As the year comes to an end, we pause to remember those who have passed this year. Click on the photos to see our bloggers’ tributes earlier this year.

 

Austin Peralta, pianist/composer

 

 

Whitney Houston, singer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

Ravi Shankar, musician

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




















      

1) Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 (Atlantic)

         


1) Casual Respect Game Or Expect Flames (Nature Sounds)

2) JJ DOOM Key to the Kuffs (Lex Records)

3) 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (Deluxe Edition) (Def Jam)

4) Blu & Exile Give My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them (Dirty Science)

5) Thavius Beck The Most Beautiful Ugly (Plug Records)

Thanks to the ever knowledgeable E-Lit at the Berkeley Amoeba for this latest top five chart and run down of many of the great new hip-hop releases dropping around now. These include the highly recommended new Casual album Respect Game Or Expect Flames on Nature Sounds in which he wisely teams up with skilled producer J-Rawls (J-Live, Black Star, Count Bass D etc.) plus some mic collaborators like fellow Hiero crew member Del The Funky Homosapien who appears on the title track of Respect Game or Expect Flames.  As usual E-Lit has many great tips on new music in both CD and vinyl formats, including lots of indie/underground hip-hop, in this week's video clip above. These include the new A-Trak 12" single (one side has a collab with Danny Brown), the new anticipated Blu & Exile album Give My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them on Dirty Science, Dark Time Sunshine's full length (scroll down to see newly released music video from this Four Tet released ANX album), and the very underground CD (at a budget price too) from Mind + US & DJ Hoppa Everything is A-OK which, as E-Lit points out, includes tracks such as one dedicated to a dead cat and another to girls who like to smoke weed.

For his latest release the ever-evolving San Francisco turntablist / producer and "synth-freak"  Teeko Shimon (aka DJ Teeko) has taken things a little further and deeper into the land of funk via his new collaboration with fellow San Francisco artist B. Bravo (of Bayonics and solo fame): The Starship Connection EP on Frite Night. Teeko describes the collab, that drops next week on September 18th, as " West Coast-inspired funk, modern dance music and classic analog electronics."

Teeko has really advanced and grown as an artist over the years from his days on the skratch DJ scene to his role in 4OneFunk and F.A.M.E.   B. Bravo has appeared on compilations from Gilles Peteresonʼs label, Tokyo Dawn as well as solo release on Londonʼs Earnest Endeavours label and together with  Teeko (for this new Frite Nite release) he finds good company. Together B. Bravo and Teeko serve up a nice fat slab of funk on The Starship Connection EP which is being released by Frite Nite next Tuesday.

1) JJ DOOM Key to the Kuffs (Lex Records)

2) 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (Deluxe Edition) (Def Jam)

3) 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (Def Jam)
 
4)  Nas Life is Good (Def Jam)

5) Aesop Rock Skelethon  (Rhymesayers)

The latest top five hip-hop chart from Amoeba Hollywood this week is pretty consistent with the last few weeks at each Amoeba with the top sellers including the highly recommended new albums from Nas ( Life is Good), Aesop Rock, (Skelethon ), and DOOM's (formerly MF Doom) latest outing with producer Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM - Key to the Kuffs which I was surprised to hear some DOOM fans were not feeling upon first listen. I really like it and believe it stands side by side in quality with his previous work and that Jneiro's production compliments DOOM - and the other guests - perfectly. My personal favorite tracks are "Banished," "Guv'nor," "Borin' Convo," Dawg Friendly," and the opening sample heavy, album intro track "Waterlogged."  Again on this week's Amoeba chart are both versions of 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (regular and the Deluxe Edition) from the ever popular artist who was among those featured performers at last night's MTV's Video Music Awards (VMA).