In My Loving Memory

Here's what I promised.  A year in the making, I present to you my first full-length effort since 2009's "So Cold," my (street) album, my life, "In My Loving Memory."

N. Talekt
In My Loving Memory

Pick this up today from any of the sites below:

SoundClick.com - http://soundclick.com/ntalekt

Play and download the entire CD. Great source if you have a SoundClick.com account.

DatPiff.com - http://www.datpiff.com/N-Talekt-In-My-Loving-Memory-mixtape.284117.html

If you're on DatPiff.com, this is the link for you.  Listen and download the entire CD.

MediaFire.com - http://www.mediafire.com/?5694x9udmneu3r8

Fast, full download, with artwork included.  Add it to your music collection today!

THANK YOU and enjoy!

N. Talekt

Rah Scrilla's "Smoking in the Bathroom" hits DatPiff!

Better late than never -- Rah Scrilla, Established Dons representer, has his latest project "Smoking in the Bathroom" finally available on DatPiff, a popular mixtape hosting site.

So, why should you download it, if you haven't already?  Well, below are 11 great reason:

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Another solid outing for Scrilla with a variety of great beats from some of Richmond's hottest producers, top-notch features, and quality songs.

Download direct from Mediafire.com: http://www.mediafire.com/?u248ue134iqja4l#1

N. Talekt

New Music, Video: "So Gone"

Here's the third single and first video from my upcoming project "In My Loving Memory," releasing in two weeks (11/15/11). Check out the video and enjoy the music. Special shout outs to BC Music 1st for doing the video direction, production, and post-production, and to everyone who helped make this a success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVdcFkpo1zA



N. Talekt

N. Talekt Presents: "Featuring... Me, Act 2"

It went so well the first time, I figured I'd do a follow up! Here's the second round, "Featuring... Me, Act 2!" With a mix of the hottest artists on Soundclick, some impressive up-and-comers, and, of course, yours truly, this is definitely a mixtape to catch. Get it from the following sites:

SoundClick.com: http://soundclick.com/NTalektFeaturingMe

Play the entire CD, learn about the artists on the mixtape, and get download links. Great source if you have a SoundClick.com account.

DatPiff.com: http://www.datpiff.com/N-Talekt-Featuring-Me-Act-2-mixtape.276639.html

If you're on DatPiff.com, this is the link for you. Listen and download the entire CD.

zShare: http://www.zshare.net/download/9518290970178a84/

Don't have a SoundClick.com or DatPiff.com account? Fine! Get all the tracks in ZIP format from zShare.

Enjoy! A lot of people worked hard to give you an enjoyable listen, make sure you support!

N. Talekt

Song Review: War Zone 2012

Song Review: "War Zone 2012 (f/ Chayse Maclair and Boss Game)" by Methodical
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11134580

In a prior review of a song by Methodical, we had a discussion about his beat selection.  I felt the beats weren't as strong as they could have been, lacking variation and dynamics needed for the style of song he was working with.  It was then that I recommended Life and Death Productions, a Soundclick-based production suite that provides just the kind of beats I felt Methodical would rock on.

This song is the first fruit of that labor.

Enlisting Chayse Maclair and Boss Game to sew up the track, Methodical chooses a somber, key-laden beat to paint the backdrop for his performance.  Although crippled by the mic and sound quality, you can tell the artist writes as is name is -- methodically.  Rhymes are placed in exact spots, and, much more importantly, the delivery here near flawless.  The emotion and energy is there, and it fits well with the beat.  It's a story of stress and struggle, and Methodical nicely walks the tightrope of being lyrical while keeping his story sensible.

Chayse is back on his hook game again, providing a great interlude between Methodical and Boss Game.  I'm not sure if the beat carries the artist or if he is just riding it that well, but either way, something about the hook just works.  I have heard a few hooks done by Chayse, and they can be hit and miss.  This one, for me, was hit.

Enter Boss Game.  Maybe it's because I'm on my laptop, but it sounds like BG's mic quality has degraded a bit since I last heard him.  Either way, Boss shows his versatility here, nailing this track lyrically, almost mimicking the style of Methodical in the beginning.  One difference here, though; Boss seems to stray in the latter part of the verse from internal struggle to external conflict.  Not sure if this was intentional or not, but it seems to work out nonetheless.

Overall, it's a somber song, one I feel you kinda need to be in the mood to hear.  I also feel like this song was hurt a bit from the poor quality of the first verse, and that's something you really can't make up for, not even with strong features.  Still, this is a pretty cool, low-key track that delivers lyrically and highlights Methodical's methodical progression.

But, of course, you won't understand what I mean unless you hear it for yourself:

N. Talekt

Song Review: No Mo

Song Review: "No Mo (f/ Ja Mar)" by Stat Boi
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10818072

Stat Boi and Ja Mar collaborate to put together "No Mo," a "no time for games" type of track.  Stat comes in first to deliver a solid introductory verse.  Confident behind the mic and down-to-earth, he turns out a verse that connects with the audience for the most part.  The biggest issue I had with this verse was the mix.  Some of the adlibs at the end of the lines were making it hard to actually hear the words.  Try panning them to the left around 20-40.  It will make a huge difference in clarity.  Also, backups are meant to be backups ... that is, they probably shouldn't be louder than your main vocals.

Still, I enjoyed this verse better than the second verse, which bring in to question, why even have a feature?  Don't get me wrong, Ja Mar doesn't have a terrible verse, it's just that it didn't blow me away.  I'm pretty greedy with verse space on my songs; I don't want a feature unless I know my feature is bringing something to the table I can't.  Maybe because of the song topic here; there's not much Stat could have said in a second verse that wasn't already said in first verse and hook.

Anyway, I digress.  The second verse was cool, but it seemed a bit low and some of the words weren't really spoken well (slurred, almost), making it hard to discern.  There's a difference in a southern accent and not speaking clearly, and having family in the Carolinas and south, I know this was a case of the latter.

One thing I must say about the hook, though.  When I first played the song, I had not actually checked for the title of the song, as I was preparing this blog entry.  The hook dropped and I could have sworn I heard a cow mooing in the background!  I later realized it was the artist harmonizing "Noo Moooo," but it didn't come out so well.  As I mentioned earlier, panning should certainly help here.

Overall, after that initial shock, the track was pretty cool, I thought.  It's not a track built with layers of thought, it's not going to stand the test of time.  But it's an enjoyable track that I'm sure people will be able to relate to and will get a sense of familiarity when they hear it.

All that said, check it out for yourself below:

N. Talekt

Song Review: "Daredevil"

Song Review: "Daredevil" by About Time & Asi Didi
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10582850

Daredevil, in short, was a song of highs and lows.

This short track had a cool vibe to it with the title really fitting the beat.  Plucked strings and strong rhythm move the beat along as artists About Time and Asi Didi lay down a bit of heat on the verses, with a short hook interluding.  Not sure if I'd call it a hook, really more of an interlude between a couple verses.  The two trade sets of bars in both verses, giving you a good taste of what both have to offer.

Honestly, the first artist (Asi Didi) is a bit of a turn-off here, an acquired taste, if you will.  This is mostly due to mixing, I believe.  The voice is a bit loud, possible near red-lining, and some of the backups are off, which really distracts.  I always advise that when mixing a track, if something doesn't enhance your track, it's hurting your track -- take it out!  You don't hear that sort of thing in a polished radio track, and it's not ok at the underground level either.  Line up your backups, or remove them.

The second artist (About Time) comes in and sounds like he has a much more polished mix, and, frankly, a more polished flow as well.  He seems much more comfortable behind the microphone and has a solid verse.  I feel like I could pay more attention to his verse than Asi's because there weren't any distractions (loudness, dueling voices, etc).  A good mix, good delivery, good verse.  Job well done.

This song sounds like it was recorded in two different studios -- that's the way of the web nowadays.  I'd recommend checking the track out to hear About Time's work; Asi needs to scrub the mix a bit before it can really be acknowledged, but otherwise, this sounds like a light, fun track with a nice beat to match.

But, as always, my words are just that -- words.  You'll have to listen to really form an opinion, so check out the song below:

N. Talekt