ASAP Rocky, "Peso"

These visuals bringing it back to the early-90's NY hip-hop stylee.

NYC Streets with Steveo of the Deadline Crew

LRG Visually Heard / Steveo of Deadline Crew from LRG on Vimeo.

The riding is dope but what I really want to know is what the track is... holler if you know.

OC & AG collabo, Oasis

A brief look into the OC & AG (of DITC) in-store at Fat Beats NYC promoting their new album Oasis, out now. And if you haven't realized how humble and how much of a hip-hop head Premier is, now you know. Dude is straight blowing on his CD after AG signs it! You gotta respect that kind of love.

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Bekay, "Hunger Pains" OUT TUESDAY

I already posted this track, now peep the video. Cop this Tuesday. Preview the album here.

Hip-Hop Thursday @ Spring Street Tavern

If you haven't noticed, Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 is slowly being leaked track-by-track to the big-dog blogs [rhymed without even trying]. So far, the tracks have been disappointments. Instead of provide you with links to these so-far mediocre tracks, I'm going to share a track that also has been posted up on the definitive hip-hop blogs... and is fire on that late-90's NYC tip. In other words, it's my joint.

Let me (re)-introduce you to Bekay (pronounced "BK"). Hailing, obviously, from Brooklyn this Jewish emcee has been making moves for a minute but hasn't ever blown up. Some may remember him from his battles on 106 & Park back in '02, others from MTV's short-lived MC battles around '03. I haven't heard much of him, but if this viral track if him holding his own with Masta Ace is any indication of what is to come, I'll be on the lookout.

Bekay, "Brooklyn Bridge feat. Masta Ace" produced by Babu

If I had some Bekay wax, I'd rock it tomorrow (Thursday). But I don't. I've got crates of other quality hip-hop, though that I'll be throwing down tomorrow night at the Spring Street Tavern with DJ Trey. Come holler at your DJ!

Brown Bag Allstars

Whenever I visit NY, I always need to stop by the Fat Beats record store. On previous journeys, I was fortunate enough to converse with the Audible Doctor and be introduced to his production in the form of his Brownies CD. If you don't know about this James Brown tribute, or if you're an aspiring producer, you must cop this. This is hands-down, the best re-interpretation of JB samples I've ever heard. And if you think you've heard JB chopped every which-way imaginable, think again.

Whoa, I got off on a tangent... so this time around at Fat Beats I met J57. He's another Fat Beats employee who produces and emcees. He put me on to a group that was recently formed called Brown Bag Allstars (BBAS). They have a blog with a bunch of hotness for download and if you follow any of them on Twitter, you can catch them on the come-up with videos like this:

Dollar Crate Special: Diane Schuur

I hadn't heard of Diane Schuur until my girlfriend and I saw her at the historic Blue Note in NYC about a year ago.  Before she even stepped on stage her positive energy radiated through the quaint club.  She cracked some jokes and made light of her reliance on a guide to help her on stage (due to her lack of sight).  I've never seen a picture of her where she isn't wholeheartedly smiling.  If you never saw her, you can still hear her smiling in her music.  In most of her songs she is able to put a happy twist on even a somber song.

I found both of these albums in the Dollar Crates of an Uptown record store.  Half of "Deedles" is unfortunately poppy.  The rest is her sweet spot: jazz.  Her range is vast and her mind is musically sharp which makes for beautifully fun jazz.  She often does a give-and-take play with other musicians.  A perfect example is her scatting on "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing".  She matches notes with the sax so well.  This song is her element.  I also included a download for her "New York State of Mind" because it is the standout track on "Deedles".  Schuur can tackle many different types of songs, but I actually feel she falls short on nailing "NY" because she lacks the swagger that the instrumentation and subject calls for (Nas got it).  I still love this song, though, because 1) I have a soft spot for the Big Apple and 2) the jazziness she brings to certain parts of the song are unique interpretations.

Diane Schuur, "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing"

Diane Schuur, "New York State Of Mind"