Author Archives: Baseer Ahmad

[Future R&B] Vanessa Elisha – Down For This (Prod. B.Lewis)

Vanessa Elisha
Down For This (Prod. by B.Lewis)

After first appearing on our radar last year, Aussie songstress Vanessa Elisha has made some tremendous strides in her music, working with some incredible talent along the way, including XXYYXX, salute and J-Louis. It’s clear those experiences have all helped shape the budding singer’s developing sound, leading up to her latest effort “Down For This.” Premiered earlier today via Complex, “Down For This” is the lead single from Vanessa’s upcoming Good Ones EP and also happens to be her first release of 2015.

“Down For This” is a song about devotion, finding the lovely vocalist crooning “Got me I’m sinking/I would go down with this ship” over a serene instrumental before bursting into a bubbly chorus that should cause anybody with a heartbeat to break out into dance. It makes for quite the contrast, but it definitely works in this song’s favor. Stream/download the track above, and be on the lookout for Vanessa’s Good Ones EP, set to drop later this year.

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[Hip-Hop] 119 Productions & THE FDC – THE C.S.S. (Chicago Sight N’ Sound)

Chicago Sight N’ Sound is an ambitious endeavor between 119 Productions & The FDC meant to showcase the city’s best and brightest up-and-comers. Plenty of familiar faces are scattered throughout the two-part project, including Mick Jenkins, Lucki Eck$, Saba, The O’My’s, Kami De Chukwu, Jean Deaux, Ibn Inglor, Smoko Ono, Jarred AG, Dally Auston, Martin $ky and many more. The C.S.S. takes advantage of some of these more well established names to introduce listeners to some newer talent they may have never even heard of, which is essentially is the true goal of this undertaking. In fact, some of the project’s best moments come from artists who may have never crossed your radar before.

Along with the mixtapes which make up the “Sound” portion of the project, there’s also a visual aspect which can be found on 119’s official website. After checking out the full scope of The C.S.S, it’s pretty clear that the teams over at 119 Productions and The FDC poured their heart and soul into making this project possible, and it’s not a stretch to say this is one of the most important projects to come out of the Chi all year, if only to show that the city can really unite together as one.

We’ve selected a few of our favorites from both mixtapes below, but we encourage you to check them out in their entirety over at the Chicago Sight N’ Sound SoundCloud page.

Part 1

’SABA PIVOT – SABILLION (Prod. By A Billion Young)’
’THE O’MY’S X ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN – THE BLUNT (Prod. The O’My’s + C. Lang)’
’PSALM ONE – TIMELESS (Prod. Benny Nice)’
’JARRED AG
MUHFUCKA (Prod. Smoko Ono)’
’DALLY AUSTON – FOOD N’ LIQUOR (Produced By Boathouse)’

 

Part 2

’MICK JENKINS – TIME (Prod. OnGaud)’
’VIA ROSA / theMIND / NETHERFRIENDS – SIGNS (Produced By Netherfriends)’
’JEAN DEAUX / NOSIDAM – UNCOND. LOVE (Prod. AmbI Lyrics)’
’鷹SÄGESHINTENDŌ鷹 – UCHIHA SEJI (Prod. 鷹SÄGESHINTENDŌ鷹)’
’PIVOT GANG – FUZZY SLIPPERS (Prod. By Saba)’
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The Hip-Hop Dojo: May 2015 (Artist Spotlight: Mayo)

mayo

Welcome back to the Hip-Hop Dojo, everyone. By now we assume you all know the protocol, but in case you need a refresher, the Hip-Hop Dojo is a monthly feature split it up into three distinct components: the artist spotlight, our monthly playlist and our mixtape roundup. May was a busy month for hip-hop, there’s no denying that. Our latest edition of the Hip-Hop Dojo is a little lighter on the playlist side, but it’s definitely not lacking in quality tracks. Meanwhile, our mixtape section is loaded, with about 20 different projects we believe you absolutely need to check out.

