Western pop music, says producer Johan Karlberg, “wouldn’t be the same if we weren’t influenced by African or Middle Eastern music. But if you argue too much about these things, you’re thinking too hard and not listening.”

Karlberg is Swedish, Etienne Tron (his partner in the production duo Radioclit) is French, singer Esau Mwamwaya is Malawian, and all three live in London and work together as the Very Best. On a buzz-generating mixtape last year, the trio collaborated with indie rockers who draw from African pop styles like highlife and soukous (Vampire Weekend and the Ruby Suns) and a pair of alt-minded rappers with world-spanning tastes (M.I.A. and Santigold). Mwamwaya sang in at least four languages. And Radioclit took samples from as diverse sources as Architecture in Helsinki, Hans Zimmer, Cannibal Ox, and the Free Willy theme song.

So the Very Best—which performs tonight at DC9 with Javelin—has heard plenty of arguments about globalization and appropriation and authenticity, and could probably debate them all day. But the more you intellectualize music, Karlberg says, the more meaningless it can become. Life’s too short not to dance.

And not just dance, but smile.

Read More “Don’t Overwork, Don’t Overthink: The Very Best @ DC9″ »

Tabi Bonney performs at Fat Baby last night in New York City.

The thing about CMJ is, not all of it’s CMJ. There are the unoffocial day parties—free, sometimes invite-only events sponsored by record labels, PR firms, and media. There are the more exclusive parties at night. And there are the shows that, although not nominally part of the five-day conference and music festival, go on anyway, right in the middle of it all.

Take Casper Bangs‘ show last night at Pianos, which was sponsored by the weekly concert series Cross-Polination and was not part of the official CMJ roster. Nevertheless, the band—the project of Rob Pierangeli, who used to play in the Hard Tomorrows—played to a nearly full room.

Pierangeli paid $45 when he applied to play at this year’s CMJ, but his band was turned down. “Sorry to be frank, but I don’t see if the music has that much to do with who gets in,” he told me today. “So if you want to play, you have to know someone. Everyone knows that though. That’s not new information.”

Read More “CMJ Notebook: Casper Bangs, Shots of District Acts, Kiwi Rock” »

We at Arts Desk have mentioned before that the DMV’s own Wale is maybe probably kind of dating Beyonce’s little sister Solange. Now, the gossip site Mediatakeout.com, (say what you want about ‘em, but they very often get these things right) is reporting that Solange and Wale are house-hunting in Brooklyn. Or at least that Solange is house-hunting and Wale is tagging along. Or he’s been spotted in the general area of her house hunt or something. Whatever—the couple has been seen together in Brooklyn and apparently some kind of real estate is involved, and it sounds like things between them are getting serious.

This is a very troubling turn of events.

Solange is a nice enough woman, and we’re sure Wale would feel at home in Brooklyn, a borough awash in tight jeans and nerd raps. But as he gets closer to Solange, it’s almost inevitable that he’ll become chummy with Jay-Z and, as many young rappers on the cusp of stardom know, that is not the move.

So, Wale, if you’re reading this, here are a few reasons why you should stay far, far away from one Shawn Carter. (Hanging out with Bun B is still perfectly acceptable, though).

Read More “Wale: Please Stay Away From Jay-Z” »

Middle Distance Runner performs at the CMJ Music Marathon in 2008.

Every CMJ has its success story—the unknown act who, thanks to buzz and grit and talent and luck , tickles the right trigger of the wayfaring label rep or taste-maker who, for whatever reason, has decided to see it. But most of the thousand-plus little-known bands and artists who descend on New York City each fall for the College Music Journal Music Marathon don’t walk away with freshly inked contracts or top-tier management. Their game is more incremental: A write-up here, a handshake there. So whether they’re dampening expectations or they mean it, it’s probably unsurprising that most of the D.C. bands performing during this year’s CMJ say their primary goal is just to “have fun.”

“These things are kind of a madhouse, and there’s a lot of talk of ‘there’s gonna be a lot of industry people,’” says Matt Dowling, whose band Deleted Scenes has two CMJ gigs and a meeting with a marketing firm. ”I don’t mean to be a cynic, but we’ve been playing for long enough and pined over certain goals to realize that the bottom line is to have fun. If the industry happens to like it, then great.”

John Thornley, of U.S. Royalty, is equally cautious: “I don’t think we’re going to go there and get a record, and I mean, it may happen. The goal is just to go there and play a show and get a lot of people.” But he also sees less tangible benefits. “If you meet a band at a party, and you like their music and they like yours, it’s that much more easy to work with them.”

