My mother and her band members of The Stilettos, including Debbie Harry circa 1973 , NYC
It’s no secret that I almost never listen to the radio. We all know that shit is repetitive and I at least think it can get pretty boring pretty quickly. I will get into a long conversation with you about why I hate a majority of what’s “hot” right now in mainstream music if you let me. That being said, I do like listening to music, even just as a background filler, basically all day. It’s almost as if I can’t make a move without music. My mom was in a band in the 70′s. My dad plays the drums and guitar like Santana. My sister does too, minus the drums, add in the Classical Flute. I cannot escape my musical roots, so I’ll embrace them instead. More on that later.
I have really been on this wave of what I like to think of as Boutique Music- it’s what would be playing (in my mind) at some snooty, upscale boutique where the customer service probably is terrible but you don’t care because they sell Yohji Yamamoto and Comme Des Garcons. I’ve said it before, I really like music I can kind of zone out to. And more and more lately that zone-out music has been electro/soulful/and definitely nothing I’ve heard on the radio. Spotify has really become my best friend, playing me exactly what I want to hear and then introducing me to an artist I’ve never heard of. I know I’m not the only one. Spotify has introduced me to artists and bands such as Disclosure, Quadron, Julio Bashmore and Poliça to name a few.
Below are a few of my favorite songs for the moment. I hope you at least like one as much as I do. And if you are feeling it, head over to Part One of this series. Enjoy!
Disclosure Feat. Eliza Doolittle “You And Me”
DJ Shadow Feat. Little Dragon “Scale It Back” (Silkie Remix)
B. Bravo “Computa Love”
Parallel Dance Ensemble “Juices”
Still with me? Last but not least, here’s my mix, with the help of Frantz Mza, of even more weird jams:
The second installment of YNG’s “No Sleep Till Boogie II” has recently released and it has been playing in my house for hours now. The production on this album is really tight. I love how in such a hater city as Miami, there are still people from different camps working together. There was a lot of Miami-local love on the New Yorker’s album, from song features to design elements. Enough about that, the music speak for itself. Hit that download link below, it’s FREE, and you won’t regret it.
YNG explains a bit about what this albums is to him:
“NSTB2” is a testament to a year filled with Rooftop sessions at the Vue after NYPD hassles to battling student loans and family members going away. In conversation I tend to ask myself how to juggle all these thoughts and I think I’ve successfully done so with this release with features from Quest, Prez P, Mike G, M Cash & more. I now present to you No Sleep Till Boogie II.”
Executive Produced by Wally West, Executive Produced by YNG
Download the album FREE here !
Make sure you check out the Official Page of NSTBII for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram updates as well !
Need more YNG?? Check out THIS POST we did a little while back on who YNG is, his story, and his single “Still Not A Player” featuring Ordinary Cool.
The latest single to drop by YNG, “Still Not A Player” is out and I have a feeling this will be a popular summer jam. It showcases a typical male outlook on dating brought to you in an atypical delivery of lyrics over a nostalgic and chill beat. It goes mostly without saying that this song is also a slight homage to (and sampling of) Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player.” It’s a nice addition for us late 80′s/90′s babies.
“I’m not a player I just like to get a round, I ain’t getting any younger I would love to settle down, I run around with kings I deserve to wear a crown I deserve a little head when my girl is not around..”
YNG’s album, No Sleep Till Boogie II will be out in early April 2013. I’m definitely feeling the upcoming album’s cover (above) designed by Jahrue and styled by Kevin Oboh.
Still Not A Player:
Keep an eye out for No Sleep Till Boogie II- make sure to follow YNG on Twitter @NotoriousYNG for 140-character updates as well !
Not yet familiar with YNG? Check out his interview (below) with IMF Magazine.
NOSLEEPTILLBOOGIE.COM
Valentine’s Day is almost here and people around the globe will be finding out if they are the side or main chick/dude. Brace yourselves. All jokes aside, the holiday is close and if you’re lucky enough to have a special someone in your life, we suggest showing your appreciation for them- even if it’s a little gesture. With a flood of pink and red Hallmark cards, stupid stuffed bears and generic chocolate heart boxes, the clear gift choices might not seem so great.
