With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow. Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low

In his new mixtape Returnof4eva, recent Def Jam inductee, Big KRIT, reminds us of the imminent plight faced by all upcoming rap superstars- that the money is no longer in the record sales, but the performance. The Grateful Dead method of making music free is no longer an option, but a necessity if you want to be heard. Luckily, after seeing KRIT live, it's no surprise he's making bold moves along the musical charts. Furthermore, because of the flooded music market today, rappers appear to be striving to find more intricate sample themes, such as neo-soul (as can be heard by RH Factor and Common below) or gospel. Also inspired by soul artists, such as Curtis Mayfield, KRIT emphasizes the importance of the art of poetry in the rap game. Straying away from the repetitive "I love lamp"-style prose of most rappers, KRIT mentions his dreams in a catchy, original, and sometimes articulate way. I've been enjoying the album thoroughly, finding myself at work singing "aaahhh sookie sookie now," hearing "rotating my tie" chants from softball teammates, and reviewing some new sound on the rap forefront.


KRIT's new mixtape Returnof4Eva can be downloaded here for FREE:



Big KRIT Sookie



Neo Soul collaboration-- Common with RH Factor from album, Hard Groove



Rappin 4 Tay- Players Club (Remember this beat sample?) - thanks Raf



I thoroughly enjoy this. Off of the White Panda album, Pandamonium

I'll disappear in some flamenco...

Music Therapy

Music therapy as a medium to alleviate a troubled mind, body, and soul is far from novel --writings describing the therapeutic effects of music on the human psyche date back as far as Aristotle. Although the kinship between music and the human mind reaches further back than medical scripture can encompass, a recognized clinical use of music began after World War I and II. After the wars, both professional and non-professional musicians learned that to serenade injured soldiers provided enormous relief and improved the austere atmosphere throughout veterans hospitals. What began as a simple volunteer activity evolved into a priority of many hospitals in starting musical complimentary medicine. Seeing emotional as well as physical improvements in patient healing with the addition of music, more hospitals began incorporating music into their repertoire, leading to the opening of the first music therapy program at Michigan State University in 1944. Using techniques in passive listening or active instrumental play, music therapy is often utilized in treatment for everything from classic autism to mild situational depression. A common misconception is that in order to benefit from music therapy, one has to have a known "illness" or musical ability--the point is that music itself is therapy! For those of you who feel that you missed your opportunity to play an instrument as a kid, get back behind those guitars and pianos, as simply practicing an instrument a couple times a week may improve not only the quality, but also the duration of your life.

Classic Stevie Wonder as a young kid



Kids these days... WOW. (stolen off of Jamie's facebook, thanks Jamie)



White Panda (similar to Girltalk) fun mash up, thanks Ian.



Tallest Man on Earth, thanks Raf