Hi music blogging, I’m back again. I can’t quit you.

This is Ntjam Rosie. Her new album Elle is out now, featuring this single “Space of You” plus the beautiful ballad “In Need” [Official Video]. Ntjam was born in Cameroon and moved to the Netherlands at age 9. Her bio also says she realized she wanted to be a conscious artist (rather than continue working on an academic path) when she heard Mama’s Gun by Erykah Badu. That’s all I need to know – I get it. It’s amazing how such artists are creating and connecting in a place beyond space. She’s a bit like Betty Carter too, especially on “In Need.”

Speaking of Badu, she released a self-directed video for “Out My Mind, Just In Time”. It’s got a simple, clean look to showcase the interpretive dance she made with the song. “Out My Mind..” is the ten-minute track at the end of the New Amerykah Part II, same as “Green Eyes” is to Mama’s Gun. I feel like these long finale songs are extra important, especially after I got to see her perform a similar interpretive dance at a Radio City Music Hall show. While I perked up in my seat for “Green Eyes” and watched the dance – involving like 15 giant red exercise balls in constant motion – my date, who still gets credit for bringing me there, fell asleep in his seat. I wouldn’t have noticed, so into the show, but he was literally snoring during that song. It’s not that he wasn’t into Badu, but I’m guessing he wasn’t following the dance. I can only describe it by repeating the words ‘interpretive  dance.’

I really have been out of touch with my internets lately..it felt sad..but one album is jumping out at me as the most “slept on,” by me. I’m suggestive by nature so it’s possible I picked this up from every other blogger who said the exact same thing – but it happens to be true for me too – new DOOM was just sitting under my nose and I dismissed Born Like This as another dumb rehashy stunt. Turns out it’s not rehashed old stuff and it’s a great album. The single “Gazillion Ear” didn’t hook me at first but I didn’t give it a chance. Like literature (ehem) and other kinds of art, the greatest music requires close attention. And you could say I’ve developed ADD in that sense. ”And I can’t be bothered…” But I know what I won’t sleep on – I’m gonna jump on it as soon as I figure out how to get around the ‘US location’ problem – Jamie Woon‘s Mirrorwriting.

** If you give a shit about this stuff, if you’re into this kinda thing, please do find me on Youtube and Soundcloud. And meh, Facebook too; it’s as simple as following This Networked Blog and its bright, shiny author – you’ll be one in a very exclusive group of 3 followers and counting. That’s just a lot of commenting and suggesting without a filter, but it’s more up-to-date than this wordpressing.

And here’s this, a brilliant Lebowski-tastic (!) video
Kraak & Smaak – “Call Up to Heaven ft Lex Empress”

Atmosphere follows up When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold (2008) with The Family Sign, out now in fine stores everywhere. This is the single, “She’s Enough,” with an adorable video featuring the adventures of Slug‘s real-life son. I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with Atmosphere ever since I discovered them in college (2003-ish) because Slug (aka Sean Daley, the emcee with the werds) drives me crazy- I intensely love him AND loathe him at the same time. His thuggy, aggressive voice too. I think most people probably either love or hate him; he can be polarizing like that, which just makes my situation worse, because I’m so easily, err, polarized… Maybe it’s been said best by others: “opinionated.”

The more Slug appears to grow up, the more I like him, or rather, the more I can enjoy the music without getting too angry. The album has themes of growing all up in it: subliminally, liminally, and superliminally. There’s the album’s title, The Family Sign and the strong opening lyric to “Millenium Dodo” – I only act like an asshole / why don’t y’all stand back / let the man grow

I’ve sorta heard/seen a few fans missing the old Atmosphere: Lucy Ford (2000) and God Loves Ugly (2002). I like the new stuff just as well, especially with Slug’s new ‘grown man’ swagger. But don’t worry, he still can write lyrics that will Cut You Down, and he does. I just really hope the meaner songs like “Your Name Here” are not about the same woman as the idolized heroine in “She’s Enough.” On the other hand, good love-sick writers can swing it either way. It’s just that the last line of “Your Name Here” — ouccchh. Let’s not make this into an issue / but the truth is [pause] .. I don’t miss you

“Your Name Here”

It’s just fun to guess about artists’ personal lives based on their lyrics — like Jill Scott for example, her albums go in waves, either she’s in heavenly blissful love, or she’s taking out the frustration it left behind, with sharp, sharp words. (Her new one The Light of the Sun is coming soon! The lead single, “Shame ft. Eve” [VIDEO]  leads me to believe she’s settled into the idea that if some man doesn’t wanna be with Miss Jill Scott, they can go fuck themselves. Okay that’s not exactly what she said, but she’s classy, it’s in between the lines.) Anyway, I wonder about artists’ private lives and I prefer my imagination to their Twitter feeds – I love getting their story from their songs. And there’s no denying Slug’s storytelling skills.

