If I then told you he was also half Cherokee (hence the stage name) and considered becoming a pro skateboarder before doing the music thing, that stereotype might go in a completely different direction, but one image it almost certainly wouldn’t conjure is that of one of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars.

That’s right—this kid who looks like something in between Eminem and Travis Barker is the hottest new rapper I’ve come across since J. Cole (who’s new album is hot, hot heat, by the way). He’s been featured on a track from the new Big Boi album and has made cameos for Slim Thug and Juelz Santana as well, but his own debut record won’t hit stores until September. Still, there’s enough stuff from the kid out there already for us to know that Yelawolf is the real deal.

Seriously, he’s bona fide.

Check out “Pop the Trunk” or “I Wish” to witness Yela successfully walking that delicate tight rope between lyrics and flow. There’s a very clear southern influence in most of his early songs, compiled on his Trunk Muzik mixtape, both in terms of beats and his clearly Alabaman twang. That, added to his energetic, quick-tongued lyrical style, gives him a unique vibe that’s earned him quite a lot of recognition before even recording an album with his new label, Interscope Records—coincidentally, also Eminem’s label.

He’s infectious, and one of the better “fast” rappers I’ve heard in a long time. That style sort of went out when the popularity of Bone Thugs and Twista waned a little bit, but this is a guy who’ll make you want to sit and figure out what he’s saying so you can sing along in your car. The beats hit, the lyrics are tight, and Yelawolf is legitimately doing some innovative stuff with the genre.

How many half-white, half-Cherokee skateboarding rappers from Alabama do you know? At least one, but that’s more than you probably knew yesterday, and trust me—you’ll be glad I added him to repertoire.

Check out “I Wish” here:

And “Pop the Trunk”:

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Mr. Panjabi MC

Panjabi MC, aka Rajinder Singh Rai, had been crafting beats for a while when he finally got deserved attention in 2002-2003.  Are you wondering where his moniker came from?  Well, I am glad you asked.  His stage name “Panjabi” pays homage to his Punjabi culture.  “MC” pays homage to Master of Ceremonies.  With me so far?  Now that you understand his name, it is important to understand the music.  Panjabi MC has made it a goal to create a unique fusion of bhangra and hip-hop.  What we get is a beat driven style that never quits.  Do you need to understand all of the lyrics to enjoy the music?  Not at all.  I mean, do you honestly understand the lyrics of most of the current hip-hop coming out of the states?  My point exactly.

Beware really gained steam in 2003, because of its phenomenal head-bobbing title track.  It also didn’t hurt that Jay-Z tossed his talent into the mix.  Add it all up and you got yourself an international smash hit.  Since Beware, Panjabi MC has continued to put out new music and find ways to forge great partnerships with other artists.  Beware was a big deal for me because it marked a eye-opening moment in my musical appreciation.  Panjabi MC reminded me that there is a whole bunch of music floating around the globe that is just waiting to be shared with others.  Get your dancing shoes on and expand your horizons with Beware.

KC’s Personal Picks: “Beware”, “Jogi” and “Jatt Ho Giya Sharabee”

Scope out the Jay-Z remix of “Beware”

Buy the Album

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Her soulful voice is so powerful it will literally blow your socks off (do people say that anymore?)  Her voice is very similar to up-and-comer Angel Taylor in the sense that her pitch is impeccable and her control is completely acrobatic.  Her old school sound adds in horns and bluesy guitar riffs for a vintage feel generally only achieved by seasoned veterans.  But Daphne Willis has the “it” factor now, so why wait to be seasoned?  Exactly.

Her latest release What To Say promises to deliver everything you imagine and more.  Assuming you aren’t imagining the album comes with $100 bills stuffed in the case.  If that is what you are imagining than no, it won’t deliver.  If you are looking for a solid album from a solid up-and-comer, than What To Say definitely promises to deliver.

Since she’s from Chicago, you better believe we’ll be at one of her upcoming shows, but if you want to check her tour schedule for some other dates, make sure you go to her website for all of the details or “deets” as we call it on the streets.

Check out the video for “Everybody Else”.  It has what appears to be Cookie Monster in it.  Although I’m sure for copyright reasons I can’t confirm that:

Buy What To Say:

Amazon Music

Thanks Special K!

