Click on link to download.

Robin Thicke ft. Jay-Z “Meiplé”
Crookers ft. Kelis “No Security”
Kelis “Trick Me” Tommie Sunshine Unreleased Remix

Local Vancouver hip hop artist Anami Vice is back with another album, They Made Me Do It. The album release party is this friday and I had the chance to chat with him briefly about what the album’s about and how he’s trying something new because well…they made him do it.

So tell me, what’s the new album about?

It’s about me trying to do something a little more mainstream. After the last album I thought I would try to do something that would appeal to more people. I didn’t think I would have as much fun making it but at the end of the day I think I enjoyed making this album more than anything I’ve done. It came out sounding more pop-y.

What was the idea behind They Made Me Do It?

Well really, I made me do it at the end of the day but I made me to it because that’s what [ the fans] wanted. I really had a good time making the album!

Was it easy to get into the pop/mainstream swing of things?

It came super easy and easier than I expected!

How are you going to promote the album?

I think I’m going to do a lot of internet marketing. I don’t want to give anything away but I think I have a pretty original plan. I’m going to be pretty intense about it.

Do you have a lot of shows lined up?

The show I’m doing in Vancouver is for me, friends, and whoever else wants to hear the new album. But I think I decided after the last album that I didn’t want to go the route of grinding it out and doing a lot of shows around town or around anywhere. That’s another reason behind the concept of the new album. I’m trying to do something that can appeal to a lot of people and market it to the internet instead of doing the long slow traditional process.

Was there anything in particular that influenced this album?

My friend and I were listening to the album and he said he could tell where the influence for each one of the songs came from and I think for most of them he was spot one.

For example, there’s a song called “Vodka Soda” and if you listen to it you can see the inspiration is from a Mos Def track called “Miss Fat Booty”.

Do you have a favourite track off the album?

Probably the last track “High Five” and the fourth track called “Hollywood”. Those are my favourite right now.

So how are you dealing with the whole T-Pain thing where you guys released tracks titled the same at the same time?

[Laughs] I would rather it be T-Pain rather than NAS or Jay-Z, or someone I actually respect. My song is what it is and it’ll stand on its own.

Another group released a song in the summer time called “Take Your Shirt Off” too. So the novelty of the song is completely gone now.

Well that happens right, you’re bound to name a song something that’s already been done. Not that you want accidental traffic of people searching for T-Pain but getting you instead, but you never know, maybe they’ll find your version first and like it better!

Yeah absolutely. That’s why I “leaked” my “Take Your Shirt Off” track as soon as I heard that T-Pain released his song, in hopes that people might click on mine! The only problem is that I don’t think that people who listen to T-Pain’s stuff will necessarily like Anami Vice’s stuff.

True, but you never know! People’s tastes are varied.

Again I’m glad it was T-Pain rather than Jay-Z because then I would actually feel bad about it. I’m a huge Jay-Z fan. If he did it, I would be like, ah he did it, now I feel like an idiot!

Cool, well that’s it! Anything else you want to say about the album?

Listen to it! It’s going to be available for free download on my site, anamivice.com.

Sweet, well I’ll see you Friday at the album release party!

That’s rad you’re coming, I’m stoked!

See you then!

You can download his album for free of his website as of this friday. In the mean time,  listen to the first two released tracks off of They Made Me Do It:

Anami Vice – Call and Response

Anami Vice – Take Your Shirt Off

The official video for Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” which features Alicia Keys. This is one of the few songs that I actually like off of the Blueprint 3. Every time I hear the chorus line with Alicia Keys, it gives me goose bumps. The video was directed by Hype Williams.

Click on link to download.

Depeche Mode “Peace” Hakan Lidbo Remix
Peter Bjorn & John “It Don’t Move Me” Miike Snow Remix
Jay-Z ft. Notorious B.I.G. & Drake “Run This Town” Jus Bus Remix

Rhapsody just dropped their latest commercial and it features Jay-Z. The creative direction on this commercial is…well, just amazing. Taking you through all the album cover shoots that Jay-Z has done over his career.

Click on link to download.

