Tyler the Creator - Yonkers

A few different musical styles owe themselves to a track this clean sounding, with Tyler the Creator's song "Yonkers" blending a harsh bassline over a beat more fitting for a genre like house.  This MC from Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA. [Yep.])  shows some real uniqueness with the beat alone, but his cypher and style of music video help to really set the pace for a thematic, executed kind of "conceptual" funk; not pop-like at all. That's pretty exceptional, giving the rap collective's personalities, as seen on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a couple nights ago. Something like that hardly happens (seriously, watch the clip).

This track polishes off a dark take on vibes reminiscent of more recent musical likings hip-hop is used to, with clear influence from underground rap's simplistic style of beat, and a real taste of freshness and relatable to radio even. However, given the song's dark tone, I'd be surprised to hear it when I'm driving.   Tyler the Creator's gaining significant attention, with XL Recordings, of acts like Radiohead and The White Stripes, signing a one-album release with him for his debut, Goblin. Getting that kind of attention is well deserved; this is good music, and I'm hoping to hear more.

At Yonge-Dundas Square, celebration, peace and solidarity with the people of Egypt

With the recent events in Egypt dominating the headlines of the world, it was no surprise that optimism would fill the air yesterday as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak finally stepped down, effectively ending two weeks of protest. How fortunate I was, then, to walk by Yonge-Dundas Square on Friday evening and see hundreds of people cheering, chanting "power to the people", and talking to local media in solidaridy with the people of Egypt. I immediately got out my camera, made my way into the crowd and took in the scene.

Here are some pictures of the people who came out to support the people of Egypt, the ideals of democracy, and the hope for a better future.

LISTEN: Binary Star - Glen Close

What can be said about Binary Star, the short lived duo of One Be Lo (formerly OneManArmy) and Senim Silla that hasn't already been said? A huge staple of the underground hip-hop scene in the early 2000's, these guys had the foresight to see the teetering balance of mainstream ("see now there's hip-hop, then there's hip-pop, hip POP, youknowhatimsayin?") in rap long before anyone even noticed 50 Cent holding an iPod in a music video.

With "Glen Close" off the excellent Masters of the Universe album, we are literally served flowing storytelling rap over one of the smoothest double bass licks grooves ever sampled. The high calibre of One Be Lo's inter-verse rhyming is incredibly evident when the beat jangles into a longing fervour of piano whirlwinds, as he states: "After we parted that's when trouble started/ Patty was actin' all retarded/ I tried to disregard it, but she keep playin' on my phone, and blowin' up my pager/ I wonder, hoe she keep gettin my number?/ But I find out later Patty was a good friend of Brenda, the operator". 


This song could be an a capella slam poem, delivered in the late weeknight of an underground speakeasy and still resonate it's message clearly, but the instantly classic beat not only pulls it into the realm of "d-dat' ol' real", it renders this song a defining staple among the underground rap of yesterdecade. Give this song your ears, recognize, and discover the most complimentary tag-team rap duo since Black Star.

Listen.

At Nuit Blanche, 2010.