Fresh Out The Box – Episode #13 (12/15/2011)
 
Tracklist:
1. Main Attrakionz & Shady Blaze (Green Ova) – Change (Prod. by Friendzone)
2. Main Attrakionz – Suffocation (Feat. Danny Brown)
3. Schoolboy Q – Niggahs Already Know
4. Nesby Phips – Goodbye 2 Da Lockout
5. Action Bronson – White Silk
6. Shaz IllYork – Tango With The Cash (Feat. Maffew Ragazino)
7. Indy 500 – Red Carpet
8. Willie The Kid – #TheFood
9. Jaylib – Strapped Four-4 Mix (Feat. Guilty Simpson)
10. KA – Iron Works
11. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – The Big Fat Kill
12. Danny Brown – Monopoly (Prod. by Quelle Chris)
13. El-P – Purple Metal
14. G-Side – No U In Us
15. Boldy James – I Sold Dope All My Life
16. Denmark Vessey – Green Party Swishercrat (Feat. Quelle Chris)
17. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – The Gold Watch
18. Roc C – Starchild (Prod. by The Alchemist)
19. Giggs – Man A Dead
20. Peedi Crakk – N.P. Rebel
21. El-P – Rush Over Bklyn
 
ENJOY.
 
www.purpletapepedigree.com
www.bboxradio.com/shows/music/item/18-fresh-out-the-box
twitter.com/purpicide

Shame on me for missing this news when it first popped up in August. This cultiest of all cult documentaries/essential piece of NY history has languished in obscurity for far too long, being available only via fuzzy bootlegs and grainy youtube vids (the ultrarare official VHS version now goes for $100+). This fall it’s finally being re-released, restored and refurbished with all sorts of bonus features and added materials. Judging by the DVD trailer above the image quality seems as good as it can possibly be. No exact release date yet, but if it actually comes out it will be one of the year’s more essential DVD offerings. Cover art and official press release below the jump.

via Five Day Weekend

Five Day Weekend and Traffic Entertainment are proud to announce the upcoming DVD release of 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s, director Gary Weis‘ 1979 documentary about the South Bronx and its gang culture. The previously unavailable film will be released in the Fall of 2010, the first time it has been offered to the public in decades, and will be accompanied by a handful of exciting bonus features.

Director Gary Weis was still working as a short film creator for Saturday Night Live when he came up with the idea for80 Blocks after reading a Jon Bradshaw article, “Savage Skulls.” Published in a 1977 issue of Esquire Magazine, the piece centered on two gangs based in the South Bronx at the time — the Savage Nomads and theSavage Skulls. Weis became infatuated with the story and, soon after striking up a dialogue with Bradshaw, he convinced SNL producer Lorne Michaels to help him produce the film. Just two years later, in 1979, Weis and Bradshaw brought a camera crew to speak with members of both gangs, along with police officers, community activists, and civilians.

Despite its role as an important and unflinching portrait of a profoundly interesting time in New York’s cultural history, 80 Blocks was, for many years, impossible to find, only briefly available as an educational VHS release in 1985. In the years since its initial release, the documentary has gained an overwhelming cult status. With little to no news coverage over the decades since its release dedicated fans continued to buzz about the film. That buzz grewexponentially via the internet, which provided fans a common platform to fondly look back not only the at documentary itself, but the era that it captured so vividly.

The cries of many have been heard. For the first time in 25 years, the soon-to-be-released DVD will be accessible by the public, and will include interviews with producer/filmmaker Weis and director of photography Joan Churchill, as well as a 40 page book comprised of the original “Savage Skulls” article, an essay by David Hollander, and artwork by Julian Allen. All of this is, of course, to accompany both full and widescreen versions of the film that started it all.

After recently beating out an attempted murder charge, Rock a.k.a The Rockness Monstah of Heltah Skeltah is back with his latest Mix CD project Rockin Out West, available September 7th, 2010 for physical CD release only. The album is an ode to Rock’s time spent out on the West Coast in Los Angeles with guest features from Kurupt, Ras Kass, Nate Dogg, and more.

