Posts Tagged ‘Yasiin Bey’

New Joint: “It Ain’t My Fault” x Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Yasiin Bey, Trombone Shorty and Allen Toussaint)

Posted: September 17, 2012 in Jazz, New Joint
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Out of New Orleans comes one of the city’s most renowned and respected traditional jazz bands, Preservation Hall.  The band has teamed up with the incomparable pianist Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty and newly transplanted New Orleanian Yasiin Bey to bring a toe-tappin’, second-linin’ good time to a protest song.  Creative director of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Ben Jaffe told Rolling Stone, “Yasiin’s words are brilliant. I love that it’s a protest song that makes people dance. Those are the best kind.”  “It Ain’t My Fault,” recorded at Carnegie Hall in January, will be released on St. Peter and 57th Street on Sept. 25th.

Rolling Stone holds the goods, so you can stream it there.  I found some footage from the concert, which you can check out below.

 

Oh Word??: Yasiin Bey & Mannie Fresh Collab Coming Soon

Posted: September 5, 2012 in Gumbo Love, Hear This, Hip Hop
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Lawd have mercy, I’m on a Mannie Fresh beat.   -Yasiin Bey

Yes, that’s right.  Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def has teamed up with New Orleans hitmaker Mannie Fresh.  Quite unexpected but nonetheless anticipated, the Brooklynite has made a new home in the Crescent City and put it in his mind to go ahead and make some new music there as well.  Befittingly so, he’s linked up with Mannie Fresh, Cash Money alumni and consummate New Orleans dj.  Bey seems to have a soft heart when it comes to N.O. culture.  He, along with a host of others, lent his talents to Mark Ronson’s interpretation of New Orleans jazz with “A La Modeliste.”

From the videos below, the Bey/Fresh project, titled “OMFGODBKNOLA,” looks like it’s about to stir some shit up.

Act 1:

Act 2:

Keep up with the project at http://www.omfgodbknola.com/

Spotted at Okayplayer

 

 

Word: “Yasiin Bey Would Like You To Quit Calling Him Mos Def” x Scott Korb

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Hip Hop, Word
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I’ve been very intrigued by Mos Def’s name change to his Muslim and legal name Yasiin Bey.  Mostly, my intrigue comes from what impetus encouraged Bey to drop the pseudonym and share his chosen name with the world.  In this article from Scott Korb, the journalist delves quite deep into Yasiin Bey’s history of hip hop and Islam.  I’m not sure if there are those that believe that the MC is some fly-by-night Muslim, but that’s quite the contrary.  According to Korb, Bey is one of the most recognizable Muslims in pop culture since boxing great Muhammad Ali.  For anyone that has followed Ali’s career and conversion to Islam, it’s a very telling comparison.  Ali was a staunch Muslim, displaying this in instances such as his refusal to join the Armed Forces.  The artist formerly known as Mos Def has taken such sociopolitical stands through his music, integrating his beliefs with his passion.  Although lengthy, the article is a great read and shines some light on the struggle between one’s perceived self and one’s true self.

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Movie Review: Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap

Posted: June 22, 2012 in Hip Hop, Review
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I recently took some time to check out Ice-T’s directorial debut, Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap.  The documentary features MCs and producers that have influenced and have been influenced by the genre of hip hop.  Going into the film, my expectations were that of a lover of hip hop, someone who enjoys and respects the art.  I expected the artists to regal us with stories of how they were introduced to rap and the role hip hop has played in their own lives.  In that regard, the film did not disappoint.  From Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers to Rakim to Kanye West to MC Lyte, each artist had a stirring anecdote on their induction into hip hop history.

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Hear This: The Robert Glasper Experiment: “Bootleg Radio” (Live)

Posted: February 27, 2012 in Hear This, Hip Hop, Jazz, Mixtape, Soul
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With building anticipation of Black Radio (which will be in stores tomorrow, 2/28), a healthy sample of what’s in store from The Robert Glasper Experiment has been mixed, recorded and packaged up nicely, thanks to Frolab & All the Way Live.  The live recordings come from shows in NYC, Paris and Montreux with appearances from Yasiin Bey, Bilal, Phonte, and some other nice additions.

Download the mixtape here.

Peeped @ Okayplayer.

New Video: “Niggas in Poorest” x Yasiin Bey

Posted: February 23, 2012 in Hip Hop, New Video
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The artist formerly known as Mos Def has dropped some crazy shit for your eyes to behold.  Directed by himself and Set Free, the video is steeped in images of rebellion, tyranny, unrest, social and political injustices, the occupy movements, the big banks and fights for civil rights.  Add that to Yasiin’s prominent presence in the studio and the powerfully insightful lyrics, the rapper single-handedly denounces the frivolousness of the one percent.  As much as I dig the words, I’m loving the visuals even more.

Niggas in Poorest

Posted: January 23, 2012 in Hear This, Hip Hop
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"Doctors say I'm the illest/I ain't got no insurance"

Yasiin Bey FKA Mos Def is on some “stay woke” on this one.  While Jay and ‘Ye are boasting on passport stamps and Margiela, I appreciate Yasiin touching on blue-collar, 99% issues.  According to Soul Culture, this cut is off an upcoming mixtape Top 40 Underdog, where the emcee does his thing over top 40 hits.  One thing I can always say about Mos Yasiin, he’s consistent in his message.  Remain humble, “don’t get caught up in no throne,” and pay attention.

 

Thanks for tuning in

Posted: January 17, 2012 in Funk, Gumbo Love, Hear This
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“all that we are, all that we got, make up the pieces, put it in a pot”

Not too many things compare to the feeling of hearing a good tune.  Music that evokes a myriad of emotions–whether from a low-end or a high-end–has always had a place in my consciousness.  As you’ll come to realize (hopefully *smile*), my tastes in music is ever-changing, but my love is unconditional.  “Audio Gumbo” is the brewing of all the sounds I’ve grown to care for.  If you’ve ever had good gumbo, you know it’s a mixture of many delicious ingredients, blended with love and meticulous care.  That’s what music is to me.  Hip hop, soul, funk, jazz, R&B, reggae, zydeco and all that’s slid in-between, I embrace them with understanding, openness and vulnerability.

Below, there waits a sample of the ”gumbo” of many of the genres I really dig.  So, again, thanks for stopping by.  Funk it out, y’all.