jedi knightlife with dj sake1

A TRIBUTE TO CURTIS

2009-07-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Michael's passing has all of us kinda toe up. A testament to tha King of Pop's massive musical shadow is his ability to make us remember, appreciate, and fall in love with music all over again.

I am particularly fond of paying tribute to musical greats, as you may know, and have done two Curtis Mayfield tributes at my weekly party, Pacific Standard Time. Curtis was and remains a towering figure in modern music, a man who nimbly transcends tha 50s doo wop era, tha 60s vocal soul sound and tha explosion of funk and consciousness-raising music in tha 1970s. He remained a trailblazer until his untimely passing in tha early 90s.

Here is a piece of a live Curtis Mayfield tribute set from a couple months ago. Track listing at bottom. Enjoy!

DJ Sake1, "A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield, Part One" (Live)

TRACKLISTING
Curtis Mayfield "Give Me Your Love"
Curtis Mayfield "Trippin' Out"
Curtis Mayfield, "Freddy's Dead"
The Notations,"Superpeople"
Curtis Mayfield, "Right on for the Darkness"
Leroy Hutson, "Lucky Fellow" (Sake1 Edit)
Curtis Mayfield, "So Good to Me" (Sake1 Edit)
The Impressions "We Must be in Love"
The Impressions, "We're a Winner"
Curtis Mayfield, "Doo Doo Wap is Strong in Here"
Curtis Mayfield, "Readings in Astrology" (Demo Version)
Curtis Mayfield, "Make me Believe in You"
Curtis Mayfield, "Future Shock"
Curtis Mayfield, "Little Child Runnin' Wild"
Curtis Mayfield, "Ghetto Child" (Demo)
Curtis Mayfield, "Kung Fu"
Curtis Mayfield, "Get Down"
Curtis Mayfield, "Power to the People"
Curtis Mayfield, "If There's a Hell Below (We're All Going to Go)"
Curtis Mayfield, "Beautiful Brother of Mine"
Curtis Mayfield, "Move on Up" (Sake1 Edit)

¡¡FANIA AGAIN!!

2009-06-30T15:05:00.001-07:00

SUNDAY, JULY 12 | NEW YORK CITY

LIMITED $10 PRESALE TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Jazmine Sullivan On Oil

2009-06-15T19:59:00.001-07:00

Jazmine Sullivan, "Bust Your Windows" (Sake1 Bay Refix)

COME BIEN x JOY LIU x SAKE1 COLLABO: DONALD BYRD

2009-06-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

I was approached by tha homies at COME BIEN Books to collaborate on a piece about Donald Byrd. I'm a HUGE Donald Byrd fan, equally enamored with Byrd's longtime production team tha Mizell Brothers, and I have a soft spot for trumpet players (from my older brother to Miles Davis); additionally, I love what Come Bien does and tha idea of cross-disciplinary collabos is something I have love for...so it was a no-brainer.

For this joint, I was given tha role of writer -- not a common role for me, but one I enjoy. There were (of course) space and form limits -- but hopefully this can spark something bigger. Robert Trujillo murked tha Byrd illustration, and tha magnificent Joy Liu did tha graphic layout. This is what all education material should look like!!! Get yo learn on....

NOTE: This is laid out in book format (which it will be, at some point) and as such tha text is quite small -- simply click on each page to enlarge it as you read =)

(couple MP3s of Donald Byrd edits I made posted "after tha jump" as tha internets say)...

JOINTS =>

Donald Byrd, "Change (Makes You Wanna Hustle) (Sake1 Re-Edit) *produced by Larry & Fonce Mizell*

=> Donald Byrd & 125th Street, "Love Has Come Around" (Sake1 Leftism Edit) *produced by Isaac Hayes*

New Hi-Tek & Kweli

2009-05-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier joint leaked out was a little blah but this joint kinda slaps:

DJ Hi-Tek & Talib Kweli, "Back Again"

WE HELLA WANNA KICK IT | WILLIE MAZE NEW THURSDAY POPOFF

2009-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know WILLIE MAZE he's one of my all-time favorite people, a great dude, an amazing community organizer, and a walkin' talkin' Bay Area hip-hop legend! And yet he's still hella humble. Go figure.....

