You & Me (Juicy)
A little video edit I made of Josephyumusic remix... which was a Flume remix of the original song by Disclosure... lol shout out to Hobey Echlin for putting me on to the song!
AKIRA 1000%
For the last 5 months or so I've gotten back into VJing or DJing with visuals behind me. Im starting to really get into it and I tried my hand at making my own custom edit!
When I hear certain songs I can sometimes see a visual that could go with it in my head. When i heard 1000 on N.E.R.D.'s newest album it instantly took me back to the first time I saw Akira which is a famous anime movie. Let me know your thoughts!!!
Back in the Mix!!!
Myself and a lot of other DJ's have had issues of finding a home for our mixes. With sites taking down mixes because they feature music from certain artists or too many songs from one person its frankly a headache. So I have decided to start hosting my mixes on my own personal website where I have complete control over things. You will be able to not only listen but also download all mixes!!!
For my first mix i will be rereleasing my Erykah Badu Mix that a lot of people didn't get because of issues on other sites.
A mix of old and new tracks by the Queen of Neo Soul Erykah Badu. I post-poned making this mix for a long time because I really wanted to do it right, I think now is the right time, enjoy.
Thank you for your continued support!!!!
Don't Forget About Ye
From the rants and raves to the hits and beats no one can deny that Kanye West isn't a very passionate human being. And if your a Hip-Hop head there is no denying the impact Mr. West has had on our culture! This mix is dedicated to some of my favorite Kanye West tracks, old, new and in-between. I tried to fit them all the first time around and it was nearly 3 hours lol. enjoy!
Track Listing:
1. The Food ft Kanye West-Common
2. Otis- Jay0z and Kanye West
3. No More Parties in L.A. ft Kendrick Lamar- Kanye West
4. Dark Fantasy- Kanye West
5. Stay Up (Viagra) ft Kanye West- 88-Keys
6. Interlude- Kanye West
7. Gorgeous ft. Kudi & Raekwon- Kanye West
8. Still Dreaming ft Kanye West- Nas
9. Spaceship ft. Consequence & GLC- Kanye West
10. In The Mood ft Kanye West & Roy Ayers- Talib Kweli
11. Talib Kweli Interlude
12. We Major ft Nas & Really Doe- Kanye West
13. I Love Kanye (Dennis Blaze Rework)- Kanye West
14. Get Em High ft Common & Talib Kweli- Kanye West
15. Through The Wire- Kanye West
16. Devil in a New Dress ft Rick Ross- Kanye West
17. Kanye Interview
18. Good Morning- Kanye West
19. Crack music/Cookin Soul Blend ft The Game- Kanye West
20. Southside ft Kanye West- Common
21. Champion- Kanye West
22. Feedback- Kanye West
23. Touch The Sky ft Lupe Fiasco- Kanye West
24. Fade- Kanye West
25. Paranoid- Kanye West
26. Addiction- Kanye West
27. Can't Tell Me Nothing- Kanye West
28. Cold ft DJ Khaled- Kanye West
29. Blood on the Leaves- Kanye West
30. Famous ft Rihanna- Kanye West
31. Late- Kanye West
32. Radio Freestyle- Kanye West
B-Day for Beyonce
Since we are about 3 days away from one of the biggest events of the summer I've decided present you guys a treat!
1 solid hour of Beyonce! All of my favorite Bey songs wrapped in a mix to get you ready for BDAY this Friday!!!
If you don't already know, this Friday (Sept. 4th) Groov3, Yoga For Dancers, Yogazilla and myself are bringing you the ultimate BDay Party for Beyonce!!! Featuring classic Groov3 Hip-Hop/R&B choreography, Yoga by Marja Lankinen to treat your body and mind right, Coconut water from Zico to keep you hydrated all night, and of course ya boy mixing nothing but Beyonce!
When: Friday 9-4-15 7:30PM
Where: Hollywood Ca. Montalban Theater
DJ Black Rabbit X Lyft
I can finally announce for the month of April I will be holding down Fridays at Three Clubs in Hollywood!!! If that wasn’t enough I will be partnering with Lyft to give you guys free rides up to $20 either to or from Three Clubs!!! Beyond blessed to be able offer my west coast fans a taste of real music in a dope venue! I'll be dropping a mix of everything, if its dope its gets played, Hip-Hop, House, Pop, Funk, Classics, Soul, and everything in-between! Ill see ya there!
