Intelligent Extraterrestrial Music

Hailing from Cologne, Germany the Ancient Astronauts (Kabanjak and Doju) teamed up with The Pharcyde to cut this gem. With their Heart of the Future mixtape, the production duo demonstrates their ability to mix and mash funk, down tempo, dub and hip hop.

From old school hip hop legends, to new school deep beat masters, the mix skips in and out of genres lacing hints of reggae with thick slabs of funk, creating an overarching vibe of just damn good summer hanging music.

The name Ancient Astronauts arrives from a theory that extraterrestrial beings visited the Earth and exchanged ideas with early human civilizations. This in turn, spawned the development of human technologies, cultures, philosophies and religions. A fitting name for their musical palette. Back in June, they dropped We are to Answer under Thievery Corporation's Eighteenth St. Lounge (ESL) label. Its on my to listen list.

Panamanian Sounds: El Kid

HiphoPolitico is deader than hip hop. Ha. A trio of I's serve as reasons for the dryspell:

1) I still don't have internet.
2) I am swamped at work
3) Island hopping

More to come on Panama and its music. Stay tuned.

PUTS Steps Up the Funk, Rock and Hop

People Under The Stairs- Trippin at the Disco

HOVering over The Black Keys

Jay Z's "Hello Brooklyn" verses over The Black Key's "Psychotic Girl." It seems fitting to share this remix with the release of BlakRoc around the corner. I recommend checking out the videos on BlakRoc's site, they provide insights on the development of the project.

Meaning in the Form of a Question

People constantly ponder the meaning of life. "What is the meaning of life?" My take: the ability to ask that question contains the answer. It might well be our most indispensable privilage and yet humans have a tendency to disguise it as a burden, noting an apparent lack of direction or purpose in their lives. Simply said, if you are able to ask that question instead of living a life of day to day survival, thank your lucky stars.

Jay Z- In My Lifetime (Remix)

Throwback Thursday: J5's Quality Control

Thought I'd give 2na a helping hand. Quality Control's nostalgic prowess goes eclair for eclair with an ice cream truck on a hot summer day.

Fish out of Water: Chali2na

J5's debut LP and Quality Control are hip hop classics. I still can't get enough of epic old school tracks such as Jayou, Quality Control, Action Satisfaction, Concrete Schoolyard, The Influence and The Game among others. Unfortunately, their sound did not remain golden. Their lyrics became stagnant, stuck on the topic of not getting enough recognition, their reliance on guest artists grew and the departure of Cut Chemist was felt. Throughout J5's music journey, one thing always stayed constant, Chali2na's thoughtful distinct deep flow. 2na's flow like water skills deserve better beats, sound effects and choruses than the ones drowning him on "International" and "Lock Shit Down." I hope 2na digs through the J5 crates and brings it back to the basics.

CNN spotlights the Roots

Hard to disagree with ?uestLove's take on selling out. As long as the music is good and true who cares what stage The Roots play.

The Hood Internet Unites Carlos Santana's Son and Gza

Salvador Santana does not blend rock, salsa and jazz on the guitar like his dad, but he does shine on the keyboard. Santana collaborated with Gza and The Hood Internet to remix Keyboard City. This track reinforces the stellar Only Built for Cuban Linx 2 in the claim that "The W is always in the air."

The Hype Machine calls it Indie Hip hop

Another hot remix spreads via the internets. The Hood Internet's epic "Two Weeks of Hip Hop" mashes up Dead Prez's "Hip Hop" and Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks." Click right here to check it out!