Benz and a Backpack

The God MeLo-X is coming on strong, getting some well=deserved love from BET on their Follow Friday segment. MeLo has the unique ability to create masterful soundscapes and spit thoughtful bars over them– a Renaissance Man in the truest sense of the phrase. Hit the skip to download some of MeLo’s magisterial music.

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Straight from Life+Times:

Brooklyn’s MeLo-X is what you might call a renaissance man. Although the term is tossed around loosely, the Flatbush native truly encompasses the aspects of what it should be. Whether it is capturing the sights and sounds of New York with his photography, cooking up a delicious vegetarian meal in the kitchen, or stirring up a cauldron of his eclectic music in the studio, MeLo-X handles them all with a certain je ne sais quoi that sets him apart from others who try to peg themselves as “true” artists. In the world of music, MeLo-X seamlessly transitions between genres. He’ll shred a mic alongside Kendrick Lamar, provide the sexy soundscapes for Jesse Boykins III and craft lush electronic remixes to Body Language’s “Work This City” all without it sounding forced. As he prepares his latest dish Royal Elegance, Life+Times sits down with MeLo to discuss his origins, the art of being creative and his relationships with KiD CuDi and Maxwell.

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After months of preparation and a successful art exhibition / video debut in Brooklyn, MeLo-X brings you his latest visual masterpiece “Mirrors In My Mind.” This is a collaboration project between MeLo-X and collage artist GiGi Bio. This latest piece of work features MeLo and actress Shawntia Homenuk playing a homeless couple who survive the gritty New York streets only to become their alternate mirrored self, which is a couple filled with Royal Elegance and Style. The video also features styling by Soull & Dynasty of BRZE and additional graphic and film editing by Alexis Casson. Watch it after the jump!
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EP09 MELO-X “Dont Heza” from LIVE AT THE LOFT on Vimeo.

Straight from MeLo-X:

I debuted a new track from my upcoming beat tape entitled MELO1. For this occasion I brought a lady on stage and began creating a live beat on her lap. This is just some of the intimate moments that occurred at my Live At The Loft performance.

The project MELO1 will be the first in a series of beat tapes and art projects that I will release throughout the rest of my career.

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What first started out as one of MeLo’s signature “GodMix’s” has transformed into a love triangle, with none other than the most exotic goddess Sade at the center. Through a rhythmically driven sound scape MeLo creates a meeting point between The Weeknd’s “What You Need” and Drake’s “Marvins Room.”  This piece of art was inspired by an array of beautiful, eclectic women during a late night studio session in an attic-style Berlin apartment. Press play and let the music tell the rest of the story.

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Here is the first release from Dion Primo’s forthcoming project H.O.M.E. (which stands for High Off Music Everyday). The project will feature production from the likes of REO, Phoenix, DN8, Shamtrax & Frank Dukes as well as appearances from Melo-X & PBZE T.O, Chris Turner, NTU FARA, and Marian Mereba.  Stream/download “Colors” below. Shouts to Steph, spotted on The Sound Killers.

Download: Dion Primo – Colors (Single)

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MeLo-X revisits one of his classic acoustic driven tracks “With You (Revised)” from his 2008 mixtape Mustafa’s Renaissance for this video, which highlights some of the beautiful women who came to see him perform at this years Bread & Butter 10th Year Anniversary Festival in Berlin. Timeless music makes timeless experiences.

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Step into the Mind of MeLo as he does his first show in Brooklyn since the release of the More Merch Mixtape and his tour overseas. This Mini-Doc gives you a glimpse of MeLo’s past, present and future as a world-traveled, seasoned performing artist. The Mini-Doc features guest appearances by Travis Grumbs and Joshua Kissi of Street Etiquette, as well as Jesse Boykins III.

