Tim Althaus

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Album Download: Brother Ali, The Bite Marked Heart EP

Posted in Album Download with tags Ant, Brother Ali, Jake One, Rhymesayers Entertainment, The Bite Marked Heart on Monday, February 13, 2012 by Tim Althaus

That’s right, Mr. Ali is back with a free EP for the masses; The Bite Marked Heart is a new 7 track EP of all original material. I’m particularly stoked about this one because Brother Ali does the majority of his work on this project with Jake One; of course, Ali did a couple tracks with ANT as well. If you remember Jake One’s album White Van Music, then you know that he works very well with Ali. Upon seeing the tracklisting, I instantly became fixated on track number three; hearing Brother Ali and Phonte on the same track is like a dream come true.

After my first listen of The Bite Marked Heart, I can definitely say that it’s worth the free download, and it’s an overall great project. Brother Ali doesn’t know what the definition of sub-par is; well, he might, but I’m guessing we will never see evidence of it. Make sure you click that button and grab some of the best (free) quality Hip-Hop you can find, courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Download: Brother Ali, The Bite Marked Heart EP

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?uestlove’s DJ Set Tribute to J Dilla

Posted in Downloads, Media with tags Dilla Day, Hot97, J Dilla, Questlove on Friday, February 10, 2012 by Tim Althaus

As many of you know, ?uestlove is probably the biggest J Dilla fanatic there is; I guarantee he has just about every piece of music that James Yancey composed. ?uesto was on Hot97 today as a guest dj, and every song in his show was related to J Dilla; I only wish I could have listened to this live because ?uestlove is one of the most knowledgeable musicians of all-time, and I can guarantee he put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this.

As far as a dj set is concerned, ?uestlove totally kills it; he skews every aspect of Dilla’s career, and his knowledge of Dilla’s catalog becomes clear within the first few songs. This mix is definitely worth an hour of your time. You can expect to hear songs from Ghostface, Slum Village, J Dilla himself, The Roots, Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes, Common, De La Soul and The Pharcyde. What I love about this show is that ?uestlove actually breaks down some of the samples that Dilla used, so you can try to imagine how Jay flipped it. This dj set is something that a hardcore Dilla fan like myself can really get into, but at the same time, it’s a great introduction for someone new to the Dilla catalog.

Download: ?uestlove’s J Dilla DJ Set

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R.I.P. J Dilla (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006)

Posted in News with tags Detroit, Dilla Day, J Dilla, R.I.P. on Friday, February 10, 2012 by Tim Althaus

I still can’t believe that this man is gone because it always saddens me to think about Jay’s passing. Jay Dee truly was a producer’s producer, and no one will ever be able to top Dilla’s abilities. I feel as though I am a very fortunate human being; experiencing and finding out about Dilla’s music is truly one of the greatest things that has happened in my life. His music is something that I will always be able to confide in whether times are good or bad, and I thank him for that. For those of you fortunate enough to be in the D today, I salute you, and I hope you have an incredible time on Dilla Day.

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Happy Birthday to the Greatest That Ever Did It…

Posted in Downloads, Random with tags Dilla Day, Donuts, J Dilla, So Far to Go, Thanks for the Donuts, The Shining, XV on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 by Tim Althaus

As I sit here and ponder what to write for my annual Dilla Day post, I find myself thinking about the first time I heard James Dewitt Yancey’s music: A friend had told me to check out the track “So Far To Go” off of Jay’s album, The Shining. From the second “So Far To Go” started playing, I was hit with a myriad of emotions, and I had no idea how to comprehend what was bombarding my ear drums; once the piano section kicked in right around the two minute mark, I damn near burst into tears. I would soon come to realize that I had been “technically” listening to James Yancey’s music for a long time; I just didn’t know it. Continue reading →

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Fashawn & Exile, “Oh Word (Keep on Rising)”

Posted in Audio, Media with tags Boy Meets World, Exile, Fashawn, The Ecology on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 by Tim Althaus

I really hope that this means Fashawn & Exile are close to finishing Fashawn’s sophomore effort The Ecolog; Boy Meets World is still one of my favorite albums to this day. I spotted this gem at 2DopeBoyz yesterday, and needless to say, I fucking love it. The chemistry that is shown between Fash & Ex is amazing; even though Exile is a below average emcee, his style blends very well with Fashawn’s witty wordplay. Even though Exile doesn’t spit bars that will leave your face molten, he makes beats that surely will; I don’t think I’ve heard an Exile beat that I wasn’t a fan of.

