Issue 47
For the rambunctious group of lovers, haters and pizza eaters that I fondly refer to as The FADER Magazine Editorial Staff, summer is a time for ice cream, sunscreen and power hits. (Also, potentially, mesh—take it under advisement). We're assuming that you, our gentle reading public, feel much the same as us on the topic of summer jams, and so this time around we packed the picnic basket with an inordinate amount of musical cookies. Lil Wayne, bka Weezy F aka D'Wayne Carter, has been watering our mindgarden for too long now, and with the release of this spring's Tha Drought III mixtape and the upcoming celebration of rapping insanity that will be his next album—along with guest spots too numerous to mention in this newsletter—we couldn't think of a timelier, crazier or relevantier person to put on (one of) our covers.
Meanwhile, Brazilian party starters Bonde Do Role have been exporting a distinctive blend of danceable funk and simulated on-stage sex from their aerie in São Paolo. When we thought about the most fun you can have without a) Akon or b) a government license, we thought about them—and here they are on the other cover! But don't put down the pinata stick just yet—the party has just begun! Miraculously, we also managed to get inside Daft Punk's robot helmets to check the circuitry on some of our favorite electronic heroes (ever), and then Kanye West had us over for popcorn balls and orange soda to discuss the ins and outs of his upcoming album, which is set in an imaginary place called Universe City, sometime in the semi-distant future (yeah, us too—we think it was something in the orange soda). Collie Buddz took us on a jet ski vacation in Bermuda (we wore our lifejackets), and America's favorite exile and sequined superstar MIA got on the horn to walk us through the exciting, outrageous, impossible adventure that was the making of her new album, Kala. COULD YOU HAVE MORE JAMS ON ONE STATION? We'll leave that up to you—spend some time with this one, take it to the beach! Make sure to look out for us: we'll be the one in the polkadotted bathing suit, lining up for a Chief Crunchee Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bar. Don't worry—we'll share (probably).
Cover 1: Lil Wayne
Eats Tapes
"This is not a pace, this is how I live! I wake up, smoke weed, fuck bitches, get my dick sucked—a lot—drink my drink and come here and do this shit. What am I supposed to do, take a vacation?"
Cover 2: Bonde do Role
Welcome to the Sambadrome
"The first time I saw them play live it was such a disaster. They played 'Ring of Fire' into a funk song, kind of making fun of funk. I couldn't figure it out. They didn't really have their place. Now you can see Bonde do Role is a separate subculture."
Feature 1: Collie Buddz
Escape from the Triangle
"Me personally, I think I got the patois down. It was something I felt I had to work on to show respect to reggae music. It was a must."
Feature 2: Kanye West
Culture Clash
"West's extreme self-confidence has always been tempered with a tendency to take critique harshly, but instead of defending himself on Graduation, he responds with the daring of an artist who has something to prove."
Feature 3: Daft Punk
The Creators
"The music has never been the most important thing. Rather there's a general creative approach with many satellites around the music as the main vector."
Feature 4: MIA
Life In Exile
"I had access to lots of amazing American producers that I would have died to work with. And at the same time, I was able to dig out thieves with mullets and moustaches that live in a little village in India and never leave town."
+ GEN F:
Kavinsky / Dirty Projectors / The Fixxers / Blitzen Trapper / Trae / The Aliens / Jason Isbell / Cool Kids
+ FASHION:
Sunshine States
+ VINYL ARCHEOLOGY
The People's Champs
Summer Jams of the Streets
Selected by Cipha Sounds
