There must be something in the water down in Atlanta that inspires an outpouring of creativity that rejuvenates the hip-hop world every couple of years. While Cee-Lo’s new track, Fuck You, featured at the top of this post may sound more like a pop record than the conventional hip-hop sound we’re used to, you must remember that Cee-Lo’s musical roots are grounded in the legendary Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob.  While his musical projects in recent years have been on the experimental end of the musical spectrum, he’s still a hip-hop icon.

After one listen to Cee-Lo’s new masterpiece, the first thought that crossed my mind was that Cee-Lo just pulled an Andre 3000 on us. His ability to flip an antiqued sound that, if not for lyrical matter, one might mistake for a record that was made 50 years ago draws strong similarities to what Andre did back in 2003 when he (or collectively Outkast if you want to get technical about it) released the song Hey Ya.

I remember hearing Hey Ya for the first time right before heading to a DJ gig at Ohio University. I was fascinated by the record and knew that even during a time when my record crates were filled with the latest offerings from Lil Jon and others embracing the crunk music sound– Hey Ya was still going to be a hit. I debuted the record the very same night to a crowd that was equally enchanted by the sound and by the end of the night had probably spun it 10 times over 4 hours, driving the crowd into a frenzy each time. Shortly thereafter the rest of the world discovered the brilliance of Hey Ya and my Mom started calling me to hook her up with “that Outkast song.”

The difference between Fuck You and Hey Ya is their ability (or lack thereof) to be commercially exploited. While Hey Ya became a staple of every radio station, television show and award program, Fuck You won’t receive any of that exposure. Sure, Cee-Lo could always remake the track with a radio edit and tone down the lyrics, but that would severely take away from the brilliance of the song. It’s the unexpected structure of the song that makes it so captivating. When one encounters a title like “Fuck You”, they anticipate something dark and angry.  I’m sure Cee-Lo took this into consideration when making this record, which adds to the sheer brilliance of the composition.

What I believe will come from Cee-Lo’s latest release will be a great answer to those who have asked the question; how big can the Internet make a song? As I’m writing this, the Youtube video for the track stands at nearly 1.3 million views in 4 days. Impressive, but by viral video standards, it’s no Bed Intruder Song…yet. And let’s not get the two concepts completely intertwined. It’s one thing for a funny video to be passed around from friend to friend, co-worker to co-worker, etc but it takes a truly remarkable song to conquer those same demographic barriers. It will be exciting to see how the world embraces this record and whether or not it can be embraced by the mainstream the way Hey Ya was received.  Outkast’s album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards thanks in part to the strength of Hey Ya. Will they show Cee-Lo the same sort of love for Fuck You?

01. Sean McGee Feat. The Kid Blaze – Going Hard Way (2:15)
02. Sean McGee – Talk To Me (2:38)
03. Sean McGee – Hey Daddy (2:39)
04. Sean McGee – Diggin You (2:57)
05. Sean McGee – Gloria (3:22)
06. Sean McGee – Be Alone (4:11)
07. Sean McGee – Harder (2:40)
08. Sean McGee – Like You (3:43)
09. Sean McGee – Lyrics To Go (3:08)
10. Sean McGee – Make It Better (3:44)
11. Sean McGee – Miss My Love (2:46)
12. Sean McGee Feat. Maino – My Life (3:51)
13. Sean McGee – My Story (3:17)
14. Sean McGee – Lies (2:41)
15. Sean McGee – Broken Hearted (2:28)
16. Sean McGee – Rock With You (2:36)
17. Sean McGee – Good Day (2:43)
18. Sean McGee – Simple Things (3:10)
19. Sean McGee – Weekend Lover (1:54)
20. Sean McGee – Win Or Lose (2:53)

DOWNLOAD HERE

As you’ll see in the video below, Aziz also dabbles in turntablism and knows his stuff based on a recent interview he did with TurntableLab.

Like most hip-hop projects, his upcoming mixtape has encountered a delayed release date, but I’m betting the final product is going to be well worth the wait.

Here’s an update on the Raaaaaaaandy mixtape I’m working on with Dave Sitek. We’ve been working hard on it and I’m very excited. We may not meet the originally announced February 2010 release date, but has any great rap album come out when it was originally supposed to?

If you weren’t aware of this project at all, more info is here: http://bit.ly/7lerqT

Big L Rest In Peace

1974-1999

Download this album to support the Haiti Relief effort. All proceeds will go to various charities to help the relief effort in Haiti. The minimum donation is $5.

