New Versions of Kanye’s “Flashing Lights” video Released

Click it before it’s gone…

and another one…uh..

Bloggin for Beats: Jay-Z’s “I Know” remix…

Addiction is a bitch…sometimes literally. You spend so much time trying to recreate that first high. Sometimes you come close (again.. literally) and other times you lay there in the throws of futility waiting to come down enough to resume the chase. I am addicted to this beat shit, which makes it that much harder when I lose something. Yes, I fugged up big time.

This remix of Jay-Z’s “I Know” came from a moment of inspiration. A friend of mine told me the song had taken on special significance because of this girl they were involved with. I personally hadn’t listened to the track much because it reminded me too much of T.I.s “Why You Wanna.” But they told me “listen to it, he’s saying some shit.” So I did and while on the surface it’s about drug addiction it’s more about physical addiction of a carnal nature. For some reason Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You” popped into my mind and I thought it would be the perfect backdrop for a remix to this song. So I patiently listened to it from beginning to end and picked out different parts I could isolate. But I impatiently dumped all of my work into a folder on my desktop so I could access them quickly. It was going to be tricky because the disco record is significantly faster than the 84bpms of Jiggas song. So I had to slow it down without it sounding chopped and screwed. After about two hours I had it done to my satisfaction.

I played it in my car and found the bass to be a just a tad heavy, but when I went back to fix it I realized I’d done something dumb. Remember that folder with all the breaks? I’d moved it from my desktop to my main music folder so FL couldn’t find them anymore. The channels with the breaks were empty. *sigh* So the version you are hearing is literally one of a kind. Even if I go back and piece it together it won’t be quite the same, but you know I’m an addict. The chase is will resume…

J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League: Black Superhero Music

Name: J.U.S.T.I.C.E League (Just Endeniable Songs Tracks Instrumentals Corporate Enterprise)
Based out of: Tampa, FL
Members: Rook, Colione, and Kenny

Hit List: Young Jeezy “Bury Me A G,” Mary J. Blige “No One Will Do,” Rick Ross “Maybach Music” and “Luxury Tax” 2 Pistols, “She Got it” ft. T-Pain

Awards: Grammy for Mary J. Blige’s “No One Will Do” Myspace

Nodfactor.com: First off, congratulations on the successes. Your name is real hot in the streets right now. How did the three of you come together to start making music?

Kenny: We were all doing music in Tampa and we came together through friends and different artists we were working with. What turned out to be is that everything we made together was so hot that we had to make a team.

What was the first record that really put you out there?

Rook: The first record I’d say is the Jeezy record “Bury me a G” but also the Mary J. Blige record. That got us a Grammy and put us into a different genre of music. We had the beat done and Chris Hicks at Warner Chapel hooked us up with a writer, Dave Young. A few people wanted the beat but we presented the song to Mary and she loved it.

How did you make “Bury Me A G”? It sounded like a sped-up sample but then you added this cleaner skeleton of drums…

Colion: When we heard the song we sampled we were like…the music going on in it was crazy. It really wasn’t much thought, we just worked to vibe with the music. A lot of people put thought into what snare we used and what kind of compression did you add but when we put beats together it’s just by ear. Anybody thinking we’re doing extra technical things. I’ll let you know the magic right now, it’s just all by ear.

Do each of you have a task when you make a beat or do you all do everything?

Colion: We’re all able to make beats on our own individually but when we come together we come out with a better product.

So what is in that set-up?

Colion: We’re real Apple Logic strong right now. It’s our main tool when we produce. [But]We have live drums on some tracks.

J.R Writers “Riot Pump” sounds nothing like anything else in your catalogue.

Colion: The way that came about, there was this crazy sample with strings in it and we started chopping it up and adding to it and it just came out real wild. It sounds like something someone from Dipset would rap to and they picked it up.

So when you make a beat do you have an artist in mind or no?

Kenny: If an artist comes to us specifically, yes, but we like to just let stuff flow. If there’s a sample we hear that’s crazy we’ll just put it down.

When I interviewed Rick Ross last year he told me that “Luxury Tax” and “Maybach Music” were going to be two of the biggest songs of the year. Did you know those would be so popular?

