the SHAPE of things to come

This is another one of my San Jose homies, Antwon, killing it. The South Bay just seems to be on their game (quick shout out to all ‘em cats, Pacoe the Illiterate, Opski Chan, Barry Bones). This song is just laid back and my man put together the accompanying video, which has a kind of lo-fi Harmony Korrine vibe, himself. Perfect summer evening soundtrack. Give it a spin!

The month of July is about to get wild. We have the full Slangcorp family performing under one roof on the 22nd. That includes but is not limited to me, GDP, Pistol, G. Wallace, TMFSE, Larry Hobson, The Custodian of Records, Benny 2 Bars, Rocky Reason, and a few more heads coming out the woodworks for special appearances. How special are these appearances? You’ll have to show up to find out. Expect a night of debauchery and regret.

Also, the whole things is going off in one epic shared set, so expect to the stage full.

Last night, Pistol, GDP, G. Wallace and I took over WFMU Free Form listener supported radio to play a little over two hours of original music by ourselves and the Slangcorp family on the Hip Hop show Coffee Break for Heroes and Villains hosted by Noah. This was our second radio appearance in a week (the first was on NYU’s college radio) and definitely my favorite. Not only is WFMU the best radio station in the world but I’ve been listening to Noah’s show for years and years, it is one of the last real hip hop shows going on these days. So big props to my man for recognizing the Slangcorp skills and doing a whole show revolving around us. Follow the link below to listen to the whole Slangcorp featured Coffee Break episode.

Listen to Slangcorp on Coffee Break.

American Death Cult

And I traced the symbols of a sensualist devils paltry designs
On the doorstep of our ego, at the outlines of her mind, 
And lacking for better scripture and asking for darker times
She responded in words of fire that flowered on lips of lies.
And towers were crowned of thorns as the godless conspired for Babel;
The builders too tired to build, the masters too drunk with power,
The prophets informed of madness and dying in their own skin 
Lay bluffing in crimes of wisdom–the harvest will now begin.
So sirens gave birth to war and the warriors performed their plays,
Shakespearean, almost human and tragically out of frame,
And new magic was broadcast directly into the grave,
Where truth was buried nameless and naked but for its shame.
And the pigs will serve their kingdoms with bullets that want of blood,
The drugs will become abundant and artificial as love,
And the wicked will man their altars and no one will know their names
And none will be saved of suffering as He will not rise again.
Then men will be torn to ashes and strewn in the scars of earth
Or swallowed in hungry gospels of destinies well rehearsed.
For churches have armed the starving and nations ignite the skies
With kisses of inquisition in brilliant arcs of light.
And the nights will be long and starless and stained of a crimson dusk
When the whores of the corporate fortune conspire against our trust
And the dust on the flesh of all this will settle in quiet breaths
As we rest on the breast of beauty and dream at the gates of death.

shape
5/2/11

Some pics of the kid rocking at GDP’s “Useless Eaters” release party.

Emily Rugburn is a psychedelic hybrid of sonic awesomeness. A dash of D.A.I.S.Y. age De La, a pinch of Paul’s Boutique era Beastie Boys, a slathering of MF DOOM worthy lyrics so deeply and richly layered they offer more and more understanding with each listen. I’ve literally been listening to a TMFSE lyric I’ve heard a hundred times before and smacked my head because I finally got the reference. This isn’t music for instant gratification. It’s fine wine you’ve got to keep shoving your nose in for the developing complexity. And seeing as today is Easter, it seems appropriate to point your attention to a brilliant Emily Rugburn collection available off Slangcorp.com for free download.

The “You Don’t Look Like Santa Trilogy” is the works of a younger Emily Rugburn, recorded between 2003 and 2007, before TMFSE and Junkwaffle assumed the Emily moniker (itself an alias of the beautiful Penny Lane), which explains the presence of some Shape beats sprinkled in. Ultimately, I think, “Birdseed” was Emily’s masterpiece (though I’m hearing some good things about their new project), but The Santa Trilogy is a great peak into the emerging genius of one of Slangcorp’s most gifted and slept on artists. If you like a little weirdness in your claustrophobic funk, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Click Here to Download Emily Rugburn’s “You Don’t Look Like Santa”