Misteur Valaire / Friterday Night

Back in my college/University years there was nothing that I loved doing more then dig, record stores, used and new, I would just waste hours just searching for something new, new sounds, new artists. Of course over the years it gets harder and harder and with less free time my digging session are mostly done on-line however once in a while, on my lunch break from work, I’ll go to a record store have a short but pleasant digging session.

That’s how I discovered Misteur Valaire. They are a Sherbrook (Canada) based group and do something new and original. It’s a mixture of Jazz, Hip Hop and Electronica. They rocked the International Jazz Festival last year (so it seems) and apparently in live concerts, they will rock the crowd plenty (that’s all I kept reading when I was doing a little research).

I love the album, it did take me a few listens to get used to it but it grew on me and just like a nice wine it kept getting better the more I listened to it, the better it got. So if you like electronic music or experimental jazz this is your thing and even if you are not into these genres you can always give it a try. The best part is that’s its totally free. The group wanted to make the album available on-line because they want people to attend their shows (I like the marketing scheme) that’s why you will have to leave your e-mail address before you get the download and it is worth it.

It’s a free DOWNLOAD
Peace & I’m out !

Dj J. Period Presents The Best of Big Daddy Kane

Since I always spent the summer in NYC as a youngling I was subjected to hip hop’s early age. I saw the evolution of rap to hip hop. It started with RUN DMC, LL, Fat Boys, Beastie Boys these we’re my first tapes that I got, come to think about it there was some New Edition too but let’s not mention it. On a hot sticky New-York summer night, I was on my way to New-Jersey to see more family and it came on the radio, RAW by Big Daddy Kane and I was like, what is this, this is crazy and my cousin replied yeah that’s Big Daddy Kane, I was like Big Daddy who? And that was it, I was hooked. Big Daddy Kane turned out to be one of my favorite MC’s from the golden age of Hip Hop.

From my point of view, Long Live the Kane and It’s a Big Daddy Thing are straight up classics. BDK somewhat fell off after that but only because he was a visionary merging Soul with Rap (which caught on later on) and BDK jumped on the afrocentricity wagon and that didn’t help either for the rap game in 89 was not like it is today.

So all that to say on March 27th 2009, he performed in Montreal and I was there rhyming along “Rappers stepping to me they want to get some, But I'm the Kane, so yo, you know the outcome”. The show was great BDK stepped up to the stage with a fedora hat, leather pant and vest with a burgundy shirt (now how pimpin’ is that). He did his repertoire, interacted with the crowd and as the show was coming to an end I taught to myself how hip hop was just simpler back in the days and I was proud to see hip hop grow and also that I was getting old. So to la ya’ll old schoolers I know you gonna dig this and if you are not familiar with Big Daddy’s work here is a chance to discover some legendary music. BDK mixed tape, a J. Period production. I heard a lot of BDK mixtapes but nothing compares to that one and guess what... It's free.

Peace & I'm Out !

DOWNLOAD