The selection process for our monthly spotlight is never easy, and there’s often an internal struggle as we narrow down the list of names we’d like to approach about the opportunity. When we found out that Mayo had re-emerged onto the scene recently though, we couldn’t think of a better choice to be our Spotlight Artist for the month of May. The LA via Chicago transplant recently ended an eight month hiatus with the release of his latest song, “My Girl”, the first in a revolutionary series of singles that will comprise his Summer Story. You may or may not have heard of Mayo, and one look at his SoundCloud will let you know that the man likes to keep his releases tight and his lips even tighter. We had a chance to sit down and chat with Mayo and he opened up to us about everything from long distance relationships to dropping out of college and his breast cancer awareness campaign. After hearing from the man himself, we promise you’ll never forget the name.

Read on to find out what Mayo had to say, and afterwards click over to the next page to listen to this month’s playlist. On our final page you’ll find reviews of all of our favorite projects to drop during the month of May.

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[NEW] Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
Wanna Be Cool

It’s here! After months’ worth of eager anticipation, Surf has finally arrived. Though initially advertised as a follow-up to Chance The Rapper‘s 2013 mixtape, Acid Rap, it was later revealed that Surf would be a new project led by Donnie Trumpet and his band The Social Experiment, with Chance playing more of a supporting role. Leading up to its release today, details were still pretty sparse, so it’s not surprising that the album was released without any fair warning, which seems to be a common trend these days. None of the features are listed on iTunes, but we promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the guests who appear throughout the record.

We’re still in the process of listening ourselves, so we haven’t had a chance to fully evaluate the project, but so far we’d say it’s lived up to the hype. Take a listen to one of the early tracks below, and make sure to head to iTunes to grab yourself a FREE copy.

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The Hip-Hop Dojo: April 2015 (Artist Spotlight: Jazz Cartier)

hiphopdogjo

Welcome back to the Hip-Hop Dojo, your premier destination for all the best hip-hop from the past month. We know we’re a little late with this edition, but we promise it was well worth the wait. If you’re unacquainted, or if you need a refresher, the Hip-Hop Dojo is a monthly feature designed to showcase the most exciting up-and-coming talent in the game right now. We accomplish this by splitting it up into three different components: the artist spotlight, our monthly playlist and our mixtape roundup. We’ve got a number of exciting names spread throughout, but we have to say we’re most amped about this month’s spotlight artist, Jazz Cartier.

The Toronto music scene has experienced a sort of renaissance as of late, and although Drake remains the only true household name to emerge from the city, artists like The Weeknd, PartyNextDoor and Tory Lanez make for an exciting cast of stars poised to breakthrough to the next level. From a talent standpoint, Jazz Cartier has already proven himself capable of holding his own amongst those names. Building off of the moody aesthetic that’s become a staple of his hometown, Jazz has been able to forge his own unique sound. The enigmatic emcee possesses the uncanny ability to create songs that are easily accessible to the masses, with a penchant for crafting memorable hooks, yet he has no problem with making tunes that are also deeply personal and complex. All of this becomes apparent as you listen through his recent project, Marauding In Paradise. The fact that the mixtape spent four years in development should tell you all you need to know about Jazz’s unrelenting work ethic and his desire for perfection. We had a chance to get Jazz on the phone to talk about his recent album, his experiences moving around the world and why he believes Drake is his Jay Z.

Read on to find out what Jazz had to say, and afterwards click over to the next page to listen to this month’s playlist.  On our final page you’ll find reviews of our favorite projects to drop during April, as written by ninja Ash.

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Sunday Night Soul [Vol. 50] (W/ Special Guest Mix: starRo)

’starRo – Mini Mix For Sunday Night Soul for The Music Ninja’

Sunday Night Soul is finally turning 50! We know, we can’t believe it either. It took a little longer than we anticipated, but after countless delays and hiatuses, we’re finally here. Words cannot begin to express how blessed we feel to have reached this milestone, so before we begin, we’d like to take a moment to thank all of our loyal followers out there who have patiently stuck with us from day one. At one point it seemed like we’d never reach this landmark, but thanks to you we’ve been able to keep this playlist up and running for 50 Sundays! Regardless of whether you’re a longtime listener or a recent follower, we salute all your support.

