New Yorks hardest working indie rapper Donny Goines just finished his debut album ‘Minute After Midnight’. Promoted with the help of internet bloggers and magazines, constantly on stages performing and already put out three videos (1, 2, 3) the hard working label is as far from being an exaggeration as Plies is from being the future of hip hop.

With such a late ‘08 release, I’m disappointed in all bloggers who’s already put out their best of ‘08 lists, because this deserves a place in it (that’s cool though, just remember to put in up in your ’09s). Lyrically fire and melodies mainstream hip hop have recklessly abandoned too early, let me elaborate…

Hottest intro I’ve heard in a good while, hard and with a purpose. High pitched strings carry on to the next track as well, ‘The Triumph’, nothing wrong with that though. Donny and the producers really have room to play here, which makes everything on it original, especially compared to hip hop today and that’s the real beauty of indie music. Donny brandishes his excellent energetic flow, especially in the songs early in the album. Then tones it down for the middle part of the album proving that he flows well on both levels. You might say some tracks go a little hard on the synths, but with lyrics like this it’s perfectly fine. Tell me if this makes sense, a lot of the instrumentals on this album are sudo-unoriginal. You can say they’re unoriginal, but then again, who’s done anything like this before? Sure, the beats become r’n'bish from time to time, but that’s only bad if it’s a headless 24′ rim flossing song which this album is so far from. Really cannot express how deftly Donny rhymes, everything’s just so meaningful, no filling, just him spilling his mind. I can pretty much sum up all the songs like this; flawless lyrics, flawless flow over beautiful melodies. Ends in the bittersweet song ‘Heaven is with you’, Donny sings straight from the heart about his prematurely-born son, Jesus. He dedicates it to anyone who has ever lost a child, a beautiful ending to a passionate emotion-filled album.

Best rap album of ‘08. This is hip-hop and that’s it. If there’s two albums this year I can put on repeat for two hours without getting bored, it’s this and ‘Los Angeles’. I really cannot say more than I’ve already said, listen to Donny, he has a lot on his mind.

Available through Amalgam Digital, officially out tomorrow, December 16th. Buy. Not just to support an indie artist, but because you are very likely to enjoy it as much as I did.

Favorite songs: Ghetto USA, I Am Moving, Can’t Fit In My Shoes, As the World Turns, Heaven Is With You.

Read also: SKD’s Unrelated Dialogue with Donny Goines.

This time around it was Detroit’s hardest working artist’s turn to get hit by questions that has nothing to do with his accomplishments in the music scene this year, or any previous year for that matter. Working his way to the top for 7 years as a producer/rapper and has now reached an epitome in his career with his latest LP, ‘Tronic’. I spoke with Black Milk in the anatomy of what is SKD’s notorious style of interviewing, an Unrelated Dialogue.

What was Black Milk’s first job?

A caddie, at this golf course… can’t think of the name of the golf course right now. Yea I was a Caddie, back in like eighth grade or some shit like that.

What did Black Milk want to be as he grew up?

When I was younger, you know, I was trying to get in the NBA. You know what I’m saying, I was a big athlete or whatnot. Always playing basketball, always on the team for where ever I was going to high school. Was in the AAU in the begining of high school and towards the end I started getting into music.

How many pairs of headphones have you owned?

I’ve probably went through about 15-20 pairs.

Do you remember your first pair?

First pair… I had some, think it was some AKGs or something like that.

Which album was better this year? Death of Adam or The Renaissance?

I have to say… probably… The Renaissance.

A couple of cats jumped up on stage during a play. I was performing in Amsterdam at some Splash festival or whatever. Jumped on stage, ran up to me and hugged me and the stage dived back into the crowd, crazy as hell. It’s actually on YouTube too.

Who’s the funniest person on earth according to Black Milk?

At this present time I’d say Will Ferrell.

Favorite jazz record?

John Abercrombie - Timeless (1974)

Best year so far in your life and why?

This year, ‘08, you know what i’m sayin’. Best music I’ve produced since I’ve been making it. And my favorite project out of all the projects I’ve dropped so, and I think I got the biggest response out of all the albums I’ve released. Yea, ‘08, my favorite year right now.

Be sure to cop ‘Tronic’ and be on the lookout for ‘Random Axe’ early ‘09.

