Jesse Is Heavyweight - "Gon Flip"

Q-Unique - "Mr. Lopez" (Official Video from Between Heaven and Hell)

Slaine - “99 Bottles”

Andre - LiveFastDieYoung

19-Year Old Marz LoveJoy

Big Sean at Def Jam Cipher Session

Busta Rhymes & Fred the Godson In The Studio

You think Bus is really impressed??

MC Hammer Releases Trailer To Jay-Z Diss

Shouts to YoRaps.com for this update. It's rather strange...intriguing, mysterious. Aside from the anticipation of what MC Hammer will actually say about Jay-Z being devilish, real excitement revolves around Jay's response. He is famous for publicly ignoring certain disses, but he has responded in interviews & at least one song to speculation that he is a Mason and/or devil worshipper. We'll see what happens Sunday & beyond.

Cassidy - "Drumma Bass"

Watch the NBA's Brightest Talk Skullcandy

"Coach of the Year" featuring D-Block

DJ Soundwave x Nicki Minaj: The Pre-Concert Mixtape

Download!!

Gotham Green & Quickie Mart f. Malkovich, "Malk & Green".. vid #5 from "Haze Diaries Vol. 3"

Gotham Green & Quickie Mart f. Planet Asia

Skyzoo - "Speakers On Blast"

From Skyzoo & Illmind's new 'Live From The Tape Deck' album.

Davinci - "This Is How We Do"

Davinci's inaugural RFM appearance was definitely street official; now, in preparation for his show @ the sixth annual A3C Hip-Hop Festival, he returns with unfiltered pimp-talk over Outkast's classic "Steels of Wheel." Nice!

Shouts 2 AUDIBLE TREATS!!
'Fans in Atlanta can see Davinci perform at A3C Thursday October 7th on the Perfect Attendance stage, as well as Friday October 8th as part of The B.A.R.T. (Bay Area Rap Team Up).'

Black Milk in DC on UAUTV

Nice interview with one of Detroit's best. Edited by my man L.A. Abbott.

Check Out Minaj & Will.I.Am

MTV Shows

Not only is Young Money captain Lil Wayne '...Not A Human Being,' Nicki Minaj gets other worldly with galactically successful producer Will.I.Am in the vid for her 'Pink Friday' single "Check It Out." Peep 2 more segments of the interview.

Vado to Release "Slime Flu" on 10/12!

"It’s our first album and I promise it’s so much of a classic. It’s like all the Boss of all Bosses tapes put together."

-Vado

Hell Razah - "Kids In The Street"

Nice Short Part. 7 10k Hours/Wire Road Studio

The Niceguys is absolutely refreshing! "Nice Short Pt. 7" includes some of the smartest non-pretentious footage we've seen in a time when a lot of hip hop acts think they have to stress cleverness. The Niceguys' deadpan humor draws us in, and one view of vids like "Mr Perfect" (below) makes us sit down & get comfortable. Enjoy!

Erk Tha Jerk - "Summer" Preview

Lyriciss - Hot Music

A Day w/Kelis

Super Chron Flight Bros - B More f. Zesto

If you dig heavy drug imagery & HBO's The Wire, then this video is for you! Great close-ups of D being chopped & bagged draw you into the depths of "B More;" audio clips of Stringer Bell & Bubbles magnify the imagery as the Flight Bros paint a seedy picture of addiction & commerce over depressing guitar riffs & piano. About halfway through "B More" the vid & music transition to Zesto, posted up on a bike in a corner liquor store rhyming. It's some real back to the streets ish.

Khemist - "Good Reason"

Click here to experience Philly young'n Khemists' lyrical tap dance over a horn laden instrumental.

DaVinci - "Concrete Jungle Juice"

Halloween is a few months away, but San Frans' DaVinci ushers in black hoodie season early with the high impact video for "Concrete Jungle Juice." It's not what you do in this game but how you do it; sure the piece & chain dangling, weed cloud floating imagery is in full effect here, however, the lighting, shots and cuts give DaVinci's vid a true cinematic touch without straying from the brevity of music videos. Big props to director M. Ubungen & Sweetbreads Creative Collective.