Illy Willy (not to be confused with THIS dude) is one of tha more creative DJs you will ever hear, and one thing i hella appreciate is he STAYS pushin' tha music envelope and lacing new sounds into tha mix. He finally has time to get his OWN night poppin, at tha ever-bubblin' Kittys in Emeryville (where Sir William of Oaklandshire and none other than Matthew Africa can be found beating crowds into a bloody pulp on Fridays and Saturdays), and he's been so cute as to invite ME down to rock wit him tonite. So, ahem....LETS GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HELLA WANNA KICK IT ::: EVERY THURSDAY NITE @ KITTY'S BAR IN EMERYVILLE | RESIDENT DJ WILLIE MAZE (LOCAL 1200) | GUEST DJ SAKE ONE (APR 16)

MAKE SURE TO PEEP WILLIE MAZE'S DOPE BLOG: www.nvrovr.blogspot.com

WE LOVE AND MISS YOU MARVIN....

2009-04-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Mourners at Marvin Gaye's funeral, April 1984
Disciple of Saint Marvin that I am, I can't let tha 70th anniversary of his birth (and 25th anniversary of his passing) drift by without a post paying homage to arguably tha greatest male vocalist of tha last 50 years. I won't bore you with my opinions here but I think his track record speaks for itself. Please continue to listen to, play, remix, and sing Marvin's music...tha world will be better for it.

Marvin Gaye, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (J-Star Reggae Refix)

Marvin Gaye, "Inner City Blues" (Sake1 Retweak)

Marvin Gaye, "Sparrow" (?uestlove & James Poyser Edit)

Marvin Gaye, "Want U 2" (Waajeed and Maestro Remix)

WMC JUMPS

2009-03-24T13:41:00.001-07:00

Hope to see some of you good people out in tha sunshine at WMC! I will try to update tha blog with pics etc but for now, please try to breeze thru tha following parties:

SUNDAY, MARCH 30 2pm-4am @ tha Chesterfield Hotel 855 Collins (Sake1 spinning 8-11pm)

errr...ummm....uhhh........

2009-03-06T14:34:00.001-08:00

my peoples....sorry been wild laggin on updates. life calls! and sometimes i answer.

don't really have anything useful to say BUT!!! i figure i will give some music. this is a blend of a kid cudi acapella and a kanye west instrumental. maybe you will like it maybe you won't. alas:

Kid Cudi, "Dat New" (Sake1 Pass)

Have a GREAT WEEKEND YALL!!!!!!

THUGLOVE

2009-02-14T12:40:00.001-08:00

i hate starting posts with apologies, but this time i REALLY mean it. i been making valentine's day mixes tha last few years to sorta ironically make fun of and also celebrate tha holiday and tha emotion/action its supposedly dedicated to. this year i decided to do a mix of all love rap songs -- i had planned to make an actual CD, slang em etc -- but had a MAJOR protools meltdown mid-mix and didn't have enough time to recover and get CDs made, etc in time for tha holiday. probably shoulda started earlier...any which way, i had about 3 hours to remix and edit tha project, so it wound up being a VERY rough (like love), short (45min) mix, with alotta blemishes. i am seriously iffy about even making it public, but uFCK IT, it wound up being alotta work so hopefully someone will get something out of it. and remember, its FREE -- and you get what you pay for =) same with love.

