How Real Is the Hype Behind Jay Electronica?

Actually NOT the video for “Exhibit C” but for another Electronica track called, “Dear Moleskin”

This is an amended and expanded version of a couple things I wrote in my Google Shared Items in response to the start of producer, Just Blaze‘s “Buy ‘Exhibit C'” campaign at the end of last year. I was gonna leave well enough alone but then I saw that a blog post by Hot 97’s DJ Enuff entitled, “Why am I not playing J [sic] Electronica on Hot97?” had reignited the battery in Blaze and Questlove‘s backs to relaunch their “Save hip hip by supporting ‘Exhibit C'”, I figured I’d speak up and offer another take on matters.

Before I get into it though, I’ll start by saying I actually am a Jay Elec fan. But while I know a bunch of bloggers have gotten in lockstep to declare “Exhibit C” the best hip hop song of 2009, I’m gonna have to beg to differ. But whatever, taste is really all subjective anyway, right? What I am amazed at though is how what I have termed the ‘Jay Electronica Exception’, came to pass.

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NEW Feature: The Kitchen Interview with new artist, Poe Picasso

Now this is something new for The Kitchen – our first artist interview! Over the six years I’ve run this blog, I’ve studiously avoided doing interviews for a variety of reasons but after I got into a conversation with up-and-coming rapper, Poe Picasso about his recently-released Exhibit B: Manifest Destiny album, a project you should definitely check out, I thought what he had to say might be worth sharing with you, The Kitchen readers. I asked him if he’d consent to answer a few more questions to flesh it out a little and the following was the end-result:

So this conversation originally sparked off when I asked you if Exhibit B was a stealth Christian Hip-Hop Album because of some interesting biblical and overtly Christian ideas expressed throughout the record. So is it?

Poe Picasso’s Exhibit B: Manifest Destiny is out now!

I’ve supported this dude’s music before. His latest full-length project, Exhibit B: Manifest Destiny finally dropped on Halloween.

I checked it out over the weekend and thought it was really good but when you check it out, listen carefully and answer this question: is Exhibit B: Manifest Destiny a stealth Christian hip hop album? I mean never mind the artwork on the cover and the teaser flyer, I caught a couple references here and there throughout the album that really had me wondering and by time I heard “Mark of the Beast” I was like, this dude is either a full-on Christian or deeply fascinated with the Christan/Bible culture while the “Human” track sounded like a defense of Creationism! Nothing wrong with that (well, except if you really think evolution is a myth and dinosaurs coexisted with humans or any other such nonsense, that is), but I hit Poe about it and he said this on the issue:

“I just wanted to make a real, honest album with no restrictions, my references to the bible are just used to make a more compelling case for what i’m saying, i am not a very religious person beleive it or not, i am deeply spiritual though…”

So there it is! Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think though:

Download: Pos Picasso‘s Exhibit B: Manifest Destiny album. [mediafire]

Online:

Poe Picasso – website | myspace | twitter

[Audio] Memory Man Presents Raekwon – Cuban Revolution Mixtape

This is an adapted version of a post on the original Kitchen blog inspired by seeing Memory Man‘s name on twitter earlier today [6.12.12] and realizing he put this mixtape on bandcamp. This was an amazing mixtape that dropped in advance of the long-awaited, highly-anticipated and actually-met-they-hype Cuban Linx sequel, OB4CL2 and still stands up to repeat listen today…

From Alex at Killer Beez promo:

“In anticipation of Raekwon‘s new album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, here is a brand new mixtape titled Cuban Revolution… Note: NONE of these songs are part of OB4CL2.”

[See the original post HERE]