YACHT “Psychic City” Joe Goddard Remix
White Lies “Death” BURNS Remix
Jay-Z ft. Kanye West, Adele “Never Chasing Pavement” Urban Noize Remix
Drake ft Lil Wayne, Eminem, Kanye West “Forever”

Pitchfork has recently taken on the dubious task of listing the top 500 tracks of the 2000s, something definitely easier said than done. Their list starts off with N.E.R.D’s “Run To The Sun” and works up to Kid Cudi vs Crookers “Day N Nite”, which honestly I thought might’ve ranked higher, but this remix was just a huge personal favorite of mine.

Their top 20 looks like this:

1. Outkast “B.O.B”
2. LCD Soundsystem “All My Friends”
3. M.I.A. [ft. Bun B and Rich Boy] “Paper Planes (Diplo Remix)”
4. Beyoncé [ft. Jay-Z] “Crazy in Love”
5. Daft Punk “One More Time”
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps”
7. Missy Elliott “Get Ur Freak On”
8. Radiohead “Idioteque”
9. Animal Collective “My Girls”
10. Arcade Fire”Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”
11. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
12. OutKast “Hey Ya!”
13. LCD Soundsystem “Losing My Edge”
14. Jay-Z “99 Problems”
15. The Knife “Heartbeats”
16. The Rapture “House of Jealous Lovers”
17. Annie “Heartbeat”
18. Hercules and Love Affair “Blind”
19. R. Kelly “Ignition (Remix)”
20. The Walkmen “The Rat”

The top 20 I gotta say is pretty dope with the exception of a few tracks, such as R. Kelly’s “Ignition”, that was some hometown love right there no doubt. But Outkast “B.O.B”, I couldn’t agree more. Think of a track that hits you harder and leaves more of resonating feeling…can’t can ya, cus you’re thinking about how dope this track really is and you’re probably looking it right now…here lemme help you.

Second single and video from Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3, can ya feel it folks. Personally I’m getting excited to hear the whole album, especially finding out Luke Steele was on a song. This video is directed by Anthony Mandler and is set to officially debut tomorrow (August 20th) on MTV, but as with anything, it’s on the internet now. Both Kanye West and Rihanna are featured on the song and are in the video as well. The treatment on the video is interesting, gives it a futuristic militia feel, a pirate broadcasting almost.

Video source: luvdc.blogspot.com

So by now you’ve seen the cover for Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 album cover, but now the tracklisting has been released. Usual suspects or folks you would expect are on there such as Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, etc. But one that surprises me is Luke Steele from Empire of the Sun, that’s gonna be sick and I’m looking forward to hearing that track. Check our interview with Nick Littlemore from Empire of the Sun here.

1. What We Talkin’ About ft. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun
2. Thank You
3. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
4. Run This Town ft. Rihanna and Kanye West
5. Empire State of Mind ft. Alicia Keys
6. Real as it Gets ft. Young Jeezy
7. On To The Next One ft. Swizz Beatz
8. Off That ft. Drake
9. A Star is Born ft. J.Cole
10. Venus vs Mars
11. Already Home ft. Kid Cudi
12. Hate ft. Kanye West
13. Reminder
14. So Ambitious ft. Pharrell
15. Young Forever ft. Mr. Hudson

Click on link to download.

Jay-Z ft Kanye West & Rihanna “Run This Town”
MSTRKRFT “Hearbreaker” Brackles Remix
Young Buck “Bury Me Alive”
Au Revoir Simone “Sad Song” Pacific! Remix
Miami Horror “Make You Mine” Fred Falke Remix

Anami Vice is a local Vancouver hip hop, solo artist with a bright future. The Ne Wfut Ure EP is his official debut that came out a few months back. It’s a collection of eight songs that he’s been brewing up for a few years now. He’s also working on his second album, due at the end the summer. I had the chance to chat with him about his days of rapping in his buddy’s basement to recording albums showcasing his beats and lyrics. Be sure to check out some of his tracks on his myspace (http://www.myspace.com/anamivice) page.

Killahbeez: So how did you get started? What’s your background?