Click Here to support the Haiti relief efforts by downloading the album.

Track Listing

01. K. Sparks ft. Tina Quallo – One Wish [Exclusive] (Prod. Moe Productions)
02. O’Neal McKnight ft. Yoli Cotray – Give Me A Hand [Exclusive] (Prod. Steve Sola)
03. Beyond Belief & Kwame ft. Amille Harris – 40 Seconds [Exclusive]  (Prod. Kwame)
04. Skinny & Scales ft. Megan Rochell – We Gonna Make It (Prod. The Haterz)
05. Pastor Troy – All I Know Is Zoe [Exclusive] (Prod. Haitian Traxxman) 
06. Substantial & Marcus D – Recovery (Hold On) [Exclusive] (Prod. Marcus D.)
07. Mike Schpitz – Daily News [Exclusive] (Prod. Slot-A)
08. Novel – Velvet Sky (Prod. Novel)
09. Stanza, Tommy Nova & Panic (RHHA) – Standing In The Rain [Exclusive] (Prod. Mo)
10. Cymarshall Law – Freedom of Speech (Prod. Mr. Joeker)
11. Mika Means – Whats Goin On (Prod. Young Sears)
12. Marion Write – Generation Prodigy (Prod. Two3)
13. Thad Reid ft. Revolution – Heaven’s Watching (Prod. Ologist)
14. SoulStice & SBe – Brand New Day (Prod. SBe)
15. Chi-Ill – March [Exclusive] (Prod. O-Zone)
16. JD Era – What We Have (Prod. Bert “Twin” Rivere)
17. QP ft. Hardstone, Ms.Moone & Ms.Dawn Diva – Say a Prayer [Exclusive] (Prod. DJ Mauly T)
18. Mic Legacy ft. KDot – Together (Prod. KDot)
19. Dallas Parker – Reform (Prod. 7 Sounds)
20. The Regiment – Freedom (Prod. Soulution)
21. Justin Garner – Wait On You (Tribute To Haiti) (Prod. G-Sharp)
22. Pugs Atomz – All Yall (Keep On) (Prod. Grant Parks)
23. Spectacula – Tribute [Exclusive] (Prod. Bad News)
24. Gist The Essence ft. Cocoa Sarai – A Dream Deferred (Prod. Sound Royale)
25. MaG – Love Peace Progression (Prod. Stephen Joseph)
**Bonus Mikkey Halsted – Hold On [Exclusive] (Prod. Khari Lemuel for Lemuelism Productions)

On the QP: Feeling as though he’s been relegated to the on-deck circle for too long, rapper Devon “QP” Hubbard is hoping 2010 will be his breakout year. “Right now I’m nominated for the best freestyle in 2009 at Djbooth.net,” said Cleveland resident Hubbard, 25. “I have a couple of deals on the table. I signed a distribution deal with Fontana/Universal, so that’s kind of big, and I’m still working in the studio really hard on the album. I’m just honestly blessed, but actually there’s a lot of pressure. I’m focused on bringing the city up and bringing more talented artists out into the spotlight. I’m just hoping to be the gateway to that. So yes, it’s been a long time coming and I’m expecting it to be a very big year for me.” Expecting to sign with a major label soon, Hubbard hopes to have his debut effort later this year, including a possible showcase at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The project, which he describes as possessing a hip-hop-meets- R&B style with a street vibe, includes lead single “Mz. Hood,” as well as the pop-ish “Lip Stick” and club track “Surfa Boy.” For more information, go to Qpborn2win.com.

Source

DOWNLOAD: http://usershare.net/element9/ktqdpnqlh1vn

About Best of the Booth:

Over the course of 2009, we at DJBooth.net have kept our ever-growing community of DJs, artists and listeners up to date on all the latest and greatest in hip-hop and R&B. Now, it’s time for you to step into our virtual polling booth and cast your votes for our second annual Best of the Booth awards!

Factoring in reader feedback and ratings as well as staff recommendations, we’ve nominated the front-running candidates in 20 different categories. From now till 12:00 PM (EST) on December 30, you’ll be able to vote on the urban artists, albums and songs that defined the year. Check in on January 6, 2010, to see who was selected as the Best of the Booth in 2009!

VOTE NOW

DOWNLOAD: QP “Cleveland Invasion Freestyle”