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That’s a motivational Gabe-ism I just made up for this post, and I hope it means as much to you as it did to me in the long process of coming up with it.

In creating this small bit of idiomatic genius, I was inspired by talented synth-pop-indie artist Adam Young, known more commonly as Owl City in music circles, because he’s releasing a collection of songs under the name Sky Sailing from before he hit it big.

My muse.

Vocally, you’re absolutely going to recognize Young’s now famous voice, and while a lot of the chord progressions and melodies are very similar to tracks from “Ocean Eyes,” the synthesized vibe of Owl City is replaced with songs much more heavily dependant on the strum of the acoustic guitar.

But the tunes are still beautiful and dreamy, the lyrics are still refreshingly poetic, and there’s still a strong sense that every song could be played during the I’m-Learning-Something-From-This-Whole-Thing scene in just about any coming of age independent film ever made. Every song comes off epic yet simple—even more so than the Owl City stuff.

With a gun to my head—not an entirely implausible scenario—I’d still take Owl City over Sky Sailing because the newer stuff is more upbeat and memorable, but that doesn’t mean this throwback new release isn’t refreshing in it’s own way.

It Sails in the Sky in the City of Owls, but a little too close to the sun.

That’s deep, right? Let it marinate a little while you get your credit card prepped for what is sure to be an immediate download from iTunes or Amazon or wherever you get your music. In the meantime, I’ll be thinking up more sweet-ass Gabe-isms for later this week.

Stay tuned, and believe in the stars.

Check out “Brielle” from the new (old?) album:

And grab the album everywhere today!

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Mika is a British singer-songwriter who is, shall we say, quirky.  His style is catchy, likable and light but also very, shall we say, unique.  His vocals are very Queen-ish (the rock band, not the old monarch from England) due to his vocal range which is, quite frankly, all over the place.  I will warn that it’s very poppy.  But sometimes you need that pizzaaz to help you get through the day.  Songs like the featured “Blame It On The Girls”, “We Are Golden” and “Good Gone Girl” will have you clapping for no good reason at all.  Seriously.  It happened to me at work.  It was super awkward.

Make sure you check out his latest album The Boy Who Knew Too Much for the freshest beats this side of the Mississippi.  You won’t be disappointed.  And if you are disappointed you have no one to blame but yourself.  You’re just not listening hard enough.

Watch Blame It On The Girls:

Buy The Boy Who Knew Too Much:

Amazon Music

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You may have heard the single “Drunk Girls” recently on the radio and for good reason: it’s crazy catchy.  LCD Soundsystem has a knack for creating retro-synth beats that mix in a plethora (yes plethora) of different genres including electronic, disco and rock.  This is none more prevalent than on the latest album release This Is Happening.

In my opinion, the album is best experienced with a set of headphones, but don’t let that stop you should you be the only one on earth that doesn’t own headphones.  I personally like my music spoon-fed directly to my ears when it has so much character and pizazz.  You can actually feel the bass shaking your brain.  It’s awesome.

Check out the latest release This Is Happening for an eclectic mix of techno-awesomeness.  Each song is quirky (in a good way) including “Pow Pow”, “One Touch” and the opening track “Dance Yrself Clean”.  In fact, the opening track is so awesome, it didn’t even need all of the letters in the name.  Take that other tracks.

If you’re feeling saucy check out his other albums  for an overdose of LCD.  Don’t worry, LCD isn’t a drug it’s a type of TV display.  You can only metaphorically overdose on it.  But you should still take it in moderation.

Check out the video for “Drunk Girls”:

Buy This Is Happening:

Amazon Music

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It’s high time that changed.

So allow us to introduce you to David Garrett, perhaps the youngest, hippest, most rock-tastic violin player the world hath ever seen. Our lady readers will probably also contend that he’s perhaps the most attractive violin player the world hath ever seen, but then again, if all we’re comparing him to is Itzhak Perlman (who, coincidentally, was Garrett’s mentor at Juilliard), then yeah, DG is pretty much going to run away with that particular accolade.

Poor Itzhak (left).

But this isn’t about the man’s good looks, despite the fact that he modeled while attending the country’s most prestigious school of music. (That’s a true story, by the way). This is about the man’s new “Rock Symphonies” album, which takes both rock songs and makes them symphonic, as well as turning symphonies into something modern and just a wee bit hardcore.

