Jay-Z & Coldplay - "What If We Cry?" X "Lucifer and Friends"

We used to use umbrellas to face the bad weather,

Now we travel first class to change the forecast.

There's no getting around it.  DJ Mick Boogie and sidekick Terry Urban are men of genius.  While their late 2008 remixtape of Adele's 19 was superb it is Viva La Hova that will forever remain the duo's magnum opus.  The 2008 mix up, which mashed-up songs from Jay-Z and Coldplay's respective discographies, still holds as my second favorite remixtape of all time, behind only Danger Mouse's legendary Grey Album.  These two tracks in particular provide us with further evidence of why the mash-up, at it's best, is a truly beautiful art form with the new instrumentals providing new meanings to the songs as a whole.

Ryan Lewis - "Pac' Vs. Ferdinand"

I can't believe it took me this long to come across this incredible song/still-image motion music video.  Normally I'm hesitant whenever anyone uses old Pac lyrics (typically the people who do it are people who are looking to make a quick dime off the late great's name), but this 2008 track is different.  The incredibly talented Ryan Lewis gives us an incredible mash-up of Tupac's "Crooked N****a Too" and Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" and the results speak for themselves.  I was already biased towards the Seattle producer, but after hearing The Vs. EP, his project with Symmetry, and this song, I can honestly say that Lewis is one of my favorite producers in the game today.  It's official.  Ryan Lewis is a genius and he's got the cuts.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Nackered Noah

Previous - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Stay At Home Dad"

The Kleptones + The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Hip-Hop Robots

Contrary to popular belief, I do listen to music other than hip hop from time to time.  The Flaming Lips happen to be one of my favorite groups and I love their 2002 Yoshima Battles the Pink Robots is one of my favorite albums of any genre (see "Do You Realize??" and "Fight Test" among others).  Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered this 2003 remixtape by The Kleptones of YBTPR with various hip hop artist ranging from Eminem, 50 Cent, and Dead Prez to Public Enemy, Q-Tip, and Eric B & Rakim.  I don't typically like mash-ups.  Often they aren't pulled off well and the samples/lyrics don't mesh well (see The Black & Blue Album mix of Jay-Z and Weezer), but when pulled off well, there is often nothing better in genre (see The Grey Album or anything by Mick Boogie).  This is a must download for hip hop heads or anyone who's a fan of hip hop/rock blends. Hit the link for stream/dl.

Peace, Love, & Hip-Rock,

Noah

Mick Boogie/Peter Bjorn & John - "Just the Past (nVMe Remix)" Feat. Big Sean, Black Milk, and T3

I've been eagerly anticipating Mick Boogie's remixtape of the Swedish electro-pop rock band Peter Bjorn & John's Living Thing (2009) for quite some time.  The genius behind the Viva La Hova and Adele 1988 projects was supposed to drop this project at the first of last month, but has been reworking it for quite some time.  It was supposed to drop at the end of last week, but it looks like a final release date (fingers crossed) has been set for next Tuesday.  I highly recommend copping the free mixtape when it finally does drop as nearly everything Mick Boogie touches is solid gold.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Noah

Mick Boogie/Peter Bjorn & John - "Just the Past (nVMe Remix)" Feat. Big Sean, Black Milk, and T3

Mick Boogie – Mixtapes/Mash-ups

Danger Mouse changed everything.  With the release of the DJ's beautifully produced The Grey Album, a 2004 mash-up of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and The Beatle’s The White Album, Brian Joseph Burton legitimized the mixtape as a genuine and beautiful art form.  Although The Grey Album was released for free, it solidified Danger Mouse’s commercial career as he went on to produce with the likes of the Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, Dangerdoom, and Beck.