Jaiden - "Lay You Down"

This one is all grown up and sexy! Y'all might want to add this one to tonight's playlist... nahmsayin'?

Next up on today's V-Day exclusives is "Lay You Down" from sangin' ass Jaiden. We actually heard a preview of this track via his YouTube feed a few weeks ago, but we're now hit with the full production. If you've been trying to make a baby recently, you might mess around and get twins on this joint.

Let the love flow...

Kiah Victoria - "Lover's Anthem"

It's Valentine's Day, one of my absolute favorite holidays, and as expected there are a bunch of new tracks and projects releasing today to join in on the love parade. It is my job to find and showcase the best of the indie group and I am of the mind that I am very good at what I do.

Kiah Victoria kicks off today's posts with "Lover's Anthem." It's a minimalist rhythm based track that really shines with Kiah's silky smooth harmonies. She's masterful at that and it's propelling her into superstardom. As a matter of fact, she's currently vying for an mtvU Woodie Award. Please listen to this track and support her by voting. It's free and you'll score good karma and she's dope as all hell!

Anyway, jump into the track and free download below. Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

XOXO,

Rox

Click Here to Download

Baiyu - "Mourning Hangover"

At this point, Baiyu is just not playing fair. This 2nd release in her 2013 series of monthly releases called "Mourning Hangover" is SO EFFIN' FLY! I happened to be up last night when the track hit YouTube and I was swept off of my feet at first listen. Her work with producer KQuick is always epic.

February is here which means we can expect a LOT of songs about love and relationships as everyone gears up for Valentine's Day. Many of them will stink. (You won't hear about those from me.) Some of them will be really good. Others still are this level of dope.

One of the greatest elements of Baiyu's songwriting is her mastery of metaphors. In style and approach, "Mourning Hangover" reminds me of "Mind Freak" from her latest album 'Hunter.' Brilliant writing that marries two separate themes with wordplay.

She's got another hit on her hands with this one! Check it out....

Royce Castro - 'The Gil Cobain Hendrix Xperience'

There are scores of rappers out there vying for a visible space in the corner of the music industry reserved for Rap. There are all sorts of gimmicks and copycats out there so it's always a breath of fresh air to hear someone aspiring to true artistry.

Royce Castro is one such ambitious MC. I happen to know that this project was carefully thought out and crafted for long standing impact. I'm sure that sounds cliche but I can assure you that Royce Castro is the real deal.

The title alone is very lofty and can easily work against an artist. Even the mention of such giants can lead a listener to a heightened expectation and subsequent hard let down. This is not the case with 'The Gil Cobain Hendrix Xperience.' Royce has an extremely passionate project on his hands that is the beginning of a truly unique style. For two prime examples, look to the Tucker Brothers produced "Built 4 Something Special" and "Blues Hip-Hop Rock & Roll." This EP is very fine introduction to the work of a true artist.

Check the stream and free-if-you-insist download below...

SK - "No Sympathy" Music Video

This is what you call Philly Raw! Proof that all rappers from Philly are NOT the same. SK is new to my radar but makes his presence known in a big way with "No Sympathy" the title track from his most recent project in collaboration with producer Wes Manchild.

'No Sympathy' the EP dropped in late August last year but the video is fresh cut. Director Artiphacts serves up a clean visual in stark contrast to the grime and grit of SK's delivery. The title is absolutely fitting as there is clearly no sympathy for euro-pop-crossover rappers. This is modern music with classic edge. An important distinction.

Check out the video below and hop over to the full EP afterwards.

Download the No Sympathy EP

RoxFontaine.com is...

Thank you so very much to all of you who appreciate what I do here enough to have voted for me in the 2012 Black Weblog Awards! Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I absolutely could not have done this without you.

I almost skipped this years awards but thanks to the encouragement of a great friend, I decided to do it anyway. Here I am now, writing a thank you as the BEST music blog of 2012! That feels awesome.

I set a goal. I acted on it. I achieved.

I'm excited for the next steps of this journey. Two years ago, nobody had ever heard of this blog. Then, in 2011 I had 4 nominations and 0 wins. This year 3 nominations*, 1 win and 1 runner-up**. Not too shabby. It's definitely a step in the right direction and great encouragement to reach for bigger goals.

