Teebs is a very creative guy- with beats and with paint. So you would expect nothing less than an equally creative video to match. Paul Trillo put together just that for Teebs’ Moments. The beat is hypnotic and easy on the ears. The video ties in well with the title Moments. Watching the reversed smoke going off with bits of Moments transitioning into the next is crazy. I liked that they came up with a good concept and didn’t try to over do it, making this video worth watching again and again.  Check out Teebs – Ardour on Brainfeeder Records. 

After you buy this album hit play and close your eyes. Now imagine you are floating through space. Feel the galaxy around you, and see the stars as they jet by turning into  different colors. Now open your eyes and feel how calm and relaxed you are from listening to Mecca:83 (aka Rise) - Life Sketches Vols. 1 & 2. That’s how I felt after my train ride home the other day. It was a long day and I put on Life Sketches Vols. 1 & 2, closed my eyes, and shortly after I was in another zone. Life Sketches Vols. 1 & 2 is one of those albums you put on when you’re really stressed, and it melts away after the first track. They should make a prescription for this stuff. Go buy Mecca:83 – Life Sketches Vols. 1 & 2 on FreeForm Records. It’s worth it!  BIG thanks Mecca:83 for making my new go-to album for stress. Keep making that good stuff.

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Mecca:83 - Vibrate

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Mecca:83 - Godbless & Goodnight

If you are not familiar with Stateless, this is a great introduction. They  have been around for sometime since 2002, and I heard about them shortly after they put out their self-titled record Stateless. Fast forward a few years to 2011, and I get an email about Stateless. I was so stoked that Stateless came out with a second album Matilda and their friend wanted me to check it out. Let me just tell you it’s been on heavy heavy rotation since. I discovered one of my favorite tracks from Matilda has a video. Ariel is  crazy. It shows a dancer with red and blue light streaks on a grayed out almost black background. The dancer moves in very fluid motions.  It’s a very poetic and ill video. Go buy Stateless – Matilda and check out the Ballad of a NGB (Tensei Remix). BIG thanks to Chris for the heads up.

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Stateless – Ballad of a NGB (Tensei Remix)

This has taken me a while to write, but I realized it’s a way to keep his memory live. I am blessed for knowing you brother. Please donate to the Coleman Family for our brother Jovan Coleman aka J-1 aka THE DEER at MugPush.com.

I’m a big fan of the HVW8′s artwork and would check their site from time to time. One day I noticed there was a beat tape they sponsored called Attack of THE DEER. I played it over and over and had to meet the cat that put it together. I went to the Jay Stayed Paid event and asked my friend Kyla about J-1 and if he was there. She pointed him out. Clean pumas, fitted hat to match, star tatts on his elbows, and a cobra tattoo on the side of his neck vibing out on a House Shoes DJ set. I introduced myself, and right away we talked about music for hours like we were some old friends catching up. I thought it would be a great idea to have him do a top ten list for B+C. He was down but then flips it with a mix. J was on fire cranking out a mix right after the next. I was trying to keep up because I was doing the artwork for each one. It was always “GO” mode with that dude. A few mixes into it, he called me up and was like lets make this bigger. “Beats+Crates Radio podcast, with guest DJs.” I was like wow, and before I knew it, he had Teeko and Max Kane ready to go. B+C wouldn’t be what it is without J-1.

Our working relationship was a great combo, and he had the projects coming. It was the in between time when Weyez, J, and I would kick it, and that made our bond what it is… family. You can see folks that talked to J-1; he gave them that same attention, and respect. J was always building and growing every time he met someone professionally and personally.  J-1 aka THE DEER grew the Animal Kingdom family worldwide, and touched many, many lives. J-1, you will be truly be missed. Thank you for the music, the laughs, the creativity, and the time. I salute you my brother.

Feel free to leave a comment and please head to MugPush.com to donate to the Coleman family. Thank you.

J-1′s Music: The Yellow EP on Record Breakin & Starship 27 vol. 1 & 2 on iNsect Records 

ALso visit Soundwaves Episode 157: Tribute to Jovan “J-1″ Coleman

A shot of Hornitos for J. 

