Ever since Baauer’s catchy electronic dance tune “Harlem Shake” turned into this insane do-it-yourself phenomenon, there have been 4000 versions of the video uploaded every day. Four Thousand! All following the same formula…intro music with one guy pelvic thrusting while the rest of the room ignores him, then when the beat drops, cut to a chaotic scene where everyone is dancing and raving. And done. Youtube views smorgasbord! There’s a Firefighter Harlem Shake, and a Today Show Harlem Shake, and countless college Harlem Shakes, office Harlem Shakes, porn star Harlem Shakes, even the Hot97 in-studio Harlem Shake…

You know the only thing missing from the Harlem Shake videos? Actual Harlem Shaking.
Oh yeah…remember that little wobbly dance craze that was all the rage in the early 2000′s when it appeared in various Bad Boy music videos? One of the few dance fads that was best done by kids under the age of 16. Something about loose connective tissue perhaps.

Well, the Baauer song and viral meme is not about that Harlem dance. Sorry G.Dep.
And when Shlepp Films went to Harlem to see if the streets are “con los terroristas” with the rest of the “Harlem Shake” fanatics….the answer was a big fat no.

Well…actually, lol.
To be fair…I’m pretty sure there are more kids in Harlem dancing around in spirit hoods and “air humping” to the EDM “Harlem Shake” than there are kids doing the Harlem “Harlem Shake” in 2013…but it would be great to see someone tackle a hybrid-homage video to both past and present dance crazes. DO IT!

Until then….Let’s compare the Porn Star “Harlem Shake” to the Bad Boy “Harlem Shake”…
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Heeee’s Back!
I live my friend Theophilus London‘s life vicariously through the internets. Sometimes he’s hanging in Paris with Kanye at Virgil Abloh’s Pyrex x Colette Pop-up. Then he’s Karl Lagerfeld’s special guest at the Chanel runway show (dressed in a 3/4 length green python tweed Chanel jacket, of course). And there’s late night cabarets with vapid models and funky old rich dudes… Or studio sessions with the faces of the cool cartels, like Solange Knowles, Matthew Williams, Aaron Bondaroff et al. But don’t let the felt hats and photo shoots fool you, Theo keeps his humor and his friendliness at all times, and he’s got new music cooking to boot!

Theophilus has been living in Paris (and working on his français), recording a follow up to Lover’s Holiday and Timez Are Weird These Days. And he’s already teamed up with lots of diverse talents, everyone from electro producers like Club Cheval, Brodinski, and Gesaffelstein…to Afro-soul artists like Thomas Brenneck of The Menahan Street Band and Budos Band.

In the meantime though….
Theo blessed us with a remix of Rihanna’s “Jump” that he did with Club Cheval that we love!
Listen to the exclusive…After the jump!
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(ASAP Yams, a very wavy Harlem sherpa, with ASAP Rocky and more)

Those who have seen how ASAP Rocky‘s music family moves are quick to notice a few things…1) The ASAP crew dynamic is family-like both in camaraderie and in conflict resolution. Translation, if you happen to see a fight, it might just be ASAP on ASAP violence, lol. But as quickly as it flares up, it’s squashed and addressed. 2) There are elder statesmen in the group who may not hold mics, but are just as crucial to the esthetic, the vision and the direction of ASAP as the stars. One of these behind-the-scenes leaders is Harlem veteran ASAP Yams, one of the executive producers of Rocky’s Long Live ASAP album.
Yams has been an ubiquitous presence in multiple Harlem movements, so it’s nice to see him profiled on the New York Times website…Even when I first wrote about Rocky’s “Peso” video, I was thrilled to see a new generation of dapper dans carrying on the tradition of Harlem over the top peacocking. And Yams is one of the OGs connecting the dots between 80′s don divas, 90′s Lo-heads, Dipset Taliban style, and modern-day “fashion killas.”

Watch ASAP Yams discuss his own inspirations and his role in the ASAP global takeover…
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(Solange Knowles, via Dazed)

Brandy album cuts aren’t the only essentials for Solange. Taking center stage at London’s XOYO last night (Jan. 17), the rejuvenated R&B songstress teamed with Oliver Sim, of one of our favorite indie pop outfits The xx, to treat the crowd to a gorgeous rendition of Nicole Wray’s Timbaland-produced “Make It Hot,” a cut from her one and only 1998 album of the same name. And just to add that alt-edge to what was a very mainstream urban song, cue hazy black-and-white footage. Works though.