Click on tha picture below to download tha mix. Here's tha tracklisting:

Common, "Come Close" (Boozoo Bajou Remix)
Slick Rick, "Teenage Love" (Dub)
Big Daddy Kane, "To Be Your Man"
LL Cool J, "I Need Love"
Refugee Camp feat. John Forté, "Love Jones" (Remix)
Cam'ron, "Soap Opera"
Da King & I, "Tears"
Gangstarr, "Love Sick"
Kurious, "Nicole"
Dirt Nation, "Khadijah"
Joeski Love, "My Girl"
Biz Markie, "Young Girl Blues"
Eric B. & Rakim, "Keep the Beat"
Bobbi Humphrey, "Blacks & Blues"
K.M.D.,"Plumskinzz"
Truth Enola, "Ill Love"
Busta Rhymes, "I Love My Bitch"
The Roots, "You Got Me" (Remix)
Positive K, "A Flower Grows in Brooklyn"
Hard 2 Obtain, "Ghetto Diamond"
Pleasure, "Sassafrass Lady"
The Pharcyde, "Passin' Me By" (Fly as Pie Remix)

EL TIZZLE

2009-02-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Recently I was asked to compile a playlist by tha legendary Fania Records label, chosen from their online MP3 store. Obviously I'm a huge Fania stan but choosing 10 songs from their massive collection (even tha Slimfast version they have online in their MP3 store) proved to be a difficult task!!

Regardless, I figured I'd share this playlist with yall, not sure if its useful but hopefully it is. I have to shout out classics by artists like Chivirico, Bobby Cruz y Ricardo Rey, Impacto Crea, Benitez & Nebula, Manu Dibango, and other Fania-related artists who didn't make it onto tha MP3 site

Shout out to tha big homie O Dub for helping coordinate thangs, and stay tuned cuz FANIA LIVE TOUR 09 with Bobbito Garcia, Sake1 and DJ Laylo will be back in effect this year in SF, LA, Miami and NYC!

1. Ray Barretto, “Indestructible” – Timeless Nuyorican anthem made even more Timeless when it was used in Iris Morales’ Young Lords Party documentary, “Pa’lante Siempre Pa’lante.” This song crystallized the Fania sound and movement – and Barretto’s hands speak volumes, as usual.

2. Azuquita y Su Orquestra, “Guajiro Bacan” – Mainly for the drum break at the beginning and the hard funk guitar; but ultimately SO much more than that. Like many Fania tracks, this song transforms through time, space, rhythm and diaspora in under 5 minutes – something that modern music often fails to do over the course of en entire LP.

3. Roberto Roena, “Que Se Sepa” – A jaw-dropping fusion of traditional Matanzas with New Jack R&B. Roena’s Apollo Sound band was in absolute top form on this LP (“5”) and this song is one of the best on that set. Roena’s creativity is legendary; there’s a reason many call him ¡El Bongosero!

4. Ismael Rivera y Sus Cachimbos, “La Oportunidad” – Perhaps the greatest Boricua sonero, a great influence on Hector Lavoe and a true poet of the people – this song reflects the social climate of the Fania years, and the responsibility that the Fania artists took on to reflect that climate in their music.

5. Tico-Allegre All Stars, “Tito’s Odyssey” – A live performance that features Tito Puente doing an INSANE cover of the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Illustrates both the creativity and instrumental virtuosity that set Fania Records apart from every other major music label (with the possible exception of Blue Note).

6. Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, “Vive Feliz” – A quentessential New York salsa track from the 70s – vocals, arrangement, tempo, everything is indicative of what made the NYC salsa sound so powerful. There’s no way to stay seated when this song comes on…

7. Machito, “El Santo in Nueva York” – Earlier Fania track that captures the dichotomy of diaspora. You can never go wrong starting a track off with a shout out to Yemaya; this tracks builds intensity and beautifully articulates the tension between ancient Yoruba, ancestral Caribbean, and future Shock.

8. Joe Cuba Sextet, “Alafia” – Named after the Lukumi (Santeria) word for “complete blessing” has an ill drum breakdown halfway through, where the traditional son rhythms fuse with modern soul drums, foreshadowing a grip of b-boy/b-girl classics to come.

