The Witzard

While I self-admittedly partake in some and abstain from some of the law-less, rebellious activities outlined throughout "Young, Wild & Free," I can TOTALLY relate to the overall fun-loving aspect of it all. The basic premise of Mac & Devin Go to High School seems to be: A "cool guy" (Snoop) and a "nerd" (Wiz) form a friendship and learn about the trials and tribulations of life... in the same vein as classic films like How High? or Cheech & Chong . It appears that Bruno Mars took enough time off from singing about glistening vampires and passionate werewolves so that he could lay down "Young, Wild & Free" 's instantly catchy hook. Mac & Devin Go to High School is reportedly on track for an early 2012 release. Snoop & Wiz 's original soundtrack, Music from & Inspired By The Movie will become available for purchase on Dec. 13, 2011.

Andy R. & Craig Nice produce and create under the collective musical guise, "Gauntlet Hair." [They] have been making music together since [they] were 15-years-old: BFF. LaFayette, CO -based and bred, Gauntlet Hair first popped up on the radar in Summer 2010; 500 copies of "I Was Thinking..." (cloudy swirl) were released on Forest Family Records . That following, Sept-Oct. "Out, Don't." was issued through yet another upstart Indie label - Mexican Summer . For all intensive purposes, Gauntlet Hair craft the kind of "Loud-Soft" blend of Pop music that was originated by bands like The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins back in the 1980-90's. While Gauntlet Hair 's self-tiled [untitled?] proper debut album was released on Dead Oceans this past Oct. 17-18th, "Top Bunk" was originally previewed back in the summer... and it's accompanying music video was JUST liberated earlier today. Very much like it's closely mutat...

"About a year and half ago, [Heems] sent me a bunch of Bollywood tracks he wanted to sample. I'd take the tracks and chop them up on my MPC and then just let them fuck around until we'd found something we liked... "Michael Jackson" was originally an entirely different song. Right after we made the beat, the guys rapped on it and then it just sat in our vault for about 8 months. The next time we listened to it, we decided to trash all the verses and put the newly-written ["Mike"] hook on it. Then they wrote the final verses. We were working on that track off and on for almost an entire year. I probably did about 25 mixes before I got to the version that's on the record!" - Patrick Wimberly The creative forces over at "Conan" somehow managed to lock in an appearance from Brooklyn's favourite Hipster Indie Hip-Hop darlings, Das Racist . Last night marked the debut Late Night television appearance from Heems , Kool A.D....

"Concrete Waves" is just one of those songs that's wildly catchy right off the bat! You know that you like it. But also know that you'd really be hard-pressed when asked "Why?" Kendra Morris is poised to become the next short-term Queen of Soul Pop Music; A genre initially spearheaded by the late-great, Amy Winehouse . Since "Throwback Soul" 's early-mid 2000's inception, many young songstresses have decided to jump aboard: Lily Allen, Duffy , Ke$ha, Sharon Jones, Janelle Monáe , Adele, Miss Jack Davey, Lana del Rey ... and now, Wax Poetics' very own Kendra Morris . Kendra Morris was born and raised along the coast of Florida to 2 musically-inclined parents. So, it was frankly no surprise to anyone that she grew up to be a Soulful -voiced little young lady. Morris made "The BIG Move" to New York City around 2003, where she proceeded to record bedroom [closet] recordings onto an 8-track . Those very recordings would re...

So, this past weekend when Black Star officially dropped their Madlib -produced banger "Fix Up," the homie Blu realized he had already rocked over that same beat. He shot his version over this morning, "ez," to share with The Internets . The song is apparently from a secret album Blu recorded entitled, ucla , over nothing but Madlib beats... I'd pay good money to hear the rest of that jawn. But for now, let's give thanks for this one (I would love to see an Official Remix come out of this). - okayplayer (shamz)

