And If You Don't Know, Now You Know...Marques Toliver

If you don't know about Marques Toliver, you are missing out a true talent. I recently stumbled upon the violinist/singer/songwriter while viewing some The Mahogany Sessions videos on Youtube. 

Marques created buzz among music bloggers when he released the Butterflies Are Not Free EP this past April. His R&B soulful sound combined with classical strings is unique and intriguing.

A couple of days ago, he released a new mixtape entitled Studying For My PhD. This project is more eclectic, and it features new music from Marques combined with samples. Hit the jump below to stream/download his latest mixtape and to hear live versions of some songs from his first EP.

R.I.P. Heavy D

I was surprised to hear when I got home this evening that Heavy D died today at the early age of 44. I remember listening to Heavy D & the Boyz albums growing up. One of my favorite songs from the Overweight Lover was "Black Coffee" from Nuttin But Love, the group's last studio release.

R.I.P. 

Heavy Rotation - "I'm on Fire" - Ludacris f. Big KRIT

Ludacris has recruited Big KRIT to be featured on a song from his upcoming mixtape, 1.21 Gigawatts: Back to the First Time, that will drop November 15th. The heavy bass beat features a dope guitar and vocal sample from Minnie Ripperton's "Every Time He Comes Around."  I haven't been able to stop playing it since my first listen. Download/Listen to the song below.

Mike Phillips - "A True Story"

Mike Phillips is one of the most dope contemporary jazz saxophonists. I have friends who don't really listen to jazz become a fan. "A True Story (Tabernacle - Atl)", from his debut album You Have Reached Mike Phillips (2002), is one of  my favorite tracks. The song features a "poem that sounds like an erotic encounter between two people, until it turns out to be between a man and his saxophone." Listen to the song below. 

T.I. Back?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last week, you've had to hear the hype around the new songs released featuring T.I. Fresh out of an Atlanta halfway house, Tip has been featured on songs with Jeezy, 2Chainz, and Future. He also dropped his first single entitled "I'm Flexin'"  produced by Big K.R.I.T. (I was slightly disappointed to hear K.R.I.T. didn't have a verse).  

2Pac - "Violent"

"Is There Any Love?" - Trevor Dandy

In 1971, gospel singer Trevor Dandy released the soulful "Is There Any Love?" While it may not sound like your stereotypical gospel track at first, it still has a powerful message to deliver.