Anami Vice: I’ve always liked hip hop. When I was 15 my buddy told me we were going to a friend’s house to rap. I was pretty resistant to the idea because I thought it was silly. I had never tried it before. So we went over to my buddy’s house and I guess he had just bought new turn tables and it had a sampler on it so we could loop tracks. There were five us and we all wrote 16 bars each. It turns out I was alright at it. Then we formed a group and we sporadically recorded and performed for ten years after that but we never did anything serious with it.

KB: Now you’re solo?

AV: Yeah. Over the years we formed different groups with the crew. Two of us would go off and do some songs together. Five of us would do the same. There’s a lot of recorded material but none of it saw the light of day, probably because we never thought it was good enough. There are a couple of guys who started out with us who are pretty serious into it now. A guy name Jeff Spec, he was at that first session and then split off from the group and worked on it seriously and now he has quite a few releases. But I never got there.

KB: Is anyone else in your family musically inclined?

AV: After getting into music I discovered that a couple of my uncles on my mother’s side do a weekly thing in a pub somewhere in Holland where they play cover songs, old Dutch folk tunes. As far as anyone else doing it seriously, that’s the only thing I’ve heard.

KB: What’s your background?

AV: My mother is Dutch and my father is Indian.

KB: Does your background influence any of your music?

AV: I don’t think so. I think I was heavily influenced by hip hop. I don’t think any of those sounds really found their way into my music. Not to say that they won’t in the future. For awhile Indian classical music and Indian pop was being sampled heavily in hip hop and I attempted that a few times over the years but nothing on my album has anything like that. I haven’t consciously made an effort to do that. Maybe in the future.

KB: How would you describe your music?

AV: I think I try to be as honest as I can with the lyrics. I’m not predisposed to using any particular type of beats. I like stuff that makes you want to nod your head. I’ve noticed that gangster rap sounds really good, but I don’t have anything gangster to say.

KB: Who are your musical inspirations? Who got you into hip hop?

AV: I remember the first two rap tapes I had were Young MC and Tone Loc. I think my major influences now, the people I listen to when I’m feeling uninspired, are Pharoahe Monch, Jay-Z, LP, and I really like Juelz Santana. The latest thing I bought is the new K’NAAN album. I didn’t like the first one but I really like the new one. It’s really cool. I thought it was going to be all one style but it’s really versatile.

KB: Do other music genres inspire you?

AV: Yeah for sure. I think lyrically a lot more than hip hop in terms of content. I grew up listening to my dad’s records like Paul Simon and the Beatles. My lyrics are really cryptic but if you listen carefully you’ll hear homage to Paul Simon here or there or an illusion to a Beatles lyric or something like that. I love listening to Lennon and his silly play on words.

KB: What’s your writing process like?

AV: It’s pretty standard. I sit down at the computer and I have a whole bank of samples like a keyboard line that I’ve been playing and I’ll make a beat and the beat will inspire me in some way to write something and then I go ahead and write to the beat. It’s usually the beat first and then I write the lyrics and then I try to record as quickly as possible, I find a get better result if I do that. I like to get in and put the song down while the beat is still moving me.

I’m trying to think of new stuff all the time, maybe too much. I think that like most artists, I never like the last stuff I did; I’m always looking forward to the new stuff. I put out that last album last December and I’ve already stopped dealing with it and am now actively writing a new album. I’ve already recorded half of the new album.

KB: What’s your cover art about?

AV: My dad’s a painter. I don’t actually know what it looks like on the cover but it’s a really small detail of a charcoal that he did. He did a whole series of charcoals after he came back from a trip to Mexico. It’s a small detail of half of the head of a figure that was on one of those charcoals.

My buddies and I laugh about that album cover because it looks like a world music album cover.

KB: What else do you do on the side?

AV: I enjoy writing. I don’t know if I’m any good at it but I really enjoy doing it. I’ve written some slam poetry that I’ve never actually slammed but the process is enjoyable.

KB: Would you ever consider publishing your writing?

AV: I’ve thought about it many times but I don’t know if I’m any good.

KB: Yeah but that’s a fear that a lot of artists have. You have to be confident but at the same time art is so subjective that no matter how great you think your work is, there will always be someone ready to knock you down.

