Music Video: Josie Stingray: "Whatever Style" x "Got to Get It"

When I saw that Josie was featured on Mike Baker the Bike Maker's "Coast is Clear," I thought three things:

1. Finally, new Josie. (The last song we posted was "Josie" ft. 1-O.A.K.)

2. How fitting. (She's definitely in her own lane and so Honor Roll)

3. When is she gonna drop another track? (See parenthesis following first thought)

Days later "Got to Get it" was in my inbox. The video was Josie in full sneakerhead mode. And whereas Mistah FAB's recent sneaker anthem was filmed in a store, "Got to Get It" revealed Josie  at the house with her actual kicks. Then, before I could post it, she hit me with her "Cannon" freestyle. Just when I thought I didn't want to hear anyone else on "Cannon," I was happy she did it. It showed that she could be a bit more aggressive with her lyrics and flow, without losing her cool. It showed that while she could rhyme over indy-electro and funky tracks, she could still get on the joints that mainstream hip-hop cats rocked with. 

I fux with Josie. I appreciate her flow and her decision to leave gimmicky foolery to clowns. (My words, not hers.) She makes music I want to hear.  And I rock with her because for all of her talent, all of the artists she's worked with, and after all work she's put in, she is still underrated but doing her thing none the less.

Event: The Gods Must Be Crazy

It's the first Friday of the month. That means folks flowing in and out of Oakland art galleries, the side of Luka's Taproom being turned into a movie screen, random jam sessions and old school cars making Giant Burger look like a legit 50s drive-up dinner. Every month folks look forward to Art Murmur but this month, the first marks something completely different. 

Tonight Oaklandish is opening the doors to it's new store at 1444 Broadway and The New Parish will be home to a super soulful revival featuring DJ Rich Medina, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Kev Choice, Jennifer Johns, and Martin Luther. Imagine an event that invokes the musical gods in the form of Gil Scott Heron, Nina Simone, and Jimi Hendrix with a soundscape that includes Fela, Bob Marley, and James Brown. Can you picture it? Well that's just a bit of what the folks of Top Ten Social have planned.

We're predicting an awesome night. Each time we've seen these artists solo, they bodied the show, so now with all of them together we're expecting something other worldly.

I strongly suggest you grab tickets here.

Trying to win tickets? Follow @38thnotes on twitter and tweet: 

"The Gods Must Be Crazy http://bit.ly/lhStyA #thegods411 #TownTour @38thnotes"

Thursday Throwback: Christión: "Full Of Smoke"

15 years ago, a duo from Oakland, CA was the first act (not named Jay-Z) signed to Roc-a-Fella Records. If you’re racking your brain trying to remember which Beanie Sigel-ish rappers were bubbling in The Town in ’96, you’re on the wrong track. The infamous duo was an R&B act named Christión, comprised of brothers Allen Anthony and Kenny Ski. And so it was that in the same year Hov dropped Reasonable Doubt, Christión released their single “Full of Smoke”. They would go on to make music more explicitly for the ladies, but this, their first and biggest hit, was a hustler’s anthem.

“Full of Smoke” sounds like East Oakland’s answer to Sade’s “Smooth Operator,” and Roc-a-Fella painted that picture to perfection in the accompanying music video. With Dame Dash and a host of players taking in the scene, Allen Anthony’s smoky falsetto serenaded a throng of beautiful women with slick symphonic Box Chev soul. It was perfect.

And yet despite a couple other moderate hits (“Bring Back Your Love” and “I Wanna Get Next To You”), Christión failed to take root in the public’s consciousness. Bay Area rap favorites The Team did resurrect “Full of Smoke” for a little heard track on their Go Music mixtape, but we here at 38thnotes think Christión deserves to be heard by a new generation of Bay Area music fans.

DL: The Team: "Full of Smoke"

We reached out to Allen Anthony for this piece, and he informed us that he’s currently recording music down in Atlanta. So for those of you who’ve ever wondered what happened to Christión, allow us to present some new music from Mr. Anthony. I think you’ll like what you hear!

"SOMEBODY LIKE ME" by Allen Anthony.

Listen to more of Allen Anthony's new music HERE.

And for a trip down memory lane, check out Christión's videos for "Bring Back Your Love" and "I Wanna Get Next To You" after the jump

New Music: Mike Baker the Bike Maker: "The Coast is Clear"

There's something very distinct about The Honor Roll Crew. They've managed to create their own lane without looking like the group of "cool kids" who try to be "different" in the same way as everyone else. They brand but put their art before the marketing. They are valid contenders in the world of music, but compete with no one. They posses a cool confidence that is often lost in hip-hop's hubris.

