Showing Out

Last week wasn’t the best for hip-hop and R&B releases on the retail tip, as only Sage Francis and LMNO & Kev Brown released new joints for the underground heads. But this week, artists are swinging back full force. After more than a year of teasing the masses by touring around the country together, Nas and Damian Marley team up for their first full-length collaboration Distant Relatives, one of the most ambitious pairings of rap and reggae to grace our speakers in a minute. Meanwhile, another duo, Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek), reunite after a decade-long hiatus for their sophomore release Revolutions Per Minute, while R&B android Janelle Monae drops off her major label debut The ArchAndroid, the second and third installments of her four-part Metropolis series. And on the underground tip, Detroit’s most grizzly emcee Guilty Simpson links up with Madlib for OJ Simpson, the first official full-length from Guilty Simpson since his debut album Ode to the Ghetto. Hit the jump to get schooled on this week’s releases.

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Kelis is a creature of reinvention. Once a crimson-haired crackpot who screamed bloody murder on her breakout single “Caught Out There,” the singer has come a long way since her Neptunes days. In a span of just over a decade, Kelis has done warped R&B (1999’s Kaleidoscope, ’01’s Wanderland), boss bitch pop (’03’s Tasty) and an uneven mix of both (’06’s Kelis Was Here). In the years between the release of Kelis Was Here and today, she’s become more of a tabloid fixture than musician, with her highly publicized divorce from rapper Nas and the birth of their son Knight taking precedence over her career. Needless to say, the past few years haven’t been smooth for Kelis, and a break from music - self-imposed or not - set in.

But one thing has always remained a constant about Kelis’ career: her affinity for dance music. Since the release of Kaleidoscope, her overseas CD singles have always included dance remixes from the genre’s finest, with Kelis even lending her vocals to original tracks from Timo Maas, Basement Jaxx and Richard X. So it only makes sense that her fifth studio album, Flesh Tone, is an accenting of her dance past, subsuming itself in a genre where emotions are scarce and vocalists serve more as accouterments to the beat. If Kelis ever wanted to keep her distance from reality, a dance album seemed like the best way to do it.

With production from David Guetta, Freeschool, Boys Noize, Jean Baptiste, Diplo and more, Flesh Tone sees Kelis strapping on her heels and hitting the dance floor. The album eclipses any R&B leanings that were once prominent in her music, instead set to a steady array of thumping dance beats sapped of emotion. Likely worn from the scrutinizing of her private life, Kelis rarely makes references to her personal matters, reserving only one track - “Song for the Baby” - to sing to her son Knight. But this is an album intended to cater to the dance fiends (hip-hop heads, leave your pointy criticisms at the door), plain and simple. Hit the jump to read our track-by-track preview of Kelis’ Flesh Tone before it hits stores July 6th.

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After last week’s slow release day, this week has a few big name releases hitting shelves. The Diamond Princess drops off her new album Amazin’, her fifth album throughout her career, while Toni Braxton one-ups her and release her long-awaited Pulse, delayed since February and finally gracing retail. And just when you thought it was all estrogen, southern rap duo 8Ball & MJG are putting out their eighth album Ten Toes Down, their first release after cutting ties with Bad Boy Records and debut on T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint. Hit the jump to get a closer look at this week’s new joints.

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In need of a laugh? Own a DVD player? You might be in luck. Showing Out is proud to present our second giveaway, with two copies of the hilarious DVD Why We Laugh on tap for your winning pleasure. All you’ve got to do is click on this hotlink and e-mail us with your name and address with “Why We Laugh DVD Giveaway” as the e-mail subject. The deadline is next Friday, April 30th at 5 P.M. for your chance to add this funny bone-tickling feature to your collection. Check below for the official press release surrounding the flick, watch the trailer and all that jazz. No need to thank us. Have a good weekend y’all!

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Last night at New York City’s Santos Party House, Kelis was back with an 808 - but gone was the semblance of the feisty R&B Siren the world used to know. Her first full live set of new material, the show included cuts from her forthcoming fifth album Flesh Tone as well as club-spruced renditions of past hits including “Get Along with You,” “Trick Me” and a mashup between her smash “Milkshake” with Madonna’s “Holiday.” While the crowd could have benefitted from an energy boost, Kelis worked that stage harder than any working mom out there – full-length bodysuit included.

