The Witzard

"The Ritual" is the latest released track from mysterious and already infamous rapper, Captain Murphy , who's true identity is still largely unknown - Even with 3 pretty STELLAR tracks nestled under his belt this early! Murphy first appeared with a brief verse on Flying Lotus' second Adult Swim single, "Between Friends;" Since it's July 23rd release, Captain Murphy 's identity has quickly become quite the "hot topic" across Hip-Hop ... He may or may not be a cleverly-crafted alter ego of either Flying Lotus , Earl Sweatshirt , or Tyler, The Creator . This whole mystery ego thing really reminds me of Quasimoto, King Geedorah , and even Humpty Hump [1990]. While "The Ritual" actually swiped it's primary beat from "Dear Moleskine" (Jay Electronica) , his other 2 tracks: "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin" and "Between Friends" seem to be [mostly] original compositions. iTunes' Info section s...

" Jonwayne is an MC. He's on Stones Throw . He's making a Rap album for Stones Throw . He also makes beats. That's all we're saying for now. More later. OK?" ... Jonwayne 's new release is a Rap cassette. That is to say, a Hip-Hop album called Cassette , released only on cassette, playable only a cassette player. We're not posting the track list, and we're not releasing this on anything but a cassette. Side A is beats and raps by Jonwayne with Brainfeeder 's Jeremiah Jae . Side B is beats and no raps by Jonwayne . Total running time: 23:39. The MC/producer/ Low End Theory DJ offered no explanation as to why he wanted to release his album on cassette. Ask if he wished to expand on the idea he said, "not particularly." First 60 orders come with a new, fully-functioning portable cassette player with headphones, plus Jonwayne stickers. Check out a track called "Bukowski" from Side A , below. - Peanut Butter Wolf (...

I don't think I've ever been so fucking elated [EXCITED] to see a tracklist for an album that doesn't really even exist yet!; Just a few mere hours ago, Jay Electronica Tweeted a screengrab of Act II: Patents of Nobility (the turn) in his iTunes , which was originally rumored to have been released online over Winter Break 2008-09. Jay-Z has supposedly been [with]holding Act II since Jay Electronica turned the final version into Roc-Nation back in March 2012 because he thinks "it has no single on it," which I find pretty hard to believe... considering the breath-taking gamut of featured talent: Kanye (2) , Erykah Badu, Sean "Diddy" Combs , Jay-Z (2), Charlotte Gainsbourg , The Bullitts , The-Dream, and even Ronald Regan/Serge Gainsbourg !? After while, my eye noticed that quite a few STELLAR, previously-released tracks like "Dear Moleskine," "Exhibit A-C" (Remix), and that Nasty Nas guest verse are noticeably absent from Ac...

I guess bath salts are a formidable, new substitute for getting "CRUNK" in today's Popular [Hip-Hop] Culture ; Basically used to describe getting crazy/drunk @ a party... minus all the face-gnawing, bullet holes, carnage, nausea, and paranoia-enducing side effects, etc. A$AP Rocky and YG Addie A$AP Ant have enlisted the help of fellow Brooklyn area emcees, Flatbush Zombies for their latest track - "Bath Salts," which is seemingly the first cut from A$AP Mob's upcoming (untitled) Killa Beez -like group album. That very album will feature A$AP Rocky 's complete, lesser-know Rap crew: A$AP Twelvy, Ant, Yams, Bari, Ferg, Ty Beats, Nast , and resident producer, Clams Casino . "Untitled" A$AP Mob comp. is rumored to see a proper release sometime before A$AP Rocky 's debut record, LONGLIVEA$AP , which comes out on Sept. 11th (Polo Grounds). "Bath Salt" was produced by a up-and-coming young beatsmith who chooses to go by the my...

