I’m excited to announce our new Audio Gumbo weekly feature, Throw it in the Pot. A strictly sonic version of the website, TiitP will showcase a blend of genres all over the indie scene. Make sure you like Audio Gumbo on Facebook for updates on downloading the podcasts! The first episode is dedicated to the sounds and culture of New Orleans. Since it’s Fat Tuesday, today just makes sense to drop this mix. The music in New Orleans is rich in culture and soul–jazz and blues, brass bands, second line parades, bounce music–and it all derives from the retention of African tradition, music and fellowship found in the historical Congo Square. The tracks on this episode are wide-ranging but all reflective of a city that’s booming in the spirit of good times. The artists featured throughout are New Orleans natives and transplants, influencers and admirers. Enjoy and leave feedback! (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Yasiin Bey’
Review: Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One) x Amerigo Gazaway + video
Posted: April 17, 2014 in Alternative, Hear This, Hip Hop, New Video, R&B, Review, SoulTags: Amerigo Gazaway, Gummy Soul, Marvin Gaye, mashup, Soul Mates, The Departure, Yasiin Bey, Yasiin Gaye
My apologies, this review is long overdue. But to those of you that have no clue about this project, it’ll be right on time. Amerigo Gazaway returns with a very seminal project, one that will continue to shape the format of the evolving mash-up. From his Soul Mates series, Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One) is the undeniable union of the divided soul singer Marvin Gaye and the artist formerly known as Mos Def, Yasiin Bey. If you weren’t a believer in soul mates, this pairing will dispel your disbelief. The Departure blends the two artists so seamlessly, it’s as if they were creating simultaneously in the studio.
Coming Soon: Yasiin Gaye x Amerigo Gazaway (Yasiin Bey + Marvin Gaye mashup)
Posted: January 29, 2014 in Alternative, Hip Hop, Mixtape, New Joint, R&B, Soul, UndergroundTags: Amerigo Gazaway, Marvin Gaye, mashup, Mos Def, Okayplayer, Yasiin Bey, Yasiin Gaye
Y’all. Okayplayer just dropped some heavy, heavy news. I’m talmbout so heavy, it’ll make your head spin from the weight of it all. Amerigo Gazaway, returns to reign majestically with an epic fusion from his new series “Soul Mates”–Yasiin Gaye.
Building the album’s foundation from deconstructed samples of Gaye’s Motown classics, Gazaway re-orchestrates the instrumentation into new productions within a similar framework. Carefully weaving Bey’s dense raps and Gaye’ soulful vocals over his new arrangements, the producer delivers a quality far closer to Gaye’s famous duets than that of a “mashup” album.
Yes, that’s the mighty Mos, now known as Yasiin Bey and the Soul Gawd Marvin Gaye. As one. Together. The full project will drop on February 25th but you can listen to the track below and download it here.
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 JointTags: Allen Toussaint, Mos Def, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Trombone Shorty, Yasiin Bey
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 HopTags: Mannie Fresh, Mos Def, New Orleans, OMFGODBKNOLA, Yasiin Bey
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, WordTags: Islam, Mos Def, Muslim, Scott Korb, Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey
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.
Movie Review: Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap
Posted: June 22, 2012 in Hip Hop, ReviewTags: Bun B, Cold Crush Brothers, Common, Dr Dre, Eminem, Grandmaster Caz, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Kanye West, MC Lyte, Rakim, Snoop Dogg, The Art of Rap, Yasiin Bey
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.
Hear This: The Robert Glasper Experiment: “Bootleg Radio” (Live)
Posted: February 27, 2012 in Hear This, Hip Hop, Jazz, Mixtape, SoulTags: All the Way Live, Bilal, Black Radio, Casey Benjamin, Chris Dave, Derrick Hodege, Doom, Frolab, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Pete Rock, Phonte, Q-Tip, Robert Glasper, The Robert Glasper Experiment, Yasiin Bey
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 VideoTags: Fellowship Mission, Malcolm X, Mos Def, Niggas in Poorest, Watch the Throne, Yasiin Bey
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 HopTags: Mos Def, Niggas in Poorest, Watch the Throne, Yasiin Bey
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.