You can hear all of this in Mike Baker the Bike Maker's new single "The Coast is Clear." The Trackademics & Josie Stingray assisted track is a chill cruisable tune that gives you a peek of the thought behind the cool. They don't compete because they have nothing to prove. They are who they are. 

DL: "The Coast is Clear" by Mike Baker the Bike Maker ft. Trackademics & Josie Stingray

Music Video: Erk Tha Jerk: "Hands Up"

Before Nerd's Eye View dropped, Erk had a listening session. I walked through a sketchy alley to get there. Damn near everybody was late. There was smoke in the air and Henny in cups. Up until this point, Coolhand was advocate for all things Erk. I liked dude as a person. I was feeling a number of his songs. But I still didn't know about him.

Track after track I nodded my head. More often than not I made a strange face. Like Jay makes in Fade to Black when he hears a beat that will eventually become his song. Remember the face? Yeah, it's something like that. That was when I knew. When it was time to go around hear the feedback everyone had written on their white pieces of paper, I had one complaint. "Right Here" didn't fit. Yes, I realized it was his hit single. Yes, I realized that some folks didn't have the Hood Nerd Mixtapes and would be expecting the Erk they heard on KMEL. But after hearing "How Do You Love Me," "Summer," "I Know,"  etc.,  "Right Here" seemed out of place. So I said it. He told me he had something to balance it out.

Fast forward a bit and I get my hands on a copy of Nerd's Eye View, and instantly I know that "Hands Up" is what he was talking about. It's catchy. It's radio friendly. He doesn't reveal much in the track and that's fine cuz sharing his soul is not the purpose of "Hands Up." When it comes to getting tipsy women in the club to sing about their vijajays? He got that. Making it okay for dudes in the club to indirectly ask if a chick is about that life without her feeling offended? He got that. Dropping the right verses, to the right beat, with a vibe that makes the song sound like an anthem for all the independent women? He got that. Video with pretty women in the club that you can't touch? He got that.

Video: Yours Tru.ly presents Little Dragon in SF

Yours Tru.ly is a collective after our own heart. Based in San Francisco, it is a video blog site that creates unique content with a variety of indy musical acts. Their style mixes the stripped down sound of an MTV Unplugged session with an intimate visual aesthetic more akin to a Pomplamoose video song than a slick pop music video. Their break out moment came on the heels of the taping of The Morning Benders' "Excuses" at Different Fur studios. That session (posted on 38thnotes) featured a Phil Spector-ish wall of sound provided by a whos who of indy Bay Area artists.

Since then Yours Tru.ly has been growing. They recently shot sessions with Chromeo, Big Krit, Tyler The Creator and Little Dragon. All four are indy acts, but are big names nonetheless. Perhaps none more-so than Little Dragon. The eclectic Swedish quartet is peddling a unique electronic sound behind the soft but powerful voice of lead singer Yukimi Nagano. Here, at Different Fur, they go for simplicity in a version of "Little Man." You can check out Krit, Chromeo and Tyler's sessions after the jump. 

Video: Moneyball Trailer

  

Not only did the A's sweep the Giants this weekend, but this last week the official trailer for the movie  Moneyball came out. Moneyball, which is adapted from the book by Michael Lewis, stars Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill.  When the book was released it caused a little bit of a stir because it showed exactly how Billy Bean, played by Brad Pitt, tried to change the system of how you evaluate talent and how to contend with big budget teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. 

Most would argue that his new ideas didn't pay off because the A's never won a World Series, but they made several play-off runs with a miniscule budget, and if you look at baseball today, you see Billy Bean's hand prints all over it. He forced organizations to think out of the box, and is a big reason why more teams employ people to break down stats on every player. Obviously this movie will not be the same as the book, they never are, but I am looking forward to an entertaining story and for my team and city to be shown on the big screen. Check out the trailer above and go support our beloved A's.

Video: Earn Your Stripes Cipher Series

Earn Your Stripes is a new cipher series hosted by Oakland emcee Do DAT and Oakland DJ Aebl Dee at the Berkeley Adidas store. In the first episode Vallejo’s Moe Green, Sac’s Chuuwee and the Sco’s Jinx, DB and Troy took the mic in front of a full house. With DAT running the point, each emcee took 2 turns on the mic as Aebl Dee spun a dope eclectic set on the tables. The Fillmore’s DB and Troy fell flat, but Moe spit a couple solid verses from his Rocky Maivia tape, Jinx held it down for The City, and Chuwee got fuckin busy!  

Overall this is a great opportunity for up-and-coming spitters to showcase their abilities in a different type of venue in front of a different type of crowd. A certain demographic will go to a local rap show, but performing in a retail space on a diverse and legendary street means performing for the uninitiated. The Bay needs more creative spaces and events, but also more dope folks curating and documenting said events. Shout out to DAT, Aebl and the Clear View Collective for coordinating this function.