For your free $20 ride by Lyft use coupon code: CULTURECLASH
The Lyft app is available in the Apple app store or the Google play store!
DJ Black Rabbit out!!!!
Image from Getty Images
A Very Blurry and Slippery Slope
First of all no disrespect to the legend Marvin Gaye (RIP) and all he has done for music as a whole. I'm a huge fan and this article has nothing to do with that fact. In case you are reading this and you don't know me I have been DJing for the last 10 years, can read and write music, and I produce Hip-Hop instrumentals. I'm no musical genius but I do understand the basic fundamentals.
The issue at hand is that Robin Thicke’s and Pharrell Willam's song “Blurred Lines” had so much of a resemblance to Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up” that the Gaye family was seeking damages for compensation and the Gaye family won. My issue isn’t with how much money the Gaye family was rewarded, Robin Thicke’s lies, or even how people are calling the Gaye heirs greedy. My issue is with the dangerous precedent that this court case has set in motion. But lets back up some.
First of all lets listen to both songs
Marvin Gaye: Got to Give it Up:
Robin Thicke: Blurred Lines
Now "Blurred Lines" does not sample “Got to Give it Up" at any point but they are accusing the song of sounding too similar. In the Gaye family press release they stated that the bass line was taken right from “Got to Give it Up”, and that they also stole the “defining funk of the cowbell”. The article below breaks down how both songs are not only in 2 different keys but the baseline uses different notes and rhymes, the cowbell rhythmically is different as well.
Follow the link below for a full musical breakdown of both songs:
http://joebennett.net/2014/02/01/did-robin-thicke-steal-a-song-from-marvin-gaye/
Musically these 2 songs are different, so how did the Gaye family win? They argued that the feel of the songs were too close, they argued that there were too many similarities between the hook, phrasing, keyboard-bass interplay, lyrics and theme of the song. And this is where i have an issue.
Yes the 2 songs have some silmalirairtes but if it was not sampled and musically the songs aren't the same, how can this be considered a copyright infringement? As the phrase goes “there nothing new under the sun”. The whole musc industry is based off of what has came before it, will Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson be next, did they steal some funk from Prince? Did Amy Winehouse (RIP) steal Ella Fitzgerald's (RIP) sound? Should Ariana Grande be sued for sounding like Mariah Carey? I could go on and on but i think you get my point, where is the line and how far will this go in the future? If you think this decision dosnt mean anything bigger than a 11 million dollar fine your wrong. I believe this case will set the precedent for future cases, not only stunting an artist's creativity out of fear, but also making this kind of decision common place. I hope I’m wrong….
Just my thoughts ladies and gentleman, I'd love to hear yours!
Articles I based my research from:
LATimes: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-blurred-lines-trial-20150311-story.html#page=1
Joe Bennett: http://joebennett.net/2014/02/01/did-robin-thicke-steal-a-song-from-marvin-gaye/
Has Music Software Gone Too Far?
Today I just watched Djtechtool's review of the new Native Instruments Komplete controller. And it looks beautiful! Giving a dedicated controller to the plethora of Komplete sounds and settings was definitely needed.
But what I want to talk about is the other features of this controller. Mainly the lighting feature that shows you what keys are in what scale and a mode where it turns every key to the correct note in a particular scale so when you are playing you are always in the correct key.
So to give a little background on myself so you can see where I'm coming from. I was taught how to read music and to play the recorder by my late Grandfather Raymond Brown Sr. And as time progressed in school I picked up the clarinet, bassoon, and tenor saxophone playing in regional concert bands and marching bands all throughout middle and high school. in college I went on to minor in music theory and played one semester for the marching band there. I say all that to say I know music, no professional but I know my way around a scale lol.
Even with all this musical training when I produce music I prefer to sample then to start my creations from scratch. It's something about taking different pieces of musical compositions and making them fit together that really intrigues me.
