Check out the spoken word version of my song 5am.
Took out the guitar part and just delivered it a bit slower to make sure everyone gets each line. Kinda similar to my Room in Here video a couple months back. I pride myself on being a poet with these lyrics translated through melody and bars so, it’s great to see the words slowed down with no music… Gets people listening more…
Check for yourselves:
Whats goodie yall. It’s been a minute. Instead of boring you guys with the reasons of my recent hiatus, I thought I’d break the ice with something really important to me.
Last year me and some lads covered one of the dopest songs ever from one of the dopest artists ever. I’m of course talking about Anderson Paak and his record “Room in Here”. We performed it live at a bar/music venue on the Upper West Side called Prohibition. My boy Shane (IG: @shanezenmusic) was on the guitar and my bestie Robin (IG: @funkmogul_) was rocking the vocals. Check out this snippet if interested… and this one too.
Aside from playing keys, I had a verse at the end. Knowing how The Game bodied his verse in Paak’s song, I knew I had to come correct. Which is what brings me here today. This wonderful video. Standing as one of my best/favorite prose I’ve ever written, this hip hop verse is delivered in spoken-word style, paying tribute to it’s poetic lines. While writing, I knew I had to spit BARS but still deliver metaphorical poetic lines, sprinkled with wit/charm to fully accomplish the goal (which I personally feel like I did).
At the end of the video, you’ll notice me promoting two awesome events that I have planned. First up Art Saves Mother Earth. I’ve recently joined a group called A New Black Arts Movement, and I’m proud to announce that I’ve been orchestrating my first event (Soul Session) with them. This soul session will be about tackling different issues of the environment and overall social injustice in our communities. Various performances from singers to dancers to spoken word artists will embody this theme. Also there will be live visual artists drawing/painting up some dope art. I know I have some followers abroad but if you’re in NYC, definitely, check this out. You wouldn’t want to miss it.
Secondly, on April 23rd I will be having a concert titled “Live @ Brian’s Apt.”, viewing on both Facebook and Instagram live. So even my peeps abroad could witness what I know is going to be one of my proudest moments. Brian is my dope cousin and I will be performing in front of a packed, raging crowd in his living room lol. I planned this to be very intimate, as you can tell. I will share most, if not all, of my talents ranging from being an instrumentalist to rapping. I will also bring some dope featured artists. More details on the way 🙂
But as of now… Ladies and Gents, I present… Room in Here:
Mike Mitch is back at it again. This time he joins comedian (and co-administrator) of Limitless Inc., Stef Skillz. In Mitch’s last project, Intoxicated Enlightenment, I talked about Mitch’s great sense of songwriting in pushing a story/concept forward. He continues that in this project and adds the comedic touch of Stef Skillz to counter his witty wordplay. Or as Stef says on “Perfect Poetry (Say it)”,
You hit niggas with this fucking elaborate-ass poem with hyperboles sand similes and metaphors and stuff. That’s not you. And then after it, you get about 5-6 text messages oh my God Mike that was so oh, oo i’m so drenched. Bitch shut up. Text ma phone! Fuck Mike… This funny shit is art…matter fact, I’m starting a new campaign it’s called fuck a funny nigga…and if your friend is a lil overweight or on the plus side it’s called fuck a funny fat nigga.
lmao, funny stuff. Through all of the misleading John Cena’s and awesome skits, the comedy served it’s purpose in going head-to-head in interest with the bars. Songs like “Eye-A-Hoe (Paradise)” were drenched in all bars, while Stef gets his time to shine in the hilarious, and relatable, “Story time With Stef (Interlude)”.
I don’t even know which, of either world, to pick as my favorite. But I think “Shoot Your Shot” claims that title for me (both the song and the little comedy skit at the end). The beat was incredible and fit the content very well. Mitch at the end spits, in my personal opinion, one of the best verses I’ve heard all year from any artist. And the skit at the end had me rollin the most; really brought back some middle school nostalgia there.
I promise you it will not disappoint. Check out Schwang Season 2 on http://www.audiomack.com/album/mike-mitch/schwang-season-2)
And while your at it, support the movement! Get your “Schwang World Order (S.W.O)” T-shirts while you still can at http://www.iaintnomitch.com/#!shop/qwlk3
They even got your boy rockin it… Looking quite handsome, if I may add.
What a week for rock music it had been! I’ve written about Blink 182 and Radiohead already, but now the Red Hot Chili Peppers release something for their fans to slobber over.
Their album “The Gateway”, coming out June 17th, is their second album without their legendary guitarist John Frusciante (which we, as fans, miss dearly) and featuring new guitarist John Adam Klinghoffer .
