Neet

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This interview with Diplo about MIA's new album absolutely makes complete sense. Keep in mind the fact that Time Magazine named her in their list of the World's Top 100 Most Influential People, for having "global influence across many genres." And then she broke up with Diplo, mastermind behind Mad Decent, architect of the tropical sounds behind her first two albums and boyfriend to boot, and soon moved to California to live with Benjamin Zachary Bronfman, heir of the Bronfman liquor dynasty. Her latest album Maya has been described as a "digital ruckus" and was recorded in 18 months, entirely in her home in Los Angeles. Kala, her universally acclaimed second album, was recorded in India, Jamaica, Liberia, Trinidad and Australia. Everything you need to know about what's up with MIA right now is said right here, very tastefully by Diplo.

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On what went wrong with MAYA: “I think she’s a really controversial artist and she’s one of the most important people doing music right now, because people expect a lot. And I think that the record was like—she didn’t care about it. I was in the studio with her, she didn’t write anything. The one good review is that, at least people—she’s on the defensive for the whole record, and that doesn’t sound very authentic. Me and Switch tried our best to be quality control of the record and she didn’t want that. She kind of went on her own way. I was like, Look, nobody in your crew—we were the only people she could trust, and our asses were on the line too. We got here because of working with people like her. We care about the way things sound, and when the people that she works with don’t, then it’s fucked up. She’s got a talent in every aspect. She’s got ideas bigger than any artist I’ve ever met and she’s someone to fuckin’ make that happen. All she has is a bunch of yes men around her and they kinda suck.”

On ever working with her again: “I burned like twenty bridges with her. I build my own bridges, it doesn’t matter. I’m honest. As soon as she comes to terms with what she does then we can work again. One of us has to be like, We fucked up, and then we can do it again.”

On the backlash: “I am surprised by it. She like, retired because she married a dude and she didn’t care about music. She only did it again because “Paper Planes” did blow up in the end. It gave her a second wind, but she didn’t have any hunger anymore. She already got a full table.”

On her future: “But besides that I think she’s amazing and she’ll put another record out that’s going to be fuckin’ sick because I think she needs to get grounded at some point.”

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{Black Book | Continue Reading}

Big Ideas

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The mezzanine level of my home someday. 

(Mezzanine!)

Duck Sauce

I love Duck Sauce and my song of the summer will be Barbra Streisand when it touches down sometime.

Summer

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I'm a man in the wild and the wild is the best. 

My intentions all summer have certainly been this. 

-Kid Cudi

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This is the second year of Converse's 3 Artists 1 Song series and they've struck gold the second time around. While last year's lineup of Santigold, Pharrell and Julian Casablancas from the Strokes  might have looked more stellar on paper, the song itself didn't live up to the storm that the lineup unintentionally built up. Google it to find out for yourself but I'm just saying don't bother, this song right here is truly something else and that's not just my love for Kid Cudi coming on strong. BUT he does rise this song above from being just another hazy lo fi cute kid lost his glasses at the beach sounding romp that Pitchfork nuts all over. While Pitchfork uses words and explanations to try and wrangle out the true meaning out of moments that touch the Heart & Mind with, the most enlightening experiences are always a feeling and that involves no thinking at all. No calculating, comparing, contrasting, competing, analyzing or summarizing anything at all. It's just about simply Being. Cudi always tries his best to translate that feel right there across in his music and I absolutely love it. Don't jump all over me for this but on a very related note, do drugs always have to be in the picture when speaking of feeling Life's truly important moments? Not at all. Let's be real clear: by themselves, not ever no never. Are drugs way more often than not used as an attempt to touch something real? Absolutely. But what if in conjunction with glimpsing something truly of beauty and not as an end to itself? That's up for you to decide. While considering the fact that everything less than best detracts, all you have to do is think of the moments that you would most want to be taken above and beyond yourself, overwhelmed by joy? Watching your favorite song being played? A roof top terrace overlooking the Mediterranean? Seeing the sun set behind a sand dune? Mountain peaks? Peering off the top of the Hilton Chicago at the world below? Strange places with the best of friends? Cudi's on a beach with his newest best friends and loving it and summer and all its splendor. Love is being overstimulated in joy, whatever the means. Immerse yourself in love. Best give the song a play too, no doubt about it. 

Kid Cudi + Rostam Batmanglij + Best Coast- All Summer

Time To Get Away

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!!!-AM/FM

Let your head swim. 

Word

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"GNP measures everything in short except that what makes Life worthwhile."

-Robert Kennedy

Locals Only

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The sun doesn't set on the truly important things in Life and true wisdom sees that a slice of summer should never die in anyone, only encouraged. Think about what could true if that was a priority for everybody. There would be no "us and them" way of thinking. 

It would just be us.

Kinfolk.

Locals at the beach, all under the very same sun.

(pics via Rockers NYC)