AV: I think I’m most worried of myself judging me. I think with hip hop I’m pretty sure I’m not bad, but with other stuff, I’m not so sure, I might suck. I worry about that. I don’t worry about other people judging me; I think maybe I can handle that. I worry about giving myself a hard time and discovering that I actually suck.

KB: Well we’re always our worst critics. We might think something sucks but other people love it and what we love other people will think sucks.

AV: That’s funny because my least favourite track on the album I’ve been told, by the majority of people, is the crowd favourite.

KB: Which is your favourite and which is the crowd favourite?

AV: My favourite is track two “Shut Em Down” and track three is everybody else’s favourite, “Red Slippers”.

I think people really enjoy the beat of “Red Slippers”, it’s really up-tempo. The chorus gets in your head, I’m saying something that’s a cliché line so you can sing along with it and you feel like you’ve already heard it before. Actually so is track two, the chorus is an old Public Enemy chorus. I just like track two because it’s a little more evil, less up-tempo and happy.

KB: Why is it evil? What is it about?

AV: At the time I wrote “Shut Em Down”, I was serving, so there’s a lot of allusions about serving people and having them boss me around and having to smile and take it.

It’s also a reference to me closing the restaurant every night. I try not to worry too much about staying on topic but have sort of a general theme that I stick with. I think that’s what I like about the song, I like the lyrics a lot and that the beat is dark and that it’s a simple baseline.

KB: Any collaboration you’d like to make happen?

AV: For hip hop I really like Cadence Weapon, I think he’s doing some really cool stuff. He’s almost not even hip hop anymore; he’s gone electro-pop with mc-ing on it.

For awhile I stopped rapping and picked up a guitar and thought I was a singer/songwriter. I realize that I’m good at the writing thing but I don’t think I was really good at the playing and singing thing. I really enjoy Joel Plaskett and I think that his writing and tunes are right up my alley. I would love to write a song for Joel Plaskett although his strength is writing so I don’t know why he would need me.

I’ve always done my own beats and I would really like to rhyme over a Just Blaze beat or rhyme over an original Neptune beat: that would be really cool. Or have Pharrell sing on a hook!

KB: So what’s the new album like?

AV: I set out to do something a lot more accessible. People would say, I really like track three, so I tried to hone in on what it was they liked about it and what I didn’t like about it. I think it’s that there’s a really accessible chorus and the beat is up-tempo and I thought, well why not make an album that has those elements but that I also really enjoy.

The lyrics are much less aggressive and cryptic. They’re much more accessible and the hooks are the focus of the songs. It’s really about having that sing-a-long feel. I’m happy with them.

KB: Do you have any shows coming up?

AV: I’ve had a few offers lately but I’ve put it all on hiatus because I’m changing focus with my music. I’ve put the shows on hold until I finish my new album.

KB: When can people expect the new album?

AV: I think by the end of the summer!

KB: Well it was good chatting with you! Thanks for the interview and good luck with the new album!

AV: Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

For those that missed the BET Awards last night, Jay-Z premiered his video for his first single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”, which is set to appear on the Blueprint 3. The Blueprint 3 will also be the first album that Jay-Z is releasing on his new label ROC Nation, a collaboration between Jay and Live Nation.

Click on link to download.

Jay-Z “D.O.A.” (Death Of Autotune)
Lykke Li “After Laughter (Comes Tears)”
Keys N Krates Live Remixes Vol. 1 [zShare link]

This week’s Throwback Thursday is coming straight outta Brownsville, Brooklyn. Yep, I’m talkin’ about M.O.P. short for Mash Out Posse and features members Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame. For the youngin’s out there M.O.P. has been in the game for a minute now with their first album, To The Death, debuting in 1994. I, personally, first heard of them back in 95/96 and it was through everyone’s hip-hop bible at the time, The Source. I was really getting my feet wet again with NYC hip-hop as Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers and Biggie’s Ready To Die really had me wanting more from the East Coast. So I took a chance and imported two albums to Canada, that was like $40 each CD at the time, those two albums were: Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt (which no one had heard of at the time) and M.O.P.’s Firing Squad. It was love the first time I heard both albums, but the M.O.P. album it was the gritty rhymes and the scratchy hard vocals that had me intrigued.With joints like “Stick To Ya Gunz”, “New Jack City” and”World Famous” to name a few. The complete album was a smash and featured production work from DJ Premier on quite a few of the tracks.