"Growing Is Forever"- A Tribute to the Bay Area's Natural Beauty

38thnotes covers Bay Area hip-hop culture, but there is beauty that surrounds us that isn’t captured in that net. I love Oakland like family and I know many others who share that conviction, but we often take more pride in the war, than the beauty.  One of the blessings of living in the Bay Area is that we are surrounded by natural magnificence. We are perched on the Pacific coast, bathed in the Frisco Bay, enshrouded by rolling fog and crowned with majestic redwoods. This Oakland is our land, but this side of it often goes unnoticed.

Thankfully, filmmaker Jesse Rosten put together a stunning tribute to one of our natural neighbors, the majestic Redwood groves of Northern California. Featuring Rosten’s beautiful cinematography and the poetic prose and narration of Kallie Markle, “Growing Is Forever” views like a spiritual experience. It’s an homage to the towering trees that have stood in their stead for thousands of years, but it is also about growth and stillness.

“Growing is Forever” leaves you calm and contemplative. For me it reminded me of the Redwood tree that has always stood tall in my back yard, the annual tree plantings we did for a family friend who was killed, and the llama pack trips I used to go on in the shadows of Mount Shasta. We are so distracted by our city life and the concrete that covers it, that we often forget our roots. We all came from the land at some point. Whether our ancestors were farmers, sharecroppers, hunters, gatherers, cowboys, traders or frontiersman– the work, modes of travel and the spaciousness of this expanding country necessitated a relationship with Mother Nature. We’ve become somewhat lost in that regard.

Let “Growing Is Forever” remind you of the beauty in your own backyard and let the zen-like wisdom it emanates urge you to slow down and explore yourself and the natural world that surrounds you. 

Mixtape: Vell4Short: Project Sore Thumb

Fears that Vell4Short’s Project Sore Thumb was turning into Detox were calmed last week when he sent around the advanced release. Bloggers, DJs, PR folk, and selected friends got a sneak peak of the collection that been reworked time and time again. What we heard was growth, honesty, and music without gimmick.

The Gemini’s 26^th birthday doubled as the official release date of his first Red Planet Music Group release. #HappyBirthday and #ProjectSoreThumb tweets filled timelines and showed a bit of marketing insight. By featuring and holding his own on tracks with a number of artists Erk Tha Jerk, D. Bledsoe, London, Prank, and Moe Green, the Oakland native was able to pique the interest of new listeners and show that he is a contender in the Bay’s musical landscape.

Project Sore Thumb feels melancholy. Yeah, it’s peppered with humor and “I’m flyer than you” braggadocio, but even those tracks offer a laid-back sound.  Maybe everything was written during a late night haze, the space where you think about everything cuz you can’t cut your brain off to sleep. Or maybe it was all written during the moments between blunts. Maybe both.

But when the tracks were written and how long folks waited for the release don’t matter much. When a man shares his coming of age narrative and includes notes on family health issues, navigating infidelity on both sides, living above his means, and the death of his best friend, you listen.

DL: "Good Morning" by Vell4Short ft. Shark Sinatra, D. Bledsoe & Erk Tha Jerk

DL: "Patrick Swayze" by Vell4Short

DL: Vell4short: Project Sore Thumb

Music: Baby Jaymes: "Heart & Soul"

"I put my heart in it, heart it / Go home or hard with it / I'm not going home, so let me turn you on," sings Baby Jaymes on his latest single "Heart & Soul." The singer/songwriter, who has worked with Raphael Saadiq and George Clinton, uses this track to explain his approach and his motivation for creating music. The smooth, two-step worthy groove, which includes scratches from DJ Toure, is a sample the style Jaymes has dubbed "Ghetto Retro."  You can see the man that some refer to as "The Black Beck" tomorrow night at Monday Soul. Don't forget to report back and let us know what you thought of the show.

DL: "Heart & Soul" by Baby Jaymes

Music: Darling Bonnie: "Far From Perfect"

A few things about Darling Bonnie:

1. She’s from Oakland

2. She’s a rapper

3. She’s positioning herself somewhere between edgy and glamorous

4. Oh, and she really wants you to listen

"I attended Catholic school in the middle of the hood & lived for some time in the suburbs as well," explains the 24 year-old adding that her music and persona reflects her upbringing by portraying "the Darling (sweet, innocent, tasteful, glamorous, proper) & the Bonnie (edgy, rebellious, slightly demented, outrageous)."  

Formerly one-half of Honey N Da Bank, the first act signed to 4Deep's defunct record label, Darling Bonnie is taking another stab at the rap game, this time as a solo artist.

Tell us what you think.

DL: Far From Perfect by Darling Bonnie