At least a dozen bands and artists from the District will play gigs during this year’s CMJ, which starts tomorrow night and runs through Saturday, and includes about 75 different venues across New York City (there are also panel discussions and a film festival). Some acts already have recording contracts, others don’t, and all of them—once you get past their shared enthusiasm for merriment—have different goals.

Read More “For District Artists, Mixed and Measured Expectations for CMJ” »

Experimental hip-hoppers Anti-Pop Consortium were at their incomprehensible best at Rock & Roll Hotel this Saturday, performing a set heavy on tunes from their recent reunion album, Fluorescent Black. It was a welcome return to form for a group that has seen its individual members involved in a huge number of side projects after APC’s breakup in 2002, none of which were as satisfying as APC itself.

More photos after the jump and at the full gallery.

Read More “Photos: Anti-Pop Consortium @ Rock & Roll Hotel” »

Ben Westhoff reviews Lil Boosie’s Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz and finds it to be less than bad ass.

Aaron Leitko talks to singer/songwriter Aaron Thompson about “Vals,” which captures the Nordic calm of Ikea in song.

You probably know that Ghostface’s new album, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City dropped today. You probably also know that, as rap albums go, it’s pretty sexually explicit. But just how seedy is it?

It’s so filthy that many of Ghostface’s lines are indistinguishable from the dialogue spoken by some of today’s finest porn stars. In fact, if porn actors ever start rhyming, Ghost is in trouble.

To really nail (haha—nail!) the point, here’s a little quiz:  Below are four XXX-rated phrases—you decide whether they are quotes from Ghost’s “Stapleton Sex” or a porno flick. Think you can tell the difference between the words of Ironman and Lex Steele? It’s harder than you think.

Questions and answers after the jump:

Read More “Ghostface Lyric or Porno Snippet?” »

Yesterday I received a preview copy of The Tao of Wu, a “spiritual memoir” in which Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA offers up pearls of wisdom. Actually, since we’re talking about an icon of ‘90s hip-hop here, I should probably say he is dropping gem or blessing us with jewelz or some such thing.

The press materials call the book a “nonfiction Siddhartha for the hip-hop generation.”  And if Siddhartha had been into kung-fu flicks and the Five Percent Nation and his trusty companion Govinda had been a small-time weed dealer, that comparison would be spot on.

If you’re  seeking a little bit of enlightenment Wu-Tang style, the book holds plenty of lessons and what RZA calls his “pillars of wisdom.” There’s actually some really touching stuff about RZA’s mother, and his time in jail, and his friendships.

But if you’re just looking for scoop on everyone’s favorite hip-hop supergroup, there’s plenty of that, too. The book is slated for an  Oct. 20 15 release, but here are a few nuggets to tide you over.

Read More “The Tao of Wu” »

Nu’ The Mayor is a pretty proactive rapper. Instead of just claiming to run D.C., he decided to take the title of “mayor.” When media outlets don’t cover him, he interviews himself.  And rather than merely rhyming about his financial fitness, Nu’ has pronounced himself a “dollartician” and named his latest album Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician.

“A dollartician is someone who is focused on their money, but won’t sell out,” the rapper explains. “I’m not going to just do or say anything to make a hit.”

Nu says that sonically the new album is a mix of hard-core beats and funk that he calls ” soul-hop.”  Lyrically, it’s “a little more adult—I’ve stepped into the adult box,” he says. “The younger crowd can get into it, but it’s more for [ages] 25 and up.”

Naturally,  Nu’Man isn’t waiting around to hear what the public has to say about Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician—he says it’s a classic.

But exactly how good is it? For a bit of context, Washington City Paper decided to ask Nu’ how his latest project stacks up against some other hip-hop albums that are about getting, making, and taking money.

1) 50 Cent, Power of the Dollar

“This was his first album, sort of the culmination of his entire life story—I approached this album the same way, even though it’s not my first album, because it’s my first album with national distribution” Nu says. “He’s on some gangsta shit, and I’m not doing that, but the vibe and the passion are the same. Even though my album is better.”

Read More “Nu’ The Mayor on Being a “Dollartician”” »

Ask anyone in the industry about go-go music and they’ll tell you the same thing: it plays exclusively to the the greater DC area. This new series is an attempt to refute that claim by presenting hard evidence of Go-Go’s influence throughout the music world. It’d be hypocritical to complain about biting since most of the great bands are essentially cover bands, but it’s still worth noting that there is sometimes a two way street of influence. Read More “Go-Go Bites #1: Overbite Scenario” »