Lawwwwwd have mercy. This is not getting any easier. I don’t know how it’s going for you out there, but here in lockdown LA, the little kids are suffering from stir craziness, with a complete lack of playmates and no park to enjoy a simple swing. Us extroverted parents are feeling worn thin with no child care help, no social gatherings, and and no restaurants or cafes to enjoy a relaxing meal which doesn’t involve us cooking and cleaning. This working DJ right here is also suffering from serious wage deflation since I have almost no real gigs (save for my beloved Friday night live streams!) and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. All of this, of course, is nothing to complain about in comparison to the overall state of the country I see around me, with total lack of organized science-based leadership, numbers of new Corona cases still rising here in California, and overt racism seemingly on the rise, being exercised by those in power. Once again a black man was brutally killed by police this week in broad daylight while onlookers pleaded for them to stop. It’s maddening, totally outrageous, and waaay too regular at the same time. Didn’t this just happen two weeks ago??? Most likely 2 days ago somewhere else, and again today, undocumented and unaccounted for. Sorry, I know you guys don’t come here for me to rant, but this is the outlet I have. I guess it helps to at least acknowledge and share just how real all this is. Maybe taking stock of the wackness, putting some light on it and bringing it into focus, helps me to dismantle it better. Music, of course, always helps me too. These are some of the best ones I’ve stumbled on lately, and as they shake their way through my system I always manage to come out feeling better. Shouts to my boy Futura on his new release included in this set. Also, while it ain’t the real thing exactly, I do love seeing folks tune in to my live stream from all over, and I’m actually doing a big fundraiser Zoom party this upcoming Saturday with my bro Nickodemus and some very funky Brazilians. Ok, that is all, check out more beauty (like the painting above) from Kerry James Marshall if you’re not already familiar. PEACE

Man oh man, I have been anxiously waiting for the day I could finally let this one loose on the world- today is the day! This song happened about a year and a half ago, on my first day ever working with the extremely talented and prolific, Zimbabwean-American, singer/songwriter Shungudzo. We have since written a bunch more together, but this one holds a special place for me. Almost as soon as we finished it, I felt strongly that this was the anchor for my next Captain Planet album, which was just a handful of songs and unfinished beats at the time. The message, the focus, the hard hitting sound, all these things were a culmination of what I’ve always tried to create as Captain Planet. Well, my album NO VISA is now done (set to drop June 26th on Bastard Jazz) and I feel confident that because I used this first single as my anchor, the whole project has a consistent cohesion and power. You can read more of my thoughts about this song on the nice write up that Complex did as an online premier, and I’m extremely flattered that today this song made it to NYTimes Notable Songs Of The Week (alongside Aventura & John Legend). But most importantly, I hope this one hits home for all of you out there, who know and appreciate the work I do, who go on spreading the good vibes in your playlists, your dance parties, and with your friends and fam. Press play and bump loudly! And as always, go support if you’re feeling it.

Check this new remix I did for Bastard Jazz labelmate Manatee Commune. The original was such a beautiful lush song, but I dug into my classic boom bap roots and tapped the guitar talent of my youngest brother Taj (just turned 19) to cook up this smoothed-out, moody head nodder. More new music coming shortly, which makes me super excited. As always, please support if you feelin the vibe!