Vince Staples Interviewed by Tyler the Creator

I've listened to two interviews this week - one with Ryan Adams on Marc Maron's podcast WTF and one with Vince Staples on Tyler the Creator's show - and I was blown away at the honesty and matter-of-fact voice that these two guys had with their hosts.

I've written a ton about my love of Vince Staples over the years, and his insight into his world and rap and artistry is very interesting and certainly worth your time. It's a little hard to hear some of Tyler's questions because apparently he forgot how a microphone works or can't listen to the headphones on his head, BUT Staples' answers almost barely need a question because whatever he says is compelling. I did not feel like watching all 33 minutes at 1130 at night, but I couldn't turn it off. Needless to say, I'm very interested to hear his next album as it was apparently inspired by incessantly watching American History X, one of my favorite movies of all time, and trying to provide a landscape based on the feelings he got from that movie. I imagine it'll be pretty dark with maybe a little light at the end of the tunnel. So take a look below if you're so inclined.

There's a strange parallel here with all the "fake news" bullshit that's getting peddled by Agent Orange (who I will say brilliantly turned the actual fake news into a bad word to use against the liberals and succeeded in doing so): artists themselves seem to view the Pitchfork's of the world and all the blogs as fake news to a degree. I say this because they are barely ever forthright in interviews with these publications. I've never read an article on Vince Staples where he speaks as honestly as he does on Tyler's show. So why is that? 

I assume it's about trust and manipulation. I assume Vince trusts Tyler since they've known each other for a while and Vince assumes that Tyler is not trying to manipulate what he says to exploit him for page clicks and money. Instead, he's doing it to create a dialogue.

I can't chastise the Pitchfork's and Stereogum's for trying to make money, but any music fan can clearly see that the good articles on artists are those artists that have no publicity and therefore need a platform to speak so they'll speak honestly. Otherwise, people don't want to be used as headline bait to turn a thousand bloggers into pissed off Twitter trolls who turn the popular consensus against the artist. It's not worth it and many times it will happen beyond their control.

Pitchfork and Stereogum (and almost every other blog for that matter, so please don't think I'm just trying to pick on them AND YES I KNOW ALERT - I am aware that all I do is repost shit for people to see, read, and hear, but I am getting paid nothing for any of this and do it purely because of my love for art and joy of doing it all and the small bit of hope that I get thinking a few of you enjoy listening and reading this blog, AND I get a few brownie points because I do have some original writing and pictures so it's not ALL plagiarized) have turned into regurgitated news that they aren't creating but instead reposting from other sources with click-baity headlines.

Every once in a while we'll get a long form article which can be great. And I have no idea about the economics of this all, but I imagine the writers get paid barely nothing and a few people at the top are making good money and doing so because they've pushed out artistry and demanded clicks and shit that most of the writers feel terrible having to write about. People got to make a living, but i think the lesson is it hurts the artist from helping create a dialogue - like the things Staples is saying here - to a wider audience. Granted, this Staples interview has 400k views so the message is getting across, but I still think if the trust was there between artists and music blogs/publishers, the dialogue would be better. 

SO instead of revealing themselves to fake music news blogs, these artists turn to their own mediums and people of trust to speak honestly. At least that's what I'm gathering because I was blown away with the uncensored stuff Vince Staples was saying. And I was amazed at how open and easygoing Ryan Adams was about his whole life in his interview with Marc Maron.

So with all that being said, yes, Agent Orange, fake news is real.

Enjoy:

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 66

I just started watching the Grammy's and have seen Adele stop her performance because admittedly she sounded off (she started over again) and Chance the Rapper win for Best Rap Album. It was awesome to see Chance win the award considering Coloring Book was a mixtape and never released on any record label. To the indie artists!

Tribe also had an awesome performance dedicated to "Agent Orange" and played their anthem "We the People," a reminder that despite the hate and division that is created, we the people - all the people - will always stand strong and resist the power to divide.   

