Photo courtesy of the group’s Facebook Please help support truly independent music journalism by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. On the morning that a 90-year-old grandmother became the first person in the UK to receive the coronavirus vaccine, Jason Williamson, vocalist and lyricist for electro-punk duo Sleaford Mods, could be found sitting […]
DJ Tony Tone Shares The Unreleased Interlude J Dilla Recorded for Him Music – 10 seconds ago Source: Youtube Featuring a previously unheard freestyle from Q-Tip. J Dilla rarities have been known to pop up at a rate that can be alarming. And that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. In a new interview […]
J Dilla and Madlib Discuss The ‘Champion Sound’ Sequel in a Rare 2004 Interview Music – 24 mins ago Source: Stones Throw/Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton “It might be done already, you never know.” A rare and rather miraculous joint interview of J Dilla and MadlibĀ from 2004 has surfaced. Making the rounds in support of […]
House Shoes retraces the highs and lows of his relationship with J Dilla, weighs in on the “godfather of lo-fi” debate, and breaks down his favorite bootlegs of the late producer’s work. In the 15 years since he passed, the legacy of J Dilla has swelled at a rate commensurate with his catalog. What was […]
Vic Mensa and Okayplayer Present “The Art of Healing” Playlist, Featuring Tupac, Lauryn Hill Music – 2 hours ago Photo Credit: Paul Morigi/Getty Images Check out a therapeutic collection of tracks from Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and more. PASSAGEĀ is a curated mental health and wellness initiative created by Okayplayer. The program was developed to amplify […]
For the first week of February, we got new albums from Pooh Shiesty, VanJess, Conway the Machine & Big Ghost LTD, and… us. There is an overwhelming amount of music that drops onĀ New Music Fridays. Unless you have hours of free time, itās almost impossible to wade through all the sewage out there to get […]
Best Songs of The Week: ft. Freddie Gibbs, VanJess, and More [Playlist] Music – 1 min ago Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage via Getty Images The Round-Up playlist is Okayplayerās weekly haul of the best songs in the worlds of hip-hop and R&B. This weekās set features new music from Freddie Gibbs, VanJess, Chris Crack, and […]
Topaz Jones Shares New Single “Herringbone” From Sundance-Winning Album/Film Music – 35 mins ago Source: Artist Topaz Jones’ new album is also an award-winning short film. On Friday, New Jersey-bred artist Topaz Jones announced his new album,Ā Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma. Additionally, he released the first single, “Herringbone,” and revealed the album would be released […]
We spoke to VanJess about their Homegrown EP, musical influences, and the importance of connecting with producers and collaborators. Nigerian-American duo VanJess makes contemporary R&B that brings fans back to the ’90s. Composed of sisters Ivanna and Jess, VanJess has managed to stand out vocally, with harmonies reminiscent of TLC and a vast production arsenalĀ that […]
10 Independent Artists to Support on Bandcamp Friday (February 2021) Music – 17 mins ago Photo Credit: Florian Schmetz on Unsplash After a month off, Bandcamp Friday returns to aid working-class independent artists still reeling from the loss of live music venues. It may be a new year, but the pandemic is still as much […]
Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul’ Sets New Record for Documentary Sale at Sundance Music – 52 mins ago Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot Photography Summer of SoulĀ has been acquired for streaming in the largest sale of a documentary in Sundance history. After winning the top prizes at Sundance Film Festival earlier this week, Questlove‘s Summer […]
Photo courtesy of Outlaw Mel Repping rap from every region since 2005. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. āItās always been a tale of two cities,ā Outlaw Mel admits to me over the phone, regarding his hometown of Dallas, Texas. Heās telling me about I-30, an interstate which runs through […]
With the 15th anniversary of his untimely death approaching, we spoke with J Dilla’s mother, Maureen Yancey, better known to Dilla fans and friends as the beloved “Ma Dukes.” Since his passing in 2006, J Dilla has become one of hip-hop’s most revered producers. He’s immortalized as a beatmaking legend: the man who crafted smooth […]
Jeff emailed us this week to say the site was doing a list of Biggie’s best songs for no reason other than that Biggie was great. Isn’t that the kind of stuff you want to support? Hit us up on Patreon, yeah? Jordan Ryan Pedersen is in a heavy JRPG mode, so if you’d like […]
James Brown’s Longtime Emcee and Cape Man, Danny Ray, Dead at 85 Music – 19 seconds ago Photo by KMazur/WireImage via Getty Images Ray joined James Brown’s show in 1960 and remained the late icon’s right-hand-man for the bulk of his career. James Brown‘s longtime emcee and stage general, Danny Ray, has died. He was […]
