Throat singing is considered something of a female pursuit in Inuit culture, but Nelson Tagoona has no qualms about incorporating the artform’s esophagus-expanding techniques into his beatboxing. Check out the above clip, then move onto this related performance, which took place this summer in front of one of Microkhan’s favorite architectural curiosities.
Entries Tagged as 'hip-hop'
The Mystery of Throatboxing
September 10th, 2012 · Comments Off on The Mystery of Throatboxing
Tags:architecture·beatboxing·Canada·hip-hop·Inuit·Iqaluit·music·Nelson Tagoona·throatboxing
There is Hope for Us Yet
May 21st, 2012 · Comments Off on There is Hope for Us Yet
Slammed this Monday on business-y stuff—primarily trying to find a new tenant for the old Harlem headquarters. (Anyone in the market for a two-bedroom in a historic neighborhood? Holler.) Back tomorrow with something thoughtful; in the meantime, revel in the fact that some great humor does, in fact, translate across disparate cultures. So heartwarming that […]
Make No Small Plans
December 30th, 2011 · Comments Off on Make No Small Plans
Thanks to all who patronized Microkhan this year, and hope you’ll stick around for the next 366 days (at least). Big plans for the forthcoming year, including some special longform projects, the revival of our long-lost “Bulletproof” series, and, of course, an increasing amount of clues and extras related to the next book. Stay with […]
Tags:Big Daddy Kane·hip-hop·music
An Appeal to the Rain Gods
September 7th, 2011 · Comments Off on An Appeal to the Rain Gods
Supposed to be taking Microkhan Jr. to his first major league baseball game today, an afternoon Yankees-Orioles tilt up in the Bronx, but the weather is looking ominous. I thus aim to curry favor with the rain gods by posting the song above from Max Tannone’s much-beloved Ghostfunk, recently highlighted on perennial podcast fave Fresh […]
The King Abides
August 16th, 2011 · 2 Comments
Plowing back into the book this morning, after losing all of yesterday to Microkhan Jr. duties. Really scrambling to get some work done before heading out to California this weekend, for an interview of the utmost importance. In my brief absence, please check out the latest live mix from DJ Assault, one of the most […]
Tags:Detroit·DJ Assault·hip-hop·music·techno
A Light from Njoro
June 13th, 2011 · 1 Comment
Revising the latest Wired opus all day, then segueing into some hardcore packing for Queens. And so I give you one of the best Biggie remixes of recent vintage, which first crossed my ears last night courtesy of the always-on folks at WEFUNK. While you’re listening, give this update on the fight against Ug99 a […]
Tags:hip-hop·music·Notorious B.I.G.·Ug99
Under Pressure
June 1st, 2011 · 3 Comments
http://youtu.be/bDT8OOkS_dc?t=4s First time in forever that I have, quite literally, 27 hours to turn a C+ Wired story into an A-. Not sure I have what it takes, especially since this lede ain’t even close to humming, but I owe the good folks in San Francisco my best shot. Back to y’all once the tale […]
Over the Bridge
April 29th, 2011 · Comments Off on Over the Bridge
Have a date with the American bureaucracy this morning, so zipping out with a lil’ vintage Turkish funk. First got turned on to the tune above by a sample from Action Bronson’s decidedly NSFW “The Madness”, which I initially mistook for a new Ghostface cut. Not sure I’m tempted to sift through Ferdi Özbğen‘s entire […]
Tags:Ferdi Özbğen·hip-hop·Madlib·music·Turkey
Let’s Talk About Jesse
March 31st, 2011 · 1 Comment
Flying home today on a supreme reporting high, one that will surely wear off as soon as I realize I now have to write the damn piece. Back tomorrow, after a night catching up with Microkhan Jr., the Grand Empress, and five dozen pressing emails. ‘Til then, enjoy some political music from the ’84 election—certainly […]
Tags:Bobby Goodman·Grandmaster Melle Mel·hip-hop·Jesse Jackson·music
Dreaming in the Trenches
February 23rd, 2011 · Comments Off on Dreaming in the Trenches
From the 1915 paper that first legitimized the scientific study of combat-related trauma, Charles Samuel Myers’ “A Contribution to the Study of Shell Shock”: Dec. 27th–While in hypnosis he gives the name of hte man in the same trench with him as K. He “sees” very clearly the position of the trenches, their shallowness and […]
Tags:Achilles in Vietnam·books·hip-hop·MF Doom·music·psychology·PTSD·Vietnam War·World War I
Avoiding the Dreaded Shoelace Belt
February 14th, 2011 · Comments Off on Avoiding the Dreaded Shoelace Belt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lHwQa68HIo&feature=player_embedded#at=262 This is gonna be a rough week, as we’re solely in charge of Microkhan Jr. while the Grand Empress is off doing her thing in Vega$. The good news is that, with the aid of several Yuenglings last night, I believe that I’ve been able to reset my internal clock to deal with the […]
Caught in the Grip
February 10th, 2011 · Comments Off on Caught in the Grip
Deadline day here at Microkhan headquarters, so please make do with some downbeat Canadian dream pop for now. Listen closely for a moment that obviously made a big impact on Dan the Automator, seeing as how he copped it for a Deltron 3030 chorus.
Tags:Dan the Automator·Deltron 3030·hip-hop·music·The Poppy Family
Crumbs on the Table
January 11th, 2011 · 2 Comments
Running late on a monthly deadline, plus putting the finishing touches on the soon-to-drop Jazz Age yarn. Back tomorrow with some commentary on gang life in Port Moresby. Or perhaps some commentary on the mystery of Ma Anand Sheela.
