Some new niceness from Kieran Hebdan aka Four Tet. Set to be dropping on his new label ‘Text Records’…Vinyl only release like the good ol’ days. No date as yet.

This dude has been one of my favourite artists of the past year and some change. Another K.Price video to add to his stellar list of visual creations for the IWWMG collective. They go hard… Khrysis went in on the beat.

I am looking forward to this new Raekwon album, from what I’ve heard / seen drop from it so far has been a smash. ‘Rich & Black’ featuring Nas is no exception. Took 16 years, but it’s great to hear these two together again.

Shaloin Vs. Wu-Tang is out March 28th.

Download: Raekwon Feat Nas – ‘Rich & Black’

New visuals (more of a commercial, then video) from the always impressive Pharoahe Monch, taken off his new album W.A.R (We Are Renegades). The album is due out March 23.

In an interview with complex.com, Lupe Fiasco admits his true feelings about his forthcoming album L.A.S.E.R.S, saying: “One thing I try to stress about this project is, I love and hate this album. I listen to it and I’ll like some of the songs. But when I think about what it took to actually get the record together and everything that I went through on this record—which is something I can’t separate—I hate this album“

Strong words for an artist just about to release their new project. However, he goes on to explain: “I don’t like the process behind Lasers. The music is dope but I just don’t like the process. We were literally at the point where all this music was done except for a couple songs that we did after the protest. So the bulk of the album was done. And we were talking about shelving the album and going to another label, that’s where we were like, ‘If you put the record out, put it out. Either move on to another album or can it and we’ll do other records at another label.’ The business of it got solved. I’m happy for the fans, this is their album. This is the album that they fought for and that’s what made me do songs like ‘Words I Never Said’ and ‘All Black Everything“.

Fiasco also speaks candidly about his treacherous relationship with Atlantic Records, claiming they force fed him songs and even told him what to say on them. Speaking on the LP’s first single ‘The Show Goes On’, Lupe said: “There’s nothing really to tell about that record, to be honest. I didn’t have nothing to do with that record. That was the label’s record. That wasn’t like I knew the producer or knew the writer or anything like that. That was one of those records the record company gave me, [they even gave me] stuff they wanted me to rap about“.

Astringent words, but ones I find rather refreshing. It’s not often you hear an artist speak so honestly about their label situation or about the unease they have with the music they’re about to put out. Admittedly, it doesn’t fill me with utmost confidence about the project but, still – I admire his candor.

Having already heard a couple songs off the new album at his London playback a couple weeks ago, I can’t say my expectations were very high. I didn’t really like what I heard, but I decided to reserve my full judgment until I heard the LP in full. But this pretty much says it all, really.

It would seem the best thing for Lupe & Atlantic Records to do at this point is to part ways and move on. I imagine this will happen sooner, rather than later.

Read the full interview over at complex.com.

Not exactly the most exciting ‘viral’ video I’ve ever seen, but it’s good to see Missy & Timbo back together again.

But for me, it’s not just about them being back together, heck, I never really knew they were ever apart – it’s about them capturing that magic they once created. That sound that influenced an entire generation. I would go as far as saying that these two are among the most influential musicians in my life, they without doubt shaped and molded my ears and my perception of what music can sound like. Saying they ‘raised the bar’ would be a gross understatement, without Timbaland’s production – I’m confident a lot of the music we listen to today, would sound very different. His influence is wide spread (from Burial, to James Blake, Ramadanman, The Neptunes – the list really does go on) and it’s easy in 2011 to underestimate that.

But, with that said – my hope is that Timbaland and Missy recapture that audile voodoo they once innovate and bring us back to the future. (note: recapture, not regurgitate!)

I still lovin’ Cee-Lo’s album The Lady Killer and this song actually. Peep Mr Green’s performance of ‘Bright Lights Bigger City’, live on Jimmy Kimmel.