Via Jesse Thorn, who has very good taste in rap, this video drips Cool.  I love the flannel shirts.  I love the elemental beat.  I love all the little details of place.  I love how almost evryone feels like people you might see on the street, not someone dressd up for a video.  I love that someone’s granny is just jammin out in the background.  I love the slammin girl at the chicken stand.  I love how people are actually working in the back of the chicken stand.  I love the density of the lyrics.  I love halal food in ny.

When these rappers say “no homo,” it can seem a bit like a gentleman’s agreement, nodding to the status quo while smuggling in a fuller, less hamstrung notion of masculinity.

Via Cosmic Rock

Late once again, I got hip to RED via Cosmic Rock (Read That Muthafuckin blog!!) and I mustve listnd ta this jont a dozen times today.

“The Man Without The Machine”:

The remix.  Dam-Funk adds the machine:

Preview: “Ghost Ride The Hips”

Red has been supported by LA art gal HVW8 (their press release). They collaborated with Stones Throw Records to bring “I Should Tell Ya Momma” out on 7ʺ vinyl.

Media has gotten wise:  Gross style mag Fader praised him.  Faith-Ann Young wrote about Red on Justin Timberlake’s website.  Her piece referenced Auto-tune.  Mr. Unter of Cosmic Rock wdnt hear it cuz he has an ax to grind with the Auto-tune haters.  To my ear, the way Red bends pitches is reminiscent of the way some are using that technology.  His voice replicates all kinds of sounds usually made with computers, hence the “Man Without The Machine” moniker; that’s what some people find interesting about him.  What I find interesting about him number one is that he is simply and without a doubt a dope artist.  Number two, I havnt heard evrything but I’ve never heard anything like this.  You can identify many influences but the result is unique.  Number three he sounds like Captain Beefheart.  #4 his bass notes sound like the steel rumbling when some dork drives by bumpin they system too loud.  I wd hate t see an artist like this reduced to fodder for th dumbass debate over auto tunes.

Dude.

If y’ aint seen em already, go watch th rest!

There’s a lot of things I c’d say about this, but it’s all self-evident. This is the NEXT SHIT.