We’d also like to give some credit to all the amazing artists out there who have been helping to push this genre forward, because without them we would have no content for you in the first place. Back when we first started this series at the tail end of 2013, we never could have imagined it would expand to the enormous levels that it’s now reached. It’s remarkable to look back and see how many talented singers, songwriters, producers, etc. we’ve discovered since our first entry, and we’re excited to continue to unearth even more hidden gems going forward.

Now, before we get too carried away, we would like to give one last major shout out to our guest for the night, the one and only starRo, for making us one hell of a mix to celebrate this momentous occasion. The Japanese native and Soulection affiliate is just one of many incredible artists we’ve relied upon to provide us quality material throughout our brief history, and we’ve enjoyed watching him grow from the very beginning. If you’re not already, make sure to follow him on SoundCloud to keep up with all of his latest tunes. And speaking of SoundCloud, make sure to check ours after every Sunday to find our playlists after they’ve been published. Enough with the chit chat though; we’re just going to allow you to dive into this doozy of a playlist, because fittingly enough, it might just be one of our largest EVER.

’Niykee Heaton – Bardot’
’Towkio – .Wav Theory’
’LION BABE – Little Dreamer’
’josh pan – Secrets’
’Vada – slow prod. by romby’
’Warren Xclnce & Reiss G – Scale It Back (Ft. Ego Ella May)’
’tama gucci – Feeling You ( produced . CREEP$IDE)’
’Lais – When The Mirror Cracks’
’James Vincent McMorrow – Cavalier (vbnd edit)’
’Alina Baraz & Galimatias – Can I’
’Small Talk – Other Roads (feat. Ava Lake)’
’AQUILO – Better Off Without You’
’TIFA. – Snowflakes’
’Sunni Colón – Water (demo)’
’abraham blue – lets escape remix’
’josh pan – song would’ve been longer if you paid us (prod. howie lee)’
’Frett – Tyro’
’Mark Arkinson – w/ u (ft. BRAVE)’
’OSHUN – Șango’
’A E R I A L – Seriously’
’The Masks – Say Goodbye’
’Endaf. – Waiting ft Laura James’
’Heiress – Waste’
’Rationale – Fast Lane’
’Ravyn Lenae – Blossom Dearie (Prod. By Monte Booker)’
’HXNS – money (feat. ma$ego)’
’froyo ma – window fog’
’LEISURE – Got It Bad’
’PHONY PPL – You Rock My World. (Michael Jackson Cover)’
’LION BABE – Don’t Break My Heart’
’Lianne La Havas – Unstoppable’
’OSHUN – that day’
’Thank You – Kentaro and One T’
’Jon Lewis – Kick It Feat. Kris Kasanova’
’SPZRKT – Honest (Prod. by Sam Baker)’
’Ambré Perkins – 90’s Love’
’Tay Walker – A Good Feeling ft Syd’
’Russ – Your Favorite Rapper (Prod. Russ)’
’Tifa – Shivers Ft. Robsi Mantoura’
’Ta Ku – Love Again feat. JMSN & Sango’
’Her – Quite Like’
’Jimi Charles Moody – Blue Honey’
’Bells Atlas – Bling’
’Jordan Bratton – Prisoner ft. Chance The Rapper’
’Eryn Allen Kane – Have Mercy’
’RVDICAL THE KID. – Dopamine Ft. Maesu’
’SDotBraddy – D.A.B.S’
’Rihanna – James Joint’
’Alexandria – Like Ya Like Freestyle prod. Ethereal’
’Naked Geometry – Shuuggah Ft. Jesse Baez’
’Blanche Eden – You Don’t Love Me Anymore’
