I’m not here to protect Meek Mill. I’m not even sure I could if I wanted to, but I assure I don’t want to. The leaked lyrics to Meek and Lil Baby’s unreleased track, “Don’t Worry” don’t need protecting. The line in question, which invokes the untimely demise of Kobe Bryant, is ill-timed and ill-conceived, taking the death of a largely adored public figure and equating it to a Scarface-esque blaze of glory.
The lyrics, which in the hours after discovery have sparked a healthy amount of social media outrage, were a misjudgement. Despite the word play, Meek’s bar misses…
Knxwledge is the consummate crate digger. For seemingly every mainstream record he produces — Kendrick Lamar’s “Momma,” Action Bronson’s “Live from the Moon,” Roc Marciano’s “No Smoke” — he has ten more beat tapes, loosies, or remixes. His Bandcamp page is a running log of projects with near unintelligible titles, sporting shorthand that makes his work difficult to google unless you know what you’re looking for. Knxwledge is cut from the same cloth that made MF Doom, J Dilla, and 9th Wonder. His online persona is standoffish, but it pairs well with his musical virtuosity and unshakable, basement-dwelling work ethic.
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How much is a shout out worth? In this age defined by social media, likes, follows, and retweets are an almighty currency, serving as social proof to the masses. In music, these metrics carry greater significance, acting as funnels through which artists can attract new fans. If Fetty Wap wasn’t on his way to stardom in 2015 with his songs “Trap Queen” and “My Way,” then he certainly was after Drake dropped a verse on the “My Way” remix. When one artist cosigns another, they are instantly telling their fanbase, “I rock with this music, and you should too.”
For…
I’ve never played the six degrees of separation game, but it’s probably safe to say that it’s more fun to play with actors than musicians. Sampling and label affiliations are enough to draw a red string of fate between seemingly disparate acts like Rockwell and Eminem. Music from the late 1970s and 1980s would certainly put a damper on the fun. The funk, R&B, and post-disco stylings of the day are continually reanimated into 2020s rap music, keeping old hits alive and proliferating residual checks and YouTube copyright claims alike.
Artists like Rockwell represent one end of the spectrum. A…
It’s impossible for me to start this without addressing the elephant in the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack. In 2009, hot off the success of her debut album, Spirit, UK-singer Leona Lewis was tapped to perform the theme song for the English version of the game.
That’s right, she didn’t write a new track for the game. Nor did she sing something composed by Final Fantasy XIII maestro Masashi Hamauzu. Lewis was presumably offered bags of cash to license her track “My Hands” for the release of the game outside of Japan.
There are plenty of reasons why I mute “My…
Is it safe to say future funk’s favorite character is Sailor Moon? Lum Invader from Urusei Yatsura could certainly give her a run for her money, but the magical girl, also known as Usagi Tsukino, is a mainstay in the genre. The 2013 release of Macross 82–99’s SAILORWAVE on Fortune 500 can serve as Tsukino’s origin story, with Neoncity Records’ vinyl press, cassette run, and digital re-releases propagating her star-speckled presence ever since.
As a mascot, Sailor Moon is a cute compliment to future funk’s thematic nostalgia. For producer’s who grew up fans of the show, her inclusion is a…
Jazz fusion and space go hand in hand. The proliferation of synthesizers throughout the mid-20th Century helped forge the amicable relationship. Outer space warbles and droning wavelengths could be replicated at the push of a button. The cosmos, being largely unexplored, served as a theme around which fusion artists could build their sound, uniting listeners through a shared fascination with the great beyond.
In 1973, George Duke engaged a similar fascination on his third studio album, Faces in Reflection. …
In an effort to plunge a final dagger deep into the spirit of 2020, the family of MC, producer, and man of mystery MF Doom announced on New Years Eve that he passed away on October 31, 2020.
It’s a bittersweet end to the life of Daniel Dumile. One of the greatest artists to grab the mic or grace the boards, I take solace in the fact that the news of Doom’s death came months after it happened. …
The first time you heard about Knuckles’ Chaotix went something like this: You excitedly booted up Sonic Generations and began speeding through the hedgehog’s kaleidoscopic past. At some point, around an hour or two in, you collected enough red star coins to unlock “Door Into Summer,” an infectiously groovy song that to your surprise, sounded unfamiliar.
Straight to YouTube you went, typing in the title only to be met with a twinkling melody and an unfamiliar box art. Knuckles’ Chaotix? Uhhh, what?
Ok, maybe you did hear about Knuckles’ Chaotix before that, but maybe…
What does future funk look like? The genre usually pays visual respect to the culture that got it off the ground — anime GIFs, nightclub neon and a generally retro 1980s style that plays off an infatuation with nostalgia.
But behind the facade of late 20th century culture are a pastiche of producers, curators and fans from around the world. Some of future funk’s biggest names are teenagers and twenty-somethings who have built their discographies from humble beginnings with software like GarageBand or Abelton.
But Alan Westfall, owner of Coraspect Records, is here to remind you that future funk’s appeal…
Forever hunting for my new favorite music sample. Founder of tripleot.com & abrandbox.com. 🌴🦩