Flying Lotus

DECEMBER

Producers are the perpetually-forgotten backbone to all that is hip hop. Let's be honest, most of the music on the radio is not popular due to the lyrical prowess of the rapper. Instrumentals have become more complex than ever before, encompassing synth, bass, and live instruments, creating beats that range from electronic party music to thought provoking ballads. Aside from producer-turned-rappers, like Dr. Dre or Kanye West and those who shout their name out on every beat, like DJ Khaled, producers remain, in large part, anonymous. Hidden behind the scenes by the very nature of their profession, producers simply do not get the credit they deserve, as they are the driving force behind every track you've ever heard.

Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus, is more than just a hip hop producer. His complex soundscapes reach unheard of depths as they provoke strong emotion and deep thought. His music videos embody the inner workings of FlyLo's mind. A visionary for symbolism and metaphor, his underlying intelligence bleeds through on every note and frame. When a track ends, you snap back to the reality of the world around you, but while it plays, you find yourself lost in the hypnotic flow of high quality production mixed with truly unique and inspired melody. Luckily, with four studio albums, the most recent of which, entitled Until the Quiet Comes, released in September of 2012, there is a plethora of Flying Lotus tracks to dive into. The complexity of his music only further lends to the replay value of each album as time and time again, you find new reasons to love each song.

Recently, Steven Ellison began rapping under the stage name Captain Murphy. Before releasing his first mixtape, entitled Duality, Ellison kept the fact that he was the man behind the then-anonymous stage name a secret, gaining popularity in large part because of the mystery surrounding the project. This is in no way the reason for Captain Murphy's success, mind you. For Ellison, hip hop does not seem like some side project, but rather just the next chapter in the ever-evolving sound of FlyLo. His signature instrumentals help carry the songs, while his unique, almost sinister style adds a whole new element to the artist's repertoire. His background in production helps a great deal when adding a multitude of effects to his voice, as the pitch changes make each song sound more like a conversation than a regular one-man verse. Flying Lotus is music in its purest form, and he is only getting better.

Check out the two video's below, the first featuring Elijah Wood, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite people in Hollywood. After the success of Lord of the Rings, Wood has done indie project after indie project. His role in Wilfred has made him a cult favorite and after making an appearance in the impressively artistic video for "Tiny Tortures," he has solidified his place in indie fans' hearts around the world. The second video is  "Putty Boy Strut," another track off Until The Quiet Comes. In sharp contrast to "Tiny Tortures," this video is 100% animation. The beautifully spectacular storyline remains a constant, however. To steal from the top comment on the video by YouTube username XephyrPanda, "Notice everything 'sentient' moves to the rhythm but the haywire robot doesn't. The robot realizes that this order they're (in) is bad and starts enjoying chaos, but none of those in order know how good the chaos is. Once they're forced out of their order and into something they perceive as bad, beauty is born from their collaboration and unity. But there was one robot at the end still going to the beat, and he'll bring the order back, and then it will be torn down again. The cycle of life." I probably should have attempted to explain that in my own words, but it was so eloquently stated, that I don't think I could have said it better myself.

(Tiny Tortures - Flying Lotus)

(Putty Boy Strut - Flying Lotus)

Talib Kweli

NOVEMBER

The past couple of months, the "Who To Know" profile has been on an up-and-comer. Kendrick Lamar is getting all of the attention he deserves while Blu and Exile remain one of the most underrated rapper/producer combos in the game. This November, however, the "Who To Know" will feature a true veteran. One who is still making big moves despite already being considered one of the most talented and legendary lyricist in all of hip hop. A man who has time and time again given back to the young up-and-comers of the game. A man who, in one way or another, is connected to virtually every single artist that has ever been featured on this blog. That man is Talib Kweli. From the Black Star days to his upcoming album release, Talib Kweli has been one of the most highly respected figures in the hip hop. He even had a hand in the creation of this blog. It is for this reason that the "Who To Know" for the month of November is dedicated to Talib Kweli.

(Black Star)

The first verse I ever heard by Talib Kweli was from the Black Star song, "Definition." Now before you start giving me flack for not jumping on his earlier stuff or picking a song that wasn't a single, let me explain something. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star came out in 1998. That means I was only eight years old at the time. Therefore, I had to do some back tracking to hear the melodic flows and lyrically dense verses of Black Star. I wish I could tell you that I was the only 3rd grader blasting Mos and Talib out of my home stereo speakers after school, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Nevertheless, the result was the same. I, like so many other rap fans throughout the years, became hooked. Black Star did not only entertain people in a way that the majority of rap at the time could not. It raised the standard for what real hip hop could sound like, thus forcing the listener to demand more out of the artists they listen too. This has only been done a few times over the history of rap and its impact is not to be taken lightly.

