Potholes In My Blog: D.W – Klipse [EP]

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1. D.W – Klipse [EP]
2. OutKast To Headline Governor’s Ball
3. Hudson Mohawke Beat Originally For Drake Appears In Chanel Runway Show
4. Chance The Rapper Is Moving In With James Blake
5. Freddie Gibbs – “One Eighty Seven” F. Problem [Video]
6. Pharrell Is The MVP of 2013
7. IAMNOBODI – “Flowers + Apricots & Prunes”
8. Coachella Announces 2014 Lineup, Headlined By Outkast
9. Watch Nardwuar Interview Diplo
10. Sean Price & M-Phazes – Land of the Crooks

D.W – Klipse [EP] Posted: 09 Jan 2014 09:27 PM PST News recently broke out about brothers Pusha T and No Malice forming together once again as the group The Clipse to release a Neptunes-produced album this year around the time the London-based producer D.W planned to drop his EP Klipse. Coincidence aside, Dean really came through a jazz influence with his latest — a neat collection of  five The Clipse-inspired reworks of  popular tunes from the VA duo that we’ve known for a few years now. You can stream D.W’s Klipse EP and watch a video for the song “(whamp whamp)” below. Download: D.W - Klipse EP [Bandcamp]

OutKast To Headline Governor’s Ball Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:14 PM PST This summer is shaping up to be the summer of OutKast after the Atlanta duo announced that they will be headlining New York’s Governor’s Ball in addition to their Coachella reunion. The festival, which runs from June 6-8 ,will be OutKast’s first New York City show in over a decade. The rest of the Governor’s Ball lineup is slated to be announced next week. To hold you over until festival season begins, watch the video for the OutKast classic “Ms Jackson” below:

Hudson Mohawke Beat Originally For Drake Appears In Chanel Runway Show Posted: 09 Jan 2014 09:13 AM PST While Hudson Mohawke did find a way on Drake‘s Nothing Was The Same record, there were some beats that didn’t quite make the cut. Thanks to Chanel, we are getting to hear what that beat sounded like, as it makes an appearance on their recent runway production. And while I don’t have much insight on what the runway show entails, we do know that the track is titled “Power Ruby”. Head over to Chanel’s site to watch the full runway show.

Chance The Rapper Is Moving In With James Blake Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:59 AM PST Fans of Chance the Rapper and James Blake’s collaboration “Life Round Here” get hyped. According to the Chicago emcee, the two are moving in together in a Los Angeles compound to make more music together. Chance told NME: We’re probably going to make a bunch of shit every day. I don’t know what we’re going to do with it. We might give some shit to other artists. We’re getting a compound so we figure we might invite people round to the crib and make some music in the house, then kick them out and bring in some new people. Chance also noted that this is the first time that he will be living anywhere other than the Chicago home that he grew up in. Watch the video for the duo’s first collaboration “Life Round Here” below:

Freddie Gibbs – “One Eighty Seven” F. Problem [Video] Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:34 AM PST Gangsta Gibbs goes black-and-white for his latest video “One Eighty Seven” featuring Problem. Like any classic Gibbs track, this ESGN cut matches Gibbs’ raspy flow with a menacing beat to give us one hell of a banger. Directed by John Colombo, the black-and-white visuals go perfectly with the overall tone of the song. Watch the video below:

Pharrell Is The MVP of 2013 Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:44 AM PST Before we celebrate how Pharrell vampired his ways into your mom's dreams throughout 2013, lets go back for perspective on his oft taken for granted longevity. In the mid ’90s Pharrell earned his stripes working on material for Wreckx-N-Effects, SWV (yes, that’s P rapping), and Blackstreet near the tail-end of the New Jack Swing era in R&B. Then Pharrell, alongside Chad, gained a sonic identity by producing Noreaga's most combustible song, "Super Thug", from his 1998 debut N.O.R.E. This lead to one of the most unique and undeniable production runs in contemporary music. The Neptunes’ sound took the celluloid sex-synth of golden-era Prince, laid it over the skeleton of a comatose R&B landscape, and compressed them under the organic feel of Native Tongues-era Tribe. Over the following six years, Pharrell (as part of the Neptunes) would sit on top the R&B, Rap, and Pop charts like a regal but humble king providing hits for Britney Spears, N'SYNC, Jay-Z, Mystikal, Nelly, ODB, Kelis, Gwen Stefani, Common, and of course Clipse. In short, next to Dre and Timbo, Pharrell and Chad were the faces of the super-producer. But that was nearly a decade ago. After releasing decent to great albums as part of N.E.R.D. (can someone please tell me what Shay did), the Neptunes continued to give various artist production credits here and there, while the hits became fewer and far between. By '06 Pharrell was releasing solo work to mixed critical fair and gave Pusha and Malice one of rap's most revered releases of the mixtape/internet era with Hell Hath No Fury, which to this day has not gone gold. After the Neptunes “officially” split in '08, one could argue that Chad, and in particular Pharrell, who was becoming an international pop culture brand, were gaining placements due to their past successes. Sure their sound (particularly Pharrell's hooks) still permeated through the old heroin addict veins of the crumbling music industry, but the music was nowhere near as dominant or essential. Yet, after Pharrell low-key kilt the soundtrack for the great Despicable Me in 2010, the pop culture demi-gawds seemed to give their favor back to Skateboard P. The tides further moved in Pharrell's favor in 2012 as he co-produced "Sweet Life" and "Golden Girl" for Frank Ocean's breakthrough debut, Channel Orange. He also landed a definitive placement on Kendrick’s Good Kid M.A.A.D. City, which as an album, become the most water into wine moment for West Coast rap since Snoop met Dre. Now over these past 365 sunrises and 12 full moons, few of us have been able to breathe air without Pharrell's production, voice, or face joyfully lingering through space. I don't care if you are a curmudgeon music snob breaking down dirty weed in the bedroom of your momma’s house; the douchebag with a backwards baseball cap chuggin' bud lights at the local sports bars; or the pseudo dime piece rolling your man's Benz—at as some point in 2013 you were bobbing your head or shacking your ass to something Pharrell had his hands in. Pharrell's most ubiquitous hits in 2013 were his MOR funk production for Robin Thicke's summer anthem "Blurred Lines", and his vocals on the anachronistic cocaine-roller-disco of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky". But if jubilant sonic celebrations of a lil in-out-in-out aren't your cup of mocha frappuccino, Pharrell still gave us that minimalist punchy menace of his rap productions: check Pusha's "S.N.I.T.C.H." and "Suicide", and Earl's blunted-wave "Burgundy".  Still not happy and need a little more substance? You could've bounced to Aloe Blacc's soul-stirring "Love Is The Answer", which yes, Pharrell also produced. Or you could look to Mayer Hawthorne's "Reach Out Richard". Even still there was more. Pharrell's solo single "Happy", accompanied by the innovative "24 Hour video", shot throughout various parts of Los Angeles, was pure unadulterated feel good. Pharrell also contributed to Beyonce's new LP, which broke the internet, and arguably co-produced the album's best song, "Blow". No matter how many half-assed negative dissertations we can conjure up about popular music, the industry, or mainstream culture, when we look back at the musical milieu of 2013, it would be damn near impossible to speak about it without mentioning Pharrell Williams. Trust, you are a special member of the madarati if not one in the mentioned list of songs/artist did not move you in 2013. Near 20 years deep, Pharrell is still crafting multivalent techniques in the art of moving butts. Whether mainstream or underground, if it's good, it's good. It is for these reasons we name Pharrell 2013's MVP. Here at Potholes, we do it for the people… heyheyhey.

IAMNOBODI – “Flowers + Apricots & Prunes” Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:42 AM PST IAMNOBODI has quickly solidified himself as one of our favorite European producers. Today he lets go of a laidback new piece he has been working on called, “Flowers + Apricots & Prunes”. Driven by some delightfully infectious melodies, IAMNOBODI mixes up the track with a contrasting blend of thunderous drums. And the transition here from one track to the next is damn near perfect. Give “Flowers + Apricots & Prunes” a spin below.

Coachella Announces 2014 Lineup, Headlined By Outkast Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:32 AM PST For those of you pumped about the reunion of Outkast at Coachella, your prayers have been answered as the festival announces their full lineup today. Outkast will be headlining the first evening of the weekend, as Muse and Arcade Fire take on the final two. There are a ton of other top-notch artists included on the bill, many of which we cover here at Potholes. Some notable additions include Chance the Rapper, Bonobo, Nas, Fatboy Slim, A$AP Ferg, Blood Orange, Ratking and much more. Check out the full lineup below. Tickets go on sale Friday. Read more here. Friday, April 11 & 18 Outkast, the Knife, the Replacements, Broken Bells, Zedd, Girl Talk, Ellie Goulding, Chromeo, Haim, Neko Case, AFI, Martin Garrix, Bonobo, Bryan Ferry, the Glitch Mob, the Afghan Whigs, the Cult, Bastille, Flume, Aloe Blacc, Jagwar Ma, A$AP Ferg, Grouplove, Woodkid, Carnage, Shlohmo, Gareth Emery, Michael Brun, MS MR, Kate Nash, Hot Since 82, Damian Lazarus, GOAT, Nina Kraviz, Anthony Green, Duke Dumont, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Solomun, ZZ Ward, Anti-Flag, Caravan Palace, Flatbush Zombies, Deorro, Waxahatchee, Title Fight, Davide Squillace, DJ Falcon, Dum Dum Girls, Austra, Tom Odell, Dixon, Wye Oak, Crosses, Mako, the Preatures, the Bots, Gabba Gabba Heys Saturday, April 12 & 19 Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, Skrillex, Pharrell Williams, Lorde, Foster the People, Pet Shop Boys, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Fatboy Slim, Nas, Kid Cudi, the Head and the Heart, Sleigh Bells, Cage the Elephant, City and Colour, Chvrches, Dillon Francis, Capital Cities, the Naked and Famous, Temples, Mogwai, Warpaint, Solange, Washed Out, Future Islands, Ty Segall, DARKSIDE, Banks, Tiga, Bombay Bicycle Club, Holy Ghost!, Netsky, RL Grime, Galantis, Foxygen, White Lies, Graveyard, the Internet, Laura Mvula, the Dismemberment Plan, Headhunterz, Blood Orange, GTA, TJR, Cajmere, Guy Gerber, Nicole Moudaber, MAKJ, Bear Hands, the Magician, Young & Sick, Unlocking the Truth, Saints of Valory, Carbon Airways, UZ, Syd Arthur, Bicep, Drowners Sunday, April 13 & 20 Arcade Fire, Beck, Calvin Harris, Neutral Milk Hotel, Disclosure, Lana Del Rey, Motörhead, Alesso, Duck Sauce, Little Dragon, Beady Eye, Flosstradamus, the Toy Dolls, the 1975, Adventure Club, Big Gigantic, Chance the Rapper, Laurent Garnier, Krewella, Rudimental, STRFKR, Fishbone, Trombone Shorty, AlunaGeorge, Art Department, Flight Facilities, Frank Turner, John Newman, Maceo Plex, Superchunk, Bombino, Daughter, Bad Manners, Surfer Blood, Lee Burridge, Poolside, Classixx, Showtek, James Vincent McMorrow, Bo Ningen, Aeroplane, Ratking, Jhené Aiko, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Factory Floor, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Anne Lunoe, the Martinez Brothers, Scuba, John Beaver