Kenny: We knew from the time he picked up those beats we knew it was going to be massive. From the beginning we actually approached those beats differently than how we do other beats and we put a lot of work into making those beats, replaying certain parts of samples or recomposing new samples to add to the actually track. We just knew it was going to be crazy so we went back and added some things to make them extravaganzic.

How did you get the sample to sound so damn clean on Luxury Tax?

Rook: I dunno, it just happened. The song [David Oliver’s “I Wanna Write You A Love Song”] was so long and there were so many parts that we could make like four or five beats out of this song or one gigantic beat. We played on top of it. There’s instrumentation on top of the sample. We did it all ourselves. Kenny is the master saxophone player but we all play everything.

Part of why those songs are so big are who is rhyming on it. How important is it to get your tracks placed with the right people?

Rook: I think it’s real important. With “Maybach Music” a few people wanted it but we were selective about that cuz we felt it was special. A few people wanted “Bury Me a G” too, big name people. But we knew it would be special with those people. Us giving them beats like that broadens their audience. Some people who weren’t fans of Rick Ross are fans now, and that’s partly because of us.

I agree with that 100%. What mistakes in the studio have you learned from?

Colion: Musically I can’t think of any but don’t get belligerent and start drinking. Keep the alcohol down a bit. If you really about the business go to work. When you go to work, go to work, just like you driving a bus.

The only thing that seems to out-do your beats is your hustle. What advice do you have for producers trying to get their music in the right hands?

Rook: The advice I would give is to make some sacrifices and travel outside of your area. Go to meet people but don’t bother them. Get out of your comfort zone.

Do you have anything coming on the Blood Raw album?

Rook: Yeah, we got one that leaked already called “Getaway.” We did that song a long time ago in the studio with Blood. He gotta dope album. He got a lot of tear jerkers on that album, he’s been through a lot.

You just signed 2 Pistols to your production label, correct?

Rook: Yeah, he has a song out right now with T-Pain called “She Got It.” It’s #5 in the country right now. That’s a testament to a great producer, being able to break a new artist and give them a sound.

Mixtape Review: Skillz, J. Period and Don Cannon-Design of a Decade

Skillz – Design Of A Decade v.1 (The 90s) (hosted by J Period & Don Cannon)

Shaquan Lewis aka Skillz is an immensely talented rapper. Unfortunately, he’s been overshadowed by the name brand artists for whom he ghostwrites. And while he often brags of being “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper,” he’s released just two full-lengths over his 12-year career. [Read more]

Bloggin For Beats: Project Mayhem

Opposites attract but sometimes for the wrong reasons. I was told by a trustworthy person that this beat was just too soft for the lyrics. When I started chopping Ronnie Laws’ “Stay Still(and Let Me Love You)” I didn’t imagine making an angry record. But I’m also pretty sure Da Beatminerz didn’t imagine Laws’ “Tidal Wave” would make a record like “Who Got The Props.” I blame it on the drums. This snare pattern sounded like an uzi going off and even though the song was full of flutes and other minor chords I rearranged them into something with way more energy, way more aggression. The chops sounded like glass shattering on the ground. Could this be an R&B record? Sure, but it’d be one really hard R&B record. So I went looking for acepellas in the tempo range of 93 BPMS. I felt bold, I felt wreckless. I didn’t give a fuck. So I started with Prodigy, then Nas, …it was originally an all Queens party but I couldn’t find any Kool G Rap acapellas. At first I had Nas’ verse from “Hope” but it was too complacent, not angry enough, so I used “Hate Me Now.” But taking away the “hope” verse left a gap and I’d already arranged the chops, so instead of starting from scratch I found two short verses from Beanie Sigel and Lil Wayne, “Ignorant Shit” and “Shooters” respectfully. The brawl was almost complete. Finished off with LL’s verse from “4,3,2,1″ you can see why I wanted to slap somebody when it was over. Can u start a fight with flutes? Ask the guy at band camp with the reed stuck up his ass.

As for that hook…Undisputed Truth’s, “Smiling Faces” just spoke to the theme. Prodigy and Nas were homies once upon a time and now look at them. Smiling faces sometimes…smiling faces tell lies, and I got proof. I’ve had so many moments where I’ve had to smile to keep from screaming my head off, but I’m a really bad liar so it doesn’t last very long. I’ve learned to write to myself to disperse the anger, (I’ve got a phone full of texts to nobody as proof) but I’ve got to be careful cuz internalizing too much anger leads to becoming a Tyler Durden. You become your own worst enemy, which is what finished the hook: Nas’s line from “Success” where he shares “worst enemies wanna be my best friends, best friends wanna be enemies like that’s what’s in…” Opposites attract. Sometimes because they balance each other out, other times cuz they cancel each other out. Listen and tell me if I’m crazy.