Anyways, it's the start of the music year and there's a ton of albums slated to come out in 2017 as detailed at Pitchfork and Steregum. My list of most anticipated albums within the lists:      

1. Fleet Foxes
2. Arcade Fire
3. Vampire Weekend
4. Grizzly Bear
5. Haim
6. LCD Soundsystem
7. Vince Staples
8. Phoenix
9. Drake
10. Father John Misty
11. Lorde
12. St. Vincent
13. The War on Drugs
14. Gorillaz
15. Dirty Projectors
16. Jenny Lewis
17. Beck
18. Mac Demarco
19. Alvvays

So a whole lot of amazing stuff to look forward to and certainly could be an incredible year. 

Anyways, enjoy some new music, particularly the stuff from Sampha, whose new album continues to grow on me. And I know the song from John Mayer is a super John Mayer song, and I kind of sighed the first time I heard it. But guess what? I'm still listening to it, singing that chorus, because it's damn catchy. So don't feel bad if you like it too. Finally, I love Vince Staples and his new track is getting me very excited for a new album. Everything he's making is gold.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 65

Friday night I get a text from a buddy, "Any interest trying to get tix to the sold out Run the Jewels show??" Response: "Yes. Yes I do."

Fast forward to later that night at the entrance of the Fox. We got fake tickets! Now we're running around trying to find scalpers but there are very few tickets around as everyone is so damn amped to see these dudes - the most politically-charged and beloved voices of an angry population since Rage Against the Machine. To add to that, they're rap's modern day Run-DMC. 

(Killer Mike disclaimer: Run the Jewels was on NPR Tiny Desk Concerts recently and Mike said that at some point RTJ will be labeled a political rap group, and he said, "We are not. We don't care what party you belong to, we don't care who you supported, we don't care what you're doing tomorrow, politically. We care that socially every one of you know that you were absolutely born free and nothing has a right to interrupt that freedom. We love ya'll.") 

BACK TO THE STORY: We almost give up as we see numerous other people getting burned with fake tickets, but we finally ask a scalper if I can stay with the scalper with the money while my buddy goes to the entrance to ensure the tickets are real. BINGO. Cash changes hands and we're in. 

We literally get to our seats - first row in the upper section - as the lights dim and two beers are in hand. The seats (disclaimer: we did stand the whole time) gives us the most amazing shot of the GA section below. 

“We Are the Champions” begins to play as Killer Mike and El-P saunter out and orchestrate the crowd as we scream “We are the champions, my friends…And we'll keep on fighting till the end/ We are the champions / We are the champions / No time for losers 'cause we are the champions / Of the world!”

The songs fades out and “Talk to Me” starts up as the GA crowd goes absolutely ape shit as Militant Mike goes psycho:

We return from the depths of the badland
With a gun and a knife in our waistband
Went to war with the Devil and Shaytan
He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan
So high now, hoping that I land
On a Thai stick, moving through Thailand
On the radio, heard a plane hijack
Government did that like they cooked crack
I move in a world of conspiracies
Obey no rules, I'm doing me
Smoke kush, transport to the airport
Customs found a joint in my passport
Pulled cash and I gave him what he asked for
Goddammit, it's a motherfucking miracle
Small bribe, made it back into America
Hit Uber and maneuvered out the area
Rhyme animal, pit bull terrier
Rap terrorist, terrorize, tear it up
Brought gas and the matches to flare it up
Militant Michael might go psycho
On any ally or rival
Born Black, that's dead on arrival
My job is to fight for survival
In spite of these AllLivesMatter-ass white folk

Then the interlude goes:

This is spiritual warfare that you have been dealing with. This is not a fight that you have been dealing with flesh and blood but this is a fight against principalities and evil doers and unclean spirits.

I didn’t think I would ever see mosh pits that big at The Fox - this was a rock show of epic proportions. People lost their minds the entire show. 

I look over to my buddy and it does’t need to be said. Thank God we came to this show. 

I don’t know a (legitimate) group around right now that commands this level of love and craziness. The crowd absolutely adored these guys and were singing every single word of the songs. It was one of the best crowds I’ve ever seen at a show. RTJ loved it. 

Needless to say, RTJ’s lyrics/music the past few years have taken over rap and people's political angers. Killer Mike has been rapping for decades but never received his due until RTJ. He is an absolute showman and El-P holds the stage with him. Their chemistry was electric and their sincerity the truth.  

Every track on this week’s mixtape was a song they played at the show and some of my faves. 

Nothing shows who these guys are then “Down,” one of my favorite tracks on the new album. 

