?uestlove, D’Angelo Bilal + More Talk About Prince + TOUR DATES

Prince & 3rd Eye Girl

A lot of Prince hulabaloo happening lately, and I ain’t even mad; the man is a legend. So after his run of one off performances at the Grammys, Fallon, and marathon at SXSW; Prince Rogers Nelson has just announced via his band 3rd Eye Girl a slew of intimate West Coast dates & OkayplayTV drops this gem on us.

Let’s Talk About Prince: Questlove, D’Angelo, Elvis Costello, Alice Smith, Citizen Cope, Wendy & Susannah Melvoin, Bilal, Talib Kweli, Booker T. Jones and Nelson George share their memories and thoughts about the music icon backstage at the Music of Prince Tribute in NYC.

Dutch Producer Recreates Classic Madlib From Scratch

Something to kick your day off right before you plop down and waste the rest of your week on the new Sim City. Dutch Producer BINK recreates Madlib’s classic beat for “The Healer” from Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Part One, setting the tone isa Arts teh Beatdoctor bringing crisp visuals.

Frank Ocean Talks New Album & Pharrell

Recently with BBC Radio 1′s Zane Lowe, the Channel Orange programmer drops a few hints on his latest album as well what its like to sit in with a legend like Pharrell.

1 Message, 3 Videos For The Fools, Niggas, & Bad Bitches

I was sent Dee-1′s new video for “Stupid Fool” and immediately had me thinking of two videos that speak on the exact same issues; if one doesn’t hit you then I hope to God one of the others do. Thank you Dee-1, Lupe & COLIONE07 Real Talk. The sad part is one of these is 4 years old in The Chi, not much has changed.

Malik “The FreQ” Moore Live @ Central SAPC

Malik The FreQ Moore

This is my dude Malik “The FreQ” Moore. We work together on his music as a solo artist and I’m always doing what I can to put good, excuse me, great music in front of people. He knocked out a gig this past weekend. I picked it up on my phone.

Here is a little taste from the rehearsal the night before; undeniable.

FIND HIM

– Malik “The FreQ” Moore -

http://www.facebook.com/TheMalikMoore

http://www.malikthefreq.com

http://www.malikthefreq.bandcamp.com

8 Days Of D’Angelo: The Beginning

D_Angelo-Brown_Sugar-Trasera

So I got myself 2 tickets to D’Angelo’s return to an LA stage with his Independence Day Concert at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip, hell yeah!

Anyway with all the hoopla (well deserved) surrounding D’Angelo’s imminent return to the stage and stereo, it got me thinking.  Really I got to thinking and relatively loudly if you ask my girl and roommates when reviews and audio dropped of his EU dates a few months back.  I precede to turn my room into a sound dungeon (very easy with one of these units) and bump Brown Sugar and Voodoo in their entirety, while regaling my girl with my love for D’Angelo *pause*.  I’ll start with an easy one for everyone at home.

I guess I’m soulful guy at heart, with all the posts on hip hop, indie, EDM, etc that hit my site, nothing really impacts me like a top notch R&B or soul track.  That’s just the way it is and has been.  In fact my first two CD purchases were Brown Sugar and Tony Rich’s Words, so as I said pretty soulful out the gate.  Though both were heavy  in 12 year old me’s rotation, there weren’t really other choices (I also burned my money on Upper Deck NBA & NFL sets / video games / anything Dallas Cowboys), Brown Sugar was spinning constantly.

I couldn’t part with this album, there was something to it I felt like I knew immediately; familiar and classic, yet new and prescient (I was 12 years old, so I hadn’t really run into a situation that legitimately called for the phrase “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker”). The album is still with me after close to 16 years.

If you’re one of the girls I crushed on or dated between the ages 12 & 20 years old; I leave you with this reminder of the song I sang and the mixtapes I made.

Stevie Wonder Treats With A Surprise Performance At Highschool Graduation

Stevie Wonder LACHSA Graduation 2012 #2


Last week I had the opportunity to see my girl’s best friend’s son graduate from Highschool, its not your average highschool mind you, its a top end performing arts highschool in Los Angeles. Having attended a handful of their events in the past have always yielded a handful of recognizable names and faces from entertainment, who have kids or extended family attending LACHSA. And on top of that the kids are fantastic and enthusiastic, aspects that are often lost when dealing with the cynicism of the industry and artists at large.
Well all of that was ignored as their dean of students walked out to announce a very special performance. Most everyone in the audience up to that point had noticed the lone man in sunglasses inside the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, Stevie Wonder. Let me say that again . . . Stevie . . . Wonder. . .
He takes his seat at the piano addresses the audience and most importantly the students and starts. Below are the moments I captured on my camera (the stellar Olympus OMD EM5 w/ 12 – 50 lens) between cheers, claps, and exasperated breaths of “oh fuck thats Stevie Wonder.”