“The Juice Come Thicker Than Sunny Delight”
December 1st, 2010 · 1 Comment
Putting the finishing touches on a soon-to-be-revealed major project this morning, so just a quick slice of sonic grandeur to get your day started. Laugh if you must at this band’s name, but rest assured that many of the finest minds in hip-hop history can see beyond the cheesy psychedelic moniker. The Electric Prunes’ “General […]
Tags:Black Moon·David Axelrod·hip-hop·Madlib·music·The Beatnuts·The Electric Prunes
“Just Sweat Me Like Moneypenny”
November 5th, 2010 · Comments Off on “Just Sweat Me Like Moneypenny”
Major projects and chores all piled up today, so please sustain yourself on one of the few songs in music history to explore the sexual tension that existed between James Bond and M’s secretary. Saucy.
Tags:A Tribe Called Quest·hip-hop·James Bond·Miss Moneypenny·music
This is What Underrated Looks Like
September 24th, 2010 · 4 Comments
While drinking my birthday bottle of Lucky 13 the other night, the Chubb Rock classic above suddenly came over loud-and-clear on the latest WeFunk show. It reminded me how this heavyset artist rarely disappoints, especially when cuts from his golden age waft across the sonic transom. But perhaps what’s most impressive about Rock is his […]
Tags:Chubb Rock·creativity·hip-hop·music
Landing on Planet Mercury
August 31st, 2010 · 2 Comments
Unlike everyone’s favorite intergalactic MC, I am not bio-enhanced. And that means I must occasionally steal a day to focus on a single project, rather than multitasking as if I’d been blessed with multiple brains. Today is such a day, which means no meaningful Microkhaning ’til after the next sunrise. Apologies, and hope y’all understand. […]
The Way Back
August 16th, 2010 · Comments Off on The Way Back
Back to world headquarters today, via the skies. Many thanks to the Grand Empress for the excellent packing job.
In Transit
August 10th, 2010 · 6 Comments
Nose and Grindstone
July 12th, 2010 · Comments Off on Nose and Grindstone
As we pound away at day-job matters this afternoon, please take a moment to enjoy our favorite X-Clan track above. We’ve taken the liberty of fast-forwarding past the esoteric sermon that precedes the actual music. But if you’d like to learn more about the concept of, er, “white kryptonite,” by all means, please rewind.
The Sons of Gumby
May 25th, 2010 · Comments Off on The Sons of Gumby
Our beloved WEFUNK just celebrated its 600th show in grand fashion, with sets dedicated to late ’60s soul, Clinton-era hip-hop, and the fine art of locking. Given the show’s Montreal base, they also couldn’t help but throw some north-of-the-border rap into the mix, including the gem above from DJ Format (whose British by birth) and […]
Beyond Bulgarian Metal
May 19th, 2010 · 3 Comments
In discussing Bulgaria’s long and healthy tradition of heavy metal last week, we briefly lampooned the first act that popped up when we Googled “Bulgarian hip-hop”—a buffoonish rapper named Ustata. As fate would have it, a Bulgarian reader chimed in to gently upbraid us for highlighting her nation’s most embarrassingly awful MC: I’m amused that […]
Angels With Dirty Faces
May 11th, 2010 · Comments Off on Angels With Dirty Faces
We were gonna hit you with another Bulletproof Project entry this afternoon, but paying gigs and prior commitments have conspired against us. The next few hours are all about writing FOIA requests and researching an upcoming “Mr. Know-It-All” column for Wired, before we bolt downtown for an evening of industrial design, Pakistani food, and Cavs-Celtics. […]
Representing the +95
May 5th, 2010 · Comments Off on Representing the +95
The sitter’s deathly ill and the Grand Empress is at JFK picking up a shipment of lacey undergarments (slightly NSFW), so Microkhan Jr. is our sole responsibility ’til his afternoon playdate. That means no time for words o’ wisdom this morning, an announcement we make with heavy hearts. Hope to get back to y’all once […]
Once More Into the Maw
April 29th, 2010 · Comments Off on Once More Into the Maw
Apologies, but gotta check out early today—we’re back on the WIRED beat, ironing out the kinks in our addiction yarn. Back in the a.m. with some more of the good stuff; in the meantime, hey, puppets and Madlib’s helium-throated alter ego.
Faking the Crates
April 27th, 2010 · 2 Comments
Hewing to that most time-honored of journalistic axioms—”Two equals trend”—we’d like to declare that we’re living in the era of the ersatz sample. Way back when, we were introduced to a whole host of R&B classics by reading the liner notes of various hip-hop albums. (We discussed, for example, how Dr. Dre led us into […]
The Method of a Master (Cont’d)
April 14th, 2010 · 3 Comments
Something sorta major just came up, so we need to check out for the afternoon. Apologies, but fear not—we’ll be back strong tomorrow, bringing you nothing but the finest handpicked information. For now, though, please indulge our recent fascination with The RZA’s creative process by checking out this 1999 interview with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. As […]
Tags:creativity·Ghost Dog·hip-hop·Jim Jarmusch·movies·music·RZA·Wu-Tang
The Method of a Master
April 14th, 2010 · 2 Comments
More downtown meetings this morning, so we’ll have to circle back to you in a few hours. In the meantime, please ponder some words of wisdom from one of Microkhan’s all-time favorite artists, The RZA. He shared the following insight with the great Stop Smiling back in 2006: RZA: I’m going to tell you a […]