Watch Nardwuar Interview Diplo Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:25 AM PST Continuing on his quest to interview each and every relevant artist, Nardwuar stops Diplo in his tracks for an introspective back-and-forth. This interview is particularly interesting, considering how many amazing artists Diplo has been able to work with in recent years. And Nardwuar does a superb job of pulling out loads of insight. Watch the interview below.

Sean Price & M-Phazes – Land of the Crooks Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:24 AM PST Sean Price & M-Phazes - Land of the Crooks Coalmine Records: 2013 On last year's Mic Tyson, NY knuckle-head Sean Price brought exactly what he always does and exactly what fans of grimy street rap wanted and expected; gruff, artfully nuance-free bars of bullets, body blows and blunt threats. It did, however, have the feeling of a diminishing return. After the punishing one-two punch of Monkey Barz and Jesus Price Superstar, Mic Tyson felt like the hoped for more of the same but with a perceptible, if slight drop in quality. Solid as it was, (and it was by no means a creative flop), P's impact had been softened a little by his third solo album. The beats weren't quite on the same tier, and his blunt-force utilitarianism had been dulled, evidenced by such signifiers as his willingness to recycle bars, (as Francisco Murray pointed out in his review on this site). Land of the Crooks, his new blink-and-you'll-miss-it EP with Australian producer M-Phazes, rectifies at least that first problem. Put simply, these beats knock, and come together in a way that only a true scholar of boom-bap could craft. "Dump in the Gut" powers through the speakers with a classic, swaggering brass flip. The title track, meanwhile, feels like a light-footed lost New York gem from the turn of the millennium, gaining its name from a flipped Jeru line and even enlisting Dilated Peoples’ DJ Babu for the scratches. "Murdah Type Thinkin'" is more sleek and synth-heavy, but keeps its feet in the gutter with its occasional blasts of scratchy organ and a typically effortless demonstration of virtuosity from Roc Marciano. Finally, opener "Bag of Shit" is spacious and pretty with a deceptively fearsome low-end, recalling nothing so much as Hieroglyphics 2000s return announcement "Fantasy Island". It makes for a relatively diverse set of beats for a set of tracks that remain fundamentally in the category of stuff made to appeal to the throwback hard-core set. And that's about it. Aside from some instrumentals and a decent, Guilty Simpson-featuring Small Professor remix of "Murdah Type Thinkin'", the EP is no more than those four tracks. This, along with the smooth slickness that M-Phazes brings to his beats, helps Land of the Crooks function as a short sharp shock of a release, which is definitely to its benefit. The beats here, hearty old-head comfort food though they might be, would struggle to carry a full-length project. Here, free from any need to innovate or do anything other than adequately accentuate P's barrage of aggression, they function just fine. Sean himself, once again, does exactly what is expected of him. The shiny new beats make him sound marginally more effervescent than on Mic Tyson, and there isn't as much time for him to repeat rhymes, but he mostly sticks to the same solid tough guy shtick that heads know and love. Elevated above the average by his gruffness and violently nihilistic sense of humor, (still his greatest asset), Sean's rugged bars still set him apart in his lane of the rap game, a zone in which conservatism is kind of the point. When it comes to street hip-hop, as long as someone is doing what they do well, it's kind of off to criticize them for doing exactly what they are loved for. And on Land of the Crooks, as ever, that's exactly what Sean P does. 3 out of 5 stars 3 out of 5 You can buy the EP on Amazon.