So it's Christmas Eve 2010 and I've got some presents for you... Yup, that's right - It's this week's edition of #NewMusicFriday! (the best new hip hop singles from the past week along with album recommendations and videos). Highlights this week include an incredible single from Seattle rapper Macklemore and his talented producer Ryan Lewis about a baseball announcer from their city "The Town". Also, check out "I Did It To Myself" by Ryu with a beat by Apathy that conjures visions of Charlie Brown Christmas. Very appropriate for this time of year. Stream the 9 songs below or download the whole bunch at the link up top. There's so much good hip hop coming out these days - you just have to know where to look to find it. The rappers and producers that I feature on #NewMusicFriday are keeping the genre alive and healthy. Bump this music and come back every week!
Video SonReal - I Tried (Video)
-Canadian MC SonReal rapping over Asher Roth's "I Love College" beat - trying to wrap his head around the importance of individuality in rap music.
Enjoy the music. Hope to see you again soon (peep last week's #NewMusicFriday here). There might just be some best-of-the-year lists from yours truly next week...
It's been another fantastic week for hip hop, as you can tell by listening to the #NewMusicFriday top 9 songs of the week below (or hit the link above to download all of them). I've gone through about 100 songs, albums, and videos this week to bring you the below selections, so you know my picks are about quality hip hop over quantity. On an extremely important tip: Ghostface Killah's new album Apollo Kids just leaked on the internet, but if you're looking for a Christmas present for the real hip hop fan in your life - this is it! (Drops December 21st). You definitely need to have this under the tree on Christmas morning and need to be playing it when the relatives arrive. Peep "The Wallabee Kingpin"in the video below for some classic Ghostface.
In the past three weeks, I have independently arrived at the name Brown Bag AllStars four separate times (1 album, 2 EP's, and 1 incredibly produced track - all of which are great). So how is it possible that I had never heard of this underground hip hop group before?! I have absolutely no idea, but lucky for us, these guys have been keeping real hip hop alive in 2010 with their newest releases below. Don't sleep on any of this music!
The Brown Bag AllStars consist of Soul Khan, TheAudible Doctor, J57, Koncept, DJ Goo Punch, DJ E Holla, and Deejay Element who all met each other while working at the legendary hip hop record store Fat Beats NYC (now R.I.P.)
My introduction to the Brown Bag AllStars started with a battle rapper named Soul Khan. If you have never seen a hip hop battle, then today is your lucky day. The below is one hell of an introduction to both Soul Khan and the important (yet dying) tradition of the MC battle. His delivery and punchlines are INSANE. Stand back or you might get a black eye.
So it's my favorite day of the week, and hopefully yours too... #NewMusicFriday! The fact that I can provide you about 10 new incredible hip hop songs a week should give you an idea that the hip hop genre that was claimed to be dead by Nas is actually alive and well. Actually, the term "dead" really is inaccurate and oversimplified and I'm surprised that a rapper as "conscious" as Nas would make that claim. It might even be somewhat inaccurate to say that hip hop has been "misguided" and wrongly portrayed by the media. I'm starting to believe there's something even bigger happening here. Never before has there been a musical genre so bifurcated amongst its own that it's beginning to feel as though mainstream hip hop and underground hip hop are two giant land masses slowly separating from continental drift. I'm really advocating for this separation, but it's not happening fast enough. I'm tired of calling what's played on the radio these days "Hip Hop". I want there to be a CIVIL WAR and get this split over with. Consider this a post a declaration of a "Hip Hop House Divided". If you are with me then fucking take a stand and lead your friends on a journey to discovering what real hip hop means by sharing this post and turn off the damn radio. Thanks and I look forward to having you back next week. Until then, enjoy the fantastic music from the past week below.
Another #NewMusicFriday for my few, but dedicated followers. Just hit play on the songs below and get acquainted with some underground gems. There's a lot of new talent on the scene these days so you best get with the times. Here are my highlights from this past week in Hip Hop. Use these songs to impress friends who have absolutely no knowledge of decent hip hop music. Oh yeah, and check out last week's #NewMusicFriday - 11/26/10 edition here in case you missed it. Download the 9 songs below at the link up top and also check out the video and album sections for new items that I've found in the past week. You might just find something you like and your iPod will definitely thank you.