Doing one of those two things successfully would be a minor miracle (Metallica did a pretty sweet album with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra once upon a time, but that’s the really the only case I can think of that turned out well. I mean, if we’re not counting the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Are we counting them?). But to go both ways—to be bi-musical, in a sense—is a little beyond words.

The songs themselves range from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teens Spirit” and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” to Beethoven’s 5th and Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” and every one of them is highlighted by Garrett’s prodigious violin shredding. The man’s got a gift, and apparently always has, and he’s hoping to share that gift with the masses with this new record—a record we’d highly recommend checking out, if for no other reason than sheer curiosity.

So there. We’ve done a violin post now. We can sleep better at night. Up next—either a clarinet player or a flutist. I’ll have to talk it over with the editorial staff. In the meantime, enjoy “Rock Symphonies.

Check out David breaking the world record for violin speed here:

And pick up the album everywhere today!

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In my own experience, good rappers are either really intelligent or really fun. Rarely are they both, but Pharoahe Monch rides the fine line between poetry and entertainment as well as anybody, and his new cut “Shine” represents that hip-hop philosophy as good as any track he’s ever put out. We’ve been waiting for his new album “W.A.R.” for a long, long time, and this little teaser is enough to keep us excited as ever about it.

Andrew Belle – “The Ladder”

I keep bumping into Andrew Belle’s music, even though prior to this month I’d never really even heard of the guy. But the fact that he’s from Wheaton, a Chicago ‘burb, makes us feel the need to support him even if we didn’t love his music. Which we do. So… bonus?

The Heavy Pets – “Drenched”

Not sure if The Heavy Pets is an homage to overweight cats or really intense touching above the waist. Either way I guess it’s a cool name for a band, but not as cool as the actual music. First heard these guys on Sirius radio a couple year ago, and the new song from the new album is as soulful and wonderful as anything they’ve done in the past. Good guys, good track.

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Barcelona is actually from Seattle, WA and has nothing to do with Spain.  But don’t fret, this band is just as 1st rate as the Spanish World Cup team.  Again, not related but trust me they are worth it.  I first came across these guys after hearing the song “Come Back When You Can” in a video I was watching online.  In the end, I was more concerned about the song than I was the video (sorry guy that made the video), and it brought me right to their debut big label release: Absolutes.

My personal favorites lean heavily towards their slower songs:  “Get Up”, “Please Don’t Go” and “First Floor People.”  These guys definitely have a knack for creating simple, emotionally-driven songs that you can’t help but listen to over and over again.  Like “Baby Beluga” for a 3-year-old.  Kids just can’t get enough Raffi.  It’s like a well-known fact.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see a lot of tour dates out there for these guys, so if you fall in love with them (which you will) you’ll just have to wait a little while to see the real thing.  It’s ok though because it’ll just build up the anticipation while you listen to Absolutes over and over again.  I’ve listened to it almost 40 times in three days (actually about 3 times, but that’s pretty close to 40) and the anticipation is killing me (softly of course.)

Buy Absolutes:

Amazon Music

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I should explain. I wanted to feature “Lucas With the Lid Off” this week—a killer jazz-infused hip-hop track from 1994—but doubted that I’d find anything recent about the songwriter, the aptly named “Lucas.” I was wrong.

Turns out that after the video for “Lucas With the Lid Off” was nominated for a Grammy, Lucas Secon stepped out of the limelight and decided to focus on production instead. I took a look at his résumé and felt my jaw drop. Check this out:

Britney Spears
Pixie Lott
Kylie Minogue
Weezer
Sean Paul
Toni Braxton
Gym Class Heroes
Jordin Sparks
The Pussycat Dolls
Sean Kingston
Aaron Carter
Mos Def

That’s only a sample of the people he helped write songs for. And then there’s the story of how he introduced the Notorious B.I.G. to Puff Daddy. I mean, he didn’t exactly discover one of the top three greatest rappers of all time, but he certainly played a huge role in getting him to fame and fortune, right?

See what I mean? Rabbit hole.

To tie it all up in a pretty bow, Secon’s father and Uncle Morris founded Pottery Barn in the 1950s. You can’t make this shit up.

To come full circle, allow me introduce you to “Lucas With the Lid Off,” one of my favorite songs of the ‘90s and a pretty sweet video, to boot. But I gotta wrap this up. I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.

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