The Roots “Make My” f/ Big K.R.I.T.

Track list dropped this a.m., now the Roots’ lead single from their forthcoming new album undun—“Make My,” featuring BIG K.R.I.T. and produced Khari Mateen—leaks premieres. It’s a good Monday.

undun is in stores December 6.

The Roots ‘undun’ Track List

The 13^th album (at this point I’ve given up trying to fact check this) from the legendary Roots crew will be a concept project called undun, and the track list (below) has been revealed. ?uestlove previously told MTV News that it will be a “movie without visuals.”

That sounds a bit too DJ Khaled’esque, but the Philly crew has earned the benefit of a doubt. The album’s first single, “Make My,” is due November 1 on iTunes and features their Def Jam labelmate Big K.R.I.T. I need to hear this STAT.

UPDATE: Listen to ‘Make My’

The former B.R.O.ther ?uestion said the following via press release:

 “At this point in our career we’d like for our work to have a unifying theme, and an experiential quality. We’ve been intentionally making our albums shorter in length so that they can be experienced as a continuous work. The music is band-oriented with an eye on the moody cinematic. As a DJ, I am the King of playlists, but I don’t want our albums to feel like a playlist or a mixtape for that matter. We want to tell stories that work within the album format and we want the stories to be nuanced and useful to people. undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in “Juice”… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

The video above is a song the Roots created in one take while shooting those John Varvatos Fall/Winter 2011 collection ads you’ve been seeing in mags like GQ and Esquire. Respect the swag.

undun Tracklist

1) Sleep

2) Make My

3) One Time

4) Kool On

5) The Jump

6) Stomp

7) Lighthouse

8 ) I Remember

9) Tip The Scale

10) Redford

VIDEO: Nas “Nasty” + Common “Ghetto Dreams” f/ Nas

Nas is still nice. Common is still nice. That said, the plan is for these two MCs to drop a collaborative album called Nas.Com (or Nas (Dot) Com?).

Above, Nas’ video for the Salaam Remi produced “Nasty” from his forthcoming album titled Life Is Good. Below, Common’s video for the No I.D. produced “Ghetto Dreams” from his forthcoming album The Dreamer, The Believer, due out November 22.

VIDEO: Wu-Tang Clan x Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… x Red Bull Music Academy

The Red Bull Music Academy hit me up and asked me if I wanted to host a panel with the Wu-Tang Clan discussing their seminal debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The answer to that question was obvious and this Wednesday (9/28), I made the trip to Shaolin Land to moderate a lecture was part of RBMA’s Five Out of Five Tour that features artist from each NYC borough, performing and discussing their classic albums, hence Wu-Tang Clan and Staten Island.

There was some minor drama with some Wu members being unaware of the panel (the group performed at the venue, Eve Lounge in Staten Island, that night), which led to the discussion’s focus shifting to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… since all the members on hand—Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa  and also Cappadonna—participated in creating the masterful album. The conversation was lively and many jewels were dropped.

Red Bull will be posting the lecture in its entirety but AllHipHop was on hand and already has a bunch of videos from the event up. Some choice moments include Wu-Tang revealing they too watch soap operas and Raekwon speaking on playing A&R for Nas as well as the creation of “Incarcerated Scarfaces” (above). There was also a portion where Ghostface recounted hitting a “grandfather deer” in New Jersey while listening to Cuban Linx for the first time that was hilarious, but isn’t up yet. God bless that deer.

BLATANT SELF-PROMOTION: A lot of this info and much more can be found in my book, The Wu-Tang Clan & RZA: A Trip Through Hip Hop’s 36 Chambers. Shout out to Allah Mathematics who was also on stage.

Ghostface Killah on “All My Children” and His Favorite Wu Album

Raekwon and Ghostface on the Importance of RZA

Raekwon on Nas and “Verbal Intercourse”

John Coltrane, period.

John Coltrane “Acknowledgement”

There are three John Coltrane songs I suggest to the uninitiated: “Part 1: ‘Acknowledgement'” from A Love Supreme, “Naima” from Giant Steps, and “Blue Train” from Blue Train. Whenever life’s perpetual fuckery wears on me, a little dash of Coltrane’s catalog soothes any built up rancor. Happy belated birthday sir, and thank you.

 John Coltrane “Naima”

 John Coltrane “Blue Train”

Trane @ 18 years old

DOWNLOAD: Maffew Ragazino ‘Rhyme Pays’ Album

“My free download is better than anything ya drop.”—Maffew Ragazino (“Blaxploitation”)

Brownsville’s own Maffew Ragazino drops his debut album, Rhyme Pays, for the free free. No excuse to take a gander at his talents. Video for lead single “Black Sheep” below.

DOWNLOAD: Maffew Ragazino Rhyme Pays 

VIDEO: Dru Ha Marathon Training with Sean Price & Dallas Penn

“Colonel Abrams called, he wants his disco shirt back.”—Sean Price

“Just think about running to the corner store, maybe like 4 or 5,000 times.”—Dallas Penn

Dru Ha aka The Big Cheese (co-CEO & co-Founder of Duck Down Records) is prepping to run the NYC Marathon for a great cause (Alzheimer’s research). In the clip above his usual trainer (Mark Jenkins) has been replaced by official Brooklyn delegates, and Lo Lifestyle advocates, Sean Price and Dallas Penn. Needless to say, comedy ensues.

‘Hear. I am.’ x Bonsu Thompson + Low Key

A couple of the homies—Low Key of YouHeardThatNew (below) and Bonsu Thompson, writer extraordinaire and former EIC of The Source Magazine (above)—get spotlighted by Sennheiser USA Headphones as part of their ‘Hear. I. Am.’ campaign. Still rocking with my Beats By Dre’s, though. Thoughtful and enlightening commentary from both these brothers that you shouldn’t hate, but congratulate.

Wiz Khalifa x New York Times Style Magazine

Flipping through the New York Times Style Magazine this morning and who do I see in a fashion spread? Wiz Khalifa and his ‘band.’ The Pittsburgh rapper and his Taylor Gang crew gets dipped out in Alexander Wang and Vans in a spread titled ‘Really Big Bands’ that also includes Florence and the Machine, Gogol Bordella and Deerhunter, amongst others. Almost shockingly, and despite rumors that they got hitched, Amber Rose didn’t manage to make it into the photo. No shots.

Below, video for “Yoko” by Berner featuring a rapping Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa and Big K.R.I.T. King Remembered In Time on the beat.

RELATED:

Wiz Khalifa Already ‘Working On’ Rolling Papers Follow-Up [MTV News]

VIDEO: Malice x ‘Pray’ Vignette

When’s the last time you got tested, for anything? With the audio book of Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked set to drop in October, Malice releases “Pray,” the first of a new series of vignettes. Gotta respect a brother with a message. Waiting on that Long Live the Cane (Re-Up Gang), which he speak on briefly in the Fuse TV vid below. [H/T Mikey Fresh via MissInfo.tv]

Vodpod videos no longer available.