Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time

Nice deconstruction.

Is this vid missing anyone? Of course it is hip hoppers. Still good info and analysis.

Akua Naru's "The Block"

Akua Naru's "The Block"

Akua Naru is sort of flying under the radar these days. She's been featured on Okayplayer and she has a rich voice and a monster presence on stage.

However, this Philly native has found her livelihood in Europe. Her summer concert tour schedule is almost exclusively in and around central Europe with stops in Belgium, Romania and Germany, where she currently resides.

I peeped her performance while visiting Budapest at the end of May. The show was hot! I mean, the energy was off the scale. She rocked the mic w/some call and response and an amazing band and the audience was all about it.

Hip hoppers, the lady's got skills, check it out for yourself. kfox.

VIDEO: Jarren Benton's "Life in the Jungle"

VIDEO: Jarren Benton's "Life In The Jungle"

When you're trolling through a long list of emails from hip hop artists and promoters, you never know what you'll get when you click the link of an artist who's known to you.

But Audio Treats almost never fails to deliver and that's the case with Jarren Benton's video for "Life in the Jungle." He's new to me, but apparently he's got some experience under his belt at least it sounds like it.

After a few seconds into the vid, I almost dumped out of it. I thought that it was another hood vid about gang bangers - and in a way it's a little bit about that. I won't give it all away.

Oh, and for the hip hoppers who can remember: "...it's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under." kfox.

VIDEO: Med Blu & Madlib's "Burgandy Whip"

VIDEO: Med Blu & Madlib's "Burgandy Whip"

I discovered this track via the Okayplayer crew.

The vocals on the hook seems to steal the thunder on this one; and the vid is nice w/that Instagram feel. Nice beats too.

So take a ride hip hoppers ... and enjoy. kfox.

Hieroglyphics On Tour :: Summer 2012

Hieroglyphics Hiero Imperium Summer Tour 2012

The Hieroplyphics Hiero Imperium Summer Tour 2012 is now in affect. It's a left coast dealy and the rest of us will have to live vicariously through their social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.


This crew has some experience under their belt so they're bound to please the crowds. Oh, and Souls of Mischief's on the bill too.


This short vid's a bit of a tease, but that's what promo vids do - tease.


So get your tease on hip hoppers, it's gonna be a long, hot summer. kfox.

VIDEO: Aasim "Save my Soul" f/Cee Lo Green

VIDEO: Aasim "Save my Soul" f/Cee Lo Green

Aasim is at it again ... this time bringing in the strength of Cee Lo to set his game apart from others. Cee Lo has  anice hook on this track. But Aasim goes in deep w/his lyrics.

This one you need to check out hip hoppers ... and save your own soul. kfox.

VIDEO: Pep Love "Hip Hop My Friend"

VIDEO: Pep Love "Hip Hop My Friend"

Aaaw, baby, this is my jam of the day/week/month! So in love w/this track. Love, love, love the beats ... and Pep just kills it on the lyrics! I mean, comes correct. And to suck me in even more there's this rare soul riff throughout the track. Yeah, this is my kinda vibe.

Oh, and the vid will sit you on yo ass! Nicely produced and complimentary to the track. Btw, Pep's a co-founder of Hieroglyphics, so you should already know.

• Check out this blog post from Prefix on Pep Love's latest release.

Hip hoppers, my friends ... this is for us! kfox.

VIDEO: Lil E513

VIDEO: Lil E513

This still makes me laugh and smile and reminisce. Lil E513 is my friend's son. Lil E513's dad is the legendary Butch Gibson from Cincinnati. We don't hang out and haven't since I moved away from Cincy long, long ago. But Gibson knows how to rock a party. He's part nerdy guy; part business man; part crazy dude and all around cool. I could go on and on w/my stories about dj Butch Gibson - no, seriously, I could write a series of chapbooks on this character. Good times indeed.

However, apparently some of the elder's skills/talent has transferred this younger version, Lil E513. There's so much I like about this track and vid:

• Crafty lyrics
• Solid beats
• Somewhat quirkily entertaining 
• Takes advantage of limited resources (i.e. low or no budget for the vid)

He's still young and that's what I like ... oh, the possibilities hip hoppers. kfox.

VIDEO: Colossus "The Tribute"

VIDEO: Colossus: "The Tribute" (2005)

This vid isn't new. However, I was trolling around the Om Records website looking and listening to mixes and stumbled across this gem. I'm hip to Colossus and his beatastic music.

It's nice to hear the track paired so adequately w/the vid; love the artistic look.

Hip hoppers, let me know what you think about this one ... and stay strong. kfox.

VIDEO: The Narcicyst "Fly Over Egypt"

VIDEO: The Narcicyst "Fly Over Egypt"

Some of you may know that I live and work in Cairo, Egypt; been here since 2009.

The current atmosphere is more than sketchy. The tension builds up slowly and often erupts w/daily edition of rock throwing. I'll take rock throwing over mass killing every day like what's going on in Syria. But then Egypt had the Port Said tragedy last week. The country is heavy w/grief and frustration.

Don't recall how I discovered this track; I think it was on Zite on the iPad. But The Narcicyst pulls out a rock of his own - a solid production. Love the beats and of course he's got something to say in the lyrics. And let me be one of the first to say that the video captures the cultural essence of Egypt. My only quibble is that the vid lacks images of women.

The eeriest lyric on the track for me is: "I feel the winds of change." Because I feel the change, but then again, I don't. The feeling of change in the country has shifted dramatically since this time last year.

So hip hoppers show some love for Egyptians in their quest for freedom and democracy ... and then, keep showin some love. They'll be ignited by your global enthusiasm. kfox.

You can download The Narcicyst's "Fly Over Egypt" for free.