Again, thank you all for tuning in to RoxFontaine.com. Hip-Hop's Prospective Perspective.

* 2 categories from 2011 were folded into 1 for 2012.
** There were only two finalists in Best Photography in a Blog.

Lira is Coming To America

"She's your queeeeeeen toooohooooo beeeeeee...."

South African superstar Lira has hooked up with OkayPlayer and is bringing her soulful sound to the United States. She'll be on a brief tour this month from the 24th - 29th. To mark the occasion, OkayPlayer released this live recording of "Rise Again" for free download. The singer will be releasing a self-titled EP on the 26th, which is also the same day that she will be performing at S.O.B.'s in New York. I will definitely be in the building for this show as this woman's music is awesome. Click the link above to download and enjoy!

R. Notes feat. Brook Penning - "Leave It All Behind 2"

R. Notes is an up and coming singer/songwriter from Brooklyn, NY.  He teamed up with songstress Brook Penning on this newly released single and it is sure to please R&B fans.  With great production from Dot Silly, both young artists prove they have genuine chops and are serious about their craft. 

Add this to your playlists immediately!  This is feel good music for those who know what it's like to have trouble letting go of someone.

CLICK TO LISTEN

M.I.A. feat. Jay-Z - "XXXO" (Remix)

M.I.A. is steadily building the anticipation for the release of her next full length album.  She brought out Jay-Z for the remix to her latest song from the new album to hit the public.  The track is, of course, signature M.I.A. and Jay's verse doesn't really add to the track but certainly doesn't take away either.  Click below to listen.  

Madison - "Can We Go Back" Free Download & Contest!

We took this song out of Madison's archive to bring you a little something different before the mixtape release.  It's a free download so click the link below to listen and save.  This is the ONLY time this track will be released.

We are also running a twitter event in conjunction with this release.  Hop over to twitter and follow @therealmadison and tweet under the trending topic #canwegoback and you'll automatically be entered to win a limited edition Nintendo DS Lite! The contest will run through until Sunday, March 14th, at 10 pm.  A random verified entrant will be chosen on Sunday night and announced on twitter.  Tell a friend to tell a friend!

You can win!

Message from Madison:
Originally, "Can We Go Back" was supposed to be a poem. It was the first time that I had ever tried writing poetry and it came out way better than I expected. Then I came across the instrumental (produced by Dr. Dre) and just couldn't resist it. As soon as I heard it, I knew that those (CWGB) lyrics would fit perfectly. Every now and then I catch myself thinking about the "good ol' days". The times when the biggest care in the world was getting home in time to catch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or who had control over the first controller when playing videos games. I know at one point in time, we have all wished we could go back and relive those moments. So I tried my best to recapture a lot of the things I remember from my childhood, jotting them down on paper, and laying it down on wax to create my own little audio time capsule. People from my (era) and maybe even some people before me can take a trip back and remember the good times, and those who come after me can get a glimpse of what life was like growing up for me. - Madison (@therealmadison)

Madison - "Can We Go Back" Free Download

Also follow @RoxFontaine

Marsha Abrosius Mixtape

Floetry was a breath of fresh air when they first hit the scene in 2002 with "Floetic".  I remember seeing them live in NJ with India.Arie and being completely floored at how good a live singer Marsha is.  The album really did her NO justice whatsoever.  She's truly a phenomenal singer.

To give her fans a bit of appeasement until the release of her solo album, "Late Nights and Early Mornings" she released this "mixtape".  Click the link below to download.  There is no title or cover.

Marsha Ambrosius Mixtape Download

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Let Me Go
3. Put It On Repeat  Ft. Angelique
4. She Don’t Matter
5. This Love Ft. Glenn Lewis
6. Storm
7. Glass
8. Take Care

Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi - "Tightrope"

I love this girl to death!  We're finally treated to a new song from her forthcoming ArchAndroid album.  No exact date for the album release yet but if you haven't heard Janelle before, definitely check out "Many Moons"  from 'Metropolis: The Chase Suite'.