Heems, known best for being 1/3 of Das Racist, released a mixtape earlier this week entitled Nehru Jackets. It is jam-packed with his very specific brand of offbeat vocal rhythm, slow flow, political awareness, and cultural irreverence. One stand out track is not particularly political but it has enough irreverence to kill a water buffalo. “Jason Bourne” is a two-minute recap of the Bourne film trilogy set to a sample of the B-52’s “Rock Lobster.” I’m going to just rewrite that sentence so you can fathom how absurd it is: “Jason Bourne” is a two-minute recap of the Bourne film trilogy set to a sample of the B-52’s “Rock Lobster.” Listen below:
Kool A.D. aka Victor Vasquez aka @veeveeveeveevee, member of one of 2011′s stand out rap troupes Das Racist, released a mix tape last night. It’s called The Palm Wine Drinkard. In the course of self-promoting (and flooding everyone’s Twitter feeds) Vasquez reached the Twitter daily post limit and is now in Twitter jail. But if you are heading back to work today still a little hungover but wanting to start 2012 off right, download this and put it on your headphones for your commute.
It’s no secret that we’re fans of Small Black here, and we’ve been anxiously awaiting a new release to solidify our love and kick off our longing for next summer — but doused with reverb and hearbreak, the Moon Killer mixtape has us feeling less “let’s hit the beach” and more “it’s too cold to smoke on the fire escape.”
But it’s not all down-tempo introspection, we promise. In addition to the laid back flows from Heems of Das Racist this 11 track gem is, according to the band, “full of samples from and homages to songs we love and the city that we live in. Something we could never do on a record” — and there’s no better example than “Love’s Not Enough,” a track that’s worthy of hand-holding at the roller skate rink. Remixes from Phonetag and Star Slinger close out the record to remind us that after the winter, we’ve got sunshine to look forward to once again.
“After 2 years of non-stop recording and touring, this project was a chance to give people who’ve supported us something free to enjoy,” says the band, so download Small Black’s Moon Killer Mixtape here. And be sure to check them out at the Moon Killer Release Party at Glasslands on Friday, Nov. 18th!
The song is called “Two Rivers” and comes courtesy of the forthcoming Small Black mixtape called Moon Killer. Heems from Das Racist gives a relaxed, mellow freestyle over the reverb-ed out Small Black synths. Could this be the Indian Summer jam of 2011?
(via The FADER)
Talkin’ pizza blogs, Hawaiian history, drunk haircuts, Queens rappers. On the heels of their new release Relax, Das Racist present this new thing called Chillin Island, which is the same name as their weekly show on East Village Radio (2pm-4pm). As if you needed further proof that these guys are DIY rap and having fun doing it.
Das Racist have a new record coming out September 13 (the same day as apparently every late summer/fall jam drops). The record is called Relax. It’s now available streaming right here if you have Spotify. Put it on and enjoy clever lyrics, convoluted pop (and sub-pop) culture references, slick production and (most of all) relaxing vibes. If you don’t have Spotify yet, hit up your friends for an invite.
Das Racist are still riding the wave of Shut Up, Dude, the first of their two rad mixtapes that came out last year. Let’s all ride this swag wave out together and just chill while watching this video for “Coochie Dip City.”
Last night, as the perfect treat to end the weekend, Himanshu Suri
(@HEEMS) of Das Racist posted his remix of Katy Perry’s ubiquitous pop hit “Teenage Dream.” It’s no cast of Glee rendition. And for that I am eternally grateful. In place of the sugar-high original, the Heems version of this track is way slowed down and smooth. Possibly one of the sexiest tracks this dude has ever put his name on.
So whether this was the cherry on top of your weekend or the kickstart to get you through this work week, it is great either way. Check it out over at Heems’ blog Nehru Jackets or download it directly HERE. We probably really will dance until we die, won’t we?
I get the feeling that Anthony Bourdain is a dude who Googles himself all the time. Searching the internet and finding the Das Racist song “Ek Shaneesh” that mentions his name is the only reason I can think of why Heems and Victor would show up on his holiday special. For some reason they are eggs in his fridge – maybe some kind of commentary of being brown eggs or something.
This Bourdan appearance may have something to do with what they were talking about in their recent New York Times interview.
Vazquez: We’re bigging up our brand so that we can make more money.
Suri: To buy things. I want to start dressing more like a British colonialist in a red coat and maybe lighten my skin with that money.
Todd P’s Halloween party took place last night at the Ridgewood Masonic Temple. most people were probably still recovering from Halloween observed the night before, but a respectable amount of ghouls and tricksters made their way to the show, headlined by so-hot-right-now hip hop ensemble Das Racist.
Halloween is a time when you can see what people are really about. They’re either in a pre-packaged costume or they’re trying too hard or they are legitimately clever and good-spirited. And for Das Racist, it can be all of the above all the time. These guys walk the lines between irony and sincerity; between novelty and legitimacy; between gimmickry and credibility. And while some people show up at the party dressed as a can of Four Loko, others as zombies or superheroes, Das Racist can just take the floor as themselves and still be baffling and maybe a little frightening.