Kelis Goes Acoustic

You can just sort of tell when an artist is really enjoying themselves and the material; it's obvious in these three segments that Kelis is having a ball performing joints from her new 'Flesh Tone' album. I don't know if all the passion behind her lyrics is an emotional product of her failed marriage with Nas, but "Brave" is DEFINITELY about Esco. Kelis even calls herself a Braveheart in the song...



Wanna experience Kelis live? Click here.

"4th of July (Fireworks)"


"Acapella" is still my favorite "Flesh Tone" record, but "Fireworks" is such a universal song; lyrics about regretting a failed relationship ring true.

"22nd Century"


I like this one because the music captures the confused, chaotic mentality that's so pervasive these days.

"Diarrhea" - Khemist

Here's a post-'E.P.P.D. Mixtape' offering from Philly's own Exotic Prodigy, Khemist. Every young artist wants to be called "the ish," so Khemist wastes no time jacking Timbalands' "I Can't Stand the Rain" & locking the door behind him. Get ya Lysol ready!! It's Diarrhea!

"Feel My Pain" - AZ

AZ "Feel My Pain" (Official video) from Clockwork Music on Vimeo.

Serious spittage & simple yet creative art direction give AZ's new "Feel My Pain" video that coveted rewind-ability.

"Outta the Window" by J*Davey

J*DaVeY "Outta the Window" from SOCKETUMi Iam on Vimeo.

The new J*Davey vid is nice & bugged out, LOL. The shear randomness of sets versus what seems like well thought out blocking (that's positioning of the subjects for you non film buffs out there) gives "Outta the Window" real repeatability. I haven't even spoken on the actual song, right? That's because it's pure crack I tell you! Dreamy, feel good, energetic & colorful are all words that come to mind.

Also, my good friends @ Audible Treats were nice enough to include in the J*Davey update a link to the group's five track mixtape 'Boudoir Synema- The Great Mistapes.' Apparently it's the first of three free EPs that Miss Jack Davey & Brook D'Leau will drop before their Warner Bros. debut 'New Designer Drug.' Checka check it out & let me know what you think. In the meantime watch "Outta The Window" over & over again.

Nas & Damian Marley R 'Distant Cousins'

Looks like the son of Queens Bridge & the son of cultural icon Bob Marley shall continue May 18 on their "Road to Zion"; the pair attempts to stretch the parameters of their respective genres with the new "Distant Cousins" album. Judging from the above trailer, "Distant Cousins" sure seems like a venture inspired by creativity.

Hopefully the quality of the tracks surpass Junior Gong & God Son's somewhat underwhelming first try, "Road to Zion (2005)." Peep the vid below to judge for yourself (the audio isn't great so go here 4 "As We Enter")

Peace 2 Brain Scully & ThinkTank Marketing!

"Window Seat" by Eryka Badu

I wonder if Ms. Badu knew that she'd be charged & fined by the Dallas Police Dept. when she got naked in Dealy Plaza for her new video "Window Seat." It's great watching the video for peoples' reactions; they're definitely not extras, LOL. I know Ms. Badu was doing her artistic symbolism thing, but I just have to say that she looks awesome! Fallout from the misdemeanor charge, which carries a $500 fine, may include questions of whether the uproar over Badu's bare bottom is due to its' wide, round, brown-ness. But I think that any artist who did what she did would have been charged & fined.

BTW, the song is hot & the video gets straight to the point.

P.S. - Who are 'Matt & Kim?'

Kelis on Making of "Acapella"

MTV Shows

We @ RFM love when MTV devotes airspace to pop artists' occasional artistic vents; in this case Kelis tells a boring but cute story of the time she received some beats from Dave Guetta & diddled around with lyrics & melodies to accent the music that would become her chart topping dance joint "Acapella." Eventually a cool, energetic song was done, but before that Kelis met David on Paris' party circuit & a creative bond began to form. Cheesy? Maybe a little. But where there is a song there is a story. Here's just a slice of it via MTV.

