Despite not releasing a solo album since 2010, with Album of The Year, producer/emcee Black Milk has stayed busy.  Last year alone, he released two highly anticipated collaborative projects: Black & Brown, featuring fellow Detroitian Danny Brown, as well as releasing, Random Axe’s self-titled debut a collaborative effort between himself and emcees Sean Price and Guilty Simpson.

Now, this year Black Milk is set to release a new instrumental project in the spring titled, The Practice, as part of a new series called, “Fuzz, Fregs, and Colors.”  He also continues work on his upcoming soul project Searching for Sanity, with vocalist Melanie Rutherford (I’m so anxious for this project, I love Melanie) as well as the anticipated full-length follow up to Album of The Year.  To possibly build momentum for all of the endeavors that he has coming out this year, Milk is headlining his 25-date “Claps & Slaps Tour,” which will begin this February and ends the end of March.

If his Album of The Year, tour is any indication of what we can expect with this tour—you definitely, will not want to miss it.  The 25-date national tour launches in Providence, Rhode Island on February 25^th, and will continue throughout the month of March, touching New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.  Joining Milk on the road will be opening artists such as Seattle bred emcee J.Pinder, and Dallas based duo A.Dd+.  J.Pinder is one of the new school of hip-hop ambassadors for his hometown of Seattle, having gained critical notoriety with his mixtape Backpack Wax, with veteran Seattle producer/DJ Vitamin D, and his own EP Code Red.  The Dallas Observer called A.Dd+’s album When Pigs Fly, “The Best Hip-Hop Album Dallas Has Ever Released,” and it headed the list of Pitchfork’s “Most Underrated Rap Releases,” of 2011.  The duo is currently working on their follow up with production from S1 (Strange Fruit Project, one of my favorite groups hands down), Black Milk and their in-house producer Picnic Tyme.

Check the date below for more information.
Saturday, February 25 – Providence, RI – Fete
Monday, February 27 – Boston, MA - Middle East
Tuesday, Feburary 28 – Philadelphia, PA - Silk City
Wednesday, February 29 – New York, NY - Knitting Factory
Thursday, March 1 – Pittsburgh, PA - Shadow Lounge
Friday, March 2 – Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
Saturday, March 3 – Kalamazoo, MI - The Strutt
Tuesday, March 6 – Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
Thursday, March 8 – Toronto – Great Hall
Friday, March 9- Chicago - Subterreanean
Saturday, March 10 – Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
Sunday, March 11 – St. Louis - Gramaphone
Monday, March 12 – Nashville – TBD
Friday, March 16 – San Diego – House of Blues
Saturday, March 17 – Scottsdale, AZ - Chaser’s
Sunday, March 18 – Los Angeles - The Roxy
Tuesday, March 20 – Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones
Wednesday, March 21 – Fresno, CA - Fulton 55
Thursday, March 22 – San Francisco - 330 Ritch
Friday, March 23 – Portland, OR – Crown Room
Saturday, March 24 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club
Sunday, March 25 – Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
Wednesday, March 28 – Minneapolis MN - 7th Street Entry
Thursday, March 29 – Iowa City - Mission Creek Festival
Friday, March 30th – Toledo OH - Frankie’s Underground

This tour will be sponsored by Flud Watches and Fusicology.

I was definitely trying to download this mixtape the other day, and it didn’t work until now, anyway, here is a new interview from Ms. Ashley Outrageous with Chris Cab.  In the interview, they spoke about his new mixtape, Echo Boom, and how the sound differentiates from his first release Foreword.  They also spoke about what genre he would classify his sound as, his thoughts on how the internet has helped his career, working with Wyclef and the Most Outrageous thing that’s happened to him.

If you still have not yet, make sure to download Chris Cab’s new project, Echo Boom, hereavailable for free download.

YAY! After a few leaks from the project, and his work with different artists, here’s the new album from Las Vegas bred emcee  Marion Write in the form of, Illustrated Example.  The 16-track compilation includes unorthodox arrangements used as the backdrop for Write’s knack for storytelling.

