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from the mello music group album "Persona" coming out 3/10.
prod. Oddisee | vocals: Oddisee & Phonte hook: Tamisha Waden | art: Oliver Barrett

If the soul of hip-hop belongs to the culture, the skeleton belongs to the independent label. From Sugar Hill to Def Jam, Tommy Boy to Rawkus, Fondle Em to Def Jux, the genre’s best music has been birthed by imprints that brazenly defy the status quo, those who champion fearless artists and always prize quality over commerce.
 
For the last eight years, Mello Music Group has lived by that ethos. If you’re reading these words, you’re inevitably well aware of its ascendance and growing legacy. But more importantly, you know the artists—those singular voices channeling the spirits of the past and spitting premonitions of the future. Boom-bap at its best: evolving and expanding the art form, capturing stories of the struggle, upholding the tradition, and keeping the crooked honest.
 
Persona unveils the murderer’s row that is the Mello roster of 2015. Oddisee, Apollo Brown, yU, L'Orange, Red Pill, Open Mike Eagle, Rapper Big Pooh, Quelle Chris. The stars of the present teamed with timeless innovators like Phonte (Little Brother), Blockhead, Ras Kass, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Oh No, Masta Ace, and Bilal Salaam. The result is something that binds current greats with the pioneers who paved the asphalt. It’s both a historical moment and hard as hell.
 
If most compilations are nothing more than a loosely thrown together collection of songs, Persona boasts meticulous focus. These aren’t spare tracks, they’re potent messages and poisonous darts. “Requiem” finds Phonte and Oddisee indicting American racism and Xenophobia with fury and precision. On “Homicide,” yU and Nottz leave blood dripping all over the canvas. There’s “Celebrity Reduction Prayer,” where Open Mike Eagle lampoons fundamentalists and religious zealots over Oddisee’s warm Stevie Wonder keyboards.
 
But there’s ultimately no need to do the track-by-track breakdown. This is an anthology in the most traditional well-curated sense. Turn here if you want to find the best hip-hop artists of their generation in raw and unfiltered form. The bars are brimstone; the beats force your neck to swivel. Through all the discontent, rays of hope begin to emerge. If you remember the feeling you got when you first heard Soundbombing, stop searching. The slang has changed, the style remains indelible, the latest personas have emerged. The new sound is here.



Requiem (feat. Oddisee & Phonte)

bit.ly/HueSlick

"Slick"
Performed by The Hue
Special Vocal Appearance by Ladybug Mecca 

Produced by King Midas for King Coz 
Horns and Additional Instruments by Philippe Edison, E. Classic ,  Ronnie Mason, Jr., and Ryan "Groove" Cortez as The Black Novas

Recorded in Space City, Texas, United States of America

Aurora

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The Hue "Slick" featuring Ladybug Mecca (Clean)

Idea I put together from one of my favorite R&B legends.

I'll Do Them For You Intro/Outro Idea

Weak

...the beginning of some dope jams presented and inspired by Ms. Sosha Thumper.  Make sure you follow her and myself below:

@mralpete @soshathumper (on all sites)!  

September 4th...the one year anniversary of The Groove Suite!  Hit up mralpete.com for more info...hope to see you out!

GrownFolk Ent./Cubicle Music/MPN presents 'Groove Suite: August 2015 Mixx'

DJ Al Pete

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