“Rockin Out West is my latest gem” says Rock. “Most diamonds are rocks that form under high-pressure high-temperature conditions but at the end you get something beautiful, something special, a gem. That’s all a metaphor for the case I faced over the past two and a half years. The case and the pressure I was under created the climate that gave me the fuel and the fire to do this project. It happened on accident, but then again I don’t really believe in accidents.”

With Rock’s powerful voice and hard hitting rhymes over classic West Coast hits, Rock is confident in the release, elaborating “To all of my fans and supporters, old and new, this gem is my gift to you! Rock on!”

Rock will be releasing several music videos from the forthcoming Mix CD, in the meantime fans can listen to the latest leak off Rockin Out West, “Rockridah” as Rock’s distinctive sound flows over 2Pac’s classic “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” here: “Rockridah” SoundCloud Link: http://bit.ly/bHqu0S

Rock of Heltah Skeltah “Rockridah” by duckdown

Rockin Out West Official Track Listing:
1- Suge Intro
2- West Coast Rockin
3- Da Ness Episode
4- Watch Out
5- Gangsta Boogie
6- Meet n Greet feat. Kurupt
7- Underground
8- Puffin n Drankin
9- Da Shitsong
10- Still Rockin
11- Rockridah
12- Who Wanna Rock
13- WestCoastBlah
14- CantBrag, CantComplain
15- Tha Villest
16- Not Goin Out feat. Ras Kass
17- Big Heaters
18- Rocko feat. Po-Rilla
19- MostWanned
20- Respect Da G-Code feat. Rockredd, Boblakk, Rudyrockwell
21- Walk Like a G feat. Nate Dogg
22- Murdererer
23- Help Me
24- Da Dirtiest
25- Warning
26- Brite Lites Big Cities
27- Paid Niggas feat. Munchdawg, Pressha Dinero
28- Temp Murda

If this is anything like “Fire” or “Doin It Again” I’m buying two copies. – Philaflava

New York (June 24, 2010) – Musical powerhouses John Legend & The Roots are presenting fans with a fiery new offering, Wake Up! The upcoming CD, being released by Sony Music on September 21, 2010, will feature soulful music from the 60’s and 70’s all with an underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness— effectively telling listeners to Wake Up!

After being inspired by the recent historical Presidential election campaign of 2008, the R&B singer Legend and hip-hop band The Roots felt a need to enter the action. What started as plans for a single quickly developed into a passionate album representing change, hope and activism— not only referencing one particular moment in time, but on a larger scale, holding true no matter what the political climate may be.

The resulting album features eleven profoundly evocative songs infused with sounds of gospel, rock and reggae inflections with hip-hop influences. The album is highlighted by familiar tracks like “Wholly Holy” by Marvin Gaye and “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway mixed with the more obscure selections of Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times,” and “Hang on in There” by Mike James Kirkland.

“These songs sound so relevant now,” Legend says. “On most of them, you wouldn’t change a lyric. ‘Wake Up Everybody’ (the album’s first single, featuring contributions from Melanie Fiona and Common) has four verses—the first one is a general statement, the second is about education, third is about health care, and the fourth is about making a better environment. No editing needed.”

“When these songs were written, people were more spiritually in tune,” says Roots drummer/musical director Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. “It was fresh from the civil rights era and there was a feeling of hope that maybe, yes, someday we will all be free. In 2010, not so much.”

The album features one original composition, Legend’s song “Shine,” which is featured in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary film Waiting for Superman. The song, a “Stevie-Wonder-meets-gospel” stunner, clearly demonstrates the strengths of this specific group of musicians. Wake Up! blends Legend’s expressive, thoughtful vocal interpretations with an element of funk that only The Roots can provide.

Bringing John Legend & The Roots together is an inspired pairing, so logical that it’s a little surprising they haven’t teamed up in a proper collaboration before. John Legend is a six-time Grammy winner whose three albums have all hit Number One on the Billboard R&B charts, and who has collaborated with such artists as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and the Black Eyed Peas. The Roots—currently visible nightly as the stupendously versatile house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—have released nine acclaimed studio albums (including the recent How I Got Over) and redefined the relationship between live instruments and hip-hop.