(Prisoner of Conscious)

Since the Black Star days, Kweli has gone on to release five studio albums, the most noteworthy and critically acclaimed of which being Quality and Eardrum. During this time, he released iconic tracks like "Get By," "Back Up Offa Me," and "Give 'Em Hell." Talib's sixth solo studio album is set to drop November 20th, entitled Prisoner of Conscious. The highly anticipated album will feature the likes of RZA, Busta Rhymes, and Kendrick Lamar. This album will feature a new approach for the perpetually conscience rapper. Instead of speaking directly to the social issues of the world, Kweli plans to make songs "that are more focused on life and what people are going through, and dealing with the social conditions in that way." The title of the album is a play off of Prisoner of Conscience, an album by Nigerian reggae artist, Majek Fashek. The reason for the spelling switch should be fairly obvious so I won't spell it out.

(Push Thru - Talib Kweli feat. Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar)

(On a more personal note, Talib Kweli has influenced me immensely. Originally, I started blogging in order to get some opinions off my chest about the current state of hip hop. I had considered taking it more seriously, but even if I did, it wasn't going to be for a while. My plan was to build up content for a while and then, maybe, start telling people about it. Anyway, to get to the point, I wrote up a piece on Talib Kweli entitled "Talib Kweli: The Most Connected Man in Hip Hop," nearly a month ago. I had just set up a twitter for the blog and sent out a tweet saying "Is @TalibKweli the most connected man in hip hop? Read all about it at #RealRadio" with a link to my blog. This, of course, resulted in a spike in traffic on my site, but more importantly, it influenced me to start taking the blog more seriously. I hadn't even told my friends about it and one of my idols in hip hop, a man that I just wrote a story about, had presumably read my post and decided to share it with his fans. The only reason I assume he actually read it, or at the very least skimmed through it, is because if it had been an article bashing him, he probably wouldn't want to retweet that to his fans. Even if this is not the case, the result is the same. I've continued to post new content on the blog, trying to keep each post as honest and educational as possible, I have begun getting featured on other blogs and forming connections with those bloggers, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. So if you like anything you've read on this site, thank Talib Kweli for, without even realizing it, pushing me to do this. Thank you.)

Kendrick Lamar and Black Hippy

OCTOBER 

It won't be long before his claim in The Heart Pt. 2, that "most of ya'll cats just don't know Kendrick," becomes a falsehood. In fact, that time may have already come. Releasing radio hit after hit, Kendrick Lamar is gaining popularity among the average listener/consumer. However, the rap community has known about this rising star for a while now. In 2011, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Game publicly passed the torch at a concert in Los Angelos, CA. Kendrick was visibly choked up at the ceremony which further shows his passion for hip hop and the pride he takes in his work. He has also received high praise from Hip Hop legends like Ice T, who said in an interview on Adam Carolla's podcast, "Now you got new rappers like Lupe Fiasco, T.I., there's a kid out of LA, Kendrick Lamar. I like spitters. I like people that have content and they really go in." Kendrick was named among the XXL 2011 Freshman Class, along with fellow up-and-comers like Yelawolf, Cyhi Da Prynce, and Big K.R.I.T. So it is undeniable that Kendrick is destined for glory.

This month's "Who To Know" is not only focused on Kendrick, however, but also on his crew. Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and School Boy Q together go by the name of Black Hippy. The name refers to a growing movement of west coast hip hop focused not around gangster rap, but instead around introspective, honest rap. Think Tupac's "Changes" as opposed to "California Love." Talib Kweli states in an interview conducted on his tour bus that "the move that (Kendrick Lamar) and his crew are making - the Section 80 and the Black Hippy shit - is unprecedented. It's impressive because for him to be that fucking lyrical and be that focused on the music and his crew still be that tight. And just to see the change in the trend; it's so different then how the west coast used to be." Each artist is making waves by landing prestigious guest spots, performing big name venues, and pumping out new material. Drastic differences in style, differentiating both between each other and between themselves and everyone else, leads to captivating content every time they collaborate; which lucky for us is a lot.

(Ab-Soul X Kendrick Lamar)

(Kendrick Lamar X Curtains X School Boy Q)

(Jay Rock X Kendrick Lamar)

(Jay Rock X Ab-Soul X Kendrick Lamar X School Boy Q)

Blu & Exile

SEPTEMBER

Our first installment of Who To Know is a rapper/producer combo out of Southern California that go by the name Blu & Exile. Rapper, Blu has one of the smoothest deliveries in the game and his voice flows so perfectly over Exiles production that it's as if they share the same mind. They released their first studio album, "Below the Heavens" in 2007. The album features lyrical intensity and seemingly bottomless runs on some tracks, such as "Simply Amazin'", while featuring brutal honesty and laid back story telling on others, like "In Remembrance of Me". He is arguably the best in both fields.

After taking a long break from each other creatively, Blu & Exile hooked back up for "Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them" and have done some big shows together including the real-hip-hop heavy festival Rock the Bells in 2011. Blu has been a feature for some notable artists including masters of the underground, The Roots. Undiscovered tracks have been popping up all over the place and it seems inevitable that Blu will eventually get the recognition he deserves. This 'SoCal residential lyrical monster' is definitely someone to watch out for.

(Simply Amazin')

(In Remembrance of Me)

(Guest Verse for The Roots - The Day)