This song is pretty good. The bassline, to me, though, sounds a bit too much like “Can’t Stop”. That tends to happen with artist sometimes though. And Flea is still boss. It was reported that he broke his arm in a terrible snowboarding accident, yet they all still managed to finish songs for the album.
What adds a pretty different dynamic is the piano in this song. I barely ever hear piano in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music. So the addition of those background piano chords worked pretty well in this song.
Now, Blink probably dropped the sussest teaser of all time. They released a vine-lengthy 15 sec clips where Mark Hoppus says
” I wanna see some naked duuuuuuudes, that’s why I built this poooooooool”
…SUSS.
I like how it shows that Blink 182’s “immaturity” is still there though. Their playfulness is definitely something I missed from them. Waiting for “California” to be released.
Radiohead is one of those legendary groups that never cease to amaze me. Their experimental approaches like the ones I talked about in “Burn The Witch“, blow my mind.
3 days after releasing Burn the Witch they oddly released “Daydreaming”. The piano, electronic work in the background, and Thom’s voice all add their own dynamic but come together as a hauntingly beautiful song, different from Burn The Witch. Burn the Witch’s violins were upbeat and happy but the song carried a very creepy vibe. There’s something about Daydreaming though that seems relaxing and reflective.
The Music video is pretty interesting. It shows Thom Yorke with a ghost like presence going through various sceneries, from a random house to a snowy mountain, all of which intertwine with each other. This video was released in perfect timing considering that their album, “A Moon Shaped Pool” was digitally released yesterday. My ears are definitely on the lookout, not only for this album, but for Blink’s and the Chili Peppers’. Long live rock music.
First Blink 182, now Radiohead. Both bands have been MIA for a minute now. The last piece of music we’ve seen from Radiohead was their 2011 release of “The King of Limbs” which gained positive reviews for its experimental approach(ironically that’s nothing short of the usual, coming from these guys).
Now, they’ve released a song titled “Burn The Witch”, uplifting our hopes of a new album. And in true Radiohead fashion they release an awesome video to go along with it. The video is a cartoon, like their famous Paranoid Android video, making you glue your eyes to the screen as you try to look for it’s underlaid meaning. What makes Burn The Witch different is its approach in stop-motion animation, looking like it came straight out of Robot Chicken or Celebrity Deathmatch.
This video seems to emulate the cult-classic “The Wicker Man”. Also, they set the time period of the video in the notorious middle ages, especially in England and the “new world”. Could it possibly be satirising today’s society as well??? Check out the creepy visuals below.
Blink 182 is back! … Without Tom DeLonge. Seems like any type of reboot from my childhood just doesn’t feel the same anymore *Cries*. Anyways, since Tom was part of many side projects, he and the band thought it was best to part ways *cries even more*. His replacement? Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba.
Many wanted to see how that would work out. How would his voice fit with the rest of the band (considering that he is scheduled to sing)? Well, Mark Hoppus has the lead in “Bored to Death” so I guess well have to wait for their new Album “California” which comes out on July 1, 2016.
This song sounds dope. It opens us with the usual Blink 182 muffled/flanger drums sound intro. Speaking of, Travis Barker (as usual) kills it on the drums, Mark sounds better than ever, and the guitar work doesn’t sound too far off from Blink’s original stuff. One difference in the song is that it sounds a bit like the other pop-punk bands of the 2000’s; like Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, and Sum 41. Yes, they do technically fall under the same genre but I always felt like Blink 182 sounded different form them.
Either way I think the song is awesome. What are your thoughts? You like it ? Hate it? Can’t wait for their new album? What is life without Tom? Comment below.
I’ve noticed there is always like 1 or 2 songs every week that make me abuse the repeat button. So I figured why not share my recent obsessions with the world. This brings me to my first segment on this blog: “Obsession of the Week”.
Obsession: “Powerful” Major Lazer.
Honorable Mention: Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t”. I’ve been obsessed with that song for weeks now!.. It could even be next week’s pick, haha.
Major Lazer is awesome. To my recent discovery they usually blend EDM and Dancehall (and a little bit of Hip Hop), a combination that I would’ve never even thought of. But then again how can we forget the memorable “Pon De Floor“. I’m assuming Diplo handles the EDM side of things while Trinidadian Jillionaire and Jamaican Walshy Fire handle the Dancehall aspect. This summer their song “Lean On” was a smash hit. It was played EVERYWHERE. While I do think “Lean On” was the perfect single for their album “Peace is the Mission”, I dont think its the best song on that project.