Homeboy Sandman is probably still hard @ work recording First of a Living Breed , his debut Stones Throw full-length, because labelhead Peanut Butter Wolf keeps "releasing" all the good tracks for FREE! The latest mp3 give-away, "Brown" was produced by fellow Stones Throw signee, Jonti and was uploaded to Soundcloud Thurs. afternoon; It showcases a Hip-Hop beat that was fine crafted on a native South African instrument called a "coconut kalimba" (thumb piano) . Homeboy Sandman & Jonti originally linked up @ Radiolab , "Brown" was seemingly written/recorded for their Colors -based episode. Leading up to First of a Living Breed , Homeboy Sandman has released a string of 2 EP's since signing with Stones Throw in Dec. 2011... Subject: Matter and Chimera EP . Jonti has also managed to issue 2 projects with the Indie Hip-Hop imprint, Twirlgig/Sine & Moon (mixtape). Old Australian "chaps," Jonti and Gotye are h...

Just in case you didn't already know, the 2012 Olympic Games kick off "across the pond" [ London ] this upcoming Friday night. In honor of the 2 week-long sporting event(s) and related festivities, Mick Boogie teamed up with Hypetrak to piece together Represent The Stripes ; an 18-track mixtape partially inspired by adidas Originals ' recently unveiled #represent campaign. "Midget Cough" features a hand-crafted beat from Party Supplies that slithers under a bunch of crazy-ass Action Bronson rhymes. Sonically, it sounds like either a Blue Chips left-over and/or an early preview of Blue Chips 2 . But God only knows where this one will finally end up! Man, I gotta admit, nearly all of Party Supplies' beats on Blue Chips were top-notch and Action Bronson really shone through all those damn guest rappers spread across Respect The Fly Shit (Meyhem Lauren) just a few months back. "Midget Cough" somehow manages to effortlessly reference ...

secret EP by sebadoh "new songs for 2012. a taste of our upcoming 2013 album , but NONE of these songs will be on that album. I repeat: NONE of these songs will be on [ sebadoh 's] forthcoming/in-progress 2013 LP ... this is our first new material in 14 years (WTF!?) proceeds from this will help us continue working on the LP and remain as independent as possible. physical copies (CD) only available at shows on our upcoming tour... songs #1, 3, 5 written by lou [barlow] & songs #2, 4 written by jason [loewenstein] ." - Sebadoh (Bandcamp)

Frank Ocean is a brave, brave man for coming out as bi-sexual in the [final] weeks leading up to the release of his major label debut... something that could have deeply affected channel ORANGE 's initial sales, which ended up debuting @ #2 on the Billboard 200 chart! Ocean's new-found "preference" really doesn't have any bearing whatsoever on channel ORANGE 's overall song content, quality, etc. Most of the time, Frank Ocean sounds a lot like Usher ; a suave R&B singer who could easily fit in on "Urban Radio" and hang with the music industry's BIGGEST rappers. While there's definitely a great mix of various styles spread out all across channel ORANGE , there's an underlying Soulful Funkiness , mildly reminiscent of Prince . Man, it's almost difficult to describe on "paper" how fucking AWESOME channel ORANGE really is - quite easily the best Hip-Hop/R&B album of 2012 [so far]! Granted each of Frank Ocean ...

Jah artist formerly know as Snoop Dogg has finally decided to unveil that he has plans to release a Reggae record, sometime within the next few months. Diplo & "Snoop Lion" somehow managed to record a batch of 18 tracks for the long-rumored album, which has now been dubbed Reincarnated , over @ Major Lazer's TOP SECRET Jamaican headquarters/studio. Ariel Rechtshaid also assisted in producing the first single, "La La La," which dually showcases a pretty solid Roots Rock Reggae sound and Jovi Rockwell on backing vocals. It's all actually built around a simple Ken Boothe riddim [sample] that Diplo pulled from "Artibella;" Mad Decent and Vice Records plan to co-release Snoop Lion 's album in a few months' time. Below the break is a nifty little quote from Diplo (MTV) about recording with Snoop... along with Snoop Dogg / Diplo & Kid Cudi 's previous Weed Rap -tinged collaborative track, "That Tree" (2010). ...

