Just because.

I once told Sulaiman that I wanted to find the art that was on the walls in that scene of Belly (by Thierry le Goues) and suggested he use it for (RDV7). I’m big on art and the walls of my apartment have always been lined with it. He delivered immaculately. The talent on the Blind I staff never ceases to amaze me. Our imaginations are all over the place.  For this volume, Noah asked me the usual, “What do you want the cover to look like?” I responded with my usual abstract (albeit unhelpful) explanation of what I had in mind.  It went something like this.

Me: Ummm this is what I’m thinking (Shows a classic photo of Kate Moss smoking a cigarette). I like the idea of a beautiful woman smoking a cigarette. Probably because I want someone to take an edgy picture of me with a cigarette. Even though I don’t smoke.  (Shows photo of Naomi Campbell naked pointing a gun at the camera). Like a good girl gone bad vibe.
No: I feel you. Let me look at all of these pics. I’m in full agreement with having titties on the covers of RDV now. I’m glad Pam Grier was the first.
Me: Well… it’s not about the titties, Noah. More like raw sexuality and strength, you know?
No: Yeah…All that. And titites!

The one we ended up with was the first image I sent to Noah. And I love the way he flipped it! If you’ve noticed, we’ve posted less and less of these compilations. It’s not because we don’t love them or don’t care. We just want to adhere to our mantra of quality over quantity and allow you to really spend time with each one.  It’s always a joy for me to highlight artists that are friends of mine on here and this month there are several.  Hopefully you enjoy this one! Tracks/links after the jump.

MAIYA PRESENTS RENDEZVOUS VOL.15 [DOWNLOAD]

Undun drops before the year is out. Illadelph’s finest is still making incredible music, you gotta love it!

It’s been a minute, but now I’m back in it. Truthfully, I went away from the compilation game for selfish reasons. If you’ve browsed around Blind I in the past year or so, you’ll know that I do my artistic thing. The deeper I got into my craft, I found myself with less & less time to check out new artists. But your hunger was strong for a staple that we’ve been known for since 2006, and we weren’t about to let that just drop so quickly. So I decided to smack myself in the face a few hundred times, sift through some of the wack new developments in this hip-hop shit, some of the over-saturated others, and give you guys a cool crop of fresh records encompassed in my NEW compilation continuation – Vanguard. So from here on out, only shit I’m fucking with in the flesh will make this comp. If it’s short, you know why. If you got dope shit, keep sending it. You too may very well be a part of the Vanguard moment in music. For my inaugural piece, I’ve got features from legends DJ Premier, Nas, Common, and The Roots…..some new-age heavyweights like Black Milk, Thom Yorke, DOOM, Pac Div, Asher Roth, Freddie Gibbs and Big K.R.I.T….and dope newcomers like Casey Veggies, YP, Rockie Fresh, Chance the Rapper, D2G, Vic Spencer, Schoolboy Q, ASAP Rocky, L.E.P. Bogus Boys, Mathien and yours truly. The future is now…partake!

[DOWNLOAD Vanguard:Novem]
Track listing after the jump.

Mndsgn-Hernumerxledge

I can’t believe I have done 13 of these compilations already! 13 is actually my lucky number, so it makes sense that this one is one of my favorites among the recent volumes I’ve put together.  Let’s get lucky together. All you have to do is give it a gander and let me know what you think! P.S., whenever I check the download count for these and see hundreds and hundreds, it really makes me smile. I’m glad you appreciate my musical aesthetic.  Tracks and links next door. Enjoy. Give me a shout and let me know what you think!

DOWNLOAD MAIYA PRESENTS…RENDEZVOUS VOL. 13 [DOWNLOAD]

Hennessy: the ‘Art of Blending’ documentary, a 30 minute compilation of electric performances, and 1:1 interviews. Hennessy mixed old school and new school at a once-in-a-lifetime event – bringing together musical icons including Chaka Khan, Q-Tip, Mary J Blige, The Roots, Eve, Bobby Brown, Ron Isley and Erykah Badu.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

‘Art of Blending’ is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Thibaut De Longeville, best known for his documentary about sneaker culture, ‘Just For Kicks.’

The film will premiere on Hennessy’s Facebook (www.hennessy.com/aob) TODAY, Thursday, June 30th from 5pm EST.

So this was an idea I had back in 2007. $ even made me a cover & everything & I never put it out. I decided to pull from that & make this to give y’all for this months edition of NKD, thus we going back in time, to a place where I was coming up as a MC I bumped the schitt outta everything on this edition. Broken tape decks & everythang! This past Saturday I was up @ my DJ W1shOne’s Audio Playground all day working on a mix of this for y’all but was not able to complete it the way I wanted to within such a short time, thus, expect a mix with songs that are not on this to be intertwined with some of these songs & more a lil down the road this year. Ill drop it randomly so stay TUNEd for that. Until then, go inside my mind/ears & enjoy some NOstalgia.

TL & DL after the after…

NO KNOWS DOPE | NO KNOWS NOSTALGIA | MAY 20XI | DOWNLOAD

Download audio file (Jazzolude-2.mp3)
 

I couldn’t really figure out the tone I wanted this volume of Rendezvous to have. So it was fitting when Noah sent me the cover artwork and it looked like braille or an encryption you have to decode.  However, after playing the songs in this one, I have to say it’s one of my favorites I’ve done in a while. Songs like “Manifestations” aren’t conventionally “sexy” but to me there’s something sultry about them. These mixes in general are like a trip inside our minds and what moves us each. Not sure why exactly, but somehow this fits nicely. Tracks/links after the jump. Enjoy.

MAIYA PRESENTS…RENDEZVOUS VOL. 12 [DOWNLOAD]

Sup my people! Sorry for the delay on this one, I was in the lab cooking up a nice mix for you. Got alot of goodies on this Meezy Listening, it definitely rides nice. A nice mix to bring in the spring time with a bang! So enough of the small talk, lets get to the Music!! TL and DL on the other side! Enjoy!

MEEZY LISTENING VOL 18 [DOWNLOAD]
Catch up on ones you missed [MEEZY LISTENIN DISCOGRAPHY]

Despite the fact that most of the country is still dressed in boots and coats, spring has arrived. It’s a time for physical, mental and audible rejuvenation.  These songs make me feel like I’m inhaling a breath of fresh air, so I decided to share them with you.  You have no idea how much I enjoy putting these together each month. Blind I faithfuls keep us going. Enjoy.

MAIYA PRESENTS…SPRING SOUNDS-[DOWNLOAD]