Kane Mayfield: Hello

It's been a minute since Kane Mayfield came through and caught Wreck, but don't let that fool you into thinking he hasn't been in the proverbial gutters, back alleys and sewers honing his craft.

While HipHop continues to expand and infuse itself with genre-bending sounds, Kane stays true to his true school mentality with the release of Hello. One listen to Mayfield's grimy new banger and I promise you'll want to walk up to someone and slap the piss out of them for no reason other than because you felt like it. Hello!

Misconstrue what I told you

And misunderstandings with cannons

Lickin yo ass open

Whoaaaaa

Yeah pause n$gga

yall n$ggas kill me wit that

get your men-tal focused

Kane Mayfield - Hello! from Mania Music Group on Vimeo.

Say what you want, I'm old. Just as I stated in the Wreck write-up, I eff with the unfiltered and authentic throwback approach Kane takes to writing rhymes and choosing beats. I've gotten away from it as I've gotten older, but songs like Wreck and Hello take me back to the times of Pathfinders, Maximas, Acura Legends (Sidenote: I always loved the Vigor) and MPVs.

Kane Mayfield- Hello


B-More in this bitch. Hello!

Concert: City of God Tour

Baltimore's own Greenspan and Al Great will be joining 2011 XXL Freshman class member Fred the Godson for the City of God tour tonight at the Ottobar. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 6:30pm. For more information, peep the flyer below.

Speaking of Greenspan and Al Great, hit the jump for new material from both artists.

Face to Face with Phil Ade

Continuing on his path to national and international notoriety, the DMV's own Phil Ade sits down with BET's Jabari to discuss his road to stardom, the return of lyricism, his latest mixtape and what he's got on the horizon.

If you haven't given #PhilAde Fridays a few spins yet. You can stop sleeping right about now!

The Paxtons- Lil Bit of Living

A really good song has the power to pull the listener into a moment regardless of whether or not they are reliving a certain experience/feeling or experiencing it vicariously through the artist. Starting with the vocal mimicking of the underlying horns, the rhythmic congas and the easy going organ, The Paxtons' A Lil Bit of Livin', instantly transforms me to those mornings when I wake up feeling extra good about how things are going to play out for the rest of the day.

In many ways, Livin feels like Act II of a play that began with Talib Kweli's Get By. Both of these songs embody that "waking up and assessing the day ahead" feeling to me. While Kweli's verison highlights the various trials and tribulations that people experience on a daily basis, the song simultaneously provides listeners with a solution (love) that can help get people out of thier respective ruts. On the other hand, Livin starts from a "something outta nothing" perspective that gives the listener a "day after Get By" type of feeling. Depending on how things start, Get By might need to get a few runs to set a new tone for the day ahead, but it's awesome to now have a new go-to song that picks up where Get By leaves off. If you haven't done so, give Livin a few runs and see if it doesn't give you that same type of feeling.

A video for Livin may be in the works, but until then, here it is live; straight from the monthly Block Party stage.

With the right light we can make poor look decadent



Lil Bit of Livin is featured on The Paxton's latest project, Avenue B. Preview/download it here.

Mickey Facts: The Arts

To say that I've been relatively ghost for the better part of a year or so would be a pretty big understatement. However, I feel like if there's been someone more ghost than me, it would have to be the artist who used to spit Factz, but more recently has become a little bit of a MauSe.

Luckily, the following video hit the inbox yesterday and it serves as a reminder that the kid who has yet to drop an official album; yet was featured on XXL's Freshman list alongside current movers and shakers Wale, Kid Cudi and B.O.B., is not ready to be forgotten.

To celebrate the life of Keith Haring, I decided to create a free flowing moment in art. With the assistance of Jake Bouvy, we create a piece of art that tells a detailed story of the time period MauSe lived in over NaS's classic Ny State Of Mind Part 2 Instrumental.

Whatever the reason for the hiatus was, the one thing I can definitely say is that it's great to hear Mickey back in the HipHop pocket. I enjoy the Alpha Factz, but it was his straight up HipHop spit game that initially made me take notice.

For a little more insight into the MickeyMau5 project, hit the jump and watch the interview with the artist known as Mickey MauSe.

Big K.R.I.T.: King- The Sequel

As he prepares for his new mixtape 4eva & A Day, Big K.R.I.T. hops on Drake's Lord Knows to break down a few social observations and motivations.

Some of ya'll may be familiar with my freestyle KING that I released in 2010, that touched on social issues and topics I felt important to speak on. I'd like to feel KING pt. 2 picks up where that left off.

It's always good to hear K.R.I.T.'s southern drawl on just about any track, but I'be lying if I didn't point out that his choice of flow on this freestyle didn't ge eaten up by Just Blaze's track.

4eva & A Day drops on March 5. Until then, peep the cover art and let it soak.

Laelo Hood- She's Mine

With today being Valentine's Day and all, Laelo Hood dropped an opus for all the lovers out there rock to.

She's Mine is featured on Laelo's latest album Life in High Definition is available right now on iTunes.