I was seriously considering writing up a review for Frank Ocean 's just-released, Billboard chart-topping album: channel ORANGE ... until I saw Refused rip shit up on Fallon @ 1am late last night. Refused are a pretty infamous, recently re-formed Swedish Hardcore band that were originally active from 1991-98; They released 3 seminal albums in their heyday - including The Shape of Punk to Come , while it was critically-acclaimed, the band still feels that it didn't get a proper "push" back in the day (1998). "We never did The Shape of Punk to Come justice back when it came out; too tangled up in petty internal bickering to really focus on the job. And suddenly there's this possibility to do it like it was intended. We wanna do it over, do it right. For the people who've kept the music alive through the years, but also for our own sakes. We feel that you deserve it and we hope the feeling is mutual!" - Refused While taking part in a full-fledge...

Call Me Maybe Acapella 147 Times Exponentially Layered by Dan Deacon Anyone still remember that game from grade school called Telephone , where you'd be like "Psst... Pass it on!?" The game would start out with a certain long-ish phrase, travel down a line of kids, and end up being something completely different by the time it got down to the last guy. I guess Baltimore -based art collective Wham City plays a similarly-styled drawing game, which Dan Deacon 's latest video, "True Thrush" is actually based around and mildly re-tweaks. While prepping the release of his new album, America (August 28th) and getting ready to head out on a MASSIVE nation-spanning tour through December , Dan Deacon somehow had spare time to write up this very press release: "Deacon's concept for ["True Thrush"] is loosely related to the lyrics, and mirrors his use of asymmetrical repetition and evolving patterns. For the video, Dan Deacon and Ben O'Brie...

For some odd reason, I just feel that a Das Racist -fried Lana del Rey remix really isn't going to need much "hard selling" 'round these parts of town [The Internet]. Das Racist are without a doubt one of my favourite Hip-Hop bands; I'm still not too sure exactly how I feel about Lizzy Grant I mean, May Jailer er, uh... Lana del Rey . Regardless, "National Anthem" (Das Racist Remix) should manage to pique the interest(s) of all sorts of music fans far and wide! Heems & Kool A.D. work their lyrical "magic" over a stripped down, nearly vocal-less re-worked beat. Frantically bragging about everything from money/rupees to Bruce Willis and somehow working in mentions of Lil B , Tyler The Creator, Bad Brains , Boy Crisis, Diplo , Oscar The Grouch, deadmau5 , and Amy Winehouse. * Shouts to Pedro (Daplib) @ Illuminati Zone for the "Private" Soundcloud link hook-up! Lately, it seems like Lana del Rey , who also recently linked u...

Gotta admit, I'm pretty STOKED on the [possible] idea of hearing more music from these 2 newly-formed Hip-Hop groups: Miguel Street and Ron Artiste . Almost simultaneously announced on this fairly quiet Monday afternoon, Miguel Street consists of Heems and Big Baby Gandhi , who's debut track features them rapping over a re-tweaked version of "Call Me Maybe." Ron Artiste on the other hand, is the latest nom de plume of former Jurassic 5 leader, Chali 2na and veteran emcee Roc "C" ... either paying homage/goofing on the infamous basketball player who now goes by Metta World Peace . I'm not really sure which one it is just yet, but I think they're LEGIT tried and true ballers! Much like Heems & Mike Finito 's "Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry) remix from last year, "Call Me Maybe" has that same sort of "so, are they like kidding or are they serious" type of vibe going on. Hot 97 , the also SUPER-FRESH dual pro...

