mixtape maestro (2.0)

Featuring nine non-sappy “dedicated to the ladies” cuts coolly baked in a summery, ’90′s neo-soul & boom bap chill, To…From…, the debut project from Cali-based hip hop trio Tomorrow, Yesterday, arrives just in time as salvation for those concerned over where they’ll get their new new-Native Tongues fix post-Slum Village’s recent deterioration.

Most recommended? The Pharcyde-meets-Dwele mid-set joint “Fight”, which makes good use of the umpteenth sampling of Michael Jackson’s tender Thriller ballad “The Lady In My Life” for members Yep and T.i.E’s playful look at how silly relationship squabbles can lead to the most intense make-up sex sessions (“We can yell loud now/ Yell loud later/ Two different ways/ But they both wake the neighbors”).

Hear the cut below, then download the rest of the excellent To…From… (for FREE) here.

BONUS DL: The Pharcyde “Runnin’ (Phillipians Remix)” (alt)

It seems like every three months brings about some new teen rap group emerging out of whatever regional pocket of the nation to push some new fashion/ dance/ hip hop sub-genre movement for the young’un set to heavily obsess over then just as quickly forget about a season later. Right now that group is Cali Swag District, an Inglewood quartet riding the viral sensation wave with their minimalist, cowbell-laced single/ how-to “Teach Me How To Dougie”.

Naturally, with us being grown folk and all, we’re left feeling ambivalent towards CSD and their “hit”, distracted in trying to figure out how they tie in to the New Boyz or The Pack, if at all, but we will admit to appreciating how simple the “Dougie” dance is to master, especially when compared to the overly-complex physical workout that is “jerking”.

But back to why we’re even mentioning “Teach Me How To Dougie” here in the first place: it’s all-star remix, which features Jermaine Dupri (always eager to attach himself to the latest hot kiddie rap craze), Red Cafe, Bow Wow and B.o.B, who rides the beat best here with another welcome dose of his energetic flow and charismatic rhyme-play (“I hit her with that flex/ So she get impressed/ You heard what I said/ Hit her with a text/ Then she know what’s next…”).

Catch the video to the original so you can get your “Dougie” practice on, then grab the remix afterward.

Cali Swag District – Teach Me How To Dougie

Cali Swag District (follow @caliswagdstrct) | MySpace Music Videos

DL: “Teach Me How To Dougie (Remix)” (alt)

BONUS DL: Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg & Cali Swag District “California Gurls (Remix)” (alt)

Even with Katy Perry‘s 2008 breakout album, One of the Boys, managing to strike platinum and peel off four Top 30 US hits (two of which-“I Kissed A Girl” and “Hot n Cold”-we’ll most certainly be hearing at least once a week for the rest of time), it’s huge success never really solidified the idea of the shtick-reliant singer being necessary beyond it.

If anything else, Perry seemed to be one of those flash-in-the-pan types who would fade away back into obscurity, only to make re-appearances in I Love The ’00‘s-type pop culture retrospectives or future “What ever happened to her?” coffee table conversations concerning the year-long time she somewhat ruled the pop roost.

That being said, it’s not only surprising that Katy would re-emerge with a new record on par with the sugary irresistibility of her biggest cuts and that it would speed it’s way to a spot on the top of the pop charts (and plenty of people’s current summertime guilty pleasure lists), but-and here’s the main shocker-that we would actually be welcome to her return.

Yearning for an explanation? Well, to put it simply: The past year has produced so many forgettable one(and sometimes two)-hit wonder plastic-pop sensations, it’s kinda of nice to have an “established” act of the genre around. Yeah, if you found Katy annoying before (whether because of all the overly-cutesy stage persona tics or her odd, caterwaul vocals), you probably still won’t have much tolerance for her, but if not having her back means more pop radio space for lesser-forgivable entries from the Ke$ha’s, 3OH!3′s and Jason DeRulo’s of the world, than we say “hurrah” for “California Gurl”‘s existence.

Besides, if you look past the titular’s awful spelling of “girls”, the lame Snoop feature, the lyrics’ lazy (and/or awkward) “Cali is the place to be” signifiers and…hell, it’s overall corniness (the West Coast answer to “Empire State of Mind”,as it has been proposed, this surely is not), the track’s effervescent disco-ish sparkle can work wonders on a bad day.

Catch “California Gurl”‘s Candyland-inspired clip below, then afterward grab The White Panda crew’s mash-up of it with Trey Songz’ “Say Ahh”.