9. Hector Lavoe, “Para Ochun y Yemaya” – A beautiful homage to Las Dos Aguas, the forces of procreation and restoration, love and happines, and a musical ancestor of the seminal 90s house track “River Ocean” by Masters at Work (featuring La India and….Tito Puente!)

10. The New Swing Sextet, “Revolucionando” – I played this at the Fania Live tribute in SF in 2008 and Bobbito Garcia bugged out! Which is reason enough to include it in ANY Fania Top 10 list…the drums are so clean and recorded perfectly and the vibes give the track an incredible high-end. Incredible record.

BONUS JOINT: Willie Colon, "Che Che Colé" (Sake1 Edit)

P.S. FANIA LIVE tour 09 feat. Bobbito Garcia, Sake1 & DJ Laylo comin' thru your town this Spring/Summer....keep your eyes peeled 8-)

Cities Fall Down

2009-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Bush Street in SF got a redecorating last night, c/o some creative vandals....

Quiet Dog Bite Hard

2009-01-18T21:07:00.000-08:00

For tha Mos part, our boy Mighty has been less than billed tha past couple years -- releasing an allegedly "unfinished" LP that came out and was quickly pulled from shelves by Geffen and in general didn't fare much better (critically or commercially) than his generally-disliked "The New Danger" release in '04.

Despite his apparently lackluster career as a recording artist, Mos Def has remained not only a relevant cultural figure, but a compelling one -- an emerging mainstream cinema superstar and articulate spokesperson for tha conscious side of tha hip-hop boulevard keep him in tha news, and he continues to tour and sell out shows across tha globe.

Whether you like Mos' recent music or not, there's no denying that he takes his artistic mission seriously and makes a concerted effort to push his craft forward; in many ways, dude tested outta Emcee High before his first LP even dropped; he simply has few peers as a straight-up lyricist and has continually sought new creative avenues to explore, maybe just to keep himself from being bored. His live shows have followed suit -- i have been either an opening DJ or helped in a live performance DJ capacity for Mos on numerous occasions over tha past several years, starting with his 1999 New Year's Eve show @ tha Justice League. These days, Mos rocks with two DJs and his live shows are either unfocused, low-energy and selfish OR innovative, engaging, and personable (depends on your perspective -- honestly, opinion seems pretty evenly divided, and it often breaks down along gender lines LOL).

I personally hold Mos Def in high regard as an artist, and am eagerly anticipating his '09 release, "The Ecstatic." Tha first release off that LP, "Life in Marvelous Times," was cool but nothing spectacular -- but, it definitely signaled a return to Mos' roots as a Brooklyn-bred emcee. Last week, a new joint leaked and its CRAZY. When I heard it, I immediately wanted to play it for a crowd so I made this DJ-friendly edit of it.

NOTE: tha original version has an intro from Fela Kuti which adds not only meaning but texture to tha song; I removed tha intro for mixing purposes but check tha album version ASAP -- and cop "The Ecstatic" when it drops, I have a feeling its gonna be tha best hip-hop LP of '09.

Mos Def, "Quiet Dog" (Sake1 DJ Edit)

Mos Def rockin live on New Year's Eve, 2008-9 @ Sneakers Required in SF / photo (c) Rehes Creative www.rehescreative.com

NYC tonite & tomorrow

2009-01-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

big shout to my BFAM MoMa and Gator Nation representative Scott Melker for having me thru for a set last nite @ Ella. NYC, Soul Glo is tha look on a Thursday nite!!

Tonite rockin' in NY at Kush Lounge for tha big homie Kunal Merchant's bday popoff and tomorrow nite in BK for Ramona's "Sweet Sixteen Plus 14" party @ My Moon. Please come thru to either (or both) if your in NYC and are bored out of your skull ;)

RED OR GREEN PILL?