J. Period and G. Brown Release New Biggie Mixtape

(Brooklyn, NY)—One year after commemorating the 10^th Anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.’s passing with the award-winning March 9 Remix Project (New York Magazine’s “Top 10 Mixtapes of 2007″), J.Period & G.Brown have assembled another mixtape classic to complete the March 9 Series: MARCH 9 V.2. Scheduled for release on Wednesday, May 21 (the 36^th anniversary of Biggie’s birthday), J.Period & G.Brown will also pay respect with an Invitation Only Tribute Event, featuring a full night of live Biggie remixes!

Behind The Scenes: RZA Video Shoot for “You Can’t Stop Me Now” & “Drama”

In preparation for the new Bobby Digital album, Digi Snacks, RZA shot two videos for “You Can’t Stop Me Now” and “Drama.” Photographers Byron Chan and Charles Bae took exclusive snap shots of the filming. A video for the trailer has also been released. Watch below.

Bun B’s 2 Trill Recruits Underground Kings

With an O.G. flow and to-the-point lyrical content Bun B has established himself as one of the South’s elder statesmen on the microphone. For his second solo CD, II Trill, he doesn’t stray too far from the southern comfort zone of heavy 808s, synths and hi-hats but there are several surprises that help it stand out.

 

Ironically some of the strongest beats on the CD come from outside the south. Boston’s Clinton Sparks opens things up on the title cut with some frantic hi-hats and claps establishing Bun B’s sense of urgency. Self Scientifics DJ Khalil bangs out “Another Soldier” with some waling guitar and drums that have lived a hard knock life. And Chops blesses 3 cuts with “Keep It 100″ being the best of the trio. His slithering bass on “Damn I’m Cold” would have done great with Devin The Dude on the hook, (maybe because it reminds me vaguely of my favorite DTD track, “Just Tryin To Live.”)

Enigma brings the marching band brass attitude on “Swang On ‘Em” and on “Get Cha Issue” Bigg Tyme lays the bed for one of the most quotable songs on the CD. Funky keys and guitar give it a pimptastic modern day western feel.

 

Sample wise the choices are a little too obvious for my taste but they serve the purpose of broadening Bun’s audience. Mr. Lee flips Jodeci’s “Cry For You” on “You’re Everything” and on “Good II Me” Bigg Tyme replays what else? “Just Be Good To Me” by the S.O.S band. However, “Underground Thang” gets some 70s swagger thanks to Cory Mo’s use of “Stepping Out” by Steel Pulse. The only one I can’t hate on is the “Angel In the sky” that tweaks Stevie Wonders “Ribbon in the sky” because its a tribute to the late Pimp C.

Big namers like Jazze Pha, J.R. Rotem and Scott Storch will get Bun his radio and club spins but sonically, 2 Trill belongs to the underground kings behind the boards.

-Jerry L. Barrow

 

 

 

Bloggin For Beats: The Simon Says Remix

Sometimes it’s hard to let go of a thought. Months ago I started making a remix to Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says” using the horns from Isaac’ Hayes’ “Ike’s Mood.” I felt the aggressive intro horns would be a nice substitute for the monstrous Godzilla score that Monch himself sampled for the original. But after a few attempts I grew frustrated with catching the tempo of Monch’s flow and moved on, instead using the sample for a remix of Jay-Z’s “Rock Boys.”

Well I gave it a second shot. I’m a tiny bit better at matching up drums than I was a few months ago so loaded the pieces of the sample into the channels and changed the pitch in some parts so it wouldn’t sound TOO identical. Of course like a dummy I got half way done when I realized the acapella was incomplete!! I was spending so much time trying to get the first verse right that I never listened through to the end. So the only vocals I had that I felt could match the intensity of Monch and the track were….MOP’s from “Ante Up”….(get it? Simon Says run yo shyt…raise your hands if you remember “Show No Mercy”…) To finish it off I used a piece of Luda’s verse from “Stand Up” for the hook…

Bomb Squad Opening For Public Enemy on European Tour

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