Cupid Hates You.....But Hallmark Loves You

I hate Valentines day, it's a rather pointless holiday. One for the card makers, jewelers, and candy makers. Oh well, for those of you that are getting down like that, we got some gems for you. We even got something for those of you that aren't down with it, or just don't have anyone to share this crapshot of a holiday. Call it our soundtrack from some "between the sheets" type of activities.

And if you are bored, you go check out my Valentine's day rant from 2007 and get some WYDU Tips to survive V-day. (I was a little pissy in those days...)

http://www.wydublog.com/2007/02/more-wydu-classics-valentines-day-wydu.html

Dillon Maurer - "Cupid's Revenge: The Ain't Shit Suite" (Produced by Batsauce)



First off, we start off on more of an "anti-Valentines Day" rant from my peoples Dillon Maurer and Batsauce. Being a big fan of both of these cats, it's great to see Dillon and Bat hook up to produce a Valentines Day Suite. Dillon rants about a lost love over some SOULFUL Batsauce beats. It's perfect for those of you out there trying to mend a broken heart. Of course it gets happier on this (just under) ten minute ride toward the end as Dillon gets his "Space Pimpin'" on, getting back in the saddle. This is the one to jam, even if you aren't hating the opposite sex this messed up holiday day.

- "Cupid's Revenge: The Ain't Shit Suite"
Its real quick - 5 beats / 8 minutes, produced by Batsauce (of The Smile Rays,
Lady Daisey, and more...)

Here's the link to Download it for free at bandcamp -

DillonMaurer.Bandcamp.com

I. New Love 01:52
II. Heartsachord 01:18
III. Nothing to Lose 01:01
IV. Fly Away 01:38
V. Space Pimpin' 02:19

Of course for my good people who do radio or if ya got kids here's a link to the CLEAN VERSION



The Movement Family Valentine's Mixtape: Second Time Sweeter

The good people at the Movement Family (Cee & Bekah, Notion, Tommy Gunnz, Theory, Micnificent and DJ Grain) have teamed up WYDU and Kevin Nottingham to bring you some classic "baby makin' music", of course for the new decade. Last year, you know you laid some pipe to the tunes brought to you by DJ Grain and the crew. Well it's the same for this year as well.

Download The Movement Fam Presents The Valentine's Day Mixtape Volume 2: Second Time Sweeter mixed by DJ Grain

The Movement Fam's Valentine's Day Mixtape, entitled Second Time Sweeter.

This year, we've hit y'all with the same smooth blend of tunes to soundtrack your day, ranging from neo-soul, to reggae, soulful Hip Hop, acoustic rock and everything in between. Y'all also get TWO exclusive songs this year; one from The Movement Fam's own Cee & Bekah ('Something You Forgot'), and another from The Lessondary Crew's Jermiside ('Time Flies').

Singles Awareness Day 2 [S.A.D. #2: The Mix Compilation]

My man Modi over at DCtoBC is also helping out the solo cats and vixens out there get thru the holiday as well. Some good ish going down on this one as well.

It’s here. Dedicated to all maneaters, heartbreakers, and hopeless romantics – you know who you are. Proceed to download. It’s an epic one, I think.

I appreciate all the support greatly. Like the last one, there’s no playlist. 38 songs, all different artists, and all in the theme of the mixtape’s title in some way, shape, or form. All feedback is appreciated, and if it’s really in depth or you’d rather it not be in the comment section or something, send me an e-mail: modi[at]DCtoBC[dot]com. - Modi

Get It Here: http://dctobc.com/2010/02/singles-awareness-day-2-the-mix-compilation/#more-7300


Dj Matt Cali & Russel Fong Present "Luvsick" A Love Song Mix....