DL: The White Panda “Ahh California (Katy Perry x Trey Songz)” (alt)

Kinda making us feel a lil’ guilty for not putting more thought into the lame card and flowers we eventually copped (well, scrambled at the last minute to get) for our Maternal Ones on Mother’s Day, long-running West Coast Rapper To Watch (and Class of 2010 XXL Freshman) Jay Rock gifted his Mom’s last weekend by paying tribute to her in song for the holiday (Okay, we’re a week late…so what).

Rocking atop a slick sampling of, what else, The Intruders’ 1973 Gamble & Huff-produced classic “I’ll Always Love My Momma”, Rock’s “Love My Momma” is a touching one, tracking the gruff-voiced rapper’s undying admiration for his mother from birth (“After the doctors, the nurses wiped me off/ Your touch so soft/ I could feel the warmth of your heart through the cloth”) and childhood (“The teachers didn’t believe in me/ My Momma said the world needed me”), all the way through to his present-day adult-hood.

Expect Rock’s long-pushed back debut Follow Me Home sometime later this year.

DL: “Love My Momma” (alt)

BONUS DL: Jay Rock featuring The Game, Gorilla Zoe, Busta Rhymes, Lil’ Wayne & Will.i.am “All My Life (Remix)” (alt)

With all the major Top 40 noise the union of Timberlake & Timbaland have crafted in the past decade (through tracks either incredibly awesome or just so-so), one would be forgiven in somehow forgetting that the Virginia beat maestro isn’t the only A-list producer Justin shares amazing musical chemistry with.

Sure, JT’s debut solo album Justified blew up off of the Timbaland-helmed “Cry Me A River”, but the album garnered the most praise through its teaming of Justin and The Neptunes, the merging of the former ‘Nsync frontman’s slinky falsetto with Pharrell & Chad’s posh, modernized updates on ’70′s soul-pop, funk and disco being what ultimately sold the public on Timberlake’s “future new MJ”-like promise.

That magic rears it’s irresistible head again on the newly leaked Game jam “Ain’t No Doubt About It” (it’s the first single from his forthcoming The R.E.D. Album) and basically has the rapper registering as an afterthought on his own record as Game’s two contributed verses, featuring forgettable mutterings about licorice-colored sports cars and “haters” being like “swine flu” (“You’re killing me”), prove no match for the pleasure in hearing Justin and Pharrell trade off honey-coated R&B lines in admiration of the sexy ladies atop a burbling, bloops-and-bleeps funk groove that’s reminiscent of the Neptunes’ early ’00′s hit output.

Look for The R.E.D. Album to drop on June 15th; in the meanwhile, pick up Game’s mixtape/ pre-album teaser The Red Room, with featured guests Lil’ Wayne, Jadakiss and Fabolous among others, over at XXL.

DL: “Ain’t No Doubt About It” (Tagged) (alt)

Who would of thought that nearly two decades after Cypress Hill had the college-age masses happily chiming along to their nasal-voiced tales of homicidal thuggery and…well, being loco, the ever-touring Latin rap vets would enter 2010 as possible holders of the Summer Jam sweepstakes crown?

The central source of this WTF? The group’s latest single “Armada Latina”, a future block party banger from their forthcoming (and eighth studio set) Rise Up that pairs them with J. Lo’s baby daddy Marc Anthony and the ubiquitous Pitbull (who doesn’t this guy know?) atop producer Jim Jonsin’s delightful Crosby, Stills & Nash loop that’s just begging for some sticky-hot three-degree-weather and a round of Mojitos to support it.

Rise Up drops April 20th.

BONUS DL: Jason Nevins vs. Cypress Hill “Insane In The Brain (Jason’s Master Blaster Edit)” (alt)

“Show Me What You Workin’ Wit”, the latest re-teaming of Bay Area rap kingpins E-40 and Too Short, may come up a bit short in it’s obvious attempt to match the breath-stopping, otherworldly allure of 40′s 2006 career peak “Tell Me When To Go” (and, we shamefully admit, it could probably use a lot more than just two occurrences of Short’s excellently voiced “Bitch” catchphrase), but the wonderous wonkiness of it’s minimalist beat (little more than thudding, Godzilla-like bass stomps for the verses and teasingly brief decorations of ominous synth drones, Saturday morning TV string whirls and horn blurts adding a dash of color ‘neath the chorus), as well as the sheer entertainment value of hearing these two veterans’ distinctive mic personas side-by-side again, go a long way in making up for such petty critical nitpicking.

