The Witzard

1. "Like a Star" - Was saving this for the 2nd album. Due to some other shit beyond my control, I'ma let this out now. 2. "Knock On Wood" - One of my fav. freestyles. OG Dreamvillains gotta be reminded, new fans gotta get put on. 3. "Pity" - BRAND NEW... J. Cole, Omen & Voli . Produced by Voli @VoliTheEntity . J. Cole feat. Omen & Voli - Pity (Prod. Voli) by Voli 4. "How High?" - At one point, this was "guaranteed" to go on The Sideline Story . 5. "Unabomber" - Just heard this today for the first time in a longgg time. Love these raps! Every Sunday til the album drops, I'll be back with something. Maybe just 1 song, maybe a video, depending on how I'm feeling. [ Cole World: The Sideline Story will be released] September 27! We almost there. Until then... Love all y'all, "Cole World" @ Dreamvillian DOWNLOAD LINK: BOOBIES

"It's been a wild year for the Los Angeles Electro-Dubstep DJ Skrillex : He's performed and collaborated with Korn, toured with rave-master deadmau5 , and released a handful of club-wrecking EP's, including June's More Monsters and Sprites EP . In his new clip for the buzzy, party-starting track "Rock N Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)" -- his first official video -- the man born Sonny Moore documents his wild life on the road. Check it out here . "There were too many good times to choose from," Skrillex says of piecing this video together. By the looks of it, he's right: "Rock N Roll" features all sorts of backstage high-jinx, including a seemingly endless flow of booze consumption and hang time with [ Tommy Lee , A-Trak, Rusko, Datsik,] Steve Aoki , deadmau5, Jonathan Davis & James "Munky" Shaffer (Korn) ... [Diplo, The Bloody Beetroots, Benga, and 12th Planet]. But the most visceral moments are those that

In essence, Menahan Street Band is a collective ensemble Super-Group of El Michels Affair, Budos Band, Dap-Kings [Sharon Jones], Antibalas, Charles Bradley , and "Mark Ronson;" All concurrently active under Daptone Records ... an indie Funk-Soul label, established by Gabriel Roth & Neal Sugarma n in 2001 (Brooklyn) . Backed by a string of 7" singles, Menahan Street Band released their full-length debut -- Make the Road By Walking -- in Fall 2008. Of that record's 10 contained tracks, 3+ were soon thereafter sampled by artists like Jay-Z, KiD CuDi , Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Curren$y ... Flipping "Make the Road By Walking," "The Traitor," and "Tired of Fighting" - respectively. " Menahan Street Band make a grandiose return with their latest release. Led by a hypnotic, haunted ukulele and intersected by thick, sorrowful hornlines - "The Crossing," a dark, powerful slab of Down-Tempo Soul conjur

G.) Does your favourite Sludge Metal band have a colorful sense of humor... with track titles like: "Blasteroids," "Curl of the Burl," "Dry Bone Valley," and "Stargasm?" N.) Would they dare commission a modern-day "Renaissance Man" [wood carver] to design their latest album cover? A.) Have they worked alongside producer, Mike Elizondo ? (Eminem, Fiona Apple, 50 Cent - "In da Club," Nelly Furtado) R.) Would they be oh so "kind" [naive] as to cast a troupe of violence-prone Muppets puppets in their latest music video? @ "Deathbound" L.) Has their drummer [ Brann Dailor ] ever dressed up like a "Punk Rock Mr. Rodgers" for the sake of a 30-second video intro bit? Y.) Is their frontman [ Brent Hinds ] a full-time carpenter... and active member of 2 separate Surfabilly/Acoustic Hobo-sexual side-projects? Mastodon - The Hunter (Sept. 27th) is a "jump-on-your-bed, get naked, and go streaking

For all intensive purposes, this is a "follow-up post" of sorts. What, you ask is it in fact following up? Show of hands - Anyone recall the "Real Talk with Hoodie Allen & Patrick ("Pllllat") Meehan" Interview posted roughly a week or 2 ago? Hopefully it's been picked up on by now... But the centerpiece of THIS post is actually Leap Year . Yes, that's the mixtape that Hoodie Allen spoke of during the interview segment with Mr. "Pllllat" Meehan . Leap Year was quietly "leaked" to Soundcloud @ 12pm of July 26th. I think Hoodie himself captured the important, yet fun-loving "Summery" vibe of the album in a recent [pre-release] blog post: "i'll be real with you... i haven't been sleeping well. i'm just so anxious/nervous/excited to release [ leap year ] on tuesday. it's been about 6 months in-the-making. i feel like i've put my whole soul into the record and definitely leave myself pretty

