Myspace Music: Brittany Street

Let's be honest, the female emcee is damn near on the brink of extinction. Remember when Eve, Foxy and Kim were actually competitive (c)rappers in the game. Now Eve is tryin to peddle that B'Day leftover track "Tambourine", Foxy just got her ass mollywopped by a gang of hoes (literally), and apparently Kim is more focused on becoming a Michael Jacskson look-a-like. And L'Boogie is in a category all by herself. Luckily we still have Jean Grae, to carry on the tradition that began with MC Lyte, Oueen Latifah and others. But it looks like soon we will have a new name to add to the list of up and coming femcees. Introducing Brittany Street. I try my hardest to stray from the use of trite, cliche phrases but in this case I think it is very appropriate. So, with that said, "never judge a book by its cover". A quick glance at Brittany Streets pic may lead one to believe that coy face and cute smile would be suited for a dance-heavy, radio friendly sound. But if your looking for bubble gum, radio pop you won't get it from Brit Street. Think more MC Lyte and less Lil Mama. I was pleasantly surprised to hear such intensity from Brit Street. Check her "Black Republican" freestyle and you can hear that hunger Eve, Foxy and Kim desperatly need to rekindle. Brit is from the surburbs of Indianapolis but it's her passion that translates into the gritty feel of her music. The songs on her page showcase her versatility; a quality that many signed rappers are currently lacking. It also says she has been fortunate enough to have work with the late J Dilla and the legendary Large Professor, so she does have some notches under her belt. Check out Brittany Streets page, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.

www.myspace.com/itsbrittanystreet

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The Return of Myspace Music: Starikon...

So it's been a few weeks since I've done a myspace music post, mainly because finding someone worth profiling is like finding that proverbial needle. And luckily with this weeks profile I didn't have to search that long. On a earlier post I did on Dom Kennedy, one of the producers on his best tracks was a cat named Defikon. Well when I heard his Song Cry remix with John Mayer here I knew I had to profile this dude. Starikon is a producer out in Cali that has managed to perfect a minimalist/neo soul sound without being too redundant or "j-dilla inspired". Even though he credits Dilla as an influence, the tracks on his page highlight his own melodic production style and shows the versatility of his work. The tracks blend the lines between hip hop and soul and this is definitely a selling point. As mentioned before, the "Still Looking" track now features Dom Kennedy and its a banger. Go check Starikon!

Myspace Music: Dom Kennedy

These days rappers are a dime a dozen. Hell, bloggers are a dime a dozen. With rappers going to desperate lengths to promote themselves (i.e., getting shot, stirring up frivolous beef), its getting harder for the everyday rapper to distinguish themselves from the rest of those dirt bags. This week I bring to you Dom Kennedy, someone I describe as the everyday rapper. But before you whisk him away and file him under the mediocre rapper category, consider a new meaning for your "everyday" rapper. I was first introduced to Dom through the The Kirk Out Hour podcast (check that out) and immediately found similarities between him and Murs. Murs is another "everyday" rapper. To me an "everyday" rapper is someone that can just rhyme about anything and make it sound fresh. The everyday rapper isn't rhyming about how many guns he has or even how he plans on ending police brutality. The everyday rapper is rapping about his everyday life. So for the 90% of the hip hop audience that doesn't chop crack for 4 hours a day or go to political rallies every month, it should be easy to relate to Dom. Check out "Who Rollin With Me" on his page and you'll understand. Dom Kennedy

Myspace Music: Jeff Hendrick

According to Hov "30 is the new 20", so I shouldn't feel bad about staring down the round number of 30 in the next three years. And considering that Jay is damn near 40, I guess I can still claim to be "young". Anyway, with 30 years of life rapidly approaching, the reality of the matter is that I am getting "older". No matter how old I get I'll never be too old to listen to good hip hop. But considering that bullshit has superseded substance in todays hip hop world I am often forced to seek alternative entertainment. So for this week's myspace music, I'd figured I would play a little bit of "growns folk music" courtesy of blue eyed soul man Jeff Hendrick. My first contact with Hendrick came from my homie'sTariq Nasheed's myspace page with the smooth tune of Old school party. So I headed over to Hendricks' page thinking I would see this smooth looking brother (no homo) and to my surprise here was this pale white, corny lookin white dude(the pic says it all). No matter how corny I think the guy looks, the fact remains that this cat is smooth. The songs on his page not only highlight his soulful voice but also showcases his skills as a saxophonist. Apparently, Hendricks is somewhat of a star in his native country of Canada and though I can't assure that he will blow up here in the states, I can attest to the fact that he is making good "grown folks music". Yes, I'm getting "older". Check his page here

Myspace Music: David Ryan Harris

Even though I am a self declared hip hop head, I don't always confine myself to one genre. When I'm not embroiled in my love/hate relationship with hip hop, I do listen to white other types of music. One of my favorite non hip hop artist is John Mayer. I really believe he is one of the greatest songwriters of this generation. So for this week's spotlight, I figured I'd step outside the confines of my hip hop obsession and feature a non hip hop artist. David Ryan Harris is a singer/songwriter that has been touring with John Mayer. When not on tour, Harris is recording his own music, which can be labeled as acoustic soul. Harris has credited Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and Coltrane as a few of his inspirations. The standout track on his page "Yesterday Shutting Down" has him channeling a little bit of the late Marvin Gaye into his falsetto. His debut Soulstice is available on itunes and from the clips that I have heard so far, he might make me come out my pocket with $9.99 to break up the hip hop monotony in my ipod.

Myspace Music: Wale

For this week's spotlight I'm taking you to the nations capital. Introducing Wale, (pronounced Wah-Lay) an emcee from an area where hip hop struggles to hold a flame to the devout house and go-go following. When I'm searching for an artist to spotlight, I take into consideration several factors (talent, content, swagger, etc.) When listening to Wale I immediately recognized his overall talent. The songs on page so his versatility and his ability to mesh his intricate wordplay with a DC sound. Wale is supported by industry vet Kenny Burns, formerly of Rocafella fame and co-owner of the RyanKenny fashion label. He's already been featured in the Source and along with Tabi Bonney he's leading a movement to put DC on the map. Check out a day in his life.

Myspace Music: The Cool Kids

Wednesday's are officially designated as Myspace Music day and this week I didn't have to scourer myspace for hours looking for someone to spotlight. A few days ago the guys over at hypebeast posted a link to an interview at the brillance featuring a group out of Chi-town called The Cool Kids. I'm usually very skeptical of these kids that run around claiming to be "retro 80's babies", because most of them were born in like 87-88. Sorry, but if you were born after '83 I really don't considered you an 80's baby. Well I don't know how old The Cool Kids are but apparently channelling the essence and the vibe of the 80's is their M.O. For that simple fact, I couldn't just dismiss them as another couple of teenagers with a computer claiming to be a rap group. The whole 80's sound is a bit refreshing and intriguing. The Cool Kids won't wow you with potent lyricism or even break your neck with their production but their swagger and energy blends well with their sound. You can tell they don't actually take themselves that seriously and they are just doing what they love to do. Check out their page: The Cool Kids

Myspace Music: Drake

I've decided to spotlight a myspace music profile every week. For this premiere post I want to shine my little light on a MC out of Toronto named Drake. Apparently he is a actor on some Canadian Saved By the Bell/BH 90210 teen drama called Degrassi. Though I can't confirm that his acting skills will win him an Oscar anytime soon, I can co-sign to the fact that he is a pretty dope rapper. He's already recorded a solid single with two of my favorite artists Little Brother and Dwele and his official single, "Replacement Girl" features Trey Songz and will probably be played any day now on your local stations. Go check out his page: Drake