PopMatters has a new interview with Utada Hikaru. It’s a quick read but touches upon a lot of different subjects including her US debut in 2004, how she’s doing things different now and the inspiration behind some of her music. Our very own Music4UrSoul will be in attendance at Utada’s show in SF this weekend so you be on the lookout for her commentary!
Catch the interview after the jump!
Baiyu, an r&b singer originally from the east coast has released her collaboration with Ryan Leslie entitled ‘When We Dance’. The song ain’t bad though like most current r&b tracks it does’t give the talent the opportunity to really showcase their vocals. Regardless the song’s got a pretty good beat. The video is a decent watch though nothing especially noteworthy. I knew Baiyu as a kid so it’s kinda crazy to see her doing big things after all these years. A huge congrats to her!
Check out this new r&b jam from Chicago based group IBU called ‘Hardlife’. It’s a chill song and an enjoyable listen. It’s definitely a change of sound from the material on their latest album ‘Inspired By U‘. The music is set to some behind the scenes footage from one of their recent visits to the studio. If you ever wondered how things go down in the creation and recording of a song be sure to check this one out.
IBU had the opportunity to work on a project with Spank! Music and Sound Design on January 6, 2010. In the process we got to hang with Spank! staff Gary Guzman (Producer / Composer) and Rick Fritz (Producer / Engineer). We got the complete tour of the beautiful studio that’s based out of Chicago, IL, where the jingles such as “I Want To Be Like Mike” (Michael Jordan) and various McDonald’s jingles were recorded.
Lyrics after the jump.
This is a great interview of afterschoolspecial as they talk with Steve Nguyen about almost everything that makes them who they are and what drives them to continue pursuing the dream. This group isnt your average band and they should be proud of that. Make sure you peep the video and get to know what the group just a little more.
Film producer Steve Nguyen takes you behind the scenes with Daniel Matthews (DanAKADan), Jaimie Block-Smith, Todd Olson, Victor Velasquez, Brian Figueroa and Keane Aranita of afterschoolspecial.
Formed in San Diego, afterschoolspecial is essentially a hip hop/rock band, ala Flobots, Gym Class Heroes, the Beastie Boys. The band puts their sweat and tears into every show that we do, according to Emcee Dan. Ive hurt my back, kicked myself in the face, and bloodied a few knees; if the crowds loving it, then Im loving it, too.
The band has shared the stage with the Flobots, Talib Kweli, Far East Movement, Souls of Mischief, Pigeon John, LuckyiAm (the Living Legends), the Blue Scholars, among others. Their debut EP Not One For Words was produced by Peter Rocks and engineered at 4th Street Studios in Santa Monica. They were nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act and Best Hip Hop Album at the 2009 San Diego Music Awards.
Check out this incredible collab of Jane Lui and AJ Rafael covering the song ‘Shadowfeet’ by Christian singer Brooke Fraser. They are both incredible strong singers so hearing them together again is a huge pleasure. At the end Jane announces she’s started work on her third album and will be busy recording for the next several months.
You may recall last week we posted about various youtube stars supporting the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) involved with the Chase Community Giving initiative. Well the AA community is still strongly supporting the movement and here’s what some of them have to say…
Alex Hwang, Paul Jisung Kim, Jinah Kim, Gerald Ko, Megan Lee, Clara Chung, Will Volume, Jane Lui, Jazmin
More after the jump.
Miss Erika David will be in San Jose at the end of the month to perform some her hit songs live at the Back Bar Nightclub in downtown San Jose. Tickets are only $10 (pre-sale price) so get them now before they sell out! If you’re in the Bay Area, you might come down for a night and see this amazing singer!
From her Facebook,
Come Rock with Me in San Jose! Performing Live! 5finest entertainment pres. Sin City live with Erika David on JAN. 28th.
See you there!
Welcome to another Weekly Thursday Freebie. For this week we are featuring the brand new EP called The Gradient by hip-hop duo BP & Odds. This MC/Producer team release their album The Medium just a couple months ago but never let off their grind and wanted to share some new material with the world. The Gradient goes in a different sonic direction from their past work and allows them try their hand at something new.
Less than 2 months since the release of their full-length debut album “THE MEDIUM”, BP & ODDS (the boom bap novelists) drop “THE GRADIENT” EP as a free download on BPANDODDS.COM. A conceptual collection, “THE GRADIENT” features 6 songs of gritty drums as the vehicle, a multi-synthesized soundscape, illustrious basslines, rhymes and cuts; all inspired by Buttonpusha’s witnessing Aurora Borealis while living in Alaska.
BP & ODDS have done it again with this masterpiece, “THE GRADIENT”.
This EP dropped just under a week ago and if you haven’t gotten it already you are missing out. The team went in a very “Dilla-esque” direction and honestly it sounds great. Want to know where to get it? You already know where to check!