Shout out to THINKTANK MARKETING! Kelis' 'Flesh Tone' project comes out this Spring. Buy "Acapella" HERE.

Jay-Z & Absolut Take Shot @ a Doc

"I need the stabs up a little bit" (Jay-Z). Hip hop & hard alcohol have been going steady like Zack & Kelly for a good while now; 'NY-Z,' a short film (directed by photog Danny Clinch, starring Jay-Z) about NYC's effect on the central rapper of the last ten years, is the latest high point in the relationship. Already highly adept at following the right metaphor with the best simile, Jay-Z has now begun to master the art of spin as he continues to wholesale ship the nuances of his life story to a widening fan base.

Clinch's black & white motif is ideal for making the subject and his city seem classic without subtracting from the edginess of hip hop or Absolut Vodka. There are some flat out artful shots, cuts and audio mixes in 'NY-Z.' The film also features cool footage of Jay-Z rehearsing with John Mayer & Keri Hilson.

Willie The Kid & Lee Bannon f. La The Darkman "Necessary Way" (VIDEO)

WILLIE THE KID x LA THE DARKMAN NECESSARY WAY from williethekid on Vimeo.

Willie The Kid has some cool video directing ideas for a guy who spends much of his creative energy on witty raps. I like how he installs brother LA The Darkman as a present narrator. Now, there's plenty of gratuitous gun totting and crack rock pot stirring in the video; sometimes these types of shots can come off cheesy and they're bad for the game, but you can't deny a certain genuineness & consistency in the presentation of the Gun Rule, Michigan brothers Willie & LA.

Donwill - "Pu**y Rules The World"

Donwill is critically respected group Tanya Morgan's new artist. Here's a really organic feeling vid for a joint from his upcoming 'Don Cusack In High Fidelity' album. Donwill is a hip hop character mapping out his own storyboard. You can tell his music involves attention to detail. Shout out to Audible Treats; this post is in honor of SXSW & March being women's month and all, RFM makes space for a rapper who deals with them heavily. Son has soul.

CLICK POST TITLE 2 cop "Laura's Song" if you're still into buying hip hop.

Sole Of The City Productions Presents 'The New Grind' (teaser) Starring Darren Harper, Directed by Mark D. Shelton

The New Grind Teaser from mrmarkshelton on Vimeo.

The music in this teaser is great, LOL (I'm biased because I'm from Uptown Philly like the rapper Cassidy plus the film is about a DC skater, and I've spent the majority of the past eight years in DC @ Howard U). Editor Sean Cullen is a PROBLEM, as we like to say in Philly; his cuts are on point like DJ TouchTone. Darren Harper's story is an intriguing one and the RFM fam can't wait for the full length film coming soon!

Nneka Sound Checka!!

Show the Nigerian/German singer/lyricist some love and lend an ear to her soundcheck via WNYC.org . Mike TV is all about imagery; when he laid eyes on the light brown Nneka, boxing gloved hands on hips, giving the camera a playfully fierce Ali-mug, he knew there was something strong and creative behind it. Feel free to harken back to our initial Nneka post for proof.



Below is the cover image for Nneka's debut album 'Concrete Jungle,' which is in stores now via Decon Records.

P!!

Sean Price is one of the emphatically sick rappers we have - in a hyperbolic yet literal kind of way; here are a few recently released videos from 'P!' including "Red Light Boogie" featuring a Puerto Rican dude from Amsterdam whose name I think is HeatRock (or Boogie). The red lighting used throughout the video is complimented by spliced in movie footage and Tarantino style graphics and texts.



"Figure Four" is classic mixtape video material that merges a street stage with theater style lighting during Sean P's soapbox rap scenes; only those making that "grown man rap" can be filmed doing their best air mistro renditions on an empty field while rapping "where was I? Oh yes, Shawn Carter is nice but Sean Price is the best," LOL. The director mixes in home video style footage of 'P!' rapping on the corner too! This is a hot video!

