Substantial, the QN5 rapper from Maryland, released his first single from his QN5 debut Sacrifice a few weeks ago. The song is one of those classic summer songs that gets you going as soon as you hear it. If you don’t know much about Substantial, check out his MySpace. Instead of posting the song for the song of the week this week, I’m going to post his video. It’s a great song and video by a very talented rapper. Keep on the lookout for this guy. He’s even garnering some attention from The Source.
Tag Archive for: song of the week
Common has been a constant force in conscious hip hop music for many years. He’s dropped classic albums for a decade now. Whether it’s his early work as Common Sense, his experimental work such as Electric Circus, his mainstream crossover with Like Water for Chocolate, he’s been able to bring conscious hip hop to the masses with great success. His last few offerings have seen him teamed up with the amazing producing skills, and fellow Chicago native, Kanye West. There is nothing like hearing Common over a Kanye beat, they fit together so well. Common’s new album, Finding Forever released yesterday and it is definitely worth checking out. Buy it, request his first single, “The People,” and let radio, television, and record companies know that there is a market for real hip hop and not everyone wants to hear crap like 50 Cent, The Game, and Young Jeezy.
After browsing the iTunes Music Store I found this album by hip-hop artist K-OS. I’ve heard his name in underground hip-hop circles for quite a while but I’ve never actually listened to him before. I had to pick up this album because of the review I read online. I can’t even describe this album. It is more than hip-hop. Where OutKast and Gnarls Barkley left off, K-OS picks up and takes us further. It is definitely a trip through great melodies, beats, and lyrics. I wouldn’t call this a hip-hop albums as it incorporates many different styles. He does some R&B, some rock, some funk, some disco, and does it all very well. The song “Valhalla” is reminiscent of Ricky Nelson or Chuck Berry where “Born to Run” is a mix of Michael Jackson and reggae sounds. Mixing so many genres on one album is a tough feat to accomplish, but K-OS does it so well that the flow is able to continue from one track to the next. It really is a journey through genres. It’s this type of variety in an album that I love. Here are two of my favorite tracks from the album:
Valhalla
[audio:http://pieceofshep.com/audio/08-Valhalla.mp3]
Highway 7
[audio:http://pieceofshep.com/audio/12-Highway-7.mp3]
I have to admit, I know nothing about this band. I have one song by them, and that’s this one. The only reason I have it is because it was given to me by a very special friend. I think it’s a great song, so now I’m sharing it with you, just as she shared it with me. In case you want to know more about this band, you can read more about them at Wikipedia here. From their entry:
[audio:http://pieceofshep.com/audio/01-Have-You-Forgotten.mp3]Red House Painters is an alternative rock group formed in 1989 in San Francisco by singer/songwriter Mark Kozelek. They are described, along with American Music Club, as one of the lynchpins of the slowcore movement in alternative rock. Kozelek used this group primarily as a vehicle for his very personal and emotional songs of despair, pain and suffering.
Blackalicious is a California-based hip hop duo, composed of MC Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel, noted for their intelligent, artistic approach to hip hop music. The pair has released three full-length albums (2000’s Nia, 2002’s Blazing Arrow and 2005’s The Craft) that has won them considerable critical acclaim and a sizable following. This song is one of those feel good songs that make you appreciate life. It talks about all the things that make you feel that good and help you enjoy life a little more. This is a great song, even coming from a bit of a pessimist like me. It’s also dedicated to the biggest optimist I’ve ever met, who taught me to look at the brighter side of things every once in a while.