First off apologies for the brief hiatus! Now that that’s out of the way, we are going to embark on  a month dedicated to riding music because snowboarding season is kicking off right round the corner. The fundamentals of perfect riding music derive from a sense of flowing, if it flows you’ll flow. Hip hop is notorious for flowing and what better band to present than Jurassic 5. They’ve been in the game for years and they’re newer stuff  has taken a progressive turn, but the old stuff, damn! My personal favorites have gotta be Jayou and the entire Quality Control album.

Jurassic 5 – 18 – Jayou

The main focus (as you will no doubt figure out) of Musing Music is to expand one’s musical palate. In doing that, the majority of bands featured in this  musical endeavour will more than likely be something you’ve never actually heard of… and in some cases you would have to live under a rock not to know.  Now. I’m all about giving credit where credit is deserved and, in this case, Common deserves a shit-ton. His album Universal Mind Control hit the shelves and sold like hot cakes at the begining of this year and the title track Universal Mind Control (UMC) is out of this world good! If you still have yet to hear this song do your ears a favor and tune in to this elctro-rap groove and kick off this fall in the right fashion, Fly.

Although he just released his first album in 5 years, rapper Eminem has already moved on to his next album, Relapse 2. This  album would be the follow up to his latest album, Relapse, which saw its debut on May 19 of this year. What can you expect from the aftermath of the first Relapse? “The overall basis of the record is going to be more emotionally driven”, the rapper said in an interview with Billboard, “but I went back to making songs with feeling in them”. The lyrical genius said that the first Relapse installment consisted of  “rapid-fire punch lines” and “spitting”, both of which he felt the needed to get out of his system. The Relapse 2, which is rumored to release in late 2009, is in its final stage before officially being ready to release according to the rap mogul, “It’s pretty much finished as far as recording. All that’s left to do is mix.”

To top things off, it is said that one of the tracks on the album will be a “rap face-off” between Eminem and his protĂ©gĂ© 50 Cent. “We’ve kind of done it on other records, but not like to the extent on this one”.

Apparently Mr. Mathers doesn’t want to spend any time in 2009 being sober…

I got wind of the new Mos Def album to be released June 9, 2009 from Facebook with rumbles of the best thing since “black on both sides,” a fucking amazing ensemble of conscious, lyrical, instrumental, soulful, and strick beats of hip-hop at it’s best — all I gotta say is ms. fat booty.  Then came “black star” with Talib Kweli and since it’s been  a few solo attempts that over-achieved to disaster.  ECSTATIC taps into Mos Def’s original recipe — mellow but deep, hard but soft, each song to its own.  It’s not overworked.  This is not an album to make a buck or just to get back into the studio.  This album won’t hit the top of the charts, you won’t hear this on the radio, and it won’t be shoved down your throats by MTV, but it should.   Mos Def is no secret, and nor should he be.  He is an artist, and in this realm his canvas is a microphone.  Album releasing on itunes, June 9, but if you need an introduction to Mos Def, there is no better introduction than “black on both sides,” $7.99 on itunes.  For more on Mos Def, the album and hip-hop check out; www.myspace.com/mosdef .