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On December 6th, The Roots dropped their first conceptual album, undun. The work focuses around a troubled young man named Redford Stevens and the short film above details the grim unraveling.
It's clear that a lot of love was put into this project with carefully crafted cinematography that creates a profound investment in a storyline all to real. Pay close attention to the quotes, too, they warrant pause.
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The lovely Janelle Monae was awarded the incredible honor to perform at this year's Nobel Peace Concert in Oslo, Norway alongside some highly revered artists such as Angelique Kidjo, Jill Scott, and Ellie Goulding, amongst several other artists from around the world.
Above is Janelle's amazingly heartfelt performance of "Cold War," which was also reportedly accompanied by performances of “Tightrope” and the Jackson 5‘s “I Want You Back.”
After the jump, you can find the entire cast of artists performing Curtis Mayfield‘s “Move On Up." Brilliant.
Many thanks to our folks at Okayplayer for putting us on to this one.
More than a release these are a set of tracks, really. The darling José James will be releasing his next album, No Beginning, No End, in early 2012. To warm up his audiences, James has been touring. Below, you'll find a a few live tracks from said tour - "Introduction/Code," “It’s All Over Your Body” and his newest tune we shared with you back in October, “Trouble”. Enjoy, lovelies!
Live at the Triple Door 12/6/11 by josejamesworldwide
US Tour Dates
01/07/12 - NYC - Jazz Standard
02/10/12 - Harlem - Harlem Stage 30th Anniversary Celebration
02/11/12 - Harlem - Harlem Stage 30th Anniversary Celebration
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Been a minute since we've written about our boy James Blake. Last time was news that he'd released his Enough Thunder EP. Since then, he's released a video for his Joni Mitchell cover of "A Case of You" off the aformentioned EP and a new 3-track EP called Love What Happened Here, which you can grab at the end of this post.
Accompanied by Blake's beautiful sing-song, the video starts off warm and cozy, placing you inside the characters' home as would a good book or film. And even as the story descends into cool and withdrawn, the video maintains a peculiar power of familiarity and intimacy. Very nicely done.
Purchase Love What Happened Here on iTunes | Amazon
Common's newest album, The Dreamer/The Believer, is finally out today! Including appearances from John Legend, Nas, and an original poem from Maya Angelou, the goodness is plentiful. For those of you that still somehow haven't previewed the album, you can still stream it in full before you buy.
A lot of energy around this project with all the amazing videos that led up to it. From the breezy "Blue Sky" video, to the gritty "Ghetto Dreams" black and white joint, to the colorful and impassioned "Sweet" and finally, the let loose good times on "Celebrate." There is for sure a lot to celebrate with this release, that's certain.
On iTunes, the album is also packaged as part of The Dreamer/The Believer Bundle with Common's book, "One Day It Will All Make Sense."
Enter our contest to win The Dreamer/The Believer
Tour Dates
12/19/11 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
12/21/11 - Hollywood, CA - House of Blues Sunset Strip
12/22/11 - Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
12/23/11 - Fresno, NV - Save Mart Center
01/19/12 - Indianapolis, IN - Clowes Memorial Hall
01/27/12 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