I wanna talk to you about a rapper who has been on my radar for over two years now. This man would be Joell Ortiz who released his first studio album in 2007 called The Brick: Bodega Chronicles. Although the album didn't scream classic, it was a solid album and it had what I believe to be one of the best odes to the golden age of hip hop ever. This song titled "Hip Hop" (video below), that I featured on my most recent Filet-o-Mix CD: Recapturing That Feeling, seeps with passion from every line. Although lyrically it might not focus exclusively on the golden era, Joell gives you the "feeling" of what it was like back in the good ol' days. No corny gimmicks, no fake gangsters - just real talk. If you want to understand the soul of what hip hop really means, you'll digest the song below in all of it's reminiscing braggadocio. It truly captures the spirit of that time period (early to mid 90's).
When I first heard this song, I was sure Joell would be an underground star. His passion is incredible, his delivery is top notch, and his heart is in it. I'm telling you, 90% of rappers these days don't have any of those three qualities. They just rhyme over a beat and no one could care less about what they're saying. However, I see Joell being able to crossover and have more mass appeal by hybridizing mainstream and underground hip hop. For example, check his newest video below which is a story about the average man's struggle with a beautiful R&B chorus by his sometimes partner-in-music, Novel. I'm really in love with this damn song.
By listening to the last two songs, you can tell that Joell's style is extremely versatile, yet manages to remain sincere even when switching between being both pompous and humble. Recently, Joell has made headlines as 1/4th of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, which also includes lyrical powerhouses Royce Da 5'9", Joe Budden, & Crooked I. They are in talks right now to sign to Eminem's label Shady Records, which would be an awesome move for the group.
If you are loving these two songs, I suggest you pick up a copy of Joell Ortiz's new album Free Agent, which drops sometime in 2011. The album was slated to be released today and the songs used to be up for preview on Amazon.com, but were taken down this morning (and I must say they sounded good!). Both the song "Night Train" (above) and the song below "Sing Like Bilal" are on Free Agent so you know it's gonna be a hot one. And if you already know Joell Ortiz then this is for you... YAOOOOOOWA!!
In case you're just joining in on the #NewMusicFriday trend @HeadPhoneHOME, I do a recap of the best new rap singles released from the past week. It's kinda like the top 10 plays on ESPN's SportsCenter, but I do it for new hip hop music. You can stream the new songs below or download the whole bunch at the link above. Highlights include a new leak from Kanye West & Jay-Z's upcoming "Watch The Throne" album, a new collab between Eminem & Royce Da 5'9", some dope smooth production by Budo, Deacon The Villain, Dela, Muneshine, and a beautiful song by a new artist Parker called "Sky Music". With all this great hip hop, you're bound to find something that speaks to your tastes whether underground or commercial. It's all certified dope music, so open your ears and press play...
Also, below are the new albums that I've downloaded this week. Check them out if you want to further your hip hop education. And check out last week's #NewMusicFriday - 11/19 Edition here for more bangers.
Latest Hip Hop Events Red Bull Big Tune - Finals in Chicago
-Red Bull Big Tune is a beat battle between the nation's best up-and-coming hip hop producers. Contestants go head to head playing songs and the crowd decides who moves on to the next round for the best hip hop producer in America. The winner of this year's competition (last week) was 14KT from Ypsilanti, MI. He definitely is one of the best producers out there. I will be doing a new post on him soon, but until then, check out my last post on 14KT here.
(This is 1 of 5 different album covers and the one that was banned from Walmart)
Final Tracklist
1. Dark Fantasy
2. Gorgeous feat. KiD CuDi & Raekwon 3. POWER
4. All Of The Lights (Interlude) 5. All Of The Lights 6. Monster feat. JAY-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver
7. So Appalled feat. JAY-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz & The RZA
8. Devil In A New Dress feat. Rick Ross
9. Runaway feat. Pusha T
10. Hell Of A Life
11. Blame Game feat. John Legend
12. Lost In The World
13. Who Will Survive In America
Kanye West is back and better than ever! In case you didn't get the memo, the new Kanye West album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy just officially dropped yesterday, but has been on the internet for two weeks now and I have almost played it out already! Yo it was so damn fresh that I JUST HAD TO play it non-stop for a week until I absolutely needed to change things up. I've probably given the album at least 6 front-to-back spins and a lot more spins on the more impressive tracks. Now, I finally feel confident in telling you that this album is a certified gem and one of Kanye's best. Welcome back Ye, we've been missing you since Late Registration.