There’s only one track on here that I’m not loving (out of 16) and sadly there aren’t many new albums like that in my life. So I promised myself I would review the shit out of this one. Really I just wanted to examine every beautiful word.

“Ain’t Nobody”

Check out this new Interview with Slug in The Onion’s AV Club. He basically refutes everything I just wrote: he claims all these girl-songs, especially the famous “Fuck You Lucy,” are metaphors for things like drug addiction and bad rappers.
Yeah right, Slug.
… jk. i love you.

#) LE TIGRE - I missed it at Sxsw, I missed it at the fancy MoMA screening, but someone made a documentary about Le Tigre. It’s called Who Took The Bomp? and it follows them on their tour for This Island, and basically I haven’t seen it, but I can confidently say that it’s a triumph for music and womankind everywhere. Cuidado- if you’re like me, anything de Le Tigre is stronger energy than an adrenaline shot in your chest, or possibly even a hit of crack. I would imagine… Oh Kathleen Hanna. sigh

(“The artists were attempting to make art more than something to just look at. They wanted it to be something to be involved in. Something too big to ignore. BEEP!”
Le Tigre- “Slideshow at Free University”)

#) SADE – I wanted to ignore the Ultimate Collection but they came with some amazing, undeniable music. The new Best-Of (with four ‘unheard’ songs tacked on) made one sad, failed attempt at a remix, and then they saved themselves when they released another of those new tracks today, “Love Is Found.” But on Friday they released the remix of “The Moon and The Sky” featuring Jay-Z. I tried to come up with some ‘pros’ for this argument, for ammo, because Sade’s diehard fans will attack anyone who dare to ‘remix’ the perfection of the pure music. Sadly, I cannot even fabricate any pros. It’s all bad. “The Moon and The Sky” was a pure and perfect song. Jay-Z’s remix should be a separate entity, it shouldn’t actually ruin the song, but I’m afraid I agree with Sade lovers out there. I hear that remix and I only fumble to listen to the original. Someone explained that the insult of this is that whoever’s idea this was, someone, somewhere, decided Jay-Z should be the one to jump on that Sade. Big Names! Big Stars! BOOM! (crash) But imagine if it had been redone by someone like Flying Lotus?
Sade – The Moon and The Sky (Jay-Z Remix)

Sade – Love Is Found

#) KING seems to be the new “it” group of the genre that I follow blindly. They’ve been promoted on Twitter by trusted tastemakers, can’t go wrong with Questlove and Phonte, but I’m mixed on KING’s songs. Fantastic news for them, after the Questo/Phonte/growing blog love, their 3-song EP has already made them new stars of the scene. Another well-trusted but less-famous tastemaker pitched this group to me with a ‘Hey, look, it’s three girls called King. Isn’t that progressive and feminist?’ Answer- no. For examples of feminist music, see # TIGRE. But KING has made a big impression with only 3 songs: one song I think is just okay, another song I just think is weird, but the third sounds like heaven in my little earballs. …Can you guess which is which?

Purchase the EP The Story

#) LES NUBIANS & BLITZ THE AMBASSADOR - Both these artists have new albums coming right up. Blitz is featured on a LN track and vice versa. They’re buddies. They also seem to share an interest in global politics; they make music that’s labeled as World and Rap-Rock respectively, for lack of a better category.
Here is a Blitz Press Release Gem for you: “The Nigerian in me cosigns the hell out of this track, while the rappity-rap rap loving side of me cosigns the fuck out of this track.” – 2DopeBoyz“
Rappity rap rap? What?.. is going on with our dope boyz? Our hip-hop authorities of the past few years can get away with that kinda review? And they get quoted for it? Are they fictional? Cause that gibberish only sounds right coming from Ned Flanders or Ricky of the Trailer Park Boys (“..everybody else can catch a boat to fuckoffity land” -0:49 of Rickyisms)(Update: ok I’ve said much sillier stuff than rappity rap, so I’m a hypocrite. But SoulP is no Dope Boyz, I’ve never had a McDonalds skin…;)
Regardless, the artists are very different and interesting in their own ways; personally I’m looking forward to the Nu Revolution from Les Nubians. I’m a big fan of the one I can’t understand at all, the video of the J Period remix of the French song featuring a Polish MC John Banzai, which translates to the lovely notion, “Don’t Let Your Dreams Fall Asleep.” Giant Step gave us another clear-cut single in the form of “Afrodance” (Shake your afro, afro / every afro all the time…) plus this track featuring Blitz, “Les Gens” (The People).

