Potholes In My Blog: Outside Lands 2015 Review + Photos: Kendrick Lamar, D’Angelo, and Big Freedia

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• Outside Lands 2015 Review + Photos: Kendrick Lamar, D’Angelo, and Big Freedia
• Potholes In My Blog To Go On Hiatus
• Ohbliv Re-Releases His First Beat-Tape ‘Rugged Tranquility’
• Wale – The Album About Nothing
• Watch Lido & Canblaster In Studio For The Making Of Their Superspeed [EP]
• Watch Yasiin Bey Rap MF DOOM Songs On His Beyondoom Project
• Rapper Big Pooh – Words Paint Pictures
• Listen: SBTRKT’s “Roulette” & “No Less”
• Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside

Outside Lands 2015 Review + Photos: Kendrick Lamar, D’Angelo, and Big Freedia Posted: 13 Aug 2015 07:44 AM PDT Editor’s note: Yes, Potholes is still on hiatus, but writer Fred Castano was already set to review this year’s Outside Lands, so here we are. Hope y’all enjoy it and we’ll let you know when and/if anything changes on our site. Second editor’s note: D’Angelo photos by Curtis Stankalis. All other photos by Daniel Ancheta.

Best New Tracks - Pitchfork: Kendrick Lamar: “The Blacker the Berry”

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Kendrick Lamar: “The Blacker the Berry” Posted: 09 Feb 2015 04:16 PM PST "You hate me don't you? I know you hate me as much as you hate yourself." Kendrick Lamar's first major statement since he released "i" in September is as fierce and discordant as that song was naïve and sweet. But both are flip sides of the same coin—the issue of self-love. It is clearer than ever, as his follow-up to good kid, m.A.A.d city takes shape in public, that Kendrick considers self-love—it's absence, its persistence even in the face of overwhelming societal discouragement—his great subject, the reason he's rapping. "i" was the song that gazed at the clouds, that looked deep within for reasons to love oneself. "The Blacker the Berry" balefully surveys world around him. It begins with a loop, dark and bleary, more Enter The Wu-Tang than Aquemini. His recitation of "blacker the berry, sweeter the juice" instantly brings to mind 2Pac's "Keep Ya Head Up", but just as in 2Pac's song, the line has a wistful, even wishful ring. His voice is angry, ragged, his delivery pitched between near-scream and near-sob, but his words are clear and diamond-cut: "Gangbanging got me killing a nigga blacker than me, hypocrite." It's a performance of abandonment, and part of how it flattens you is with control and discipline: His cadence runs roughshod over the beat, hitting it the way a sprinting foot hints pavement—at angles, irregularly, and with a painful muscle-twisting sense of urgency. His lines cut through everything, abandoning his occasional tendency to fill up lines with melodious filler syllables: "I mean, it's evident that I'm irrelevant to society/ That's what you're telling me, penitentiary would only hire me." It might be his most focused and upsetting performance, evoking not just the Pac of "Keep Ya Head Up" but the righteous firebreather of "Holler If Ya Hear Me". We're listening.

Potholes In My Blog: Listen: Black Thought’s Interview On The Champs Podcast

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1. Listen: Black Thought’s Interview On The Champs Podcast 
2. Kendrick Lamar Shares A New Song “The Blacker The Berry”, Produced By Boi-1da 
3. Watch: The New Trailer For N.W.A.’s Biopic ‘Straight Outta Compton’

Listen: Black Thought’s Interview On The Champs Podcast Posted: 10 Feb 2015 12:57 AM PST For a guy with an illustrious career spanning over twenty-years, Black Thought rarely does interviews, as Questlove is the frontman for The Roots. All these years later I can’t point to one definitive Black Thought interview outside of maybe a Juan Epstein appearance for the Undun album promo run, but that interview was surface at best. Thought recently sat down with comedian Neal Brennan on his fantastic Champs podcast. They discussed his childhood in depth, growing up in Philly, losing both his parents at an early age, The Tonight Show, battling Boyz II Men in early talent shows, and aspiring to be a visual artist way before pursuing hip-hop full-time with The Roots. They also delve into his working relationship with Questlove, outside endeavors and the whole Soulaquarian movement with Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and others. Overall, it’s a pretty funny and revealing interview from one the best emcees currently in the game. You can stream Black Thought’s interview here