First heard Skinny Lister 's acoustic set at Warped Tour 2012 (Holmdel) the other day by mere accidental passing. While waiting for something to happen, I faintly heard the sounds of what I like to call "Sailor Punk" in the distance. A strangely exuberant woman dressed in a large-brimmed hat and floral print sundress who we likened to Flavor Flav [read: hypeman] greeted my buddy Jeremy and I as we walked over to the small truck-side stage; loosely formed in 2009-10, Skinny Lister is essentially the brainchild of brother/sister Lorna & Max Thomas - the quintet is then rounded out by Dan Heptinstall, Sam "Mule" Brace , and Dan Gray on stand-up bass. Skinny Lister self-released two EP's while on their 2010 tour(s), Grand Union EP and Homemade Tour EP , which were recorded on either a canal boat or at friends and family's houses across England . While sh*t like this could very easily be cast off as a cheesy gimmick, Skinny Lister are indee...

In a crazy cyber-world where "Underground Hip-Hop" is widely accepted across so many Indie music blogs, suburban areas, and rich Hipster kids... I guess, this was really only inevitable with time; Last night @ a FADER/Vitamin Water -funded party in Portland , 2 Indie blog darlings, Kendrick Lamar & Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast) , took the stare together for the first time. They performed a slightly re-tweaked version of "No Make-Up (Her Vice)" with Cosentino subbed in for Colin Munroe on the hook. The understandably surprised Portland biker crowd went NUTS! - Singing along and cheering wildly @ the track's close. "uncapped" is a concert series that heads across college campuses, putting on tandem shows that pair up unlikely acts anywhere from Rick Ross to Passion Pit . "No Make-Up (Her Vice)" originally appeared on Kendrick Lamar 's album-length drug-themed concept mixtape, #Section.80 . He's currently hard @ work on...

As rap supergroup Slaughterhouse - Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz , and Royce da 5'9" - pres. their second studio album for late Summer release. Here's a remix of their recent single, "Hammer Dance" put together by El-P . He turns it into a raucous, scratch-laden party-starter, conjuring the maximalist feel of late 80's/early 90's Rap and Dance music. It's awesome! ... Welcome To: OUR HOUSE is out 8/28 on Shady Records . Read our recent interview with El-P on the subject of file-sharing here . - Corban Goble (Stereogum)

Having laid down drumwork for everyone from Paul McCartney to Madlib , Karriem Riggins is finally ready to unleash his proper solo debut full-length. Alone Together is being pressed up through Stones Throw and is slated for an October 23rd release date; While members of their "Digital Subscription Club" will supposedly get an early pre-release sometime this Summer in 2 separate parts - Alone/Together . Even though it's still nearly 3-4 months away, Peanut Butter Wolf decided to premier the first taste of Riggins' Hip-Hop Beat CD a couple days ago, "Moogy Foog It." Fresh off the heels of "The Brick," Alone Together plays out like a Hip-Hip Beat CD-R ... Karriem Riggins himself labeling it as the "right intersection of Hip-Hop and Jazz ." In addition, Stones Throw also labels it as a "34-track instrumental odyssey" that's ultimately influenced by nearly every aspect of Riggins' musical career thus far. Sel...

Stolen Love by Fast Years From what I can tell, MOSHOLU seems to consist of a pretty solid mix of new/old, previously unreleased, and re-hashed music. Eastern District even managed to conjure up some of New York 's finest young Hardcore Punk, Hip-Hop , and Psych-Rock bands for inclusion on their recently-issued comp., which was released sometime over July 4th Weekend . Aside from a couple STELLAR Das Racist -fueled collabo tracks ( Talib Kweli & Spank Rock ), MOSHOLU features plenty of other great new artists/bands... that even a "savvy" blogger like I had never heard of: Fast Years , Telli Federline , Kenneth Whaulm III , The Wellington Papers, Michael Alan Alien , Viennagram, Gunfight! , and plenty more. MOSHOLU basically plays out like a classic 1975-80's Hardcore Punk comp. where you really just pick it up for 3-5 bands and wind up discovering 15-20 new ones by the time the final track plays out; It would probably remind a lot of kids from our generatio...

