Flossin for Smiles Hip Hop & Dentistry

Flossin for Smiles Volume 2
((Cinema)) by Jav the Dentist feat. El Da Sensei,
John Robinson & Mandella Eskia
-listen- @ Southern Vangard Episode 476
Start at 53:15

I've had a track on my mind all summer for a minute now thanks to the brothers (Meeks & Jon Doe) over at Southern Vangard. At the start of the summer I pressed play on Soundcloud as I normally do to get a day started and as usual Jon Doe was just...one exclusive after another, like that kid from Fresh, he be sayin', Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! And yeah, there was one track that I tried to track down since I got lost in how dope that Milano Constantine sounded and the Shabaam Sahdeeq spin, but after the smoke cleared, I kept wondering, what was that track? I know I'd heard Sci, but I just got lost in a hurricane of great songs after that I was just trying to make a mental note of. 

I remember a while back Doe mentioned following Southern Vangard on a streaming playlist to source some of the tracks they play, but I was never able to locate it. I started my own #WeAretheGard playlist where I add what's available to reference later for the full project or to simply support. And man, after listening to a few more Southern Vangard sessions, I couldn't get this one track out of my head still that I'd mentioned before. At this point, I was pressin' play on Sahdeeq's album Outside the Lines. Southern Vangard's like an avalanche of new music so by the time you get a few more shows in one can easily lose track of when this track or that track caught a spin.

Summer's just about over, and I still, can't get this song out of my head. It takes a while cause of work to get around to revisiting, posting or finding stuff and it would take me a lil' more time to revisit the playlist. I lucked out as I dropped the player on one of the SV Soundcloud links where I was last seen and it landed right where I needed it to. Right between where I'd first heard it, after ((How it All Started)) by Milano Constantine and Morockko Plus and before ((Windows Down)) by Shabaam Sahdeeq & ES-K, ILL Dose, and Slim Chance. The track is called ((Cinema)) by Jav the Dentist, El Da Sensei, John Robinson (Sci!) and Mandella Eskia. Appreciate you on the playlist documentation Meeks, otherwise how would we ever know?

As I'm searching for album cover info and the like, I end up learning something even cooler about this particular track. It's part of a community initiative with Dr. Javier Lopez aka Jav the Dentist, a dentist out the Bay and Hip Hop music producer. He's the founder of Flossin for Smiles, a community dental non-profit that put out a music project (see cover above designed by Eligh of the Living Legends crew, follow @therealeligh) titled Flossin for Smiles Volume 2. As featured on the track I've had on my mind all summer, it includes forreal eMCee underground icons and artists from across the country. On their IG it states, "Every stream, share, ticket and ounce of support helps continue providing free dental care and education for underserved kids". The story is deep and here are the links to get on track with the movement, to support and listen. At it's best, this is where Hip Hop is at work. Respect to all those involved. The links above will open where I was first introduced to it listening to Southern Vangard. I set the link to open right on the spot where you'll get to listen to ((Cinema)) as spun in the moment by the world famous DJ Jon Doe. It's how I've returned to some of my favorite exclusive tracks as spun by Doe. One I remember and need to track down is Blame One's ((Path of the Kings)). It was another one of those nights cruisin' to the Gard that you just don't forget. What an archive. 

Flossin for Smiles on Instagram @flossin_for_smiles

Track the story posts, like, follow, share and all that!

Donate to Flossin for Smiles via Paypal click here
There's more links and spaces to follow at the linktr.ee CLICK HERE

Peace to Jav the Dentist!

#TapeDecks2020 The 2020 Best of Tape

Lee's Favorite Music of...2020 Tape Decks
#TapeDecks2020

Got the idea when Barack Obama dropped his annual "Barack Obama's Favorite Music of 2020". At first, I planned to copy design the template exact, around 30 tracks, then I got the idea of what this blog is all about...the nostalgia of the tape and recording those tracks on both sides. This of course is an extended version, still representin' for both sides, A & B. Instead of the album shout outs (there were so many in 2020!) I decided to focus on just tracks and that's what I'll be doing every year. I credit that to the good folks over at Southern Vangard podcast radio (shout out to DJ Jon Doe & South Memphis East McLemore Meeks!)...also much love to OutdaboxMedia, Hip Hop Battlefield and a few podcasts out there including Hard Knock Radio and Mark Maron's WTF podcast for putting me on to some notable records through their conversations with the earth's creators. Even though I take deep dives and unpack whole records, this was more convenient to reference more artists/songs, especially as much time as I dedicate to Southern Vanguard dial and their exclusive rotation format...From one podcast to the next, the common fan accumulates a ton of listening homework wanting to absorb it all. It's a dump god movement going on outside and if I was still on radio it would be overwhelming to keep up. My audio contact these days is through those rides to and from, the workout times, gettin' busy in the kitchen with the headphones on, hours upon hours of lesson planning and grading and those out the class responsibilities that just gotta get done...music is always there. My second wind, my mind motivation. This has became even more pronounced during this treacherous pandemic. While there's things to be thankful for in this life to continue to connect, create & appreciate, I'm also in thought of those we had to speak with in spirit this year. Death was around every corner in 2020. This tape is about life & memory. God bless the dead. 

Respect to everyone listed on this tape. There's never room for it all. These tracks right here though, definitely hit me in the heart. 

Peace Hip Hop, can't stop, won't stop 2020.

check.

Lee  

Southern Vangard tracks...
'Dominican Church Eucharist' Codenine x Karate * 'God Tier' Supreme Cerebral feat. Napolean Da Legend x Rasheed Chappell x Rob Deniro * 'Remove 45' De La Soul feat. Styles P, Talib Kweli, Pharoah Monch, Mysonne, Chuck D x Supa Dave West * 'Falling Apart' Supastition * 'Smoke & Mirrors' Elzhi x Monica Blaire x JR Swiftz * 'Starks' Josiah the Gift x Freemind x DJ Jon Doe * 'On Won' Senor Kaos & Illastrate x 4-Ize * 'Think of the Lox' The Lox x Westside Gunn x Benny the Butcher x Large Professor * 'Numb Out' Ghost of the Machine & DJ Proof x Fredo Crespo

Tape Decks tracks...
'White Belt' stic * 'Phoenix Suns' One Be Lo * 'Roots of Blue' Blu & Exile* 'Unreasonably Doubted' Jay Royale* 'Amazing Grays' Goodie Mob* 'Gold Frames' Le$* 'No Lames' Curren$y*

The Baltimore Housing Project

 

The Baltimore Housing Project

Jay Royale

Hip Hop will always have a story to tell. Hip Hop is a product of it's environment. It's a deeper social lesson and connection to geography. Jay Royale for me is an introduction to a voice from Baltimore by way of the good folks of Southern Vangard Radio...that's how I heard about Jay Royale. A true wordsmith & everything a fan cares about if you were immersed in the timeless word play of some of the greatest eMCees that Hip Hop got to offer. No need to reference a specific eMCee or decade or none of that, cause at this point, if you listen to a Jay Royale record you hearing something new that's in the conversation with anything great you've heard before. I got access to his record digitally. But I know me, and this one of those I gotta feel. Purchasing options at the bandcamp: Jay Royale Bandcamp