Best teen rapper doing it right now? Yes. Jinsu is growing in real time as far as his age but he's growing in lightyears as a musician. I remember watching him embarrass grown men in cyphers when he was just 13. Now almost 20, he's been working steadily at making the transition from well known and respected to dominant force in the industry.
This short song and video hit the web today and it's another testament to how creative and understanding Jinsu is as an artist. His ability is well beyond his years.
Adding extra spice to "Insecure" is songbird Victoria Monet. I've never heard her before but I really like what I hear. I'll definitely be checking for her. I'm salty that this is so short. It's goooooood.
Let me switch gears on you for a second here. I'm not sure how to talk about this track without ruining the surprise, so I'm going to keep this as brief and nondescript as possible. "Feet" is not standard Hip-Hop fare. That doesn't really mean anything though. There's a ton of music out there that is labeled Hip-Hop and is not standard and still sucks emphatically. This song does not suck though. Not even close. It's decidedly dope actually. Well, you knew that anyway since I'm telling you about it.
Mathien is a band from Chicago, Neak is an MC from Chicago and this is their second collaborative effort. Mathien front man, Chris Mathien, serves up a hook and verse to juxtapose the traditional rap styling of Neak and it works extremely well. Neak is due to release a solo project in the near future via DJBooth, Earmilk and Prefix Mag. "Feet" will not be featured on the album, titled 'Love Greater // The Prequel.'
The subject of the song is the difference between talkin' about it and bein' about it. We (those of us who would rather be about it) all know that we often have to tune out the never ending yap fests from those who are always saying, "I'm doing this that and the 3rd." yet have nothing little to show for it other than another yap fest about what it is. I rock with this theme in theory and in practice.
Check the audio for yourself and get familiar with the work. I dig it 360. Free stream and download below. Of course, stay tuned to RoxFontaine.com for more great independent music. Trust that I'll let my feet do the talking!
Y'all betta saaaang! *swipes hand in the air* What a way to come back from yesterday's SOPA blackout!
Jaiden "The Cure" has been the industry's best kept secret for at least the last 5 years. I first heard him back in 2007, I think, performing at Chrisette Michele's album release party for her debut 'I Am.' I was amazed at his range and vocal ability. I actually had a video clip of the two singing Erykah Badu's "On and On" on my cell phone for a looooong time. The performance was just that good.
I followed Jaiden's music through his MySpace page for the next year or so (MySpace was still relevant then), but there wasn't much visible movement from the crooner. I don't blame the guy. Who needs fanfare when you're singing in Quincy Jones' living room? Fast forward a few years and he was out on the F.A.M.E. tour with Chris Brown. He dropped a free album titled 'Shades of Gray: The Cure Suite II' in the 3rd quarter of 2011 and is now kicking off this year with a new video.
Jaiden and Yummy Bingham are the perfect compliment to each other. Both artists are young, incredibly gifted singers with jazzed out sensibilities. "Melody" is my kind of love song. It's bright, playful and makes me want to dance. They absolutely slayed this song! So, now I will spend the next 2 days catching up on Jaiden's music. You should too.
Check the video below and slap this in your MP3 player ASAP!
Villa has set his swagray to stun. Back with another freebie featuring his ATLien compadre Brandon Rossi, Niko Villamor is talking that talk. "Status" is an ode to groupies ... male and female. As anyone who has worked or is working from the bottom up knows, people don't care what you're doing until it looks like they can get something from you. Attitudes change around you and then everyone swears that it was you that changed. Oh, status....you instigating harlot!
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." – Martin Luther King Jr.
Talk about a strong concept! Real J. Wallace's 'The JahFather of So(u)l Cal' is one of the dopest, most well thought out and executed concepts for an album I've seen/heard in a long time. Watching the video above will explain it all. I'll reiterate that the album was crafted to compliment the 94 West (MLK) Freeway in San Diego. The album plays to match the length of the artist's frequent drives on the freeway to various events in the heart of the city. Brilliant!
Now, that's cool and all but does the music work? Absolutely! As the album title implies, it's a treasure trove of largely unaffected soul samples backing Real J's super sharp Cali swag lyricism. As "Regular Joe" as Real is, there's nothing regular about his rhyme style and delivery. It's intelligent without being pretentious and playful without being lightweight. I had issue with some of the engineer's mixing choices but this is otherwise a great start for the newcomer.
I had a couple of tracks from this project several months ago and hearing the growth from then to now is awesome. Dude is working! So. Cal (and everywhere else) needs to be on alert. The Jahfather of Soul Cal is coming to a speaker near you.
Check the full stream/download below and remember where you heard it first!