DJ Kay Slay feat. AZ, Raekwon & Ghostface "See The Light" prod. by Green Lantern

Whenever Ghost, AZ & Raekwon get together it's a guaranteed problem - this Green Lantern produced joint is no different. The "See The Light" post is also a cheap excuse for me to show how cool Ghost & I are, LOL. Nah, that's not true; however, I will say that Ghost is the first artist I ever interviewed (HILLTOP NEWSPAPER) & we've met on four or five different occassions. He also blessed my first film, 'BACK 2 DA STREETS,' with some real jewels (especially @ the end).



I ran into Raekwon last October in DC during Howard University's annual Homecoming Yardfest concert (GO BISON!!). And AZ was a great interviewee in 2006 (shout out 2 the SKEEN BROS. & NOBODYSMILING.com)

General Steele Presents "The State of the Union Address" Album Leak

By now it's no secret that RFM & DUCK DOWN RECORDS go back like your grand daddy's recliner. General Steele (of Smif N Wessun) dropped by last spring to build about is fire solo debut 'Welcome To Bucktown;' less than 8 months later he's back with a leak from his next jawn entitled 'Amerikkka's Nightmare Pt. 2: Children of War' (in Stores Feb 23, 2010).

"The State of the Union Address" involves plenty of Steele's patented stream of consciousness rhyme flow; the Brooklyn bomber holds nothing back in this hopeful yet scathing critique of the current American government - plus the beat is hot!! LOL. CLICK TITLE 2 LISTEN!!

From the Block 2 the Radio!!

(2 Ray J related posts in 2 days?! LOL) Below are two cool new videos from New York bull horn DJ KAY SLAY's new 'MORE THAN JUST A DJ' album (dropping 2/9/10). Both songs feature singer RAY J aka The VH1 Pimp aka Hip Hop's John Stockton; the Cali kid's easy vocal styles assist many an E1 rap artist & give songs that extra something.

Enjoy these two items (they're good songs & their shelf life is extended by quality video directors & cinematographers) as RFM prepares to welcome KAY SLAY over for an interview today.

DJ Kayslay "Blockstars"

THE DRAMA KING DJ KAY SLAY | MySpace Music Videos

DJ Kayslay - Thug Love (feat. Maino, Papoose, Red Cafe & Ray J) from Straight Stuntin Magazine Online on Vimeo.

"exibit AZ"

AZ will not stop! He's back with some more wonder rhymer spit - short and sweet. BTW, AZ has a movie out called Envy with RAY J & LISA RAYE (that seems like it was def pre-For The Love, LOL). Check out the trailer below.

WALE & #thatthing @ HONEYMAG.com

I'm sure my peers, especially the homies, can relate to some of Wale's thoughts in his new HONEYMAG.com piece about '#thatthing' (sex). Lately I myself have been more preoccupied than usual with random thoughts of physical pleasure in part because the gorgeous ladies of HOWARD UNIVERSITY, strutting across campus in those skin tight throwback fashion must-haves, bring sex to my mind often.

In his piece WALE, who will perform live in my hometown of Philly this Thursday, writes about the tricks lust can play on our minds; he also bares his own mistakes in romance & sex and the ladies in HONEYMAG's comment section are eating it up, LOL. CLICK TITLE 2 READ ENTIRE PIECE.

DECLARE VICTORY WITH JAY ELECTRONICA!!

Click Post Title 2 stream underground hip hop darling JAY ELECTRONICA's new mixtape 'Victory,' built by DJ FURIOUS STYLES & DJ DUBB. Shouts to Melanie Cornish/Critical Mngmnt 4 providing a stream; 'Victory' is the type of ish you'd want to stream! Jay has lots of styles & flavor.

NEW JEFE PLAINE! "Mags"

Step into the light & CLICK POST TITLE to experience the latest from Marcy Projects youngster Jefe Plaine.