Check out these verses:

Killer Mike 
I hope (I hope)
I hope with the highest of hopes
That I never have to go back to the trap
And my days of dealing with dope
So I, I only spit fire and dope
So later on you can go quote
My lines to your people and folk
And they say damn (damn, damn, damn)
That boy be spitting that pressure (pressure)
And he be smoking that pressure (pressure)
And he smart as a professor, yes sir
25 lighters on dresser, pound of that pressure
Sittin right next to, next to
Next to a book and a gun
Ballot or bullet, you better use one
One time for the freedom of speeches (speeches)
Two time for the right to hold heaters (heaters)
Just skip to the fifth, with the cops in the house
Close your mouth and pray to your Jesus
Ask why cause the Devil a lie (lie)
So I stay holy and high (high)
May never get rich, but I never bitch
'cause I made it here by and by

Then El-P takes over:
You're gonna need a bigger boat, boys, you're in trouble
Aye, gonna need a little hope, boys, on the double
Aye, you muckin' with a G here, see, talk to me
Or maybe listen to the man that barely dodged his own lobotomy
Pop the tape in, baby, we got shit we wrote for you (for you)
Came from feeling what a pure absence of hope can do
Only to leap through flaming rings and break the nose of crews
Still in their wings'll be them darlings, hope they've broken you
Yeah, they better hope that
I'm a full force and a cold fact
See the cold floor where I licked dirt
When the dough dried and the pride died
Had a dumb max, had to shop right
Gimme two meals and the lights on
I'ma do right, get a new crew
Make a new life, never boo hoo
Never lose sight, I'm a voodoo
With a burst heart from a old soul
Better stop, drop when the squad's hot, we don't stop a lot
We don't talk a lot about it, we just pop it off a lot
I'm high, man, I'm a cosmonaut
Scream, "Fuck 'em," 'til they lop our bloody noggins off
I promise y'all

RTJ!!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 64

Welcome to Monday Mixtape, Vol. 64! This week’s mixtape is mainly good ol’ fashioned rock and/or roll. 

Dave, a buddy of mine, provided me a playlist entitled, “What (LayersandSounds) Missed/Best of 2016” which was a compilation of really great tracks that I did not include on my Top 100 Songs of 2016. Now I will say that my Top 100 originally had something like 220 songs on it before I whittled it down, so it did include a some of his tracks - like tracks from Charles Bradley, Domo Genesis, Father John Misty, M83, and Michael Kiwanuka - but there were a TON of new ones to listen to. 

Needless to say, a number of these tracks on this week’s mixtape are from his list, so we should thank Dave for this one.

I also recently discovered Pinegrove because they were on a bunch of year end list for best album. They're one of those rock bands you feel like you could have been in - it's an accessible sound that I can wrap my head around.

I also hoping for a new Twin Peaks album. Their first album was super raw and messy, a blur of young kids just rippin’ through songs. Their second album had a little less charm, but these recent tracks have been great, so I’m hoping for something good to come from them. 

That’s all I got, have a great week all.

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 63

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to 2017! I'm clearly a few weeks late, and I took a sabbatical from the blog. I was also trying to get over my anger at Spotify for not releasing how many minutes of music I listened to this year. I don't think I could have beaten last year's 100,000 minute mark, but it's always cool to know. Ridiculous how much info Spotify has on our listening habits and such but doesn't tell us shit. Very annoying. 

Not a whole lot usually gets released right before the new year, but Run the Jewels is nothing usual.

Their new album, Run The Jewels 3, is a phenomenal album, spitting fire at the establishment and the state of the union. Not only does it feel like a revolutionary album in an unordinary time, but it's lyrically fed up and a calling to arms to "kill your masters."