A$AP Rocky was almost destined to one day produce Hip-Hop greatness, ever since his my named him "Rakim." Being a music blogger, I hear about a lot of different rookie emcees the average week/month/year and "Goldie" is hands down one of the fucking greatest things I've ever heard! Built around a simplistic, yet hard-hitting beat created by the same dude who brought you "Niggas In Paris" (Hit-Boy) , Rocky effortlessly coasts over the MIDI keyboard beat, ghostly vocal chants, 1-2 drum pattern, etc. The companion music video to go along with "Goldie" was self-directed by A$AP Rocky , along with fashion designer Alexander Wang , on location across Paris, France . In all reality, Hit-Boy 's nearly-flawless "Goldie" beat is essentially worth nearly $3 million, since it might as well be A$AP Rocky 's first major release since signing with Polo Music Group way back in Fall 2011. I don't know what I really even specifica...

Skilled bass/keyboard player and Fork & Spoon Records PR, Chris Gardner shot me a couple emails over the weekend. We had previously built up a relationship after I did some coverage on his main band, Those Lavender Whales ; Gardner also semi-frequently lends his talents to Columbia -based bands like Washed Out and Coma Cinema . This time, Chris sent me a nifty little "press kit" and digi-advance for Fork & Spoon 's very own Can't Kids and their new album, Brushes Touches Tongues . It's being released on July 10th, currently available for pre-order, and will be up for FREE download on Bandcamp after the release date. Needless to say, I really couldn't do much because my POWER was out for 3-5 days. But Chris Gardner definitely understood, fittingly describing Can't Kids' overall sound as: "Their sound ranges from a raw 90's Indie Rock to a string-enriched Chamber Pop . Complimenting [Can't Kids'] sound is a playfully cl...

"I wasn't gonna send this to 2dopeboyz because the video is super low-budget and admittedly kinda shitty... Then I started seeing other "4th of July videos" coming out today, literally with motherfuckers draped in American Flags and I couldn't resist... I just started writing this shit last night... got kinda drunk and started editing a video together after... [Some] other "all style/no substance" rappers would lie and call it a "freestyle" ... This song was written and recorded in an hour in one take. It's an honor to have my videos posted here on 2dopeboyz and for those who take the time to listen, much respect. If you don't resonate with the message in the song, that's your right. It's also my right to say Capitalism is genocidal and it must be stopped. There is a class war going on, which side are you on?" - Tim Holland (sole) comment

POWER finally came back on last night and now my fridge works, just in time to chill the Yuengling 6-pack I bought earlier! HAPPY 4th OF JULY , my friends! I'm headed into work for a short 2-6 shift... and then having some family and a few friends over for a nice little BBQ. Then if all goes well, heading down to Bridgeton high school for some fireworks later tonight. Burgers, dogs, and beer are almost as essential as "red, white, and blue" for this All-American holiday. JEFF The Brotherhood definitely have the right idea; Jake & Jamin Orrall got a bunch of friends together down by the lake for a make-shift PARTY and Elise Tyler/Michael Carter just happened to film the whole damn thing - ha. It also duals as a simple music video to go along with lead single, "Sixpack." Hypnotic Knights EP is out now, which is basically a 4-track sampler for Hypnotic Nights . Entirely produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) , that'll be out on July 17th. Have a...

Since parting ways with bandmate Brian Viglione , Roadrunner Records , and hastily re-forming The Dresden Dolls between 2010-12, Amanda Palmer has been secretly nesting dreams of a full-fledged solo career. While she's been somewhat "musically active" ever since about 1989, Palmer's debut solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer? was just released in 2008. Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under and Popular Hits of Radiohead (EP) were written/recorded and released over the next few years. Amanda Palmer initiated a donate-what-you-will campaign via Kickstarter on April 20th, which eventually passed her modest $100,000 goal and raised $1 million+ from some 25,000 backers to help fund her upcoming album. Amanda Palmer soon recorded roughly "20 songs" with producer John Congleton and her newly-formed band, The Grand Theft Orchestra ; Theatre Is Evil is now slated for a Sept. 11th release date through Palmer's own imprint, 8ft Records . Deep-pocketed fans who p...