NEW SADE! 'Soldier of Love' - February 9th!

Bass player Paul Spencer Denman & guitarist Stuart Matthewman engage Sade Adu's voice with a fresh sound that's up to date without straying from the band's signature feel.



This post puts the M in rfM! I was raised by musicians & music enthusiasts. My most relaxing moments as a child were spent riding in the back seat of my Dad's black Nissan (before it got jacked from in front of our Philly apt on Broad St. LOL) while my parents swayed to "Smooth Operator," "Is It a Crime," or "No Ordinary Love."



It's only right that I use my burgeoning, digital relationship with THINKTANK MARKETING (shout out 2 Nathalie!) to post on SADE's first album since the multi-platinum 'Lovers Rock' (2000).



Here's a Sade highlight reel for your viewing pleasure.

Record Breaking Single "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha

We @ RFM don't know how or why this particular pop song sold 610,069 for the week ending 12/27/09, but...it did, LOL. And we like the video for its' fun decadence & humor.

Since Ms. Ke$ha from LA & her label RCA delivered "Tik Tok" to radio in October the song is the top radio airplay gainer in the nation (over songs by Jay-Z & Taylor Swift) according to NYDailyNews.com. "Tik Tok" sold approximately 200,000 more downloads than Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" & only 25,000 less than Flo-Rida'S 2009 hit "Right Round." She's poppin!! Ke$ha's debut album "Animal" hits retail 1/5/10. Watch the vids below if you wanna know more. CLICK POST TITLE 2 READ JIM FARBER'S DAILY NEWS PIECE

Shout out 2 Billboard!

LA DUBB & KHEMIST...enough said.

Are you ready to meet more friends of the RFM fam? I sure hope so! LA Dubb is a top engineer/producer out of Philly. He lends sharp production skills, dynamic vocals & a sixth sense for what fits well in a song to Hollywood game changers like JAMIE FOXX & prodigious rap spitters like KHEMIST (pictured below). Peep the above interview then CLICK TITLE to explore the crisp sounds LA Dubb has arranged for young KHEMIST. You won't be disappointed.



RFM's BEST SO FAR (KHEMIST songs)

1. "Can't Do That"
2. "Now Inside" (produced by Squizzy)
3. "The Best" (performed @ Howard University's Yardfest 2009)

STAT QUO AND DJ BLACK BILL GATES PRESENT THE STATUS REPORT

CLICK TITLE 2 DOWNLOAD!
Legendary hip hop pioneer Dr. Dre could produce a marathon crew cut with the legion of former Aftermath Records rappers who jumped ship due to being 'shelved' by the good Doctor. Southside representer Stat Quo, whose skills shone brightest on Eminem's 2006 Shady/Aftermath compilation 'The Re-Up,' is one of few former Dre proteges controlling his own destiny in hip hop; his latest mixtape is substantial evidence to the fact.

'The Status Report' is a rare mixtape laced with mostly high level, original production; "Another Level" is a melodic holdover from Stats' 2008 mixtape 'The Bailout' (produced by Sicknotes) and is worth repeating for its' inspirational qualities; "...I'm not that sell his soul cat for the scratch/ ain't no coming back, God's favorite Jedhi has returned to bring a boost to rap," Stat patiently rhymes.

He shoulders production duties on the raunchy, catchy "What I Like;" Stat's freaky sneaky whisper flow compliments ghostly synths and pounding base in the beat. However, the ATL native is at his best when reporting the American struggle alongside dramatic chords supported by soulful choruses (see "Ghetto USA," produced by Sha Money XL). The lyrical content in "Washed Away" is candidly conscious without being preachy.

Above all 'The Status Report' is a fun listen; Stat's signature giddy sound effects mixed with momentum building blends and reverses by DJ Black Bill Gates and timely audio rips from acclaimed HBO series THE WIRE morph the collection of hot tracks into a cohesive holiday treat for the hip hop nation.