Salt-N-Pepa On DJ Spinderella’s Biopic Exclusion Claim: “Perception Is Not Reality” Music – 1 min ago Photo Credit: Tim Roney/Getty Images Salt-N-Pepa recently responded to DJ Spinderella’s claim that she was “wrongfully excluded” from the group’s Lifetime biopic. Salt-N-Pepa have addressed DJ Spinderella’s claim that she was “wrongfully excluded” from the group’sĀ Salt-N-PepaĀ Lifetime biopic. On Wednesday’s […]
Photo by Nick Farrar, courtesy of Audible Treats Please support our collective of rap obsessives by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Men lie, women lie, numbers donāt. The statement is somewhat fair depending on whether or not you believe the DSPās and record labels are telling the truth. With streaming farms creating […]
Here’s Your Chance to Sample Your Favorite Bob James Songs Without Getting Sued Music – 5 hours ago Photo Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images Tracklib has acquired the rights to 20 Bob James songs in a new agreement. Jazz keyboardist Bob James is known for quite a few things. The founder of the band Fourplay […]
Taken from the movie ‘Last Days’ Please support our collective of pop culture savants by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Teenage angst has paid off well. Now Thomas Hobbs is bored and old. Music biopics are often weighed down by sentimentality, terrified of the demons they might uncover if they probe too […]
Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul’ Wins Sundance Film Festival’s Top Prize for Documentaries Music – 17 mins ago Photo by Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images Summer of Soul unearths 50-year-old footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Questlove has hit another career milestone. The Roots drummer’s directorial debut,Ā Summer of Soul, topped nine other films to win […]
Photo by Camilo Rueda LĆ³pez 1nce Again is a new column by Robert Ham, who tells the story behind the greatest remixes ever made as told by the artists and the remixers who made them happen. In a dressing room tucked away in Stage 29 at L.A.ās Paramount Studios, a singer-songwriter from New York is […]
We spoke with D Smoke about his two Grammy nominations, which hitmaker offered to sign him after he won Rhythm + Flow, and how Inglewood, California shaped his sound but almost took his life. Itās 10 A.M. on November 24, 2020. Thanksgiving is just two days away, and Inglewood, California-bred rapper D Smoke is driving […]
Noname Candidly Reveals New Song “Rainforest” Is Dropping Soon Music – 47 mins ago Photo Credit: Taylor Hill for Getty Images Noname took to Twitter to acknowledge she’s unsure how to promote her upcoming single “Rainforest.” After taking a bit of a hiatus, rapper Noname revealed that she is set to drop new music soon.Ā […]
Photo courtesy of Breezo’s Facebook We all can ball if we support each other. Please subscribe to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Caleb Sowie be kicking shit like Rodman did the cameraman. In 1986, as the basketball shoe market was shifting in Nikeās direction with the success of the Jordan 1ās, former official NBA […]
Photo by Cinque Mubarak Our shit knocks way harder than UPS drivers. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Max Bell sends ’em out of the park like Hank Aaron. Every major music scene becomes subject to reductive narratives. Perhaps for the sake of public digestibility, musicians who landed more profiles […]
Introducing Okayplayer’s ‘PASSAGE, The EP’ Featuring BIG K.R.I.T., Kwasi Kessie, & More Music – 1 hour ago PASSAGE is a curated mental health and wellness initiative created by Okayplayer. The program was developed to amplify the collective stories and healing practices of millennials of color. Follow the program here and streamĀ PASSAGE, The EP here. The […]
The way we pushing words, you’d swear them shits were BOGO. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Thomas Hobbs will hit the beat with the Manchurian Splash. The results that came from MF DOOM combining slick comic book villain imagery with cautionary hood tales will live forever. Accentuated by a […]
Photo courtesy of the artist’s Facebook Please support the best new rap music every week by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Harley Geffner entered #1 in the Royal Rumble and won. Glockboyz Teejae & Skilla Baby – “Bird Flu” Iāve never heard a bad rap song with violin on it. Itās a […]
People Under The Stairs Co-Founder, Double K, Dead at 43 Music – 1 min ago Photo by Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic via Getty Images The rapper and producer co-founded People Under The Stairs with Thes One in 1997. Michael Turner, better known as Double K of People Under The Stairs, has reportedly died. He was 43-years-old. However, […]
Credit: Piecelock70 Written by Jeff Weiss. Originally published in January 2009 at a local alt-weekly now owned by crypto-fascists.Ā Other than the all-you-can-eat avoirdupois of the Fat Boys, itās difficult to imagine a rap group with a more appropriate name than People Under the Stairs. After all, while local peers Dilated Peoples, Jurassic 5 and […]