’Elhae – A.N.O Prod. by J Louis x DrewsThatDude’
’Mickey Taelor – My Mary Jane ft. Richard Wright ( Dae One Acoustic Remix )’
’Sunni Colón – Fuchsia (demo)’
’Janine and the Mixtape – Lose My Mind’
’Kyan – Whoa’
’CE – Mudra’
’Nick Nikon – Atlantis’
’Duncan Gerow – Next + Evil Needle = Butta Love’
’Freddy Winter – eNERGY’
’Evil Needle – Worry (feat. JMSN)’
’Post Malone – Too Young (Prod. FKi, The MeKanics, And Justin Mosely)’
’Proton – Smile (320 Remix)’
’KeithCharlesSPACEBAR – The Come Down (feat. Indigo Tshai)’
’Miles Glyphers – Out of Time’
’Justine Skye – Bb Major (Prod. By Austin Marc)’
’William Casanova – Selfish Ways (Prod By Kosmik)’
’Janine and the Mixtape – When I’m Broken’
’Deebs & Jarell Perry – Relapse’
’JONES – Indulge (Jam City Alt Mix)’
’KeithCharlesSPACEBAR – All my Luv (feat. ABRA)’
’Deebs & Jarell Perry & Meesha – Giving U’
’Lyves X Synkro – Body Close’
’Jak Lizard – Dark Towers (prod. Krakaur)’
’Appleby…
BITTER BOY Feat. Anthony White (prod. Illyland)’
’Lyrican – High With Me (Prod. By Hayzeus)’
’Gallant – Talking In Your Sleep’
’Justine Skye – A Train’
’NOWHERE – INDICA la ROUX feat. Miloh Smith’
’ALESSIA – HERE’
’MARC. E BASSY – GOOD MONEY’
’Rihanna – BBHMM (FAB & Alo Lee COVER)’
’JAHKOY – Zonin f. Luu’
’Kehlani – The Way feat. Chance the Rapper’
’Elijah Blake – I Just Wanna Feat. Dej Loaf (Prod. by Djemba & CZ)’
’Beldina (ft. Rome Fortune) – Can’t Leave You Alone (remix)’
’MARC. E BASSY – FREE LOVE FT. P LO (TRAPQUEEN 2)’
’Maryann – Lovesick (Prod By Sbvce) #BAEGOD’
’Nick Nikon – Spillin Drinks’
’MARC E. BASSY – SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE’
’Kehlani – Unconditional’
’steelix – hey baby~’
’TEK.LUN – Early 90’s Nostalgia (All That)’
’Kestra – BOY X 4Real’
’Binx. – Can You Stand The Rain’
’valentno. – thinkin bout u (sir crks h
town edit)’
’16 yr old
ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS w/ DIVINE’
’kuma – Panther’
’Duncan Gerow – Drake + Stwo = Trust Issues’
’Omarion – You Like It ( C Y G N Remix )’
’A NIGHT OFF – ( J LOUIS X DREWSTHATDUDE )’
’BASSBEAR!! – _we.dem.boiiiz// (A 420 After Special)’
’M.O – For A Minute (The Good Vibe Dirty Basin Remix)’
’Usher Ft. Chris Brown – All Falls Down (starRo Remix)’
’Rihanna – BBHMM (CLBTS Remix)’
’TeeFLii x Mr. Mitch – 24 Hourz x Feel (Rabit Blend)’
’Jhené Aiko – Comfort Inn Ending (OZZIE 2013 Edit)’
’The Weeknd – Earned It (Kuren Flip)’
’MNEK – White Noise (Baiji Refix)’
’drake – my side (airwav bootleg)’
’Broken. – Everything’
’FIFTY GRAND – WHITE IVERSON REMIX (w/PADILLION)’
’Ellie Goulding – Love me like you do (The Code) Remix’
’Ashanti – RWY (Jaël Remix)’
’Miguel – Don’t Look Back (KMB Remix)’
’Rihanna – Bitch Better Have My Money (starRo Remix)’
’FORTUNE – Know What’s Up w/ Saaj (ft. Tory Lanez)’
’Vbnd – Nobodys Baby’
’El. Train – wantyouback.’
’ROM – inLove?’
’CRIES IN SPANISH – Milk’
’Mar – She’s A Dancer (prod. by Sebastian Carter)’
’RVDICAL THE KID. – Funk With Me Ft. EphRem & aywy’
’C Y G N – Sunset’
’sam gellaitry – paper’
’Jaxon – COLOMBIANA (guff☆ x ELJAY remix)’
’The Children – The Good Dream (Check // Cocique Remix)’