“Afrodance” Les Nubians

“Les Gens” Les Nubians ft. Blitz the Ambassador

“Dear Africa” – Blitz the Ambassador ft Les Nubians

TUF AMERICA, the company now claiming the rights to “Hippy Skippy Moon Strut” is well known in music copyright law. Aaron Fuchs’ Tuff City Records and publishing company TUF AMERICA are responsible for some of the earliest lawsuits against hip-hop artists using uncleared samples. But Tuff City is not only ‘known for’ this trailblazing copyright stuff, instead they are better known for their founder, who is very well known to be the ‘worst man in the music industry.’ And he is.

The song released in 1968, sampled by DJ Premier for Christina Aguilera, has a strange history. Over the years, it’s been released under many different labels by different artists and titles. This quote comes from Fania.com, The Speed Records Story.

The best-known song off The Latin Blues Band album was “(I’ll Be a) Happy Man,” a fast, late-era boogaloo featuring the funky drum breaks of studio session player Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, a colleague of Ramirez’s. (“Happy Man,” had a curious life span, as it was remade into “Happy Soul,” an instrumental for The Moon People’s Land of Love album on Speed, then was remade again as “Happy Soul With a Hook,” this time featuring organist Dave Cortez and then that version was stripped down slightly and released as “Hippy Skippy Moon Strut” by the Moon People, but for Roulette. Decades later, DJ Premier would sample it for Christina Aguilera’s hit, “Ain’t No Other Man.”)

This quote gets all the details of the song’s mutations, which I needed. But Speed Records in general is still a weird kind of mystery label. All I know is that Morty Craft was a part-owner of Speed Records and he’s as slimy as Aaron Fuchs, no matter how respected he was in 1968.

I don’t know the truth about the lawsuit. I think it will be legally justified eventually but it still will be wrong – those artists never see the money, the sleeziest people of all time get that money.

*Regarding Aaron Fuchs, I’ve written about Aaron on this site before, several years ago. He stuck a lawyer on me and scared me into removing my post, and I sincerely regret falling for that bullshit.

If I get another threatening legal letter … well I suppose I’d just go down as a “Martyr for Free Speech.”

More Speed Records History from O-Dub

AFTER THE JUMP> The full email I got which made me remove my original Tuff Aaron post:

from	XXXXXXXXXX@tuffcity.com>
to		0lilykane0@gmail.com
date		Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 5:33 PM
subject		Defamation/slander/libel

Dear Ms. Kane:

I am in-house counsel for Tuff City Music Group and its president Aaron Fuchs and write concerning a disturbing article that appears at the following URL: http://soulpsycho.blogspot.com/2007/12/worst-person-in-world-aaron-fuchs.html (“Defamatory Article”)

After reviewing the Defamatory Article and conferring with my client, it is apparent that this article is false and defamatory in that it (a) attributes statements to Mr. Fuchs that he never made, (b) mis-characterizes Mr. Fuchs’ views concerning his company, and (c) libelously alleges that Mr. Fuchs is a dishonest businessman.

The Defamatory Article has already caused considerable damage to Mr. Fuchs and I therefore demand that you immediately retract this article and forward an apology to Mr. Fuchs.  If you refuse to do so, you will be acting maliciously, and Mr. Fuchs will act swiftly to vindicate his rights and hold you responsible for the damage to his reputation and career.  Please comport your conduct accordingly.

In the event of litigation, we remind you that malice can be proven in a libel case by evidence of failure to conduct a proper investigation.  Malice can also be established by showing that the Defendant fabricated information, falsely attributed quotes and relied on sources known to be unreliable; such as sources known to be biased against the Plaintiff, persons who are not in the position to know the things about which they speak, or persons who have demonstrated anger or hostility to the plaintiff, among other factors.  In these circumstances, publishing false and defamatory information concerning Mr. Fuchs of the nature described above, in our opinion, constitutes malice and a conscious disregard of Mr. Fuchs’ rights, all of which will justify the imposition of punitive damages as well as compensatory damages.

This is not a complete or exhaustive statement of all the rights, claims, or contentions of Mr. Fuchs.  Nothing contained herein is intended as, nor should be deemed to constitute, a waiver or relinquishment of any of the rights or remedies of Mr. Fuchs, whether legal or equitable, all of which are expressly reserved.

Foreign Exchange dropped their official video for the title track of their third album, Authenticity. The song on its own is a thinker, like most Foreign Exchange songs; they’re not about hoes and money and parties, usually they’re about something else … I think. It’s similar to Jesse Boykins III‘s “Be All Truth” in that it’s a kind of male-relationship-perspective that I’ve never really heard of or considered.