Placing the turn up aside, their second single “Powerful”, gives an emotional element to their album. Vocalist Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley give a heart wrenching performance to match along with the dramatic music video. I don’t know what it is about this song. The cliche “You make me feel invisible” themed love song could very easily come off as cheesy to me but it somehow works so perfect in this song. Gotta give a huge shout out to my boy Baylor (aka DJ Bay B) for putting me on. I was in love with this song ever since I first heard it.
Now, I’m usually not the one to go for gossip but I must admit, i’m a sucker for rap beefs. So, excuse the recent posts about good ole’ fashion drama.
New York rappers Troy Ave and Joey Bada$$ have gone at it for a while now. It’s only now where things seem to be picking up a bit. The situation all started last summer when Joey took to his twitter account to claim his status of being the “#1 Independent Hip Hop artist/brand in the world”, and showed the numbers to prove it.
Mind you, this was right after Troy Ave (also an independent artist) has been criticized and mocked for the amount of albums he sold his first week (approximately 4,500 copies). I, as well as pretty much everybody else on the planet, didn’t think Joey was taking shots at Troy Ave but in typical overly-sensitive rapper fashion, Troy didn’t take to kindly his words…
Some tension has spawned between the two rappers since then. Joey recently this year put out a song called Ready where the first official shot (in song) was taken, Bad$$ said
60K first week for the Badass. 200 K till this day i know you niggas mad. With the 80/20 split my nigga do the math. My nigga Kirk Knight just outsold Troy Ave.
Troy responded with the controversial Badass, where he took shots at deceased Pro Era rapper Capital Steez. Now, I barely ever put my two cents in this blog when dealing with these type of beefs but this was way too disrespectful to not do so. I show zero respect for someone who says:
He is so inconsiderate for taking shots at someone who was rumored to have schizophrenia before taking his own life. And especially for someone who has inspired and opened the eyes of so many with his music. Troy Ave explains, and makes himself look like even more of a dirtbag, on Sway in the Morning, calling Steez “a Bozo and dickhead”. Also, “I got friends that’s killing shit, he got friends that killing themselves” -.- really??
On behalf of Steelo and Pro era fans worldwide. Thank you Joey.
Fav line:
“Talking on the God like we gonna let it slide, when he did more dead than you could ever do alive”.
First Odd Future, now Funk Volume. Every teenage fanboy must be in a crazed hysteria right now. The only difference with Odd Future is that there was never a legitimate beef between any of OF’s members or management. Well, that’s unless you’re talking about literally the shortest rap beef ever between Tyler the Creator and Hodgy Beats, that ended with an awkward yet typical OF video.
Funk Volume, however, handled their drama a little differently. Hopsin tweeted earlier this year that there have been some tension between him and Funk Volume co-founder Dame Ritter. He bashed him numerous of times and threatened to leave the group unless Ritter leaves.
This leads us to one of the best diss records i’ve heard in a while, ILL Mind Of Hopsin 8. In true ILL Mind fashion, Hopsin holds nothing back, giving Ritter hell and detailing to his fans what caused his sudden leave. Like anything else in the world, the problems occurred because of money. Hopsin at one point of the song says “You on that same bullshit Tomika brought”, referencing his complications with Eazy’s wife, Tomica Wright, while his time at Ruthless Records. He also calls him a “New age Jerry Heller” (NWA’s manager who stole money from their label Ruthless Records) Watch Hopsin tell it all in this recent interview.
The hashtag on that Facebook post above says it all… Undercover Prodigy, the new label Hopsin is starting. The Funk Volume era, starting in 09′, seems to be over. Hopsin is leaving and shortly after this announcement in January, Jarren Benton says he is leaving FV for Styles P’s No Limit Records. What does the future store for Funk Volume? What is going to happen with Dizzy Wright? What is Hopsin’s relationship going to be with close friend, labelmate, and brother of Ritter, SwizZz? We’ll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime we’ll just have to enjoy ILL Mind of Hopsin 8.
With the Grammys airing tonight at 8pmET on CBS, there has been much buzz regarding this award show’s highest honor…Album of the Year. These past few years have been difficult in determining a winner, and this year surely does not disappoint. All 5 albums, without a doubt, deserve the nomination. Each artist simply outdid the competition in their respective genres. Unfortunately only one can come out of the battered battlefield victorious. When looking at these albums one must think… Why are all of the album covers darkly drenched in black and white??? (With the except of Taylor Swift of course). These qualities further the complexities and tone that each musician effectively, and remarkably, established in their projects. With that being said, we must agree that each album is amazing in its own right without my, or anyone else’s, rating. Here goes my personal ranking of each 2016 Album of the Year nominee.