A$AP Rocky 's involvement with fellow up-and-comer, Danny Brown 's BRAND NEW "Blunt After Blunt" music video has been long-rumored. While the final cut has finally been liberated, additional rumored friends/collaborators that were set to appear [ Kendrick Lamar , Dave Chappelle , and Mos Def Yasiin Bey ] are noticeably absent. A$AP Rocky's directorial debut is executed surprisingly well: Dark undertones, vivid color use-age, simplicity! "Blunt After Blunt" is without a doubt one of the darker and more effective cuts on XXX - Thanks to SKYWLKR 's lush, dirty production style. Danny Brown is all about repping his hometown of Detroit ... collaborating with as many link-minded D-based artists as possible: Random Axe , Black Milk , SKYWLKR, Dilla (R.I.P.), House Shoes, Rosalinda Ruiz, hexmurda , etc. Both Danny Brown and A$AP Rocky have a few solid outputs currently on the market: Black & Brown EP, XXX , and LIVELOVEA$AP - respectively. A r...

mash-up [ mash -uhp] noun 1. Music, Slang . a recording that combines vocal and instrumental tracks from two or more recordings. 2. Slang . a creative combination or mixing of content from different sources: movie mash-ups; a Web mash-up that overlays digital maps with crime statistics. (Dictionary) For all intensive purposes, the genre was formed in an effort to express 21st Century youths' interpretation of "The Remix." Usually composed by college frat dudes eager fans from their desktop computers. Mash-Ups have become increasing more and more note-able since the early 2000's; with Popular artists including Girl Talk , Danger Mouse , "The Beastles," Dean Grey , and Max Tannone , amongst other DJ's. Since it's inception, the genre has become increasing legitimized as time passes, thanks to Creative Commons [licenses]. Right around 2004, New York -based DJ Reset released "Frontin' On Debra," his premier release... as well as...

" Nickelback appeals to the average drunken frat boy who can shake his fist and maybe do some pelvic thrusts to their music. And maybe do a couple goofy dances in the mix," proclaimed an outraged Dennis Guttman ; Otherwise know as the football fan who spearheaded the recent Anti-Nickelback Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Halftime Show campaign. Since the NFL announced the band's appearance, Guttman's reaction video and companion petition garnered roughly 65,000 [combined] digital endorsements! Soon thereafter, Ann Arbor, MI native Mayer Hawthorne somehow got roped up in the campaign effort - Partnering with the good people over @ Rolling Stone to release his own "Hire Me" campaign video. In my personal opinion, Hawthorne would have been a great choice for the Motor City 's halftime show performer... as he produces a unique blend of Hip-Hop and "The Motown Sound." Genres for which the city itself has become [in]famous for supporting and cre...

Much to the delight of zealous fans, Black Star are back for Round 2, after a 10-year [semi-]hiatus. Since issuing Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998), the Boom Bap duo have stayed pretty silent; Excluding the occasional Mos Def feature, Talib Kweli Remix, or vice versa, of course. In honor of Black Friday #blackstarfriday 2011, Yasiin Bey & Talib Kweli released their latest single, "Fix Up" to iTunes' online data-base. Some of you may recall the fact that this very song was performed LIVE @ Colbert Report Studios a few mere weeks ago [Below]. Mind you, that was just Friday morning... Rounding off the day's nation-wide festive shopping excursions, Black Star liberated yet another new track: "You Already Knew" that very evening. Granted, this track isn't from Black Star 's long-rumored triumphant return - Although it will indefinitely appear within Black Star Aretha : a mixtape tribute crafted in honor of legendary songst...

This very Thanksgiving Day , much to fan delight, Lupe Fiasco liberated what has become a "lost album," of sorts: Friend of The People . The companion album mixtape to Enemy of The State (2009), which was scheduled to be released that coming Christmas holiday... until Fiasco decided to climb Mount Everest with Jessica Biel and then boyfriend, Justin Timberlake . The final released product seems to be a re-mixed and re-furbished version, as many of the sampled tracks [freestyles] weren't even out in 2009-10. That being said: Justice, Coltrane, M83, Ellie Goulding , and Skrillex originals are effectively sampled and "MURDERED" within the sonic confines of Friend of The People's 12 tracks. In addition to 2 separate audio sound bites pulled from Justice 's recent Audio, Video, Disco ... "Life, Death & Love from San Francisco" is yet another track of particular interest; Lupe Fiasco laces aggressive rhymes over an edited chunk of A Lov...

