my life? The band has recently signed stateside to Secretly Canadian and will be touring with the xx, starting in March. In the twitterverse yesterday, bloggers were fawning over the album leak, so by a few accounts at least, jj nº 3, will be worth the wait (3/9/10 is the official release). In the meantime, Secretly Canadian is offering Let Go as a teaser.