I had to include anything that has A Tribe Called Quest AND Christopher Cross on it. I'll even over look the fact that REO Speedwagon is on here (if I ever hear another one of their songs, it'll be too soon). I like the variety, haven't had a chance to listen to it, but the dudes are usually come proper with it

DOWNLOAD HERE: http://www.mediafire.com/?tyymatjezzk

Title: "Luvsick"
Mixed By: Dj Matt Cali
Beats Compiled by Russel Fong & Matt Cali
Artwork by: Russel Fong
Running Time: 55min

Just in time for Valentines Day comes the fourth installment from the mixtape super duo Dj Matt Cali and Russel Fong. But if you are looking for a sappy slow jam mixtape you are obviously unfamiliar with the way these two get down (pause). "Luvsick" is a perfect blend of all types of love songs ranging from REO Speedwagon, Radiohead,Teddy Pendagrass, to the likes of Slum Village, Jodeci and Lil Wayne. And like all Russel Fong and Matt Cali presentations it is mixed in true school turntable fashion. Please sit back, relax, enjoy and repost. -calipaper.com

(*additional artists include- Marvin Gaye, Sade, Mayor Hawthorne, Al Green, Jagged Edge, Art of Noise, Janis Joplin, Led Zepplin, Christopher Cross, George Michael, Tribe Called Quest, Lloyd Charmers, The Manhattans, Matthew Larkin Cassell, The Jackson 5, The Isley Brothers and many many more...)

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Yo WYDU Raps

A sneak peak.....

Paten Locke - Ventilation



My man Paten Locke is set to release his second single, "Ventilation," which happens to be my favorite joint from the album. He shot the video while out in L.A. toward the end of last year. Here is just a little behind the scenes love before the video, which is P. Locke's first video.

Dillon & Paten Locke - Stay Relative



Speaking of Paten Locke, he brought along a friend. Dillon Mauer and Paten Locke dropped a great album in The Studies In Hunger, it just happened to come during the whole year end crap and kinda got lost in the mess. But I've made up for it as I've played the shit out of it over the month of January. The beat is nothing short of special as Paten Locke crafts the perfect soundtrack for Dillon to drop that realness. No, I'm not talking about poppin' shots, I'm talking about family. Dillon brings out his family tree, literally. The video is well crafted and it's perfect to bring home the meaning of the song.


NoCanDo - Exploits & Glitches



Alright, so I've been sleeping on this Project Blowed graduate. I got the wake up call earlier this week when NoCanDo's Jimmy The Lock, he's latest album got passed to me and I've been playing fairly non stop since then. It's got noise, I love noise. Loud drums too. The video is creative as hell, which just adds to the song. This is how you do it...

Mike Schpitz aka LoveJones - The Rain



In some ways I almost prefer Mike Schpitz aka LoveJones over the Phys Ed beats, but I can't argue with the beat he borrowed from 9th Wonder neither. The video has some cool shots and holds the interest, but should have been shot during a rainy day, or a hurricane, Mike's choice....



Zerostar - Intro (Everybody)



We featured Zerostar in the past, this Ohio MC is part of the Weightless crew and is currently working on a full length that (I believe) is supposed to be produced by Blueprint. We'll find out for sure when we talk to him in the next week or so. He dropped his free EP Are We There Yet last summer, which you can pick up......now

Download the EP

The video is dope enough, produced by Shankar, it's the typical day-n-the-life, around the city, black and white video, but it's done professionally. Very sharp actually.

Kam Moye - Forever Fresh



North Carolina's own, Kam Moye aka Supastition, teams up with up and coming Bay Area director, Charles Barcelona (Homegrown Outfitters/Right Lane Ent) for the Marco Polo-produced banger, "Forever Fresh." The video is done documentary-style and showcases Kam in various behind-the-scenes clips, past videos, and show footage from performances in the U.S. and abroad. The rest of the video was shot on location in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The song itself is reminiscent of the former Supastition sound with Kam spitting rapid fire, while still dropping jewels like "I'm what happens when a child prodigy grows up." Marco Polo's head nodding production shines brilliantly throughout the track triumphant horn stabs and classic boom bap drums leave the perfect backdrop for Kam's ferocity. "Forever Fresh" is the b-side to Kam Moye's official second single and album title track, "Splitting Image." - Press


Ali Vegas feat Eyes Low - Strugglin' Artist



The video isn't anything special, it's got all your typcial hip hop subjects. I like the track a lot though, the production is on some smooth string shit.