FACT Magazine The 15 best FACT mixes of 2014 @ Musique Non Stop

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1. The 15 best FACT mixes of 2014
2. Aphex Twin has hired a programmer to make him a unique piece of music software based on mutation
3. Kendrick Lamar: “I’ve seen ghosts and UFOs – they still don’t believe me”
4. Bandcamp sellers must pay tax on European downloads from January 2015
5. Frank Ocean and Lil B are making music together
6. Grab Chicago rapper Lil Herb’s second mixtape Pistol P Project

The 15 best FACT mixes of 2014 Posted: 29 Dec 2014 08:36 AM PST Almost 500 sessions in, if we didn’t think our mix series was the best on the web we wouldn’t run it. 2014 was no different, with some of our all-time favourite FACT mixes arriving from faces both new and old. Finally getting Stephen O’Malley, the brains behind SunnO))), Southern Lord, Khanate and more in for a three-hour session was a coup we’d been after for a long time, while Peanut Butter Wolf approaching us with the idea of a 24-hour Valentine’s Day special was a genuine WTF moment – obviously we bit his hand off, and even having to stay up late uploading the bloody thing didn’t dampen our excitement. Elsewhere, we managed to pull in big names from outside the world of dance music – Damon Albarn, Slowdive, St Vincent and Wild Beasts – and invited the likes of Ikonika back for second sessions. There’s no science to picking our favourites, this is simply a list of the FACT mixes we enjoyed listening to the most. Ask us tomorrow and it could all be different, but for now, these are the year’s best.

FACT Magazine Bristol bass dons Hodge and Facta ready collaborative 12″ for Tempa @ Musique Non Stop

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1. Bristol bass dons Hodge and Facta ready collaborative 12″ for Tempa
2. Watch Damon Albarn reunite with Blur’s Graham Coxon, play with Brian Eno and De La Soul
3. The Illumaphone turns coffee cups into a musical instrument
4. Moderat: ‘A New Error’ LIVE
5. Watch Kendrick Lamar’s stunning Saturday Night Live performance

Bristol bass dons Hodge and Facta ready collaborative 12″ for Tempa Posted: 16 Nov 2014 03:42 PM PST Two leading members of Bristol’s new school link up for a collaborative 12″. For well over a decade, venerable London imprint Tempa has maintained its position at the forefront of bass-heavy UK music, evolving from seminal garage and dubstep imprint to a more all-encompassing hub for everything dark and weighty. Given both the sound and quality of their recent output, it was probably only a matter of time before either Hodge or Facta ended up with a release on Tempa. The pair will both mark their debut on the imprint with a collaborative 12″ to be released later this month. As well as making up one half of house duo Outboxx (who provided the most recent instalment in the FACT mix series), Hodge has delivered a string of heavy 12″s on Livity Sound sister label dnuoS ytiviL as well as Peverelist’s Punch Drunk imprint (see the excellent ‘Bells’ from last year, a collaboration with Pev). Facta is a relative newcomer operating in similar murky territory, releasing the excellent Loveless 12″ on Bristol label Idle Hands earlier this year. The pair’s 12″ for Tempa contains two collaborative efforts. The A-side, ‘Spheres Of Costa Rica’, melds tribal chanting and percussion with heavy low end. The flip side is reserved for ‘Visions’, a deeper, more grimy effort with an ominous, lurching bass line. Tempa will release Hodge and Facta’s Spheres Of Costa Rica / Visions 12″ on 24 November. You can preview both tracks below. Tracklist: A Spheres Of Costa Rica B Visions [via Resident Advisor]

Bonafide Magazine @ MSN: Pete Rock mix for Nas’ Time is Illmatic

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1. Pete Rock mix for Nas’ Time is Illmatic
2. Watch: Kendrick Lamar – i
3. Listen: Wiley – Snakes & Ladders
4. Listen: Wu-Tang Clan – Ruckus In B Minor
5. Introducing: Jelani Blackman

Pete Rock mix for Nas’ Time is Illmatic Posted: 04 Nov 2014 02:09 PM PST Legendary producer Pete Rock has put this mix together to support Tribeca Film’s documentary Nas: Time is Illmatic. Full of classic tracks, shout-outs, co-signs and intricate blends. Well worth a listen.

