Free Earl?

Just to add to the last post, just to the Odd Future fans that are wondering where actually is Earl. This was just posted on their blog:

"Our Soldier, Wolf, Bother And Friend Is Currently Not With Us. Stop Asking Where He Is, We Like To Keep This Private Because It’s Very Personal For Us. And No, He is Not As Some Boarding School And Blah Blah Blah, None Of You People Know Because NONE of You Know Him Personally. Free Earl."

This accompanied a new tape with some unrealeased Earl Sweatshirt which you can find here

Green paper, gold teeth and pregnant gold retrievers

ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL

For those that dont know OFWGKTA is a collective, led by Tyler the Creator, there are three groups which fall under the Odd Future heading; MellowHype - producer Left Brain and rapper Hodgy Beats, EarlWolf - Tyler the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt - click link if you're wondering, like everyone else, actually where is Earl? - and then The Jet Age of Tomorrow - Hal Williams and Matt Martians. Domo Genesis, Mike G, singer Frank Ocean and also another producer Syd and Super 3 are also part of the collective.

 I've listened to MellowHype and Tyler and Earl and obvs Frank Ocean but havent really heard much of The Jet Age of Tomorrow so that's something I'm gunna get on that this week with their mixtape The 5th Echelon, in the mean time I thought I'd leave this as an introduction. I'll review some of their mixtapes soon cos if you haven't listened to them you neeeeed to. Whether you like their style or not it's pretty unlike anything else around atm.

First off i know what people are gunna say "You're only doing a post on OFWGKTA cos they got cool recently" But I blog about things I think are worth blogging about, been listening to them for a while now (no they're not new with 3 mixtapes and I think about 8/9 studio albums) but recently they've taken offfffff. They're playing Reading, they're videos on MTV, Yonkers (but a version so edited it was barely recognisable) was actually on the radio the other day....things are looking goood.

Take a look at Tyler, the Creator explaining, as much as you can, the concept of Odd Future and showing the kinda craziness they get up to....

I’m an over achiever, so how ’bout i start a team of leaders// and pick up stevie wonder to be the wide receiver// green paper, gold teeth and pregnant gold retrievers

 

"asian's look like asians"

Question is dyu think they're just a bunch of destructive ADHD kids who just wanna shock with their lyrics, have sucess and as Tyler says on the video "watch cartoons" or dyu think they actually bring something new to the table, an Eminem style dramatic controversial entrance to the mainstream scene? Be interesting to hear what people think. I know what I think about them, but I wanna hear you're views first.....

Welcome to that Garden State of Mind

Got listening to this rapper Moruf after That Good Good Blog put me onto him in her feature People you should know: The Hiphop Edition. He's 22 heralding from NJ originally from Nigeria, he's studying at uni whilst working in Radio Shack. But click the link to read the full interview.

He seems like a pretty down to earth guy. And the mixtape, is pretty sick. He's got a lot of talent even if he is at the start of his career he has an underground feel but it's an accesible one, reminds me a lot of a less lyrically developed Blu. Not that that's a criticism, if he was on a Blu level after 2/3years rapping it'd be craaaazy, actually if i consider anyone on a Blu level it's craaaaazy. In terms of witty hooks and serious wordplay it's lacking, in the sense that trying to find a bar which stood out for a title or quote isnt easy, but then is it a good thing that hiphop has become about Drake style one liners ("chance is like a picture it'd be nice if you'd just take it....". Moruf is more about the poetry, it's less playing around fanciness and more realness, he is undeniably a poet and his style is nice, a little rough but in a good way.

The mixtape is just mellow the way I like music, you can see the Dilla, traditional hiphop influence and I like that, it's far from commercial in the best way possible. Highpoints for are the beats on Story of My Life: Exile stylee sooo jaaaam. And he uses the Slum Village (untitled) Fantastic beat on the Slumdog track one of the best tracks on the mixtape and That Good Good blog just posted the video. Worth watching. From the surreal vibe of Sometimes (just the kind of thing I was talking about in Changing Realities).

He says in the That Good Good interview that he loves music, then hiphop and it comes across, you can tell from this mixtape his a musician not just a commercial rapper who can write a hook. 

