If I told you there was this white guy named Yelawolf, born Michael Wayne Atha, who grew up in Alabama listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd, you’d probably develop some pretty hasty stereotypes about him.
If I then told you he was also half Cherokee (hence the stage name) and considered becoming a pro skateboarder before doing the music thing, that stereotype might go in a completely different direction, but one image it almost certainly wouldn’t conjure is that of one of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars.
That’s right—this kid who looks like something in between Eminem and Travis Barker is the hottest new rapper I’ve come across since J. Cole (who’s new album is hot, hot heat, by the way). He’s been featured on a track from the new Big Boi album and has made cameos for Slim Thug and Juelz Santana as well, but his own debut record won’t hit stores until September. Still, there’s enough stuff from the kid out there already for us to know that Yelawolf is the real deal.
Seriously, he’s bona fide.
Check out “Pop the Trunk” or “I Wish” to witness Yela successfully walking that delicate tight rope between lyrics and flow. There’s a very clear southern influence in most of his early songs, compiled on his Trunk Muzik mixtape, both in terms of beats and his clearly Alabaman twang. That, added to his energetic, quick-tongued lyrical style, gives him a unique vibe that’s earned him quite a lot of recognition before even recording an album with his new label, Interscope Records—coincidentally, also Eminem’s label.
He’s infectious, and one of the better “fast” rappers I’ve heard in a long time. That style sort of went out when the popularity of Bone Thugs and Twista waned a little bit, but this is a guy who’ll make you want to sit and figure out what he’s saying so you can sing along in your car. The beats hit, the lyrics are tight, and Yelawolf is legitimately doing some innovative stuff with the genre.
How many half-white, half-Cherokee skateboarding rappers from Alabama do you know? At least one, but that’s more than you probably knew yesterday, and trust me—you’ll be glad I added him to repertoire.
Check out “I Wish” here:
And “Pop the Trunk”:
I like my hip-hop blended with a splash of Indian music. Well, bangra music to be exact. Yeah, that’s how I roll. In order to get a good feel for what I am talking about, we will need to drop on back to 2003, and take a listen to Panjabi MC’s Beware. If you claim that you have been exposed to Indian culture because you watched Slumdog Millionaire, well, you need to get out more. Strap yourself in and let’s learn you something new.
Mr. Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC, aka Rajinder Singh Rai, had been crafting beats for a while when he finally got deserved attention in 2002-2003. Are you wondering where his moniker came from? Well, I am glad you asked. His stage name “Panjabi” pays homage to his Punjabi culture. “MC” pays homage to Master of Ceremonies. With me so far? Now that you understand his name, it is important to understand the music. Panjabi MC has made it a goal to create a unique fusion of bhangra and hip-hop. What we get is a beat driven style that never quits. Do you need to understand all of the lyrics to enjoy the music? Not at all. I mean, do you honestly understand the lyrics of most of the current hip-hop coming out of the states? My point exactly.
Beware really gained steam in 2003, because of its phenomenal head-bobbing title track. It also didn’t hurt that Jay-Z tossed his talent into the mix. Add it all up and you got yourself an international smash hit. Since Beware, Panjabi MC has continued to put out new music and find ways to forge great partnerships with other artists. Beware was a big deal for me because it marked a eye-opening moment in my musical appreciation. Panjabi MC reminded me that there is a whole bunch of music floating around the globe that is just waiting to be shared with others. Get your dancing shoes on and expand your horizons with Beware.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Beware”, “Jogi” and “Jatt Ho Giya Sharabee”
Scope out the Jay-Z remix of “Beware”
Buy the Album
Based out of Chicago ourselves, we love to find homegrown talent. There is something to be said about a talented artist from our very own Chicago and now, Daphne Willis will join the ranks of such artists as Cheap Trick, Kanye West, Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, Lupe Fiasco, Liz Phair and Koko Taylor. Not a bad list. Especially the Cheap Trick part.
Her soulful voice is so powerful it will literally blow your socks off (do people say that anymore?) Her voice is very similar to up-and-comer Angel Taylor in the sense that her pitch is impeccable and her control is completely acrobatic. Her old school sound adds in horns and bluesy guitar riffs for a vintage feel generally only achieved by seasoned veterans. But Daphne Willis has the “it” factor now, so why wait to be seasoned? Exactly.
Her latest release What To Say promises to deliver everything you imagine and more. Assuming you aren’t imagining the album comes with $100 bills stuffed in the case. If that is what you are imagining than no, it won’t deliver. If you are looking for a solid album from a solid up-and-comer, than What To Say definitely promises to deliver.
Since she’s from Chicago, you better believe we’ll be at one of her upcoming shows, but if you want to check her tour schedule for some other dates, make sure you go to her website for all of the details or “deets” as we call it on the streets.
Check out the video for “Everybody Else”. It has what appears to be Cookie Monster in it. Although I’m sure for copyright reasons I can’t confirm that:
Buy What To Say:
Thanks Special K!
In the City of Owls, music Sails in the Sky.
That’s a motivational Gabe-ism I just made up for this post, and I hope it means as much to you as it did to me in the long process of coming up with it.
In creating this small bit of idiomatic genius, I was inspired by talented synth-pop-indie artist Adam Young, known more commonly as Owl City in music circles, because he’s releasing a collection of songs under the name Sky Sailing from before he hit it big.
My muse.
Vocally, you’re absolutely going to recognize Young’s now famous voice, and while a lot of the chord progressions and melodies are very similar to tracks from “Ocean Eyes,” the synthesized vibe of Owl City is replaced with songs much more heavily dependant on the strum of the acoustic guitar.
But the tunes are still beautiful and dreamy, the lyrics are still refreshingly poetic, and there’s still a strong sense that every song could be played during the I’m-Learning-Something-From-This-Whole-Thing scene in just about any coming of age independent film ever made. Every song comes off epic yet simple—even more so than the Owl City stuff.
With a gun to my head—not an entirely implausible scenario—I’d still take Owl City over Sky Sailing because the newer stuff is more upbeat and memorable, but that doesn’t mean this throwback new release isn’t refreshing in it’s own way.
It Sails in the Sky in the City of Owls, but a little too close to the sun.
That’s deep, right? Let it marinate a little while you get your credit card prepped for what is sure to be an immediate download from iTunes or Amazon or wherever you get your music. In the meantime, I’ll be thinking up more sweet-ass Gabe-isms for later this week.
Stay tuned, and believe in the stars.
Check out “Brielle” from the new (old?) album:
And grab the album everywhere today!
We featured Mika a little while ago in our world-famous Weekly Jukebox. If we knew then what we know now, we would have given him his own post. Truthfully, we did know then what we know now, but had I known now what I could have known then before now, he would have gotten his own post. So now he does. Make sense?
Mika is a British singer-songwriter who is, shall we say, quirky. His style is catchy, likable and light but also very, shall we say, unique. His vocals are very Queen-ish (the rock band, not the old monarch from England) due to his vocal range which is, quite frankly, all over the place. I will warn that it’s very poppy. But sometimes you need that pizzaaz to help you get through the day. Songs like the featured “Blame It On The Girls”, “We Are Golden” and “Good Gone Girl” will have you clapping for no good reason at all. Seriously. It happened to me at work. It was super awkward.
Make sure you check out his latest album The Boy Who Knew Too Much for the freshest beats this side of the Mississippi. You won’t be disappointed. And if you are disappointed you have no one to blame but yourself. You’re just not listening hard enough.
Watch Blame It On The Girls:
Buy The Boy Who Knew Too Much:
