2013: The folky, poppy, and smooth sounds that could have changed your life

1. This Is Not Meth - Flex Cop

2.  Delta - C2C

3.     Don't Wait - Mapei

4.     Can't Afford It All - Jakubi

5.     Piece Of Mind (Feat. Lorde) - And They Were Masked

6.     Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe - Gentlemen Hall

7.     Pusher Love Girl - Justin Timberlake

8.     Tesselate Cover - Ellie Goulding

9.     Paper Trails - Darkside

10. FUYA - C2C

11. A Baru In New York Feat. Gurrumul (Flume Soundtrack Version) - Yolanda Be Cool

12. The Walk (Phaeleh Rework) - Ludovico Einaudi

13. Yellow Bird - Pretty Lights

14. Dance Yrself Clean - MS MR

15. Every Night - Josef Salvat

16. Modern Jesus - Portugal. The Man

17.  Atlantis - STRFKR

18.  Flaws - Bastille

19.  No Gun - Naomi Pilgrim

20.  Murakami - Made In Heights

21.   Swinging Party - Lorde

22. Flashed Junk Mind - Milky Chance

23. Walk on By - Noosa

24. Living in Vain (Feat. Chance the Rapper) - Lorine Chia

25. Stay feat. Nick Acquroff - Chiefs

26. Hurricane - Owl Eyes

27. Homage - Feist

28. Winter Is All Over You (Baauer Remix) - First Aid Kit

29. Who Did That To You (Django Unchained) - John Legend
30. Just Wait Til Your Father Gets Home - Hot Sugar

2013: The sounds in rap that could have changed your life

1.     Sing That Shit (20syl Juicy Remix) - Kendrick Lamar

2.     Anna Kendrick, Kendrick Lamar ft. Drake, Florence and the Machine – Poetic (Iosine mix)

3.     You Song ft. Chance The Rapper - Lil Wayne

4.     Leopard Shepard (Prod. Dreamrite) - The Underachievers

5.     Palm Trees (Prod. By Erick Arc Elliott) - Flatbush ZOMBiES

6.     Trap Back Jumpin - T.I.

7.     Stylin (Featuring Saukrates) - Shad

8.     Smoke Again (ft. Ab-Soul) - Chance The Rapper

9.     Wth (Ft. Ab-Soul) - Jhené Aiko

10. Red Dot Music (feat. Action Bronson) - Mac Miller

11. Matches (feat. Ab-Soul) - Mac Miller

12. Molasses Ft. RZA - Earl Sweatshirt

13. Court Jester - Jeremiah Jae

14. Between Villians (Feat. Viktor Vaughn & Earl Sweatshirt) - Captian Murphy

15. Amadu Diablo - Action Bronson & Party Supplies

16. Reynolds (Feat. Danny Brown) - A$AP Ferg

17. Fragile (feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! & Kendall Morgan)     Tech N9ne

18. Catfish Billy - Yelawolf

19. Sometimes I Don't (ft. Sam Lachow) [prod. Nima Skeemz] - Raz Simone

20. S.N.I.T.C.H. Ft. Pharrell - Pusha T

21. Long Pinky - Beautiful Lou feat. Action Bronson & RIFF RAFF

22. Treat Me Like Fire - Asher Roth

23. Lit - Bas & J.Cole

24. Ghetto Symphony feat. Gunplay & A$AP Ferg (explicit mastered) - A$AP Rocky

25. PHASE  - Jay Prince

26. U.O.E.N.O. Remix - Black Hippy

27. Hold My Liquor ft. Chief Keef & Justin Vernon - Kanye West

28. Legends In The Making (Ashtray Pt.2) - Smoke DZA (Feat. Wiz Khalifa & Curren$Y)

29. Talkin Bout Nothing [Prod. By Big K.R.I.T.] - Big K.R.I.T.

30. Man of The Year - Schoolboy Q
31. Bib - Take My Heart  (KEATS//COLLECTIVE)

Power Moves Only - The last thoughts of Summer 2013

This track has the rap world tossing and turning in its sleep. However, because this track was left off the album it must have gone unmastered because it has a very high-pitched whine in it that was giving me a headache on certain speakers. I reduced it as much as I could in hopes that it becomes more pleasant for everyone to have this track on repeat:

Control: Big Sean steps up his game with a great verse full of references. Unfortunately, for Big Sean, Kendrick creates a point in his career that, eventually, will mark when he changed from one of the best rappers of his generation to possibly the best of all time. If you honestly think that any other rap could rap for 3 minutes straight with out any filler and without any bragging about money, girls or drugs, let me know. It is not just this verse though, no other rapper could be featured on such a variety of tracks and make almost every one of those tracks better. He has been featured on tracks by Tech N9ne, Ab-Soul, Dr Dre, ZZ Ward, Mayer Hawthorne, BJ The Chicago Kid, E-40, The Game, T.I., DJ Khaled, Kid Cudi, Schoolboy Q, Robin Thicke, J Cole, Miguel, A$AP Rocky, Quadron, Solange, Pac Div, Young Jeezy, Gee Watts, Terrace Martin, 50 Cent, Dido, Talib Kweli, DOM Kennedy, Meek Mill, Buddy, Mac Miller, Rapsody, 9th Wonder, Shwayze & Cisco, Rapper Big Pooh, Smoke DZA, OverDoz, and (of course) Jay Rock. That is 37 different acts that have featured Kendrick Lamar... crossing many different genres, and it only took me 15 minutes to compile that list, I am most definitely missing quite a few. Think for a second, when was the first time you heard of Kendrick Lamar? I'm guessing it wasn't really all that long ago, maybe a year or a year and a half ago, and he has already done more than most artists ever will. 

Here is another absolute gem that Kendrick helped with recently:

Everyone is a critic these days and critics need to chill out. Stop debating who is the best, appreciate the craft and listen to the message. That is what Tech and Kendrick preach in this beautiful track. Mayday provide some impressive instrumentation on the production on this one too. Speaking of Mayday (who are on Tech N9ne's 'Strange Music' label, their album Believers is definitely worth listening to. Here is one of my favorites, which is an ode to good ol' Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Old No.7 brand. 

It is time for me to get back to the college campus and get On That Jack:

Burch Beats: Strictly for the Summer 2013

  This playlist encompasses my summer therapy, my driving music and some of the music that has started intense conversation and debate this summer. 

Some of the individual lines might be harsh or offensive but as a whole, I think this playlist is an interesting exploration of the transformations in the rap world. The dynamic and mechanisms of power within music is fascinating, as Jay-Z and Kanye realize they have gained more power than most men ever could fathom,  newcomers  are sprouting up that seem more globally conscience than most rappers and artists before. Who will play the game best and become the next artist to rule the world? Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper, Joey Badass?  Or could it be a 16 year old from New Zealand going by the name of Lorde? She wears a look on her face in the video for Royals that seems to say "I am not worried at all, I'm not caught up in all of the things most people are, I crave a different kind of buzz... and I am smarter than just about everyone watching this video so I will get it". Don't believe me? Check out her videos below.

Strictly for the Summer by Cody Burchfield on Mixcloud

1.     Spaceship II feat Chance The Rapper & GLC - Alex Wiley

2.     F.U.T.W.  - Jay-Z

3.     Another Girl - Wild Belle

4.     I'm In It - Kanye West

5.     Smoke Again (ft. Ab-Soul) - Chance The Rapper

6.     Maaad Crew - Method Man And Redman

7.     They Don't Like Me (ft. Chance the Rapper) {prod. skywklr} - Childish Gambino

8.     Treat Me Like Fire  - Asher Roth

9.     My Yout (Feat. Collie Buddz) [Prod. By Chuck Strangers] - Joey Bada$$

10. Groov Feat. Asher Roth - Brothers From Another

11. Pass That Dutch - Asher Roth

12. Druggys Wit Hoes Again (feat. Ab Soul) - Schoolboy Q

13. Tom Ford - Jay-Z

14. Happy (C2C X Chill Bump Remix) - Chill Bump

15. World Domination (Prod. By MF DOOM) - Joey Bada$$

16. Healer - Asher Roth

17. Finding God Ft. @ Peace - P-Money

18. Tennis Court - Lorde

19. Crown  - Jay-Z

20. Blocka La Flame  - Travis Scott

21. Red Dot Music (feat. Action Bronson) - Mac Miller

22. Gees (feat. Schoolboy Q) - Mac Miller

23. U.O.E.N.O. Remix - Black Hippy

24. Uptown ft. A$AP Ferg - Travis Scott

25. Hell of a Night - Travis Scott

26. Jay Z Blue  - Jay-Z

27. Keep You - Wild Belle

28. Favorite Song Ft. Childish Gambino - Chance The Rapper

29. drugDILLA - Gorilla Warfare Tactics

30. Rolling Stone - Black Hippy

31. Ms. Fat Booty - Mos Def

32. Matches (feat. Ab-Soul) - Mac Miller

33. Flashed Junk Mind - Milky Chance

34. Modern Jesus - Portugal. The Man

35. Bound 2 ft. Charlie Wilson - Kanye West

36. Family Business - Kanye West

I first heard Lorde back in January when Hilly Dilly posted her free EP The Love Club. I immediately downloaded it and listened to it quite a bit but I didn't know how to start showing her music to my friends (it just didn't quite fit into any of my settings). So I waited for her to release more, as I waited, 94.7 fm in Portland started playing her music and people started to talk about "Royals". As this was happening she released Tennis Court and Swingin' Party and I was totally sold. She will never be a royal by blood, but she will definitely be a queen of the modern world if she keeps playing her cards right. 

This is the first version of the video for Royals Lorde released, it tells a story and also shows a lot of restraint to not reveal her too quickly.

   

   However, she is smart and knew that it was simply too artistic in composition to be fully embraced by the American audience and reformulated it:

         

Burch Beats #17: Kings Remembered in Time

Here is the show from April 14th, if you dig Kanye or Jay-Z, give this a listen. Big K.R.I.T.'s new album was surprisingly really well done and intellectually stimulating, don't skip out on the picks I pulled out of it.

Burch Beats #17: Kings Remembered in Time by Cody Burchfield on Mixcloud

1.     Good Morning (KickDrums Remix) – Kanye West

2.     This Love Fover (MGMT vs Jay-Z) – YesYou

3.     Get Lucky Feat. Pharrell Williams – Daft Punk

4.      Living Room – TWRK

5.     Numbers On The Boards – Pusha T

6.     Open Letter – Jay-Z

7.     Time (Feat. Sacred Animals) – Young-Wonder

8.     We Are Golden – Black Light Dinner Party

9.     Never Let Me Down – Kanye West

10.  Slow Jamz – Kanye West

11. Who Did That To You – John Legend

12. Talkin Bout Nothing - Big K.R.I.T.

13. King Without A Crown - Big K.R.I.T.

14. REM (Rework of James Blake’s ‘Wilhelm Scream’) - Big K.R.I.T.

15. Multi Til The Sun Die – Big K.R.I.T.

16. Take My Heart – Bib

17. Memories Back Then – T.I. Feat. Kendrick Lamar and B.o.B.

18. Through My Eyes – The Game

19. Belispeak II (Purity Ring) – Danny Brown

20. Rapping 2 U (Feat. Latukis) – Das Racist

21. Luv It Mayne (Feat. Das Racist) – Fat Tony

22. A Lil More (Feat. Bambu) – Otayo Dubb

23. The Cape Verdean Girl – Tumi

24. The Crossroads – Tumi and the Volume

25. The (2) Chain (z) – Fleetwood Mac vs 2 Chainz

26. Who Knew – You Won’t