But are today's tools making it too easy to make music? This new controller from Native Instruments subtracts any need of classical training to make music. A jazz musician from 20 years ago would call this blasphemy .
But on the other hand kids and adults alike who have creative musical ideas but no training now have an outlet to express themselves in ways unheard of not even 7 years ago.
So whos right? Who's wrong? I don't know, you tell me.
Album Review: Mayer Hawthorne's "Where Does This Door Go"
I really can't say enough about this album, Rolling Stone gave it a scathing review but I find it refreshing. Mayer Hawthorne takes you back to the sound of 60s and 70s soul but brings it to today with relevant lyrics. Musically this album is amazing, multiple producers, bands, and Mayer Hawthorne himself contribute to the musical back drop. And even though so many people contributed to this album it all fits together perfectly to make one cohesive project. Lastly I'll talk about the lyrics, and this is a subject I'm huge on, an album isn't good or great to me unless the lyrics have substance, contain a unifying theme that ties the album together, and are catchy/memorable.... This album does all of that. So that's enough from me, go get the album! DJ Black rabbit approved!
Check out the mini documentary on the making of the album below
The StankFace Chronicles
So what is a StankFace and what are The StankFace Chronicles? Im glad you asked, a StankFace is the look on your face when you hear or see something incredible for the first time, its like you smelled a foul odor but its actually your body's reaction to something new and great. As Run DMC would say: "Not Bad meaning bad but bad meaning good".
Now The StankFace Chronicles are a collection of songs/edits that have personally made my face go Stank. Now what makes the StankFace Chronicles different than mixes you might have heard in the past is the fact that there are no genre boundaries, we will travel from Hip-Hop, to House, to Soul, to Top 40 in one Episode.
I made this series for the music lovers only, its here to expand boundaries and knock down the walls we put up that don't allow us to listen to different type of music. So join me in this musical journey….
Welcome to The StankFace Chronicles
Track Listing
1. Stay High- Hippie Sabotage
2. Wine Glass Woman (Aeroplane Remix)- Mayor Hawthorne
3. Shake Your Body (Excel D0-Over Remix)- Michael Jackson
4. Too High- Dj Black Rabbit
5. Lose Yourself to Dance (Chris Villa Edit)- Daft Punk
6. Piano in the Dark- Brenda Russell
7. Runnin' (Bit Funk Remix)- The Pharcyde
8. Crime (Suff Daddy Remix)-Mayer Hawthorne
9. Hillary $wank- Joey Bada$$
10. Bound 2- Kanye West
11. Headlines (Drake Cover)- The Soul Rebels
12. Don't Phunk Around- Black Eyed Peas
13. One Thing (Polkadot Remix)- Amerie
14. La Fique (Zhane/Hey DJ/Player Haters - Nyce Edit)- Zhane
15. The Way it is- Bruce Hornsby
16. Changes- 2Pac
Subrcribe and listen to all past mixes on iTunes ----->
Im Back Baby!
Where to begin?!?!?!?! New Job, new residency, and engaged! Life is definitely great but leaves little time to keep up with my mixes which i am now catching back up on.
If You don't know, my residency is at Building 24 in Reading Pa, its a club that Ive been wanting to play at for years, the owner heard me on New Years eve and hired me right away! This place has headliners such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Clinton Sparks, and DJ Scribble just to name a few. One of the greatest parts of DJing at 24 is the owner gave me complete control of what I play. No micro-managing of the music as alot of managers/owners do, so I really get to get creative with the crowd and take them on a journey.
Now for the music, what you've all been waiting for! My mixes from here on out are going to explore music seldom to never heard on the radio. There is so much great music out there it saddens me when people say this or that genre sucks because they only know what the radio or what popular culture tells them to listen to. So sit back relax and enjoy!