The Narcicyst "Fly Over Egypt"

VIDEO: Aaron Evans "I've Been Blessed"

VIDEO: Aaron Evans "I've Been Blessed"

There's a lot to like about this track and this vid. It's mellow; more mellow than I usually like, but it's such a noble song. The spirit of the song is strong. I mean call me a sucka, but I love that this track is soaked in positivity! Oh, and the commentary at the end just solidifies it all.

Hip hoppers, we are all blessed; embrace it. kfox.

Aaron Evans "I've Been Blessed"

VIDEO: Common "Blue Sky"

VIDEO: Common "Blue Sky"

Here's another track that I discovered using the shuffler.fm app for the iPad.

Of course I gravitated to the track because it's Common: I've always like his flow ... and though I put him in the category of the conscious rapper, I'm not happy about how he sometimes disrespects woman (see "Make Her Say" by Kid Cudi).

Enough of my mini-rant ... As per usual for Common, "Blue Sky" has cool music: laidback and upbeat and you can get your dance on to this one. The hook has a female vocalist and though it's not my fav part of the song, it does add another dimension to the track.

The lyrics have a feel-good, inspirational feeling; the video has an artsy kind of vibe, you know the way that Common flows.

So go ahead hip hoppers and get some of the inspirational artsy ish, it's yours for the takin ... kfox.

VIDEO: Common "Blue Sky"

VIDEO: Aasim's "Never"

VIDEO: Aasim's "Never"

I dig artists who are laid back with minimal arrogance. Aasim is sort of that guy. At least in this vid for "Never" he comes off as nonchalant and likable. It's true that his flow seems natural and conversational. Heck, the video is framed as if he's just talking to the camera. And although the vid sometimes tries too hard by sampling nearly every video effect that exists, Aasim is just the opposite; that's the impression that I got. Still the vid does get cool points for simplicity.

This track has nice beats and a catchy hook too. Trying to figure out who's on the sample; the sample has that old school vibe. It all just fits together organically. Kinda anxious to hear the rest of the mixtape, "Money Pit 3."

Oh, and love the lyrics: folks will do a number of things to get elevated in the game but never really ascend. Actually, the end of the vid sums it up quite nicely when he says "it's too easy." But you need to hear and see the vid to know why he can say that and mean it.

Hip hoppers if easy is easy, then what are YOU doing? Get. It. In. people. kfox.

VIDEO: Evidence "You"

VIDEO: Evidence "You"

Another tale of randomly clicking one of a thousand emails in my inbox. This time I saw the name Evidence and got a bit curious. Of course, we all know Evidence from Dilated Peoples. Like many folks these days, Evidence does his own thing every now and then.

Here's what struck me about "You":

• Banging track
• Strong lyrical presence
• A bit of a confidence builder
• Crazy, cool vid

Check it out for yourself hip hoppers. It's all about "you." kfox.

Oh, and the project "Cats & Dogs" comes out on the 27th.

Evidence - You (prod. DJ Premier) - YouTube

VIDEO: ‪REL "On My Way"

‪REL - "On My Way"

Checked out this very short vid and loved it. The music is nice, but the video is very cool. Can't wait to see and hear the entire project.

Another pleasant surprise from the folks at Audible Treats.

So here it is hip hoppers - some inspiration. kfox.

VIDEO: ‪Copywrite f/Jay Notes, Loudmouth Melvin and Skillit - PYT U.K Remix‬‏

VIDEO: Copywrite f/Jay Notes, Loudmouth Melvin and Skillit

Love it when unexpected goodness rolls into my inbox.

Saw this email and thought that it was a remix of MJ's "Pretty Young Thing" - it's not.

But I like the slow and mellow rockabilly feel of this track. The hook is on point and does what a hook should do - reel you in. There are enough voices on this joint too.

Get ready to nod your heads hip hoppers; it's that kinda party. kfox.

YouTube - ‪Copywrite f/Jay Notes, Loudmouth Melvin and Skillit - PYT U.K Remix‬‏

VIDEO: Punchline & Wordsworth - Red Hot Lover Tone (WKCR Freestyle)

VIDEO: Punchline & Wordsworth "Red Hot Lover Tone" (WKCR Freestyle)

I love some good music, but even more respectful is a good freestyle! And there's much to love about this five minute freestyle. They just move the words in such a visual way and off the top of their heads. Nice. Oh, and you're gonna like the beats too.

Hip hoppers, they got skills. For real. kfox.

YouTube - Punchline & Wordsworth - Red Hot Lover Tone (WKCR Freestyle)

VIDEO: Aaron Evans f/DJ Deprave "Jazz is Freedom"

VIDEO: Aaron Evans f/DJ Deprave "Jazz is Freedom"

Here's a little something nice and smooth to set the summer in motion and the vid has some beach scenes too making it even more appropriate for this time of year. This vid is courtesy of Aaron Evans and his crew.

So go ahead hip hoppers, "... sit back and rewind." kfox.

YouTube - Aaron Evans feat. DJ Deprave - Jazz is Freedom - Official Music Video [HD]: ""

VIDEO: Saudis in Audis

VIDEO: "Saudis in Audis"

A colleague sent me this video when I was in the middle of grading; so much for being productive. This video is a productivity killer - AND it's hilarious.

You'll be happy to know that I won't file this under international hip hop.

Time for a good laugh hip hoppers. kfox.

Aesop Rock in Typography

I was checking out this track from Aesop Rock "9-5ers". It's a cool track, but there was one part of the song, where I was like ... "damn, that's strong." Then I found this vid that clearly highlights the lyrics. You're gonna like this.

Of course, you have to hear the entire track as well: Aesop Rock's "9-5ers"

Come on now hip hoppers, get outta that rut; make some plans to pay yourself. kfox.