So for this Throwback Thursday we dedicate this to M.O.P.’s second album Firing Squad.

World Famous

Stick To Ya Gunz

Firing Squad

New Jack City

Downtown Swinga ‘96

Click Link To Download.

Au Revoir Simone “Shadows” The Teenagers Remix
White Lies “Nothing To Give” M83 Remix
Lil’ Wayne ft. Kanye West, T.I. & Jay-Z “U Ain’t Neva Gottz Ask” Dem Joints Productions

Stream

Dropping on June 1st will be Rocawears latest line of sneakers called R+ Evolution. As you can see there’s a few different design cues that the sneaker takes from, Supras and a bit of the Nike RT1 Highs as examples. Not much news has actually been released on the upcoming sneaker, but with the release date around the corner I’m sure we’ll find out more.

Via: Thelifefiles

Came across this promotional video from Rocawear that features past, present and future ad campaigns, music video montages and such. The song in the background, Jay-Zs “Brooklyn We Go Hard”, which of course samples Santigolds “Shove It”. Celebs you’ll see in this vid include Jay-Z (of course), Naomi Campbell, Freeway, Larry Johnson and a ton more.

Link: Roc4life.com

Crews from Europe and North America represented at Urban Artistry’s Soul Society Dance Battle this Saturday in Washington DC, and the competition was fierce.

Urban Artistry founder Junious “House” Brickhouse saw an opportunity to bring all genres of dance together for one event to capture the new connection between underground and commercial dance.  “The two communities have a big gap in both understanding and history, although they are now beginning to come together a little bit more,” said House.
“Well,” I said, “you know something incredible is going on when you’ve got a few hundred people from all over the world dancing and vibing and smiling ear to ear and not one drop of alcohol in the place.”

And the vibe was incredible. Crews and dancers from Germany, Finland, Canada, NYC, LA, Philly, Baltimore, and DC warmed up together while the DJ played a mix of house, funk, soul, and hip hop. Outside Scotty Patzschke aka BBoy Scotty76 of Stuttgart Germany (Assassins Crew) created an amazing graffiti mural on a designated wall. “I just love being in an environment where everyone has been brought together because of their love for dance” said BGirl Amy Casil. Judging by the smiles and sweat soaked shirts of every other person in the large ballroom, I think everyone would agree.

The choreography competition began first as judges Jayson Wright (LA- has worked with Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z), Rashaad Pearson (DC), JaQuel Knight (LA- choreographed Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video and contributed to Britney’s Circus Tour routines), Sophie Richard (Montreal), Junius Brickhouse (DC) and Rizqi Rachmat (DC), and Baronhawk Poitier (DC) were treated to creations from genres ranging from hip hop, popping and locking, waacking, modern and interpretive, house, and breakdancing.

Capital Funk Crew (DC) and YFAMD (VA Beach) brought large group choreography routines while DC’s Enjoy (comprised of Jahaan Amin and Neico Joy) worked as a duo to wow the crowd with their unbelievable synchronization. Philly’s Olive Dance Theatre brought something very different with Jaamal Benjamin’s solo routine which mixed interpretive and modern moves with a bit of breakdancing. Jamie Merwin had actually created the routine 3 years ago with BBoy YNot of the famous Rock Steady Crew. “The routine is usually done in a multimedia theater, with images of man’s struggle against conformity flashing in the background as Jaamal moves on a conveyor belt,” she said. And finally 99 Cents of DC performed their routine made up of hip hop and house moves demonstrated by three male dancers. All the crews were extremely talented, but Capital Funk Crew won the coveted $1000 and multimedia pack prize.

Up next, judges Bboy Ata (Ghost Crew, Finland), Scotty76 and V-San (Germany) determined winners of head to head 5 V 5 battles between 6 competing break crews.

