yung trev + m.i.a: bonafide hustla

dl: YUNG TREV f/ M.I.A. - Bonafide Hustla (alt)

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"Hump-Hop Hooray" is the latest regular series here. Every Wednesday, I'll be bringing you a different hip-hop track, new or old, for your hump day consideration.

I don't normally like to post tracks that I don't enjoy, but I felt like this is one that deserves to be discussed. I'm not crazy about Maya and Santi being adopted as hip-hop's hottest gals to sample. While I know it's a great way for artists like T.I. and Jay-Z to get serious hype from the indie-blog world, those samples were annoying as fuck. Seriously. "Paper Planes" was a great fucking song, but I dread hearing the line "No one on the corner got swagga like us" every time I hear it. That's not even considering that the term "swagga" somehow sound as dated as "homie"...

But I digress. Yung Trev is the latest rapper to jump on the M.I.A.-sampling bandwagon. His flow isn't particularly impressive, at best reflecting a second-rate Too $hort, but I have to give him credit for taking the initiative to sample something aside from the "swagga" line. When I say that "he" took the initiative, I literally mean that he produced this track.

Now, I don't like this beat. I don't like his flow. I don't ever want to listen to this song. But I do think that sampling the line "bonafide hustla making my name" was a smart move, with the potential to provide a relatively timeless hip-hop reference instead of latching onto trendy slang. ::sigh:: If only his production skills and lyrical skills could match his ideas.

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- SPACE IT -

josh jones: m.i.a. cover.

dl: JOSH JONES - Paper Planes (M.I.A. cover) (Z - YSI)
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When the new single from the 29-person Swedish pop group I'm From Barcelona popped up on stereogum, a lot of folks were disappointed that it wasn't a M.I.A. cover. Understandably so! The song in question, "Paper Planes", has the exact same title as what's now become dear ol' Maya Arulpragasam's first top ten hit. Up until that point, there'd been a handful of remixes of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes", a bunch of versions with rappers hopping on the track, and a video of Rihanna doing a live cover. Surprisingly, there were no full cover versions cyber-seducing our secret lives...

That all changed over the weekend when the combined forces of The Yellow Stereo and Cable & Tweed came together to bring us a live cover by Chicago's Panda Riot. This happened to coincide with the actual panda riot that occurred this weekend in Williamsburg. Coincidence? I think not.

I don't know this Josh Jones character, but I heard his cover last week when I randomly decided to look at this guy's blog. It's so pretty that it should be in Sony Bravia commercials or some junk.

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BONER TRACK: PANDA RIOT - Paper Planes (Live M.I.A. cover) (Z - YSI)

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- SPACE IT / BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

hell yup: good friday fun.

Remember. Jesus didn't die for your sins so you couldn't dance. So get ready for good times this Good Friday at Boulevard Tavern (579 Meeker Ave, map it)! With $5 all you can eat burgers, franks, and tots, you'll recall that the Lord may have left you...but he hasn't left you hungry! If you can't make it, here's a little sample of what you'll be missing out on...

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dl: HELL YUP - HONEY00RAIN (YSI)

-- DMX Krew - Honey
-- Vashti Bunyan - Come Wind Come Rain

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dl: HELL YUP - MADMUSIC (YSI)

-- Goblin (feat. Missy) - Tenebre (Hell Yup Pass That Shadow Remix)
-- Justice (Feat. M.I.A.) - Phantom (Hell Yup Bucky Done Died Remix)
-- Dan Deacon - Big Big Big Big Big

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dl: INDETERMINACYPART1 (YSI)

-- (Robert Ashley -> John Cage -> Robert Ashley) + Live-coded Beats
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- SITE IT -

m.i.a.: poingly remix.

dl: M.I.A. - Boyz (Poingly remix) (YSI)

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It seems here were a few weeks when anyone who had ever heard of M.I.A. couldn't stop talking about Kala, but after the hullabaloo about the album died down...I noticed that talk of Kala essentially became talk of "Paper Planes". And while it's a great song, I just can't get down with any of these remixes (AdRock, Holy Fuck, DFA, etc.) that are floating around.

Funny enough, there is one song on Kala that I've found significantly more enjoyable when remixed. I tried to keep my disappointment about "Boyz" a secret. After the supremely more interesting "Bird Flu" dropped, I expected so much more from the first single. It wasn't until I heard Rock Steady Drew and Leif's remixes that I could finally warm up to the song, and it wasn't until months later that I heard Poingly's take on the song.