Lucky for you, we have a suggestion: The Baking Bean. It’s a NYC based bakery started by model turned chocolatier and cultural chef Clarice Lam. The small operation makes gourmet sweets such as Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies with Spiced Dulce de Leche Swirl. That sounds amazing, no? And in the true New York City spirit, The Baking Bean delivers to all 5 boroughs and even out of state! If you want some of these goodies and you’re not in New York City, make sure to order by TODAY to get them on Valentine’s day. People inside the NYC area can order by February 11th.
There are many cute and quirky gift options such as chocolate pieces in the shape of 3-D diamonds entitled “Don’t Be Fooled By The Rocks The I Got” and a “Voodoo Your Ex” lemon cookie. Take a look at all of them HERE !
Like The Baking Bean on Facebook to see what they’ve got cooking up next
ORDER FROM THE BAKING BEAN !
So, this past week in Miami was all Art Basel this and Parisian pop up club that. But last week? Oh last week was special in a more homegrown way- the homies over at Fastlife Clothing, Vintage Stereon and YBG put on a show that, well, put on for the city- the Westside to be exact.
WESTSIDE PLAGUE- presented by Daily Cheifers, Womazing, Jahrue, and IMF Mag, went down with free shots/drinks for the ladies and each clothing sponsor/affiliate had their own room to showcase their designs however they saw fit. The Talent Farm actually is pretty dope- the vibe was that of a huge house party, just with a big stage and a DJ.
With performances by YNG, Quest, Da Camp, W$E, GMFB and Spaceghost Purrp and the Raider Klan , there was no shortage of hometeam love. The music was on point all night, with sounds provided by DJ A.N.D. oh and not to mention the whole shindig was hosted by us Dope Bitches! We challenged the sneaker savvy audience to some Jordan V trivia in order to win free clothes.. and who won? A girl. Yes that’s right, we rule.
We were certainly a little far from our Miami-Dade home all the way in Broward, but we made the trip and helped make it a good night. Norma sported some avant garde Indian jewelry while I rocked a BAD snakeskin strap back by our friends at Bad Bunch NYC (Check out their store HERE!)
Peep/Show love to the clothing brands making moves who created Westside Plague! (Click to shop)
Our beautiful friend Daniela was there with us, capturing the night from on and off the stage. Check out the photos of the night below!
We would like to introduce you guys to a dope clothing brand out of NYC, B.WOOD created by Brian Wood. It’s already an established brand amongst cool kids, tastemakers and stylish people all over the country, but we’d like to show off a couple of B.Wood’s shirts in true 2DOPEBITCHES.com style !
Maybe you’re a Panty Raider. Maybe you’re part of the Molley Crue. There’s a style for everyone. The printed tees and tanks are funny. The collection isn’t one dimensional either- there are exquisitely tailored jackets and even accessories.
Do yourself a favor and check out the collections. Aren’t you glad you read this? And just in time for the Holidays!
Check out the official B.Wood website HERE to purchase the shirts from below,
plus the new collection of One-Of-A-Kind vintage available now!
Visit the Official B.Wood website here.
Follow @brian_wood
Like the official B.WOOD Facebook page here.
Peep out how we swagged out our B.Wood shirts. (pants not necessary when you’re on your own balcony) :
Here is an album to check out that isn’t on some trendy shit. It’s not swagged out and on the current trend- it’s a true story telling experience coming from Iron Lyon, or Jeff Lyons, resident AE Collective DJ and dope dude. Check out his info and a bit about the album below, along with his new video for “Step Into The Night” and DOWNLOAD HIS FREE ALBUM!
