1: Lil Xan Total Xanarchy (Sony Music Group)

Back in 1988 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released the hit single "Parents (Just Don't Understand)" off their album He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper (also on LP/vinyl). The song, that would inspire The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was a statement about the older generation not understanding youth culture including the then new genre of rap/hip-hop; a music typically dismissed by parents and older music fans as an annoyance and passing fad. Fast forward 30 years and things have not changed much except now the disapproving parents are hip-hop fans themselves; albeit from an earlier totally different era who hardly recognize how "their" music has mutated into its latest wave; the dreaded 'mumble rap' phase.  Epitomizing this new school of hip-hop is the equally loved/hated 21 year old rapper Lil Xan (as in Xanax, his once drug of choice, or Diego as he likes to be now called) whose debut album Total Xanarchy was released on Friday. And if his tattoos, general goofy appearance and drug induced indecipherable lyrics weren't enough to piss off parents and older rap/hip-hop heads, the fact that he dared call the revered 2Pac "boring" sealed the deal in his alienating those over a certain age. Meanwhile a young new generation seemingly love Lil Xan as proven by the 157million YouTube hits (and as many on Spotify) generated by the single/album track "Betrayed." In addition to the regular version of this song, the short (36 minutes) 16 track album also includes a "Betrayed Remix (feat. Yo Gotti and Rich the Kid)" in addition to such other tracks as "Slingshot" (another already popular track), "Tick Tock (feat. 2 Chainz)" and "The Man (feat. $teven Cannon)" (new video below) all of which most likely today's parents just won't understand.

Since the announcement yesterday of a return of veteran NYC emcee Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon alias (the alter ego he had killed off years ago) with two surprise California concert dates next month with the former Ultramagnetic MCs emcee along with the Octagon project key collaborators, producer Dan the Automator and fellow San Francisco artist DJ Qbert, there has been quite a buzz.  Tickets for the two CA dates, scheduled for March 6th and 7th at San Francisco's The Independent and Los Angeles' The Teragram Ballroom respectively, have been selling briskly with both the SF and LA dates already sold out (although tix can be still found on StubHub). The in-demand concerts, which act as a primer for the upcoming 20th anniversary, limited edition box set release of the Dr. Octagon project Dr. Octagonecologyst by Traffic and Universal, prove just how popular the mid-nineties Kool Keith alter-ego high-concept character and accompanying project remains even two decades later. Note that the forthcoming 2017 anniversary edition release will be just the latest in a series over an extended period of reissues and variations, including the popular non vocal Instrumentalyst via Octagon Beats, of the nineties Dreamworks release of the  Dr. Octagonecologyst album that was most recently reissued in 2014 by Geffen as the 2LP pressing of Dr. Octagonecologyst.

Today two of hip-hop's most innovative artists, Kool Keith and MF Doom (aka DOOM), published the music video for their excellent collaborative track "Super Hero." The booming bass track, which is produced by Kool Keith under the alias  Number One Producer, is found on his recent Mello Music Group release  Feature Magnetic (also avail in LP/vinyl format). Meantime the brand new accompanying music video above is directed by Kris Merc for Aardman Nathan Love Animation Studio, and interestingly does not include either of the artists in person in the production.  As such it is accurately described by its makers as a non-stop quick-mix cascade of,  "infinite GIFs, incredible models of DOOMs mask and Black Elvis wigs, Doc Oct surgeries, and space flights." The video's futuristic Sci-Fi visuals are the perfect match for Doom's persona and Keith's left-field, stream of consciousness, comic-book inspired lyrics that reference such things as drinking tea with the X-Men watching chicks with D-cups, eating shrimp, and driving monster truck Lamborghini's.

Turns out that all those 'return of the record' stories over the past number of years were quite accurate. Records are back, and in a big way. Between new releases and reissues there's an increasing stream of new vinyl pressings dropping each and every week: from the majors as well as the indie labels who spearheaded this vinyl renaissance. Record Store Day also gets some credit for this resurgence in popularity. Note that this year's Record Store Day (coming up on November 25th) is rumored, as per a Reddit leak this week, to include new RSD vinyl exclusives from such artists as Run-D.M.C., Rudy Ray Moore, The Sugarhill Gang, The Stooges, Prince, Sun Ra, UGK, and The Kinks. But in the six weeks until then, there's no shortage of new vinyl releases getting released every Friday.

Below is the Ryan Calavano directed music video for the new Oddisee track "Brea" from the artist's brand new album The Odd Tape that arrived into Amoeba this week in CD and vinyl versions: regular LP and  Deluxe LP. The 55 minute, twelve track album from the renowned Brooklyn based, Maryland hip-hop artist was released by Mello Music Group yesterday. A day earlier the video, that appears below along with other new videos, was published by director Calavano who described the Oddisee accompanying visual as a "tribute to the unseen soul......a companion piece to living."

This latest Oddisee album that's technically a mixtape comes from the multi-talented emcee and producer who is both a solo artist and member of the hip-hop trio Diamond District. It is his follow up to 2015's The Good Fight. Unlike that last album, The Odd Tape is an all instrumental outing. Also yesterday Mello Music released Oddisee's seven-track EP Alwasta that he had originally posted for free online a few months back.