Finally!  I bring to you my new album.  After giving you all solid projects since 2009, I give you “Illustrated Example”, my first album. Illustrated Example holds 16 original compositions with unorthodox arrangements layered with Write’s forte in story-telling. “I finally decided to get personal on these records, there’s a song that elaborates on every emotion that we all have experienced.” he explains. Write attempts to capture his audience by simple yet catchy rhyme schemes blended with instrumentals that could tell his stories without words. “Nothing is missing, or over cluttered. Song content per song is covered, music and beats have variety. This cd has worldwide appeal.” says executive producer L. Sylvers III. IE, sets the bar for a lot of albums being produced out of Las Vegas.

The horns on this track are crazy!!!!! This is a new leak off of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble’s new EP.  If you are unfamiliar with who exactly Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is, you definitely need to upgrade your life, but here, I’ll help you out.

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (HBE) is composed of eight brothers from the south side of Chicago. They come from an extraordinary musical family. Other sisters and brothers are professional musicians; their mothers are singers, and Philip Cohran, their esteemed father. By the time the members of the HBE were growing up, Phil’s work as a musical activist and educator led to the establishment of a space called the Sun Ark in a warehouse behind the family home above a furniture shop. At nightfall when they went to bed, the children would hear their father rehearsing with his band the Circle Of Sound. They were wakened at 6 a.m. for several hours of music practice before going to school. From an early age they were a central part of their father’s Youth Ensemble. By the end of the nineties, with everyone out of school, they brought together their musicianship, their jazz roots and their hip hop sensibility, and made a living busking on the streets of Chicago. They came up with their name after an incident on the El: playing on the platform, a man in a suit watched them for hours, missing train after train, till in the end he approached them and said, “You guys just hypnotized me.”

Kelan Phil Cohran was born in Oxford, Mississippi on May 8, 1927. He is a jazz musician, musicologist, composer, instrument designer, holistic health advocate, and community activist. He is known most for his Affro-Arts Theater, Artistic Heritage Ensemble, trumpet contributions in the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago (1959-1961), and as one of the cofounders of the AACM. Cohran (pronounced “co-RAHN”), was born in 1927 and grew up outside of Oxford, Mississippi in an area known to this day as “Coontown.” The family moved to St. Louis when he was about ten. In 1958 Cohran joined Sun Ra’s Arkestra in Chicago and became a lifelong devotee of the charismatic, eccentric bandleader who was either from Birmingham or Saturn, depending on who you asked. Cohran played cornet on some of the Arkestra’s greatest records, including Interstellar Low Ways and Fate in a Pleasant Mood, and became so entangled in Sun Ra’s strict regimen of practice, performance, and inculcation with esoteric ideas that he lost his wife and job. Cohran decided to stay in Chicago when the band moved to New York in 1961.

In 2008, Adrian Younge, founder of The Venice Dawn, would find himself at the center of the Black Dynamite zeitgeist. Instrumental in the film’s development, Younge not only edited the film, but also composed the original score, which was hailed as a modern blaxploitation masterpiece for authentically capturing the cinematic soul of the 1970’s, from Isaac Hayes to Curtis Mayfield. Adrian Younge solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with and soon went to work writing music for the forthcoming Black Dynamite cartoon series on Adult Swim. The new LP, titled Something About April, is a heavy, dark mix of psychedelic soul and cinematic instrumentals with hip-hop aesthetics, touching on influences from Morricone to Otis Redding. Younge is currently writing and recording material for his next project, a Delfonics album with William Hart, founding singer of the legendary soul group.

William Hart, among the first purveyors of the smooth, orchestral sound that would come to typify Philadelphia soul, The Delfonics established themselves as one of the quintessential soul groups of the late 60’s and 70’s and created some of the most notable songs of that era. Formed in the early 1960’s in Philly by brothers William “Poogie” and Wilbert Hart and schoolmate Randy Cain, the Delfonics established a reputation as a solid young vocal group and William Hart as a fine young songwriter. They hit both the Pop and Soul top five in 1968 with the Bell/William Hart composition “La La Means I Love You,” a now-classic soul ballad highlighted by Hart’s plaintive falsetto lead. More hits followed over the next few years, including the memorable “Ready Or Not Here I Come,” “You Got Yours And I’ll Get Mine” and their other top ten Pop hit, “Didn’t (I Blow Your Mind This Time),” which won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.

