What I'm Bumpin...

Music from The Color Purple - Black Milk

Black Milk is a producer out of Detroit who studied under hip hop producer extraordinaire Dilla (Jay Dee) and seems to be one of the few producers capable of keeping his legacy alive through their music. This album kind of takes that philosophy and pays homage to another pioneer/musical genius out of Detroit - Prince.

Now when it comes to sampling for the purpose of making hip hop beats, there are certain people we know to stay away from. Either because they refuse to clear samples because they feel it damages the integrity of the original composition and will sue (Herb Alpert), or they charge ridiculous amounts of mount for samples to be cleared (James Brown & Barry White). I believe Prince falls in both those categories.

So under those circumstances what does a producer do when they want to pay homage to a big influence on their work? Black Milks solution was to sample an entire album (Purple Rain), release it as a free instrumental mixtape download and as an added bonus, give you a little insight as to how he actually flipped (altered) the original sample at the end of every song! Dope

concept and definitely gives you a deeper appreciation for his music.

Below The Heavens - Blu & Exile

This... album...is...bananas!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you who have not heard this album from front to back, back to front and front to back again have missed out on an enormous piece of hip hop history. If hip hop was ever dead (which is going to be forever debated) this album would be the defibrillator shock to bring it back. Blu is definitely one of the brightest lyricist to show up on the scene as of late and Exile is a phenomenally underrated producer. Both have been putting in work over the past couple of years and the two of them come together to form a sound that is rich with substance and effortlessly seams together the art that hip hop has the potential to be with the power that music possess to jump start thought into progress. If you can appreciate good hip hop music then you need to stop reading this and

go get this album.

Closed Doors, Open Windows - Fly Union

These kids are out of Ohio and it seems like they are headed in the right direction. As long as they continue on the path that they are on I can see big things for them. Even though they are not breaking new ground lyrically, they are definitely a throwback to when songs were about having fun as opposed to proving how tough you are. This mixtape also serves as a great introduction for the group as it provides some background about how the group came to get signed.

Papers & Oils - Johnson & Jonson

I am really trying my best to give this album a chance. Blu (1/2 of the group) is such an amazing lyricist that I really want this album to work. Now don't get me wrong, the album is dope. But it has an enormous amount of potential to be so... much...better... . Still, the album is a dope listen and definitely worth having if your a fan of Blu.

Metropolis: The Chase Suite - Janelle Monae

This album is only about 5 tracks long, but the intent of quality over quantity is very evident here. Janelle is one of those artists who produces an entire environment for their music to exist in. Thus making for a distinctive sound that blurs the lines of genre. The influences are all there and placed on display without fear, as if she wants you to know where the foundation of her sound comes from. Yet everything sounds unique.