Maximum Balloon ft. Yukimi Nagano - If You Return

Maximum Baloon is the side project of TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek.
Album set for release on Aug. 24.  You will buy it.

This new jam features Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon (remember?).
Other appearances on the album include FF&SS favorites, TVotR, Karen O and Thephilus London.  I am officially excited.

OH!!  Check out their extra dope previous jam, "Tiger".
Better yet, check out Daisy Lowe dancing to it in her underwear.

DJ's Be Flippin'

Marco Polo, Frank Dukes, Rich Kidd, & MoSS Flip Famous Samples from Real Frequency on Vimeo.

OK...what you have here is 4 Torontonian (I say its a word) producers tasked with the job of taking jams that you're already very familiar with and flippin' 'em in ways you wouldn't expect.

Of course, it was the fact that someone was going to use Al B. Sure's "Night & Day" that made me watch this in the first place.  It's one of my 5 all-time favorite jams*, and I will listen to anything that samples it...and dammit, what Marco Polo did with it was just crazy.

* YEAH!  I said it!

Jineses - Lonely Toss

Lonely Toss featuring Nelson Estevez and Akira Adel from Jinesis on Vimeo.

I assume this Jinesis chap is a producer of some sort, because there are no lyrics involved here.  It's more of a story set to his beat.  Creative stuff.  And I give him credit for flippin' a "Tender Love" * sample and geting away with it.  Not an easy task.

* Is "Tender Love" the slow-jamminest slow jam for you Gen-X folks?  Y'all that used to have literal backpack rappers, house parties, relaxed hair and all that shit I'm 7yrs too young to remember.  Do you react to that like how people's daddies react to Al Green jams?  I bet you do.  Don't lie!!!  You KNOW you dry-humped in somebody's basement to "Tender Love"!

Reflection Eternal - Ballad of the Black Gold

Reflection Eternal "Ballad of the Black Gold" from Sam Ellison on Vimeo.

The timing of this single and video is somethin', ain't it?

Jay-Z ft. Lil' Wayne - Summer In Brooklyn (Cookin Soul Remix)

What happens when you smash together Jay-Z, Wayne, Quincy Jones, and the Helvicta font.

And while we're here...you know I had to give you some of this, right?

Asher Roth - Toni Braxton

Seriously...no more albums for Asher Roth.
Only the mixtapes, please.

I have a 20min rant on why he's better on these mixtapes, but you don't care.

The Away Team: Independence Day

Emcee Sean Boog and producer/(sometimes) emcee, Khrysis are The Away Team.
New mixtape dropped over the weekend with appearances by 9th Wonder, Sean Price, Black Milk and a gang of other folks.  Have some.  Sure to be dope.

Black Milk - How Dare You

When you name your upcoming album Album of the Year, you better come out with some dope shit.  Well . . .there you go.

I wish there were more double-duty emcee/producers in Hip-Hop.

St. Joe Louis - Electric Company (J57 Remix)

Pay attention, people.

I told you about SJL's Almost There EP back in April, but I'll give you another warning:  Get up on this now, before one of your cornball friends does and you lose the prime opportunity to accumulate maximum cool points*.  It looks like the group is going to be releasing a few remixes of the EP's jams, starting with this one by J57 from Brown Bag AllStars.

Have some.

* Side note:  I will now start an indie band and call it Maximum Cool Points

The Roots ft. STS & Joanna Newsome - Right On

You got The Roots new album, right?  Right.  Why wouldn't you?
I think this might be my favorite joint.  It never get through my iPhone without getting the repeat treatment at least once.  It's not a single or anything...just my jam.

Naturel - More Bullets

This is dope.
Starts out with a timeless feel, and blends into the modern.
Feels like I just described a painting with a snifter of brandy in my hand.
Yeesh.

Von Pea (of Tanya Morgan) - So Motivational: The Most Skullduggery of Mixtapes

Damn, the Tanya Morgan boys have been busy.
New mixtape action from Von Pea on a Friday.  Can't be mad.

MED ft. Talib Kweli - Classic

Smoove.
I really can't remember the last time I heard new music from MED.  Wow.

Kid CuDi ft. Kanye West - Erase Me

This is gonna be big in high schools.
In my car...not so much.

Janelle Monae ft. B.o.B. & Lupe Fiasco - Tightrope (Wondamix)

I think the world needs Janelle and 3000 to do an album together.  Or have a baby or something.  Unless they really are the same person, from parallel dimensions and the universe would implode into a black hole if they were ever in contact with each other.  Then maybe not.