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving just as much as every other warm-blooded American citizen; Gotta love those celebratory, non-present giving holidays! But I must digress a tad but, and admit that the historical roots of said festivities aren't as "cookie-cutter" as we are all generally led to believe. For argument's sake, majority of us were taught back in grade school that the Indians/Pilgrims met, laughed, united, and collaborated to produce the joyous, harmonious feast that was forever immortalized as "The First Thanksgiving." According to various alternative accounts, the settlers at Plymouth Rock were in fact a very cruel, conniving brand of people. "They landed at Plymouth with a smile on their face / They said, "We're your brothers from a far away place" / I know the Indians greeted them with wide open arms / Too simple-minded and trusting to see through the charms / In came the religions, the liquor, and...

Mauro Remiddi is a well-traveled man (Rome, Brooklyn, London) who's not afraid to show his emotions through song, when need be. Remiddi moonlights as "Porcelain Raft," crafting densely-layered Dream Pop tunes, and mildly reminds this particular listener of one Steven Morrissey . Maybe it's the androgynous vocal stylings and "artsy" public image, paired with that all too familiar devil-may-care sate of being [attitude]. Porcelain Raft 's music is dark and emotional. But not in that worn out, "obvious" sort of way. The casual music fan might find it a bit shocking to realize that Mauro Remiddi has been involved in the world of music for the bulk of his 27-year existence; From playing circus gypsy music to tap dance piano, Remiddi has tracked a wide array of tunes to tape, mini-disc, and CD. Secretly Canadian will liberate his proper debut, Strange Weekend , this coming Jan. 23-24th. "Once a dear friend of mine said, "Imagine if in...

Lots of interesting activity over @ Stones Throw today, Nov. 21. Sounds like The Stepkids Tim Walsh , Jeff Gitelman , and Dan Edinberg have been quite the busy cats lately. Whether it be laying down unintelligible vocals with Jonti & Illa J [above] or pumping out singles from their STELLAR self-titled debut. The Stepkids Album is without a doubt a dense, multi-layered musical journey... prepared by 3 extremely talented session musicians, now front and center - Finally in the limelight! "Suburban Dream" is in fact, The Stepkids' third official music video; As it's essentially the follow up to both "Legend In My Own Mind" and "Wonderfox." This most recent video was directed animated by Chris King and really teeters the line between the previous videos' sense of surrealism/realism. Throughout the course of "Suburban Dream" we follow a down-on-his-luck young fellow as he wonders through the city, stumbles into a speakeasy...

Riding on the coat-tails of Drake 's recent sophomore slump Take Care (700,000 units), Manchester beatsmith Star Slinger has now liberated a re-mixed and re-mastered take on "Over My Dead Body." Darren Williams released his very own Jetlag Edit of the recent album's opening cut @ Soundcloud over the weekend. For the most part, "DRAKE RMX" keeps the original track's integrity fully intact; Star Slinger appropriately accents "Over My Dead Body," with his signature vocal samples, Electronic bleeps and blips, MPC touches, etc. All the while, keeping a good amount of Drake's cadence and Boom Bap Hip-Hop feel there, too - The sole purpose of a solid remix: Nostalgia. Star Slinger 's proper label debut, "Dumbin'" [-feat. Reggie B. ] is now available, via Green Label Sound .

Who is J*DaVeY , you might ask? Genre-blending Los Angeles -based duo made up of Jack Davey (female) and Brook D'Leau (male). Eventhough they've been fairly active on the music scene since 2007, J*DaVeY are just now prepping the wide release of their debut album: New Designer Drug . Their unique fusion of Funk -infused Hip-Hop/Punk has been very positively received by fans and critics alike, yet highly bootlegged; Former record label, Warner Bros. showed little-no support and as a result... The Beauty In Distortion & The Land of The Lost, Boudoir Synema: The Great Mistapes , and Evil Christian Cop: The Great Mistapes #2 were essentially released independently between 2005-11. J*DaVeY have now successfully broken loose from their Warner Bros. contract... New Designer Drug will now be self-released on Jack & Brook 's own label, ILLAV8R this coming Nov. 22nd. Eager fans can soon snag up a [digital] copy for the fair price of $2.99, along with a companion ...

