Benz and a Backpack

The nation’s smallest state is teeming with talented musicians. Falside is a producer out of Rhode Island and part of the Poorly Drawn People collective.  To put it lightly, he’s a monster on the beats. His resume boasts production for a variety of MC’s including Papoose, Planet Asia, Reef the Lost Cauze, El Da Sensei, Pace Won, Slaine (of La Coka Nostra), Reks, C-Rayz Walz, Vast Aire, Pack FM, and Jeru the Damaja. Fal handled the engineering on Action Bronson’s track “Imported Goods,” which was recently featured on XXL.com. His most recent beat tape, Jesus Shaves, shows an ambitious mind and eclectic ear for beat making, pulling together samples from many varied genres. The tape caught some serious shine and was featured by URB Magazine on their website back in June. Keep tabs on Falside and his music via his website or on Twitter!

Falside by BenzAndABackpack

Download: Falside – Jesus Shaves (Beat Tape)

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FourOhOne is a talented producer/beat-maker emerging from the Providence, Rhode Island music scene.  With a seemingly limitless imagination and a multitude of sonic influences, he has truly crafted his own sound.  Whether it is a dusty record sample or a fascinating synthesized soundscape, FourOhOne has placed beats with some of the hottest up-and-comers in his area.  Aside from his contributions to the hip-hop scene, he can also be found touring the east coast with the live, improvisational, electro/house band Mongo. In a world where an artist’s lifestyle overshadows their art, FourOhOne lets his music speak for itself.

FourOhOne by BenzAndABackpack

For more on FourOhOne (live shows, contact info, etc.) check him out on Facebook!

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Every now and then, trying circumstances arise that would put a strain on any relationship. When that strain becomes sustained, or when it shows some semblance of permanence, it’s time to put the foundation of that relationship under the microscope and evaluate whether or not it is fundamentally sound. If it is, then you break out your tool belt and work with the other person to rebuild the interior of that relationship, and move forward. If it isn’t fundamentally sound then you tear that house down and look for a different plot of land to build on.

There’s no time to waste on people who don’t reciprocate equal love and respect. Surround yourself with the people who do, because they’ll always hold you down. Keep the others at arm’s length. Dame and Jay parted ways in 2004, most likely because Dame was not a supporter of the direction HOV was headed. Now Dame is doing much cooler shit than Jay, and he’s doing it with a group of people dedicated to a singular artistic cause. Ski Beatz, Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA are DD172 teammates featured in this week’s Mixtape Monday. Other tracks include: brand new Raekwon, Andre 3000, Styles P, Cee-Lo, KanYe, Lupe & Pharrell, as well as cuts from Detroit’s Doss The Artist & Hir-O, and Providence’s own CR The Beast and Chachi. DL link under the cut!

Benz And A Backpack Presents…Mixtape Monday – Vol. 21 by BenzAndABackpack

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The Original Flavor Unit, formed in the 1980s, was a NYC/NJ-based crew of MCs and DJs that quickly became legends in the hip-hop game under the rule of Queen Latifah. Originally, the group was centered around DJ Mark the 45 King– the man who quickly caught recognition for his ability to make next level beats by pulling the most obscure 45 RPM records from the crates. Some kind of genius, the 45 King created some of the dopest breakbeats of the late 1980s, particularly immortalizing himself as the producer behind the heavily-sampled “The 900 Number” (a track Kool Herc used for the classic party jam “Let Me Clear My Throat”). Read the rest of this entry →

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Drake’s Thank Me Later officially drops tomorrow, which means by 2010 standards it’s already ancient.  But what the hell, let’s remix “Over” anyway.  Ready?  Here we go!

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The homie Doss The Artist just dropped his newest mixtape called Computer Blue, a collection of intelligent tracks drenched in warmth and resonance as well skilled production and very thoughtful lyricism. Featuring guest spots by Dom Sirius, Anomaly, Haz Bey, LO5, PJayD, a Dilla beat and a Flying Lotus remix, the album thrives on the strength of Doss and Hir-O, the producer behind the majority of its tracks and the project as a whole. Detroit natives, they are both dexterous and poignant in their own rights, and the combination is even more holistic. In other words, the mixtape is bananas, and there is nothing else out now that sounds like it. Start with these tracks, then listen all the way through:

Doss The Artist ft. LO5 – gOing gOing gOne [prod. Hir-O)
"Nah it's not Chicago/no I ain't from Cleveland/I am from the city in the midwest where the sky is always evening"

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Doss The Artist - Lois Lane [prod. Hir-O]
The shaker and under-snare make for a syncopated pocket, perfect to display Doss’ versatility on the microphone as a vocalist. “Don’t hate me for flying/like you can’t blame Superman/for playing Clark Kent sometimes/I bet it drives the homie stupid/how you gonna be an ubermane/when you still have to save Lois Lane/how you gonna be Christ figure when ya/can’t let the green ice near ya”

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Doss The Artist – Princess Peach [prod. ACB]
The bass-heavy (as opposed to treble-heavy) beat puts Doss on his fantastical flow; he’ll be your freakin’ prince (blat!).