2009-01-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

With tha escalation of Israeli aggression in Gaza, tha world is witnessing a massacre and humanitarian crisis of historical proportions. People around tha world have taken to tha streets to protest this latest illegal action in Israel's part, but much more must be done....

This is a plea to anyone reading this to TAKE ACTION -- history is a harsh judge and i would hate to see any of my loved ones on tha wrong side of it. Conversely, being an active member of on-line communities such as Facebook, Twitter, etc unfortunately confirms stereotyopes of US citizens across tha globe -- more concerned with our clothing, music, food and other consumerist obsessions than genocide, injustice and warfare. Even when we know its happening. Even when we know our government is funding it. Even when we know Obama ain't saying shit about it. It seems that people who criticize tha internet as "tha Matrix" in fact create that reality by avoiding important discussion and debate that needs to be happening there, and everywhere....

WAKE UP. After you wake up, take a shower, and decide what side of history your gonna be on. Sorry if this sounds preacy -- but people are being massacred as i type this. DO SOMETHING...

•Write a letter
•Protest (there is almost certainly a protest in your area if your in a major city)
•Educate yourself on tha situation -- not via CNN and other pro-Israel venues, but more balanced sites such as: BBC, Al Jazeera, Electronic Intifada, and others.

TRIBUTE TO JAMES BROWN, PART 4 [LIVE MIX]

2008-12-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 23 was amazing -- nearly 600 people packed into Pacific Standard Time to celebrate the life and music of James Brown. This is about 75% of tha tribute set that i played that night, minus tha mic which we recorded on a separate track to be safe. big shout out to henroc, tommy aka prophet and everyone else who held me down on tha mic (sorry, vocals were crazy distorted so i had to take em off). thank you to EVERYONE who came out and shook yo sh*t to my personal favorite artist of all time -- really, i am still high of that night!!

please remember, this is a live recording so there are some volume fluctuations, effed up blends, and a few spots where i cut tha music out so tha crowd can sing along (not too bad tho). overall i hope yall enjoy it!

DJ Sake One, "Tribute to James Brown, Part 4" [Recorded live at Pacific Standard Time, December 23, 2008].

THERES ONLY ONE GODFATHER...THA REST OF US ARE GODCHILDREN!!!!

stay classy, san diego....

2008-12-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

had a blast this weekend rockin SD but unfortunately, winter has decided to make a real dramatic entrance and flights are delayed everywhere. sittin here at San Diego Int'l is no fun but at least there's free wifi, so i figured i'd slap some sh*t up on tha blizzog.

gigs were good times, dj'ed for more white people than i have in a really long time on Thursday, and went in super hard Friday for tha homie Beatnick's birthday popoff. Saturday was shapin' up to be tha grand finale when a drunk driver murked my rental car outside Bar Dynamite and kinda put a damper on thangs. We went in anyway and had fun, triple shots of patron got everybody in tha zone and allegedly i was playing a Beyoncé acapella over a Femi Kuti instrumetal. But like, not in a BAD way...

i would certainly be remiss if i didn't mention our saturday am swap meet excursion which resulted ina couple vinyl come ups (David Joseph 12" a couple SAM 7s and a Mizell Bros. production or two) and me and Beatnick probably overdoing it at tha 99 cent CD stand. However, 99 cent CDs allow you to track down obscure Kanye West productions that feature super lazy "Lovely Day" chops, songs by Biz's little brother, halfway (and i DO mean halfway) decent R&B joints off movie soundtracks from films you never heard of, them old "Ragga Ragga Ragga" comps that inevitably have some hot slept-on cut from di Warlord himself, a classic 90s house CD or three and of course, those underrated Roc club bangers that we love so much (at least for a week or so).

I can't front, they also had some good ass hummus there. Normally i would never buy perishables at a swap meet but we were drunk off our CDs and Beatnick even continued his tear with a $5 Gucci sweatshirt and a staggering collection of subpar 90s NBA team caps. He had to talk me outta buying tha "MICHELOB BIA" mirror. Gotta learn to live with regrets....