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We are without a doubt still in the era of music where singles dominate, where albums take a backseat and long-form mixes get tied up and thrown in the trunk. That being said, there are certainly many sources for good long-form mixes: Stones Throw, anything J. Rocc, RJD2, The Avalanches (and Breezeblock mixes in general) DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, Rob Swift and the list goes on. This here is a wonderfully cosmic 71-minute mix courtesy of Lichiban and mixed by MeLo-X, featuring 30 stellar tracks ranging from Bilal to Little Dragon, Dam Funk to Waajeed. Straight from the horse’s mouth:

The original inspiration for this mix was a drawing entitled “Love Takes You Higher” I did to illustrate my developing kat mythology. The image representing the divine couple of my mystical feline beach resort, KATAPULKO, was modeled after Samantabhadra, known amongst some Tibetan Buddhists as the ‘primordial Buddha’ and his consort and female counterpart, Samantabhadri, the female Buddha. They are united by an unbreakable bond of love through all eternity, and their cosmic lovemaking ensures that the habitants of my feline planet Citraka live in harmonious balance. Vol. 1 represents the male side, soon to be followed by a mix representing the feminine counterpart.

To launch the mix series, I asked my good friend, producer/MC/DJ & renaissance man, MeLo-X to make sense of the thirty tracks. Needless to say, I couldn’t have asked a better person for the job…MeLo’s got flow, whether he’s rhyming to his own beats or blending other people’s music. His mix feels like a psychedelic space-ride suited for bedrooms or laid-back sonic travels (imaginary or actual). Expect a sensual sonic journey through genre-bending futuristic gems and unreleased exclusives from some of the best representatives of contemporary modern funk, soul, experimental hip-hop and more genre-bending project. To quote MeLo himself, this is “epic space travel cosmic music” all the way through. A summertime soundtrack for lovers for getaways in all dimensions.

Katapulko series: LOVE TAKES YOU HIGHER (mixed by MeLo-X) Vol 1. by lichibanblossom

An extensive tracklist and download link after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

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Steve-Ography presents: Inside The Mind Of MeLo, a compilation of records that will allow new listeners to gain insight into who MeLo-X, the new Renaissance Man, is. It is also a reminder for current patrons as to why they’ve been on this musical journey towards discovery with the GodGod. Accordingly, the tape features a spectrum of MeLo’s music, including two songs for which MeLo has already released fantastic visuals: “The Highest” and “Xtra Drop.” Take some time and get familiar with MeLo. I promise it’ll be worth your while.

MeLo-X – Inside The Mind Of MeLo by BenzAndABackpack6

Download: Inside The Mind Of MeLo (Mixtape)

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On a hot summer day in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Jesse Boykins III captures MeLo-X in his raw element of royal elegance. In one straight shot MeLo-X shows how refined his lyrical skills actually are: he switches up rhyme schemes and accents every eight bars, spicing up his verses with poetic devices all throughout. “Xtra Drop” was debuted earlier this year by DJ Semtex on BBC 1Xtra and is a freestyle version of Wiley and MJ Cole’s original track “From the Drop.” And, if you didn’t catch MeLo-X’s performance of “Maxwell’s Bad Habits (Remix),” you don’t even know how desperately you need to see it:

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BaaBP: So first of all, how does one become a socialite?

LF: It’s not something you really become, its something in your character to be a social person. You know? A lot of people tend to wanna conversate with you, and you just start knowing mad people from just talking to them and being out there and people liking your character, being yourself.  And that’s pretty much how it is, you can’t be like ‘oh I wanna be a socialite’.  It’s something that’s in your character and your personality.

“This is hard, I’m not a fucking rapper” – Lil’ Friday on “Maniac Mode”.

For some artists, supporters can cross the threshold from being a casual fan to someone who embraces a complete sub-cultural movement. There are likely millions of Wiz Khalifa fans across the country, but if you decide to rock Chuck’s and smoke strictly spliffs, you have graduated to the ranks of Taylor Gang.  Brooklynite Lil’ Friday, another seemingly casual rapper, creates a similar kind of following with his music. While other artists have embellished drinking, girls, and clubbing, Lil’ Friday’s music remains unique because he takes the energy he receives first hand from hopping around New York’s underground party scene and puts it directly back into his music.  It’s a commoner’s approach to becoming a suave socialite. Lil’ Friday might have a larger than life personality, but like the rest of us, still appreciates a good pregame.

Check out his Electronic Press Kit and mixtape Everyday is Friday below, keep up with Lil’ Friday on Twitter, and hit the skip for the full interview.

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