Glastonbury Festival have announced the first wave of artists for their 2014 event this morning taking place between 27th-29th June. Take a look at these and then try and work out who the headline ‘special guests’ are. There are more to be announced soon but rumours flying around that a Led Zeppelin line up could be the guests. Thoughts? Rumours also flying around that Shepard Fairey is doing artwork for the band right now for a forthcoming release.
Purity Ring x Danny Brown
‘Belispeak II’
This shouldn’t work but it does. Two artists who are almost the polar opposite of each other in terms of style but who are receiving a similar level of hype and appreciation in the blogosphere have re-imagined an existing track with spine-tingling results. Purity Ring’s ‘Belispeak‘ is a bonafide beauty of a track and here it gets remixed slightly and is graced with some Danny Brown rhymes. The rapper’s inimitable style stands out like a sore thumb on the understated electronic softness of the track but somehow the additional pulsating glitches added to this version meld with Brown’s groove creating an utterly addictive take on ‘Belispeak’.
What we wouldn’t give to see these guys tour together… Or maybe create an entire collaborative album. Just re-work the whole of ‘Shrines’. Why not!
Words: Sarah Maynard
Habits & Contradictions
(Top Dawg Entertainment)
With all the hype surrounding rappers from Danny Brown to A$AP Rocky to Mr Muthafuckin’ eXquire, it seems one has been criminally bumped to one side. Schoolboy Q is an LA rapper and part of the Black Hippy group with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, having already released one album last year to some small acclaim.
But it’s with his new album that heads have been turning. A number of people were made aware of him with his stellar guest spot on A$AP Rocky’s mixtape on the track Brand New Guy but on his own album, he really comes into his own over a fantastic variety of beats, allowing him to show fun sides of his personality as well as the straight up gangster flex.
Whether rapping over Lissie samples [Hands on the Wheel], Portishead samples [Raymond 1969], alongside female R&B singers [a brilliant cameo from Jhene Aiko on Sex Drive] or the undeniable thumping Druggys Wit Hoes Again with his crew made Ab-Soul, Q showcases his ability to perform over laid back beats, bangers and everything inbetween. Whilst he might not be the greatest rapper in the world, he is definitely one to give time too.
It’s an album that might not instantly soar up any “must listen” lists, but given time, it’ll embed itself in your mind and demand attention time and again without you even realising it. Schoolboy Q, get to know about him, this dude has talent.
Abjekt
Danny Brown has released a new mixtape entitled XXX.
The rapper, who is now signed to the Fool’s Gold label, dropped his 19 track mixtape earlier this week and it has been gaining rave reviews across the board. With beats from the likes of Paul White, Frank Dukes and Skywlkr amongst others, it’s definitely one to grab.
You can listen to it below and download it for free here.
Producer and rapper Black Milk has announced that he will be working with Danny Brown on a collaborative project.
Milk, whose group Random Axe released their album this year, had worked with Danny Brown on his [Milk’s] solo album Album of the Year and they decided to make an entire album together. Speaking on the collaboration, he said:
“There’s probably going to six or seven cuts on there, just trying to keep momentum going…[‘Black and Brown’] was one of people’s favorite joints from [Album of The Year], so I was just thinking lets throw out a couple joints in an EP. Plus, we have a video coming out for ‘Black and Brown’ too.”
If you needed reminding how dope Danny Brown is too, just watch the video below.
Paul White is releasing a new album.
The London producer’s new record Rapping With Paul White, is his first vocal album and features a number of great guests including Guilty Simpson, Danny Brown and Jehst and will be released on the brilliant One Handed Music label. Check out the tracklisting below and get excited, this one’s big.
1. Intro: We Make A Lot Of Noise
2. Right On
3. Trust ft. Guilty Simpson
4. Run Shit ft. Marv Won
5. One Of Life’s Pleasures ft. Danny Brown
6. The Doldrums
7. Life Is Flashing Interlude
8. Stampeding Elephants ft. Moe Pope
9. Rotten Apples ft. Tranqill
10. Thirty Days
11. A Weird Day ft. Homeboy Sandman
12. African New Wave
13. Indigo Glow ft. Jehst
14. Dirty Slang ft. Guilty Simpson
15. A New Way
16. Evasive Action
17. Wily Walruses ft. Nancy Elizabeth
18. Outro: We’ll Never End
AXE Distribution from Birmingham hit the road for a couple of days with a van packed full of skaters and came back with some park footage. Watch it here.
Danny Brown has signed to Fool’s Gold Records and dropped a new video.
The Detroit rapper has released the video to the track Guitar Solo which comes from The Hybrid, his album of last year. We don’t really need to tell you why to watch this beyond the fact he has straightened hair and no front tooth. The beat is dope too.
Gwarn and watch it:
DANNY BROWN ‘Guitar Solo’ from Stedfast Media on Vimeo.