Compare Solange and Oliver Sim’s rendition…
With the O.G. Nicole Wray x Timbaland classic…
after the jump…
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The Thursday after the New Year holiday break is no easy day, lol…but there’s just one more ’til the first weekend of the year. So buck up, shorties. If you’ve already checked your instagram “news” for the 3rd time this hour (nothing has changed!), and you’re wondering what you’re going to make for breakfast (on Saturday)….then you need to get up, walk around, crack your neck, drink some water, and take a short brain break.
Here’s a short video of Miguel singing at the offices of National Public Radio. The clip dropped earlier this week…but it’s the perfect intermission before you lock back into whatever you’re doing for a productive pm; )

Watch Miguel sing “Do You,” “The Thrill,” and “Adorn.”
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Miss Info: 2012 was notable for the way we vicariously experienced the bleak numbness of Chicago’s GBE gang babies, and the way our idea of what guys can and can’t wear changed via Harlem’s ASAP dandies, and the reinvented sound of the Compton Boyz in the Hood…but in addition to those stories, there were others brewing, biding their time.
In 2013, those crews will make their move. Bodega Bamz and the Tan Boyz will add their chapter to the Nuyorican tradition of The Beatnuts and Terror Squad etc. And Phony Ppl, an eclectic crew of kids from Brooklyn, will convert fans by making instruments as vital to their act as lyrics. We’ve seen how fast image and a hook can blow up a “star,” but you gotta think that after the buzz, studying the craft is the only thing that will sustain you, right?
After seeing Phony Ppl perform as a collective, and getting raves from Plain Pat and Theophilus London etc, I can’t wait to see what they do next! The crew is already repped by agent Cara Lewis (Kanye West), and will be joining The Roots and Erykah Badu on tour this spring.

Check out Phony Ppl’s new video “Statues”, and stream their full album Nothing Special ….
And tell me what you think…
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Taking a break from promoting his sophomore album, Big Boi gets into the holiday spirit with Noisey by reciting the full version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The Outkast member cracks open the book and gets cozy in a comfy chair as he reads the Dr. Seuss classic. At one point, Big Boi adds his touch to the story by rapping portions of it.

You can purchase Big Boi’s Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors album on iTunes now.

Listen up after the jump……

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With the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in all of our thoughts, Mike Posner pens a tribute to those lost in the horrific tragedy. Titled “Heaven,” the singer/songwriter offers an acoustic track in which he wants listeners to try and stay positive in a such a dark moment. He explains “I wanted to do SOMETHING for the victims’ families. I wrote this song because I didn’t know what else to do.”

The Detroit-native felt he with the position he’s been put by the man above that he had to share his thoughts through music. “Today makes no sense…God has blessed me with this gift and it felt wrong not to share it. I hope this song finds its way to proper ears.”

Listen to “Heaven” below…..

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I’m already a big fan of this new electronic soul crew from East London, Rudimental. This latest track of their upcoming self-titled debut album is more vintage house-like than the previous, “Feel The Love” and “Not Giving In,” but still sophisticated. And just like fellow NYC female emcee Azealia Banks before her, Angel Haze already has an early-adopting enthusiastic fan base in the UK…making her a ripe recruit as the “Hell Could Freeze” guest emcee.

If you haven’t watched the previously released “Feel the Love” and “Not Giving In” videos…Do it now. They’re incredible. Two of my favorite releases of 2012 (although, “Feel the Love” might even have come out in 2011).

Check out the new Rudimental x Angel Haze “Hell Could Freeze”,
After the jump
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When you first heard Rihanna’s lead-off Unapologetic single “Diamonds,” perhaps you wondered…hmm, Rihanna sounds a bit different here, especially around the hook area. Maybe it reminded you of LDR, or Yukimi….or if your ear was especially sharp, Australian pop singer/songwriter Sia…because Sia wrote the song, and clearly referenced it for Riri. Even if you don’t recognize Sia by face or name, you’ve heard her plaintive killer voice on those huge songs that play in Vegas dance clubs or on Gray’s Anatomy etc. I loved her tearjerker “My Love” on the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack too. (yup. owning that one)

So at the recent Norwegian-American Achievement Awards, Sia sang a stripped down, ballad-version of “Diamonds”….and murdered it.

Watch the video,
After the jump…
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