Now, I mean this politely. There's something off about Poingly that's preventing me from liking his original music. He's received a bit of coverage in these internet parts (with particular love heading towards his cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"), but it might be the vocal style? The lyrics? The weirdness? Something just isn't right. With that said, something is so right about his remix of "Boyz". In this case, a song that I'm lukewarm about + an artist that I'm lukewarm about = HOTNESS.

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - WIK IT - HYPE IT -

rock steady drew: remixes.

ROCK STEADY DREW sent me his mix of Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" a few days ago.

I have to confess that I'm really into the gay euro-dancetrash vibe of the original song, so it took a while to get into this. More accurately, it took hearing his remix of M.I.A.'s "Boyz" to really take a moment to listen to everything he had to offer. I realized later that this had been posted on Missingtoof a while back. I then realized that I had even read this post and somehow not listened to the remix at the time. ::shrug:: In any case, this dude somehow took "Summer Nights" from Grease and put it together with Bonde do Role. And it does not sound incredibly stupid. I am amazed by that. Then there's his remix of Fergie's "Glamorous", which I'm slowly realizing that everyone seems to secretly like. I mean, I was in a car with my sister and brother-in-law and he made a mixtape with back-to-back Fergie. I never thought I could ever hear another "Glamorous" remix ever again, and then Rock Steady Drew showed me the way.

dl: RIHANNA - Don't Stop the Music (Rock Steady Drew MJ2 mix) (YSI)
dl: M.I.A. - Boyz (Rock Steady Drew Fight mix) (YSI)
dl: FERGIE - Glamorous (Rock Steady Drew Ghetto Glam mix) (YSI)
dl: BONDE DO ROLE vs. GREASE - Funk Da Summer (Rock Steady Drew Mashup) (YSI)
(a batch of remixes to get your party going)
- site it - space it - hype it -

bangladesh: m.i.a.'s "hit that".

BANGLADESH teamed up with M.I.A. for a new track, and this collaboration certainly "bangs the best".

I've been intrigued with Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford's production ever since "Bossy" by Kelis. Or so I thought. Little did I know that I've been banging Bangladesh beats since the beginning of this millennium, and you probably have been too. Bangladesh produced a large portion of the debut album by Ludacris, Back For The First Time, including the 2000 hit single "What's Your Fantasy?" On any given weekend you could probably catch college kids screaming these lyrics out loud as the sound of Bangladesh surrounds them, and I bet they don't even know how much of an impact Shondrae Crawford has had on their lives. He is undoubtedly one of the most underrated hip-hop producers out there and it's good to see him shining right now.

M.I.A.'s "Hit That" leads us forward in the Bangladesh movement. The track was recently leaked by Crawford himself, picked up by The Fader's blog, and then exploded all over the internet. Presumably this is his contribution to Ms. Arulpragasam's upcoming album Kala, but one can never tell at the rate that her tracks keep showing up on the internet. Either way, it makes me equally excited for the future sounds that M.I.A. and Bangladesh have for us-- together AND separately.

d/l: M.I.A.- Hit That (YSI)
d/l: SHANELL f/ TOO $HORT- Get It (YSI)
(two incredible Bangladesh productions)
- space it / site it - space it - hype it - wik it / space it -

BLOGWATCH: PRODUCT SHOP NYC has a few reviews of Bjork's Volta, and Kwaya Na Kisser has a live set by her featuring some new songs from the album. Bigstereo has two Small Pink remixes, including Spank Rock and Architecture in Helsinki.

m.i.a.: every day i love you less and less.

download: M.I.A.- Every Day I Love You Less and Less (YSI)
(M.I.A. covers the Kaiser Chiefs)
- buy it - site it - space it - wik it -

This is a bit old, but it's been rocking my pod for a looooong time. When the hell is Power Power dropping? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm dying to get "Bird Flu".

PS: I forgot to mention my gratitude for Slutty Fringe , another blog that linked to the Yo Majesty remix/cover contest. Remember, entries are due February 7th!

quio: she likes to jump at people.