So I've loved Kanye ever since I received a bootleg copy of his first album, The College Dropout, from a friend in probably 2003 hot off the streets of Newark, NJ (it had a few different songs and wasn't mastered yet). I was blown away by it and I could definitely tell that West would go on to do big things just by the sheer number of times that I played that album. I really had no idea that he would be THIIIIS big though. Fast forward to the present: Kanye is larger than life, but unlike many reality TV star celebrities these days, he actually is famous for a good reason... his music is absolutely superb, cutting edge, and beautiful. He, quite frankly, is a genius when it comes to production work. He just knows what will sound good and has the talent to make that happen. His rapping is an extension of the need to fuel his ego and also air-out his self-reflective thoughts as can be summed up quite succinctly in one of the opening lines "Me drown sorrow in that Diablo (lamborghini), me found bravery in my bravado". Even in writing his lyrics, Kanye is quite talented and has remained pretty consistent throughout his career.
The new album, I believe, is the pinnacle of Kanye's production work to date. The album is mixed and mastered perfectly in a way that allows the beats to slightly overshadow Kanye's rapping, which gives tracks increased replay value as you can gradually pick up more and more of the lyrics over time (and realize just how good they are at times). Although the album is not perfect, the vast majority of the tracks shine bright and will make you put your blinders on to the not so perfect ones (the annoying Swizz Beatz chorus on "So Appalled", the dragging length of "Runaway", and the not-so-comedic dialogue by Chris Rock at the end of "Blame Game" are my only gripes). What I think surprised me the most about this album is that I had heard 6 of the 13 tracks before downloading the full album yet somehow the WHOLE is much greater than the sum of its individual parts. This body of work has such a strong continuity and innovative sound that it really needs to be listened to as a whole album to fully enjoy its complexity.
I highly recommend that the best way to enjoy this album is to first watch the Kanye West-directed extremely long, short-film "Runaway" (35 minutes), which incorporates almost all of the album's songs into a visual landscape of a "beautiful dark twisted fantasy" belonging to Kanye. Although it is somewhat long and requires a bit of a time commitment and some patience to watch, it is definitely worth it to watch before listening to the full album because the emotions that are provoked by the visuals in combination with the music will resonate with you more strongly when you listen to just the album afterwards (this really surprised me in a good way!). I love the idea of this short-film concept because it is all about building a visual landscape around a soundtrack instead of the other way around. Watch the full version of "Runaway" in full screen mode for the best effect or watch my favorite excerpt from the film below.
Kanye West - Excerpt from the short-film "Runaway" & the full song of the title track "Runaway"
Kanye is one of the best producers in hip hop right now and he is leading the music in a new direction. He is a pioneer, an egotistical asshole, and a genius. This is why we love and hate him so much all at the same time.
Boy do I have some HEAT for you this week!!! Stream the below songs (download individually by right clicking and saving them) OR download the whole bunch by hitting the download link above (recommended). New joints this week are by 1) Established artists Dr. Dre, Eminem, Royce Da 5'9", Kanye West, Talib Kweli 2) Soon to be mainstream up and comers Wiz Khalifa, Jay Electronica, Consequence 3) Underground heavyweights Zion-I, Termanology, Sabzi, Alchemist, Oh No and 4) Up and coming underground artists Sol, John Regan, IMAKEMADBEATS, John Public, and Laws. There's truly something for everybody here. All great hip hop. All approved by the ears of yours truly. Dig in while it's hot and peep my newest album recommendations below these songs.
Update: Ok, so I changed my philosophy about #NewMusicFriday. Originally, I was just gonna put up songs that came out ONLY this past week, but I realized something - you dont really care that they ALL came out in the past week do you? You care about GREAT HIP HOP. So now I will use #NewMusicFriday to document my own personal journey of music discovery. This means putting up both the newest good singles that have leaked from the past week AND all the great ones that I find in the process (I will only select singles, not selections from albums as in my Filet-o-Mix CD's). I will take you on a ride and let you hear what I hear. You will start to realize just how much hip hop music I'm up on. This might scare you, but I'm willing to take that risk. Don't believe me? See below for details... I'm addicted to good hip hop.
