Modernism might have a white visage but Madlib’s brand of afro-modernism shouldn’t be overlooked. Film director James Cameron once said, “People call me a perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a rightist. I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.” Fans of Madlib – and Dilla – will be familiar…
He wasn’t kidding with the name. I love Christmas. I love hip hop. I love Jonwayne. So when I found out Jonwayne had made an album of Christmas beats, who do you think I reacted? The rap game St Nick has blessed us with his latest gift, Yuletide Bangerz and the title is free of hyperbole. Every song is packed with nostalgic wonder and Jonwayne’s trademark rhythms….
Germany’s Slim the Chemist keeps his jazz beats in order with his Silence EP. I found this in my bookmarks from a while back and thought I’d share it with you. Slim the Chemist is a producer from Düsseldorf in Germany and Silence EP was his first release with Roots of Society Records. I had high hopes when I discovered his origin as Germany isn’t…
James Gardin is the next guest in our new mini interview series. We’re back with another installment in our mini interview series and we’re joined by James Gardin. You may remember our feature on his new video, Joy. Well, he’s kindly answered our 7 questions for your perusal so enjoy! What is your favourite city in the world? I think my favorite city so far…
Imperial is the first guest in our new mini interview series. It’s difficult to find a balance between long form and short form writing. Long form is extensive but takes time to read. Short form is quick to absorb but might not offer as much in comparison. We’ll never cease long form content but we appreciate readers might not have as much time to spend….
The RKZ/Handbook partnership serves up an “Impossible” delight with guest vocalist Sonni Mai. Understated imagery is a beautiful art form. The concept fuelled decades of art in the mid-20th century and minimalism is all the rage today. When RKZ and Handbook weave their musical threads, the finished product is indicative of that style. But with added colour. And that’s what shines through. You listen with your…
Joy’s visuals are enriched with melanin and youthful exuberance, with dancing choreographed by The iDream Dancers. We all know bravado runs through the veins of hip hop and its culture, from the roots underground to the top of the tree. But James Gardin’s accolade, The World’s Most Encouraging Rapper™, conveys regular improvement. It’s also a positive streak he has continued with his latest video for…
Barcelona-based beatmaker Thijsenterprise drops mammoth beat tape, Stepbacks & Setbacks, dedicated to some important people in his life. “Old school hip-hop with soul and jazz samples, dusty breaks and raw chops.” With a description like that, I just had to listen when this dropped in my inbox. Thijsenterprise (real name Reinier Thijs) is a producer from Barcelona and Stepbacks & Setbacks is his latest project. 42…
Today is Madlib’s birthday. Here’s why I love his music and personality so much. In the mid-to-late 00s, I discovered a compilation by Zero 7. It was part of Late Night Tales’ mix series (then called Another Late Night) and it featured a song called Real Eyes by Quasimoto. I found it intriguing for many reasons but it took a few years before I discovered…
Childhood Cassettes looks at the tapes we listened to as young rapscallions. Today’s edition is all about Roberta Flack (and friends). It’s been just over a year since the last edition and today’s follows a similar theme. Most of the music I was exposed to came courtesy of my dad and his car mixtapes. One of them featured Roberta Flack and some extras, but I’ve left…