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Download: Doss The Artist – Computer Blue
OR
Download via Hir-O’s Bandcamp: Doss The Artist – Computer Blue

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The last few weeks have been action-packed, chocked full of hard partying and intense nostalgia, ambitious drinking and loose dancing, great music, impassioned singing, and very well-deserved celebration. To all our homies who’ve departed, we wish you the best. These last three years have been without a doubt the greatest of our lives. Last Friday night, I had the honor of playing one final show with all of my friends in the Play Good (by) Association: Jonny Blaze, Stack (a.k.a. Rossizzle), Urrric, JakE, HarriSON, the spit and image of rock and roll Jay and Cay, the most beautifulest thing in this world (Jamila + the talented Shades of Brown), and of course Doss the Artist.

It was an unforgettable night of family and friends- young and old alike- celebrating the successes of their children and peers, and we (Doss the Artist & The PGA Tour) were lucky enough to play a two-hour set that included re-imagined versions of songs by Fela Kuti, Outkast, Miles Davis, The Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, James Brown, Carl Carlton, Erykah Badu, as well as several original compositions. Thanks to a great sound man, we were able to get a very good recording of the show. Hit the skip for the download link, and check these tracks to get your palette wet:

Doss The Artist & The PGA Tour ft. Shades of Brown – Dreamin’ Eyes

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Doss The Artist & The PGA Tour – Lois Lane

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Doss The Artist & The PGA Tour – More Hoes

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Doss The Artist & The PGA Tour – ALL CAPS/Strongest Member On My Team

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Doss The Artist & The PGA Tour – The New Price

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So I have this theory…:
3rd Bass

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When taking a comprehensive look at hip-hop of the early 90′s, it’s difficult to ignore the far reaching influence of groups like Das-EFX, whose ragga-influenced flow and stream of consciousness delivery came to dominate the genre for a couple of years.  Their nearly incomprehensible lyrical style, which included excessive use of suffixes like “iggity”, tapped into the characteristically light-hearted nature of pre-1994 hip-hop.  Although the lyrics didn’t always make sense, people were too busy enjoying the fast-paced rhythms and their fresh styles to mind.  In 1992 and 1993, more artists began appropriating Das-EFX’s style, often adapting similar elements into their own joints.  Eventually, in 1996, Blackstreet released “No Diggity” in homage to the bizarre rapping style that Das-EFX referred to as “sewage”, creating an awareness of the style within the mainstream (and, ultimately, prompting several Chappelle’s Show skits).

Jay-Z: I Can’t Get Wit That (1994)

Jay-Z’s infamously calm and reserved demeanor served as a stark contrast to the livelier group street shots even in some of his earliest solo videos. My favorite verse in the Das-EFX vein appears around 2:16.

Das-EFX: They Want EFX

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Fu Schnickens feat. Phife Dawg: La Schmoove

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Lords of the Underground: Funky Child

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There will surely be more to come on the subject, but Snoop Dogg came through Providence for Brown University’s Spring Weekend and wrecked the stage with an ease that I’ve never seen before. He was wearing his classic black shades and using a ridiculously ostentatious microphone, and it felt like the DPGC big man covered the entire stage his presence was so big. After blazing through a bunch of classic tracks (Next Episode, Gin and Juice) to get the crowd warm, Snoop brought Kurupt and Daz on stage and things really got poppin’. The three emcees rolled around the stage, oozing a happy-go-lucky West Coast confidence that permeated through the audience for a close to an hour and sent them home in a daze of contentment.

Clutch has some great post-show stories to tell, but right before he left the stage Snoop told the three things everyone should do when they wake up:

1. Brush Your Teeth

2. Thank God You’re Alive

3. Smoke Weed

Words of wisdom from one of the best performers (and as it turns out, nicest people) of our time. Hit the skip for brand new tracks from J. Cole, Lupe, Jeezy, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Elect, Blu, M.O.P. and more.

J. Cole – We On

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Gil Scott-Heron ft. Nas – New York Is Killing Me

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Lupe Fiasco ft. Alicia Keys – Love Letter To The Beat

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B.o.B. ft. T.I. – Not Lost

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