yo majesty: coming to a hood near you.

YO MAJESTY are no strangers to this blog. I posted about them back in June, and since then they've received attention from bigger blogs such as BIGSTEREO and stereogum. The latter blog marked the three ladies as a "band to watch" in 2007, and I can't agree more.

I've had the privilege to hear rough mixes of seven new songs not appearing on the Yo EP. With them in my ears, I have received confirmation that hip-hop is, in fact, not dead.

Sure, it doesn't seem like Yo Majesty is about to spit some socially conscious lyrics on the level of "The Message" or Public Enemy. They're no Shakespeares of the hood. However, Shon.B, Shunda-K, and Jwel B are a complete breath of fresh air. They bring the party without needing any help from Scott Storch, Pharrell, or will.i.am. They spit sexual lyrics without needing to show any skin. Quite simply, instead of just talking about the glorified early days of hip-hop, they go there musically. While the rest of the south was occupied with chopping and screwing, snapping, and pumping out mediocre crunk shit, Yo Majesty was busy perfecting their throwback Miami bass/electro-hop sound. This sound is dominant throughout the tracks currently recorded for their full-length debut. If the new track "Old School Shit" is any indication, I anticipate that the final product will be a you-can't-even-handle-it-all buffet of booty-dropping.

You'll be hearing more about Yo Majesty here at The Moneyshot. Until then, I'll leave you with two mp3s-- "Warning" and a presumably older song "Don't Fuck With Me" (courtesy of hardfeelingsuk freeform disco 1).

DOWNLOAD: YO MAJESTY- Warning
DOWNLOAD: YO MAJESTY- Don't Fuck With Me

BUY Yo EP on iTunes

HEADS UP: Perhaps I'm biased, but my pick for "artist to watch" in 2007 is Denver native Laura Goldhamer. Her upcoming albumYe Olde Leave Behind has blown my mind. I will keep you posted about the release date.

RIP: Sadly, "The Godfather of Soul" James Brown passed away this Christmas. He was an incredibly influential artist, laying the grounds for funk, disco, and hip-hop.

BLOGWATCH: Culture Bully takes a jab at Jay-Z. soul sides ponders the power behind Jennifer Hudson's "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the film Dreamgirls. Between Thought and Expression has a great new tune by Robyn, Diplo's remix of Justin Timberlake's "My Love", and a track that can only be described as an "electro pop update to Khia's 'My Neck, My Back'." Honorable Media gives you a taste of the new Chamillionaire mixtape.