gadsden alabama, welcome to the hiphop game.  today i bring you the most interesting character i’ve heard in a minute.  yelawolf.  yela’s a white-cherokee from the dirty south with a unique flow and a really, really unique look.

this cat wears some sort of styled mullet on his head.  torn tee shirts.  jeans with a sag.  before you shout the scenster tag, did i mention he’s nasty on the mic?   i heard his trunk music mixtape almost a year ago and i was impressed.  he’s spit it with raekwon, bun-b and big boi and has more than held his own.  a few days ago he dropped trunk music 0-60 which is more of an EP since 5 of the mixtape’s tracks appear on the record.

i have no idea who to compare this guy to.  he doesn’t get by on his white-rapper privilege card.  he doesn’t sound like eminem.  he isn’t rapping about killing people.  he’s a hard-partying, hard-living dude from the south doing something very authentic.  he’s starting to show up on hiphop’s radar, he’s coming.

click and check out “box chevy”.  smooth shit, you have to admit it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC3VlGGBiJU

make do and mend are from west hartford connecticut.  they have a new record out called end measured mile and it’s fantastic.  researching them on the world wide interweb seems only to reveal the same description over and over again, make do and mend play “post melodic hardcore”.   post melodic hardcore.  another webpage said “melodic hardcore that adds intelligence to the aggression”.  that sounds nice doesn’t it?

this band plays balls out rock music.  it’s heavy.  the vocals are throaty and loud.  there is some melody in the hooks.  there’s some intelligence in the guitar work.  but ultimately, this is a punk band with a dusty box of hot water music tapes under their bed.

i haven’t heard a record i’ve liked this much since the last time i said that.  it’s good.  go and buy it on itunes or amazon or wherever you get your shiny mp3s.

check out “unknowingly strong” from the new album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6rYIXMuwgU

backpack-rapping, indie band fronting, t-pain record label signing, solo record making, hard working motherfucker.  that’s how one might describe mr. travie mccoy. 

he’s been on his grind the past two-plus years, and finally, it seems to be paying off as his solo career is taking off.  award shows.  campus tours.  a hit single with bruno mars (try and deny liking “billionaire”).  there’s a lot cooking over at camp mccoy.

i caught his band, the gym class heroes, on a co-heading tour with the roots (i know…no idea how they got the CO-headline tag) about two years ago, and i was impressed.  if you can imagine, i’ve been known to be a bit snobby when it comes to watching live music.  my theory is, if you can’t do it live, you aren’t worth the time.  it’s too easy to polish turds in a recording studio. 

so while i was anticipating the greatness of the roots, i was also pretty sure the gym class heroes wouldnt be much more than filler.  i was wrong. dead wrong.  geneva new york stand up.  they can play their instruments and mccoy can move a crowd.

his solo record, lazarus, dropped earlier this year.  it’s pretty clear mccoy is intent on making music on his own terms.  there’s a familiar feel to his work.  some party nonsense.  some heartbreak.  some substance abuse.  some whining.  a whole bunch of smiling.  it’s the shit we all can relate to one level or another.

dr. feelgood makes me feel good. click below. bastards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M9WXiHfmsc

ps. who is bernie allen?

today, or yesterday technically, we’re supposed to give thanks and eat a ton of food and relax with our families.  weird tradition, but i’m into it.  i love thanksgiving.  i’m partial to my family even though they drive me nuts.

i was thinking tonight, while watching the jets dismantle the bengals, that there are lots of things i happen to be thankful for.  i know life is tough for a lot of us, and it has not always been a walk in the park for me either, but there’s still a reason to step back and take stock in what we do have.

every day i deal with young people and families that are far worse off than i am, and i think i take that for granted.  i guess i’m saying that it’s not that bad.  whatever that might mean to you.  i have a place to sleep.  the power is on.  i have music all around me that keeps me happy and sane.  i have a loving family.  i have someone special to spend my time with.  i have both my legs.  i guess it could be a whole lot harder. 

here’s a little number from a good ol’ american who wants us NEVER to forget what we ALL have to be thankful for….freedom. 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0298yfQ5B0

i’m also thankful that 200 people read my silly website today. you rule.

daniel moved from jersey to california.  no one understood him.  no one gave him a chance.  he had no choice but to prove himself….and that action becomes the two-hour traffic known as the karate kid.  one of hollywood’s classic pieces of cinema.  tonight, i invite you to walk with me down memory lane.

it’s for the underdogs.  it’s for the fighters.  it’s for your childhood.  it’s the age-old story of friendship.  even when that friendship is between a teen boy and strange asian handyman.  nothing’s gonna ever keep you down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1kS0A_E2Ag

deadmau5.  dead mouse.  dead. mouse.  this guy performs with this giant fucking mouse head on his shoulders.  did you comprehend that?  he plays dance music with a humongous mouse head on.  and by the way…it’s completely awesome.

a few weeks ago i turned my youngest brother on to deadmau5.  he did some research and sent me a clip of this dude going off at a new years show.  we both decided that we would take  sips from unmarked cups in the center of any room where this guy was playing and dance like we had some sort of syndrome. 

i’ve always been a fan of house music, i loved mixing records by matching and switching up bpm’s….nerdy, but fun.  so hearing this guy made my day.  he doesn’t just play dance records, he creates atmospheres with sound.  there’s a ton going on here.

here’s a little sample for you.  enjoy.  skip the vid ahead to about 2:20 and watch this massive crowd go completely ape shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7tI1E6kp0o

50 cent, tony yayo and lloyd banks make up the g unit.  the g unit are from nyc, no doubt about it. if there had to be a leader of the crew, i guess it’d be 50 cent.  afterall, he sells a bunch of records and got handed a fortune from coca cola for plastering his name all over vitamin water.  if you’re speaking in terms of talent though, the head of the beast is clearly lloyd banks.

banks is from queens and the dude bleeds hiphop.  he released a few solo albums and a few with the unit, but it’s what he’s doing lately on satellite radio and mixtapes that has my ear turned towards the speaker.  his latest mixtape, thank G-unit it’s friday is a banger.  it’s being released to get people ready for his next solo record which drops tomorrow called hunger for more: 2. 

definitely not for everybody and it’s not exactly top 40’s pop, but it’s got heart.  that being said, check out “i don’t deserve you”, the most radio friendly joint off of the new mixtape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJr9Y5Bn6KM&feature=related