My boy Al Jiggy put me on to these dudes Local Natives, an indie band out of Los Angeles (Silver Lake to be exact), and all week I’ve been listening to their debut album Gorilla Manor in the crib.  I’m really feeling it.  I can see why they’ve been praised by critics for their harmonies, songwriting, and percussion.  Check them out performing the first cut off their album, “Wide Eyes”, earlier this year in Santa Monica on KCRW’s Mornings Become Eclectic…

And here’s their brand new music video for another one of their album’s standout songs, “Who Knows, Who Cares”…

For more info, videos, and to stream the album, go to their official website.  And please, get at me if you’ve got the scoop on a new band that you think is dope!

The older I get, the more I enjoy listening to talk radio, podcasts, and audiobooks in my car.  My latest listen was Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up (released in 2007), read by the man himself.  It’s basically an autobiography focusing on his career as a comedian, from his early years as a teenage kid doing magic at Disneyland to his late 70’s appearances hosting Saturday Night Live and filling up arenas doing stand up to his break into movie stardom in The Jerk.  Here’s a clip of him doing magic/comedy on the Smothers Brothers show, and down below, watch him and Dan Aykroyd in their famous sketch “Two Wild and Crazy Guys”.

I’ve always been a huge Steve Martin fan.  I grew up on his movies!  He’s my Dad’s age, and in some ways, that’s why I feel connected to him, even though we are generations apart.  He’s a very good writer, and a surprisingly serious guy.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him tell me the story of his life, and how he busted his butt to become successful.  It wasn’t so easy.  He certainly wasn’t an overnight sensation, though he talks about moments in his career that really catapulted him to the next level of fame.  And he gets sad and personal, discussing his difficult relationship with his family, the loneliness of performing out on the road, and the emotional and even physical stress of being famous.  But it’s also very funny at times, as he looks back at the origins of many of his legendary jokes and bits, and highlights some of his hilarious (and sometimes misunderstood) material.

I think anyone that has ever hustled to make it as a performer in show business will be able to relate to Steve Martin’s struggle, and the time and dedication he put in to his craft while he was coming up.  And if you’re not the type of person with stage experience or showbiz dreams, you’ll enjoy listening to one of the most talented and intelligent comedians of our time tell his life story.

Cop it HERE.

I sware me and this dude Wax are long lost rap relatives.  Never heard of him until yesterday when I saw a video of him spitting with Westcheddar native Andy Milonakis, and I had a reaction that I don’t think I’ve had in a very very  long time when hearing a fellow white rapper, maybe never, which was “Yo, this dude is fucking nice!”  I checked out some more of his YouTube clips (he’s got a ton) and the one above is my favorite.  Holy shit he goes in hard body for like 6 minutes over a real laidback beat.  Turns out he’s from Baltimore and now lives in California.  So I hollered at my B’More bro Max Bee to see if he had heard of him, and sure enough, he’s known him for years.  So my question to you Max, my brother, is WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NEVER TELL ME ABOUT THIS DUDE?  Straight skills.  To tell you the truth, he reminds me of myself.  Props to Wax!

For more, check out his website, YouTube channel, and follow him on Twitter.

In addition, I’ve been meaning to post about this up and coming white rapper out of Pittsburgh named Mac Miller.  Dude is straight out of high school and has a ridiculous internet buzz right now, and it’s well deserved.  He’s dope, and so are his crispy music videos.  I won’t go into how he kinda bit the “My Ferris Buellers” chorus on his song “Nikes On My Feet”, it’s all g.  I’m glad to see him bubbling.  He can rap, and he’s got a cool style, especially when he rocks over NY 90’s type shit.  Here’s my two favorite videos from him, “La La La La” (above) and “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza” (below, which now has over 1 million views)…

And here’s my favorite cut of his latest mixtape K.I.D.S., “Traffic In The Sky”.  This shit is fresh.

Stay up to date with Mac Miller HERE.  Best of luck to both these dudes as they continue on!!!

