Tonite I present you all with the first official nugget from the Stupid Hype project that I’ve been working on for the past 4 months. Stupid Hype came out of the success of the viral video that I helped make with my brother, the elusive Murphy Lawless, hyper-talented director homie, Dugan O’neal, and the pint-sized swaggadelic alter-ego of actress Rachel Bilson– “MC Thug Lite”. We made a rap video with a hollywood starlet, and people laughed. The CW Network then thought it appropriate to extend more resources towards our crew to make a “webseries”. Well, we went waaaaay beyond what they expected and it’s finally ready to be revealed. My brother and Dugan wrote a kooky, hilarious, and ironic-yet-moving tale of a has-been b-boy who pursues his newfound dream of becoming the best rapper alive in 1990 (official trailer here). I produced and recorded the soundtrack (and I’ll take a lil credit for helping come up with the concept too). If you were raised on 90’s hip hop like I was, or have a love for new jack swing and Big Daddy Kane, then you’ll no doubt get a kick out of this. We also collectively owe a great debt of inspiration to Cool As Ice. The whole series runs over an hour in it’s entirety, with music videos and songs running throughout- “Get Hype!” is the first official single. The video was shot with VHS cameras. 2 Legit 2 Quit, nawmean?!? I’m sharing a playlist of some other 90’s boom bap gold to help get you in the mood for the rest that’s still to come. If you’re in NYC, join me and the posse at the premier this Friday at the NY Television Festival. Hammerpants and acid wash are highly encouraged.

N.W.A. :       Express Yourself one of the first hip hop songs I fell in love with, from a mixtape given to me my by my big sis. Forever indebted.

Public Enemy :       Don't Believe The Hype Remember when I opened for P.E. at Flava Flav’s 50th Bday?!? I do. It was kray. It’s also kray that Flav has a cameo in Stupid Hype. YES.

De La Soul :       Buddy (ft. Jungle Brothers & Q-Tip) These are the dudes that would shape my listening for, well, the rest of life…

Masta Ace :       Music Man a somewhat lesser-known bomb

Cypress Hill :       How I Could Just Kill A Man catch me at age 12 with a bbgun in hand, off-roading (or “skiddin”), in the jacked up jeep of my best friend’s older brother- bumpin this

Run DMC :       Peter Piper Mardi Gras drumbreak, still one of the best ever, WITH the bells.

KRS-One :       You Must Learn words from the teacher

Young MC :       Know How this full album was one of my first CD’s ever

Big Daddy Kane :       Warm It Up I still drop this all the time, and I don’t think that’s gonna change any time soon

Eric B & Rakim :       Let The Rhythm Hit Em (Mashed Up Funk Mix) where to begin with this duo, so many joints! But maybe you don’t have this one

During the past two weeks I think I’ve spent more money at restaurants and bars then I will on my rent this month. Time spent with good friends on top notch eats needs no further validation as far as I’m concerned, but that’s not quite how my bank account sees things. So I’m sharing this quick playlist and then gettin right back on the grind. Despite what many of my friends may think, I DO ACTUALLY WORK! More big musical things in the pipeline dropping soon, including something super special for all my 90’s heads. Until then, some songs I’m feelin…

Onra :       Keep On Lovin Me

Mayer Hawthorne :       No Strings (RAC Remix)

Le Youth :       Memories

Moon Boots :       Sugar

Frank Ocean :       Pyramids (DJ Apt One Disco Dub)

The XX :       Angels (DJ Theory Edit)

Colonel Red :       Rain A Fall (FALQ 1979 Remix)

Bing Ji Ling :       Hold Tight (Colm K Remix)

Shafiq Husayn :       Le' Star (Instrumental)

Tomas Barfod :       Broken Glass

It’s here! And I couldn’t be happier to share this lovechild with you all. The basic concept for this whole project was about returning to the roots of what first inspired me to make music as “Captain Planet”. From the cassette mixes my sister would give me with ornate hand designed track-listings (generally accompanied by glitter), to smoking weed with my high school art teacher and her husband while recording tracks from their insane psychedelic record collection, to my travels abroad in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, to the endless thrift stores, flea markets and record dens where I always spend too much time and too many dollars digging, to the present day where I’ve come to dedicate my life to making and sharing music that often falls beneath the radar- this 50min mix is a product of all of that. I warned you I was going to make a cassette tape, so now here’s your chance to grab it. We only pressed 200 of these, and they’re already selling faster than shake-weights, so I highly suggest you get one quick. Letting my creativity run amok, I even hand painted some walkmen which are available as a premium package. AND, if you’re as broke as I used to be, then you still have the opportunity to win big with this sample-spotting contest through TurntableLab.com where you could take home the coolest boombox known to humankind. Big shouts to my Bastard Jazz fam, to OkayAfrica and to the Potholes blog for their support.

