Potholes In My Blog: Listen: Phantogram Remixes “Black Out Days” With Danny Brown & Leo Justi

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1. Listen: Phantogram Remixes “Black Out Days” With Danny Brown & Leo Justi
2. Listen to Your Old Droog’s Latest Drop “Where The Rhymes At?”
3. Frank Leone – Bites, Bumps and Scratches EP
4. Listen: the stand4rd Unveils Its Debut, Self-Titled Album
5. Watch Kevin Abstract’s Rightfully Hyped “Hell / Heroina” Video
6. Listen to Jeremiah Jae’s Remix of Run The Jewels’ “Job Well Done”
7. Watch A 19-Year-Old Zev Love X (aka MF DOOM) Address The Senate In 1991
8. Listen: Busdriver Spazzes Over Flying Lotus’ “Never Catch Me”

Listen: Phantogram Remixes “Black Out Days” With Danny Brown & Leo Justi Posted: 05 Nov 2014 11:04 AM PST Phantogram is getting ready to hit the road later this month through the end of December. To celebrate, they have flipped one of their latest album’s finest cuts, “Black Out Days,” and enlisted a pair of artists to help out the duo with their latest drop. And wouldn’t you know it, one of them is Potholes favorite Danny Brown, who stomps onto the beat with his trademark aggressive flow. The bouncy backdrop is a perfect one for the Detroit native, as he yelps and finds the pocket within producer Leo Justi‘s hectic flip of the original production. While things get a lil’ wild to the point where Danny’s bars aren’t exactly easy to understand, it still all works together and sounds natural. I just wish his vocals were a bit louder. You can hear the remix below. [via]

Listen to Your Old Droog’s Latest Drop “Where The Rhymes At?” Posted: 05 Nov 2014 09:32 AM PST A few days ago, Your Old Droog reappeared from the NYC rap shadows with another freestyle session with DJ Skizz as part of the Just Rhymin’ With Skizz series. And instead of having it live as a pure video piece, the Coney Island rapper decided to flip it into a brand-new track called “Where The Rhymes At?”. It builds from the original clip by adding new bars and, of course, a better-sounding recording, which makes for a straight-up ill piece of boom-bap to enjoy on this Wednesday afternoon. You can considering this a holdover of sorts for Droog’s next project, which is an expanded take on self-titled EP that’ll feature eight more songs. Sweet. You can stream/download “Where The Rhymes At?” below.

Frank Leone – Bites, Bumps and Scratches EP Posted: 05 Nov 2014 05:14 AM PST Frank Leone – Bites, Bumps and Scratches EP Self-released: 2014 Coming in at just under 10 minutes, Frank Leone's Bites, Bumps, and Scratches EP is more of a musical tease than a full-fledged project – it's supposedly a collection of songs that didn't make the cut for his forthcoming debut full-length, EnterWILD. But despite its short length, the EP's five tracks are strong enough to demand much more than only 10 minutes of listeners' time. Quality over quantity is Leone's strategy with this release, as only two tracks sound truly finished – those with vocals. He makes the most of the limited number of verses here, delivering punch lines and rhymes that warrant rewinds for further inspection. "I don't leave a beat dead, boy I leave this shit dripping, stripped down, bound, gagging, I'm laughing and still kicking," is just one example of Leone's ability to string together clever verbal phrases. Leone's delivery comes across as if he's acknowledging his listeners individually as opposed to his entire audience, which adds some much needed energy to the self-centered, smack-talking content of the lyrics. It's not always clear what Leone is getting at as he calmly slurs line after line of smug metaphors and comparisons, but his lack of a definitive message feels right at home over the EP's production work. The pulsing synth line and filtered drums of "O-Ahaaaaa" is reminiscent of something Jeremiah Jae would release on Brainfeeder, and "Investigation" sounds as if it were stripped directly from a Dyme-A-Duzin release. Not to say Leone doesn't convey his own style, but it's not so much the production as it is the rapping that distinguishes him from artists who also demonstrate a carefree — but carefully stitched — vibe. After working with some of Chicago's rising hip-hop talent on his 2012 release, Deep Ocean, Leone received some guest production work for the aforementioned tracks, and limits his own productions to synth-driven instrumentals that work well as interludes. Bites, Bumps, and Scratches could be described as a couple of outstanding hip-hop tracks with what sound like a few unfinished production ideas thrown in for fun — true to the rapper’s own description. Regardless, Leone's efforts are well-executed, and the EP offers a glimpse of what’s to expect come EnterWILD's release. And if the upcoming full-length is able to expand on the ideas that Leone explores with this EP, it should be nothing short of excellent. You can purchase Bites, Bumps and Scratches on Bandcamp.