I'll let Killer Mike (maybe the second best lyricist around right now next to Kendrick) take it from here:

Choose the lesser of the evil people, and the devil still gon' win
It could all be over tomorrow, kill our masters and start again
But we know we all afraid, so we just simply cry and march again
At the Dem Conven my heart broke apart when I seen them march mommas in
As I rap this verse right now, got tears flowing down my chocolate chin
Told the truth and I've been punished for it, must be a masochist 'cause I done it again
"Ooh, Mike said 'uterus'"
They acting like Mike said, "You a bitch"
To every writer who wrote it, misquoted it
Mike says, "You a bitch, you a bitch, you a bitch"
Add a "nigga" for the black writer that started that sewer shit
I maneuver through manure like a slumdog millionaire
El-P told me, "Fuck them devils, Mike, we gon' be millionaires"
I respond with a heavy "Yeah"
Big bruh says "Fuck that, toughen up
Stay ready, write raw raps, shit rugged rough"
The devil don't sleep, us either
El spits fire, I spit ether
We the gladiators that oppose all Caesars
Coming soon on a new world tour
Probably play the score for the World War
At the apocalypse, play the encore
Turn around, see El, and I smile
Hell coming, and we got about a mile
Until it's over I remain hostile

Killer Mike really entered the political fray this year with his endorsement of Bernie Sanders, and he is a voice that speaks to a lot of people. From the front to back of this album, Killer Mike and El-P continue to rise on a platform with more people listening and more people acting. I saw them at Coachella a couple years ago, and the crowd was NUTS, feeding off every syllable and sweat of the two. They're becoming the modern day "Run DMC." 

The xx also released an album this year, and I like much more than their last album which just felt like a regurgitation of their first album. Definitely check it out. 

How can I not start this mixtape with “Redbone,” easily the biggest miss on my Top 100 Songs of 2016. I actually listened to Gambino’s album from start to finish a couple times, and for some crazy reason, this song didn’t sing out to me. But after Glover’s speeches at the Golden Globe (winning for his amazing new show “Atlanta” and best actor in a musical or comedy), I had to come back to his album and rediscovered “Redbone.” This song is like Prince and Outkast making love, it’s just beautiful. 

If you didn’t see Glover’s speech, he also gave a shout out to Migos, the Atlanta rap trio who had a guest appearance on one of the best episodes of the season, though he wasn’t shouting them out for being on “Atlanta,” but instead for writing the greatest rap song ever (his words), “Bad and Boujee.” I hadn’t heard of that song either, so I went to play it and was immediately hooked. 

I’ve always been one of the many to make fun of Big Sean because I’ve always thought his flows were awful and his lyrics were terrible. He has a new album coming out, and if “Moves” is any indication, it might be worth listening to. 

If you haven’t heard Milo on some of my previous mixtapes, Scallops Hotel is another one of his projects. It’s weird with strange beats and weirder cadences. “Lavender Chunk” is probably the most accessible track on the album, but if you’re into some weirder rap, check this album and Milo’s latest album out as well. 

Hope to see you next week!

Anderson Paak - NPR's Tiny Desk Concert

The best newcomer of this year has been Anderson Paak. His album Malibu is a treat from start to finish. I've missed seeing him a couple different times, but I am always weary seeing newer artists because they tend to be very raw live and still finding themselves. WELP...Anderson Paak is one of those exceptions, a guy's whose talent shines even more so in his live performances. 

If you haven't gone down the rabbit hole of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, please do so immediately. There's a treasure trove of live gems. And this one from Anderson Paak is certainly one of them:

Monday Mixtape, Xmas Style!

So it's due time for a little bit of Christmas music flavor - Monday Mixtape style! 

I am hard at work compiling my annual Top 25 Albums and Top 100 Songs of the Year lists, so I'm hoping this mix will keep you busy while you're "out" shopping (beer in hand, Amazon online and you damn well better be spending more than $50 to get that free shipping).

Enjoy the week AND HOW CAN YOU NOT WITH VINCE GUARALDI BLOWING YOUR EAR DRUMS?? 

Listen to this Song - The Weeknd "Secrets"

A year or two back I had an intervention with The Weeknd. He was doing entirely too many drugs and did not sound well. So I had to step in. 

Unfortunately, the intervention didn't work as The Weeknd continues to sing about doing copious amounts of drugs on his new album. 

If there's one thing I've learned in my old age it's that drugs make you cool and then once you're no longer cool you're addicted to drugs. 

But this is neither here nor there! The important part of this rambling is that The Weeknd released a ridiculously catchy song on his new drug-filled album. It's called "Secrets" and I can't stop playing it.

I'd just like you to hear it before it gets played so damn much that you can longer feel your face. 

Enjoy!