Shouts to smokeYYY.

Eighth studio album by one of my favorite rappers of all time, Common. Best live hip hop artist and one of the most original, deftly rhymers of the art. Love all his albums and I always have a hard time thinking of which one of them I like best, yes, even Electric Circus. Electric Circus was amazing since it included the experimental Common (Star 69) and the down to earth Common (Come Close) in the same album.

With 7 out of 10 songs produced by the Neptunes, UMC is prematurely condemned to be compared to Electric Circus. Must I say, I was less than excited about this album at first, much because of the leaks; UMC, Punch Drunk Love & Announcement, all weak by commons standards. But I vastly enjoyed Electric Circus so I won’t judge.

And now for the judgement.

Starts out with Pharrell production on Pharrell production which did not put me in the mood for anything and topping it off with Kanye auto-tuning (vaguely, lucky us) on the end of  ’Punch Drunk Love’. But I survived it because both tracks are adequately well done production wise, gets repetitive, though catchy. Next up comes a track I really enjoyed, ‘Make My Day’ proves once again that Cee-Lo and Common goes together like peanut butter & chocolate (or sausage biscuit & grape jelly… it’s a southern thing… delicious) proven last time in ‘01 with ‘A Song for Assata’ and made into a nature law in ‘97 by ‘G.O.D’. Not often does it occur that I skip a song when listening to an album for the first time… but… ‘Sex 4 Sugar’ is officially the worst song in my iTunes at the moment.

Further we have songs that I would describe with nothing else than the two letters; OK, because that’s what they are. Not particularly good nor bad, with one exception that is; ‘Gladiator’ is actually very well produced. Hard hitting, raw but still keeps the essence of what (semi-unfortunately) has become contemporary hip-hop. Also refutes the statement made before about The Neptunes being the most overrated ever. They’re not. Just… overrated, but they can do great tunes if they try. What do I know? Other than that they have made tons of half-ass, mediocre, annoying beats which always gets loved by people (not people i acquaint with).

Commons weakest work yet, but the hope is still there because he recovered from ‘Electric Circus’ (even though it was awesome, though ‘Be’ was another dimension) so we might just see another ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ some day in the future. Consider buying if you liked ‘Electric Circus’. Buy if you like The Neptunes.

Good reviewers aren’t supposed to compare new work to old too much, but you do, so why shouldn’t I?

Favorite Songs: ‘Make My Day’ & ‘Gladiator’

Don’t let this straight fucked up video screw up this amazing song for you. Just see the beauty inside.

Buy Flying Lotus - Los Angeles, one of the gems of ‘08.

Was recollecting some Black Star the other day and came over a line;

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

For pop radio, jacked the beat to ‘Planet Rock’

Then suddenly, a thought struck me. It made me think of… something…

What was it again?

Oh, got it;

SAY WHAATT?! (waaaat)

Did Mos Def predict this almost 10 years before it happened? Has Common become as whack as described in the song above? How overrated is Pharrell’s producing, really? Is Amy Winehouse really a zombie (if so, does zombies like playing zombie games? Left 4 Dead?)?

These questions AND MORE can and will and is ONLY going to be answered on December 9th, 2008, in form of an official SKD review.

January 13, 2009

Review: Right here
Not much different, only a new cover (bad-ass) + a new interlude.

Went to see The Roots live…

The highlight of the show for me was ?uestlove doing his own cover version of Love Lockdown. As the band returned from a short intermission, ?uestlove went to the keyboard instead of the drums and started to play Love Lockdown, another member of the band then went to the drums and added the “heartbeat” drums, ?uesto then continued to sing Love Lockdown whilst shaking his neck and cheeks to give the effect of autotuner, and then they edited the pitch of his microphone to a much higher note and Black Thought was pissing himself with laughter. I can only hope that they record an official version and release it asap.

If it’s possible to make love to music, The Roots did it tonight.

Third video from Donny Goines debut album “Minute After Midnight”, out December 16th.

Also if you haven’t, check out SKDs Unrelated Dialogue with Donny.

You can now read your favorite blog (this one) by typing 9 letters less than you used to.

SKDblog.com

Lucky you, huh?

(SofaKingDiligent.com still works…)