Download track Here.


Children of the Night - Rumpus

RUMPUS, Children of the Night from Jon Wasserman on Vimeo.

I'm not sure where I stand on this video/track. The video is kinda boring in the sense I'm just watching a dude rap, with some other clips mixed in. The image they are portraying almost feels like that hipster stuff which I'm rather sick of. The beat sounds like something that came off of Kanye's 808 & Heartbreaks debacle. I had a love/hate relationship with the beats on that album, just like I do with this track. The emcees are nice though with theirs, which is where my confusion on whether to like this track or not lies. I don't think the video helps it all, but I'm still debating on the actual song.


Fat Rat Da Czar - Something Ain't Right



As far as videos go, this video from Fat Rat Da Czar might be the best one of the week. It might read a little too much like an after school special for some people, but I found the "mini movie" to be rather powerful. It follows along with the song, so it's basically a visual of what is going on in the song, and it follows it beautifully. The song itself is powerful in it's message, but not drawn out or dull, thanks to a beat that gives the song the needed character to be a moving song.


Jern Eye - Get Down



Jern Eye's new video for "Get Down" is anything but a "vision all helter skelter." Jam-packed with beautiful girls, special effects, and an energetic front man, the video for "Get Down," the official first single from Jern's sophomore album, Vision, is something provides the perfect visuals for the upbeat party-vibe. "Since the song is very high energy, we decided to make it visually dynamic in the post editing," says Jern. "A lot of cool affects were used on the set as well, like having projection transposed during some of the performance shots." As the infectious drumbeat takes hold, explosive special effects and colors pop at all the right moments, the result being a visually stunning viewing experience. Director Jon Santos took a very simple shoot, added the many facets of Jern Eye's personality, and created a unique and exciting experience perfect as the backdrop of a funky dance club. Although not apparent on first watch, Jern Eye's album cover for Vision is inserted into the video numerous times as well as a visual reminder of the song's name, "Get Down." The video also highlights the instruments that make the song so powerful with shots of the synthesizer playing its catchy lick and drummer pushing the beat. Jern Eye's sophomore album, Vision, is now available via MYX Music Label.


Buy the album here http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=332417227&s=143441


Richie Cunning - Richie Cunning's Day Off



RoutineFly and Richie Cunning are proud to present the official video for “Richie Cunning’s Day Off”, shot and directed by Trevor Traynor (www.trevortraynor.com / www.ishooteverything.com). The video is filmed in a grip of locations including but not limited to; someone else’s limo, a matinee showing of “More Than A Game”, and a cave. The song itself is available on Richie Cunning’s “Late Night Special” mixtape as well as Rec-League’s “Season Two” compilation, both released in December of 2009. Richie Cunning’s debut album “Night Train“ is available now on Routinefly.com as well as iTunes, Amazon and other fine internet music retailers.

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5x5 Day Four: Dillon & Batsauce's Five Favorite Songs Dealing With Food (Kinda)

Two of my favorite people in hip hop, Bat and Dillon bless us with their own top five list, songs dealing with food. Those not on the know, Dillon is like on some five star chef type of thing, hence the food references that seem to go down with his music and Batsauce....well, I'm not sure what is all in a bat sauce, but I think I'll pass. At least he makes good beats!

Dillon & Batsauce's Favorite Rap songs dealing with food (kinda .. .)
(Written by Dillon as Bat is currently in a food coma)

1) Camp Lo - Luchini - I don't know if Luchini is food, or drink, or what the fuck it is to be honest, but this joint is my one of all-time favs (still dont really know why - I know every lyric and have no clue what any of it means). And I guess it kinda sounds like Linguini? Porcini (Mushrooms)? Chimichanga?



2) Biz Markie - Pickin Boogers - Who eats their boogers?! I'm not saying I do, but if you do - then you can feel the Biz on this joint - it very well may be on some food shit for ya. Word is not bond on that, fam. Handle that.



