Freeload: Harlem Plays Some Songs On The Radio
- story THE FADER
Believe it or not, some other stuff was going on in Texas while we were partying nonstop at The Levi’s®/FADER Fort. One notable thing among thousands is this six song set from Austin’s Harlem. We’re familiar with some of these songs, have never heard a couple and haven’t gotten around to checking out the interview. Since we haven’t, we’re going to assume that they were asked what it feels like to make music that sounds like throwing up in an alley, we’re also going to assume that their answer would be that it feels awesome.
Download: Harlem Plays Some Songs on the Radio
Freeload: Harlem, “Goodbye Horses”
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Ever since Austin’s Harlem released this cover of Q Lazzarus‘ “Goodbye Horses,” as the second installment of their cover of the month club, we’ve been reconsidering our fiery indictments of rappers who release way too much material way too often. It’s still as annoying and overwhelming as it ever was, but maybe if they dropped the releases down to once a month we’d be able to get with it. In any case, Harlem flip the icy detachment of the original version (which you’ll probably remember from your nightmares) into a back porch Texas jam session.
Download: Harlem, “Goodbye Horses”
Video: Charles Hamilton, “Brooklyn Girls”
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At the most, there might have been like two EVR shows this summer where we didn’t play Charles Hamilton’s “Brooklyn Girls.” Probably even less than that if you count what Julianne was listening to on her iPod on the way to the station. This video, which comes just as we were starting to forget what summer felt like, makes us feel a little less guilty about wearing sunglasses in the club, and by less guilty we really mean we still don’t give a shit.
Freeload: Charles Hamilton f. Max B, “The North Pole”
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Though it’s only the upper part of Manhattan, seasonally, Harlem can feel a lot like a poorly insulated bedroom: way too hot in the summer and cold as hell in the winter. We wouldn’t go so far as to equate it with the North Pole, but then again we don’t live there. Charles Hamilton and Max B both live there, but until this song, probably wouldn’t even have appeared on the same mixtape. Charlie Wilson isn’t from Harlem, but The Gap Band’s family reunion staple, “Outstanding” brings Charles and Max together like long lost brothers.
Download: Charles Hamilton f. Max B, “The North Pole”
Freeload: Max B, Bloomberg Series mixtape
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Max B and Jim Jones hate each other. We think about this and we get kind of sad considering they helped to score our summer of 2006 together. Not surprisingly, they continue making some of the best music of their respective careers, it’s just that now some of it addresses each other (and not in that Damn, I miss my dawgs kind of way). Maybe it’s the spirit of the holiday season creeping in early (Jim just dropped his Tribute to Bad Santa mixtape), but Max brings us his best “best-of” yet in Bloomberg Series which also promises “NO BEEFIN” on its cover. The entire tape is actually one extended track, but it shouldn’t be a problem if you’ve been riding the wave like we have. (Courtesy, of course, of
fuckjimjones.com).
Download: Max B, Bloomberg Series mixtape
Freeload: Harlem, “Why”
- story THE FADER
In an unexpected twist, Austin’s Harlem are taking cues from every rapper ever in 2008 and releasing a cover a month for free online. First up is their version of “Why” by the Plastic Ono Band. We’d try to describe how it sounds, but honestly Harlem already did it perfectly:
“in an effort to keep this internet thingy less boring; we have started a new feature. the cover of the month club! we will cover a song we love on a broke ass four track and put it on our website free for download so you can have it for mix tapes to people you like or hate or whatever. this month we covered why by the plastic ono band. (ps some of the vocals were done after doing cannon balls where you take a bit hit of weed and then chug a beer) but get it soon because before you know it we will be on to the next one.”
Download: Harlem, “Why”
Freeload: Harlem, “Red Herring” + Interview and “Witch Greens” Video
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When we first heard Harlem (not actually from Harlem but Austin), we jammed their songs nonstop and immediately hit the band up for an interview. In the interest of democracy, they said they’d prefer to answer questions over email so they’d all get a chance to talk. Email Q+As are typically dry city, so we asked the band a couple basic questions then told them to go nuts. What follows is a series of answers that may or may not be true, but Harlem’s album Free Drugs, with lines like “I hate every book I’ve ever read” sung passionately through blown amp fuzz, has already convinced us to not worry about the veracity of their words. Download our current favorite track, appropriately titled “Red Herring” below, and buy Free Drugs from Harlem’s MySpace, so you can feel like not giving a shit about life is actually kind of cool for at least half an hour.
Download: Harlem, “Red Herring”
Video: Jim Jones f. Ron Browz & Juelz Santana “Pop Champagne”
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Tuesday night, Harlem looked alot like the set of this video. People bathing each other in champagne, children (and adults) dancing themselves into collapse, Mike Epps wandering around, hologram Juelz appearing live from what looks like his own body’s mitosis at random points throughout the night… Granted, some of that was indeed champagne-induced but people had a lot to be happy about. Word to Art Kane, ’twas was a great day in Harlem (as well as the rest of the country). We’re not exactly sure how this became Jim Jones featuring Ron Browz as opposed to vice versa, but we can’t be mad at a video that features Tone Wop.
The Return of G.Dep
- story THE FADER
If you can rap (and/or own a working bicycle), right now is a great time to be from Harlem. Ron Browz owned the summer, Juelz is finally releasing new music, Cam’ron is peeking his head out of his ground hole and now the Ghetto Deputy is back! Last we’d read (in the Daily News no less), he had to spend some time on the island, and not one where they serve mojitos. That said, its good to see him back enjoying the comforts of Harlem and even better to hear his signature flow unfolding all over itself.
Download: G.Dep, “Harlem”
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posted on Sep 30, 2008 in MP3 / STREAMS tags Cam'ron, G.Dep, Harlem, hip hop, Juelz Santana, Ron Browz