Each group brought their own style of toprocks, downrocks, crowd pleasing freezes and power moves, and theatrical flair for smack talking used in bboy jams. DC’s Sonic Crew emphasized the ability of next generation breakers as 9 year old bboy James Draney threw out headspins and tight freezes all with the confidence of someone three times his age. And the precision and creativity of veteran bboys was demonstrated by DC’s Lionz of Zion. Sonny Tran aka BBoy Ghost said he has been breaking with BBoy Scramblez since 1992 and in 1995 they formed the L of Z Crew. One BGirl represented with the Soul Records crew, and while holding her own in floorwork, reminded the crowd that a little feminine touch on toprocks and downrocks can add a lot more room for individualism and creativity.

In between competitions and judge’s deliberations, audience and crews could peruse the wares of vendors such as Rogue Squirrel, Wildchild, Monsters of Hip Hop, and CypherStyles or just move to the beats which did not stop for 12 straight hours.

The performances of these dancers and crews have inspired to keep attending the dance classes Urban Artistry members teach in the DC area. As 9 year olds and countless amazing BGirls have demonstrated, anybody can be a great dancer if they put forth the same effort and creativity as those involved today.

Many thanks to Urban Artistry and Rogue Squirrel. I can only say that today was dope.

Jayson Wright

Junius "House" Brickhouse

Capital Funk Crew- Choreography Winners

Choreography Judges

Sonny Tran Aka BBoy Ghost- Lionz of Zion (DC)

Break Battle Judges

Rizqi Rachmat

BBoy Ata (Ghost Crew-Finland)

9 year old James Draney (Sonic Crew- DC)

Scotty76 (Assassins Crew- Germany)

Back in November of 2008, we did an introduction post on Melanie Fiona and posted her album sampler. At the time she was selected by Kanye West to open for him during his European Tour, what made this shocking was that she had never had an album released and her single wasn’t in heavy rotation…yet. But hey when you have ?uestlove and Jay-Z vouching for you and showing up to your showcase, not having an album out, doesn’t seem all that important. Fast forward months later and her single “Give It To Me Right” is getting mad spins as well as having the likes of Talib Kweli, Raekwon and Busta Rhymes on the remixed versions. We were able to catch up with Melanie for a quick interview.

Killahbeez: Hi Melanie, thanks for taking the time in doing this interview. Why don’t you start by introducing yourself for folks out there that aren’t familiar with your style of music?

Melanie Fiona: Melanie Fiona…singer/songwriter/supergirl. My debut album is releasing this spring through SRC Universal Motown Records. My single “Give it to Me Right” is currently being added to radio and is available on iTunes. At the risk of putting myself in a box, I’ll call my music Pop Soul.

KB: I’m a fellow Canadian and I read that you are also from Canada, Toronto to be exact. Toronto is quite well known for the different communities it has in the city and essentially a true melting pot, has this influenced your music?

MF: Canadians Rock!!! Toronto is definitely one of the most culturally diverse cities I have ever seen. Growing up in a Caribbean household, and interacting with so many different types of cultures really influenced the music I do. I knew I wanted to make music for all kinds of people, and you hear that in the songs. Some songs reflect my culture… so they might have a reggae/calypso feel. Others might have licks of hip hop, r&b, pop, rock….I think there’s something on there for everyone.

KB: Yeah that definitely comes through on the sampler that I was given.

KB: You mentioned your debut album, which is called The Bridge, is slated to be released in the Spring. Could you talk about what people can expect to hear as well as the album name?

MF: The album is called “The Bridge”. I feel like it bridges the gap between genres of music, ethnicities, age groups, and genders. People can definitely expect to hear soulful music with live instrumentation, and memorable and relatable stories.

KB: Speaking of memorable. The lead single “Give It To Me Right” is hella sexy and empowering for women, was that the focus of writing this song?

MF: Thank you! It is very empowering…I feel so strong every time I sing or perform that song. It was written by a super talented songwriter and producer on the album, Andrea Martin. She knows me very well, professionally and personally, it’s a real reflection of the type of woman I am. I feel like there should be no shame in expressing what you want, and not settling for the things you don’t. I feel proud to know that it will empower people….not just women, but everyone who feels the same.

KB: Keeping with “Give It To Me Right”, the song is sampled from the Zombies “Time Of the Season”, how was that sample or record introduced to you to be used for “Give It To Me Right”?