Listen: the stand4rd Unveils Its Debut, Self-Titled Album Posted: 04 Nov 2014 08:43 PM PST “Now, look what I created… created/Ma-ma-mama, look what I created/In my room, in my room/for the world,” raps Allan Kingdom on “Binoculars,” the first taste of newly minted quartet the stand4rd’s debut album. Teenagers and twenty-somethings have steadily overtaken the indie-online rap sphere from poster-laden bedrooms and dorms, stacked with audio gear and neglected textbooks. Kingdom, charismatic and melodic as ever, nods his head to that trend. He’s short, sweet and penning lines worth sharing, much like most all of the St. Paul native’s latest material. An always-promising artist is flourishing before our eyes. And, to reiterate, he’s not alone. Fellow Minnesotans Spooky Black, Psymun and Bobby Raps compile the stand4rd, a powerhouse team that’s as self-sufficient as it is nimble in production preference. To prove shared upbringings and creative environments mold similar wavelengths, look no further than the stand4rd. If you’re in search of an impressive record opposite RTJ2 on the mood spectrum, grab your fix below. Expect a proper review of this project sooner than later.

Watch Kevin Abstract’s Rightfully Hyped “Hell / Heroina” Video Posted: 04 Nov 2014 07:05 PM PST Kevin Abstract‘s music makes you question normalcy. Listeners might brush off his more fantastical claims (“I died in the past, I live in the present… I’mma die any second”), but the young Corpus Christi visionary vies for the lyrics and sounds that turn our minds inside out. How he and his creative team choose to bundle all that lifts his work to another level entirely. Famed vets, of-the-moment stars and newcomers have struggled to match Abstract’s meticulous packaging, whether they’re aware of such pitfalls or not. “Hell / Heroina,” Kevin’s rightfully hyped, newly released visual directed by Tyler Mitchell, extends the artist’s lead farther still — hardly a fair race, at this point. MacBooks — used as a generationally impactful motif — reappear here, forming portals to view differing, albeit consistently discomforting realms. At times tied up, overpowered by club-wielding goons, entranced by a Merry-Go-Round and self-injecting would-be opiates, ASF’s founder keeps our eyes glued. Between his efforts, along with those of Mitchell and producer Romil (a mega-talent in his own right), “Hell / Heroina” is Abstract’s best visual yet. These words don’t do AliveSinceForever, and all its quality output, justice (this flyer for “Hell” does, though), so I’ll quit my yapping and kindly guide you to the video box below. If you’re in the mood to laugh, cry and all the while uncover one of 2014’s finest projects, listen to Abstract’s MTV1987 LP here and read our review here. For more of the latest on Abstract, check out his interview with Complex, conducted by Ashley N. Reed.

Listen to Jeremiah Jae’s Remix of Run The Jewels’ “Job Well Done” Posted: 04 Nov 2014 05:32 PM PST Run The Jewels may have recently dropped their perfect sophomore album, but that’s not stopping one Potholes favorite from looking back to the duo’s self-titled debut. I’m referring to none other than Warp Records rapper/producer Jeremiah Jae, who himself just released a rad new project with his crew. Here, however, he’s playing the role of remixer as he delivers his own blunted, looping take on Run The Jewels‘ “Job Well Done.” In addition to providing a completely new backdrop, Jae spits a verse, too, and drops slick references to the WWF and may leave you looking up videos of the Rock’s finest moments. If you smell what I’m cookin’… You can hear the remix below.

Watch A 19-Year-Old Zev Love X (aka MF DOOM) Address The Senate In 1991 Posted: 04 Nov 2014 12:54 PM PST Back in 1991, the rapper/producer we know today as MF DOOM (among a host of other aliases) wasn’t wearing a mask yet and the world knew him as Zev Love X. And in April of that year, a 19-year-old Zev headed to the Senate, alongside his KMD partner Onix The Birthstone Kid, to address the rules committee. Namely, they were speaking on the Motor Voter bill, which would allow people to register to vote when they receiving an ID card or license at the DMV or register by mail. Although the bill passed, it was vetoed by President George H.W. Bush, but that wasn’t its full demise. The next president, one Bill Clinton, brought it back and signed it into law in 1992. Anyway, the team at Rapp Cats came across footage of Zev and Onix speaking on the bill back in April 1991, and I figured (like them) that it made sense to share today seeing how its Election Day here in the States. You can watch the clip below.

Listen: Busdriver Spazzes Over Flying Lotus’ “Never Catch Me” Posted: 04 Nov 2014 12:15 PM PST You know a performer is doing his or her job when you don’t pass out during his or her set despite the fact that you’re exhausted. Busdriver proved that point a few weeks ago when I saw him in Carrboro, N.C. on the same bill as Kenny Segal, Milo, and Clipping. on a week night. I needed to clarify that it took place during the week because I’m typically drained of energy after work, so seeing a show on a Wednesday night isn’t ideal. But I went and was in complete awe the whole time, especially when ‘Driver busted out his spastic take on Flying Lotus’ “Never Catch Me.” Thankfully, he also decided to record it to tape (or his computer, or whatever) and has now shared it with the world. When I say that you need to see him do this live, I am not joking. Your brain will melt. Listen to “Never Caught” below. [via]