Potholes In My Blog » Features

Some Tips to Surviving The 2013 Soundset Festival

Oz — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:21:16 +0000

This year’s Soundset Festival is a few days away and as someone who partied the night before, didn’t eat enough and missed a crucial interview last year, I did not have the best experience possible. It was an amazing day, but it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Because we are so kind at Potholes, we thought it would be great to have our friends give you a few tips on how to enjoy the day comfortably instead of having the little things bother you. We managed to gather a Soundset host, performer, a current and former Rhymesayers employee and an attendee (myself) to give you the most important tips to survive this year’s Soundset.

Click below to begin reading.

A Comprehensive Guide to Earl Sweatshirt’s ‘Doris’

Andrew Martin — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:15 +0000

Without a doubt, Earl Sweatshirt’s proper debut album, Doris, is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. That is, of course, if it drops this year. We’re confident, though, as the 19-year-old Odd Future rapper has made it clear that the album is indeed finished. On Dec. 31, he hinted at its near completion with a tweet about how all he need was some vocals from Frank Ocean and it would be a wrap. Then, on Jan. 12, he revealed that the only step left was the mixing process, which he said should only take about a week or so.

So as we wait patiently to hear something new—it feels like forever since his noir-ish “Chum” video dropped—we have put together a comprehensive guide to Doris. We will update this page as frequently as possible to deliver any and all information associated with the album, including pre-order links, revealed guest features, and everything in between.

Navigate through the pages below.

A Comprehensive Guide to Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’

Potholes Blog — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:23:33 +0000

In case you weren’t aware, one of the biggest albums of the year is due out in a less than a month’s time. That’s Kanye West’s sixth full-length, Yeezus. It’s his first since 2010′s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, one of that year’s finest albums without question. Since then, he has remained busy touring and recording with Jay-Z as The Throne, putting together material with his G.O.O.D. Music team, and keeping up with a family that shall remain nameless.

And as a means of making sure you (the reader) is up on everything surrounding Kanye and his next opus, Yeezus, we have put together our latest comprehensive album guide. We will update this as much as possible and hopefully flesh it out even more in the coming weeks. The project drops June 18, after all, so new information has to be ready to hit the web.

Navigate through the guide below.

The Pairing: 6 Albums And 6 Beers That Go Well Together (May)

David Reyneke — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:57:00 +0000

Since our last pairing, a number of fantastic releases have hit the shelves. A highly anticipated Daft Punk album, a stunning Vampire Weekend full-length, and perhaps the finest 2013 free release thus far in Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap, are just some of the releases we considered. And we such a refreshing month of music upon us, we took it upon ourselves to pair said albums with equally tasty brews.

And, just like last time, feel free to add any of your own pairings in the comments section below.

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The 12 Best Rawkus Records Albums

Potholes Blog — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:16:32 +0000

As part of our ongoing look at the release history of some of our favorite labels, we jumped headfirst into the albums and compilations that dropped during Rawkus Records’ two-part tenure. From 1996-2002, the label helped push some of the finest talent in the New York rap scene with a strongly independent ethos. While damn near everyone else was busy trying to fit into the Jiggy Era, the Rawkus roster stuck to their boom-bap-infused guns and pushed the genre’s boundaries with raw and often innovative albums.

Although Rawkus would partially dissolve in the ensuing years, it had a resurgence of sorts after signing then-burgeoning acts like the Procussions, Kidz In The Hall, Panacea, and Blue Scholars. The rebirth was short-lived, however, and the label fizzled following its IODA-backed “Rawkus 50″ project. Despite these issues and ill will from certain previously signed artists, Rawkus was still the home of a host of gifted artists and, most importantly, some of their best work.

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5 Hip-Hop Acts You Need To Know (May 2013)

Potholes Blog — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:00:40 +0000

As anyone who traverses the blogosphere knows full well, it can be difficult to keep up with every.single.thing posted online. Hell, we’re even guilty of falling out of touch with some artists we truly enjoy by virtue of trying to keep up with everything we can to keep y’all interested and engaged. With that in mind, we decided to come up with this new feature highlighting five hip-hop acts you need to know.

Chances are you might know one or two of these acts already, but maybe they have fallen by your listening habits wayside. Or perhaps you forgot just how much you loved one of their projects and will subsequently revisit their discography. Or, better yet, you’ll be introduced to your new favorite artist. Whatever happens, let us know, and we hope you enjoy this new feature.

Navigate through the pages below.

Nothing Is Absolute In My Head: An Interview With Evenings

Stephen Weil — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:31:55 +0000

In 2010, the Charlottesville, Va. native Nathan Broaddus started putting songs up on the internet using the name “Evenings”. Broaddus was writing and recording these songs in University of Virginia housing, and giving the music away for free without much fanfare. Despite these relatively humble origins, those dusky, reflective early tracks (released as the North Dorm EP) understandably turned a lot of heads. 2011 brought a second set of songs called Lately, and last month the L.A.-based label Friends of Friends released Yore, a full-length Evenings collection drawing heavily from those two college-era releases.

Following a stint in New York City after graduation, the twenty-two-year-old Broaddus is currently at work on new music and back in the Charlottesville area, only a few miles from the hospital where he was born. I spoke with Broaddus (who comes across just as thoughtful and sweet-natured as his music) by phone, as he was gearing up to head out to L.A. for the official Yore record release. We spoke about his experiences at UVA, the recording of North Dorm and Lately, and some of his plans for the future.

Click below to begin reading the interview.

A Comprehensive Guide to Danny Brown’s ‘Old’

Andrew Martin — Sat, 04 May 2013 16:12:21 +0000

When we put together our list of the most anticipated albums of 2013, there were two that easily stood out. We’ve already written about one of them extensively—Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris—and it’s now time to give some love to the LP that actually topped the list. That’s Danny Brown’s new full-length, Old, formerly titled ODB. It’s his first solo release since his break-out album, 2011′s fantastic XXX, and we couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of new music from the Detroit spitter this year.

We don’t know of a release date for the album or anything like that just yet, but we have gathered quite a bit of information about Old since it was announced. Brown has made it clear repeatedly that it’s “coming soon,” though, which leaves us hopeful that we’ll hear it by the summer at the latest. We’ll see, but for now, here’s our comprehensive guide to Old.

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Music Will Choose You: An Interview With Shabazz Palaces

Oz — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:02:59 +0000

Seattle, Sub Pop, Digable Planets, childhood, musical process and much more. There are a lot of things discussed in my conversation with the Seattle’s Shabazz Palaces. The duo of Ishmael Butler and Tendai Maraire have released some of the finest (and beyond-critically acclaimed) hip-hop works of the past few years. Their full-length debut, 2011′s Black Up, remains in our rotation here at Potholes and just so happened to top plenty of year-end lists.

And while they were in Toronto with label mates THEESatisfaction for their recent tour, I had the chance to chat with these two focused men. Check it out, learn something, and be on the lookout for what they have in store for us… and what Ish’ has in store for Digable Planets soon.

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16 Awesome Action Bronson Illustrations

Andrew Martin — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:06:05 +0000

As you have likely noticed, we don’t only love music here at Potholes. We have a strong affinity for artwork of all kinds, too, including when some of our favorite artists get illustrated by their loyal fans. Previously, we brought you a gallery of pieces inspired by always-animated Detroit rapper Danny Brown. And this time, we scoured the web for illustrations of another one of our favorite MCs: the awesomely bearded Action Bronson. The Flushing, Queens native has shown love to artists on his Instagram account while also releasing some projects with killer art in their own right. So grab your G Pen (or not!) and enjoy these rad depictions of Bronson.