King Mez has been hard at work in the studio putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming mixtape, Long Live The King II. In the meantime  he lets loose of a recently-recorded Rico Beatz-produced banger to hold us over.

Day not looking so bright? Well, this one is sure to momentarily make you forget your troubles and turn that frown of yours upside down. Produced and performed by Pharrell himself, the title of this track pretty much speaks for itself. It’s lively, contagious and upon just seconds of listening, one would really have to give in to the temptation to dance. Be on the look out for this song on the upcoming soundtrack to Despicable Me 2.

I’ve been on a No Doubt binge the past couple of days, so I’m honoring that with a “quick play.”

A random interlude by Tennesse newbie Isaiah Rashad. This kid will be someone to listen out for.

“Sometimes I pray for miracles like they exist…”

19-year-old Fayetteville, North Carolina producer Skyin’ Soulz recently released his six-track instrumental EP, Golden Soulz. According to Soulz, the tape is inspired by emotions brought to the surface by present-day life occurrences. The tape emanates  a stimulating lustful vibe, particularly evident in “Lovers Paradise,” which I fell in love with on fist listen. Stream Golden Soulz below, you will not be disappointed.

For those of you already aware of who Nardwuar is, chances are you’ve watched a few of his interviews and have most likely been shocked when it comes to the extensive research that he has done on some of your favorite musicians. This time around the tables have turned; superstar Pharrell is the one asking the questions while Nardwuar is put on the spot. In this 17½ minute long interview, the two sing and rap together and Pharrell also inquires about his concealed past.

We already knew Scoop DeVille was ill, especially after the gem of a track that is Kendrick Lamar’s “Poetic Justice” and a slew of other hits (if you have a moment to gander the catalog, he has some tunes on his Soundcloud page worth checking). On this Hall and Oates rework, the pairing of their vocals with DeVille’s smooth board work is the recipe for sonic butter.

Today we get a new track from Jeremih featuring The Game called “Let Loose.” We don’t know where this one will end up, but it’s a nice track to vibe to as we prepare for the Summer and wait on J’s Thumpy Johnson album. Listen and download below.

In the midst of his good kid, m.A.A.d .city tour, Kendrick Lamar lets loose of some new visuals for his single “Bxtch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Enjoy the “unadulterated brilliance.”

With their debut EP being released later this summer, South London collective Kiran Kai x Carla present us with their debut track, “Drift.” Layered over lulling production, Kiran Kai x Carla showcase variety with screwed rhymes and vocals.

With the release of her debut project Soular System soon approaching, Jean Deuax teamed up with Saba to give us the visual to her first official offering from the project. The song tells about letting go of pain and moving in a new direction. Soular System is expected to drop soon, be on the look out for updates.

We became acquainted with Ari Lennox through our monthly Real Art Works series. Seeing this DMV songstress perform live won me over as a fan for sure. This video for her single “La La La La” released in March, but worth revisiting if you are unfamiliar with her music. I got home after the show and literally played this video on repeat several times. The unconventional notes in her music convey that the emotion behind every word is real. Although she doesn’t have much new music available on the internet, that’s even more reason to check out her live show. Ari did a beautiful Andre 3000 cover for “Prototype” as well that I look forward to posting up with the showcase recap.

Speaking of live show, you can check her out May 29th opening for Teedra Moses.

I was getting into The Strokes’ Comedown Machine and then roamed off into this gem from their album Angles.

With Chance The Rapper’s second mixtape, Acid Rap, finally hitting the net, he has been getting us prepared for what is to come with the project be it with a new visual, new audio tracks to vibe to, or vlogs. The Chi-town native presents us with a new visual for his Ab-Soul featured track “Smoke Again,” where the two stoners ride around the city partaking in their favorite pastime.