" Mister Jason Has a Posse " 1.) At its most simplistic element, a sly Andre the Giant [Has a Posse]/OBEY sticker campaign nod. 2.) On the more "complex" side of things, the track is essentially an A-Z Posse Cut; A practice which seems to have "grown out of style," the collective, round-about artform was once mastered by a number of 80's Hip-Hop acts. The 26 various MC's featured within "Mister Jason Has a Posse" - in Alphabetical order - are: Akrobatik , Bad Newz, Checkmark, D-Tension, Esoteric , Forcefeeld, Edo G, Masstapeace, Indy Jonez (I.D.), Jaysaun, Falsehood, Moe Pope, Nabo Rawk, Oak Lonetree, Q-Unique, Reks, Slaine, Termanology , Dizzy [Ugly Duckling], Thirstin Howell III , Will C, YZ & J-Zone ... each spitting roughly 4 bars. "Frankensteez" is Mister Jason ( Dr. Frankensteez )'s latest "solo" effort, of sorts... as it additionally showcases the talents of K-No Supreme (The Monster) - raps and Ra

As a 23-year-old recently graduated college student... who's being thrust into the "real job" force, I feel "old" sometimes. It doesn't help that I'm slowly but surely losing my hair and everything around me just seems to be changing @ a rapid pace. An avid music fan, lately I've been hearing a lot about Popular album anniversaries - Records that have achieved "classic" status within the span of my lifetime. This makes me feel a tad bit older... but @ the same time, it's comforting to revisit a handful of the first records I really got into as a kid-teenager. The Strokes' debut album ( Is This It ) was first released Across the Pond [UK] with the original "Spinal Tap - Smell the Glove" -esque artwork fully intact on August 27, 2001. As usual, it was then released @ a later date in The States [USA]... In lieu of 9/11, Is This It was finally liberated in Oct. of 2001; Omitting "New York City Cops" for obvious

* White Zombie - "I Am Hell"_CD Single It was the year "1997" - a brisk November day, in fact... A sad day for television, Pop Culture , and the world alike; For unknown reasons, MTV had cancelled [The Chronicles of] Beavis & Butt-Head . After an honorable 200 episode run, "America's Favourite Idiots" were now cast off into the oblivion of space/time. Series creator, Mike Judge then got involved in a number of mediocre [in comparison] projects: Daria, Airheads, King of The Hill, Office Space , and Beavis & Butt-Head Do America , as well as minor "acting roles" and cameo appearances. Fast-forward to the present (Summer 2011): After years of desire-filled rumblings, the MTV Execs. have finally fished their heads of out their asses... Resurrecting Beavis & Butt-Head from the dead! While details are still scarce, it seems as though Judge has grown tired of King of The Hill - A show which in all honesty, has seen its better da

Just a few days ago (July 21st), while walking the dark streets of Union Square, New York City ... Kendrick Lamar & Co. just so happened to run into one Johnathan Rivera . Lamar then proceeded to jump in on Rivera's impromptu busked [Classical] riffs - Flipping a raw, endearing freestyle over top. The result has been dubbed "Violin Freestyle" and is indeed an extremely original, DIY experience. Pay attention @ the end of the video, as Kendrick and Johnathan [seemingly] trade contact info... So, stay tuned for more recordings on the horizon from the FRESH pair! Johnathan Rivera ("hahagofetch") @ Facebook . Kendrick Lamar @ Twitter .

Special Correspondent @rickyrozay put it best: " Wanted to collab w/ Amy Winehouse... R.I.P. - Smoking 1 in your memoryyy!! " The Internet, music industry Twitter , and myself were [personally] saddened to learn that British R&B Songstress, Amy Winehouse passed away today @ the tender age of 27; Not unlike fellow Forever 27 Club "inductees" Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) , and Janis Joplin. Jewish -raised Amy Jade Winehouse burst onto the scene in 2006 with the release of her sophomore album, Back to Black . Its Salaam Remi -produced predecessor ( Frank ) was released 4 years earlier and garnered much critical success, but essentially "flew under the radar." Back to Black , which was jointly produced by Remi and DJ Mark Ronson , ushered in a throwback Doo-Wop lending sound with help from The Dap-Kings . The complete album would go on to win 5 Grammys and rack up some 10 million+ units sold. While everyone&