3) Main Source feat. Nasty Nas, Fatal, Akineyle - Live at The BBQ - When young Nas says, "Poetry attacks, paragraphs punch hard /My brain is insane, I'm out to lunch God "
I don't think I'm the only one who wondered - "Where ya going to lunch, Nas? Can we link up? Wanna get some dumplings or some shit? Or kidnap the president's wife without a plan?"




4) Snoop Doggy Dogg - Gin N Juice - Yah! Gotta love a drink that gets you fucked up, and boosts your immune system at the same time. This shit is damn near 2 food groups! I'm a young cat, and this was my shit in 5th grade - classic material from the Dogg Father!




5) The Pharcyde - Otha Fish - okay, so technically The Pharcyde were talking about a different kind of fish (probably), but I'll be damned if fish - (when it is fresh and wild-caught) isn't the mega brain food, so these cats were definitely on to something!



**Runner-up - Chef Raekwon - Ice Cream (I'm lactose intolerant - so I fronted)

Of course this mega ties-in with my food blog: www.DillonAteThat.com - so peep that.
And you know the drill - Batsauce.com if you need them beats!

New music from Dillon coming soon - "Studies in Hunger" produced by Therapy / P.Locke - and Bat and I are currently working on our record together here in Berlin - so be on the lookout - holla back fam


Dillon

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New Artist Spotlight: Dillon

Straight from "Duuuval!" aka J-Ville, aka Jacksonville, Florida, my man Dillon got his start around the small contingent of successful hip hop artists from the area in the form of The Alias Brothers aka Asamov, who members Therapy and Willie Evans Jr continue to make noise, Willie on the solo creep and Therapy as part of WYDU favorite, The Smile Rays. Dillon now resides in the ATL, but still keeps his Duval roots, remaining close to those from his hometown. Who is Dillon? For those of you lucky enough to track down The Smile Rays, Party Place import album, Dillon appears on the slammin' "It's a New Day". He is also responsible for one of the best mixtapes (in the true sense of the word) I've heard this year in the form of Southern Scramble. Armed with his Jacksonville associates as well as Supa Dave West of De La Soul fame, Cool Calm Pete, Baje One, Giant Panda and others, Dillon drops a funky, fly, & fresh mixtape, in the true sense of hip hop. It's one of those mixtapes, you throw on while you play the new NCAA 09 and jam out to good tunes while bustin the controllers. Dillon was smart enough in his approach to me to name drop Therapy and The Smile Rays, which obviously just about gets you a free pass on this site. In the true sense of being down with the 'Rays, he's a cool ass cat, with an unique sense of humor. We here at WYDU sat down with Dillon and kicked it, discussing cooking, music, mother earth and the fact that if you hate his mixtape, don't feel guilty throwing it away: the CD case is made with 100% recycled materials and biodegradable. It's Dillon, the new breed of MC/DJ/Producer, eco-friendly and making noise.....It's Dillon

Dillon's Myspace page, where you can pick up a copy of Southern Scramble
http://www.myspace.com/dillonmaurer





And brand new from last week, Therapy and Dillon acting like....well, you gotta watch




Super Dave West & Dyelon Pt2
http://www.zshare.net/audio/15520476019abd8e/

Stay Relative
http://www.zshare.net/audio/15520753eebbf330/

WYDU: What's cookin'? Why don't you do a proper introduction of who you be?

Dillon: Salutations - Dillon Vaughan Maurer here - Doug and Carla's son, Cody's brother, funky rhyme man, the kid with good ears -Southern Dillon, Chef 4our Burners - the dood that tu madre keeps a framed picture of on the mantle -

W: Damn, she told me that picture was of our long lost cousin....Alright man, you got a mixtape out....what's that name again? Oh that's right, Southern Scramble, so what's the dealie with the mixtape?

D: Indeedulations - the Southern Scramble is basically a collection of new/exclusive music from everybody that I am blessed to call my fam - It's me taking favorite joints from my homies, beat tape jawns, unreleased jawns, original beats and songs from myself - and putting them together in true mixtape fashion using Serato and whatnot - so its actually mixed - and its recyclable.