Although I suspect it *might* just be the same old thing that pisses me off so much about the male perspective in a relationship — explained here with tact. It’s dressed up, if you will, candy-coated, etc. “You just want what you want” is a conclusive lyric throughout, directed towards the woman. So the idea of a woman asking for full disclosure, every truth, in a relationship can be a dangerous thing, as Jesse and Phontigallo and Nicolay have so sweetly explained. We’re all human but some of us are very fragile creatures.

Jesse Boykins III – “Be All Truth” from The Beauty Created

I could never have imagined a better album title. (S)CREAM by Saidah Baba Talibah, coming soon. It’s so perfect. I love how she explains the title as being about the female perspective. This woman needs to come to NYC asap, and stay here. Just stay at SOB’s.

Stream the Full Album Here – Saidah Baba Talibah Official Site

Watch all these Saidah EPKs, seriously – here’s Part 1 and Part 2

Updating with this music video, but I think I see why I chose not to use it before. It is a ‘demo version’ so the audio is terrible. But somehow the video production seems.. expensive. Anyway- this too-

I’ve brought up Little Shalimar before, and now they’ve released their first single, “Lady.” And they’re about to play in Brooklyn with Steve Arrington! Ooh. So excited about them. Torbitt Schwartz is the man. I didn’t review their show when I saw it, I didn’t want to go in there intending to review it and ruin my listening experience by thinking too much. Sometimes that happens. So all I can say is they rocked it and they’re moving up quick.Make sure you catch em live; it’s a lot like Chin Chin, you gotta see ‘em live to really understand…

JAMES BLAKE – “I Never Learnt to Share” – [AMAZON]

I never got into Adele and I just realized why. Thanks to the avalanche of press for her new album, 21, we’ve all seen too much of her, heard too many factoids about her dog’s shit and every other moment of her life. But one of the quotes was very telling – regarding tours. Adele finds that singing her love songs every night can be emotionally draining, so she *concentrates on furniture* while she sings. OK, fair enough, I’m sure it’s way more draining than I could imagine. And I do things (sometimes ridiculous things) to save myself emotional turmoil, all the time. But music (or art in general) comes from passion, especially when it’s “soul music,” I want my singers to be weeping into the mic, when the music calls for it. You made those love-sick tortured-soul songs, Adele, now lie with them. Better yet, Roll in the damn Deep with them.

Adele is lucky, she has a voice which allows her to use this tactic in her live shows without letting down the audience. We’d never know what’s going through her mind while she sings her hits for the thousandth time in a row. On the other hand, when Adele performs, it doesn’t raise any hairs or pull any heart strings, and her quote explains that. (Update- enough people have argued with me about this that I believe its possible I’m wrong…)

I would like to compare Adele to someone in the same vein, (Alice Russell maybe, that example works too) but I’d rather keep this relevant to this moment in pop history, in which a UK-soul-star by the name of Jessie J is born. The idea is similar to my old “jazz face” theory about the facial expressions of intent listeners. But in this case, it’s more like the guitar players who wag their tongues involuntarily when they play something extra difficult. The point is that we see emotion on their faces. And love songs are popular throughout history for the same reason that they are emotionally draining. They’re universally relatable.

Jessie J is a girl with raw talent, harvested by major labels, churned into grade-A bullshit. But that’s my opinion. What’s fact is that her face shows emotion and more. The videos below show Jessie’s transformation from fresh raw talent, into bizarre pointless Pop dribble. (Plus some silly screenshots, proving she sings with her heart on her face.) Her album Who You Are comes out soon; I’m sure you’ll hear about it. But I would recommend Adele over Jessie (the recordings*) any day. A live show would be a different story.

Jessie J – 2009 – “Mamma Knows Best” (Universal Republic Showcase)

Jessie J – 2011 – “Price Tag ft B.o.B.” (released last week)

One more thought: Personally I think the “Price Tag” video is awful in all kinds of ways, but I never liked the song in the first place, because it clearly started as a good idea and it got fucked up along the way. It’s a nice point Jessie is making, ‘You can’t put a price on life.’ Good one. But when I hear Jessie J sing “Forget about the Price Tag….” I’m not thinking it’s because she “wants to make the world dance.” It’s because she co-wrote Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and there’s no way superstar Jessie J would ever worry about any Price Tag, having that kinda royalty money. So singing that phrase to the rest of us is almost insulting.

I need to make a correction. I really had high hopes for Gangrene, the project from Oh No and Alchemist. Enough that I may have declared it something hyperbolic before I even heard it. So I take it back.

But this (above) is comparable in my mind, even though it may be a strange comparison if you know them: Space Invadas, or Katalyst and Steve Spacek. Comparable in that it is much better.