Mick Jenkins Tries To Catch A Vibe on "Energies" with Saba (prod by THEMpeople)
I haven't heard a Bar Mitzvah referenced in a rap song in a minute... If you got more of those send them my way.
But jokes aside, old friends Mick Jenkins and Saba reconnect on this new THEMpeople produced track, "Energies". With what sounds like an actual clock keeping time, Mick Jenkins and Saba take on something that is not seen, but always present. So much of music is about feeling. The feeling the artist has when creating, and the feeling the listener gets from taking it in. We toss around terms like "catching a vibe" or "in the zone" but perhaps nothing is more important in our relationships than the invisible communications transmitted between us, things that can't quite be put to words.
Mick mumbles through the refrain, keeping his words subdued. It's an interesting choice and when paired with the subject matter and paints a picture of Mick sitting somewhere in the corner, or laying on a studio couch just observing and taking in the other people in the room. As he says in the song, he might not talk to you, but he won't ignore the energies. His verse is much more forceful - perhaps the moments after he has observed, picked up a vibe, and determined he's not fucking with it.
There's much to unpack in this one - as are in many tracks from both Saba and Mick Jenkins. Listen to it below. And then listen to it gain.
[Songs Of The Day] 1/27/14 (Feat. Big Boi, Blood Orange, Imagine Dragons and more)
With the Grammys come and gone and it is with Macklemore as the new-minted golden boy of hip-hop that we bring you a bevy of music that followed the perennially-disappointing award show on the Internet and beyond today as the race began for the next batch of gold gramophones.
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons got things started at the actual show as they debuted the remix to "Radioactive" which they performed together last night. Big Boi stoked the flames of the already incendiary talks of his and Andre 3000's reunion after being on hiatus since the 2006 film Idlewild as a mash-up of Big Boi, Phantogram and Sade dropped, titled "CPU 2.0". British producer Blood Orange's "On The Line" received a remix from Star Slinger and we have the latest from a pair of up and coming Chicago artists as Joel Quentez offers up his talented "Moment of Truth" while Sterling Hayes and THEMpeople make up for a super collaboration on "Monae". Check out all the latest to hit the 'net streaming here below.
Big Boi "CPU 2.0" Feat. Phantogram & Sade (Mash-Up)
Blood Orange "On The Line" (Star Slinger Remix)
Joel Quentaz "Moment of Truth"
Imagine Dragons "Radioactive" Feat. Kendrick Lamar (Remix)
Sterling Hayes "Monae" (Prod by THEMpeople)
Murph Watkins: "Beautiful"
In his latest track, Chicago's Murph Watkins laces over the ins and outs of explaining one's self to another you find too striking to talk to, winding a story for the listener that is a journey from first meeting and infatuation to the loss of a love. Watkins holds down his two-verse track over a soulfully-sampled beat from talented fellow Chicagoans, THEMpeople, and gets a hand on the striking vocals from Loona Dae. Check out the latest from Murph here below.
[Mixtape] Highlife: "Highlife"
Illustration by: Hebru Brantley
Highlife has been bubbling in Chicago's local scene these past few weeks with cool single and video releases. Now, the Treated Crew member is back with his self-entitled debut mixtape . The project includes 17 new cuts cuts with features and production by the likes of Treated Crew, THEMpeople, SaveMoney, Vic Spencer, Naledge, BJ The Chicago Kid, Melo X and more! Peep below.
Mixed by: L Boogie for THEMpeople
Murph Watkins: "Is It Lust" (feat. Midiori & Fonz-E Mak) (Prod. ThemPeople)
Since we premiered The Plague (Murph Watkins' collaborative EP with producer The Antydote) back in November to great response by fans and new listeners, Murph has been working on his upcoming solo project Loose Women N' Booze almost exclusively. This Wednesday we will finally get to download the 'tape in its entirety, but as as extra push, the emcee unleashed one more single featuring Midiori & Fonz-E Mak entitled, "Is It Lust". Listen to the THEMpeople-produced joint below.
[Video] Michael Anthony x Ikaz: Noir
Michael Anthony of ThemPEOPLE has recently been working on his latest project, with producer Ikaz. "This piece is a Visual introduction to -Noir- A collaboration Project from Michael Anthony (THEMpeople) and French Producer IKAZ. Noir is a 6 song EP centered around capturing the essence of this generations pro active rebellion. This video is a symbolism piece that represents the reclaiming of culture through Art and Activism. Musically Noir has soul and electric influence but with a modern revolutionary twist. The intent of the project is to promote the idea of questioning ourselves… Asking where does our generation (Generation Y) stand given the current state of the world??…."
Watch this below & don't sleep on ThemPEOPLE's first video feature on Savemoney & their recent beat tape Smoke Breaks.
Michael Anthony X IKAZ PRESENT: NOIR
http://youtu.be/mG5e3BER00E
BrainFly: "Desiree Washington" (prod. by THEMPeople)
Naledge told me that working with Willie The Kid is great for him, because for the first time, he has another emcee pushing him to his lyrical best. The two have flirted with the group thing for a while, and gave us a "Forever" a few weeks ago. Today we have a new release from BrainFly in the form of "Desiree Washington", a rolling joint produced by THEMPeople. Listen and download below.
[Interview] Record Producers: THEMpeople
I'm going to note this off the bat: THEMpeople are not a production crew who simply make beats. After learning about THEMpeople (L Boog, Dough, Zigg, & Mic) through releases with the likes of Chance The Rapper, Kami De Chukwu, Caleb James & other Savemoney members, it could seem easy to reach such a conclusion. When clicking around their tumblr page, one quote immediately stood out."Using music production to capture the essence of where our generation will fit into the history books of our children, and understanding the significance of eras before that have left a great impression and influence on this nostalgic shift toward reinventing the power of the individual through the arts."
Immediately you can see the bigger picture focus the team has, which ultimately sees an "Urban Renaissance" (of various arts) bringing mass social change.
After listening to a bevy of releases and patrolling through their various online social networks, it's clear that the emphasis on bringing real change is a major inspiration for their craft. Without rushing anything they do, their musical reputation reeks of quality. After meeting at Columbia College in 2007, the crew has continually grown and evolved as a pact, each member playing a specific role within the group. "The meaning of the word production is often solely associated with beat making, but in our case production means producers of innovation," they say.
Many artists say "the music speaks for itself," in this case their words hold up pretty well. Read on to get the full story on THEMpeople, which I'm happy to say is their first official interview ever. There will be countless more.