DA KREEK Releases New Single "Man Down"

Youngstown, Ohio's Da Kreek (Mello Dee & DTown) return to form with a new banger for 2011- "Man Down".

DOWNLOAD HERE

VIDEO: PRINCE PO (Organized Konfusion) feat. LARGE PROFESSOR- "Right 2 Know"

ALBUM REVIEW: LEFTY aka THE L.E.F.T.- "Kill The Messenger"

Bash Bros (Piseas and Lefty aka The L.E.F.T.) have long been a fixture in the Bay Area hip hop scene and put in work as one of the most consistent and persistent artists around. These guys drop a staggering amount of work and this newest solo project by The L.E.F.T. maybe one of the strongest releases yet.

"Kill The Messenger" has become one of my favorite releases from the last several months. This 10 track album caught me off guard due to the original production sound which fits Lefty's flow and lyrics perfectly. Lefty spits with a mischievous, yet dark flow. Imagine your subconscious sitting on your shoulder digging in your ear prodding you to act out- that's the effect of The L.E.F.T. "Kill The Messenger" combines life lessons with anarchist and revolutionary themes that illustrate the often deceptive and conflicting nature of the messages we receive.

Enough cannot be said about the production. Produced solely by Lorn, with "Never Knew Me" produced by Dextah, the album takes you through these soundscapes of ethereal synths, cinematic strings and percussive attacks. Standout tracks include "Left Field" ft. DJ Icewater, "Eye Wide Open", "Fix It For You" ft. Roch, "Turn On The Wheels", "Never Knew Me" and "Devil's Diary".

DOWNLOAD HERE

Check out more of The L.E.F.T.'s music on his bandcamp page.

Below are the videos for "Turn On The Wheels" and "American Zombie Voodoo Child":

VIDEO: RAPHAEL SADDIQ- "Radio"

This is my first post of 2011 and it features the great throwback sound that Raphael Siddiq has been musing on. Enjoy!

VIDEO: J-HON- "Christmas In Brighton Beach" Produced by Abe Ziti

One of the illest Christmas songs that I have heard. Through the eyes of my dude J-Hon..shout out to Mike Swift and Point Dot Period!

VIDEO: PACE WON & MR. GREEN feat. RIVAL "My Song"

Pace Won & Mr. Green are back! The new album, "The Only Number That Matters is Won" is coming in 2011 on Raw Poetix Records/The Orchard and will feature guest appearances from Lee Scratch Perry and Snoop Dogg. You can purchase "My Song" right now on ITUNES

VIDEO: MURS & 9TH WONDER - "I Used To Lover H.E.R. (AGAIN)"

Murs updates Common's classic song reflecting on his relationship with his first wifey- HIP HOP!

VIDEO: Teddy Riley and Blackstreet Reunite for New Album

Thanks to CRATEKINGS.COM for the original post.

VIDEO: David Banner & 9th Wonder Ft. Ludacris & Marsha Ambrosius - "Be With You"

MUSIC TECH: 4 Track Tascam Portastudio for iPad

Tascam's Portastudios laid the foundation for affordable multi-tracking for novice and professional musicians alike. Before digital audio workstations such as Pro Tools became the norm and affordable by average consumers, a four or eight track cassette-based Portastudio was a breakthrough product. Musicians were able to produce quality demos and in some cases entire albums on this analog device.

Flash forward to 2010 and the increasing footprint of Apple's iPad has signaled a return to nostalgic hardware wrapped in a software interface. The $10 Tascam Portastudio app has the classic interface and simplicity of the hardware recorders.

* Cassette tape-style transport. (Linear transport, I might add. Seriously. You have to rewind and fast forward to get around.)
* Routing to four inputs.
* Mixdown to stereo (via a dialog box, so that’s the point where you break the illusion).
* Simple EQ.
* File sharing, via iTunes or Soundcloud. (This last item is what makes this a useful tool and not just a novelty.)
* Support for “a few” class-compliant audio interfaces, though your mileage may vary.

Unfortunately the "bouncing" feature is missing but updates could fix that. Get more info HERE

Thanks to ENGADGET for the original post.

VIDEO: JOELL ORTIZ- "Battle Cry"

Insane lyrical content. Shout out to The Audible Doctor (Brown Bag All Stars) on production.

MUSIC TECH: Tonetable iPad App Turns iPad Into Control Surface for Serato

Wow. Can't front this is kind of dope. Kind of. I love the ability to utilize the touch screen of the iPad to sub for the vinyl control records for DJ software such as Serato and Traktor Pro. Does it make a lot of sense? I think I would rather have turntables or some other type of hardware controller as opposed to buying two iPads. Get more info about Tonetable HERE

MOVIES: "Beats, Rhymes & Life" Documentary on A Tribe Called Quest Coming 2011

Actor and director Michael Rapaport's upcoming documentary, "Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest", will be playing at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows the group during a 2008 tour and showcases their current dynamic as well as examines their musical legacy in hip hop. The documentary will be interspersed with interviews from many who witnessed their development and are fans of their music. The trailer is coming soon and you can read more about the film HERE.

VIDEO: CHIDDY BANG- "Opposite of Adults"

Dope video that just came to my attention today (Shout out to Beth White and ihiphop.com). Love the visuals and the fun concept.

New ACCESS IMMORTAL- "The Legacy" Produced by ALKOTA

DOWNLOAD (streaming only)

Access Immortal + Alkota = The Legacy. Collabo between Alaska's Alkota and Brooklyn MC/Rapper Access Immortal. The official release is due on Coalmine Records mid-December but you can cop the pre-release at Alkota's bandcamp page.