Social8gency Exclusive: Sound FX Interview

Sound FX 21 in Vegas

These two are on my list of favorite young guys in hip hop right now.  Not with the fanfare of the other breaking artists byt they should be in line with those that are putting out consistent work with a dedicated fan base that will soon see them getting their just due. Sound FX hail out of Los Angeles, get to know them below.

@BJones21 / @Social8gency: Let’s get the preliminaries out the way, how long have you guys been at it?

@SoundFxMusic: We actually started making music way back in the 10th grade which is about 6 years ago.

@BJones21 / @Social8gency: What is your relationship; how’d you both link up?

@SoundFxMusic: We are really great friends first and for most before anything but we linked up playing basketball.

@BJones21: What was the first song that let you know you were interested in music?

@SoundFxMusic: We don’t really remember but we actually started off producing music and from there rapping came naturally. Now here we are.

@BJones21: What was the first hip hop track that inspired you to pen something down?

McFly: No one song inspired me but the album “Fly or Die” by N.E.R.D. really inspired my love for music and captivated my imagination.
DuPree: Everything about music inspired me from the way it moved people to the lifestyle. It wasn’t just one song in particular.

@BJones21: You have been releasing a steady flow of material in your short time together, what keeps you going? In light of not the instant fan fare and publicity that the Odd Futures & the ASAP Mobs of the world have seemingly garnered?

@SoundFxMusic: The one thing that keeps us going is the fact that people really seem to have an emotional connection with our music and they really listen to some of our songs religiously. Just knowing that our music has the power to help some one out of a bad situation or even get through the day is what keeps us going. We try to present our music in a way that the aesthetics of the visual representation coincide with the music.We also believe in what we do 100 percent and love our music so in essence we are doing what we love and we are doing it from the heart. We try not to let other artist success or failures affect our art or thought process. Of course being that hip hop is a culture built on competition we do watch these artists and learn from their business formulas but creatively we just do us and we feel like that will take us a long way.

@BJones21: What’s the type of success you’re looking for?

@SoundFxMusic: The type of success that gives us the power to control the music we put out and how we put it out. The type of success that allows us to perform at festivals and tour the world on a large or small scale, meeting new people & experiencing new cultures, while motivating and inspiring countless numbers of people with our music. The type of success that allows us to venture and expand our talents beyond the musical realm. The type of success that feels authentic, knowing that we didn’t have to change our selves, our morals, our ethics, our character, or our music, in order to achieve it.

@BJones21: One of the major things I was struck by when I first came across your material was the level of polish your work has. From the vocals to the production itself everything is very concise and thoughout. Speak on that if you can.

@SoundFxMusic: We are true professionals we always strive for perfection even though there is no such thing. We go out our way to bring the fans the best quality recordings within our indie budgets. The one thing that keeps us going is the fact that people really seem to have an emotional connection with our music It is much more than putting out a song to us it is more about capturing a moment and bringing the listener into our world and allowing them to experience some of our experiences. We meticulously go through every lyric and note in other to put create the best art. The professionalism in our work also lets the world know that we take what we do seriously which is vital in todays music industry where any one can record a song and think of them self as an artist. It also comes in handy when presenting our music to potential endorsers.

@BJones21: Another piece is that you guys have a clear visual style for your album/singles covers; toeing the space where abstraction and concision meet. What can you say about each cover and what you attempt to convey?

@SoundFxMusic: We are really big on art not just music but all the different types of art. We try to present our music in a way that the aesthetics of the visual representation coincide with the music. We really take the word “Art” to heart as we try to be as creative as possible a lot not just through the music but also through the visuals. A lot of other musicians don’t give their art works any thought and that is one thing that really annoy us about the hip hop genre. We try to provoke thought with our art works because even before a person listens to our music the first thing they see is the art.