Ever wonder what the "average day off" entails for a Hip-Hop Mogul /jet-setter? Imagine no more because director-photographer, Robert Lopuski has now documented and released [10 minutes-worth] of behind-the-scenes Kanye & Jay-Z footage. Filmed in a number of 5-star hotel rooms and private estates, from Sydney-New York City ... The short-film documents Jay-Z 's birthday dinner, the pair vibing out to their own recorded tracks * [with Russell Crowe ], haircuts, scenic landscapes, earnestly writing/recording Watch the Throne , pick-up basketball games, artwork layouts, and more; All littered with still photographs, album cut previews, and archival Roc-Nation footage throughout. * Aziz Ansari @ Letterman (2009): "I'm one of the first people to get there and I walk into [ Kanye 's] house... and I hear 808's & Heartbreak playing, which is HIS album. And I walk in and he's just sitting in his living room, just like bobbing his head like, Bum, bo

" New Jersey/Harlem -based Indie rapper, Kyle Rapps & producer Nate G. craft upcoming mixtape made up ENTIRELY of Air [French Electronic duo] samples." Simply reads like an oddly-structured sentence and idea, for that matter... But with that said, I'm really looking forward to hearing the final outcome of this project. Be sure to stay tuned, as the afore-mentioned Kyle Rapps mixtape ( "On Air" ) will see a proper release this coming Fall Equinox .

"omg god. you guys have no fucking idea. like, this is crazy. im a legit stan . and the beat. pharrell was fucking with some drums and i was like, "do this and that, use this, add your voice with that UHHH sound." then he did some keys and i was like, "nah, do the other way." then chad did the guitar part. then i told chad to "add something, like brass or some shit," he added the horns. then i went and added the strings, cus i thought it was missing something. pharrell had a flight to catch so he left, and chad went in the other room. so, i arranged the ["trouble on my mind"] instrumental in pro-tools how i wanted to rap to it, just with the strings during the hook, and yeah..." - Tyler, The Creator x The Neptunes

Jay-Z & Kanye - DIRTY_"Otis" Watch the Throne 's out the week of August 1-6 and here's the first single! The CD-Q [digital] single version of "Otis" is coming August 1st. Debuted by Jay-Z @ Life+Times earlier this fine evening. The sample flipped here is Otis Redding - "Try a Little Tenderness" (1966) * and Riccardo Tisci designed the accompanying cover artwork. Meka has the tracklist/prod. credits over @ 2dopeboyz ... and if you like what you see/hear, pre-order 1 of 4 various packages; Priced from $11.99-16.99 .

Kailua-Kona, HI 's very own Pepper commissioned visual artist TEKSTartist to design their latest music video; Essentially ["high-speed"] scribbling down the lyrics to the Reggae/Ska -tinged "Wake Up," in the end a stylized PEPPER logo is revealed. Bret, Kale & Yesod are currently touring the country [USA] as part of Vans Warped Tour 2011 . Catch the band on stage from June 24-August 3, with additional [Pepper] Tour dates to follow - through early Oct. TEKSTartist 's pieces can be viewed/purchased over @ Myshopify . "Every line in every piece is a letter from a word from a sentence that means something to the piece." Contact the mysterious artist known as "TEKST" by means of phone: 760-687-9994 or email: TEKSTartist@gmail.com and be sure to mosey on over to his personal YouTube Channel.

Earlier this morning, I was part of a surprisingly well-versed Beastie Boys conversation... @ work ( Shop Rite ), of all places. Topic of interest: The sheer AWESOME-ness that is "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun." Having always been a personal favourite of mine, it was the sole fleshed out "full band" track on The Beasties' sophomore album - Paul's Boutique (1989) . What is now widely considered to be their "Magnum Opus," the record featured some 105 Dust Brothers -found sample sources [songs] and was essentially a "commercial failure" @ first. Because of sample clearance rules/laws established since its release, Paul's Boutique would be EXTREMELY expensive to make in this day & age. For all intensive purposes, this album is most definitely in my Top 5 ... and with that said, it deserves a lengthier, more in-depth post of its own. Stay tuned! Now, back to "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" - For those who don'

Not an excess of information available here, by any means... But here's 2 cuts released [without prior announcement] by @RealWizKhalifa through Twitter ... over the course of the past 2 days. Both "Flowers" and "O.T.T.R." seem to be Wiz tracks, billing Curren$y & Big Sean as "feat." - with beats produced by Big Jerm . While details regarding date(s) recorded and album placement(s) are still rather "hazy," the parties involved have worked together in various facets: First on Curren$y & Wiz's collaborative mixtape, How Fly (Summer 2009). Big Sean featured Curren$y on a recent mixtape track, "Five Bucks (5 On It)," along with Chip tha Ripper. Wiz was later featured on "High" with Chiddy Bang, from Finally Famous [The Album] . Wiz-Curren$y have a long history... appearing together on a few Khalifa mixtape/album tracks ( "Rooftops," "Glass House," and "Friendly" ).