And now, without further ado, feel free to press play, and take a trip…

Prepare yourselves! Tomorrow I’m officially dropping my cassette tape project, along with some individually customized walkmen AND your chance at winning the badass hand-painted (fully-functioning) vintage boombox pictured above. I’ve been putting a ton of work into this project, and even though I’m not exactly sure what to call it (not quite an album, but definitely waaaaay more than a mixtape), I know it’s something that my fellow global music freaks will be able to appreciate. For today, I’m simply sharing a bunch of tracks to help get you in the mood for what’s to come. Think of it as foreplay if you will…

Dj Raff :       Sudakaizbeautiful

The Gaslamp Killer :       Nissim ft. Amir Yaghmai

Antibalas :       Dirty Money

Sol Power All-Stars :       Catch Monkey (Vocal)

Billy The Gent :       La Mania (Sabo's Corto Edit)

Vetiver Bong :       Cumbia In Da Ghetto

Matanza :       Puya

Janka Nabay :       Eh Mane Ah &       En Yay Sah

Souljazz Orchestra :       Ya Basta &       Conquering Lion

Elza Soares :       Mas Que Nada (Suonho Renumber)

Minoru Muraoka :       Positive & Negative (Cut Chemist Edit)

Maybe it’s because I haven’t had solid food in 8 days (back on the master cleanse), but this week’s downtempo psychedelic soul installment seems super appropriate. I’ve been floating a foot and a half off the ground, and moving a lot slower than my normal bustle. Hope you don’t mind slowing down with me for a minute while listening to these choice selections.

Robert Glasper Experiment :       Afro Blue ft. Erykah Badu (9th Wonder Remix ft. Phonte)
the features may seem excessive when written out, but I’m so happy to hear these vocalists together on one song. Sure, sounds like it could be 2000, but that vibe will never not be good to me. Little Brother lives!

Miguel :       Gravity &       Kaleidoscope Dream
the general vibe of this album is more electronic & even kinda 80’s rock-ish than I would have expected, but when the dude let’s loose on some simple head nod grooves, sick songs like these result. There’s also Adorn, which is amazing.

Chris Turner :       Liquid Love (og version)
lying in bed, post coitus, this is exactly what your endorphin flooded brain fiends. I swear I know the sample, but can’t place it… anyone help me out?

S3 (Miles Bonny & Brenk Sinatra) :       Don't Stop
been liking what I’ve been hearing from Mr. Bonny lately, but the simple swingin production on this one takes it up that extra notch.

Maze Hill :       Long Haul (LV Remix)
space is the place. I love how this track evolves. First heard LV on his (her? their?) excellent Scrimshire remix.

The Stepkids :       Sweet Salvation
probably my favorite cut of the bunch today, and one I’ve been fiending since I first heard it on the radio a month ago. Absolutely love the harmonies and trippy breakdowns. Godbless you Stepkids.

Tame Impala :       Mind Mischief
ok, now we’re moving into straight psych zone, where these guys are the current heavyweight champs of the known universe! I haven’t done it yet, but this album sounds like it was made to accompany a mushroom trip.

Diplo :       About That Life ft. Jahan Lennon
I love how versatile this guy is. From producing for Beiber and Usher, to making the hardest electro bangers, to this rootsy psych shit. I can’t lie, that’s mad inspiring to me.

Superhumanoids :       Too Young For Love
sprawling and grimey indie synth goodness from this group. And it turns out they’re at the Echo all month including tonite, gotta check that.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti :       Baby
these guys get extra points on the record nerd tip for doing a cover from Donnie & Joe Emerson.

New MTR podcast is up! Some familiar tracks on here if you’ve been checking the site, but also a handful of newbies that I haven’t posted. I was feeling pretty groovy this week, so pardon my disco. Also some nice funky electro remixes, house joints, and some smoothed out downtempo loveliness to finish it off. 60mins of non-stop good music, accompanied by my not so velvety voice. Gotta give a shout to Drea up in Oregon for the ill pic today. Seems very appropriate, because while Summer may officially be over, the heat shows no signs of letting up. Get the full tracklisting and a download of the show on the Brooklyn Radio page.