W: Like your cooking on the Southern Scramble promo video (video above), where you cook up a tasty lookin' breakfast, you got some of this and some of that as far as guests on the mixtape, Supa Dave West, some group called the Smile Rays, funny man Willie Evans Jr and some other dope artists that reads like a who's who of who I'm diggin' these days, how did you hook up with and choose your guests and did you make this mixtape specifically for me? hahaha

D: Say word. Actually this mixtape was made just for you homie. Pay me.

Anywho - I'm from Jacksonville, FL (DUUUVAL!) and there's a lot of ish poppin off down there that is setting the standard - mostly it's just cats I have known and kicked it with for a minute and who inspire me - Willie Evans Jr, Paten Locke (Therapy) /The AB's/ The Smile Rays (P, Bat, and Daisey), Flat Foot and Jesus Brown (aka Willie and Tough Junkie) - ridiculous talent, and I feel like I owe it to the listeners out there to compile this Southern sound and feed ya'll - Other cats on the record - like Supa Dave West - that's just my ace - he lives in Atlanta with me and we are always kickin it - for me the music is all about relationships - even the Northern cats on there - Cool Calm Pete, Akrobatik, Y Society (Insight and Damu) - it's all personal and its all fam - Pete has been one of my mentors for years now - and the song on there is a remix that Therapy did for him - they met separately and the good music world is so small you know - Plus P went to school with Ak in Boston, yada yada - its crazy how we are all connected - Even the West coast cats - Giant Panda - the song on there is one we recorded here at the crib in ATL when they were out here for a show a year ago or so - that's fam yo - it's all fam.

W: Word on the street is they call you Four Burners, which you already verified, and we ain't talkin about the glocks neither....What makes a GOOD omelet? And while we are at it, what exactly makes a good mixtape such as Southern Scramble?

D: Yo a good omelet starts with the eggs yo - I fucks with the Free-Range Vegetarian fed jawns -
I like the brown ones - they're slightly gamier. Then for me its about fresh veggies - mushrooms, grape tomatoes, basil, onion, little garlic, spinach - I'm into colors so I always like to have it really poppin off - zucchini - all that - I'm good on the cheese and butter - (not too big into the dairy) - so I'll have a little olive oil in the skillet - sweat the veggies out a bit, and then cook the eggs real slow like - a little almond milk will help smoooooth it out a bit to ya know? - cook that jawn light to medium- I dig the fluffiness - knawmean?!

As far as a good mixtape - to me its all about the feeling ya know - technicalities and sound quality is mad important too- but if it ain't knockin - with a mood - with a concept - with some sort of direction - then its gonna be tough to keep it in my CD player - De La's "Impossible Mission" tape to me is one of the best recent examples of a great mixtape - mad personable with exclusive jawns and just a great product coming from one of rap's greatest groups - that was for the fans you know - and then kinda the more technical and super funky J.Rocc - anything he does is straight education - more locally you got P's "Check The Resume Vol. 2" - oh lord.
Dope music, dope arrangements, dope personality - something that has that feeling to it.

W: And how exactly is a Southern Scramble any different say, a northern scramble, or a midwest scramble. And how is a Dillion mixtape different from any other mixtape I can get off the web from DJ YouKnoWhaddaImSayin?

D: I think what sets off the Southern Scramble for me at least is just the combination of cats all on one project - let it be known that we are all fam and we roll pretty thick when it comes down to it

The South has many sounds and this to me is a good representation of the Southern sound that I am a part of and represent -

...now from a culinary perspective -
what generally will set apart a traditional Southern Scramble from a Northern or West Coast Jawn, would be heavy amounts of butter and cheese, perhaps some sort of pork product (or 2), and the accompaniment of Biscuits and Red-Eye Gravy word to my Mammie - (RIP)

And how is a Dillion mixtape different from any other mixtape I can get off the web from DJ YouKnoWhaddaImSayin?

