ebrahim - africa (d'angelo cover)

i can't keep up with this thing to save my life. hope you're all well, though.

here's a cover of an old classic d'angelo song that i did with an amazing artist, who i've mentioned before on this blog, from canada, Ebrahim.

"Africa" - Ebrahim + Aaron Hardin from eebsofresh on Vimeo.

long time... again

lol. LOOK. as it goes in my mind, i WANT to be able to post like... at the very least, weekly. but man... the road has been gettin me. on top of the fact that i do so many spots a week, the fact that they all require travel makes it that much more difficult.

however, this time i bear gifts!! at one of the tuesday night spots that i frequently play in DC, the sound man decided to hit record. only thing, he didn't account for the vocals, snare, toms, or cymbals. so there's synth. there's kick. there's spd-s. there's bass. it's very experimental. psuedo electronica. and it's FREE. download it suckas!

lol. my first tv spot. :D

who is this dude?!?!

lol... his name is ebrahim. this guy is dope. not only a musician, but an amazing singer. if you listen to bobby caldwell's "open your eyes" and then listen to this dude... the resemblance is wild! can you say future collab?? lol. stay tuned.

happy birthday james yancey...

Q: how do you truly grasp the depth of a man's legacy?

there are so many possible answers. many of them probably not right or wrong. i want to say that it's based on impact and influence. but that can only be true where awareness exists.

over the years that i have built and browsed my j dilla collection, many times i have come across songs that i had no clue he even produced. havoc of mobb deep expressed the same in one of his interviews. all of that to say that jay dee's music may or may not be something that people are aware of. however, his impact and influence on those who his art has reached... life changing to say the least.

james yancey is posthumously affecting more musicians, artists, and writers than most people can or will affect even with more life in front of them. to me, dilla is to production what mj was to music. granted, the awareness isn't the same. but if you were to consider the size of the footprint left behind in his respective field, i think the comparison would hold true. jay dee was special. he IS quintessential. he was one of the pioneers and innovators of hip hop production. even greater, there was so much soul and heart in his music that what was "hip hop" turned into "neo soul" or "r&b"... MUSIC. most any of his music could easily be approached by a singer, or a free verse poet, or a rapper... OR NOT. just put the instrumental on and ride. visit 1998 steroid boosters and listen to "sweet flute" or "no place to go". holla at vintage (vol. 2) and the cut "doo doo". or ANY of his albums/beat tapes, what have you, in their ENTIRETY. the music is infectiously soothing, invigorating, even inspirational.

so today is your birthday. parties have already come and gone in your honor. youtube boasts thousands of new comments on old videos. there are millions of tweets boasting #dilla as what will wind up being a trending topic over the course of the day. your legacy lives on. in the hands of dj's who admire your craft. in the movement and progressions of musicians that embrace your art. underneath the lyrics of so many who hear your creations and feel forced to write to something that feels so good. in the odd quantizations and slight shifts of shakers and kick drums of producers. you live on dilla. thank you for everything you have inspired in all of us musically and for teaching us to love our art enough to never stop making it, even when the conditions would dictate otherwise.

happy birthday james yancey...
humbly submitted.
-gr0ove

roots - antiquity

i learn quick! more music. better angles! lol

my horrible angles... lol