My friend, Trackstar the DJ, shot me an email about a youth program called Sessions LA  that he was involved with before he recently moved. Sessions LA is an opportunity for professionals like Trackstar to help and encourage kids through music. Sessions LA has been running on donations from the community and funds they have been able to drum up.  Now they need your help to stay in operation. Check out the video, read more about it, and give what you can. It’s a win-win for everyone, so lets keep building.

Here’s the story: when I moved out West, I left behind the non-profit organization I started in St. Louis to teach youth through Hip-Hop, hoping I’d find a similar organization in California where I could connect with a new group of like-minded individuals who wanted to use the genre as an educational tool. Our St. Louis program was great and provided a handful of kids with skills to help them harness their passion for Hip-Hop while applying real life lessons. However, due to a lack of funding, it was hard to expand past a certain point even though I always saw potential for it to grow. When I met DJ Phatrick in Los Angeles (through friend of TSS, Bambu), I discovered an organization called SESSIONS LA that executed the vision I had for my program and did much more. — Trackstar the DJ

Donate what you can to Indiegogo.com/SaveSessions. For more information check out Sessions LA and The Smoking Section. Check out the album the kids from the program have put together.  BIG Thanks Trackstar.

I don’t want to hold you back from listening to this great album, so this write-up is going to be short and sweet. Trek hit me up about Duke Westlake and, I admit I was totally sleeping. Duke chimed in on our twitter convo and showed me the video he did. (Kids shut your eye or skip the next two words.) F*CK’N CRAZY, so I had to post that too. Duke Westlake’s Memory Palace put me in this dream like, high energy, creative state of mind. I was instantly inspired to create something… anything. After the 4th round of Memory Palace I went back to work with round 5 playing. Very dope album that you need to hear.

“I stumbled onto a record store and acquired some interesting vinyl from their surprisingly abundant dollar bin. The music I discovered inspired me to make a collection of raw beats / instrumentals. Memory Palace is the first of a three part series of this music I’ve decided to release.” – Duke

Check out Duke Westlake on Knock Steady, SoundCloud, and Twitter. Download Duke Westlake – Memory Palace here. I honestly hope you charge for this soon. BIG Thanks to the homie Trek Life for the heads up. Duke, I’ll totally check my email more often brother. BIG Thanks for making dope music.

I didn’t know who Andy Madeleine was until I saw The Black Opera’s M.A.S.H. video. It’s a monster track with stunning visuals to match. Andy has great story telling ability with the camera, so when I got an email from Steph about The Black Opera’s Villains video, also directed by Andy Madeleine, I couldn’t wait to check it out. This is one you just have to watch. Not to give anything away, but after watching it I don’t trust kids anymore. There’s a Villain in all of us. Check out more from The Black Opera on their site and Twitter. BIG thanks Steph for the heads up.

Not sure if it’s me or does every revolutionary track need to be turned up for everyone to hear? I do it every time. “If we don’t get along, we got to get it on.” Clan Destined’s War Games has a banging beat, and the lyrics are worth listening to real close. The video is pretty dope too. The camera follows a stray bullet from a duel in the park that kills a theif from a chess game. Guess it was karma. Check out the video and their Self-Titled album on Band Camp. BIG thanks Q. from Dunn Deal.

Dope video, dope track! What else is there to say about this one other than watch it again.  If this doesn’t take Dumbfoundead to the next level, I don’t know what you folks are waiting for. BRB has a great concept of them high/day dreaming about being on an island looking for there way back. Half way through, I started singing the hook. “And I will be right baaack.” No joke. Great cinematography (produced by Duke Westlake and directed by Casey Chan), felt like the Hip Hop version of Lost… but with a way better ending. Can’t wait to check out Dumbfoundead’s new album DFD 11.1.11. BIG shout to Knock Steady and Andrew Garcia.

Count it down like 4,3,2,1! Seven Day put together a dope video to this banging track. 1,2,3,4 also features Makeshift, Versis and everyone’s homie VerBS. Seven Day’s album CNCPT II has so many hits that I didn’t know which ones were going to become videos. 1,2,3,4 is wild with these cats in P.E./work-out gear jogging around the track, doing pushups, and a guest appearance by a chicken.  YES, a chicken! Peep the video and check out Seven Day CNCPT II here. BIG thanks Seven Day for the heads up.