Mikey Rocks, aka Sir Michael Rocks, is one half of The Cool Kids.  I’ve posted their shit before on Westcheddar, and yes, they are probably my favorite of the new rap duos.  Well Mikey has been putting out some solo songs since the summer, and I must say they are pretty dope.  The kid’s got style, ya dig?  From the lyrics to the beats to the gear.  He even dropped a couple videos.  Check “Foreign Features” above, and “S.S.” below.  And no, The Cool Kids are not splitting up.  Man, they haven’t even dropped their first real full length album yet!  Enjoy…

Follow @SirMichaelRocks on Twitter.  Do it.

This is my 400th Westcheddar post!  To celebrate, I went through the entire Westcheddar archives to find my Top 40 favorites (40’s?!?!), dating back to my first one in June 2008.  It was fun, and truthfully it was tough to narrow it down, but I think I got the ones that mean the most to me.  Thanks to everyone who reads and supports this blog on the reg.  Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.  Click away!

40. Move The Crowd– This was my first post ever, so I thought I’d start my Top 40 with it, featuring full page show reviews I did for XXL Magazine.

39. Top Quality– Top Quality is the first and really only rap artist to come out of White Plains and get a major label deal.  Had to do a post dedicated to him.  Plus he’s my dude DJ Destro’s cousin, who produced TQ’s biggest hit (check me and Des do our MC/DJ routine live at CBGB’s in this post too).

38. The Return Of Fitz Winkleman– Video footage of “The Newlyfriend Game” featuring a bunch of cool kids and me as the host.

37. Best Of Westchester’s Top 5 Tables 2010– Best Of Westchester is the best party of the year in the 914, hosted by Westchester Magazine, and featuring free food and drinks served by the best restaurants in Westchester County.  Westcheddar correspondent Billy Henderson gives us his Top 5 Tables every year.  Third time’s a charm.

36. The Encyclopedia of White Rappers– Complex Magazing put together a full and comprehensive encyclopedia of white rappers, and I’m in it!

35. River Ciphers Recap–  Footage from the Open Mic that my man Moshe and I hosted in Dobbs Ferry, my favorite being our “Wifey Material” unplugged collaboration.

34. Leaders Of The New School– A look at the Hip Hop workshopthe big homie Lord Judah and I put together for kids.

33. The Young Professional– My 10 track release from fall 2009, featuring a more mature Stan Ipcus on the mic.

32. Talkin’ Hoops– Last year’s basketball preview featuring local hoops experts Tommy Dee, Brian Duignan, and Johnny Halas.

31. Decade Dingers– A mixtape of some of the best hip hop songs from the past decade.

30. Verses From The Ipster– An 80 minute mix of Stan Ipcus verses back to back and chronological, accompanied by an interview and some classic Ipcus pics and flyers.

29. Highlands To Hollywood– An interview with Sloane Crosley, a WPHS graduate, former classmate of mine, and acclaimed author of the very popular memoir I Was Told There’d Be Cake.

28. Baltimore Blam– Pics and footage from my appearance with Matisyahu and Max Bee in Baltimore in 2008.

27. IPmatic– My latest 10 track release, featuring production from Kaliph, Max Bee, Bless, and yours truly.  Plus I went in on some choice 90’s beats.

26. (tie) Larry David’s Greatest Hits Part 1 and 2– Classic Curb Your Enthusiasm clips that I could watch over and over.  Larry David is the king.  I need to do a Part 3 asap.

25. Luca Long Legs–  The picture in this post was taken of my son the day we brought him home from the hospital.  I made it #25 on my list because that’s his birthday, May 25th, same as mine.  Pic at the top of the post is me and him at the Jersey Shore last month.  Young Ipcus!

24. Big Daddy– Great article my Dad wrote in the Journal News back when I was at White Plains High School about slang.  Must read.

23. Home For The Holidays– Video of Family Guy writer and close friend of mine Andrew Goldberg’s return home to his old bedroom in White Plains, which is exactly the way it looked when he was a kid.  Don’t miss the part of the video when I test his baseball card knowledge, it’s freakishly fantastic.

22. Nardwuar Interviews Matisyahu (Video)– I helped set up Nardwuar, the best interviewer on the planet, with Matis.  They even talk about “My Ferris Buellers”.