Props to 40, especially, for nicely filling in the skeletal beat’s spaces with his swaggeriffic misogynist rhetoric, an entertaining verse and a half of him pasting together his version of the ideal lapdance babe (highlighting physical faves like her “California face”, Texan ass and “Brazilian wax beaver”).

Is it a contender for future Grammy gold? Far from it (and you probably might not want to spin this anywhere near your grandparents), but there is a certain comfort in knowing that the strip clubs will, at least, have somethin’ new to rock to for the forthcoming Spring season.

From E-40′s new double release, Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift/ Night Shift, due March 30th.

DL: “Show Me What You Workin’ Wit” (alt)

Bonus DL: E-40 featuring Kanye West & The Game “Tell Me When To Go (Remix)” (alt)

Snoop and Cudi go a bit “green” on this Diplo-produced collaboration for the former’s deluxe edition re-release of his Malice N Wonderland album (entitled More Malice, of course).

Beyond a slightly engaging, descending bubble-pop beat supporting the verses and one semi-humorous line from the Doggfather (“Groupies on my head like a kufi”), though, the track never quite lands as the essential release it should be, especially considering the star power it boasts. Shall we say its lacking a certain…ahem, spark? Or maybe we’re just a little too distracted by the creepy, mutated hand Snoop’s sporting in the pic seen left to even give the song a good listen. (Look at it though, aren’t his fingers weird-looking?)

More Malice, which includes five new cuts, a couple remixes and a mini-movie (!!!), drops March 23rd.

DL: “That Tree” (alt)

Speaking of Cudi, as a bonus, peep an Iron & Wine-sampling, electro-folk (?) cover of the rapper’s woozy single “Pursuit of Happiness” by L.A. newcomers Barbara that works far better than it really should.

Bonus DL: Barbara “Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)” (alt)

While nothing could match the heights that Snoop Dogg scaled when his lackadaisical delivery was paired with Dr. Dre’s G-funk beat terrains, in his late-career excursions, it’s been The Neptunes who have consistently provided the Doggfather with the material needed to remain just as commercially relevant as he nears closer and closer to age 40 and his twentieth year in the game, whether it’s through digitized updatings of the rapper’s old hood-boy bop (“From The Chuuuch To Da Palace”, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”) or radio-friendly ditties that paid tribute to his undying adoration for summertime soul (“Beautiful”) and sleek, ’80′s-era disco-funk (“Let’s Get Blown”, “Signs”).

For “Special”, the Neptunes’ lone offering to Snoop’s tenth album Malice N Wonderland, that hit-making chemistry is kept afire with the Virginian production duo lacing Snoop’s eased flow and Valentine’s Day promises with another one of their purrty, keyboard-dominant arrangements while Pharrell and (a suddenly everywhere) Brandy blissfully croon sweet nothings back and forth on the hook.

It’s a blatant “Beautiful” re-write and far away from the aggressive, undercover cop-spooking lyricism that Snoop became a household figure with so long ago, but of all the various ’90 hip hop sub-genre detours Snoop (sometimes awkwardly) skips through throughout Malice, “Special” is the one where he fits in the most comfortably, not only because you could totally envision Snoop giddily vibing with the instrumental on loop as he rides through the streets of Cali, but the “grown man” way he praises Wifey (“I’m puttin out the blunt cause I see/ That I need you more in my life than I need a bag of weed”) carries this endearing grasp of authenticity and intimacy, sounding like something that could have actually been in his vows during his 1997 wedding (or 2008 vow renewal) to high school sweetheart Shante.

“Special”:

BONUS DL: Snoop Dogg featuring Justin Timberlake & Charlie Wilson “Signs (Siik Remix)” (alt)

If any other rapper touched the mic with some nonsense like “I beat it up like Harpo”, it would likely register as an instant FAIL. Have those same six words delivered via the slippery flow of Snoop though, and the cornball line magically ranks as yet another one of Mr. Dogg’s genius, casually tossed-off poetics.

Beyond that lyrical niblet and a brief shout-out to True Blood (making the HBO vamp soap that much cooler), not much else in Snoop’s verbal contribution to “Gangsta Luv” (the first single off his December-due tenth LP, Malice N Wonderland) really merits a double take, but don’t let that dissuade you: just hearing the man’s familiar drawl supported here by the summer-toned breeziness of Tricky Stewart’s synth-stabbed and bongo-accented production and a decent, if a bit paint-by-numbers, hook from The-Dream is all that’s needed to make this sorta-“Beautiful”-rewrite a welcome addition to the MP3 player library and easy fall-season radio success.