’Janet Jackson – Love Will Never Do (Nude Remix)’
’oriJanus – Fola (OG Sade Flip)’
’James Joint – Rihanna (Kenneth William Remix)’
’captain pizza – In Dis Club’
’Naked Geometry – 5 More Minutes’
’Londy – You’
’AbJo – (you can’t rush your feelings)’
’Jeremih – Planes Remix – Lido & The Social Experiment’
’Since I Lost My Baby – (Lege Kale X KMB)’
’Kan G – Chasing Time’
’Nao – Inhale Exhale’
’CassKidd x Izzy Bizu – Adam & Eve (Remix)’
’Kultur – Éphémère (Ft. Bamiyah)’
’M.O – Aint Got Time (The Good Vibe Choclock Remix)’
’tinashe – 2 on (cresce remix)’
’Cresce – Show Me Summer Ft. Lou Lettow’
’Elhae feat. Tory Lanez – All Away (RCADE Feat. B. Lewis)’
’Kehlani – Til The Morning (Snakehips Remix)’
’Vic Mensa
Down On My Luck( J LOUIS Remix )’
’Memeb – Thousand Words Ft Kaleem Taylor (Original Mix)’
’IAMSU & Rossi – All I Want (MARKAI Remix)’
’Raye – Bet U Wish (Lucian Remix)’
’Kayloo – I’m a Flirt
’Myth Syzer – What About’
’Zacari – Foggy Windows (Prod. By J Louis & NGHTMRE)’
’Lianne La Havas – Unstoppable (Jungle’s Edit)’
’Human? – 2 On’
’Miguel – Good Lovin (DATHAN Flip)’
’KStewart – Keeping You Up (Produced by Shift K3y)’
’MNEK – BELIEVE (CHER REFIX)’
’BRAYTON BOWMAN – BABY ONE MORE TIME (REFIX)’
’OMVR – Hold You Back (Hasta Remix)’
’Usher – Good Kisser (RCADE Remix)’
’Trey Songz – Slow Motion (SevnthWonder Remix)’
’Shift K3Y – Name & Number(Chloe Martini Remix)’
’MISOGI – LAYITDOWN’
’Chahine – Sad Boy’
’Jakubi – Couch Potato (Khamsin Remix)’
’Sunday Candy (GARREN Remix) – Chance The Rapper, Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment’
’Fetty Wap – Trap Queen (Autolaser & Z•WOODS Remix)’
’DOLPHIN TEARS – MISS U’
’Venessa Michaels – Whatcha On ft. Joelle James And Tay Jasper’
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[Future] Fortune & Saaj – Know What’s Up (Feat. Tory Lanez)

FORTUNE
Know What's Up w/ Saaj (ft. Tory Lanez)

Flow-Fi founder Fortune has absolutely astounded us with his uncanny ability to turn just about any song into a bouncy, future bass banger, and has proven himself as a master beat-maker through the release of such projects as Venha Conmigo and Drives & Thighs. If you haven’t hopped on the bandwagon yet, you’re still not too late, but chances are it might feel a little crowded after tonight. For his latest effort, the astute instrumentalist has teamed up with fellow producer Saaj and TMN mainstay Tory Lanez for an elegant new cut titled “Know What’s Up.” The Canadian crooner’s appearance is fleeting, but his vocals serve as a perfect prelude, delicately interlaced amongst a flurry of mellow strings, delightful chimes and lush synths, before leading into some seriously boisterous 808s. Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of this peaceful tune is the fact that Fortune manages to create such an engrossing experience you don’t even notice Lanez’s absence from the second half of the song.

We”re excited to see what else the brilliant producer has hidden up his sleeve. Let’s just hope we hear more collaborations between these three in the future.

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