Rating: 10/10
What more can I say about this album? This man? In a world where the hip hop mainstream is as commercialized as it’s ever been and ever sounded, Kendrick produces a complex work fusing almost every facet of black art forms. I’ve never heard anything like it. It’s definitely too soon to say but, i’ve often gotten the vibe of a Sgt Pepper’s or The Dark Side of the Moon. Meaning I feel like somewhere down the road To Pimp A Butterfly will be one of those stand-out albums that has changed the course of music making as we know it. So it’s really no surprise that this work is the most critically acclaimed album of the five. It would be less of a travesty if Album of the Year doesn’t rightfully go to this socially conscious uplifting album but, there is this one exception that just might get in that way of that…
Rating 10/10:
I smell an upset. But this should be nothing short of the usual. For the last couple of years, albums centered around the indie and/or rock genre have upsetted pop favorites (i.e. Arcade Fire and Beck). One might also argue that these upsets were given to the better produced album. Sound and Color was mixed/produced beautifully. A great use of the left and right channels, great recording of the instruments (especially on drums), and vocal effects differentiate this album in its sound approach from, not only its nominees, but anyone else for that matter. Their experimentation with genres and melody/sound techniques, also propelled Sound and Color to greatness. They’ve clearly evolved from their southern rock/blues debut album Boys and Girls. Like many legends before them, their progression just might be apparent in every project they put out in the future(similar to Kendrick Lamar). So an upset just might creep its way into the Grammys tonight, as I believe Alabama Shakes will walk away with Album of the Year.
Rating: 9/10
Now, this album surprised me the most. When I first saw the list of nominations, I’ve never heard of Traveller nor Chris Stapleton. And I must admit, I’m not too familiar with country music. And then I reached the end of the album… One word that Traveller left me with was impressive. Having already written country hits for big names in the industry, his songwriting ability is clearly superior, as shown in Whiskey and You and Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore. Lines such as “…And pretend i’m a shelter, for heartaches that don’t have a home” and “I drink cause i’m lonesome and i’m lonesome cause I drink” gave me goosebumps. His voice is incredible. His riffs like the “warm” in Tennessee Whiskey and his southern growls in many songs left me in awe… and maybe a lil jealous. The end-song Sometimes I Cry for instance was vocally astonishing in its bluesy form. Stapleton channeled his inner Chris Cornell (in his Billie Jean cover), ironically both songs cliffhangers the hell out of the audience. Although Traveller doesn’t stand out from traditional roots like most of the other albums nominated, its southern influence feeds the soul, like most blues/southern rock/country songs do. Not bad for a first album. And I just might delve more into the world of country music now. Thank you Chris. Thank you.
Rating: 8/10
Go ahead and add “Favorite to win Album of the Year” to Taylor Swift’s list of W’s since 1989’s debut. Along with the cultural phenomenon brought forth by this album, many have labeled this project as the perfect pop album. Her full transitioning to a pop icon was a risky move considering how successful she was as a country-pop artist, but it seems to work fairly well in her favor. The reduction of instruments, synth-pop leading melodies, and more multi-tracking vocals led to a strongly put-together album. Songs like Welcome to New York and Blank Space epitomize the album, while other songs like Shake It Off and Out of the Woods bring great variety to the overall project. These, among other points, are reasons why this album definitely exceeded my expectations, even though some other songs were weak compared to the rest. But more on this later, on another blog post.
Rating: 8/10
To place Beauty Behind the Madness at the bottom of any list, feels borderline blasphemous, but I had to. It was so hard making this choice considering how good this album is. Since I first heard his music, I’ve always admired that hip hop inspired, r&b, dark aura that is the Weeknd. Songs on this album like Real Life and Shameless channel that mixture of promiscuity and drug-addictive themes with a dark twist. Although the usual Weeknd was present, a new character showed face in Beauty Behind the Madness… The pop Weeknd. Songs like Can’t Feel My Face and Earned It propelled him to a worldwide success, and did so without cursing, promiscuous & druggy themes, depression etc.. Although i’m a huuuuge fan of those two songs, other songs with pop appeal like In the Night and Acquainted don’t leave the same impression. They sound very predictable and, dare I say, too pop-y. Some of these songs bring down the albums zeal, as well as my expectations for a stand-out solid album from top to bottom. Nevertheless, Beauty Behind the Madness was very enjoyable and I expect the Weeknd to drop something even more captivating in his next project.
Congrats to all the nominees !
Music for the Soul 