Stetsasonic: The Original Hip Hop Band Releases Mixtape
Stop, check it out my man
This is the music of a hip-hop band
Jazz, well you can call it that
But this jazz retains a new format
No disrespect, but before there was The Roots or any other hip hop group that infuses band elements into their performance, there was Stetsasonic. Formed in 1981 in Brooklyn, NY, they were trailblazers by being one of the first hip hop bands to infuse a live bands during their performance adding jazz elements to their music.
Originally, the group was known as the Stetson Brothers, after Stetson Hats, but it changed its name to Stetsasonic for its debut, On Fire (1986, 1986 in music). It was their second album In Full Gear which produced their most successful single, Talkin’ All That Jazz (I still recite the lyrics to this day).
They eventually broke up soon after the release of Blood, Sweat & No Tears but by lending their skills to help in the careers of others (Mary J. Blige, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others), they have a place in hip hop history.
They recently released Stetsasonic: The Original Hip-Hop Band Mixtape. Complete with 21 tracks, it takes you back to a time when hip hop was pure.
With over 100,000 albums sold his first week, Kid Cudi isn’t quite as popular as Lil’ Wayne or even Eminem but is definitely mentioned in conversations along side Kanye West and Common. While having your name and Mr. West’s name in the same conversation isn’t the best thing right now, he still managed to do pretty well with album sales. I’ve been a fan of Kid Cudi’s for a while so seeing him outsell Drake who is on Lil’ Wayne’s young Money label was great. I’ll admit I can be a hater at times because if the masses support an artist too hard I start to question why people are riding them and any enjoyment I get from listening to this artist becomes sheer annoyance. I can’t help it! I don’t know why I’m that way. Even with the 2Pac and Biggie debate, I got so tired of people swinging from 2Pac’s coattails, I instantly became a fan of Biggie’s and never gave Pac a chance.
Check out the first video from Diddy and his crew Dirty Money. The song is called “Angels”. It’s directed by Hype Williams. I’ll be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what Diddy has up his sleeves.
The Boston, MA based six piece hip hop band known as Audible Mainframe has recently released their third album, Transients. 
If you think artists (rappers in particular) are supposed to stay in a box their entire career, you’re one of two things; delusional or really delusional. No one, and I mean no one stays the same. Even Peter Pan eventually grew up. Do you talk about the same things you talked about ten years ago? If your answer is yes, then I advise you to seek help immediately. Unless, you have a major stunt in your growth, growing up can not be avoided, nor should you want it to be. Getting older isn’t always a bad thing, it has many advantages. For example, you can change your mind. You know that bonehead comment you made about the world being flat, as you mature you reserve the right to change your mind. You can also blame some of your childlike antics on being young. As you see growing up rocks for me, you and Jay-Z.
Day By Day by Philly Hip Hop artist Poesh Wonder ft. Lawrence Arnell. Video Filmed & Edited by Jimmy Giambrone. Direction done by Marci Krufka. Song is from ”No You Haven’t & You Never Will Again”. It is available on iTunes.
Last month Hennessy announced the fourth annual edition of the acclaimed Hennessy Artistry series, a four-city slate of musical performances that promises to deliver an electrifying experience of unexpected blends: musical, artistic, cultural — and flavorful.