21. Deconstructing Asher– The story behind why I dissed Asher Roth, and how I became his biggest fan.

20. My Book Of Rhymes Part 1– The “WP” rhyme that I spit with Matisyahu on his grammy nominated album, shown here when I first wrote it on loose leaf paper.  I’ve been meaning to do more of these “Book Of Rhymes” posts.  I have notebooks and boxes filled with old raps that I wrote stashed away.

19. Stay With You– Pictures and video footage from my wedding, featuring Matis and Max Bee and a great shot of all my boys with the bride and groom.  I made this #19 because that’s the day we got married, April 19th, 2009.

18. Come Up Off That– The music video from a song the kids I work with made for Halloween last year, “Creepin’ On Ya Candy”.  Fun!

17. Comedy Central– Interview I did with comedian Nick Kroll, who’s a buddy of mine from Rye that I grew up with.

16. Roundball Classic– Hilarious promotional video interviews about the Roundball Classic, an annual basketball tournament held in White Plains, featuring three of the most colorful personalities from our Pu Click team.

15. Stan’s Samples–  A collection of songs I sampled dating back to my first album.  One of my more recent projects and posts.

14. Going, Going, Gone– My personal farewell to the old Yankee Stadium.  Great pictures in this post from my birthday when they put my name on the scoreboard, and from the unforgettable Mel Hall home run game vs. the Red Sox.

13. Westcheddar Radio #1: Hanukah Hold Up– My first Westcheddar podcast, hosted by Stan Ipcus and Fitz Winkleman, with music by all Jewish artists.

12. Air Yeezy and Ipod Touch Coloring Sheets– Hand drawn coloring sheets that were featured on top hip hop blog NahRight.

11. Untied and Unplugged– Max Bee and I perform “My Ferris Buellers” Unplugged, pictures from Matisyahu’s Festival of Light at Webster Hall, and my Holiday Edition of Stan Ipcus “Cribs”.

10. Genovese Thesis–  Interview with Yonkers rapper best known for his affiliation with the LOX and DJ Clue in the latter half of the 90’s.

9. I Left My Heart In San Francisco– My dedication to my Grandma Sooky, which includes a beautiful eulogy written by my father.  I gave this the #9 slot because her birthday and the day she passed away was in September.  RIP Grandma Sooky.

8. Prime Time With Dan And Andrew– A look back at the public access TV show I co-hosted and starred in with my buddy Andrew Goldberg back in high school.  This post features classic skits and clips from many of the episodes, and a link to the Prime Time Youtube Channel.

7. Tunnel Vision– Exclusive video footage from the Westcheddar hip hop archives of Jay-Z live at The Tunnel night club in NYC circa 1999.  This footage was featured and linked on many major hip hop blogs including Rap Radar and Miss Info’s site.  Hov!

6. Dark Wars– Video and interviews from my trip to Dark Wars, a “Get Dark” (aka Get Light, I know it’s confusing) dance style competition I attended in Manhattan.  This style of dance is extremely popular with kids in Westchester County and NYC, and I got access to their premier event and the man who runs the whole movement.

5. Back From Iraq–  My interview with Mike Halas, a very close friend of mine and Army hero, after returning home from being overseas in the Iraq War.

4. Ipcus And Matisyahu Live On Hot 97– Audio and pictures from my appearance with Matisyahu on the Cipha Sounds and Rosenberg Hot 97 Morning Show, as well as the premiere of the video for “My Ferris Buellers”.  They ended up using the rap we spit on the air as the intro for their show.

3. Spring Training Revisited– A more detailed look back at the legendary Spring Training Trips taken by the Isenberg men in the 80’s, as told by my father.  Great pictures and old programs in this post, including shots of my cousin and I with George Steinbrenner.

2. The End Of An Era– The complete Stan Ipcus discography as of April 2009, dating back to my first album, and the release of Dirty Jax Presents The Best of Stan Ipcus.  Plus a wealth of unreleased material.  More Stan Ipcus songs than you can imagine, plus all the artwork, for free download.  I called this “The End Of An Era” because I was getting married and my outlook on making music was shifting.  Since this, I’ve had two official releases, The Young Professional and IPmatic, as well as Verses From The Ipster.

