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DOWNLOAD: “we all try” – Frank Ocean

It’s rare these days that a track really gets to me. This one did, however. Big time. On my subway commute home this evening I finally found the time to check out Nostalgia, Ultra, Island Def Jam artist and Odd Future affiliate Frank Ocean’s free debut album (click here to get it).

I made it about halfway through the record before I found myself coming back to track #4, “we all try,” a sentimental ballad about forgiving the transgressions of oneself and others because, in the end, we are all imperfect and “trying.” This all sounds pretty corny on paper, but the track itself remarkably avoids the cliched platitudes of like-minded R&B ballads. It’s a testament to the artist’s song writing which lets in an (ahem) ocean of ideas (political, spiritual, interpersonal) but finds order among them in one simple idea: forgiveness.

“we all try” – Frank Ocean

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VIDEO: Maureen Interviews Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces

Here’s something different: the mysterious yet very everyday “budding journalist extraordinaire,” Maureen, sat down with Ishmael Butler (otherwise known as Palaceer Lazaro of Shabazz Palaces — introduction extraneous if you’re a regular reader of this website). The clip above is a very brief preview.

Having a non-hop-hop head interview a very accomplished hip-hop artist, especially someone as ethereally-oriented as Butler, is something like asking a child to interview a physicist about how a nuclear fusion reactor is constructed. Non-sequiturs, possibly of the beautiful and unexpectedly insightful, may ensue. Make sure to watch for the interview in its entirety in the coming weeks.

On the album tip, SP’s Sub Pop debut, Black Up, is set for a June 28 release. But if you place an advance order on the LP before May 31, the label provides you with instant streaming access to the album and a free patch designed by the artist. Click here to take advantage of that offer.

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REVIEW: Goblin – Tyler, The Creator

Comparing the music of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All to that of its hip-hop forebears has become quite fashionable. At this point in the group’s existence, critics have deconstructed the music in terms of rap sub-genre (“It’s horrorcore!”), hip-hop artists that have covered similar lyrical ground (“They’re like Eminem!”), and even through alignment with other genres that may not share rap’s musical aesthetic but find commonality in anarchic spirit (“A new version of punk!”). Comparatives are part and parcel of music journalism, but when they’re relied upon so heavily, as has been the case with Odd Future, the dreaded final analysis is usually that the subject is so derivative that nothing original can possibly be said.

(Click here to continue reading at SSG Music.)

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DOWNLOAD: “TeaBag” – Tunk (feat. Thaddeus of SOTA)

Click image to D/L.

Here’s a new slice of funk from Tunk of  Sore Losers (a crew that I won’t even pretend to be hip to), featuring Town-mover Thaddeus of State Of The Artist.

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VIDEO: “The Beauty Within” – Dead Prez

Shout-out to Wordlush over at Last Night’s Mixtape (one of the absolute best SEA-based music blogs running things, ya heard?) for posting this up. Dead Prez crash the plane that that corny rapper B.o.B. is in and stab Bruno Mars in his got-damn…well…you know the rest.

(On the top of my rap video wishlist: a clip that denounces the fetishistic inclinations America has toward Asian women. Go forth conscious Asian rappers and make the statement!)

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DOWNLOAD: Cereal Box Superheroes – Saturday Morning Cartoon

Click picture for D/L link.

From the playful hip-hop minds of Jonnie Storm and Nitro Fresh, the dudes who comprise Saturday Morning Cartoon, comes Cereal Box Superheroes, the crew’s debut album. Beginning today, SMC will leak one (or two) tracks per day for FREE. Each drop will only be available for 24 hours, so stay up on the group’s Bandcamp page (linked below) daily to make sure you get the whole album.

An upbeat and positive vibe is SMC’s general hustle, along with healthy use of the talk-box, which adds a nostalgic old-school futurism to the group’s sound. Get hip to SMC below.

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DOWNLOAD: ELmatic – Elzhi (w/Will Sessions)

Click album cover for D/L link.

Let this be said: ELmatic, Elzhi’s re-interpretation of Nas’ classic Illmatic, is good. In fact, it’s excellent (covers head for fear of the Rap Gods’ wrath). In hip-hop, the line between imitation as the sincerest form of flattery and straight-up biting is a hazy one. Is ELmatic an example of Elzhi’s hubris run amok, or a true honorific attempt at adulation? Whatever it is, we shouldn’t let the young ‘uns decide. The only worry hip-hop should have over this remake is that kids under the age of 18 will think it’s all original. Parents, educate your children.

Click here to read more of my ELmatic thoughts on SSG Music.

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DOWNLOAD: “Rainy Days” – Yirim Seck

From his soon-to-drop The Good Eats Mixtape, area MC Yirim Seck goes in for the ladies over a lively beat. It’s been too long since we’ve heard from the rapper who (this blog has always contended) is one of the most naturally gifted MC’s in Seattle. More to come soon re: Good Eats. Keep it tuned to 206UP.COM.

“Rainy Days” – Yirim Seck (Click here to download the track.)

#LatePass. Below is a documentary short by Ijo Arts Media Group profiling the MC. This dropped Fall of 2010 but I just got hip to it recently.

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DOWNLOAD: Altered State EP – State Of The Artist

Click album cover for D/L link.

State Of The Artist dropped their new FREE EP today, Altered State. It’s a seven-track collection of anthemic electro-infused hip-hop. The title of the EP is appropriate as the album represents a shift in sound, away from the easy-going party rap of their debut LP, SeaCal, toward a moodier synth-heavy club aesthetic.

With all in-house production by group member Parker Joe, Altered State mostly rejects hip-hop’s traditional norms, so from that standpoint it doesn’t please the way SeaCal did. You can’t knock a group for growing, however, and there is plenty new to appreciate on AS.

SOTA will be heading out on tour with Mad Rad. Check the flyer below for your town:

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VIDEO: “Blast It” – Shabazz Palaces (“Tough Bond” Film Score)

Shabazz Palaces provided the score for the film Tough Bond (by Village Beat pictures), a documentary about Kenyan youth who sniff glue to survive street life.

(Caught this over at Last Night’s Mixtape.)

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