"Brothers Can't See Me" - Quasimoto [Free Audio Download]

If you didn't know, we here at Zumic are a little more than just excited for Quasimoto's new album Yessir Whatever hitting the public June 18th. We are ecstatic. Actually, even that word doesn't quite encapsulate how we feel, let's just say words cannot describe how ready we are to hear this whole thing.

Today, as part of NPR's ongoing Heavy Rotation series, wherein they enlist DJ's and public radio hosts to make a 10 song playlist of what they're listening to at the moment, former Tribe Called Quest producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelly of NPR Music's Microphone Check dropped another track from the LP. Entitled "Brothers Cant See Me", the record is classic Lord Quas: a combination of boom bap drums, out there loops and quality rhyming. You can download the track on NPR's website and I strongly recommend you doing so.

Here's what Ali and Kelly had to say:

Scratches of Diamond D's classic "Best Kept Secret" at the start of "Brothers Can't See Me" let you know that the song by rapper/producer Madlib and his alter ego, Quasimoto, hails from the "boom-bap" sector of hip-hop — a district alien to current rap. The tightly truncated snare drum and bouncy kick-drum pattern sound like 1994-'96, but "Brothers Can't See Me" feels fresher and maybe even more powerful now than it would have back in the day. The song is fuzzy and it slaps. Madlib's style is matter-of-fact as he takes the mic to set a couple things straight. "I'm Madlib the bad kid. I'm the one that'll hit you with the total bliss," he says. "I'm that dirty pop and hiss. My s--- sound better than yours, I got the force." And if you didn't get the gist, then Diamond D will spell it out for you again. —Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley, NPR Music's Microphone Check

Check out the full playlist at NPR here.