Cobras! Free Shit!

The Budos Band has a new album The Budos Band III out in August, here is the track that Daptone leaked as a sneak peek.

Download: The Budos Band – Unbroken, Unshaven

Click below for more info on the album and tour dates.

It’s official, people. On August 10, 2010, Daptone Records will release The Budos Band III, the long-awaited follow-up to 2007′s The Budos Band II. Conceived during weekly, beer-fueled writing sessions in their dank Staten Island rehearsal space, sharpened to a fine point on the road – more than 150 live gigs over the last two years – and recorded during an intensely productive 48 hour period in January 2010, The Budos Band III is chock full of the type of tough sonic nuggets that have long earned The Budos Band the title, “the quintessence of Staten Island soul.”

The Budos Band III Tracklisting:

1. Rite of the Ancients
2. Black Venom
3. River Serpentine
4. Unbroken, Unshaven
5. Nature’s Wrath
6. Golden Dunes
7. Budos Dirge
8. Raja Haje
9. Crimson Skies
10. Mark of the Unnamed
11. Reppirt Yad

The Budos will be hitting the road hard this summer in support of the new record, starting in June and running through September 2010. Covering the U. S. and Canada, the band is performing in intimate night clubs to high profile festivals including Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park, Bumbershoot, Millennium Park in Chicago, Outside Lands in San Francisco, and multiple jazz festivals in Canada.

Tour Dates:
6/11 Rocks Off Concert Cruise NYC
6/27 Jazz Festival – Calgary, AB
6/29 Jazz Fest – Saskatoon, SK
6/30 Jazz Festival -Winnipeg, Manitoba
JULY
7/11 Bloomington, IN Bluebird
7/12 Chicago, IL Millennium Park
7/13 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
7/15 Quebec City, QC Quebec City International Summer Festival
7/16 Ottawa, ON Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest
7/17 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
7/21 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
7/22 Harrisburg, PA The Abbey Bar at ABC
7/23 Floyd, VA Floydfest
7/24 Washington, DC Black Cat
AUGUST
8/7 Brooklyn, NY Celebrate Brooklyn! @ Prospect Park Bandshell
8/12 Los Angeles, CA Levitt Pavilion
8/13 Pasadena, CA Levitt Pavilion
8/14 San Luis Obispo, CA Downtown Brew
8/15 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands @ Golden Gate Park
8/17 Phoenix, AZ Sail In
8/19 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brew Co
8/22 Dallas, TX Granada
8/24 Oklahoma City, OK Conservatory
8/25 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
8/27 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
8/28 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
8/31 Salt Lake City, UT State Room
SEPTEMBER
9/1 Boise, ID The Grove Plaza
9/2 Eugene, OR W.O.W. Hall
9/3 Portland, OR Dante’s
9/4 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot

Mush is selling the world (some of it). Go here and on the ‘Order’ page in the ‘Comments’ section dig through these bitches:

Bibio – Hand Cranked
Bibio – Vignetting The Compost (we only have 2 of these – 1st come 1st serve)
Her Space Holiday – XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival
Her Space Holiday – Let’s Get Quiet Vol. 1
Her Space Holiday – The Young Machines
Her Space Holiday – The Young Machines Remixed
Clue To Kalo – Lily Perdida
Clue To Kalo – One Way, It’s Every Way
K-The-I??? – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Lymbyc Systym – Love Your Abuser
Lymbyc Systym – Love Your Abuser Remixed
Pedro – Pedro
Pedro – You, Me & Everyone
Eliot Lipp – The Outside
Antimc – It’s Free But It’s Not Cheap
Qua – Forgetabout
The Opus – Breathing Lessons
Head Like A Kite – There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere
Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory – Tree Colored See
Daedelus – Exquisite Corpse
Bigg Jus – Poor People’s Day

