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Friday Five: The Tribe and Big Cats! show their Dopeness, Brother Ali on his new album, more

by Andrea Swensson

July 13, 2012

In honor of the internet's appreciation of the Walker Art Center's upcoming Internet Cat Video Film Festival, I'm going with a cat theme for the Friday Five this week. And no, I don't mean videos that feature actual feline creatures; rather, this week's roundup features two separate contributions from rising producer Big Cats!

Happy Friday, folks. And remember to get outside this weekend, willya?

1. The Tribe and Big Cats! release Space

"You ain't ready for my dopeness," rapper TruthBeTold promises on this new Tribe and Big Cats! track. But if you feel like you are, in fact, ready? Then head to the Entry tomorrow night, where you can experience Truth's dopeness live in the flesh while he and Big Cats! celebrate the release of Space.

 

2. Homeless debuts "Get Gone"

If blogs had mixers I would totally fade the the track above into this Homeless single featuring Big Cats! on the beats and K. Raydio on the hook. So smooth. You may recognize this track from this week's Local Radar, where Jon Schober wrote about how he found the lyrcis to be quite poignant; now, thanks to filmmaker Adam Dunn, you can read the words as they are presented in the song.

 

3. With a Gun for a Face are going to pump... you up

I have no idea why the members of With a Gun for a Face are wearing padded muscle man shirts in this video, but I like it.

 

4. Brother Ali and Jake One talk about Mourning in America...

"There's a lot of darkness in the world right now," Brother Ali reflects. In a new video interview, you can hear some of his personal revelations about Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, which comes out August 21, and what was happening in his life around the time he made it.

 

5. John Mark Nelson makes his live debut

If you follow the blog and our Local Show, there's a good chance you've heard about John Mark Nelson. And though he's proven his ability to lay down compelling songs in the recording studio, Nelson has yet to really begin playing shows in the Twin Cities. That's all about to change -- following his in-studio performance with a full band (and string section!) on the Local Show last week, Nelson will perform a CD-release show in the Entry next month with Observer Drift and Husky. Preview his band's abilities in the video below.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.