Turning heads throughout the industry, DJ Spinna’s sonics soon infiltrated numerous genres. Tapped by everyone from George Michael to Mary J. Blige to Motown Records (for his brilliant Michael Jackson homage to “We’re Almost There”). It’s here his production presence would flourish greatly, as Spinna would go on to revive and revise Soulful marvels like Donald Byrd, Eddie Kendricks, Betty Carter, Roy Ayers and Al Jarreau. Visit New York City any given month and find a number of Spinna themed throw-downs in the city’s esteemed venues – each as memorable as the last.

As one the most important tastemakers Europe has to offer, and affiliated with labels Brownswood, Blue Note, !K7 Records and Jazzy Sport, this bearded early riser is consistently a couple steps ahead of your average early adopter. As a leading dj on Belgium’s foremost national radio station Studio Brussel he’s received compliments from Rough Trade Shops and Gilles Peterson. His passion for jazz resulted in a remix album for Blue Note which was well received by the community. Lefto is forever moving forward but always has an ear in the past. Famed for his gloriously eclectic DJ sets, he switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, neck-snapping beats, future bass, South-American influences, bruk riddims and some wild African rhythms. He’s not only a deejay and producer but also curates his own stage at the Dour Festival and his own nights in Gent in collaboration with Democrazy.

Also, if you live in the Los Angeles area make sure to attend EVFA and ArtDontSleep presents, “Homage,” Thursday February 23rd at 8PM.  Hypnotic Brass Ensemble will be performing live along with Phil Cohran and opening acts.  Venice Dawn and William Hart of The Delfonics, as well as DJs DJ Spinna, Lefto, Anthony Valdez, Expo, Seano & Rani D.  The show will be at Exchange LA located at 618S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, Ca 90014, and tickets are $25 pre-sale, and $30 at the door (purchase here).  If you are interested in getting bottle/table service, make sure to email: ella@exchangela.com

If you’re living in the San Francisco, this is definitely an event you do not want to miss– Saul Williams live.  This is an event that essentially, has been marked on my calendar since I found out about it in November of last year.  I LOVE HIM.  The show is Saturday March 10th, at 9PM at San Francisco’s Slim’s located at 333 11th Street.  Tickets are $20, and if you check online, you can purchase tickets here.

The San Francisco Bay Area is bringing out some pretty cool music that is more than just the typical hip-hop music.  The region is actually producing some beautiful soul music, making me overly excited to be from the region and seeing the progression of artist, and her is one example, Maya Songbird.  The singer just released her debut album, 80/90 which is a mix of Muhsinah, The Weeknd, and Sam Sparro– odd comparison, but listen for yourself.

The best artists are the ones that make their own genre of music and Maya Songbird definitely falls into this category.  Maya Songbird’s unique melodies can be described as electro-dance with some soulful, funk elements and leaves you cool, relaxed and ready for romance.

Maya Songbird was born in the historic Castro district of San Francisco where she was raised by her mother who was also a singer.  Growing up in the Castro was the inspiration for her next album “Castro Kid” which will be released later this month.  When performing, Maya exudes an innocent confidence that draws her audience in.

Her single, “Laugh Out Loud,” reveals Maya’s joyful heart and alludes to the wisdom that she has gotten from past relationships and life experiences.

“I just want to make music that makes you happy. I am like the little bird that comes to your window and sings to you and brightens your day!”

If you live in The Bay Area, make sure to check out Maya Songbird live at Coitus at 50 Mason SF tomorrow night, as well as opening for Estelle at New Parish February 10th.  Lastly, make sure to download her debut 80/90 here.

Note: I love “Broke? Dance.”

