Happy Born Day, Godlee Barnes! (Playlist)

For me, Blu has been one of the most important artists to touch a mic post-2000. And, to be honest, in the history of hip-hop. Below The Heavens impacted in me such a way that it's indescribable, although I've tried numerous times over the years. The advance copy hit my doorstep (courtesy of J.Kim) and I was absolutely stuck. I go back to it constantly, which also proves its timeless nature. I'm not blind to the stretch-marks in his catalog or some of his unusual remarks... what I'm simply saying is that - on the mic - he's transparent, thought-provoking and an overall exceptional MC. He's also one of the most prolific guest MCs, delivering solid verses that need playlists (and his mixtape series) to help put them all in one place. In honor of his Born Day today, below is just a handful of my favorite verses/tracks from Blu's exceptional catalog. I hope you appreciate the man's music as much as I have, and give the man his flowers while he can smell them...

El Michels Affair "Yeti Season" (Album Stream)

Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we've come to expect from EMA’s patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time—with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season. It's a heavy album—as evidenced by the signature musicianship and dramatic vocal expressions. But it's also a hopeful record, with phrasings, textures, and chord changes that hint at something better—or fuller—coming our way. It was a tough and troublesome time. But look at what has come of it: Yeti Season—a record of high and heavy drama, but also one of hope and promise. "It may take a year like 2020 behind us to find hope in a winter big footed creature like a Yeti, but that's where we are," says El Michels Affair...

Kurious "Built To Last" (Mix)

Back with another mix from France's Built To Last radio show, this time paying tribute to Kurious Jorge. The Puerto Rican and Cuban MC released a gem of an album in 1994 entitled A Constipated Monkey. Signed to Columbia Records via Pete Nice and Bobbito's Hoppoh Records imprint, the album is celebrated by underground heads and influenced many artists that came after him. Since the passing of MF Doom, I have noticed a lot more love being shown to Kurious - which is great - as he appeared on 1999's Operation Doomsday. On the label at the same time as Nas was set to drop his debut opus, Illmatic, and The Fugees were touring for Blunted On Reality, maybe Kurious didn't garner that same level of stardom, but no doubt his debut album was an impactful record stylistically, certainly to me. Good peoples, too! Props to Corrado and the whole Built to Last crew for this tribute, dig into the mix and hit the archives below for a lot more of their dope tributes...

Take It Personal Podcast "A Tribute to Mafioso Rap"

The Take It Personal podcast is back with another gem! On Episode 83, the crew pays tribute to "Mafioso" rap. Incorporating some of their favorite Sopranos scenes throughout the show, they uniquely pay respects to the lost and limited art of "true" mafioso rap. There is only one Godfather and that is Kool G. Rap, so, naturally Episode 83 is laced with plenty of his best mafia influenced tracks, but they also show love to the mid-90s where lyricists like AZ, Jay-Z, Nas, Big Pun, Fat Joe, The Lox, Biggie and Raekwon did the sub-genre the best. Plus, the crew joins Johnny Calzone in a wiseguy version of name that tune. "Crack open a bottle of red, razor slice your garlic, grab some gabagool and remember, leave the guns, take the cannoli's," they say. Sold... Enjoy the show below!

The Foundation "Large Professor Tribute" (Mix)

The Foundation, a musical journey into the origins of some of our most powerful and popular music today, is designed to educate the listener on the jazz, funk, soul, and disco artists mostly from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, whose voices and instruments were sampled directly to help make some of the most creative hip-hop beats ever heard. For this episode, they pay tribute to the legendary Xtra P, Large Professor. In the mix, you'll hear all Xtra P production, rhymes, remixes and original samples. As they say, "listen to some Queens soundscapes as we pay respect to a legend!" Dig into it below...

Crimeapple "YDFWC?" (Album Stream)

New Jersey's Crimeapple is back yet again with his latest 11-track offering, YDFWC?. The LP features one guest appearance from Primo Profit, as well as production from Buck Dudley, Sebb Bash, HouseShoes, Michaelangelo, Brown13 and ANIMOSS. Pitchfork shares, "Born to Colombian parents and raised in northern New Jersey, Crimeapple finds himself, like many Latinos, between worlds. He made a bilingual rap record in Medellín with DJ Muggs (Medallo) but is still seen as an outsider in the country of his birth. Crime knows he’s a gringo (“I’m not Latino enough for Telemundo,” he raps on “Carrington Event”) but still spits in Spanglish. He remains independent—with a distribution deal through the Orchard—and generally seems unconcerned with breaking into the overground, let alone the mainstream. The man just raps really well, and somehow, that’s enough." Yes, it's more than enough for me! Listen to Crimeapple's new LP YDFWC? below and cop the vinyl...

What Had Happened Was "Company Flow Part 2" (Podcast)

On this episode of What Had Happened Was (Season 2), El-P breaks down Company Flow's classic underground album, the Funcrusher Plus LP. He discusses the origins of his unique approach to production and the changes between the EP version and the final commercial release; the alchemy of "The Fire in Which You Burn," and the disagreements that eventually led to the dissolution of the group. Yup, follow these great stories and settle in for another dope episode of the podcast below...

Rest In Peace, Earl "DMX" Simmons!

DMX, a rapper known as much for his troubles as his music, has died, his family announced in a statement. He was 50. "We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days," family's statement read in part. "Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end," the family continued. "He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him." The artist had been hospitalized since last week when he suffered a heart attack at his home in New York, according to his longtime attorney, Murray Richman. - CNN. I've kept my thoughts in a draft waiting to find the right words, but they never came... Fortunately, the homie Big Ghost once again put to words what I couldn't... "Fame is a funny thing... By not really knowing the people who we become fans of n start to admire n sometimes idolize...we start to form our own ideas, opinions, perceptions, n misconceptions about em. I mean...the people in our actual daily lives can be hard to figure out... You probably got friends n family members that you think you KNOW...but does that really always mean you know em LIKE THAT? You got superheroes in comics who got secret identities... We see em without the masks or costumes. We see both sides of the em. We see the shit they think about in the little speech bubble clouds n whatever. We even get origin stories. So now we can guess every move they make next? Nah.. people are complicated. Even fictional ones. But real people... thats real complexity. When you add celebrity n (super)stardom to the mix...you get fed a public persona, stories, tabloid rumors, sanitized PR spins, straight up lies etc etc. As far as DMX...he lived his life in the public eye. He was open about a lot of it. We saw the rawness...the flaws...the tragedies...the wins...the glory... But did we know him? Did anybody? I really wanted to shift the focus from his troubles to the triumphs...to the happier moments of his public life. To the acts of kindness he displayed. To the love he showed others. Countless times. But access to social media makes that kinda hard to do. For every word of praise you see for DMX you can find at least two words from mfs who want it to be known that he was NOT in fact a perfect saint... That he was a drug addict or always going to jail for some shit he didnt need to really be going to jail for...that he invested money unwisely...that he had mad children by different women...that you should save your prayers for somebody who more worthy of your concern. But damn. What is prayer for if it aint for sinners? Is that not the idea? If we only ever grieved for the faultless there would be nobody to mourn in this world. Get it right tho.. DMX wasnt perfect. He was great. One love Earl." It hurts to say... R.I.P., DMX. Photos: Jonathan Mannion.