Musique Non Stop - SPIN Mix

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1. Nicki Minaj Takes 'Chi-Raq' to Queens on Dazzling Heater
2. Young Galaxy Stretch Sam Roberts Band's 'Shapeshifters' Into a Smooth Banger
3. Hear tUnE-yArDs' Dreamy R&B Jam 'Wait for a Minute'
4. The Roots Herald New LP With 'When the People Cheer'
5. Scuba Takes Audion's 'Sky' to the Basement
6. Hear Future and Kanye West's Trophy Collaboration 'I Won'
7. SZA and Kendrick Lamar Are at Home in 'Babylon'

Nicki Minaj Takes 'Chi-Raq' to Queens on Dazzling Heater Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:12 AM PDT Nicki Minaj has done everyone a huge solid by not coming back to American Idol. Instead of sitting through a Daughtry performance on a

DJBooth.net: [Listen] SZA ft. Kendrick Lamar - Babylon

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1. [Listen] SZA ft. Kendrick Lamar - Babylon
2. [Listen] iNDEED - Heavenly
3. [Download] Watch The Duck ft. T.I. - Girlfriend (Hustle Gang Remix)
4. [Download] Jakk Frost - Chinese Starz
5. [Download] Girl Talk & Freeway ft. Jadakiss - I Can Hear Sweat
6. [Download] ItsNate - Got You Right
7. [Download] Apache Chief - Face in the Clouds
8. [Listen] K Camp ft. Rick Ross & 2 Chainz - Cut Her Off (Remix)
9. [Listen] Hopsin - I Need Help
10. [Download] Soulja Boy - Stunt on Them Haters

[Listen] SZA ft. Kendrick Lamar - Babylon Posted: 07 Apr 2014 01:01 PM PDT On her last solo feature, a March 2013 single off her S EP, singer/songwriter SZA took us on a trip to the ICE.MOON she visits whenever she feels the need to escape from prying eyes. The TDE signee’s latest feature involves a journey in time as well as space. The destination? Babylon, an ancient Akkadian city whose ruins …   Click the link for the stream.

DJBooth.net: [Album Review] Paris Jones - March EP

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1. [Album Review] Paris Jones - March EP
2. [Album Review] Jesse Medina - Meet Jesse Medina
3. [Listen] Cee ft. Chaundon & Bekah - Do Ya Hear Me?
4. [Listen] Trey Songz - Smart Phones
5. [Listen] 50 Cent ft. Trey Songz - Smoke
6. [Download] PremRock x Quelle Chris - Lens
7. [Listen] Alicia Keys ft. Kendrick Lamar - It’s On Again
8. [Listen] MaLLy - City of Fear
9. [Listen] Daithi ft. Jesse Boykins III - Have to Go
10. [Listen] Rita Ora - I Will Never Let You Down

[Album Review] Paris Jones - March EP Posted: 31 Mar 2014 04:30 PM PDT    Hit the link to read the full review.

DJBooth.net: [Feature] Behind The Boards Interview Series: !llmind

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1. [Feature] Behind The Boards Interview Series: !llmind
2. [Download] Verse Simmonds ft. Kid Ink & Eric Bellinger - Sexy Body (Remix)
3. [Listen] Allen Stone - Million
4. [Listen] Keyshia Cole - Next Time (Won’t Give My Heart Away)
5. [Listen] Blue, The Misfit ft. Kendrick Lamar - Drugs on the Schoolyard
6. [Download] Young Scooter ft. Future, Juicy J & Young Thug - DI$FUNCTION
7. [Listen] Mike Schpitz x Slot-A - Mike Lawry (Bad Boys)
8. [Download] Dylan Cohl - $hort Texas
9. [Download] Jarren Benton - Gimmie the Loot
10. [Album Review] Snake Hollywood - My Condolences… EP

[Feature] Behind The Boards Interview Series: !llmind Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:59 AM PDT Go behind the boards with producer !llmind, who details what it means to be a producer in 2014.   Hit the link for our full exclusive interview.

