The Audacity of Dope

We can only hope!

If you haven’t heard the news yet, Phonte and Nicolay, collectively known as The Foreign Exchange, have been nominated for a Grammy Award for their song, “Daykeeper.”  Normally, I hate award shows and rarely care about the Grammys at all, mainly because they not only pick awful songs (big songs do not equal best songs) but they also nominate artists out of category too much.

Thankfully, and perhaps just by enough trial and error, they finally seem to have gotten something right.  With any luck, Tay and Nic will walk away with a Grammy in hand, completely independent and thanks to their passion for making great music they believe in.  Artists take note.

Here’s a dope new EP from Zo!, covering some classic songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Prince, Bobby Caldwell, Quincy Jones, the Isley Brothers, and more.  Zo! (I always like including the exclamation point in his name) is insanely talented by himself, and when you bring in Phonte, Darien Brockington, Carlitta Durand, Sy Smith, and Yahzarah, you already know how it’s going to turn out.  Enjoy some more grown folks music, perfect for this rainy Saturday night…

Zo! – …just visiting too

Okaaaaaay, you can blame it all on me tonight.

Real music.

Just when you start to wonder when Phonte and Brainchild are dropping another GGR…”BAM!”…they’re back.  Enjoy:

1. B. Bravo “Midnite”
2. Method Man & Redman “Dangerous Mcees” (cookin soul remix)
3. Che Grand “People Bowling” (feat. Tanya Morgan)
4. Mos Def “Auditorium” (feat. Slick Rick)
5. DJ Mitsu “Get ‘Em Up” (feat. Elzhi)
6. Amerie “Why R U”
7. Kan Kick “I’m Going To Take U Out To Dinner”
8. GB “Dealer Dog”
9. Morgan Zarate “Satin White”
10. Kenlo “Pont”
11. Jay Dee “Come Get It”
12. Freddie Joachim “Silent”
13. Raheem DeVaughn “Wanna Love You” (feat Young Chris)
14. Slum Village “Cloud 9″ (feat. Marsha Ambrosius)
15. DJ Spinna “Guaranteed” (feat. Phonte & Yahzarah)
16. Reggie B “Spirtual Fi”
17. Zo! & Asylum 7 “The Lineup” (feat. Metasyons, Finale & Buff)
18. Karriem Riggins “I Want You”
19. Byron The Aquarius “Repetitive” (feat. Daru & Da Button Pusha)
20. Lunice “This Time”
21. Onra “My Comet”
22. Floyd The Locsmif “Fuzzy Navel”
23. Afta-1 “Flor Y Uva
24. Nicolay “Lose Your Way” (feat. Carlitta Durand)

Download here.

Wow.  An excellent video from Phonte, Nicolay, Muhsinah, and Matt Koza for an excellent song off FE’s Leave It All Behind opus.  I hope you younger cats are feeling Foreign Exchange, cause their music is so necessary for when you’re feeling grown like I do these days.

Seattle people: Phonte, Nicolay, Yahzarah, Carlitta Durand, Darien Brockington, and Zo! will be performing at Nectar on September 15th and it’s sure to be an incredible show.  Even the opener, The Physics, will be great, so everyone 21+ needs to be there.  We’ll be giving away tickets each week on Sound Session leading up to the show and we’ll also be holding a contest here on TAOD to sit in on our interview with them.  Stay tuned and make sure to be there!  More info right here.