Peace,
Employee

Peace,
Employee

Tracklist:
1: Perfect Plan
2: Plot for a little bit
3: The Way it’s going down
4: We do the Work
5: Oxycontin pt 1

DOWNLOAD ALL TRACKS IN THE PLAYLIST HERE (COURTESY OF DEF JUX)

To commemorate the passing of Tero “Camu Tao” Smith and promote some of his music being released later this year, Def Jux graciously put together the playlist you see embedded above. Amongst other things it features the world premier of “Perfect Plan”, a first taste of Camu’s sadly posthumous solo debut King of Hearts. Please read below for a statement from El-P and the Press Release, originally posted here.

Thanks to Def Jux and Philaflava forums poster Brougham33 for the heads up

Two years ago today Tero “Camu Tao” Smith died after a grueling battle with cancer. He was a friend, a son, a brother, a groom to be and last but not least a brilliant producer, singer, rapper and entertainer. Words can not express the heartache that has been felt in the wake of his passing by those who loved and respected him.

For two years i have written about Camu on this day. Not a day has gone by that we, his family, friends and fans, haven’t thought about him. About who he was, what he did and what he never got the chance to do. About the talent he never got to truly share with the world and the love he did. For over four years i have hoped to make the following bittersweet announcement:

This summer, on August 17th, Camu Tao’s first and final solo album KING OF HEARTS will be released by Definitive Jux in collaboration with Fat Possum Records. In conjunction with this release we will also be giving away (for free) the 2005 Central Services (Camu Tao and EL-P) ep “Forever Frozen In Television Time”.

In many ways KING OF HEARTS is a record of what could have been, a snapshot of an artist mid-evolution. In some ways its a diary discovered in the belongings of a friend who passed away. Or maybe it’s a scrap book of a master inventor with only half of the schematics of some incredible new invention detailed inside. You don’t need to see the invention fully realized in order to recognize the magnitude of the creative force behind the sketches.

For those of you who know, i don’t feel like I have to explain to you how important the release of KING OF HEARTS is. He was, as i’ve said before, the secret none of us wanted to keep. He is a legend.

For the many of you out there unfamiliar with Camu and his work: we’ve written a bio/press release as well as collected some of his music as well as a world premier off of KOH called “Perfect Plan” which I’m putting below. I only ask that you take a little bit of time out of your day to investigate. Don’t let yourself be closed off to this mans music simply because you haven’t heard of it/him before. Getting his amazing, weird, raw and original music heard is all he ever wanted. We only ask that you give him that chance. I believe you’ll be happy you finally discovered the world of the King Of Hearts. I know for the many of us who loved and respected him that knowing Camu and his music changed us forever.

What we hope happens when you hear King Of Hearts is that you feel the way we feel; This music (even in its raw form) is some of the bravest, most surprising, inspired, and (now more so than ever) poignant material around from an artist who was only beginning to tap into his potential. It’s a raw reminder for his fans, friends, and family of how special and off the wall his energy was, and yet it sounds nothing like anything he’s ever done before or has previously been known for. In fact, I don’t think its over the top to say that what Camu was doing sounds like nothing before it because I know for a fact that there was never anyone like Camu before him.

There won’t ever be another after, either.

Rest In Peace, Tero “Camu Tao” Smith

Sincerely,

Jaime “EL-P” Meline

PRESS RELEASE:

CAMU TAO “KING OF HEARTS” TO SEE RELEASE ON DEFINITIVE JUX / FAT POSSUM ON AUGUST 17

Camu Tao, the legendary MC, producer, and singer, whose life was tragically cut short on May 25th, 2008 after a protracted battle with lung cancer, will have his debut solo album and final statement, King of Hearts, posthumously released on August 17, 2010 as a collaborative release between Fat Possum Records and Definitive Jux. Described by friends, peers and colleagues as “wild, proud, loving, tough, outspoken, spontaneous, and brilliant,” Tao was a creative powerhouse whose output was as staggering in its scope of influences as it was emotionally evocative. El-P describes King of Hearts as “raw, exciting and unlike anything anyone has heard”. Even newer school rappers feel the impact of Camu’s work, “These songs are so before their time it’s ridiculous” says Kid Cudi. Cage sums up the album as “a masterpiece in the making.”

