MC Raashan Ahmad dropped his album, Ceremony, this week. To clarify, ceremony can be defined as “a formal act or series of acts prescribed by ritual, protocol, or convention,” but Ahmad has delivered an LP that is anything but conventional. This soundtrack to life is best described as a melting pot of styles, sounds and rhythms, all of which come together to create what can only be described as a thoroughly enjoyable and festive experience. From the jazz of “Easy On Back” to the Latin styling of “No No No” and “Mariposita” to the future soul vibes on “Hold On,” Ahmad does not miss a beat.

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Talib Kweli delivers a song to charm lovers the world over with a little help from R&B crooner Miguel on “Come Here.” The smooth track sees Kweli laying his heart bare and stating how he’ll do whatever it takes to put his lady first, as Miguel reinforces that he “doesn’t want to waste a second longer” and that he just wants to make her “comfortable.” 

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Back in February when we were introduced to Seattle-based MC/producer Sax G and his stellar collaboration with Choklate, “Get Down,” I had a feeling that this somewhat elusive character was one to keep an eye on. Now, with the release of his quietly captivating debut album, Tu Me Manques, I’m realizing without a doubt that it’s the unassuming ones you need to watch out for.

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Take a step back to the year 2000 and there was a quirky UK teen girl group making waves in Europe. They weren’t the usual sugar-coated girl group even though there name suggested as much, preferring to steer to the…

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When most people think of Red Bull, they think of the energy drink and it’s affiliation with motor sports, just as when they think of classical music the notion of upper class people who don’t know how to let loose and a musical style with centuries of history comes to mind. In comparison, to people outside the hip hop realm, the street style dance of breakdancing often conjures up thoughts of hoodlums on the street. Here to turn all the stereotypes and pre-conceived thoughts on its head faster than a b-boy can defy gravity spinning on his; is the Red Bull Flying Bach show.  The one of a kind show that unites the vastly removed worlds of classical – in this case the elegant music of Johan Sebastian Bach – and hip hop – through the energetic dance of German breakdance crew Flying Steps – is touring Australia this month, with shows last week in Sydney, followed by Melbourne this week.

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Candice Monique is more than just the usual, run-of-the-mill soul singer. The Australian born-and-based singer brings a strong hip-hop sensibility to the game, while her vocal styling bares the traces of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. Couple that with her lyrical content, which often challenges the status quo and scratches deeper than the superficial surface level, and you have a strong female artist of the truest form, who looks poised to take up the mantle of being the first lady of Australian hip hop and soul.

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I’m the first to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with hip hop. At its worst it glorifies violence, ignorance and superficial lifestyles. But the bright shining light on hip hop is when it’s in capable hands and crafted with care — in other words, when it’s at its very best. In this state it becomes the perfect union of music and poetry, of intelligence and street cool. It is the voice of the people. Which explains why there are a few names that throughout the decades, despite personal hardships, professional ups and downs, evolving trends and regardless of which “it” artist is on everyone’s lips, remain hand in hand with the genre. One such name is that of Nasir Jones.

Read full story over at SoulBounce.