Listen to Curtis Roach's new mixtape Highly Caffeinated
"got sick of class, and started making classics."
Detroit has a long line of great emcees, and those rappers always tend to come with cadences and patterns all their own. From Royce, to Black Milk, Guilty Simpson etc... they all very identifiable voices. A couple weeks ago, I found another Detroit emcee enter into my consciousness - 18 year-old Curtis Roach. While I don't know if Curtis has ever hit the stage at the Shelter, I have feeling if he did, he would fit right in. With jazzy production, and relatable bars, Roach hits the sweet spot for my crates. His video for "Extra Fries" has the rah rah of a 90's video that will get you all up in the nostalgic feels. Roach's "shiny new backpack" appeal is all over his debut mixtape, Highly Caffeinated, which released about a month ago, and deserves repeatable listens.
You can stream it below, as well as peep the video for "Extra Fries". Look for much much more from Curtis Roach on RH.
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Review: Big Sean's "I Decided" Album Solidifies His Spot
Off Top, I'm a Big Sean fan. I've been waiting for a new project from the guy I call "The 1A Emcee of this era". The "I Decided" album is here and I'm glad Sean took his time with this one.
I Decided is not the always working and bragging on his girl, Sean. This is the deep thought and caring evolution of Sean Anderson. With the expansion of the subject matter he doesn't slack on the bars. All the above makes this album a must listen.
Even though I didn't know what to expect. I been waiting for a Big Sean and Eminem track. We finally get that with No Favors. Eminem is in a class of his own lyrically. Sean did right by just letting him do whatever and you already know you have to play this a few times to catch every bar crafted. Spoiler Alert. Ann Coulter gets Marshall Mathers LP level venom on this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggvTb2HITn0
Light is a great way to kick off the album. Moves is my favorite joint on the album and Sean's flow on Voices In My Head/Stick To The Plan is crazy!
Inspire Me is an ode to Big Sean's mother. It's refreshing content to hear at a time where the Black Woman is tired of being the most disrespected being on the planet. Especially, in the majority of rap songs.
To my Surprise, Sacrifices with the Migos was very underwhelming. I really expected much more from this combination, but maybe it will grow on me.
I Decided is Big Sean at his artistic best. He hasn't lost a step since we first heard him. He's grown as an artist and as a man and he doesn't mind sharing his journey with the world. With I Decided, Big Sean has solidified why his name should be in "who runs rap" conversations.
In Close, I'm not really sure why Big Sean has to fight for so much "rap respect" in this era. Every 2 years he delivers something worth our ears. He's literally one of the few transparent, talented consistencies in the game. Hit Singles, Street Anthems, Self Crafted Bars that stand up with the greats and the rising stars. That's what y'all ask for right?
I decided Big Sean is one of the best doing it. Salute to Sean Don for dropping another dope album. Listen to the album here.
[Video] Big Sean: "Ashley"
Big Sean has a well-d0cumented love affair with his current beau, Glee star Naya Rivera, whom he is currently engaged to be married. But, before Naya, there was Ashley. Allegedly the name of his former longtime girlfriend back in his hometown of Detroit, the song and the video detail a love lost, a relationship gone, a tell-tale heart of a track that examines feelings still held for another. Featuring Miguel and shot by directorial outfit Verluxe, both the visual and audio components of the working comes together flawlessly to create a world Sean seemingly existed in before meeting the current woman of his dream. Watch it all, streaming here below.
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Danny Brown & Vic Mensa Announce European Tour
Danny Brown & Vic Mensa are two artists that don't ever seem to rest. The pair of talented hip-hop acts, who yesterday announced a set of European tour dates throughout 2014. The tour, which begins on February 21 in London, will come on the heels of Mensa's run with dance music duo Disclosure, who put him on the act's North American tour, which began Monday in Toronto and runs through February 1 in Dallas, TX.
Mensa announced the tour via his Twitter account yesterday, and the release has spurred buzzing rumors that the two talented Midwest MCs will join forces for a North American tour later this year as well. It's a good fit for both artists and especially Danny Brown, who will find himself on the road with a like-minded lyricist and a similar fan-base after having several fall-outs while performing with EDM acts Pretty Lights and GRiZ recently. The European tour dates are listed here below.