Camu got his start in the late 90’s alongside RJD2 and Copywrite in Columbus, OH’s seminal hip hop group MHZ whose releases were issued by Bobbito Garcia’s legendary vinyl only label Fondle ‘Em Records. After dropping his cult classic solo debut 12-inch Hold the Floor on Definitive Jux in 2001 he went on to become a central fixture at the label, his distinctive contributions playing a key role in The Weathermen (his crew with Aesop Rock, Cage, El-P, Yak Ballz, Tame One and Breeze Brewin) and as one half of S.A. SMASH (alongside Keith “Metro” Lawson) on their 2003 Def Jux full length album Smashy Trashy. As a producer his brilliant contributions are evidenced on Cage’s seminal album Hell’s Winter, and The Perceptionists’ Black Dialogue, as well as appearances on Aesop Rock’s Danger, Fire & Knives, El-P’s Fantastic Damage and Collecting the Kid, Prefuse 73′s Surrounded By Silence, and many, many others.

At the time of his death Camu Tao was working on what his friends and colleagues anticipated to be his breakthrough solo record, King of Hearts, initially scheduled for release on Definitive Jux in 2008, but left incomplete in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. Pieced together from the demos and home recordings he left behind (which have subsequently earned him fans amongst such esteemed peers as Dangermouse, Kid Cudi, and many others), the new release offers a privileged view of a magnum opus in the making by a blossoming visionary who was denied the opportunity to bring his unique masterpiece to fulfillment. The record marks a departure from his former works, most notably as it finds Camu favoring a distinctively playful, semi-soul croon as well as the off-kilter and wild rapping that earned him a reputation among peers and fans as an innovative genius. Musically King of Hearts delves into realms of gritty, electropunk pop, alternately veering between the dark carnival-esque and the sublimely summery. Pleasantly disorienting electronic tones cascade and pulse as dense, propulsive beats build a solid foundation upon which Tao constructs immensely hooky and infectious choruses. Written and produced by Camu himself, King Of Hearts is the last vision of a criminally underrated talent in the midst of a major artistic breakthrough cut short before being fully completed.

Also prior to his death Camu Tao formed production crew and side project Central Services with longtime friend & collaborator El-P, whose long awaited 2004 debut EP Forever Frozen in Television Time has gone unreleased until now. In conjunction with the release of King of Hearts Definitive Jux will be issuing Central Services’ EP as a free digital download.

Living Twice the Art

After a four-year break, Percy Carey, aka MF GRIMM, returns to music with his latest album, “You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel,” set to release May 18.

Carey attributes his recent absence from music to another life-long love, the comic book industry. Due in large part to the help of a few comic legends, Carey used this time to grow within the comics industry.

“I was fortunate enough to learn about the comic book industry from some of the most popular and respected names in the craft,” Carey said. “I owe a lot to Casey Seijas, Ron Wimberly, Brian K. Vaughan, Karen Berger, Jason Aaron, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Dwayne McDuffie, Steve Niles, Grant Morrison, William Wilson, Paul Levitz, Des Taylor, Len Wien, Rick Veitch, Tone Rodriguez, and many others.”

In 2007, Carey became inspired to write an autobiographical graphic novel after reading Robert Mckee’s “Story.” The result, “Sentences: The Life Of MF GRIMM,” was nominated for two Eisner awards in 2008. The following year, Carey shifted his energy to journalism and worked to introduce the comic book world to hip-hop. As a contributor for Marc Ecko’s Complex Magazine and MTV’s Splashpage, Carey provided coverage on the latest and greatest within the industry.

“The comic book industry helped me find a new creative voice,” admits Carey. “Although it’s time to return to music, I want to display my love and appreciation of the comic book world.”

Twice manages to do just that. The album features a pleasant blend of intelligent lyrics, crafty story, and of course, edgy artwork. A striking thirteen-page comic book complements the album’s thirteen tracks.

