k'naan on 'visions of visionaries'

k'naan on 'visions of visionaries'

soul food: 'the village' by ian kamau

beautiful brilliance from the brother, ian kamau. loving his album, one day soon, which is now available, here.

he is currently in south africa and moving up to kenya within the next week and i'm digging following his adventures on the continent via twitter.

soul food: 'the village' by ian kamau

soul food: leo37's 'gorgeous'

gorgeous: another dope single from leo37's fanfare EP! loooove this video!

download here.

soul food: leo37's 'gorgeous'

illume sessions: nneka in her own words

nneka was recently on an east african tour. while there, she stopped by kigali, had an amazing performance, hung out with the illume crew and blessed us with her 'madness'. it's an experience i will never forget.  her new album soul is heavy is out now and it is timeless and beautiful and urgent and necessary. here are part one and two of 'illume sessions ~ nneka: in her own words'

illume sessions: nneka in her own words

do my thing ~ estelle ft. janelle monae

 

'when i dance i dance to the beat of a drummer you don't hear...and can't see'

two of my favorite artists collaborate on this fly new track. i highly suspect this will be my new theme song for a minute. also: very treadmill-y. love it. 

estelle's new album all of me was out yesterday, february 28th. 

[discovered via: okayplayer]

do my thing ~ estelle ft. janelle monae

freshness: fanfare -- leo37

i posted the preview for leo37's fanfare a little while ago and, it's now finally been released

the EP  is a collaborative effort between the emcee/producer/turntablist leo37 and producer and toronto-based mult-instrumentalist, john poon. it features guest appearances by lilian chan [vocals] (you & the night) and tim shia [drums] (fire dance, footwork, & fanfare) and album art from award-winning animator/illustrator howie shia. the result of the collaboration is an effort that is both classic and fresh and that is musically, aesthetically, stylistically refreshing.  dopeness abounds, y'all.


fanfare is available now for free download at:  www.leo37.com

freshness: fanfare -- leo37

video: k'naan + nas 'nothing to lose'

during my wee hibernation this weekend, k'naan dropped his new video with nas for nothing to lose. love the whole look and feel of it.

and here's a behind-the-scenes look at the story behind their collaboration (via okayplayer).

video: k'naan + nas 'nothing to lose'

soul food: k'naan's 'is anybody out there'

k'naan's EP more beautiful than silence is finally here. check out the second single, 'is anybody out there', collaboration with nelly furtado.

and just for old time's sake, their last collaboration, which still goes hard: 'are you going away?'

soul food: k'naan's 'is anybody out there'

soul food: k'naan's 'nothing to lose'

while we await this:

k'naan has released this: 

i love the simplicity of this...the percussive flow...the collaboration with his idol, nas. the EP is meant to tide us over until his full-length album is released. you are indeed correct if you think i'm doing some sort of happy dance right about now.

k'naan: more beautiful than silence

1. "is anybody out there" (ft. nelly furtado)

2. "nothing to lose" (ft. nas)

3. "more beautiful than silence"

4. "better"

5. "coming to america"


via complex

soul food: k'naan's 'nothing to lose'

music for a cause: leo37's fire dance

another slice of awesome from leo37 has just been released. and this time, it benefits a cause that is near to my heart. check it:

After a fantastic international response for LEO37’s first single, Fanfare, Toronto-based artist collective, PPFHouse, is proud to present the EP’s second single/video titled: Fire Dance.  Based on the first living organism to ever be patented (the Oncomouse a.k.a. Harvard Mouse), Fire Dance discusses the widely unknown history of the 1988 mouse that could have ultimately set Cancer research ahead 10-15 years but due to Harvard’s patent, ended up doing the opposite and slowed what could have been an astonishing series of breakthroughs.  Now, at a time when the disease is more rampant then ever and after what has been a difficult year for several close friends, PPF House will be offering the single at LEO37.bandcamp.com for a pay-what-you-want price from January 16^th -31^st and will be donating all proceeds to Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation as a tribute to those we’ve lost as well as lend support to those currently in the fight.

The video itself was shot and recorded at the legendary Canterbury Music Company in Toronto and edited by Joyce Wong (Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival) and Lillian Chan (NFB, Red Rover, Guru Studios, Nelvana).  The song itself once again showcases the synergy between producer, John Poon’s aggressive sense of tone and time with LEO37’s equally aggressive cadences and subject matter that conjure up sensibilities of 1989 (Public Enemy, N.W.A., Paris, etc) while still being unquestionably 21^st century.

Having previously been referred to as ‘one of the most original sounds in Canada.’  by Exclaim! Magazine, Fanfare serves as a reintroduction for LEO37 to the Canadian and International music scene.  Having spent the better part of the last 5 years touring (including – all self-booked -- 3 Canadian tours, Amsterdam, Ireland, 20 cities across the U.S. as well as 7 countries in Asia), and sharing stages with the likes of: Aloe Blacc, The Bad Plus, Del the Funky Homosapien, Tittsworth, Swollen Members and Tanika Charles, just to name a few, LEO37 returns boasting a few more stripes and million more reasons to stay tuned. 

music for a cause: leo37's fire dance

k'naan in somalia

...on preservation of dignity...

k'naan in somalia