D.C. singer Raheem DeVaughn just dropped a fantastic mixtape, including dope remakes/covers of the Clipse’s “I’m Good”, “Pretty Girls”, “Bonita Applebum” and “Redemption Song”. Appearances by Wale, X.O. and Tabi Bonney, among others. Raheem’s new album In Love & MasterPeace drops in March.
Raheem DeVaughn – Mr. February AKA March Madness Mixtape
Track listing below the jump:

01. [...]

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Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass died yesterday in a hospital in Philadelphia, according to The Associated Press. He was 59.
He got his start as the lead singer of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes before leaving the group for a successful solo career. He was one of the most significant soul singers of the 70s and [...]

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I can’t wait for Summer either.
Muhsinah sounds great over an electronic beat as she did on the Flying Lotus-produced “Lose My Fuse.”

Download: Muhsinah – Summer
via FWMJ’s Rappers I Know

Jay-Z joins Robin Thicke for a filthy jawn about making babies. Feel those tropical vibes. Hawaiian Sophie ‘09. Off Sex Therapy, out December 15.

Download: Robin Thicke – Meiplé (ft. Jay-Z)
via OnSMASH

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J. Rocc is the second DJ in two weeks to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, but unlike DJ Jazzy Jeff’s spectacular mixtape, J. Rocc’s project is equal parts Dilla and MJ.
Calling this track a mashup isn’t doing it justice. J. Rocc didn’t just slap the “Butterflies” a capella on a Dilla instrumental, he carefully mixed [...]

Whenever a major artist dies, there’s an initial media blitz where you have a ton of people talking about everything except the music. You know, those people who watch cable news for 3 hours a day. Eventually, those people find something else to talk about, usually a sex scandal or someone winning American [...]

Pause at 1:44 for a great close-up of a sweaty, pasty white, Peter-Parker-looking Mayer Hawthorne.
This is a great example of a video that takes a song to the next level. The video reveals Hawthorne’s ‘green-eyed love’ to be absinthe and the latter three quarters show him hallucinating, which relays his goofiness in a way that [...]

This wouldn’t be such a surprising combination in 1995, when Smif N Wessun kicked verses over Mary’s “I Love You”. But this is definitely a little surprisingly in ‘09. Pairing Mary with a pounding, trumpet-driven Black Milk beat genuinely works, beyond it just being a throwback to 90s vintage hip hop-soul. I haven’t been crazy [...]

In honour of the release of Mayer Hawthorne’s debut A Strange Arrangement, here’s a smooth remix of the fantastic single “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” by French producer Astronote. You already know how much we like this cat. Shouts to Martin from A-Side for the hook-up.
Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out (Astronote – [...]