The Chuckness

Tupac’s aliiiiiive! Capital Cities dug him up out of nowhere, and threw him on their Pink Floyd cover for all of us to hear. Out of all people for Tupac to collaborate with after being resurrected, I’d probably pick Capital Cities last, but that just shows how little I know. At least they’re both from the west coast. Shout out to Ryan, Sebu and the gang over there — keep doing what you’re doing.

Be sure to grab the track for free over at their Facebook page.

Wow. Shout out to Marc over at Mostly Junkfood for the enlightenment on this one — this shit would’ve slipped entirely under my radar if he didn’t make a point to say it was something serious. I don’t really want to call this kid a rapper, because after watching this video, that’s selling him short. Terence Ryan did 100% everything involved with this track, and it’s impressive as hell. I had no idea what I was getting into when I hit play, and the spoken intro from Alan Watts & Goldmund captivated me from the get-go. Didn’t realize Terence was a rapper until like 2 minutes in.

Stay on the lookout for his upcoming Skeleton EP,  watch the video below, and head over to his Soundcloud page to download the track for free 99.

MOOMBAHTON. That’s what all the kids are talking about these days. Think electro slowed down to the pace of reggaeton, combined with some dance-infused bass. Or something like that. EB dominates the moombahton scene at UHall in DC, and tried to explain to me last October that I had to get involved immediately. Fast-forward to today, and this right here is the perfect introduction to the genre for those that don’t want to dive into the heavy stuff right away. Skeet Skeet’s got a pretty serious remix resume under his belt, and he flips Chiddy Bang’s latest single on it’s head. I don’t like throwing around statements that a remix is better than the original, but I can tell you that I’ll undoubtedly be listening to this version more. Once you’re on the bandwagon, check out Dave Nada (the originator of the genre) for some more moombahton madness.

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Download: Chiddy Bang – Ray Charles (Skeet Skeet Moombahton Remix)

Chip Tha Ripper released a brand new mixtape today, and so far in 2012, it’s the clear winner of cover of the year. Apparently that’s Chip’s son, and the kid’s face is priceless. Beyond that though, people are already praising this project as the best mixtape of the year. Granted, we’re 23 days in 2012, but that’s still no statement to be taken lightly. I’m not through the whole thing yet, but so far I’m a full backer of the track with Cudi. Stream/download the tape below via DatPiff, and let me know if it lives up to the bold claims.

Spin! premiered the first single from this up and coming New York trio the other day — and I highly recommend you jam on that play button below. Yellow Ostrich is set to release their sophomore album titled Strange Land on March 6th, and if the rest of the LP is anything like “Marathon Runner”, it’s something you’ll need in your collection. Check out the single below.

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Download: Yellow Ostrich – Marathon Runner

[shout out to Sunset In The Rearview]

I’ve been tossing around an idea for you all to get caught up on the best of The Chuckness, without having to scan and sift through every post. In the early stages I messed with a little “Best of the Month” feature, which was cool — but it kind of faded to the backburner as time went on. Our buddy B-Rob has an extensive DJ setup, and it made far too much sense for him to do a little 20-30 minute mix of the best of the site. As of now, we’ve decided to gather my top (upbeat) songs every other week (hence fortnight, for those that are illiterate), and have the in-house DJ himself put together a little mix.

We’re picturing you putting this on quickly as you get ready to do whatever it is you kids do on a Friday night. Think of it as a twenty-three minute catch-up on the essentials of the site over the past two weeks. It’s an easy concept. Press play, download, enjoy. Tracklist after the jump.

Oh, and hit B-Rob on Soundcloud. He’s open for some internet friendships. And hit him up on Twitter too for that matter, I think he just got one of those. Not a whole lot of action over there yet. Maybe you can help him with that.

Happy weekend world.

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ATG Records is now officially two for two. All Things Go’s record label venture previously released Nicky Blitz’s “Alive” as their first single, and they’re following that up with this little feel-good vibe from Mausi. The band consists of four members coming out of Newcastle in the UK — and “sol.” has made me a certified fan. Can’t wait to hear more from this crew.

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Download: Mausi – sol.

[via All Things Go]

Ms. Winston takes her Detroit upbringing to heart in this one as she struts through the streets of her hometown. I completely forgot her debut album was just around the corner — King Con hits shelves March 6th — and given the undeniable catchy vibes of “Velvet Elvis” and “Sister Wife”, it’s gonna be right up my alley.

On a side note, am I the only one seeing a little Skrillex influence with her hair here? Anyone? Anyone?

Last night, a junior in college by the name of Justin Blau (3LAU), sold out Royale in downtown Boston. No big deal, just a random kid from Vegas casually selling out a huge 1,000+ capacity nightclub in Boston. Not only that, but the dude was kind enough to drop a few tickets and media passes our way. We naturally took him up on the offer, and masked ourselves as 19 year-olds for the night. A couple things to note:

First off, the neon levels in the building were off the charts. Neon beanies, neon tank tops, neon booty shorts, neon headbands, neon shit everywhere. Immediately regretted going with the flannel button-down upon entering, but that’s neither here nor there.

Secondly, for those who haven’t been, Royale is this grandiose, gorgeous nightclub featuring an overarching balcony and a capacity of about 1,000. For some reason I allude it with like old-school Studio 54 raves. It’s got a classy vibe. Anyways, last night that classy vibe was thrown directly out the window — as soon as you walked in, you were DRILLED with the most unbearable waft of body odor this world has ever seen. College kids in Boston these days have zero comprehension of personal hygiene, and it was put on full display last night. I mean, I graduated college like 3 years ago — but if I remember correctly, deodorant was involved in all of my daily routines. Not the case anymore. Welcome to 2012.

As discussed before, being 18+, and 3LAU being a remix/mash-up mastermind (what the college kids get off to these days), my buddies and I were in the VAST minority being over 21. Which means that we were wearing wrist bands. Which means that we were primary targets to sneakily obtain beverages for the sub 21 year-olds. These kids were ATROCIOUS at getting us to buy them drinks. “Hey I’m 22 but lost my ID can you get my a vodka soda?!?”, followed by a full-on classic shitcanned girl wipeout. Just not a good look. Anyways, I’ve never felt so hated by so many for denying these 19 year olds the drinks they so desperately craved. Maybe with a little more effort and a little less falling on your fucking face, I would’ve cooperated.

All in all, 3LAU knows his niche, and he’s capitalizing on it. The college kids can’t get enough of him. Mixing and matching the most popular electro jams of the moment with Rihanna/Coldplay/any chart-topping artist of the moment gets these kids legitimately aroused. I mean it’s a simple concept for college kids. Pay $15, get hamboned, let 3LAU drop electro mashup bombs on your head all night, and try to dry hump that babe that sits 4 rows ahead of you in Bio. It’s a no-brainer.

After his set, we caught up with Justin for a few and thanked him for the passes. In talking to him, the fact that the kid is only a junior in college struck a chord with me. IN COLLEGE. Casually selling out venues across the country in between finance classes. He’s got a time window where he can play God to these college kids, and he’s not letting it slip by. Props to him for that.

Miike Snow’s sophomore album Happy To You is due out on March 27th, and it’s been building an incredible amount of hype over the past few weeks. The first listen we got our hands on off the new project was in the form of the addictive “Devil’s Work”, and “Paddling Out” builds off the same elements that have made them such a popular band in such a short amount of time. Can’t help but love their sound. 2012 will be good to them.