In Memory Of...GURU

Gang Starr - "In Memory Of..."

Zone out to this beautiful piece of thought and music.
And for get that fake @$$ letter.
Rest in Power, Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal.

Funk Flex

dope. a great viral video and i kinda want the shoes after watching this. It definite demonstrates the benefit of the product!

o:{ and every pair should come with this song. then the campaign would be perfect. ;}

SOURCE: endgadget

Respect: Fab 5 Freddy

Growing up watching Yo! MTV Raps, I always wondered who this Fab 5 Freddy guy was. I had never heard of him. Come to find out he's directed some of my favorite music videos of all time. Videos like "My Philosophy", "Talkin' All That Jazz", "Ladies First", "Just To Get A Rep" and "One Love", as well as producing the classic "Wild Style" movie. Now I wanna BE him!

See some of his work on his site.

quickMix: this is Africa

dj omni - quickMix: this is Africa from viral vinyl on Vimeo.

Download Audio

tracklist:
“African Voodoo Queen (Drama)” by Madlib
“Ayo Ayo Nene” by Mor Thiam
“Ololufe Mi” by Fela Kuti

quickMix™: 3-7 songs. download in seconds.

This quickMix™ starts with a hypnotic head-nodder from the prolific mind of Madlib. We then continue into a recently unearthed jazz gem that, according to Gilles Peterson, was created by the ever-nasal Akon's father. We conclude with a master. A rare cut that I went in search of after hearing the Fela section of J. Period & K'naan's "Messengers" mixtape.

o:{dedicated to the delivery of Khalilah Elise and Elijah Samir Kearney. Congratulations to the proud papa and a speedy recovery to the lovely mother.}

quickMix™: Progression

dj omni - quickMix™: Progression
Download MP3

tracklist:
“Legions (Reverie)” by Zoe Keating
“Wait Up” by Q-Tip
“1000 Deaths” by D’Angelo

quickMix™: 3-7 songs. download in seconds.

I am a firm believer that music blends make songs sound better.
And sometimes I just want to get to the blend in a mix.

This quickMix™ contains a song and a blend that I have had in my head for a while now. Starting from the unreleased D’Angelo. I heard a connection to something that had come before in this song. After listening to the stories of how the Voodoo album came to be, it is nice to see Questlove and company reaching back to a recent album for inspiration. The underrated Amplified album is filled with gems from the production duo Q-tip and a soon-to-be J Dilla. Working backwards from there, the electronica-accompanied Zoe Keating builds a mood with her layers of cello melodies that seemed a perfect place to start.

o:{I originally planned to start with the sample source for “Wait Up”, seeing as it also inspired “1000 Deaths”. I couldn't find any information about the original online. If anyone has the Amplified liner notes and can share the sample source, I would greatly appreciate it.}

Late Love

dj omni - "late love mix"
o:{there is explicit content in this mix. apologies in advance.}

I’m a little late for the lovey-dovey vibe, but I can see that the love bug has had a hand in this mix. Some of that love is directed at my city. I spent a night in the Akwaaba Mansion, a black-owned Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. It’s around the corner from the Lewis Avenue that Big Daddy Kane rapped about on his albums. It is also the setting for the video of “History” by Mos Def featuring Talib Kweli.

Tracklist:
1 Ammoncontact f. Prince Po, Yusef Lateef, & Dwight Tribble – Beautiful Flowers
2 Courtney Pine f. Cassandra Wilson - "Don't 'Xplain"
3 D'Angelo w/ Pino & ?uesto - "Ex To The Next"
4 Donovan - "Get Thy Bearings"
5 Fink - "Q & A"
6 Jazzanova f. Phonte - "So Far From Home"
7 Ty & Kory - "Flyin Away"
8 Tony Toni Toné - "That's All I Ask Of You"
9 The Roots f. JazzyFatNastees - "You Got Me (Me Tienes Remix)
10 Tin Hat Trio - "The Longest Night"
11 Vampire Weekend - "Diplomat's Son"
12 Ta'Raach - "Baaaby"
13 Skillz f. Freeway - "Don't Act Like You Don't Know"
14 RJD2 - "Work It Out"
15 Prefuse 73 f. Aesop Rock - "Sabbatical With Options"
16 Pete Rock f. CL Smooth - "Back On the Block"
17 Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and his 40-piece orchestra – “Hoc ‘n Pucky”
18 Jay Electronica - "Retro Electro"