When asked to describe his latest album, Iron Lyon simply states: “it’s one smooth ride with no filler, a true album from beginning to end inspired by my life experience.” That’s precisely what the sophomore LP, “From the Ground Up” is. The seasoned emcee/DJ presents a work that cohesively sets a vibe of 90s nostalgia that is still relevant and much needed in today’s landscape. Set to drop September 6, 2012–as a follow-up to the “Time Capsule” LP & “The Foundation” EP–it is with much anticipation that the album brings listeners 16 tracks of audible substance. He not only raps on the project, but also showcases his turntablist skills by scratching over various tracks. This album’s unique musical formula additionally spawned from producers, Chad Dubz and Mr. Koichi, also features Sean Price, Edo G, Slim Kid Tre of The Pharcyde, and others
The first single, “Step Into The Night” has been sneak-previewed on Peter Rosenberg’s show on world-renowned Hot97 and Statik Selektah’s show on Shade45. In just a few weeks, the track and video are officially dropping, and the full LP being released early September with a firm stamp of approval from the classic indie hip-hop outfit that is Fatbeats. Shortly thereafter, the next video and single off the project, “Summer in the City” will follow. Undoubtedly, “From the Group Up” will be stirring quite a buzz in the viral circuit and giving hip-hop and music enthusiasts everywhere an album that can accompany them for years to come.
Download the album HERE
Follow him on Twitter @DjIronLyon
Iron Lyon “Step Into The Night”
Think you look different with makeup on?
Check out these UH-mazing photos of New York City drag queens in and out of their makeup shot by famed photographer Leland Bobbé. This photo shoot is beautiful. The makeup these guys do is really spectacular! I mean, the shading and blending in their makeup is breath taking. What, do these guys all go though some extensive and fabulous Drag-Queen-Bootcamp to get this stuff down? And the transformations they go through! I literally put my hand up to the screen to cover the “male” side of each and everyone of the photos and damn! They, for the most part, look nothing like the “regular” half. You can see the features and such but the Drag persona definitely takes over. I love this. It’s such a flattering way to showcase Drag Queens- not just another kitchy, cheesy show of feather boas and glitter- this shows pure artistry. Think what you may about Drag, but it’s an artform. I’m all for it!
In his Half-Drag series, New York photographer Leland Bobbé captures the two sides of the city’s drag queens — the extravagantly made-up drag divas and the organic men that lie beneath.
Bobbé tells Huffington Post Gay Voices, “Through the power of hair and makeup these men are able to completely transform themselves and find their female side while simultaneously showing their male side.” Shockingly, the identities are composed in camera and are not separate images joined during editing.
Bobbé posted the first portrait of the Half-Drag series on his blog last March, writing, “I got great feedback on the image so I decided to reach out to other drag queens using Facebook as my main means of communication… I’ve now shot four people with many more on the way. We’ll see where this takes me…”
Five months later, the project has taken the award-winning photographer far: It has been featured in Italian Vogue, fashion site Refinery 29, as well as in other websites and blogs from around the world. Bobbé reflects, “This is what the term ‘gone viral’ is all about.”
View more of Leland’s work on his website HERE
Wavy Spice
You know every now and then we at 2dopebitches like to hit you off with a handfull of dope songs and videos to tune into. Today we bring you some music from up and down the East Coast. In this hot a$$ weather we need some dope music to blast poolside (or in your AC frosted room / office / headphones.) From sort of deep lyrical jams to 90′s inspired dance grooves and all out rage anthems, we brought to the table a little bit of everything. Enjoy!
Beam Up (Starring Matt McGhee & Miles Meraki)
Young McGhee teams up with Miles Meraki and rMell to make a pretty honest song… Have you ever wanted someone far away to just teleport to you?
Jay Pneuma – Standing On The Edge (Prod. SKuF’L)
Listen to this young Miami native talk about something worth listening to. I’m glad people still want to be heard..
Wavy Spice – Bitch I’m Posh
Don’t get it twisted, she’s posh apparently. Produced by Miami’s own Freebase, cue the 90′s supermodel struts…
Skip Rage – RVGE (Official Video)
Uhh, rvge if you know what’s good for you- or rather what’s bad for you. Yea, that’s more fun.
MMC Da Click – Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone)
A beautiful song full of deeper meanings accompanied by a thrilling video. Tight work guys!
© 2013 2DOPEBITCHES.com