Issue 39
Asphalt-melting bass in the streets of Miami... sky high vocals from the queens from Queens... white hot coke rock in the city of Angels... the revenge of juke house in the heart of Chicago... dirty disco in the Parisian clubs... the bhangra takeover on the shores of the Atlantic. No matter where you are this summer, you'll be sweating. For The FADER's annual Summer Music issue, we packed a bag, brought along some low-level SPF and took to the streets to find out what, precisely, would be shaking your ass as the temperature climbs. Our cover star, Rick Ross, has already taken over the airwaves with his single "Hustlin," but an upcoming remix with Jay-Z and Young Jeezy promises to be, as Ross says, "a PROBLEM." So does his forthcoming album, Port Of Miami. Will Welch rode the highways and byways in the Boss's white Rolls Royce Phantom to get the official word.
You probably already know the Singing Albino Sisters by their nom de stage, Nina Sky—and you probably have them filed away under "R" for "reggaeton." We did, too (and don't think that wasn't reason enough to throw 'em up on the cover of this little ragazine we call home) but... after one listen to their upcoming album, The Musical, it was a proverbial wrap. We'll keep it short and leave it at this: the "R" really stands for "R&B" (and "Ryan Leslie," but that's a whole other thing). Needless to say, the twins don't pull any punches: it's a wild hit.
Beyond our two high gloss covers, we've got some global firecrackers that'll keep your summer popping: Nick Barat went to Chicago to get the word on the juke house renaissance, Eric Ducker dancediscoed his face off in sexy, sweaty Parisian clubs and Eddie "Stats" Houghton went round the world to trace the desi diaspora. We've also sprinkled in a little Stephen McBean (of Black Mountain) and Greg Dulli (of the Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers) for good measure, plus definitive summer looks (uhm, bathing suits!), and generally interesting tidbits that should keep you at least mildly entertained on the beach, at that BBQ or in the chilly blast of your AC. As for us, we're rounding up the brewskis and broskies, grabbing extra triple-D batteries for the boomerbox and unpacking the mesh tank tops. Summertime-basically. See you in September.
ALEX WAGNER
Cover 1: Rick Ross
Straight To The Pros
"I wanted to make some money. Given the surroundings I was in, I didn't have to go somewhere and take all these big risks. All I had to do was have what they wanted and stand where I was standing at anyway."
Cover 2: Nina Sky
Little Twin Stars
"We had it all prepared for the kids, like 'Hi I'm Natalie!' and 'I'm Nicole!' 'And we just wanted you to know that it's very important that you stay in school!'"
Feature 1: Desi
Alien Nation
"Timbaland and Pharrell wanted me to do an album in Hindi with their beats behind it. But I had spent so many years singin straight R&B, I just felt like I would be a total fraud singing entirely in another language."
Feature 2: Stephen McBean
The Alchemist
"If we lived in a more sensible era, the solvent-sniffing kids in the back of seventh grade industrial tech classrooms would be carving BLACK MOUNTAIN into their desks with ballpoint pens."
Feature 3: Juke DJs
Pop Drop
"I'm thinking that when snap music leaves, juke can be huge. At 150 BPM it's juke, but when you drop it down to 75 it's the same thing."
Feature 4: Greg Dulli
Cocaine Symphony
"To say my misbehavior ramped up incredibly would be a vast understatement. I just over-participated."
Feature 5: Ed Banger Records
Dirty Disco
"I want to release smart music and class music and music I'm not ashamed of and music that makes people dance around in clubs."
+ GEN F:
Brightblack Morning Light / William Parker / Damon McMahon / Coughee Brothaz / Busy Signal / Bella / Ladyhawk / Stylofone
+ FASHION:
Coast
+ VINYL ARCHEOLOGY:
Prince's Pen
Production, Collaboration and Songwriting from the Purple One Selected by Bill Johnson
