With ESGN in the bag, Freddie Gibbs focuses on his next project, Piñata, which will be produced by Madlib. The LP will feature Joey Bada$$, Raekwon, Danny Brown, Ab-Soul, and more.

Karriem Riggins drops his tribute to Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, frontman and founder of the legendary, Ohio Players, who recently passed away.

Karriem states: “My idea was to chop a song that is so important to hip hop and also pay homage to 1 of the funkiest groups from one of the funkiest states. Ohio Players’ music will forever be relevant! RIP Sugarfoot.”

For fans in Canada, Karriem will be DJing on February 22nd in Toronto and February 23rd in Montreal.

From the album Alone Together available now on Stones Throw. Directed by Tuomas Vauhkonen and Jeremias Nieminen.

Check out the music video from Karriem Riggins’ Alone Together album, which is out now. The video is for the track “Summer Madness” (also incorporating a piece of “Matador”) and is directed by Donovan Glover and Gerard Victor.

“Here’s a guy at the intersection of the corner of jazz and hip hop.”

Karriem Riggins is heralded, albeit quietly, as one of the most talented musicians connected to hip-hop culture. Of the qualities present in artists with this distinction is the ability to traverse genres while fusing influences into their own creations. Riggins embodies this concept – as a jazz drummer he is a known collaborator with Diana Krall, Donald Byrd and Ron Carter; when it comes to hip hop production he’s set the soundscape for names like Common, Talib Kweli and Slum Village. This October he presented his duality via a solo debut – 34 tracks of instrumental hip hop on Stones Throw Records, equal parts jazz and hip hop, 100% fresh.

A trip to the Stones Throw website will hip you to the fact that Alone Together was inspired by the Arthur Schwartz composed, Howard Dietz penned show tune turned jazz standard of the same name. An interpretation of the first line of that piece, “Alone together, beyond the crowd,” suggests that Riggins’ sync of styles transcends the norm. If our eardrums are the judges this project holds true to that theory.

Originally released separately, when conjoined Alone and Together maneuver through moods and movements with minimal seams. Its linear quality feels something like chilling in a DJ’s honeycomb hideout witnessing the birth of a mix. Seems like he’s smoldering; just getting started on Alone, and by Together full-on flames are dancing and rising around his MPC.

Early on “From Detroit/Belle Isle” gives a necessary nod to his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, moving into a demonstration of one of his weapons of choice, “Moogy Foog It,” and later a subtly funky “Alto Flute” for good measure. The use of words and lyrics in the production, along with meaningful song titles send subliminals as we move “Up,” in “Forward Motion” and travel to foreign lands, the first of which being “Africa.” Smooth standouts like “Harpsichord Session” and “Double Trouble” lean toward instrumentation and charm us with their jazziness.

Together shifts to high gear from the drum and bass lead, zone-out promoting “daOOOOOH!!,” and silky self-described groove of “Tom Toms,” to the head-nod inducing “Because” and hard-thumping “Boy Is Doin’ It Right.” There are some crown jewels on this leg, notably the breezy, intercontinental “Summer Maddness S. A.,” and haunting chords of “Matador.” But with so much stellar material it’s difficult to single out moments of brilliance. “No Way,” “I Need Love,” “K. Riffins,” and “Bring That Beat Back” are all tracks that’ll make you do just that.

Alone Together is an abstract composition, with only one track breaking past the three-minute mark; much like the late, great Dilla’s Donuts. We’d be remiss not to acknowledge his spirit hovering over this album, which suitably concludes with “J Dilla the Greatest.” Powerful drums boom and roll, evoking emotion we can only imagine is lament over the fallen legend but also vibes of triumph. Riggins captures Dilla’s essence while remaining true to his own. For his first autonomous release, he’s come mighty close to perfection.

Karriem Riggins’ full length album Alone Together drops October 23rd, via Stones Throw. The vinyl and digital editions of Karriem’s Alone Together album are being released in two parts, “Alone” (released in August) and “Together.” The second half of Alone Together was released today for “Together” alongside a bonus Fan Club 45 “12s in 8″ b/w “Analog Days.”

Today, enjoy the free mp3 download for the song “Summer Madness S.A.”

Finally, on October 25th, Karriem Riggins will be joining Questlove for a special DJ set for his official “Alone Together” NY Release Party at Brooklyn Bowl. This should be a special evening, as this brings together two of today’s most in demand drummers for a night that will not be forgotten.

Karriem Riggins is best known as a jazz drummer and hip-hop producer for artists like Common, Slum Village, Talib Kweli and The Roots, but he doesn’t categorize himself as anything but an artist. He advises younger musicians to do the same.

“You don’t have to put yourself in a box…there’s so many different ways to go,” Riggins says. A student of late jazz bassist Ray Brown, he tours with another Brown protégé, Grammy Award winner Diana Krall. In 2011, he collaborated with former Beatle Paul McCartney in concert and on Kisses on the Bottom, McCartney’s first studio release in five years. Names of some of the jazz artists he’s backed reads like the genre’s hall of fame – Hank Jones, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Donald Byrd and Ron Carter.

But on his solo debut Alone Together, set for an October 23 release on Stones Throw Records, Riggins plants himself firmly as a hip-hop producer with a 34-track instrumental odyssey through nearly every influence on his career thus far. The project was inspired by much of the music he was creating while living in Los Angeles, and also by the love of his son and family.

First selection from Madlib’s Medicine Show #11: Low Budget Hi-Fi, courtesy of Stones Throw.

After a brief pause in the Medicine Show series, Madlib returns with a 28-track, full-length hip-hop album of collaborations with AG, Guilty Simpson, MED, Oh No, Strong Arm Steady and others. Karriem Riggins pops in for a short Supreme Team session, Madlib & Oh No debut their group The Professionals, and we hear for the first time a Jaylib-era track from Madlib & Dilla’s never-realized second album.

The unofficial title of this album is Dirty Demos selected by the Loop Digga, a reference to a fire which destroyed some of this album’s master tapes – a story detailed in the CD’s 12-page booklet. The CD cover is by Isabel Samaras, LP illustrations by Gustavo Eandi, and design by Jeff Jank.

THE LIMITED-EDITION 3/LP VINYL contains 14 additional Madlib beat instrumentals. The covers are one-of-a-kind, hand silk-screened by Hit+Run, with Hennessy-infused paint. Some photos of the LP and printing process are below. More coming soon.

Supreme Team (Madlib + Karriem Riggins) – “Interview #4080″ (MP3)