"What does UNHATE mean? UN-hate. Stop hating, if you were hating. Unhate is a message that invites us to consider that hate and love are not as far away from each other as we think. Actually, the two opposing sentiments are often in a delicate and unstable balance. Our campaign promotes a shift in the balance: Don't hate, Unhate." The UNHATE communication project includes a series of coordinated initiatives and events, starting on 16 November in the main newspapers, periodicals and websites around the world. The central theme is the kiss, the most universal symbol of love, between world political and religious leaders, such as: Barack Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao ; Pope Benedict XVI and Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb , Imam of the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo ; The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu . These are symbolic images of reconciliation - with a touch of ironic hope and constructive provocation - To stimulate refl...

Frank Ocean is by far the most restrained [musically talented, for that matter] and commercially accessible member of Odd Future . While his overall subject matter is still pretty messed up, it's more in that suave D'Angelo - Teddy Pendergrass type of way. It has yet to be seen if Ocean's public affiliation with the crude and rowdy OF sect will help or hurt his musical career. Frank Ocean is more like Redman anyways; Who was never really a legitimate Wu-Tang member, but without a doubt always considered a pivotal element of the group. A true vigilante of a "businessman," Ocean self-released his debut album Nostalgia, ULTRA online back in mid-Feb. (2011), while Def Jam continued to slack. Needless to say, the label execs. and [female] fans alike are now latching onto his every word. Frank Ocean is currently holed up in the studio, putting the finishing touches on his premier major label release. @ press time, Ocean has played roughly 3-5 live shows and is ...

Madeline Follin & Brian Oblivion [O.K.A. "Cults" ] somehow manage to produce a blend of sun-drenched Pop and 60's era Girl Group ditties, which is the total 360° flip of their adverse dark, gloomy public image. Following the release of their self-titled debut long-player ( In the Name Of ), Cults went on to announce an interesting second step: "We're working on a Hip-Hop mixtape of the album. Like, changing all the songs up and getting up-and-coming rappers, guys like Freddie Gibbs and Lil B and stuff. That's gonna be really exciting. We've been dealing with a lot of really bizarre managers... interesting personalities." - Brian Oblivion on Guitar Fast-forward from Summer-Fall 2011 _ Earlier today, Hypetrak fully liberated Cults' initial foray into Hip-Hop: "Bad Things" (Remix) . Sporting a slightly sped up and Boom Bapped beat, Brian & Madeline even re-recorded their vocal flourishes to better match Freddie Gibbs...

The year was roughly 2008-09: Little did the world know that the concurrent career paths of 2 very different Pop Culture titans were about to miraculously collide. 2007 is generally regarded as the year Britney went "bonkers" - head shaving , public outbursts, rehab, spur-of-the-moment tattoos, mental instability, and other seemingly related antics. With that said, Britney Spears somehow re-gained consciousness, managing to pull her career out of this downward spiral; Blackout and Circus were released back-to-back in 2007-08, spawning acclaimed hits like "Womanizer," "Piece of Me," and title cut, "Circus." Around the same time, Marilyn Manson was going through some legal troubles of his own... All the while, recording and conceptualizing 2 of his own studio albums: Eat Me, Drink Me (2007) and The High End of Low (2009). "Heart-Shaped Glasses" proved to be a well-received commercial "single," of sorts and Phantasmag...

Contrary to the bulk of Coldplay 's commercial output, the concept @ the center of "Paradise" really is a simple, easily relate-able topic: sense of longing. Mat Whitecross filmed the accompanying music video along with Coldplay , over a last minute 2-day shoot between London and South Africa . Chris Martin stars as a homesick man-elephant; A concept which the frontman himself [fully] thought up and fleshed out. Majority of the time, Mr. Paltrow Chris Martin can be seen taking part in a number of assorted hi-jinx: unicycles, un-rhythmic dancing, panhandling , transportation, melodically-echoed hooks, travel peanuts, and graffiti... All culminating with one glorious, sun-drenched reunion and of course - Coldplay 's ("Elephant Mask") encore in Johannesburg, South Africa . The band's fifth album, Mylo Xyloto is now conveniently available for your listening pleasure.

"Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn't interest me anymore. What interests me is making weird Hippie music for people to get high to. With Wolf , I'll brag a little bit more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I'll be a smart-ass about it. Now it's just girls throwing themselves at me and shit, but I got a girl back home. People who want the first album again, I can't do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I'm hanging out with my idols. I can't [still] rap about the same shit." - Wolf Haley (Spin)

I would imagine that a band like Weekends are held very much so in the same public regard as say, Pavement or Nirvana back in their 90's heyday(s): The band's overall musical ability [or lack thereof] doesn't exactly seem to measure up with their ever-growing level of success and critical acclaim. With that said, Weekends is simply made up of 2 multi-instumental cats hailing from Baltimore, Maryland 's thriving "art scene" - Brendan Sullivan and Adam Lemple on rotating Guitar/Vox/Drum duties. Both gentlemen are active solo artists, graphic designers, writers, photo-journalists, members of alternative bands, etc. as well. Personally met Weekends @ First Unitarian Church, Philly gig with Surfer Blood last summer; They proceeded to offer me FREE beer and malt liquor when we officially met in the "green room" [church pews]. I can attest that they're truly some cool-ass, hard-working dudes! Since forming around 2008-09, Weekends have managed...

In an effort to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Run-D.M.C 's seminal release: "My Adidas," surviving members Rev. Run and D.M.C. have now teamed up with the good people over @ Adidas . Unveiled just yesterday [11/11/11], Adidas Originals Superstar 80s are essentially the "shelltoes" that Run-D.M.C. forever immortalized some 25 odd years ago, in the Summer of 1986; Permanently cementing Hip-Hop 's residency in the vast world of music. While the companion album, Raising Hell , seemingly the band's commercial breakthrough, it was actually their third overall and first with super-producer Rick Rubin . To put it lightly, these are the mere sounds that forever changed the face of music, blew out and fuzzed genre guidelines... affixing Hip-Hop as more than just a here-today-gone-tomorrow fad, and officially crowned Run-D.M.C. & Jam Master Jay as the 3 reigning kings of Hip-Hop . In honor of the special occasion, Mick Boogie decided to gather u...

While Ann Arbor, Michigan Doo-Wop singer (multi-instrumentalist) Mayer Hawthorne and Stockholm, Sweden -based Peter Bjorn & John couldn't be further apart distance-wise... They do in fact have a common affinity for Pop music . With that said, this track right here ultimately houses the essential Teenage Dream Pop team-up! Mayer Hawthorne has added his own unique vocal accents and flourishes onto PB&J's Soft Rock original , effectively morphing the track into a Doo-Wop tune for The Age of Tomorrow. Let us hope that this is only the modest beginning(s) of Peter Bjorn & John x Mayer Hawthorne 's collaborative efforts. Their latest albums -- Gimme Some and How Do You Do? -- are currently available for for your purchasing and listening pleasure. Catch Peter Bjorn & John and Mayer Hawthorne [& The County] in a town near you... As both bands are now in-midst of their respective nation-wide promotional tour jaunts. MAYER HAWTHORNE FOR DETROIT LIO...

The art of compiling and releasing cast off left-overs and B-sides has been a long-standing tradition in both Hip-Hop and Indie music; Pivotal to their natural progressions, since concurrently forming back in the 1980's. Hip-Hop artists and fans widely refer to the practice as the "mixtape:" A release which generally complies unclear-able samples and nearly-completed left-over tracks. Promotional tool used around the time of album release(s). Now, Indie Rock artists and devotees commonly refer to the medium as "mix CD [tape]:" More of a fan-run thing, mix CD's are often burned for a love interest and usually posses a running theme or mood. UPDATE: The "apocalyptic" date, 11/11/11 did in fact approach and complete. So, that means that Small Black - MOON KILLER (mixtape) was liberated earlier this morning. Yadda, yadda , yadda... Direct download link. This includes 2 Heems features, Nick Minaj-Carpenters samples, Star Slinger-Phonetag R...