Musique Non Stop - SPIN Mix

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1. Hear Royksopp Bid the Year Adieu With 'Twenty Thirteen'
2. Mykki Blanco Closes Out 2013 With Combustive 'Booty Bamboo'
3. Neko Case's Rip-Roaring 'Man' Performance Teases 'Austin City Limits' Episode
4. Katy B's Dashing 'Sleigh Ride' Shows Her Versatility
5. Run the Jewels Wreck the Halls With 'A Christmas Fucking Miracle' Video
6. Kendrick Lamar Splits Up 'Sing About Me' for Artsy Video

Hear Royksopp Bid the Year Adieu With 'Twenty Thirteen' Posted: 23 Dec 2013 10:52 AM PST Next year, all signs point to Röyksopp at last following up their 2010 album Senior. In November, the Norwegian electronic duo shared the new single "Running to the Sea," and now we have "Twenty Thirteen" featuring Jamie McDermott from the Irrepressibles, arriving just ahead of the closing bell for its titular year...

Potholes In My Blog

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1. Watch Drake’s Previously Unreleased “We’ll Be Fine” Video
2. Ryshon Jones – “Three Kay” P. Thelonious Martin
3. 2014 Grammy Award Nominees Revealed; Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and Jay Z Lead The Way
4. D.W – Smooth Operations [EP]
5. Vic Mensa – “Suitcase” F. Chance the Rapper
6. Allan Kingdom – “The Dwelling/Good Problems” [Video]
7. Best Downloads Of The Week (12/6/13)
8. Stream How To Dress Well’s Diverse “Stay The Night” Mix
9. Fa†e – “The Last Stop” F. Blu [Potholes Video Premiere]
10. Spacek Signs With Ninja Tune, Drops New Single

Watch Drake’s Previously Unreleased “We’ll Be Fine” Video Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:52 PM PST All you diehard Drake fans out there no doubt recall that Take Care‘s “We’ll Be Fine” was seemingly set and ready to have a video released for it. But for whatever reason, the trailer was never followed up by the full clip and the Earth kept spinnin’, Drizzy released a new album, etc… That changes today. Apparently director Mikael Colombu felt it was time to share his work with the world and has revealed the entirety of “We’ll Be Fine”. There’s a catch, though, and it’s that you only hear portions of the actual song in the video. It’s been replaced by a classical (or is it opera?) tune, though snippets of the track pop up here and there. Oh, as for the video itself? It’s an interesting one, that’s for damn sure. You can watch the video below and buy Take Care here.

Musique Non Stop - SPIN Mix

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1. Stream Ariel Pink and Jorge Elbrecht's Fuzz Collage 'Called to Ring'
2. Chance the Rapper Puffs With Childish Gambino as Justin Bieber Awaits
3. Daft Punk's 'Instant Crush' Video Stars Julian Casablancas in Museum Romance
4. Hear Mr. Elevator and the Brain Hotel Cover the Velvet Underground's 'I Heard Her Call My Name'
5. Warpaint Continue Drifty Dreamy Streak With 'Biggy'
6. Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre Preview Fierce New Song in 'Beats' Ad
7. Arctic Monkeys Shout Out 'The Munsters' on 'You're So Dark' B-Side
8. 'N Sync's Joey Fatone Is Now a Hair-Loss Spokesman
9. Nine Inch Nails Share Gloriously Brutal 77-Minute Concert Film, 'Tension'
10. Watch Angel Olsen's 'Freaks and Geeks'-Inspired 'Forgiven/Forgotten' Video

Stream Ariel Pink and Jorge Elbrecht's Fuzz Collage 'Called to Ring' Posted: 06 Dec 2013 09:46 AM PST On December 9, Brooklyn-based indie label Mexican Summer will commemorate its fifth anniversary with Mexican Summer: Five Years, a limited-pressing, 250-page book that comes with an exclusive 10-inch...