GGR is back after a long hiatus, but it’s with a heavy heart as Phonte and Brainchild dedicate this edition to the King of Pop.  Rest in peace Mike…

The Long Live The Kaing Edition

Michael Jackson
August 1958 – June 2009

Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (DJ Brainchild’s Power Trio Mix)
The Jackson 5 “Can’t Get Ready For Losing You”
The Jackson 5 “It’s Great To Be Here”
The Jackson 5 “Lookin’ Through The Windows”
The Jackson 5 “I’ll Bet You”
The Jacksons “Give It Up”
The Jacksons “That’s What You Get For Being Polite”
Michael Jackson “Pretty Young Thing” (demo)
Michael Jackson “Someone Put Your Hand Out”
Michael Jackson “Good Thing Goin’ (DJ Bobo James Remix)”
Q-Tip “Move”
De La Soul “Breakadawn”
Kanye West “Good Life”
Jay-Z “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Michael Jackson “Stranger In Moscow”
Michael Jackson “Whatever Happens”
Michael Jackson “In The Closet”
Michael Jackson “Scream”
The Jackson 5 “Superstition”
Michael Jackson “Call On Me”
Michael Jackson “Got To Be There”

Download here. (right click, save as)

Back in the good ol’ Napster days, one of my favorite discoveries was a dope crew from Maryland and NYC named Maspyke.  Tableek and the criminally underrated Hanif Jamyl held down mic duties while Roddy Rod killed the production.  Whether you’re familiar with Rod through Maspyke or his Low Budget crew affiliation, just make sure you’re not sleeping.

Here’s his new video for “This Time Around” with Phonte (of Little Brother) and Carlitta Durand.  SNSS listeners will remember us world premiering this track last month, so act like ya know.

Roddy Rod ft. Phonte and Carlitta Durand – “This Time Around”

Off the re-release of Rod’s Cuba After Market album.

As I mentioned in the post for the viral clip of “We Made It,” Kee & Zee’s newest video for “Alright With Me” has already been picked up by MTVu.  Dopeness.  Phonte had like 8 bars in this track and killed it.  Shout to all my Cali familia in the video too…

Spotted at the Smoking Section.

Just when I’m all caught up in the Drake buzz and can’t stop listening to So Far Gone, the “Take Off The Blues” video drops and I’m reminded there’s another dope MC with some excellent singing chops.  Phonte, Nicolay, and D-Brock linked up with Matt Koza for this clip, which shows the ups and downs of a relationship by starting with those harmless glances across the room and ending with visuals for “Valediction.”  Two of my favorite tracks off Leave It All Behind?  You can’t go wrong.

The latest edition of GGR with Phonte and Brainchild dropped last week, but hey…life is busy.  Even if it’s a few days late on TAOD, the music is still as fresh as ever.  Plus, any mix that starts with an artist named Dorian gets posted.  Fact.

In celebration of his brother Big Pooh’s recent wedding, Phonte discusses his third time as a groomsman, how not wearing a wedding ring can build a healthy marriage, and how to use the word ‘bitch’ in a positive way.

1. Dorian “Be Loved”
2. Ebrahim “Tears Of Ayanna”
3. Q-Tip “Let’s Ride”
4. Ryan Leslie “Just Right”
5. The-Dream “Walkin’ On The Moon” (feat. Kanye West)
6. Theophilus London “TNT”
7. Trackademicks “Enjoy What You Do”
8. J*DaVeY “Night & Day”
9. Miguel “Dig”
10. J Dilla “Let’s Take It Back”
11. Dr Who Dat? “Kelly Drive”
12. Freddie Joachim “Meditation”
13. Mos Def “Victory”
14. Waajeed “Anything”
15. Fam-Lay “Fresh N Driving”
16. DJ Mitsu The Beats “Right Here” (Seoul City Remix)
17. Mayer Hawthorne “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” (Astronote Remix)
18. Little Dragon “After The Rain” (GB Interpretation)
19. Esthero “Superheroes” (Afta-1 Remix)
20. Aaliyah “Rock The Boat” (Stimulated Remix)
21. Santana “Aqua Marine”
22. Mr. V “I Can Sing”
23. Herbie Hancock “Watermelon Man” (Kenny Dope Club Mix)
24. Atjazz “Wind & Sea”
25. Rapper Big Pooh “Rear View Mirror”

Download here.

Congrats to Pooh as well!