Category Archives: underground hip-hop

Bit ashamed to admit this, but….

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I have slept on quite a bit of hip-hop over the last 12-15 years. Why? It turned to utter shit. That’s why. Don’t tell me otherwise. I mean, there’s been a smattering of decent stuff over the years. I get that. J5, for example. Stellar shit. Then there’s the music that the recently deceased Jay Dee – aka J Dilla – helped create for so many others. He happens to be one of the guys I’m talking about today in my post. Ever heard a lot of what he did? This next one, for some reason, just blew me away with its simplicity and really did describe the title of the album Ruff Draft.

The track “Nothing Like This” is just a phenomenal piece of work and was released also released by the Adult Swim people on Stones Throw Records on a compilation entitled Chrome Children. The video for this track is nothing short of incredible, also. Check it out.

If you guys haven’t somehow heard of Jay Dee, I suggest reading an article that The Detroit Free Press did on him just a few weeks after he passed away. You will get an idea of the kind of dedication to music he had. Click here to read that story. And now, here’s that track “Nothing Like This”.


Download J Dilla – Nothing Like This

The other artist is one that’s gotten a ton of pub the last couple of years. It’s Kid Cudi. Yeah, I will take some shit from the uber-indie crowd. Well, fuck you. I say that with a smile, so don’t worry. I am the type that will give credit where it’s due. If a band or artist I can’t stand makes a good track, I’ll openly say it. Not that I dislike Kid Cudi, but considering how mainstream he’s gotten, I pretty much never paid much mind to him. My bad, I guess.

Well, the opening track to his album Man on the Moon – The End of Day is a hypnotic piece. It’s called “Here In My Dreams” and I would have to say that this is a pretty solid piece of work, and a great way to start off an album. Mind you, I haven’t really heard the rest of it. The only other track I had heard was “Day ‘n’ Nite”, which I actually have here, but not the original. I’ve added along The Crookers Remix of that track. This is the sort of remix that the Canadian DJ Duo Jokers of the Scene would add into a set. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they had.


Download Kid Cudi – In My Dreams


Download Kid Cudi – Day ‘n’ Nite (Crookers Remix)

Buy something. If you don’t, god will kill a dumb person. Actually, that’s a good thing. Well, just buy something. Because I said so. And yes, I didn’t capitalize “god”. Big deal.

its my song but I’m still trying to learn the words

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Passion excessive passive agressive
the first one to strike, the last one to exit
castles unprotected, capture the princess
fasten the seatbelt, drive and count the inches

Well. It was Jeremiah Edmond who led me to discover this band. This band called Felt.

Well. Jeremiah is the drummer of Manchester Orchestra, a band that we love and have written about a few times on this blog. Jeremiah runs the record label Favorite Gentleman and the production company Fifth Story Music. This doesn’t have a lot to do with Jeremiah except that I trust his taste in music. When he recommended a great hip-hop album in Felt 3, I decided I better check it out.

Now that you understand how this album was discovered, let me continue introducing you to the music and the players involved. Felt is a hip hop group consisting of Slug of Atmosphere and MURS of Living Legends. Both excellent hip-hop outfits separately, but I must admit that getting Murs and Slug together is something special.

The Felt project is currently on volume 3, A Tribute To Rosie Perez. Tribute to who? I look into the other projects by Felt and discover that the previous two volumes are tributes to Lisa Bonet and Christina Ricci. All chicks Murs and Slug have lust over but also have fallen off career wise. The group says it’s a karma thing and we wouldn’t understand. /shrug

Every album has had a different producer, keeping each album fresh and new. The Grouch produced the first volume. The Grouch is an MC and producer for Living Legends. Volume 2 brings Ant from Atmosphere to get the production done. Volume 3 goes outside the groups home bases to reach out to Aesop Rock! Aesop has always been on the forefront of Alternative Hip-Hop groups, so the synergy is totally there!

I gotta share a song from each album, just to make sure you buy all three.

Suzanne Vega is a track of the first Felt album. Vol 1 A Tribute to Christina Ricci. This is a a slow and dizzy, unsteady song. It’s about not getting high, yet sounds super stoned! One thing to note is that on the first two albums two tracks were named after singers. On volume 3 though, it’s actors. Kevin Spacey and Paul Ruebens! WTF!

Download Felt -Suzanne Vega

Life Vegas is just a fun party track off the second album. In fact, the whole second album is a light, fun, party album. I suggest you pick it up and buy your self some drinks for you and your friends and get it in the CD player!

Download Felt – Life Vegas

In the track Give It Up, it’s Aesop Rock’s work as producer that truly shines. When the guitars come in, it really has the feeling of a story being told. Fantastic production work that the the Felt boys have no problem running with when they lay down their rhymes.

Although, one might argue that what Aesop Rock brings is too dark for this particular project. Normally a light, fun, antic filled style is what the last two albums have been about. This latest Felt album is kinda twisted with rhymes of drug addiction and wrong turns and either is Aesop’s fault, or was a part of the vision of this Felt album. You know me, I like it gloomy. Especially when the winter grey rolls in, I guess I’m just a product of too many high desert winters.

Download Felt – Give It Up

Check out this video from another track off volume 3, and then get your credit card out and click these links!