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Posts Tagged ‘indie rap’

Erik Flowchild “Epiphany (Chrisette Michele Freestyle Cover)”

July 23rd, 2009

erik flowchildUsually we can expect R&B remix kings R. Kelly or Trey Songz to answer back “kick him to the curb” ladies anthems, but on this neat flip-side perspective of Chrisette Michele’s sublime “Epiphany”, we get a refreshing new entry in the oft-entertaining “battle of the sexes” mixtape game via newcomer Canadian emcee Erik Flowchild who’s found here pointing the finger back Michele’s way as the true blame for their romance’s deterioration.

“Every time I’m home you be steadily accusing me/ Verbally abusing me/ But you don’t even know the half,” Flowchild opens, kicking off a slightly Auto-Tuned annoyed rant about how he’s up to here with all of her on-going paranoia concerning what he’s up to when he’s not around (“It’s not necessary for you to be on my cell phone/ Baby what the hell for…?”).

And while it’s not easy to completely take Erik’s side when his best defense is that she should stop listening to the “lies” of a not-so-best friend who’s only jealous because she can’t have him for herself, the cold-ish way he threatens to send her back to single-dom (“So don’t be my girl then,” he simply shrugs) definitely has us hoping that Michele is hitting the studio right this minute to cook up a sassy-classy response.

From Flowchild’s forthcoming mixtape, Delivery Boy.

DL: “Epiphany (Freestyle Cover)” (alt)

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Odds N Ends Vol. 1

July 20th, 2009

Summer vacations/ distractions have brought things around here to a near-standstill, but in an effort to play a bit of catch-up, check out some of these noteworthy tunes below pulled from the ever-packed in-box and various other sites we’ve been digging lately from around the Inter-Webs:

JDP featuring Chester French “She Loves Everybody (Part Deux)”

This up-and-coming Chicago indie-hopper latches onto CF’s most well-known track, the shoulda-been-bigger slut ode “She Loves Everybody”, using it to support his own adventure with a promiscous groupie who has foolishly mistaken him for being a more high profile rap star (“I suppose someone told her we rich,” he sing-song quips at one point).

A bit Flo-Rida-ish, which-at least in this case-isn’t at all a bad thing.

From his new mixtape Air Raid.

DL: “She Loves Everybody (Part Deux)”

The Honey Brothers “Demonstration”

The Honey Brothers are a quintet from New York who call their sound “new wave folk”, and while most talk of them will surely be centered on their superstar drummer (Entourage lead Adrian Grenier), the music found on their recently released Demonstration EP definitely deserves it’s own hype as it’s some of the most feel-good stuff to touch our ears in recent weeks.

Check out the title track, a groovy lil’ indie-rock number that’ll likely have you tapping your toes to it’s summer-ready shuffle within seconds of it hitting the speakers.

DL: “Demonstration”

?uestlove, The Foreign Exchange, Zo! and Carlitta Durand “Purple Flip”

Don’t let the title confuse you, this is essentially a cover of Prince’s “Take Me With You”, and boy does it hit the soul in all the right ways.

Too bad SPIN Magazine couldn’t have employed THIS crew to handle the entirety of that mostly disappointing Purple Rain tribute cover album they had to nerve to drop last month.

DL: “Purple Flip”

Golau Glau “Summer Games”

On first listen to the output from this mysterious UK-born collective, you’ll probably end up with your head cocked to the side and a confused look pasted across your face.

But give these songs some time, as repeated doses of the spell-binding ambiance of “Summer Games”, “Soft Silver Young” and the rest of the band’s uniquely weaved creations reveal a trippy charm that’s quite the soothing aural experience.

DL: “Summer Games”

Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo “Knock You Down (Chew Fu GhettoClub Fix)”

Even after hearing this billions of times (*thanks radio*), we still find this hit single oddly put together (anybody else left cold by the fact that the three headliners barely seem to recognize the efforts of one another?), but the Chew Fu crew help calm that sense of underwhelmingness a bit with this dancefloor-targeting rehaul which nicely gives a repeated spotlighting to Kanye’s “Michael Jackson” line.

DL: “Knock You Down (Chew Fu GhettoClub Fix)”

Beyonce “Ego (DJ Unique’s I Love Her Remix)”

Sasha Fierce’s newest single given a smoother R&B treatment courtesy of YouTube mash-up king DJ Unique. Kanye-free sadly, but we can still dig it.

DL: “Ego (DJ Unique’s I Love Her Remix)”

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Shawn Collins “Walmart”

November 25th, 2008

Flooded with references to such ’90’s-teen fads/ treasures as overalls with “one shoulder strap swingin’”, Nickelodeon’s Doug, head-to-toe Tommy Hilfiger sportage and high-top fades, “Walmart”, from Akron, Ohio rapper (slash-blogger) Shawn Collins (aka “The Batman of Rap”), offers plenty of “I REMEMBER THAT”-inducing nostalgia for anyone who took the time to memorize all the words to Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” during it’s seemingly eternal radio reign.

Over a backing track that swings from minimalist boom-bap on the verses to sing-songy bubblegum for the hook, Collins’ every-man flow indulges in the “golden” days’ of his youth. Some of the recalled memories might be a little sad (back then, the ladies gave him no play) and some are just downright embarrassing (at one point, he admits to having a bowl-cut), but you couldn’t tell him he wasn’t fly, with his paint-chipped No Limit chain, beloved Tamagotchi pet and Space Jam soundtrack-backed hoop-shooting sessions.

Part “I Love The 90″’s in rap form, part diss to that one hater chick who “said I wasn’t quite her type” (“Now she works at a Walmart,” he sneer-chimes in the hook), the chuckles-worthy “Walmart” will surely be appreciated by anyone who spent their post-school day afternoons faithfully tuned in to what alien creature those heroic Power Rangers would have to face next.

Walmart – Shawn Collins

DL: “Walmart” (alt)

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