Sound Check's Blog Posts Tagged 'Hip-hop' (48)

For those of you who were wondering if electro-punk-hip-hop band Death Grips were 1) still together and 2) planning on releasing new music, the answer is: yes and yes. In a recent statement, the band clarified a few things: "Zach is currently writing, directing and soundtracking an original feature film. The movie is of his own creation, fictionally based and not related to the group. The film will be soundtracked with all new Death Grips music. He is also working on and…

Amongst a frenzy of court appearances, media headlines and blog posts, Lauryn Hill released new music this past Friday. On her Tumblr, she addressed her disliking for having to rush the release of new material, necessary in order to meet a legal…

UK indie rapper Mikill Pane's main appeal has always been his endless cleverness and charm. He just seems like the kind of guy you'd like to get a beer with. Maybe go bowling. His lyrics are a tangled web of references, meta-references, and elaborate puns. They've always been deep from a writing perspective, but never exactly deep emotionally. On…

Bump this: De La Soul's new single 'Get Away', channeling Wu-Tang Clan. Check the dopeness below. It’s been almost 10 years since their last "full-on" album as De La Soul. Don't you miss them?

De La Soul's Posdnuos recently told Rolling Stone: "I've always loved the 'Intro' on Disc Two of Wu-Tang Forever – this eerie sample with no beat,…

Have you heard the news? Wu-Tang Clan's new album will be called 'A Better Tomorrow' and will be released in July 2013.
+ it's the 20th anniversary of their debut album 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'.

Groove to this: Bahamadia is back y'all! Badass as ever. And the track is 11-minute long :). She recorded it on her smartphone. DIY all day.

I was 14 when I heard “Rebirth of Cool vol. 4” for the first time. I had just finished digesting the complete canon of Classic Rock. Zeppelin didn't thrill me anymore. Aerosmith never really did. I was dipping my toes into indie and punk, but hadn't quite found my way into that world (we didn't have the internet yet. I distinctly remember getting into an argument with someone that summer in which I took the position that “punk can't be dead, because The Dead Kennedys!” Not…

I'm reminded of the Van Halen paradox from Bill and Ted. You need Eddie Van Halen to play guitar to have a hit record. But you need a hit record to get Van Halen to play guitar. But for RDGLDGRN having Dave Grohl play drums on their debut EP is less a hit-making move than it is the icing on the cake. Grohl's strength as a drummer has always been his ability to play virtuosic beats but still lay back and let someone else take the spotlight, be it Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Josh…

No-one will ever criticize Kool AD of being unambitious. 2 months since leaving Das Racist, and less than a month before the release of his new band Party Animal's debut, he drops a double mixtape. 63/19 runs over 2 hours, and falls prey to the same unfiltered uncensored id that often typifies mixtapes of this ambition; in other words, it might a little too much of a good thing. But taken as a whole—as one 2 hour and 10 minute song—63/19 is a challenging, vibrant, and sometimes…

We hadn't heard from the homies of RDGLDGRN in a long while. Turns out they were cooking up a record with collaborators such as Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl (on drums on the entire album) and producer Kevin Augunas. Even Pharrell Williams got his hands in it and co-produced/co-wrote a track.

You might remember the guys from their former band - long-time Afropunk community members -…

Who says nothing good comes out of Jersey? (Well everyone in Brooklyn, pretty much, but whatever. This isn't about which land mass adjacent to Manhattan is better...Because it's clearly Brooklyn.) Bringing my total of things I like from New Jersey up to a solid 3, Sunny Gang is a fresh quartet out of Rutgers. Their music is a rad mix of party rock and hip hop; working overtime to rehabilitate rap/rock’s…

Digging the new Talib Kweli/Black Thought/Rah Digga collab 'Art Imitates Life'? Look out for Kweli's upcoming LP 'Prisoner Of Conscious'.…

Hip-hop's ascendancy over the past decade from one of many pop music genres to the One Sound To Rule Them All has left a string of casualties along the way. The biggest of these for me has been individuality. When everyone's competing for only a handful of space on the airwaves, fewer and fewer rappers seem willing to take chances. But it was that “anything's fair game” attitude born of sampling that made hip-hop so exciting in the first place. What's the point in being able to…

Long Island based Echo Sonic have been dropping a stream of singles lately and consistently occupying space in my playlist. Their latest is “My Dear Michelle”, a hooky alt-rock song, and we're proud to hook you up with an exclusive stream.…

No one could have prepared the city of Indianapolis for what took place on December 4, 2012. One the most influential hip hop groups of all time just happened to roll into town on a stop for their 14 city HipHopgods tour. Base!!! How Low Can You Go! You guessed it- Public Enemy! With a career that has spanned over 25 years, produced 85 tours, and a recent nomination for the 2013 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, there seems to be no stopping for Public Enemy any time…

Here's a little treat for ya while you wait for Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def)'s album: he reworked Chief Keef's track 'I Don't Like' with some new lyrics of his own, tackling white supremacists, the banking system, gangs and much more. Check the FREE download below.

+ Words on the streets is that Bey's upcoming album is produced by Mannie Fresh. Get ready!

With gas determined to hover around $4/gal (or if you're in New York or New Jersey post-Sandy, $infinity/gal...), it makes sense that bike culture is getting mainstreamed in a big way right now. Enter UK indie rapper Mikill Pane with his new EP Dirty Rider.

The title track is an ode to fixed gear bikes.…

Odd Future's The Internet (Syd The Kyd & Matt Martians) are back with 'Give It Time', a sensual track off their upcoming EP 'Feel Good'. And it does feel good! If you like what you hear, catch the Internet on their West Coast Tour (schedule below).…

Having come of age musically in the late 90's, when the marriage of rock and hip-hop was mangled so badly it became criminal to even suggest, I get a serious thrill when I hear someone do it right. And holy crap does Afropunk member Labtekwon get it right! Channeling HR by way of Immortal Technique on the single “Slamdancin” from his forthcoming record Hardcore, Labtekwon makes hip-hop that dares to be rough…

Boots Riley is the outspoken frontman for Oakland revolutionary hip-hop group The Coup. Since their 1993 debut, Kill My Landlord, Boots has become known as much for his activism and revolutionary politics as his music. He founded Street Sweeper Social Club with Tom Morello in 2006, and has been an active and outspoken member of Occupy Oakland. The Coup's latest record Sorry To Bother You drops October 30th.

As Afropunk's resident Occupier, I talked to…