the urbanguy chronicles

True story: I have had the Camp Lo classic track “Luchini (AKA This is It)” as my phone ringtone for as long as I can remember. It’s that timeless.

Hailing from the boogie-down Bronx, the stylish duo known as Camp Lo (Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede) created a certifiable underground hip-hop classic in 1997 with the underrated Uptown Saturday Night. The album’s slavish devotion to the soulful 1970s blaxploitation era, coupled with the duo’s imitable lyrical flow, made the project feel modern and retro all at the same time.

CBC Music’s got my full interview with Geechi Suede of Camp Lo. Didn’t manage to make it to the show this time out but I heard it was alright. 

As a well-respected producer, the always musically adventurous 9th Wonder is never one to shy away from experimentation. In joining forces with scrappy rap vet Buckshot, the North Carolina-based music maker mashes up his trademark percussion-driven, soul sample-laden production with that street grit, Boot Camp Clik-styled flow. Being that this is their third full-length collaboration, the duo no doubt have the resulting boom-bap down pat. The Solution differs from 9th Wonder’s collaborative series with West coast rapper Murs (whose appropriately titled The Final Adventure was released on the same day), in that the 12-track project maintains a gully, old school feel to Murs’s breezier sensibilities. It’s a gritty, soulful sound that holds The Solutiontogether, seemingly aspiring to be nothing more than “Boot Camp meets Little Brother”: familiar and stress-free for an audience seeking a vintage feel in their hip-hop.

The full interview over at Exclaim! 

Toronto native Rich Kidd has been on his “shiiiiiit” for what seems like ages now. Now in its sixth iteration, the We On Some Rich Kidd Shiiiiiit mixtape series has been something of a regular mid-summer expectation, a welcome hip-hop release that typically delivers the musical goods.

Kidd is always on that grind. Peep the full interview/review over at Exclaim!

There’s a line in the track “That Power” off the album Camp that perfectly summarizes Donald Glover’s rap career as Childish Gambino: “For every black ‘You’re not black enough,’ there’s a white ‘You’re all the same.’”

Scheduled to perform during Canadian Music Week last March, the event was postponed when Glover fractured his foot during a show. The makeup show is happening at Echo Beach on Tuesday, July 31, and it sold out quickly, which is yet another confirmation that the comedic actor/rapper has been having a brilliant run of success these last few years.

Forgive the grainy shot. Forgot my camera and had to make do with my iPod Touch. (And yes, I could have simply moved closer to the stage. Don’t judge me.)

Anyway, short but sweet set from Nicolay and The Hot At Nights. Performing mostly cuts from the City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya, the intimate setting and vibe was mad cool. Spoke with Nicolay earlier this week and also after the show. Mad cool dude. Looking forward to some new Foreign Exchange stuff.

For Toronto’s Ania Soul, her time is now. Fresh off soulful stints at this year’s CMW and NXNE respectively, the talented singer has a busy slate ahead of her as the hot weather hits. Determined to make her brand of music genreless, nonetheless rich R&B and soul notes highly inform her sound and style.

Q: What can we expect from you in 2012?

For me it’s always a surprise as it depends on my creativity and the opportunities I go after or that just present themselves to me. This year I was happy to be apart of Canadian Music Week which is Canada’s largest music festival! So that’s exciting.\I am in the studio recording and working on an album due later on this year…let’s say Fall 2012 I will be shooting a video for my next single Over U coming out shortly and launching my website www.aniasoul.com.

 Q: How would you describe your style? Who are your musical influences?

A: My style may be easy to categorize for some, but for me and in my head I am all over the genre map, but what comes out is Soul alternative. I say alternative because the soul embodies my influences from when I was young till now like Stevie Wonder, gospel music ( I grew up in the church as a matter of fact), Aretha Franklin, Radiohead, The Roots, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Marley, Feist and many more.

Q: Who is your target fan/demographic?

A: The people I find listening to my music and connecting with me are those ages 20-45, more females than males…My songs really connect to woman these days…I feel I have a young-grown vibe!

Q: What separates you from current singers right now?

A: I am not your everyday black woman who sings RnB. There are so many voices, experiences, styles and genres that shape who I am, how I sound and what I want to share, I feel that alone sets me apart…you can hear it in my music…it’s personal.

Check out her fan page and at aniasoul.com to find where she’s playing next.

As a hip-hop-flavoured act on venerable label Sub Pop, you’re automatically going to create some type of buzz. Doubly so if you’re actually any good and Seattle, WA’s THEESatifaction fit that bill. “Starting out, we just basically made music for ourselves and we were happy with doing that,” says Stasia Irons, one-half of the Afro-futurist rap duo. awE naturalEis wholly reflective of the group’s relaxed vibe and sincere, jazz-/soul-driven flow.

Peep my review and interview of Seattle group THEESatisfaction over at Exclaim!

If you came from a household that listened to R&B, who doesn’t remember that iconic Whitney Houston cover (on vinyl) in the house? With the bathing suit? You know what I’m talking about…

Such a sad loss. RIP

Whoa. Who made Common mad?

Fire. From the anticipated The Dreamer, The Believer due out soon.