dork magazine.

1. Blackalicious – Swan Lake

This song is so deadly smooth. It never fails to put me at ease. I remember before I grabbed the official version I had a CD-R of this for the longest. It was on a mix burned by a friend of mine back around ’99 as he showed me this thing called Napster everyone was going on about. The only thing matching my excitement in hearing this was hearing the original sample joint live at Funk night and immediately nerding out at the DJ booth. What else can I say? When it comes to funky soulful hip hop those cats from The Bay know what’s up.

2. DM & Jemini – Only One

One of the great things about volunteering at a radio station is every week you come in there is a whole section dedicated to new material. Previous to the Grey Album hype I hadn’t heard of producer Danger Mouse. The week I came in and discovered this disc among the new selections I was immediately intrigued. It had this incredibly well designed cover complete with gold foil and wacky cat and mouse illustrations. In between the songs I was playing I had the chance to spin through the album and this song stuck out right away. Anchored in a hard hitting bass loop and propelled by a squealing soul sample I had been formally introduced to Danger Mouse and Jemini. While Danger would go on to rock the legality of sample clearance with his Beatles / Jay-Z blend record The Grey Album, I’m not sure what Jemini is up to. He delivers a strong performance throughout the record and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for something a bit different that still holds to a true hip hop aesthetic

3. Jehst f. Asaviour – People Under the Weather

Jehst is quickly becoming one of my favourite UK artists. He often approaches his beats and rhymes with a mid-nineties feel I can get into. What’s great about it though is that it doesn’t sound dated. This track also contains another one of my favourite things. Jazz beats. The beat is kept moving by an ascending stand up bass and punctuated by airy vibes. This one’s great for the subway and roaming the streets.

4. Sauce Money – Intruder Alert

I’ve always loved the DJ Premier sound, but after a few spins of this tune I realize how quirky it can be. Who else could get away with a beat based on a stab / baby scratch combo of a random sound? Add some delicious horns and it’s just that easy. This one features Sauce Money on mic duties who I honestly don’t know a lot about other then this tune and that he’s done a lot of ghost writing including Puff Daddy’s “I’ll be missing you” I do specifically remember sitting in on a radio session when I first heard this though and then proceeding to pester the DJ who was a friend of mine to lone me the record. I made a tape dub and bumped the living hell out it all day long.

5. Common – Cold Blooded

Common is still one of my favourites. I remember although I had heard things like Soul by the Pound as well as I Used to Love H.E.R my full introduction to Common came on the album One Day it’ll all make Sense. That’s where I was solidified as a lifelong fan and why my anticipation was so high for his next album, Like Water for Chocolate. The direction on this one was a little different but it felt like a natural progression. The sound was mostly guided by Jay Dee, Questlove and the Soulquarians. After a soulful intro and the bumping track Heat, Cold blooded is the third on the album and the official word of the win. Common somehow captures this vibe between being flat out raw and soulful that always feels right. I’m dying for Finding Forever.