QUIO popped up on some random 16 year-old hipster kid's myspace page one day. Considering I don't usually take musical cues from teenagers who are trying too hard (very few teenagers aren't trying too hard, let's be honest), the strangest thing made me find her appealing. I'd ask you not to judge me for this, but the sole reason I was on the random 16 year-old's myspace was to judge him. Karma, I guess. So judge all you want.

Okay. So while I'm listening to "Gazon Gasolina", I swore that an element of the instrumental was taken from The Neptunes' instrumental for "Caught Out There" by Kelis. It's one single noise, and I may be crazy for noticing this, but it made a difference. I love, like, AND respect Kelis no matter what anyone else says. She's absolutely crazy. Crazy amazing. If you don't agree, perhaps you should read her cover story in VIBE Vixen, a magazine that was apparently created for women of color...and, um, me. So, in this article, Kelis talks about her relationship with her hubby Nas (which sounds like the healthiest show business relationship in the universe), her music, her family, and more. No, this isn't an advertisement for VIBE Vixen bitches. Admittedly, I read the article in Hudson News while waiting for my train back to the jerz at Penn Station. But seriously, Kelis is the real deal. Read that shit up in the Super Stop & Shop if you have to. She's the shit. <-- This video is further evidence. "BITCH...where'd you get that bag?"

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Now back to Quio.

The first thing you should know about Quio is that she should not be taken seriously. In fact, she is violently against being taken seriously-- "She likes to...break up what supposedly makes sense. In misunderstandings she sees both the chance to have performer and listener create something new, and to put into question the perception of understanding something the wrong or right way. Quio is against seriousness when it is used as a tool of dominance, in the way that seriousness gives weight, means truth, means realness. Never wanting to impose meaning. She writes against preconceptions and boxing people in, especially women into premade schemes." Crazy. Crazy amazing.

If that doesn't convince you, perhaps you will be swayed by lyrics such as, "I spread my vibes like an orca in ultrasonic." Orcas aren't mentioned quite mentioned enough in pop music, and I salute Quio for attempting to address this issue.

Quio doesn't quite fit into a mold. On "Gazon Gasolina", she sounds like a nonsensical version of Lady Sovereign over some random-ass experimental electro track. On another side, "So Dazed" is just as non-sensical, yet it's mellow vibe is more suitable for a fan (or former fan) of The Postal Service. You can watch the trippy video for the latter song here.

Some final things you should know: I'm super late in discovering Quio. Over a year. On the other hand, I'm not sure if I can agree with radio babylon's assessment that, "this is perfect for anyone who loves M.I.A. but doesn't think she's grime enough." I guess everyone will have different things to say about Quio due to her genre-fucking tendencies. And, oh...by the way, her name is pronounced "oooh!" Yes, that doesn't make sense. At all.

DOWNLOAD: QUIO- So Dazed
DOWNLOAD: QUIO- Gazon Gasolina
DOWNLOAD: QUIO f/ LISE- Mom + Wife

BUY Like Oooh!

BLOGWATCH: Said the gramophone, my older brother when it comes to blogging, brings us new tunes and a great write-up about Basia Bulat, who I interviewed way back in Febz. Blogs are for dogs leads us to a new track by Air "One Hell of a Party", featuring guest vocals by Jarvis Cocker. You Ain't No Picasso pays tribute to his favorite band Bishop Allen with a post featuring songs from the final two EPs of their twelve month project.

tigarah: what can you do with a b.a. in political science?

TIGARAH was planning to change the world through the government after graduating as a political science major from Japan's Keio University, but instead she decided to change the world with music. It was that simple. She's traveled from Japan to Rio to the UK to L.A. to craft a delightful mixture of Baile Funk, UK Grime, etc. Her full album hasn't even dropped yet, and I am shitting my drawers in excitement...literally.

Apparently, I'm not the only one. Tigarah has recently been the cat's meow in LA--- featured everywhere from the LA Times to cobrasnake. "Girl Fight" was featured in BLENDER's top 20 downloads a few months ago. She's catching on like the bird flu...which isn't really catching on at all.

Beyond all this though, I can't help but think she's just a second-rate M.I.A. But even if she'll never be as cool as the recently deported Ms. Arulpragasam...I don't really mind.

DOWNLOAD: TIGARAH- Girl Fight!

BONUS TRACK: TIGARAH- Japanese Queen

Check out more tracks at the space OR check out her website, a place where you can listen to a hell-of-a-lot of remixes or BUY the 8 song EP and get a free button!