Napoleon Wright II has released his debut album, “Home” and made it available for download. The mutlti-talented artist from Raleigh, NC wrote and produced the majority of the project. The album features Von Pea from well known hip-hop group, Tanya Morgan, and Charlie Smarts and Tab-One of Kooley High.

Download “Home” by Napoleon Wright II.

As part of their “Value Menu Tour”,  Rapper Big Pooh and group Tanya Morgan made a stop at San Francisco’s 330 Ritch last night. Performing in front of an enthusiastic crowd, Pooh, joined by Hall Of Justus cohort Chaundon, performed records from his solo projects “Sleepers” & “The Purple Tape” as well as classics from Little Brother’s “Listening” & “The Minstrel Show.”

Not to be outdone, Donwill and Von Pea, better known as Tanya Morgan, took to the stage with a medley of tracks from their renowned 2009 album “Brooklynati” and their respective solo albums “Don Cusack In High Fidelity” and “Pea’s Gotta Have It.”

The tour makes a stop in Sacramento, CA tonight so, if you’re in the area, check them out – Jonathan Crisp

http://www.vimeo.com/18791636

Up and coming Oakland native Mara Hruby releases “Is This Love” —her rendition of the Bob Marley classic tune—off her debut EP, “From Her Eyes.” The video, directed by NYC Director, Slick Jackson, finds Mara taking an intimate tour of destinations throughout New York City.

On the EP, she covers selections from some of her favorite male artists like the aforementioned Marley, Mos Def, Andre 3000 and Van Hunt. It took 9 months to complete the project, of which Hruby arranged and engineered some of the songs.

Want to hear more of Mara Hruby? Download “From Her Eyes” at marahruby.com.

- Jonathan Crisp

http://www.vimeo.com/18493067

After releasing his debut studio album “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here” for free on the web, Mississippi rapper, Big K.R.I.T. (King Remembered In Time) gained quite the popularity. After landing features on Curren$y’s “Pilot Talk” album as well as Wiz Khalifa’s popular mixtape, “Kush & Orange Juice;” he was talked into visiting San Francisco, CA’s Different Fur Studios to record with the Bay Area group, Grillade. What was born from that visit, is now known as “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here: The Grillade Sessions EP.” In the first offering from the EP, “Neva Go Back,” K.R.I.T recalls the days of his younger years and his love for Grandma Linnie. Listen – Jonathan Crisp

Washington D.C. producer/emcee Oddisee decided to open 2011 with a collection of songs that he either produced or was featured on in 2010. The compilation features a host of artists such as Olivier Daysoul, Homeboy Sandman, Andreya Triana, Keziah, Eric Lau, Diamond District and many more so, click download while the compilation is still free.  After the 1,000th download, you’ll have to make a purchase if you want to own this treasure. — Jonathan Crisp

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Earlier this year in June, the “Label Love”  compilation was born. It is a project that consists of records that were handpicked by heads of labels such as Tru Thoughts, Plug Research, Ubiquity Records and more. This week, they’ve returned with Vol. 2. featuring work from the aforementioned labels as well as One-Handed, Melting Pot and Ninja Tune. “Label Love Vol. 2″ is yet another eclectic mix of good music from artists like Sonnymoon, Paul White and SubCentric favorite, Bilal. —Jonathan Crisp

Christmas is just around the corner and San Francisco based group Grillade has beat Old St. Nick to the punch—in the form of a cover of Soul Duo’s 1969 song “Just A Sad Christmas”. While Christmas is typically a time for joy and merrymaking, Grillade vocalist Ragen Fykes offers insight as to why the group dusted this vintage record off and made it their own.

“Sad Christmas embod­ies the soul of Christmas now. It has meat, it has bite. It reflects on the vast major­ity that are shad­owed by Jingle Bells. Not every­body is stand­ing under the mistle­toe this year, not every­one is hav­ing a Holly Jolly Christmas. Its The christ­mas song you would never hear, but should hear. It offers a musi­cal release from Grillade, for those in need. Tis the season.”

Grillade “Just a Sad Christmas”

“Sad Christmas” is the group’s first official release. It is being giving away as a free download but it also available on digital retaliers like Amazon and iTunes for purchase. — Jonathan Crisp

Fresh off the release of her debut album, “Lost Where I Belong”, singer Andreya Triana has taken the world by storm. Shortly after the US release of the project in August, the singer announced she would be touring the states with her album’s producer Bonobo. Andreya’s work has be met with critical acclaim and her performances have been nothing short of magnificent. Her recent show at Mezzanine in San Francisco’s SoMa district brought in a packed house. Check out the video for “A Town Called Obsolete” below and check out photos from her San Francisco performance.—Jonathan Crisp

http://www.vimeo.com/12422285

Photos by Jonathan Crisp

http://www.vimeo.com/16915701

Once in a while there comes a group that just has a look and a sound that separates them from all the rest. Grillade (pronounced gree-yahd) is such group. Hailing from San Francisco, CA, they personify a sexy, sultry and smooth sound that is bound to make you unknowingly tap your foot to the beat as you sip your coffee, read the newspaper or even as you do a little cleaning.

“Dream Of You (Emotionally Yours)” is the first official video from the group. Produced by French Press Films, the video features guest appearances by Donwill and Von Pea of the hip-hop group, Tanya Morgan. Below, you can take a peek at a live performance of their song “Remain The Same”. – Jonathan Crisp

http://www.vimeo.com/10795281

Mar is back again with another “Mar Variation.” In the second installment of the series, Mar covers “1st Session” by emcee and producer Louis Bordeaux of the Netherlands. Mar previously recorded his own “variation” of Lil Wayne’s “Single” from the mixtape, “No Ceilings”. Check it out and SOUND OFF in the comments below— Jonathan Crisp