1. Mixtape Memories– My most popular post, with the most hits out of anything I’ve ever published on Westcheddar.  It also happens to be my favorite.  Take a look back at some of the most monumental hip hop mixtapes to hit the streets in the 90’s.  We lived and breathed the mixtape culture as teenagers, and went to any neighborhood in NYC to get the “new shit”.  Enjoy.

Kanye West is my favorite hip hop artist right now, and actually, he has been for a while.  Sure, he’s got his issues, but the bottom line is that he makes great music.  And what I love about him most right now is that he’s completely embracing the internet rap scene during his comeback by joining Twitter (which even the New York Times is calling the hip hop’s new medium for choice words) and also by releasing FREE MUSIC!  And these aren’t just some bullshit throwaway tracks, these are DOPE SONGS with BIG NAME FEATURES like Jay-Z, Beyonce, Common, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Raekwon, etc.  So far, he’s released five free songs as part of his G.O.O.D. Fridays series (G.O.O.D. Music is his record label, get it?) and they’re all tight.  My favorite is his solo effort “Devil In A New Dress” (see cover above).  It sounds like these are going to continue into November, which is when he plans on dropping his new album.  I’m very excite!

So stay tuned every Friday for a new Kanye West release, and get the first five for free HERE by simply entering an email address.  And have you ever heard my story about meeting Kanye West at Sony Studios?  If not, click HERE.  And wanna see some great old school footage of Kanye in the studio making beats, rapping, and working with Jay-Z?  Check this out…

Thanks for the free music ‘Ye!  Keep it coming!

*UPDATE*

Kanye debuted another new song last night at the VMA’s (see pic above), featuring Pusha T of The Clipse.  Dope performance.  Watch it HERE, and get the song, “Runaway”, which they just released after the award show, HERE.

*ANOTHER UPDATE*

Oh shit, and Jay-Z brought Kanye West out to perform at his Yankee Stadium shows the past two nights.  Peep the footage (low quality but worth checking out) HERE.

Chromeo is a duo out of Canada that makes groovy, humorous, dance music, and I’ve been a fan of theirs for a while.  They’ve got a new album coming out (their 3rd), and the first single is “Don’t Turn The Lights On”.  I particularly like the video for it, watch it above.  And check them out in their NYC lab below with Fader TV, showing off their ridiculous collection of keyboards and synths, and also discussing the new album, Business Casual.

These guys are cool, right?  Business Casual drops September 14th…

Cheah.

I was DJ’ing the “Last Day of Summer Camp Carnival” on Friday, and after playing Usher and Justin Bieber etc. for a couple hours, I had to bring it back to my era for these kids and show them what was really good when I was in middle school.  These are early 90’s throwback jams that used to have Eastview’s PRIDE DAY jumping!  The videos are crack too.  Boyz II Men “Motownphilly” up top and Bel Biv Devoe “Poison” below…

Classic shit!

I think I’ve listened to The Shins remake of Squeeze’s “Goodbye Girl” more than any other song that’s been released this summer.  It’s awesome.  I’m way overdue posting about it.  Pardon me, I have a newborn baby at home and am still working out my blogging time.  Anyway, James Mercer (pictured above) gave us some fresh new music this year as part of Broken Bells, but it’s nice to hear him back in his Shins zone, even if it isn’t an original.  Check the video below of him talking about the song, which also includes footage from the recording session.  Then download it for free courtesy of Levi’s…

Download The Shins “Goodbye Girl”

I dare you to listen to this song as many times as I have.  Double dare.

Oh boy.  The Bay Area’s filthiest white rapper Dirt Nasty (actor Simon Rex) is back with his second full length release, Nasty As I Wanna Be.  I’ve posted a bunch of his stuff before, because I can’t front I think he’s hysterical, and he’s actually nice on the mic.  He’s got an old school style, and always has some funny shit to say.  Check out the video for the title track, produced by one of my favorite hip hop producers out there, The Alchemist…

More Dirt Nasty x Westcheddar posts HERE.  And here’s the link to his website, where you can cop the album (it dropped today) and other Dirt Nasty paraphernalia…

Dirt Nasty Official Website