Connoisseurs of Culture
[MP3 + Music Video] SHIRT – FLIGHT HOME
This is a special one for us…
As has been covered everywhere (like Billboard, Pitchfork, Stereogum, NME, Exclaim! and SPIN) NYC rapper, SHIRT is the first rapper signed to Third Man Records, the record label run by the (now once and for all, formerly??) notoriously hip-hop averse White Stripes guitarist, Jack White. So why do we care in particular about this news?
SHIRT, one of the first, if not the first, artists we ever did a premiere launch with on the blog in conjunction with the homies, Stone of The Couch Sessions and DJ Ben Ha Meen of the late, great Pleasedontstare blog and later, DJ for The Combat Jack Show, co-host of the Fanbros podcast and now a successful writer for Film, TV and books.
Shirt’s Tan-Face Children EP was super dope and I could see even back then that he had that same drive & hunger I see in every artist or creative who ever ends up making it. Respect to him and Darvin Silva for making this major power move and validating what Stone, Ben Ha Meen and I were trying to do with the Connoisseurs of Culture concept back in 2010! Check out the highlights of the launch campaign for the Tan Face Children EP HERE.
Wanna hear the Tan Face Children EP in FULL? CLICK HERE
[MP3] Elaquent – Persona (Mixtape Album)
This is one of the cats I’m hoping is gonna get down with my long-delayed next Connoisseurs of Culture project. Check this out to see why, dude’s beats are RIDICULOUS!
“Upbeat. Smooth. Laidback. Eclectic. Off Kilter. 8 Bit. Swinging. Music is an experience. Music is not that serious. Persona is a representation of influences, inspiration and my past. Persona is a collection of my previously recognized styles and personality. Persona is not After Midnight 2. Persona is not In Colour vol 4. Persona is not the album I havent released yet. Simply put, Persona is all of the above.
With that said, thank you for purchasing. Your mere $10 donation will go a VERY long way…I put my heart and soul into this project, just as I put myself into all of my work. I will continue to put out free releases if folks support the official ones.
Little people like me rely on that support to earn enough money to reinvest back into my career..that will result in more official, and unofficial releases. Plus, I’m a really nice guy.
Cheers, enjoy.
one love,
–eQ”
The Connoisseurs of Culture present J. Nolan – Broken Dreams
We premiered this last week but it’s finally up on bandcamp for those of you too lazy or too skeptical to download Broken Dreams based solely on the singles leaked from it. Stream it above and if you dig what you’re hearing, you can download it HERE. [mediafire download link]
Online:
The Connoisseurs of Culture present J. Nolan – Broken Dreams
After many delays, the third project presented by The Connoisseurs of Culture – J. Nolan‘s Broken Dreams – is finally here! This soulful, jazz-infused hip hop full length features 18 tracks of all-original production by new cats like oriJanus, No Alias, B Dilla (aka Epic Instrumentals), Kev The Sureshot, and more. Broken Dreams has been almost a year in the making and follows J.Nolan’s previous release, Resilience.
Download the J. Nolan – Broken Dreams album HERE. [mediafire download link]
Online:
[Premiere] The Connoisseurs of Culture present T.Shirt & Darvin Silva – Tan-Face Children (EP)
OK, this is something new that The Kitchen has been working on for the past couple of months. Check the science…
“The Connoisseurs of Culture is a media collective comprised of the critcially-acclaimed and popular music & lifestyle websites, The Couch Sessions, Different Kitchen and Please Don’t Stare.
The goal of the COC is to brand & present the work of musicians, producers, DJ’s, video & film directors, visual artists and other creative types whose art we believe in and want to support on a deeper level than just basic posts on our respective sites.
A ‘Connoisseurs of Culture Presents’ project will be rolled out as a fully ‘Branded’ project with a comprehensive, integrated launch campaign leveraging all key social media platforms and the combined might of the collective social networks and readership of the COC network.”
First up to bat is New York-based, up-and-coming rapper, T.shirt. Some of you may already be familiar with him from his “Dear Sade,” “I Won’t Go (Freestyle)” and “The Paul Cantor (Freestyle)” tracks but if you’ve been sleeping on him, you shouldn’t be after he drops his Tan-Face Children EP. Check these snips from the official Press Release on the project:
“Over the last two months Retro Electro DJ/Producer Darvin Silva, and New York City rapper T.Shirt have been working on their full and realized debut EP together, Tan-Face Children. The name derives from the opening line of the famous Walt Whitman poem “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” where the poet beckons the burning youth “Come my tan-face children”. He’s speaking of the Western world, the youth of a generation working in the sun for long hours thus becoming, “tan-faced”. It’s a poetic and just way to describe the hard-working famous kids from Queens.
The chemistry in the music is electrifying. Darvin’s penchant for finding the “dirty, rap shit” in say, a mid-tempo french house song is as strong as can be. It is said that where T.Shirt thrives is where he’s allowed to be different, finding new flows, and concepts. That’s exactly the type of platform working with a talent like Darvin Silva brings. Where else can you find a gifted and gritty New York rapper spitting verses on one of the hardest beats you ever heard, by France’s own Mr. Oizo.“
Click HERE to read the full Press Release on the Tan-Face Children EP at the brand new The Connoisseurs of Culture tumblr site.
Tonight at midnight will see the leak of the first track from the project, “Monday Massacre” so check back to be the first to cop it! Digital-only copies of the FULL Tan-Face Children will be available free of charge March 9, through www.illrapper.com and www.darvinsilva.com presented by The Connoisseurs of Culture.
Click the jump for more on T.Shirt and look out after that more cool projects presented by the me, Stone and Benhameen under the COC banner.