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4/20 tends to rarely fall on release day (aka Tuesdays), so some of rap’s biggest stoners have emerged from their smoking dens to grace the world with some new music. On the weed tip, Cypress Hill returns with Rise Up, their first studio release composed of new material in six years, while the perma-high Devin the Dude drops off another weed-themed effort, appropriately titled Suite #420. Surprisingly, non-marijuana-obsessed duo Little Brother bids farewell to the rap game with their fourth and final offering Leftback, which sees Pooh and Phonte giving it one last go. Hit the jump to see if any of these releases are worth a damn.

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With her new album on the way, eclectic singer-songwriter Macy Gray headlined the Origins Rocks Earth Month tonight at New York City’s Webster Hall, a free concert in celebration of Earth Month 2010 and Origins Earth Initiatives. Featuring opening sets from Ryan Star and Jon McLaughlin, the show featured Gray performing cuts off her forthcoming fifth album The Sellout, slated for release on June 22nd on Concord Music Group, as well as single and joints from her extensive oeuvre. Beginning around 8 P.M., the event included onlookers such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Scarlett Johansson, each of whom walked the green carpet as a line of people stretched down the block entered the venue in anticipation of the headliner’s act. With Juliette Lewis acting as master of ceremonies, the event clearly didn’t disappoint.

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Y’all like free stuff, right? We here at Showing Out do, too, and it brings us pleasure to present to you our first contest giveaway! And if you’ve been following the site for the past few months, you know that we have a thing for Erykah Badu’s new album New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh, which just hit stores a few weeks back. So you know we’re proud to bring you this contest in particular. Read on.

Universal Motown, GoodWoodNYC and ThinkTank Marketing have joined forces for a special venture to commemorate the release of Erykah Badu’s new album New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh. Fans will have the opportunity to win a custom “Erykah Badu Ankh” jewelry piece designed exclusively by the masterminds of GoodWoodNYC. The light wood custom Ankh measures slightly over 2 inches with a 30 inch long dark wood beaded chain. Only 50 custom Erykah Badu Ankhs were created for special online giveaways and will not be available for retail sale.

GoodWoodNYC specializes in custom rings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings. They utilize a variety of exotic woods including, Zebrawood, Bloodwood, Lacewood, Purple heart and Birch. All GoodWoodNYC designs are hand sanded, painted and lasered by designer and founder Kerri O’Connell along with a team of wood carving elves. For more information please visit: http://goodwoodnyc.com/

New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh is the fifth studio album from Grammy Award winning recording artist Erykah Badu. The album features production from 9th Wonder, J. Dilla, James Poyser and Madlib. For more information please visit: http://www.erykahbadu.com

We’ve got two of these pieces to give away. All you’ve got to do is send an e-mail to officialshowingout@gmail.com with your name and address by Sunday, April 25th at 5 P.M. and we’ll select winners at random. Good luck!

Following last week’s girthy batch of new joints, we’ve got another slow week with a few under-the-radar releases hitting shelves. On the contemporary R&B tip, soulstress Vivian Green returns from her five-year hiatus with Beautiful, while Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings takes it back to the golden days of soul with their new offering I Learned the Hard Way. And on the free jazz tip, Otis Jackson Jr., better known to the world as prolific beatsmith Madlib, drops off a new project under the band title Young Jazz Rebels dubbed Slave Riot. Hit the jump to get a closer look at this week’s new releases.

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Last night at New York City venue SOB’s, the Roc was definitely in the building. Performing to a sold-out crowd, Roc Nation’s own J. Cole ripped through cuts off his seminal mixtape The Warm Up and threw in a few surprises during his hourlong set, including guest appearances from Young Chris, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek to help out on a few of their collaborations with the freshman emcee. With a crowd packed into the venue tighter than a shrunken pair of skinny jeans, the show was a taste of bigger things to come for the rapper, who’s readying his Roc Nation debut for release later this year. Hit the jump to see what you missed at the performance.

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