Twiz the Beat Pro provides production of the album.

Jim Mahfood, aka Food One (Kevin Smith’s Clerks and Marvel’s Spider-Man), lends his impressive illustration to the accompanying comic book.

Says Carey, “I’m one of the blessed few who can honestly say he was groomed by the best of the best in both mediums and it’s time for me to share what I’ve learned with the entire world.”

“You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel”

TRACK LISTING

1	Blessings	2:30
2	Return to Eden	4:55
3	I Am King	3:38
4	All I Need	3:04
5	You Only Live Twice	3:59
6	The Legend of the Golden Warrior	6:09
7	Medicine	3:34
8	Waiting	2:40
9	Fight	3:30
10	Angel Without Wings	4:25
11	Marry Mary	4:10
12	Last Days	3:09
13	The Compound	3:33

MF GRIMM and Day By Day Entertainment, LLC present the latest in masterful fictional journeys, “You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel.”

Music lovers have anxiously awaited MF GRIMM’s return to music since his historic triple CD, “American Hunger.” Comic book lovers have anticipated Percy Carey’s next work of art since release of his graphic novel, “Sentences: The Life of MF GRIMM” the Vertigo/DC project that warranted two Eisner nominations.

“You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel” is sure to satisfy both classes, blending a symphonic thirteen-tracks with a striking thirteen-pages. The album features an impressive comic book.

Mapping the journey with GRIMM is the rising producer, Twiz the Beat Pro and the distinguished illustrator, Jim Mahfood aka Food One (Kevin Smith’s Clerks, Marvel’s Spider-Man).

The quest stimulates the imagination of the listener/reader and evokes several questions:

What if a prophet was born during the age of hip-hop? Would he be acknowledged?  … or ridiculed? Would his followers support him? … or betray him? Would he bring peace? … or bear a sword? Would hip-hop be viewed as a culture? … or simply a cult? From the first blessing to the last days what would be the outcome? Would the religion known as hip-hop survive?

All questions will be answered once the journeyman presses play.

“You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel” is available in CD or vinyl (2LP). Comic book is included in both media.

The world is waiting!

Louie is set to drop his new album “Me & Everyone You Know” April 6 and here is sample of whats to expect. T-list is below as well as pre-ordering info. Check check it out! –Philaflava

Louis Logic – “Broken Record (feat. Black Mask)”

Artist: Louis Logic
Title: Me & Everyone You Know
Label: Pot To Piss In
Digital Release Date: April 6th, 2010
Exclusive PRE-SALE going on @ eMusic.com right now
Physical CD’s available @ http://louislogic.blogspot.com (from Louis direct)
——–
Featuring M-Phazes, Atari Blitzkrieg, Black Mask, The Day Laborers + many more
——–
Underground extraordinaire, Louis Logic, returns in 2010 with a brand new full length release. After successful solo albums, “Sin-A-Matic” and “Misery Loves Comedy”, the infamous ‘Drunken Dragon’ brings a project consisting of unadulterated and creative hip hop excursions. This 11 track album showcases songs that Louis has collaborated on with hip hop’s next crop of newcomers and artists on the rise. If you’re a longtime fan of Louis Logic, you will appreciate the continuation of his raw and well thought-out style, as this is a strong pairing of musical talents much like his previous group albums with The Odd Couple and Spork Kills. Album cover features original artwork by Chris Sosa.

——–
TRACK LISTING:
01. Playing For Keeps (with Mdusu)
02. Right N Wrong (with Bo Jankans)
03. Natural Selection (with Anecdote & M-Phazes)
04. What You Want (with Nocturnal Artist, Ivan Ives & Big Jess)
05. The Lone Gunners (with Bugz)
06. Knock Knock (with Lakai)
07. Party Crashers (with The Let Go)
08. Knock Knock Bastardface (with Atari Blitzkrieg & Roc C)
09. The Long Way Down (with KAWZ)
10. Confinement (with The Day Laborers)
11. Broken Record (with Black Mask)