The new Wale mixtape is done (and dropping this Friday!), which got me thinking back to the first artist tape I ever made with Saul Williams, in the bygone summer of ‘05 when I was working in the same office as Saul’s (and at the time, MIA’s) manager.

Wasn’t crazy about each and every one of his originals, but there was a ton of clever shit going on underneath the robot rock, and dude was a mesmerizing live performer. After one particularly sweaty show the lightbulb went off to put his tracks over some clubbier beats. For the kids. Everyone was still amped off Piracy Funds Terrorism (the working title for the tape was even Poetry Funds Terrorism), I had fun putting it together on my own, and Saul loved the finished mixes.

Once it was completely finished, he decided to rename the tape Real Niggery. It sort of let the air out of the balloon as far as promo was concerned. Some people got it and really enjoyed it. Other people got it and completely misunderstood the concept (which on the musical side wasn’t really that deep). But at least we can now look back and say… first!

Here’s a zshare from the archives.

What’s been up man? How’s your daughter?

Here’s some stuff from the past month on the run.

Stay tooned for that Wale x Nick Catchdubs The Mixtape About Nothing in a week or three, followed up by a gang of other secret and not-so-secret projects that will make up for the relative dearth of spring downloads on this here page. Excelsior!

Take that, take that!

Back in BK, trading “sunny!” for “soggy!” Check some photos and whatnot from the Fool’s Gold WMC trip over here. Before the fest I gave a quick playlist to the Miami New Times and did an interview with Manestream.net. This week an interview/mix I did for the Rub’s Scion Radio show (back in January) also went live.

Elsewheres on the internet: Surkin mix (feat Ayres!), a live Tony Humphries mix from Kiss FM in 1989, and the homey Ghislain coaching a hockey team.

All the Fool’s Gold related SXSW stuff is up now on our blog. Photos (like the above snappy) videos (including my fave moment of the festival) and a dizzying assortment of press n links.

Shows in Ohio this weekend and Miami the next. Bam!

Sizzla, “Spring Break” (Bionic Ras Riddim)

Brand new free Fool’s Gold promo mp3s are available over at RCRD LBL: Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘N’ Nite (Crookers Remix)” and Jokers of the Scene’s “Juggle It (William Russell Remix)”.