Next month will we remember Amy Winehouse
As Always you can stream below or download via itunes Keyword "DJ Black Rabbit"
1. Easy- Question
2. High Hopes- Onra (feat. Reggie B)
3. Act T00 (Love of My Life)- The Roots
4. Good Evening (Dream Big)- Outasight
5. Concrete Waves (DJ Premier Remix)- Kendra Morris
6. Sing ABout Me, I'm Dying of Thirst- Kendrick Lamar
7. Forever- BrainFly feat Naledge
8. Waves- Joey Bada$$
9. Can You Feel It?- Eric Lau feat. Guilty Simpson & Fatima
10. Nakamarra- Hiatus Kaiyote
11. For The Nasty (Freddie Joachim Remix)- Q-Tip feat Busta Rhymes
12. It Aint Hard To Tell (will Sessions)- Elzhi
13. Oooooooooaaaaaa- Karriem Riggins
14. I'm Fine- Rahel feat Rahel
15. Fuse- Paul Dateh
Is This what it comes to?
DJ Ross One pokes fun at the DJ industry in a Hilarious way with some cameos by some big artists. Sad but true, BUT i have a feeling the tables will turn (pun intended lol) and we will come back to being about the music and not everything else... but Rant over, enjoy the Vid!!!
Raw The Breakdown
This is an episode to one of the dopest shows that you may never see. A couple of months back B.Lee, Myself, and the Rhymestreet crew set out to make a show that brought to the for front the music we all love, HIP-HOP! We shot the entire first season and now things have slowed up up on the backing slide.... nonetheless here is episode 6, featuring Hustler Records own Bones and B.Lee (Special assistance by (DJ Black Rabbit)
Shot by: B.Lee and B. Rabbit
Edited by: B.Lee
August 2012 Dance Mix
NEW MIX!!!! AND UPGRADED! Now as every song is played the title and cover art show up so you know excatly whats playing! As Always enjoy!
1. Glad You Came- The Wanted
2. We Found Love (Solidisco Bootleg)- Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
3. The Night Out (A-Trak Remix)- Martin Solveig
4. Boomerang- DJ Felli Fel ft Akon & Pitbull
5. Part of Me- Katy Perry
6. Goin In- Jennifer Lopez ft Flo Rida & Lil Jon
7. We Run the Night (feat. Pitbull)- Havana Brown
8. Turn Up the Music- Chris Brown ft Rihanna
9. Scream (Clinton Sparks Remix)- Usher
10. Titanium- David Guetta ft Sia
11.Wild Ones- Flo Rida Feat Sia
12. Somebody I Used To Know- Gotye ft Kimbra
13. After Ever After (Ft. Nicola Reyes)- MDC
14. One More Night- Maroon 5
15. All You- The Cataracs ft Waka Flocka Flame
16. Dance Again- Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull
Subcribe on iTunes!!!------->HERE!
Summer Summer Summer Time!
Here's a little treat from your favorite DJ's Favorite DJ! Live on decks in the middle of my favorite season. Sit back at the pool (or pretend your there) and listen to a mix of old and new with a Black Rabbit Twist!
Sunday Morning Cut Session
When I first started DJing all I wanted to do was battle lol, over time I realized that I wanted to rock parties as well. But dont think I dont get down on the cut anymore, I've come along way!
NSF Part 4
The NSF Collection Part 4 from B.Rabbit on Vimeo.
This Months NSF features a little flip lol, im the subject and MDC is on the camera lol. The end features a sneak peak into MDC's newest project...
Will.I.Am on Risk
excuse the language but Will.I.Am drops some serious knowledge for all DJs... wow so true!
DMC (DeLorean Motor Company)
One of my dream cars (I have many lol) is a DMC 12 aka a DeLorean aka the Back to the Future car, and one of my inspirations Bobby Hundreds actually owns one! Bobby takes you on a mini tour of the California branch DMC repair shop... sooo jealous, I would love a ride lol
Follow Bobby Hundreds: @BobbyHundreds
The Hundreds Website: www.thehundreds.com
Concrete Waves
Shout out to my boy Willmatic aka DJ InDaMission for putting me on to this!!! Im diggin her style and flow and that means alot, Im not feeling alot of new artist as of late (not that shes new, just new to me). The video she has is equally dope and im lovin the all POV style it was shot in. Kendra Morris is dropping her album very shorty, supoort real music!!! the DJ Premier remix is disgusting!!!
Follow Kendra Morris: @KendraMorris