Anyway, had fun. Be back soon. Stay classy, etc.

FRAUDCAST #2

2008-12-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

i recorded this actually a couple days ago but didn't have time to upload it. for tha record, i do these sh*ts in one take, live, so any volume issues, janky scratches, etc can somewhat be attribtued to that. i'm pretty sure its already cold/raining wherever you are, so apologies if this 'cast seems to be piling on.....

Oh yeah -- obviously, dug up that "Queen City" 12 ;)

DJ Sake One, "Fraudcast #2"

TRACKLISTING
Johnny Temple @ tha Sin-agog intro
Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "The Third Eye"
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, "Moments in Love" (Live)
Sheila Hylton, "The Bed's Too Big Without You"
Sonia Sanchez interruption
BJ & Piakhan, "Queen City"
War, "Don't Let No One Get You Down"
Om'mas Keith, "City Got Me Watchin"
Ethel Beatty, "It's Your Love"
The Heptones, "Pretty Looks Isn't All"
Marvin Gaye, "Distant Lover" (Alternate Version)
Chico DeBarge, "Love Still Good"
Gil Scott-Heron, "Home is Where the Hate Is" (Re-Edit)
Taana Gardner, "When You Touch Me" (Larry Levan 12" Mix)
Kanye West interruption
The Ordells, "Sipping on a Cup of Coffee"
Taylor McFerrin, "Georgia"
Dr. Angela Y. Davis interruption
Mona Lisa, "Those Eyes"

NYE WITH THA MIGHTY MOS DEF

2008-12-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

advance tickets is a MUST for this one...open bar, bangin' food, a live performance by Dante and 4 of tha West Coast's best DJs. This one is a sure shot, get tickets sooner not later.

slept on rapper of tha century...

2008-12-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

...what ever happened to Piakhan?? Dude was ill...his verse on "Queen City" is crazy, I gotta find that 12" in my record room and rip it just for special Nerdtime moments. Anyway i use to run this Hi-Tek produced track on tha REGULAR at Soluna backinnaday. This sh*t go!!

Piakhan, "Spheres" (produced by Hi-Tek)

I found dude on Myspace but he ain't havin' me cuz i'm a "band." Go figure. Maybe you will have more luck? www.myspace.com/piakhan

Tell him to drop an LP already!!!!

FRAUDCAST #1

2008-12-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

deep deep down inside every club dj, there's a little radio dj that wants to come out for a big hug. most of us started DJing out of a love for music -- in my case, a particularly intimate relationship with music that probably was unhealthy for most of my teenage years. DJing in clubs and getting paid money to do so is fun, sure...but there's that part of us that wants to play slow songs, jazz records, poems, weird sh*t that sometimes is difficult to program when tha task at hand is making a few hundred people dance they ass off.

so, alotta folks are doing internet radio and podcasts. i am technically ignorant and incredibly lazy however, so i decided to do weekly Fraudcasts -- fraudulent versions of a shortwave or internet radio show or podcast. I assure you they will get better and more "lifelike" (i.e. drops, interviews, talking) as I get comfortable with them; for now i kick it off mixtape style. This isn't technically a DJ mix and its absolutely not a party joint. In more ways than three, tha music reflects a mood. Deal with it =P

DJ Sake One, Frisco Fraudcast #1

TRACKLIST:
Marvin Gaye, "Cleo's Apartment"
Siji, "Sanctuary" (Fijisoul Mix)
Sharon Forrester, "Silly Wasn't I"
Lou Bond, "To The Establishment"
Hen Boogie feat. Kissy Asplund, "Adore"
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson, "Song for Bobby Smith"
K.M.D., "Plumskinzz"
Freda Payne, "I Get High (On Your Memory)"
Donnie Hathaway interlude
Leon Ware, "Rockin' You Eternally"
Don Blackman, "Holding You Loving You"
Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "Time & Space"
N'Dambi, "Call Me (Yamwho? Rework)"
Bilal, "You're All I Need (Like Heaven)"
Outkast, "You May Die (Intro)"
Rene & Angela, "Imgainary Playmates"
Rahsaan Patterson, "Stop Breaking My Heart"
Tiombe Lockhart, "Don't Understand"

*for maximum "enjoyment," burn Fraudcast to a cd and play in car when driving in tha rain*

somebody say.....

