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Lifestyle of the Rich and Shameless
Their first single came off their debut LP Legal Drug Money and was warmly received by audiences. Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless had that gritty NY underground sound. Mr. Cheeks’ storytelling verses was an added replay value. Truly mesmerizing!

Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz
The follow-up single was Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz who was more about bragging rights than anythings else. Still, the synergy between the boom-bap track, Mr. Cheeks & Freaky Tah was way up there.

Renee
Their next hit appeared on the Don’t Be a Menace to South Central while drinking your Juice in the Hood Soundtrack. This song was storytelling to its deepest as Mr. Cheeks recalled the story of a deceased loved one to the game of the streets. Compelling video too. There are two versions to this song, check them out below.

Renee (Album version)

Renee (Soundtrack version)

The Yearn
Still off Legal Drug Money, the Pete Rock produced track The Yearn made some waves. Hey, Freaky Tah gets a verse on here as well as the Soul Brother no. 1, listen up!

Music Makes me High
Last off Legal Drug Money is Music Makes me High to which I prefer the remix version, but we’ll get to that.

Music Makes me High (Remix)
I was talking about the remix version being better. Well, first off, the beat is a bit darker with a possible touch from Daz Dillinger as The Dogg Pound (Daz & Kurupt) and Canibus (joining his Group Home family) are featured on this song. This is a classic collaboration track.

Me and My Crazy World
The Lost Boyz came out strong with their second album Love, Peace & Nappiness with the lead single Me and My Crazy World. The beat is straight loopable if you follow me. Cheeks talks about a tale of two women he’s seeing. Quite general subject but makes up for a truly great hook.

Beasts from the East
This album track ranks real high for me as a killer beat tops these star-studded featurings by Redman, Canibus and (ahem…) A+. Most of which (except Redman) were part of Lost Boyz’s Group Home Entertainment crew at some point. Great track, no video this time around.

Love, Peace & Nappiness
The title song from their second album borrows Slick Rick’s peaceful Hey Young World beat with scenery from Jamaica to make it their own. Classic.

What’s Wrong is another feel good beat from this feel good vibe album. A song to ride out to. Enjoy!

Ghetto Jiggy
Their third and final album LB IV Life was marked by the death of Freaky Tah. The magic wasn’t there anymore as one of the most recognizable voices in Hip-Hop at the time was now gone. The definite Lost Boyz Swan Song was Ghetto Jiggy, whose video was dedicated to Freaky Tah. 3 albums and a bunch of hits later, the Lost Boyz’s legacy continues to live on.

The track of the same name is available now at iTunes (who have a web based interface now by the way) . The track will also be featured during this Sunday’s Super Bowl game, though I don’t know in which context it will be played.

Trailer:

Video:

Download David Banner – Slow Down (prod. 9th Wonder).mp3

The first single Stylo feautring Mos Def & Bobby Womack will be made available for download on January 26th but you can hear it over here. Plastic Beach will be released March 9th. Look below for the full tracklisting.

1. Orchestral Intro
2. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach (feat. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
3. White Flag (feat. Kano & Bashy)
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)
6. Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)
7. Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon)
8. Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E Smith)
9. Some Kind Of Nature (feat. Lou Reed)
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes (feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
13. Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)
14. To Binge (feat. Little Dragon)
15. Cloud Of Unknowing (feat. Bobby Womack)
16. Pirate Jet

The album will be available March 2nd but you can pre-order it on their MySpace.

01/11/2010 Norwich UEA Norwich, UK
01/12/2010 O2 Academy Birmingham Birmingham, UK
01/13/2010 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London, UK
01/14/2010 Concorde II Brighton, UK
01/16/2010 O2 Academy Sheffield, UK
01/17/2010 O2 Academy Liverpool, UK
01/18/2010 ABC Glasgow, UK
01/19/2010 Nottingham Rescue Rooms Nottingham, UK
01/21/2010 AB Box Brussels Brussels, BE
01/22/2010 Melkweg Amsterdam, NL
01/25/2010 Werkstatt Cologne, DE
01/26/2010 Nouveau Casino Paris, FR
01/28/2010 Vega Musikkenshus Copenhagen, DK

10. Kev Brown – Random Joints EP

Kev Brown has become a staple for basic jazzy beats with heavy basslines. He had not come out with a solo release since 2005’s I Do What I Do, Brown decided to put out a collection of joints produced over the past few years. This caught my immediate attention and I’ve been bumping it since it came out on digital download a few months back. Even though it’s an EP and is not quite heavy on new tracks, this is a gem. The collaborations are within the Low Budget family and extended one and mesh perfectly with the sound of Kev Brown. Check it out, well worth your 9$!

Notables: “The Versatility Joint”/”Marvelous”/”The Hennessy Joint”

9. Funky DL – The Interview EP

I’ve been a fan of Funky DL for quite some time now and am always eager to hear new material of his. I don’t know, the way he mixes his hip-hop sound with jazzy samples just does it for me. On top of that, DL speaks about things dear to him. The gravy on the meat here is surely the format that this album takes. Titled The Interview EP, the album scours into Funky DL’s origins and feelings towards the music. What you get is basically every question/answer you need to know to understand DL’s music and then followed by an example of it. Simple, introspective and brilliant.

Notables: “Back Around the Old School”/”Dusty”/”Good Music”

8. Miike Snow – Miike Snow

This Swedish electro-pop trio made an immediate impact in the blogosphere with their massive hit Animal (which has been remixed by nearly everybody who could get their hands on it). But to classify this group as a one-hit wonder type of sorts would be a huge mistake. The album is filled with atmospheric pop-rock grooves that can pass as ballads but with the umph of electronic music. The lead singer’s voice transcends the speakers and offers a soothing sound that fits pretty much any setting. Oh, and their logo is awesome!

