Urbane #MusicMondays 12-7-09

Posted by WEKetchum | Filed under music

Urbane #MusicMondays will be a weekly installment of new music that our readers should enjoy. Free downloads or otherwise, and spanning different genres from hip-hop to rock, there’s only one rule with #MusicMondays: it’s got to be good.

Today’s installment sees new records from John Mayer, one of the most respected young lyricists in hip-hop, and a rock/rap collaboration that actually makes sense.

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John Mayer
“The Edge of Desire” (Acoustic Apartment Version)

According to Rolling Stone, John Mayer’s latest album Battle Studies, sold an incredible 286,000 copies its opening week. As a writer, I usually despise when other journalists mention record sales as evidence of music being good or not. But fortunately for us, Mayer has used this project’s success as reasoning to give his fans a freebie. A quote from his Tumblr:

I’ve been thinking of a way to say thank you for making Battle Studies such a huge success out of the gate… I’ve also been thinking of a way to use tumblr as a means of posting some more substantial stuff… So here’s a very raw, live solo version of “Edge of Desire” I just recorded in my apartment as a way to show my gratitude to you all for extending my time in this amazing career you’ve helped me build.

I think if you were kind enough to spent the 13 bucks, you should get some free music for the next good while.

So here it is. A song about late night longing recorded at 3am. iPhone dinging in the background and all…(that’s how I knew the take was going to be worth sticking with, as the best takes always get interrupted.)

Thank you.

More to come…

John

The original version of “Edge of Desire” is already good. But hearing the song in such a raw form, especially from such a big name as Mayer, makes it sound even more refreshingly genuine. And hopefully, “For the next good while” means that this is the first of many future free offerings.

Download the song for free here (Alt Link Here).

Lupe Fiasco
The Enemy of the State: A Love Story

Chicago emcee Lupe Fiasco has toured and recorded with Kanye West and Pharrell; nabbed fashion sponsorships and collaborations with Reebook and Converse; and earned Gold certification plaques for successful record sales. But before that, Lupe built his buzz in the hip-hop community the old-fashioned way: mixtapes. Several years removed since his last installment in the Fahrenheit 1 & 15th series, he released Enemy of the State: A Love Story at midnight before Thanksgiving as a single 22-minute mp3 (“cassette style”). Disappointed at MTV’s exclusion of him in its “10 Hottest MCs” list, Lupe dismantles noteworthy beats previously used by the likes of Jay-Z (“Thank You”), Diddy (“Angel”) and Lil Wayne (“Fireman”). Chock full of internal rhyme schemes and a mix of to-the-point punchlines and double entendres (“Baby why you hangin’ with them busters like Babs,” he says, slyly referring to the two rabbits in the “Tiny Toons” animated series), Enemy of the State shows Lupe can hang with the industry’s best. And if this project wasn’t enough, Lupe has already promised to hit the Internet with another mixtape, Friend of the People, on Christmas day to further the anticipation for his third album, Lasers.

The mixtape is available as a free download here (Alt Link Here).

Blakroc
Blakroc

Peoples’ best work comes when their backs are against the wall, and though he may not admit it, media mogul Dame Dash seems to be in a tough spot. Since ownership of the wildly successful Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear clothing—which were built by Jay-Z’s celebrity and Dash’s business savvy—were bought out and given to Jay-Z, Dash’s insight has been in question. But this year, he has helmed one of the most creative projects of the year with Blakroc. Teaming Ohio blues duo The Black Keys with a roster of 11 artists over a reported 11 days of recording, Blakroc is everything that contrived rock/rap hybrids have tried to be for the past two decades. Previous efforts have tried to mesh the rebellious nature of hip-hop with the rebellious nature of rock n’ roll, but this shows that the bluesy sounds of The Black Keys’ rounded guitars and drums mesh just as well when used the right way. “Stay Off The Fuckin’ Flowers” flawlessly captures the essence of Raekwon’s signature grittiness, while Mos Def and RZA’s eccentric tastes are pushed further with “On The Vista” and “Tellin’ Me Things.” Blakroc is as artistic and organic as it is savvy and marketable, and those are the qualities that have made Dame Dash’s projects stand out from the pack. At this rate, he won’t be going away for a long time.

To preview Blakroc before buying, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Urbane #MusicMondays 12-14-09
  2. #MusicMondays 12-28-09
  3. Urbane #MusicMonday
  4. #MusicMondays 1-4-2010: Late Christmas Edition
  5. #MusicMondays 4-26-10 (#RapRehab Day 26)

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Permalink | December 7th, 2009

7 Responses to “Urbane #MusicMondays 12-7-09”

  1. James Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    I have checked out the John Mayer yet but the Lupe mixtape is incredible ,and the BlakRoc project is such a refresh piece of sonic art. I’m so happy with how music is taking more chances.

  2. The General Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    The Lupe mixtape is just another example of how their are gifted artists outside of “The Old Guard” that have perfected the balance of both style and substance.

  3. jen Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    looks like i have a new must read music blog ;)

  4. Danyizzy Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    Did a search for John Mayer and came across this.

  5. Danyizzy Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    Did a search for John Mayer and came across this.

    THANK YOU!!!

    Thanks for mentioning his Tumblr, too - I hadn’t even followed it, so now I shall.

  6. aliya Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    ketchums is at it again!!

  7. BooM! Says:
    December 8th, 2009 at 1:26 am

    damn, u stay busy! always on that hot shit and with an ecclectic mix of music like this being reviewed i definitely look forward to what’s coming up,you’ve just been bookmarked….nice work on the hiphopdx review too.

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