Danny Brown x Vic Mensa 2014 European Tour Dates:
Fri 21 Feb London, KOKO
Sat 22 Feb Brighton, Coalition
Sun 23 Feb Manchester, Gorilla
Tue 25 Feb Dublin, Academy
Wed 26 Feb Glasgow, The Arches
Fri 28 Feb Brussels, Orangerie
Sat 01 Mar Paris, Bataclan
Sun 02 Mar Amsterdam, Melkweg
Tue 04 Mar Berlin, Postbanhof
Wed 05 Mar Cologne, Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld
Thu 06 Mar Copenhagen, Pumpehuset
Fri 07 Mar Stockholm, Nalen
Sat 08 Mar Oslo, Rockerfeller
[Album] J Dilla: "Dillatroit"
J Dilla is one of the most revered and influential artists to ever touch the hip-hop world. Taken too early, at the age of 32, the Detroit producer music has lived on in a multitude of ways. Inspiring everyone from Flying Lotus to Mac Miller, it is almost blasphemy to not list him as one of your influences as a producer today. Dilla even has his own day dedicated to him (Dilla Day).
There have been rumblings about mountains of unreleased Dilla material for awhile now, and today Dilla's mother and J Dilla Foundation head Ma Dukes announced the digital release and stream of the vinyl-only release of Dillatroit, a compilation of choice cuts from the producer's glory days that never seemed to find the light of day, with cuts from The Lost Scrolls and Rebirth Of Detroit. Start your week off right and stream this golden thread of audio below. You can also buy the full project here, with proceeds going to the J Dilla Foundation, which is fighting to improve music education programs across the country.
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[Video] Eminem: "Rap God"
Eminem has shared today the official "Rap God" video from his recently released album, The Marshal Mathers LP II. The visual features Em --inspired by Max Headroom--taking in as much information as possible while completely spazzing out with bar after bar with no rest. The Marshal Mathers LP II is available now everywhere records are sold.
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Danny Brown: "Sweeney Song"
Danny Brown has never been one to discourage drug use. On his latest track release, "Sweeney Song", featuring heavy handed, minimalistic production from Detroit beat crafter MNDSGN, Brown lets loose a track full of drug references and challenges rapid-fire and sans-hook. The track was included as part of a curated 7" by Sweeney Kovar, who used to run the blog Classic Drug References. Check it out for yourself below.
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[RH First Glance] Eryn Allen Kane: "Hollow"
If you've been really paying attention to RubyHornet and the Midwest music scene, you may have heard of Eryn Allen Kane. If not, you'll most definitely remember her once you have. The 23 year old singer/songwriter has spent the past year quietly working on her debut project in the annals of Chicago's Fox & The Mule studios. With the project nearly ready and slated for a Spring release, Kane and co. decided to release this video for "Hollow", a vocal avant-garde piece, inspired by expressionist paintings and shot by the talented Austin Vesely. According to Kane, the piece came together naturally; "Robbie Mueller and I were just messing around but I eventually came up with a solid melody using original lyrics, as well as lyrics from two of my favorite jazz songs," said Kane. "I went home, played it back and recorded the melody into my computer. I don't know how to play the guitar so I just sang the guitar riffs. Then I vocally arranged the rest of the back vocals to make it sound like a full song. One night we decided to record it at the studio and it ended up sounding pretty cool so we figured we'd put it out as some what of a teaser for the rest of my project and not a single." Teaser indeed, the track and accompanying video certainly create suspense heading into Kane's full project, which according to her will share a minimalist approach with "Hollow" but with more variety and instrumentation.
This is not Vesely and Kane's first time working together either, having previously collaborated on the Vesely-directed short film "Sex Tape Day" that garnered over 15,000 views in a week and made it to the front page of Funny Or Die. The idea for "Hollow" came from a video in which actors are painted to resemble expressionist artworks. "We picked up some paint, headed back to his house, listened to led zeppelin and shot a video," explained Kane. "We both knew exactly what we wanted which made this pretty easy. We make a good team. He's the man." Check out the video below for yourself and keep it locked to Ruby Hornet for the latest from Eryn Allen Kane.
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