MF: Well I was already a fan of that song from time! It’s a classic! When we started working on the music for the album, we knew we wanted to pay tribute to the “old” by putting a “new” spin on it. That sample is familiar and easy to vibe with….it was the perfect fit for the lyrics.

KB: You recently came off of the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West over in Europe. What was that experience like and how did that opportunity to work with Kanye come about?

MF: It was amazing! Kanye and I had never met before the tour. My management presented my music to him when he was looking for his opening acts. He really liked the music and gave me the opportunity. It was unbelievable. Here I am this unknown artist, with no music out, and I’m opening for Kanye!!! I learned so much from the tour, and from watching him perform night after night. He’s one of the best I’ve seen. It was such an honour cause he’s one of my favourite artists as well.

KB: Did he give you any guidance or tips?

MF: The best advice he gave me was “Whatever you gotta do to make people remember you, do it. Don’t be afraid to do it.” Priceless words of wisdom!

KB: Definitely. And a man true to his words. So is Mr. West doing any work on The Bridge?

MF: Maybe on album 2 or a future remix…[Laughter]. I would love to work with him!

KB: In addition to that tour, you also recently did a showcase in New York and had dudes like ?uestlove and Jay-Z out to show support. Did you know they were there? How’d that make you feel that you had that kind of support from fellow peers?

MF: Man! It was really overwhelming when I found out they were in the building. I’m signed to Jay-Z’s management company so it was a really honour to have his support that night. And ?uest is not only a great friend but an artist and musician I have admired for years. It was one of the happiest nights of my life….There was so much love in the room that night.

KB: Wow. That’s pretty awesome. So taking this on a tangent. What 5 albums can’t you live without?

MF: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Legend- Bob Marley
Portrait of a Legend- Sam Cooke
Full Moon- Brandy
The Best of Sade- Sade

KB: And your musical influences?

MF: Those are most of the influences with the exceptions of other greats like Whitney Houston and India Arie.

KB: Changing topics to fashion. What are some of your favorite pieces / pieces you couldn’t live without?

MF: As for staples in fashion, I’d have to have wicked pair of high heels, a fresh pair of kicks, a comfy hoodie, leggings and a dress that makes me feel like a woman! But my favourite article right now in my closet are my Tory Burtch leather knee boots.

KB: Any particular designer that you love to follow?

MF: Not one in particular, but any that can marry vintage and current…my style is something old and something new.

KB: Ahhh…similar to your music.

KB: Well this concludes the interview. Any closing comments for folks out there on why they should pick up The Bridge?

MF: I just really want to say thank you to everyone whose shown support. I really do this, not just for myself, but (also) for what I think you want to hear. When the album drops, GO GET IT!!! I promise you will not be disappointed…. It’s just good, classic, timeless music. Much Love!

KB: thanks again.

MF: Thanks for the interview!

For this week’s Throwback Thursday, I had a struggle with Youtube and finding music of yesteryear to pay homage to.  I simply have too many favorite jams of many genres.  Instead, let’s delve into popular streetwear of the 90’s.  The tossup was between Starter Jackets, Champion tees or Marithe Francois Girbaud jeans.  There were other brands too, but these three came to mind with quickness.

The year was 1991 and my peers began wearing pastel colored Champion branded shorts, tees, crewnecks and hoodies.  One by one, my friends started looking like single solid colored Bearbricks. I didn’t fully understand the hype behind this glorified subsidiary of Hanes.  I had my infrared AM90’s to keep me happy then.  Which would then span an ongoing love with sneakers.  But apparently wearing Champion clothing was the right thing to do.

Maybe it was the influential hip hop artists like Tribe, Mobb Deep or Jay Z sporting the Champion crewnecks?  Or perhaps it was the brand’s association with the NBA.  Spanning between 1990 through 2000, Champion was the exclusive sponsor to the NBA.  Or maybe it was just the simplicity of the “C” logo that captured us.  Regardless, it was iconic to urban fashion of the 90’s and is still worn today like a pair of Air Force 1’s.

Source: Wiki and Drjays.com