Well I can say first and foremost that I am super blessed to have beatmakers around me for days . . .months . . .(waddup Nik!) - Paten, Batsauce, Willie Evans Jr, Dave West, Anthony Accurate, etc. - so you WILL hear dope beats on anything Dillon ever puts out. My approach to mixtapes, being that I'm not the most technical or at all super dope Dj - is creating an atmosphere - the Scramble is the third one I've done - the first was a Dilla Tribute Tape I did like 2 years ago that had my homegirl Ma Dukes (Mrs. Yancey) and Uncle Herm (her brother and my partner in crime!) on it - that's a story in and of itself - The second was called "Dillon, Uncut" - mostly a collection of material I wrote during the last phases of my old group ish -"Intellekt and Dirty Digits" - some live joints, and stuff I made after moving to Atlanta and starting to dabble in beatmaking and recording all my own ish - the first 2 joints I ever wrote, recorded, and made the beats for were "Parkside Chill" and "Me, You, and a Bottle of Merlot" - if you're keen on those type of thangs. For me its all about comedy - life is comedy - my music is comedy with a serious undertone to it though - So yo - I'm rappin, flipping some of the beats, and putting them all together on the decks.

W: So you are cookin' up your own project, Studies In Hunger, what can the average Egg McMuffin' eatin consumer expect from that?

D: Yo - "Studies in Hunger" - is my full-length album entirely produced by my bruva and mentor in both the Rap and Life game - Paten Locke aka Therapy aka The AOOOF King aka Double Up P -
it's been on the verge of completion for a minute - waiting on a few last minute ingredients -
but here are some facts -

Rapping from Dillon, Akrobatik, Paten Locke, Cool Calm Pete, Stacey Epps, H20 aka Kid Captain Coolout (Mass Influence), My Momma, and Willie Evans Jr.

Uncle Herm is somewhere on there. My sister, Cody is somewhere on there. Lady Da*sey (of the Smeezy Reezies) is somewhere on there. Asha Locke is somewhere on there.

Look for original artwork from H20 (!!!) P did all the funky cuts too of course. Batsauce recorded and mixed it.

and some other surprises . . . .

anybody wanna put that shit out? holla!
(Seriously. Please. hollahollahollahollahollaletmeholleratchahollerhollahollahollabithletmehollatcha)
(Like the Dave Chapelle skit ya dig?)

W: One thing I thought was pretty hardcore was the CD case that was made with 100% materials. To me, that's keepin' it real, fo real! Are you on some "save the world" type of shit? Obviously it's a rather important issue to you, how did that all come about?

D: Absomafuckinlutely. I think we have been fighting World War 3 silently for damn near a century now - Us Vs. Planet Earth and that shit is dumb. I encourage all of you young hiphop geniuses out there to be conscientious of the environment - please recycle, turn the lights out, don't waste water, don't waste food, walk somewhere, drink some water fool, be mindful of your carbon footprint and just the way you live your life - we are all one - we are all connected - if you lose then I lose too and that's booty yo!! - but yah - Discmakers was running a special on the Eco-Pack press-ups, so I copped. Hahaha.

W: Bahahaha....Alright Big D, your time is much appreciated for putting up with my "tom foolery", You have any last words that you want to bless the contingent with?

D: Word up - big ups WYDU for keepin funky ears to the funky streets -Thanksya mucho for the time and for just being dope - shout out to everybody on their own path - Stay Focused! And I got some thangs coming out soon - full length with P - working on individual projects with Willie Evans Jr, Batsauce, Ant Accurate (Brainstorm Sounds), Dave West and mucho more - I worked on some education records for this company called "Flocabulary" - me rapping and Batsauce on all the beats - we worked on both a History and Science record for 8th graders - its wild!

Support the music you love. Slap ya momma's booty when you see her next.

She likes that.

DillonVMaurer

W: Thanks, and I'll take a mushroom omelet if we ever cross paths....

D: Portobello? Shitake? Or I can do a nice Oyster/King Trumpet blend that would be nice as well.

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