Notables: “Burial”/”Cult Logic”/”A Horse is Not a Home”

7. Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati

The trio of Tanya Morgan (Donwill, Ilyas & Von Pea) really gave the sentiment of reaching a new “plateau” on Brooklynati. The title is a mix between Brooklyn and Cincinnati, the two cities from where the members hail from. Brooklynati is also a fictional city in the group’s mind where fund raisers are made to save local DJ’s record store and a baseball games are held at Yancey (see Dilla) Park. Brooklynati is Hip-Hop and so is this album, right to the bone.

Notables: “So Damn Down”/”Alleye Need”/”Plan B”

6. Dan Auerbach – Keep It hid


Something about Blues rock music appeals to me and Dan Auerbach tends to bring it out at it’s best. Keep It Hid, the first solo album from half of The Black Keys is part atmosphere, part banging drums and kick ass guitar but all ear candy.

Notables: “I Want Some More”/”Mean Monsoon”/”Whispered Words”

5. k-os – YES!

k-os is possibly Canada’s most successful musical export and reaching into his fourth full length album, you expect a few things from the man. Fortunately, all the elements you are used by k-os’ music are here. That does not mean repitition. k-os uses his singing abilities full throttle (to the detriment of his detractors who would preffer more rapping and less singing, or so we keep on hearing) and still meshes different musical styles which defines his sound. You get some ballads, some darker lyric-driven beats and chart topping hits. Bottom line, this album has a lot of replay value.

Notables: “The Avenue”/”I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman”/”4 3 2 1″

(For further talk on the album, check out my YES! album review)

4. Movézerbe – Dendrophile

Qu’est-ce qui arrive quand 8 artistes des plus talentueux s’enferment dans un shack pour un hiver entier? Un album inoubliable qui coule de la première note à la dernière. Tel est le profil de l’album Dendrophile de Movézerbe. Ce collectif incluant Accrophone, Les 2 Toms, Boogat, Ken-Lo, Karim Ouellet et AbidboX démontre son amour pour le hip-hop dès la première chanson avec le sample le mieux connu de l’histoire du rap The Funky Drummer de James Brown. L’utilisation de ce sample dans le morceau Le Loop, comme quoi la force de la répétition déguisée est ce qui caractérise le hip-hop, donne le ton au reste de l’album. S’ensuit des chansons aux rythmes reggae, jazz, funk et même électornique (Dendrophile). Une belle palette de couleurs musicales teintée de paroles vraies et sincères. Un must!

Notables: “Roches”/”Nazdrovia”/”Terre”

3. Grand Analog – Metropolis is Burning

Grand Analog’s follow-up album to 2007’s Calligraffiti is an overall upgrade. Grand Analog step their game up and deliver polished beats layered with horns, guitar, basslines and drums that gives you that “feel good vibe”. The songs’ styles differ from one to another which shows you the diversity of the group and makes for a very interesting piece of work. The collaborations are sporadic but quite effective, see Shad on Electric City. Great homegrown Canadian hip-hop album.

Notables: “Everyday Always”/”Take it Slow (Places & Spaces”)/”Electric City”

2. Mos Def – The Ecstatic

From the start of The Ecstatic until the very end, you feel that you’ve embarked on a special musical experience showcasing Mos Def to his core. The Ecstatic brings out all his tools; his flow, breath control, word plays, singing abilities and sense of melody. This is, in my opinion, the best example of MCing 2009 had to offer. Top that with raw beats (and middle eastern samples) by the likes of Madlib and his brother Oh No and you have yourself a winning formula. Impressive.

Notables: “Top Priority”/”Auditorium”/”Casa Bey”

1. K’naan – Troubadour

Something about K’naan had me raving when I first heard his first effort The Dusty Foot Philosopher. There was something deep and intriguing into this artist and his music. Troubadour confirmed my intuition by giving us some real raw records to bang all the while providing inspiring songs about hope. The best example is Wavin’ Flag (who has been selected as the offical anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup). When you get to know K’naan’s history you start to appreciate his art to a new level. It’s hard to imagine such a positive being after experiencing a violent youth in Somalia. This album delivers on every level and will make you dance and sing your worries away. And please go see K’naan in a live show, and thank me later.

Notables: “T.I.A.”/”Fire in Freetown”/”I Come Prepared”

On it, you will find five previously unreleased songs from five Roadrunner artists that are exclusive to and recorded for this release. The artists contributing tracks include Killswitch Engage, Dream Theater, Trivium, Opeth and Taking Dawn.

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy stated, “Dream Theater recorded an exclusive instrumental track for inclusion on the soundtrack. This is the first time in 24 years that we’ve written and recorded a song for anything other than one of our own album, so we’re up for the challenge and excited to have been asked!”

Metazon feat. Kev Brown – The Man | via Direct Download

Metazon is a Montreal-based group and self-claimed only Canadian band that plays live hip-hop, jazz and funk fusion. They hooked up with Kev Brown in what is considered an exercise in style of bringing hip-hop back to its roots. (See Metazon’s press release for further description).

The single also includes remixes of other local talent such as The Incubator, Johnny Illdigger, Browny Beats and Ken-Lo (le narrateur) of the Québec-based Movèzerbe collective.

The Low Budget Crew presents A Low Budget Christmas | via UserShare

A Low Budget Christmas is a Xmas themed mixtape of songs by the Low Budget crew: Kev Brown, Kaimbr, DJ Roddy Rod.