"Welcome to that Garden State of Mind as I let my thoughts blossom in this Garden State of Mine"

Download his mixtape Garden State of Mind: Ready to Live here, and check his tumblr for updates on what he's doing atm, and his blogspot for his general lifestyle blog.

Let's go to sleep in Paris wake up in TOKYO

So half the world are focused on Japan at the moment with the huge earthquake which hit Japan a few weeks ago and at 8.9 on the richter scale and an epicentre only 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. the tsunami that followed was devastating, as you'll know unless you've been sitting in a hole.

Takashi Murakami at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain

Loads of people have been getting involved, rappers, designers, singers and it really made me think Japan has such a rich hip hop culture.

It seems so long ago that fashion in hiphop was a do-rag and a giant tshirt but from Kanye West using Takashi Murakami for his Graduation cover to Nigo's Bape and Pharrell's Billionaire Boys Club, Nicki Minaj our very own Harijuku Barbie and magazines like i-D constantly doing Japanese spotlights it's pretty clear that in fashionable street culture Japan has been there from the start.

How different would hiphop culture today be without this little island which has changed the scene so much.

It's difficult to say when Japanese culture and Hiphop became so intertwined, I can't say when it started but the first wave of truly fashionable rappers bought it mainstream, Kanye, Pharrell, Kid Cudi; anyone else noticed everything they seem to do has an asian edge, a certain eastern twist. It's almost ironic now that Kanye West wearing a coloured polo and Louis V backpack (a la This Way) back in 2004 was such a fashion statement. But if we wanna go way back and trace the route of the Japanese edge, it was Pharrell who pushed Japanese fashion in Hiphop at the start.

Pharrell has always been known for his Skate Boy P stylee, bright coloured polo shirts, bowties, clear wayfarers, and Nike SBs. Heralding from Virginia, lead singer of N.E.R.D. and one half of the production team The Neptunes since he co-founded the Billionaire Boys Club/Ice Cream Brand with Nigo in 2005 (Japanese designer and creater of BAPE) he pushed luxury streetware to another level bringing it well and truly stateside. Following the example of sister company BAPE there production is limited and prices are high.

Then there's Kanye West, you only have to look at Graduation to see the enchantment with Japanese culture. Getting Takashi Murakami (commonly sighted as a Japanese Andy Warhol) you only have to look at the cover, combining traditional Japanese elements with an anime style twist. Take the video for Stronger filmed over 9 days in Japan which features Japanese Katakana symbols repeating the words of the song amongst others (イマオマエガヒツヨウダ 'I need you right now' if you're interested) set between shots of the city and chaotic Frankenstein like sci-fi sequences.

For the girls Niki Minaj has always been one for Japanese streetfashion following the likes of Gwen Stefani she takes influence from the street fashion of Japan's Harijuku girls. Calling herself the Harijuka Barbie for her she says it's not just the fashion she can't get enough of, it's the expression and freedom of self. And you only have to look to the collaboration with Will.i.am and Cheryl Cole (Check it Out) to see how it's influenced her music....poppy, happy, slightly iritating.....

Top to bottom:

 Kanye West in Bape campaign/Bape Store Harajuku/ Nicki Minaj/ Joel Silver, Pharrell Williams, Nigo, Kanye West, Takashi Murakami

What do you think, has Japan really influenced hiphop that much, or has hiphop and street culture just influenced Japan? And if it has, good or bad?

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Odd Future...on the radio?!

In the middle of two big posts, so much to say at the moment! But just had to write a quick post as today I was driving and heard Frank Ocean on the radio, not just any radio, Radio 1 primetime. Then Reggie Yates starts talking about Odd Future....is what I was talking about in Changing Realities coming true?!

Been meaning to do a big post on OFWGKTA and been listening to Nostalgia Ultra - oh wow - for ages so I'll get on that this week and finish the others sorry I've been slacking!

Also they're playing Reading.....

Jam Track of the Week

You Got Me by The Roots ft Erykah Badu

So jam. Had such a hectic week this is deffo jam track of the week. Makes me feel so mellowwwww