SOUND FX ONLINE:

Bandcamp / Tumblr / Facebook

The X-Ecutioners and X-Men Roc For Raida

Roc Raida is one of the most influential DJs in hip hop, having come up through the ranks with a foundational power crew of DJs The X-Ecutioners & X-Men his mark is indelible. Recently both crews got together to celebrate Roc Raida’s 40th, with an album and series of vignettes.

I’ll let Rob Swift Tell it:

This May 17th marks what would have been Roc Raida’s 40th birthday. Unfortunately Raida isn’t here to rejoice with us but it doesn’t mean we can’t. Thus, I ask you, Raida’s fans, not to mourn his death on the 17th of May. For birthdays are about celebrating life.

Although Raida only lived to be 37, he accomplished more in those 37 years than some people do in a lifetime. The odds were stacked against Raida from childhood. The odds say a young man who drops out of school will never make it out of the projects. But Raida not only left Harlem’s Foster Projects as an adult, he left New York and made a home for his wife and kids in Maryland. The odds say an aspiring DJ without turntables will never be able to perfect his skills. But Raida initially developed his style by going to other people’s homes and practicing on sets that didn’t belong to him. The odds say once you retire from battling you’ve given up your chance to win a world DJ title. But Raida came out of a 3 year retirement and won the 1995 World DMC Title. The odds say once you die, the world moves on without you. But through the support of many of YOU for my mixtape “Roc For Raida”, the memory of Anthony Williams aka Grandmaster Roc Raida continues to live on. The odds have always been stacked against Raida and even in death, he continues to defy those odds.

So for those of you who’ve purchased “Roc For Raida”, on behalf of Tyeasha Williams (Raida’s wife) and their 3 kids, Tia, Nyra and Asia, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. To those who haven’t bought a copy of “Roc For Raida” I urge you to please support. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Tye and the kids. But If that isn’t enough incentive, I hope my latest “Roc For Raida” video trailer will move you to Roc For Raida!

Peace

Rob Swift

From The Inbox: Proe Asks The Gladiators To Keep They Heads Up

Proe Be Brave Gladiator

“From The Inbox” is the submissions portion of Social8gency, whether you sent it via email / Soundcloud / Facebook / Twitter / Tumblr - we try to listen to everything. Keep Creatin’!

Proe dropped through the inbox a few days ago, being as I received a good number of submissions in a matter of days, I hadn’t gotten around to listening to all of them yet.  Sitting down this morning to go through them. I must say I waited too long to check out Proe.

A dusty style and sound that in some ways can be described as reminiscent of Homeboy Sandman, Grieves, & Atmosphere; fans of Rhymesayers and rap with a bit rock awareness will feel right at home with Proe.  In my opinion he’s got a style and passion that comes through with every word he utters.  Also there is a sick break in “She’s a Cutter”.

Be Brave, Gladiator  @Social8gency Recommendations:

“All Day”

“Cuss By Candlelight”

“Be Brave, Gladiator”

“She’s A Cutter”

“The Worst”

I don’t want to say too much more, I’ll let you decide whether you’re feeling it or not.  Check out the embed of his latest Be Brave, Gladiator below and look out for Proe -> @proemusic / Facebook / Official / Bandcamp

 

Social8gency Presents The FreQ Show, Dec. 29th @ Little Temple

The FreQ Show Flyer

I (@bjones21) have been spending the last few weeks here at @Social8gency putting together this show and I want everyone in LA, shit Cali and lets add Nevada and Mexico for good measure to make it out on December 29, 2011 to The FreQ Show.  Its the first of hopefully many events and performance put together by Social8gency to bring that good, that SWAG to the masses.

My homie, associate, and outstanding musician Malik The FreQ and I have put together a undeniable lineup of DJ’s to get your transition into 2012 going right and to exercise a few more bad habits before those resolutions kick in.

Here are the details for those playing at home:

WHERE
Little Temple
4519 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029
Doors @ 9pm

$8 admission at the door RSVP HERE for $5 admission

LINEUP
9 – 10:00pm : The GetDown Collective (DJs)
10 – 10:45pm : dj Almighty Nectar
11 – 11:45pm : Malik The FreQ LINK
12 – 12:45pm : Ta’Raach
12:45– 2am : DJ House Shoes

The FreQ Show Flyer

Boom Clap Bachelors “Skynd Dig Langsomt” Video

boomclap_kfdlcover.jpg

Boom Clap Bachelors – Skynd Dig Langsomt from Plug Research on Vimeo.

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