Grammy Nominated: Mos Def

dj omni - "mos def mix"

1. Mos Def - "Jay Electronica Tribute (Live @ Carnegie Hall)"
2. Mos Def - "Universal Magnetic"
3. Mos Def – “QuietDog (Letterman_060809)"
4. Black Star - "Hard Margin"
5. Mary J Blige - "Beautiful (Black Star Remix)"
6. Mos Def - "Auditorium (f. Slick Rick the Ruler)"
7. Mos Def - "Ms. Fat Booty"
8. Mos Def - "U R The One"
9. Mos Def - "Umi Says (Zero 7 Mix)"
10. Mos Def - "Brooklyn Go Hard (Live @ Highline Ballroom)
11. Mos Def - "Black Jack"
12. De La Soul - "Big Brother Beat"
13. Mos Def - "No Hay Nada Mas"
14. Black Star - "Respiration (Pete Rock Remix f. Black Thought)"
15. Mos Def - "May-December"
16. Mos Def x HYPNOTIC - "Make it Funky (Live)"
17. De La Soul - "Stakes Is High (Remix)"
18. BlakRoc - "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)(f. Jim Jones)
19. Black Star - "Bright as The Stars"
20. Mos Def - "Priority"
21. Reflection Eternal - "Just Begun (f. Jay Electronica and J. Cole)
22. Mos Def - "Champion Requiem"

Continuing the congratulatory theme, a long overdue Mos Def mix that barely scratches the surface of this man’s oeuvre. Mos has been nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance “Casa Bey” and for Best Rap Album “The Ecstatic”. The solo performance category has strong competition from Drake, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kid Cudi. Big-up Q-Tip for getting a Grammy nod for his excellent album “The Renaissance” (he deserves a mix of his own).

Mos Def is the definition of multi-talented. Almost as well known for his acting as he is for his music he has been nominated for a variety of awards but has at this point only won a Black Reel Awards in 2005 as Best Actor Independent for “The Woodsman”. (He really should have won Best Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series in 2004 for “Something the Lord Made”)

Needless say we will be seeing more from Mos.

Grammy Nominated: Phonte

dj omni - "phonte mix"

1. Foreign Exchange - "Let's Move"
2. Phonte - "Like Dat"
3. The Foreign Exchange - "Daykeeper (feat. Muhsinah)"
4. Kev Brown, Oddisee & Phonte - "Beats N' Rhymes"
5. Dave Ghetto, Mystic & Phonte - "Hey Young World Pt. II"
6. Jake One - "Bless the Child (feat. Little Brother)"
7. Little Brother - "Phonte Exclusive"
8. Phonte & Eccentric - "Silky Tay's Theme"
9. Strong Arm Steady - "Best of Times ft. Phonte"
10. Royce da 5'9" & Phonte - "Something 2 Ride 2"
11. Foreign Exchange - "Be Alright"
12. Little Brother - "Breakin My Heart (feat. Lil' Wayne)"
13. Phonte - "Too Late"
14. Jazzanova - "Look What You're Doin' To Me Featuring Phonte"
15. The Foreign Exchange (Nicolay & Phonte) - "Hustle Hustle"
16. RJD2 - "The Shining Path (feat. Phonte Coleman)"
17. Zo! - "My Flame feat. Phonte"
18. Little Brother - "Home"
19. Phonte & Eccentric - "The Time Has Come"

The above mix is a special request from the homegirl, Kemba. And I’m really happy to see the fam Phonte getting the shine he deserves. The Foreign Exchange has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category (with stiff competition from Robert Glasper & Bilal and Eric Roberson respectively).

Phonte Coleman has been everywhere since his debut on Little Brother’s “The Listening” in 2003. He’s a little bit Weezy and a little bit Drake, popping up on other people’s projects as lyricist and/or as singer. He addresses this on the song “Too Late”: “I got a Masters in freestyle (rhyming), and a hook-singing baccalaureate.”

Creatively, Phonte resembles Cee-lo. Former member of a fan-favorite group, talented lyricist and vocalist, and has found Grammy success partnering with a talented producer. The only difference is that Phonte has not released solo albums, but he has hinted on his Gordon Gartrell podcast that a solo album is in the works.

Foreign Exchange has a good chance of winning the Grammy, and it would be well deserved. But it’s only the beginning for Phonte.