[MP3 + Music Video] New Music from Third Mind – Vision Quest

Jersey-based ‘cloud’ rappers, Third Mind, who I featured on the site back in November, have dropped some new music and their debut video. Not quite the heatrock of “Intimate Friends”, the Eddie Kendricks-powered first track I heard from them but of this new stuff, I dig the video track, “Vision Quest” and “Days They Go” a little more than the more recent “France” featuring Spooky Black. I think they got something though but what y’all think, could these kids be contenders or what? Hit the jump for one more, “Real Thing” featuring Curtis Williams.

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[MP3] R.I.P. Frankie Knuckles, The Godfather of House Music (1955-2014)

When this news came through late Monday night, I was hoping against hope that it was just a bad April Fool’s joke. Wishing that it were but sadly learning that it was not.

Frankie Knuckles was and will forever be a towering legend in not just dance music, but music as a whole, deserving much of the credit for creating what we now know as House music. This is an absolute tragedy. He will be missed.

In tribute here are some tracks that span the arc of his fantastic career: first the seminal house anthem, “Tears” produced with Satoshi Tomiie and featuring the inimitable Robert Owens from 1989, his 1995 remix of Michael Jackson‘s “Rock With You” and from more recently, his remix of Hercules & Love Affair‘s “Blind”, produced at a time (2007) when he thought he was ‘washed up’ and out of fashion in House and EDM circles. The fact that a buzz act like H&LA would chase Knuckles down to remix their music just about says it all as far as his stature, respect and legacy in the game even if he didn’t feel it any more. “So many tears…” is what many of us will be shedding because of this tremendous loss. R.I.P. Frankie….

For more, including some incredible DJ mixes by Frankie Knuckles, go to the Different Kitchen Tumblr page.

[MP3] Diddy feat. Rick Ross & French Montana – Big Homie

Diddy (when he was still going by Puffy) went from re-imagining, with Dr. Dre and Suge of Deathrow Records, 90s mainstream, hardcore hip-hop (see above) to this….

As Brooklyn’s Finest, Biggie put it, #thingsdonechanged…

[MP3] Mark the 45 King – Hard Knock Horns 2014

This trailer for the new version of Annie starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx that got the ‘not racist’ quarters of the internet going NUTS was either an excuse to post Golden Era hip-hop production legend, Mark the 45 King‘s (Flavor Unit, Eminem‘s “Stan” and… ) 2014 refix of his classic “Hard Knock Life” beat (aka the track that broke Jay-Z mainstream) or vice versa. You be the judge….

[MP3] Zavey – Get The Money

Fly track I found on my soundcloud stream. Don’t know much about this other than he’s from Houston, it’s ‘produced by The Prodeuser‘ (!) and it’s dope as f-ck!