Earlier today, Los Angeles' very own French import, Anthony Gonzalez (M83) , released a handful of details about his upcoming [double] album; Hurry Up, We're Dreaming will see an Oct. 18th release by way of Mute . CD1 Track #1 - "Midnight City," which features smooth, Dream-Pop harmonies and a sax solo, was unveiled... along with the 22-song deep tracklist/titles. Surf on over to ILoveM83 , enter your email address, and unlock an mp3 download of "Midnight City" by sharing a little "promo blip" via either Facebook or Twitter . Anthony Gonzalez - "Midnight City" Although it will [presumably] be a good while before more record tracks are heard by "the masses," album features are set to include: Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, NIN, Mars Volta) behind the boards, Zola Jesus, Brad Laner (Medicine) on guitar, and Morgan Kibby ... When talking "influences" in a recent press release, Anthony Gonzalez cites Smashing

"K people, please get ready for the World Premiere of the [ Official Full-Length, Ultra HD & Explicit Director's Cut ] music video/short film for "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win." Though no Yeti's were harmed in the making of this video... Please remember, that there are some scenes that are a rugged and raw depiction of a world that is at times violent, and even frightening. That being said, please heat up the butter and the popcorn, sit back and enjoy. Directed By: Spike Jonze and Written By: Adam Yauch (Oscilloscope) . We hope you have fun." - El Bando

While Ernest Greene is indeed the thinly-veiled frontman behind pioneering "Chill-Wave" act Washed Out , he's most definitely NOT featured within this most recent video release. The [visual] follow-up to what was originally released as a free digital download, "Eyes Be Closed" [now] plays out like a cycle-led trip through the future. The mysterious "girl behind the 'bars" is actually Fashion Model/Actress, Coco Young ; Under the direction of Timothy Saccenti + Alan Bibby , she rides through a number of lush, scenic landscape backdrops. Washed Out (Greene) 's official "debut" long-player, Within and Without , was recently released on Sub Pop-Domino ... and is currently available @ Your Friendly Neighborhood Record Store.

At its primal core, Zombie Gang is much like a broke, early version of Wu-Tang Clan ; One large collective that can easily be broken down into smaller groups ( Awkward Silence ), solo acts ( Squid, i2i, T-Cannon ), and works well in various alternative formations. Millville/Vineland, NJ 's finest, ZG is also similar to Wu-Tang in the respect that they're already working on a gaggle of projects - Concurrently prepping an untitled "Killa Beez" -esque Zombie Gang mixtape, "Hair & The Hatter" debut mixtape & "The Complete Scissorhandz Collection" (Awkward Silence) ... "Lyrical Mindfuck" (i2i) , untitled Squid mixtape, T-Cannon solo, "Dollar Menu" tape?, and a miscellaneous Pauly Patey effort? The erroneously-titled "Tu Come la Scheiße y Mourir" was unleashed via YouTube over the weekend and is technically * a Squid [-feat. Dollar & i2i] track. Edited/produced by Dylan & Company, "Tu Come&qu

After releasing a string of successful mixtapes and digi-singles, Theophilus London is finally readying his debut long-player titled, Timez Are Weird These Days . The Brooklyn by way of London (Trinidad) native worked with a wide array of artists composed of: Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) , Jokke, John Hill, Liz Lee , Sara Quin ( Tegan & Sara ), KREAYSHAWN , Holly Miranda, Solange [Knowles], Ariel Rechstshaid, Devonte Hynes , and Playboy's Christina Curry . "Girls Girls $" is the latest in a stream of recent promotional singles... This including: "I Stand Alone" [How to Make It (Trailer)], "Field of Dreams," "Century Girl," "LAST NAME LONDON," "Flying Overseas," and "Why Even Try?" The companion video clip for "Girls Girls $" premiered over @ Vulture back on Wed. the 13th. I'll let Mr. Theophilus London himself explain the rest... "This video * was built on the hype and importa

