Q-Tip has been droppin gems from his new album, and I’ve been feeling most all of them. This is the video for the second single – FIYAH! Dilla on the beat. No audio file for this yet… anyone got it?

THROWBACK CUT

Q-Tip (Kamaal The Abstract) – Even If It Is So
Man I love this cut. Shout out to JDL!

I’m not going to make excuse on why I haven’t posted in over 2 weeks. I been damn busy, and It doesn’t even matter. All that does matter is that I got some things for your earholes. Chalk this up to the “things i’ve been feeling recently” series. Meanwhile, sit tight cause we got goodies in the can and some special things lines up (Gabe, what up?!).

DJ Spinna – Dillagence (One 4 Jay) (feat. Phonte of Little Brother)
The homie JDL got at me about this cut. Likely part of the whole homage wave of cuts that started coming out after Dilla passed, this was releases as a 45 by Spinna and made it on the Mick Boogie & Busta Rhymes DILLAGENCE mixtape (though that version has Busta running his mouth on the cut). This is pretty crazy actually. It features Phonte from Little Brother doing his best Dwele impression. He runs through a mess of “classic” Slum Village and Dilla lines. Spinna is the dude… more on that later.

Lil Wayne – Always Strapped
“Strawberry paint, seats vanilla puddin”. nuff said. Weezy is crazy with it. is this dude ever gonna release another album or just pump out 50 tracks a month for mixtapes? Why is this shit so catchy? Oh yeah, Juelz Santana is on this cut too if anyone cares. YOUNG MONEY!

Dark Sun Riders – Dark Sun Riders
Man, I slept on this album bad in 96. Recently it’s been back in my earholes in heavy rotation. I’ve been an X-Clan fan for a while yet for some reason never really caught up with Dark Sun Riders. Brother J formed Dark Sun Riders after X-Clan split up in 94 (before the reassembly of X-Clan). This cut is definitely good shit though. You gotta give it up to artist/bands that have songs that are their names…

BONUS CUT
Dark Sun Riders – Dark Sun Riders (Ultra Jazz Mix)

Pete Rock – Heard Em Say f. Vanessa Sanchez
Pete Rock with a Kanye West cover AND on the positive tip? What’s going on. This is dope though, and I think the 12″ is from 2006 actually. Pete is making moves as of late and coming with a new album for 08. The new Jim Jones (We Roll) cut is cool by me, I ain’t mad. I got high hopes for the new album. Hit up Metal Lungies on the Pete Rock comeback already.

LASTLY… FUCK that new Michael Jackson and Akon shit . Seriously, what the fuck is this? I heard this shit in the car the other day and nearly ran that shit off the road. Y’all need to leave them Michael Jackson songs alone. MICHAEL… shame on you!

I ain’t gonna lie, I’ve been djing at sushi joints and whatnot a lot lately and playing some cooled out sets. It’s a nice change from the more jumpin “club” vibe I’ve been doing on Saturdays for quite a while. It’s also a bit refreshing to make a point to pull things out the crates I don’t normally get to play. As of late, it’s been a slew of R&B, soul and “modern soul” getting rotations. Below, here’s some things I’m feeling for those who aren’t lampin with me at the sushi spots.

D’Angello – Me & Those Dreamy Eyes of Mine (Dreamy Remix)
A simple flip over a familiar beat, this time at Common’s expense. It fits so well, I ain’t mad. Only problem is every time I play this I get a request for the Common cut.

Dwele – Sho Ya Right
Man, this boy can belt it out. I’m a fan of Dwele in general, but it’s always nice to hear him on a more jumping beat. I’ve often though about counting the amount of times per album Dwele says “Dwele”. The number would be astonishing. What’s with that?

Kelis – 80’s Joint
This is a jam. I forget when I found this one first, but apparently it’s a non-album track from some soundtrack. Now, this ain’t the “Bossy” Kelis, it’s more the smoothed out version. It don’t matter, just play it and shake your shit.

Platinum Pied Pipers – Funk In The Hole
Damn. I cant’ even really say much about this cut. It does it for me at 2:10 or so.

Freddie Cruger – Pushing On feat. Linn
I wasn’t really feeling the Freddie Cruger album at first, but some cuts crept into my playlists. this one in particular is a keeper. There’s another cut on this album called “Special Lady” that I’m feelin. check for it.

So bump this shit on a mixtape, cuddle up, eat sushi or whatever and get down.

THOWBACK BONUS CUT

Jackson 5 – Almost There (Spinna Remix)
So dope. the homie JDL actually tipped me off to the record a while back. I never actually thought i’d stumble across the white label, but when I did I knew exactly what it was.

once again it’s on… JDL, J BLOW & Kevin Mega. 10PM – Riverhorse, Milwaukee, WI

This was one of the first interesting record finds I came across after moving to San Diego. Steve Arrington, of Slave is breaking out and doing his own thing here, and it’s funky for 83 and solid nearly all the way through. But one look at the cover of this album, and you KNOW it’s gonna be good. I’ll be the first to admit that buying records based soley on the covers is a bad habit (I’ve been burned many time), but in this case the ridiculous funky cover pays off. This record has found it’s way back into my rotation as of late and has been getting played. Specifically Weak At The Knees, which may be recognizable to you as the main sample from Jermaine Dupri’s Money Ain’t a Thing – but I really don’t think he did it justice. This cut is stoopid nice.

Props to Old Man Malcolm and JDL for tipping me off on this record.

Steve Arrington’s Hall of Fame – Weak At The Knees