Download: Fashawn & Exile, “Oh Word (Keep on Rising)”

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Video: Pharoahe Monch, “Still Standing”

Posted in Media, Video with tags "Still Standing", Pharoahe Monch, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 by Tim Althaus

I spotted this the other day when I logged onto Facebook, but I really didn’t have time to post it because of school work. “Still Standing” is the latest cut off of W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) to get the visual treatment, and much like “Clap (One Day)”, the video is very deep and has a lot of emotion behind it. If you still haven’t succumbed to greatness and purchased Pharoahe’s latest album, which is arguably one of the best efforts of 2011, break your headphones, and never listen to music again.

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Slept on Saturdays: Lil’ Wayne, Tha Carter

Posted in Music Reviews, Slept on Saturdays with tags Cash Money Records, Lil' Wayne, Mannie Fresh, Tha Carter on Sunday, February 5, 2012 by Tim Althaus

Let me paint you a picture: the year is 2004; I’m a junior in high school, and it’s spring time. The weather is beautiful outside, and the country roads welcome my friends and I with open arms; more impressively, Lil’ Wayne could rap… and well. More often than not, Tha Carter was the soundtrack to those beautiful afternoons. On “This is the Carter”, Lil’ Wayne boastfully says “I’m finally perfect”; that statement couldn’t be more true about Wayne’s fourth solo outing. Mannie Fresh’s production on Tha Carter is near legendary, and Lil’ Wayne’s vivid imagery and raw lyricism were the best they’ve ever been. Continue reading →

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Album Review: Gangrene, Vodka & Ayahuasca

Posted in Music Reviews with tags Alchemist, Champion Sound, Evidence, Gutter Water, Jaylib, Kool G Rap, Oh No, Prodigy, Roc C, Roc Marciano, Vodka & Ayahuasca on Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Tim Althaus

Before Alchemist and Oh No released Gutter Water, I wasn’t sure what to think; any time that two producing emcees collaborate on a project, I’m almost certainly going to compare their effort to Champion Sound by Jaylib. I still remember picking up my copy of Gutter Water the day that it came out, and I also remember being completely blown away. There was one immediate thought that came to my mind: Should I pour bleach into my ears to clean out the filth that I had just been subject to? Listening to Gutter Water is the equivalent of bathing in raw sewage without putting in ear plugs. On Vodka & Ayahuasca, Oh No and Alchemist casually continue the trend of mind marauding with pavement pounding beats and raised rhyming skills. Continue reading →

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Big K.R.I.T., “Boobie Miles”

Posted in Audio, Media with tags 4EvaNaDay, Big K.R.I.T., Live From the Underground, Southern Hip-Hop on Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Tim Althaus

I spotted this one at 2DopeBoyz last night, but it was far too late to post anything, so I decided to throw it up today. Big K.R.I.T. released the artwork for his upcoming mixtape 4EvaNaDay, and he let go of the lead single as well; According to K.R.I.T., “Boobie Miles” is about overcoming all of the trials and tribulations that often seem to get in the way when you are trying to reach your dreams. “Boobie Miles” is so smooth, and although it doesn’t have a producer credit, I’m fairly certain that K.R.I.T. produced this himself; this guy does everything, and he’s pretty much the future of Southern Hip-Hop. I can’t wait to hear 4EvaNaDay, and I’m dying to hear Live From the Underground. It’s going to be a big year for Big K.R.I.T.

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Unlooped Vs. Dilla To Perform Encore Show

Posted in Audio, Media, Video with tags J Dilla, Milwaukee, Stonefly Brewing Company, Unlooped on Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Tim Althaus

I was very excited to see this pop up on my Facebook feed yesterday, and I’m glad that Jon Jon Scott posted this. This last September, various musicians got together at the Stonefly Brewing Company in Milwaukee to recreate some of Dilla’s production pieces with a classical, yet modern mindset (very similar to Suite For Ma Dukes); I was bummed that I didn’t get to see Unlooped Vs. Dilla, but it looks like I might get another chance to experience a one-of-a-kind opportunity. They haven’t released the dates for the encore yet, but it’s going to be sometime this month, and I can assure you that I’m going to be there. You can listen to the original Unlooped Vs. Dilla performance below, and be on the lookout for J Dilla related material from yours truly through the rest of this month.