Who is Nneka?

Toast is the resident logistician for LxNxM and according to the stats y’all are showing us more love – I just want to say we appreciate each one of you. This creative endeavor has brought our crew closer, and our ideas have only start to take root…

Keeping the love going, I have been mesmerized by the next level soulstress Nneka. We mentioned Nneka a few months back vis-à-vis a collaborative mixtape she dropped with tastemaker J.Period titled The Madness (Onye-Ala).

Nneka has experienced a much deserved rise to global status since then.  The Nigerian-German/Nigeria- raised singer has landed a song “Viva Africa” on LISTEN UP! the official FIFA 2010 World Cup soundtrack, she also just joined Nas and Damian Marley on the Distant Relatives tour – making me regret missing their Seattle stop even more.

There is something higher about Nneka’s music. An anthropologist by training, she resonates her human experience to the listener with poetic clarity – in my humble opinion she is definitely channeling something the world needs in her music. Check out Nneka’s official site to cop her first U.S. release, Concrete Jungle and learn more about this visionary artist.

Macklemore x Ryan Lewis: The VS. EP

What’s the best thing about being up at 1:30 in the am on a Monday when you gotta work bright and early tues? Nothing- Except being one of the early birds to unearth this gem from emerald city’s own Macklemore. I can honestly say it’s art like this that makes me excited about hip hop. I was in the whip  listening to KEXP at 12:32 and heard this lush choir of horns & Mack  sounding like he was channeling the spirit on this track called The End and realized that Mack and Ryan Lewis were really on some breakthrough ish- so I hurried back to the homebase to research – Good timing…

This project has been anticipated for a minute now… people laying early praise some of the teaser tracks; the visceral honesty of  Otherside - detailing the downward spiral of addiction within hip hop culture – and the raucous reverie of Irish Celebration.  The range is stretched by the epic asphalt grit rap on Kings, not sure who the guest emcees are but they are nasty. Listening through I feel like Macklemore, though always honest – is more present and authentic than ever – both thematically and by the way he seems to be in the pocket – weaving himself into some eclectic sonic backdrops. Anyway, word to Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and the other folks who contributed to the project. SEATOWN STAND UP!

Download The VS. EP (direct download link)

Dj Swervewon: the GO! machine mixtape

My dude Swervewon, a.k.a Louis, has been payin dues and catchin wreck on the 1′s and 2′s ever since relocating to the Seattle from Big Sky country- Montana. Without getting too far into detail, but to give love and props, I have to say Swerve has maneuvered through mad hardship and professional setbacks – and consistently emerges more committed to quality hip hop music and performance – all the while maintaining a generous spirit. For a hot sec he was the Dj in my old crew estrella with Taybot, I always appreciated his hustle and love for the music.

Now to this mixtape. Anyone who has seen Swerve knows he can turn a party out. The GO! machine mixtape showcases his taste and connection to the Seattle Hip Hop Scene- which, for those of you sleepin, is currently percolating like a french press in the mornintime.  The buzz on this mix lasts throughout – and the track list includes some diverse MVP’s from the emerald city’s varsity squad of 09.  Shouts to raindrophustla, and of course Swervewon for this dope mix.

Download the mix here.  Tracklist after the jump.

EGADZ!

I was blessed enough to catch bay area beat bully egadz about a month back, as he hit up Seattle via the always solid STOP BITING night @ Lo-Fi Lounge. Dude mashed through his set on the mpd with surgical dexterity despite being admittedly sloshed, this video gives you at taste of what homie can do.

His latest and last album is called egadz is dead, and at aforementioned show he said it would be the last night he was performing under said moniker, citing a desire to move on to a new project. So treat your ears,  sample and support egadz music here or here.

Is the old Blacc

Listening to this past Sunday’s edition of KEXP hip hop standby Street Sounds, I got a little taste of something I haven’t heard in while: Stones Throw soul stalwart Aloe Blacc. Now, I’ve never been the biggest Blacc stan, but something about the song that popped onto the speakers while driving north along Lake Washington made me stop and take a second listen.

The song? “One Inna” – a hypnotically sexy groove that sounds its best with someone special by your side. It definitely brought Aloe to the forefront of my musical mind, and I’ll be checking for him in the future.

There’s no video or download link that I can find, though if one were to be posted in the comments, I just might update this post (hint hint). In the meantime, you can stream that bad boy right here.

UPDATE: The dude Krieg comes through, get the whole goodness here:

Aloe Blacc – Shine Through

And yes, the title of this post is inspired by a certain local musician round the way. If you don’t know, you better google somebody.

Junichi Tsuneoka

Dude is for real. He’s seriously killing it in Seattle and worldwide, and yet gets seemingly little attention here at home. Not tight. Luckily, he’s still a Town resident, so we can support him starting… now! Check out his studio, Stubborn Sideburn, and if you have an album cover or a design project, commission the dude already!

WD4D

Seattle’s own DJ WD4D is a goddamned ridiculous party rocker. You can find him almost any night of the week holding down the tables at any number of spots around town. His selection is huge – you might be wobbling to dubstep just minutes before nodding to some of Detroit’s grimiest. He’s opened for Daedelus and Exile, and has an album coming out on Fourthcity with Introcut. All that, and two of his regular nights, Grey Area (Fridays at Grey Gallery) and Stop Biting (Tuesdays at Lo-Fi) are established must-attend marks on the club circuit. Bottom line: you see this guy anywhere on the flyer, you go to the show.

Get some live mixes:

The Clean Cut Barbershop Mix – 2004

Live from Grey Gallery – 5/8/2009

We win!

Your daily Rodigan

Is it weird that he sounds (and looks) like a university lecturer when he’s talking shit on stage? We should all be so lucky.

Jajangmyeon

So what if it’s not music? It’s delicious. Chinese-influenced Korean noodles. Add some black soybean paste, top it with beef, pork and onions. Eat.

Damn, is it lunch already?