2008-11-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is gonna be probably tha Party of tha Century. If not that, then at least a good place to get sh*t faced and collapse on top of a sweaty human electrotrash dogpile! See??? Good Times!!!

TOP TIZZLE

2008-11-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

If you ain't knowin, I send out an email newsletter every week or two, called Tha UPdate. I been sending it out to my peoples for tha past 8 or 9 years -- initially, it was a mixture of music events and social activist/protest actions, as I was equally involved in both (actually, more so in activism -- my start as a full-time DJ came through being asked to spin at rallies, fundraisers, protests, etc).

Although I'm a sellout and not as active in tha social justice realm anymore (at least not in direct organizing work), I continue to send out Tha UPdate, which has grown to nearly 10,000 recipients and has provided a platform for me to talk sh*t, promote events, harange haters, and (my favorite of all its uses) shed light on music that sometimes falls under tha radar. As a DJ and a lover of music, it feels really good to spread music, information about musit, and opinions about music. Each edition of Tha UPdate (or, ALMOST each edition) includes a TOP TIZZLE, an often imitated yet never quite duplicated top ten list of music that I'm feeling at that particular moment.

Anyways, there's so much going on this week I didn't have time to put together a TOP TIZZLE so I thought I'd put one up here (rather than annoy people with another email blast =). Enjoy -- and if you wanna get on Tha UPdate email list, shoot me an email at yodel@djsake1.com

Have a great Thanks Taking week....give thanks for what you got, don't sweat what you ain't got (trust me -- you probably don't need it anyway), and remember tha legacy of colonialism and genocide that is hidden beneath tha story of pilgrims and pumpkin pies.

TOP TIZZLE

1. Jazzanova feat. Ben Westbeech, "I Can See"
2. Incognito, "Freedom to Love" (YamWho? Remix)
3. Outkast, "Da Art of Storytellin'" (Part 1) (Black Spade Remix)
4. Havana, "Shoulda Walked Away" (1013 Mix)
5. Kanye West feat. Mr. Hudson, "Paranoid" (Sake1 Edit)
6. Reel People feat. Omar, "Outta Love" (4Hero Remix)
7. Little Dragon, "Fortune"
8. Common feat. Cee-Lo, "Make My Day"
9. T.O.K., "Reverse"
10. Om'Mas Keith, "Shorties"

only love can break your heart.

2008-11-17T13:49:00.000-08:00

good morning heartbreak...

Sade, "Like a Tattoo"

HOW RAP SUPPOSE TO SOUND

2008-11-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Tha internets have tha power to expose talent that otherwise might not get alotta shine, and also (obviously) have tha power to savagely overhype perpetrators and new booty artists who just got on. Jay Electronica is one of those dudes who sorta seemed to waver in tha middle -- hella internet burn, nothing more than a couple mixtapes and low-bitrate leaks actually out and available. This coupled with dude's alleged reluctance to do alotta live shows and "personal relationship" with Erykah Badu has led alotta heads to dismiss dude as a phantom menace.

I was hearing alotta potential in dudes lyrics, but when i heard this joint i became a fan for real. At first I was hesitant to post some of dudes sh*t cuz I would look like I was hella LATE. But, I'd rather be late than too early ;)

"They built my city on top of a grave...get high and watch tha parade...."

THIS IS HOW RAP MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND.

Jay Electronica, "Exhibit A (Transformations)" (Produced by Just Blaze)

www.myspace.com/jayelectronica

URB Magazine interview