[Video] The Black Lips: "Boys in the Wood" (NSFW)
The Black Lips today released their latest video viz Vice/Noisey, and it's one you'll probably remember for awhile. The group, which last graced listeners with an album on 2011's Arabia Mountain, commissioned fellow Atlantans The ATL Twins and Matt Swinsky to direct this hell-raising romp through the forest that includes everything from fire dancing and sponge bath in a coffin to "murder and face-pissing". It's a hell of a way to climb back into the public eye after a elongated time away and the song isn't half bad either. "Boys in the Wood" is the first single off The Black Lips' forthcoming studio project, Underneath The Rainbow, due out March 18 on Vice Records, with pre-orders now available on iTunes. The band also announced a Spring tour, for which the dates can be found below.
[Mixtape] Tree: "@MCTREE_G EP"
Chicago's own MC Tree decided to christen 2014 with some fresh Soul Trap by surprise today, releasing the seven song @MCTREE_G EP earlier today on the Internet. The 29-year-old artist continues to carve his own niche within the ever-more dense local scene with his crafty sample chops and raspy spitting that reflects Tree's everyman spirit. @MCTREE_G EP, aside from being one of the best Twitter promotions in recent memory, is the latest release from Tree since 2013's Sunday School 2. It's not everyday that someone comes along with a uniquely different sound that can be appreciated from so many angles. With a Pitchfork performance and co-signs from MTV, among others, expect plenty more to come from Tree throughout this year.
[Video] Bibio: "Dye The Water Green"
It's been a minute since we've heard from British producer Bibio, who was essentially indie-king/god a few years ago with a trio of uniquely ear-catching albums in The Apple & The Tooth, Ambivalence Avenue and Mind Bokeh, today returns with a video for his 2013 single, "Dye The Water Green". The video is produced by both Bibio and Michael Robinson and is a montage of nature photos seemingly water-colored for distortion in this five and a half minute ride through the abstract. The video is part of the lead-up to Bibio's next project, The Green EP, due out on January 27. Check out the video below.
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[Video] SAVEMONEY: "Still Alive"(Feat.) Joey Purp & Kami de Chukwu
SaveMoney is very much still alive as members Kami De Chukwu & Joey Purp go bar-for-bar across the heavy-handed beat produced by Thelonious Martin and Stix to prove just that. The video was originally slated for a 2013 release, around the time the song hit, which was canceled after the production was shut down due to a robbery during the the time of the shooting. With schedules hard to line up with members on tour and in the studio, the SaveMoney squad re-assembled at my house on Thanksgiving Day to shoot the video alongside a celebration that was sandwiched between a pair of Chance The Rapper's sold out Riviera shows. SaveMoney made the video to prove they're "Still Alive", which Vic Mensa took to a new level by tattooing it across his abdomen. Check out the full video below, alongside the trailer for the upcoming SaveMoney episode of the 8-part Noisey "Chiraq" documentary, due out soon.
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Schoolboy Q Releases "Oxymoron" Cover Art + New Song
The anticipation for Schoolboy Q's latest release, Oxymoron, is starting to get out of hand. The project has had a lead time bested only by Dr. Dre's decade-long wait for Detox, and today the TDE-signee dropped the cover art for his debut studio project along with a fresh track, "Break The Bank," produced by The Alchemist. Oxymoron will receive a pair of covers, one for the deluxe edition and one for the regular buy. His daughter, Joy, who was also featured in the announcement for the project's release date, poses in an iconic Schoolboy bucket hat, complete with face tattoos while the other is a mugshot-like snap of Q. Check out the track below, the photo above and keep it locked to RH for the latest on Schoolboy's latest, dropping February 24.
[Video] Disclosure & Sam Smith Perform "Latch" Live on Fallon
English dance music duo Disclosure made their North American television debut last night, performing their song "Latch" with crooner Sam Smith on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon while in New York City as part of their current tour. The pair proved why they have been vaulted to the forefront of the new music scene in America over the past year, performing with a uniquely interesting stage set-up that I haven't seen on Late Night before, complete with a laser face that mimicked Smith's facial movements as he sang. Disclosure is just the latest in a long line of talented British dance acts and shows why in the video below. Sam Smith absolutely kills on the live vocals, taking the typical electronic set up a notch with the decidedly live addition. Check it all out below.
[RH First Look] NoNameGypsy
Despite what she might want, if you've been following the Chicago music scene as of late, you've certainly heard of NoNameGypsy. The 22-year-old hip-hop artist made a name for herself in April with her featured verse on Chance The Rapper's track "Lost" off his monumental Acid Rap release. The guest spot gained the longtime spoken word aficionado considerable attention both on the local and national scenes, garnering a steady stream of shows through the end of the year and earning co-signs from the likes of RapSody and a listing as one of the Chicago RedEye's "15 Artists to Watch in 2014". While she isn't sure whether hip-hop is her ultimate landing spot, the soft-spoken and thoughtful NoName is in an interesting situation currently, as she ruminates on everything 2013 brought and looks forward to what's ahead. Already beginning the new year with spots on several shows around Chicago, she has us all sitting on pins and needles waiting for her debut project, Telefone.
If nothing else, NoNameGypsy is a breath of fresh air. As real and authentic as they come, often taking the stage with her purse still slung across he shoulders, as she did at Reggie's Rock Club this summer for Chance's Lollapalooza After Show. I caught up with her as she was working on music recently and talked about suddenly being known by others, having fans and what's next for NoNameGypsy.
[Video] Giftz: "Game of Chess" (Feat. Boldy James)
Chicago's own Giftz got people talking in the middle of last year with his mixtape project, Position of Power, which established him as an artist to know in the increasingly competitive Chicago scene as he emerged as a storyteller capable of reporting back on and framing the things he saw around him everyday growing up in the city's rough areas. Just before the weekend, Giftz took fans there with Detroit MC Boldy James for the visual to his song "Game of Chess" off Position of Power. It's a seminal street banger that features the pair traversing the dark and hallowed-out streets of Detroit, which only serves to add to the overall demeanor of the track. Check out the latest from Giftz, streaming below.