Last year, Mello Music Group had a pretty impressive year with the releases on the label: Rock Creek Park from Oddisee, Daily Bread’s self-titled debut, DTMD’s Makin Dollas, yU’s The Earn, and Has-Lo’s Conversation B just to name a few.  Now, starting off the year correct here is the new track from Sean Born’s upcoming album, Behind The Scale which will be released Valentine’s Day. “Bullshit,” features emcee Hassaan Mackey and production from Kev Brown and showcases the tone for what listeners can expect from the rest of the album featuring a crackling piano loop sample and street stories.

Behind The Scale brings back the gritty 90′s sound, mostly produced by Kev Brown and features Oddisee, Kaimbr Toine (DTMD), Hassaan Mackey (Daily Bread), Quartermaine (Diamond District) and more.  ITunes has already put up a preview link of all the tracks on the album that you can listen to here, but don’t just listen– pre-order the album.

Artist: Eric G
Album: Stars & Lights
Release Date: December 20th, 2011
Tags: Seattle, Hip-hop, New Age, Jamla

Producer 9th Wonder has created a pretty impressive roster with his Jamla label shown with artists like: Rapsody, Big Remo, The Away Team, Heather Victoria and etc.  Added to that list is producer Eric G who is apart of what Jamla calls “The Soul Commission.”

I will admit, I was pretty late on him however, my motto throughout life is better late than never.  Here is Eric G’s new project, Stars & Lights, and it’s a pretty great project, every track is a progression of the next, and the way he blends the hip-hop elements, and r&b elements, and etc, with this new age, almost cosmic-like vibe is pretty cool.

The opening track on the project is actually the title track from the album, and it sets the tone perfectly for what listeners will hear throughout the rest of the album.  “Orbit,” is a hip-hop infused track, which begins the trend of sorts of hip-hop infused tracks that will come with the rest of the album.  This track gives light to perhaps two of my favorite tracks on the album, “Rome,” and “Deep.”

“Sunlight,” includes a faint vocal sample and the beat is crazy, and perhaps the most R&B inspired track on the project, while “Breathe,” is just a beautiful track– nice strings throughout the whole song.  “High (We Can Fly)”  The last track on the album is the heartfelt, “Heart,” which is just a beautiful closing.

I realize I rambled through my thoughts some, however, make sure you look at the video above from TriniLifeMusic, he definitely summarized the high points of the album very well.  This is just a great project, and worth the $5.50.  Support good music. Purchase Eric G’s Stars & Lights, here. 

After a five week hiatus, ThroatChopU of The Mad Bloggers is back with episode 96 of his Hip-Hop Breakfast featuring some pretty dope tracks, notably, the original version of “Stay Schemin,” from Rick Ross & Drake, that my husband Common made to diss Drake today (reference here).

With just about a five week hiatus, Hip-Hop Breakfast is back to jump start the week. With a gang of solid music released between the last episode and now, Ep 96 finds a nice mix of material from the likes of Jean Grae, Common, Soul Khan, my rap guilty pleasure Rick Ross, Elle Maxwell and more. Mellow in the beginning, hyped by the end, HHB is back. Enjoy. Chea!

Tracklist:
1. L.A- A Place
2. Jean Grae-U&Me&EveryoneWeKnow
3. Soul Khan- I Should Die Today
4. Common- Lovin’ I Lost
5. Elle Maxwell ft. Cliff Lewis- Only Wanna Give It To You
6. Rapper Big Pooh ft. Donny Goines & Raven Sorvino- Don’t Say Goodbye
7. Rick Ross ft. Drake- Stay Schemin
8. Action Bronson & Statik Selektah- Bon Voyage

Download Podcast here.

For Single’s Awareness Day, I will be here for sure, even without a date.  I’ve just got to swoon to Lenny Kravitz in the flesh, and I have also got to hear Instant Vintage live too, and “Just Don’t,” by Mr. Saadiq– you know he’s from Oakland right?  The city that New York Times just named #5 place to visit in 2012– read about it here, and a response, courtesy 38th Notes one of my favorite, well written blogs.

Nonetheless, if you are interested in attending the show, here’s the details you need to know: The show is on Valentine’s Day, and begins at 8PM at Oakland’s Fox Theater.  Ticket price: $45.00 – $52.50, and you can purchase your tickets here.