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks ' long-rumored collaboration with Beck (Mirror Traffic) , will finally see a wide release this coming August 23rd. The Jicks laid down a set of 15 tracks with Beck behind the boards [producer], way back in the early part of 2010. When Malkmus went on tour with a re-united and now defunct Pavement (Sept.-Nov. 2010), the completed recordings were imminently shelved. Now back on track and currently in midst of a promotional jaunt, "Senator" has been unleashed as Mirror Traffic 's lead single. There's one small problem though... The catchy refrain @ the track's forefront [ "I know what the senator wants - What the senator wants is a blowjob." ] isn't exactly "kosher" for radio-play by FCC standards, that is. Hitting this minor "speed bump," SM & The Matador Records Camp have now enlisted fan help; Starting a contest of-sorts, appropriately dubbed "Help Stephen Malkmus write a song.&qu

"12:30 @ night here in los angeles . sitting on the floor of my hotel room, listening to the first mix of the first track to come back from the new [blink-182] album . stoked beyond words to be listening to new music from our band... on the OTHER side of the creative process. listening to the songs not to figure out what and if it needs more of. listening just to hear the music. i love [ "up all night" ] and the mixer did a great job - it sounds amazing. i can’t wait until this album * comes out, and i hope that when it does you all are as excited as i am... sitting here by myself in the middle of the night, cross-legged on the floor of a hotel room, with headphones on, listening to [ "up all night" ] over and over. thank you for supporting our band. blink-182 life, for life." - Mark Hoppus @ Young Heezy * Final mixes of Blink-182 's new album are due into Interscope-Geffen-A&M July 31st . The still-untitled record has been in-the-works since B

Wais P (The Pimp) was so "inspired" by Random Axe 's [ Black Milk, Guilty Simpson & Sean Price ] recently-released debut LP, that he essentially remixed and flipped Tracks #1-7. This including: "Zoo Drugs" (Instrumental), "Random Call," "Black Ops," "Chewbacca," "The Hex," "Understand This," and "Everybody, Nobody, Somebody." All Black Milk productions, Wais P generated new concepts (fresh blood) into the beats and even [slightly] re-named each track, for all intensive purposes. It should also be of note that the front and back covers are basically flipped Old-School images of Marilyn Monroe fanning skrillz [ca$h] and rockin' a swimsuit. @SeanMandela (Sean Price) has already co-signed the tape... Tweeting, " @waisthep YOU FUCKIN CRAZY B #SALUTE ON RANDOM PIMP PIMPIN.'" and then (again) later, " @waisthep IM A SQUARE FROM DELAWARE WHO RAP GOOD LMAO!!" Simply

Shabazz Palaces is the latest artistic vehicle of one Ishmael ("Butterfly") Butler , sometimes alternatively referred to as "Palaceer Laz[aro]." To paraphrase Butler himself, the only known member of the group: "Everybody that's in it is the same. We don't really say names, who did what. It's just really... about the final product. There's no credits on the album [ Five W's ], because we just don't feel like that's the point." While interviews and press contact are scarce, Palaceer Lazaro and company -- THEESatisfaction (backing vocals), Blood (record mixer), and Knife Knights (producer) -- seem to be warming up to mild media/fan attention. "Butterfly" is/was previously a member of both Digable Planets and Cherrywine . Linking up with "Doodlebug" and "Ladybug Mecca" in 1992, Digable Planets were originally active until 1995 and then re-formed in Winter 2005... The group's feature-l

Over the course of this past weekend, Abel Tesfaye ("The Weeknd") posted a 30-second grainy, amateur video @ his personal XO Til We Overdose blogspace; Within is a clip of a roughly mid-80's Black Flag era Henry Rollins ... knocking out an unruly fan. I'm not TOTALLY sure which is better - The video's contents OR the sheer fact that Abel [a possible fan] is even aware of Rollins/Black Flag ! Here's to hoping that 1 of The Weeknd 's 2 upcoming mixtapes ( Thursdays & Echoes of Silence... ) will feature an R&B-stylized Black Flag "cover!?" ha

"Brain" (Side A) "It's a pretty crazy feeling when you're going about your regular, every day routine in the studio and all of sudden, you get a phone call that Jack White wants to work with you. The email to my manager came from Jack White himself. My first reaction was one of shock that an artist like him, who most people would categorize as a "Rock Star," would want to work with an independent Hip-Hop artist. My second reaction was surprise that he even knew I existed, even though we're from the same city [ Detroit ]. Of course, my response was "Hell yeah! When and where do I need to be to make this happen?" A few back and forth emails led to my band ( Keyboardist AB, Drummer Daru Jones , and Bassist Malik Hunter ) and I taking a trip to Nashville to record at Jack's home studio. Upon our arrival, Jack was the first person to greet us. From our brief discussion about music and things of that nature, I learned he discovere