Albums That I've Downloaded In The Past Week (and that I'm in the process of listening to)
J. Cole - Friday Night Lights (2010)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik 0-60 (2010)
Von Pea - Pea's Gotta Have It (2010)
Masta Killa Presents - The Next Chamber (2010)
UGK - 4 Life (2009)
Termanology & Statik Selektah - The 1982 Free EP (2010)
Montage One - Montageone.Com 10.6.2 OGX (2010)
Mick Boogie - 93 TIL INFINITY Mixtape (2010)
LMNO - Tripping On This Journey (2010)
Laws & DJ Don Cannon - 4:57 PM (2010)
Laws - 5:01 Overtime (2010)
J-Live - Undivided Attention EP (2010)
Eligh - Grey Cow (2010)
DJ Babu - Duck Season Vol. 3 (2008)
Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer (2010)
Buckwild Presents EP (2010)
John Regan - Sorry I'm Late (2010)
Celph Titled & Buckwild - Nineteen Ninety Now (2010)
J. Cole - The Warm Up (2009)
Gangrene (Alchemist & Oh No) – Gutter Water (2010)
The Foreign Exchange - Authenticity (2010)
Sene & J57 – Eye Don’t Dream…But I Do EP (2010)
Jéan P - Rise & Shine (2010)
The Left - Gas Leaks EP (2010)
I've decided not to provide all the links to download these, but I can tell you that some of these albums will get their own individual post from me. Some of them I already know will.
If I still bought music, I'd be dead broke right now. So to the artists whose music I steal, know this - I go to your shows and I promote your music to others. Hope this makes up for my piracy in some way...
So I just wrote out HeadPhoneHome's mission statement alongside 1) my motivations for creating this site and 2) how HeadPhoneHOME is different from other hip hop blogs. In that page, I mention that one of the ways that this site is different is because I do not try to put up EVERY new release / leak on the internet like most popular hip hop sites such as 2dopeboyz, Nah Right, Rap Radar, etc. These sites are only meant to drive a high volume of web traffic and thus sacrifice quality for quantity.
That being said, on HeadPhoneHome I will definitely NOT do this. However, I am going to start putting together a weekly smattering of good new releases every Friday that come out over the past week. I only want to bring you the quality ones, so if you find something dope - please email it to me at HeadPhoneHome@gmail.com or let me know if I missed anything major.
Albums
1) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
-Just leaked. No point in putting up a download link as they are being taken down as fast as they are going up. Search FilesTube for one.
2) J. Cole - Friday Night Lights
-Being released from the artists website today at dreamvillain.net. Download was so popular that it crashed his website tonight.
3) J-Live - Undivided Attention EP [download]
4) Eligh - Grey Cow [download]
J. Cole performing "Last Call" this past Sunday. The crowd throws up the ROC diamond.
So this past Sunday, two amazing things happened that were worthy of a big WHO DAT!! First off, the New Orleans Saints won 34-3 over the Carolina Panthers. Second off, I helped produce a J. Cole and Fabolous concert on the campus of William Patterson University in NJ, which involved constructing the stage, sound, lights, and being involved in minor police altercations. Now if you find yourself saying, "J. Cole, who is that?" then you're about to get your introduction right now with this SWEET ASS VIDEO below (unless you've already helped make up some of the 7 million views this has on YouTube).
J. Cole - Who Dat (Video)
In case you didn't know, J. Cole was the first artist Jay-Z signed to his new label Roc Nation two years ago. His real name is Jermaine Cole and he was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina (you will often hear him mention "The Ville" in his music). Since being signed, he has been steady climbing in the hip hop world collaborating most famously on Jay-Z's the Blueprint 3 track "A Star Is Born" and most recently on the radio smash hit "All I Want Is You" by Miguel (this is one of the only songs on the radio that I actually enjoyed recently).
J. Cole is not a commercial artist per se. He is not at all like Drake, although he has been compared to him due to his protégé status (J. Cole : Jay-Z :: Drake : Lil Wayne). Whereas Drake is a pop artist who sings and raps using a gimicky lyrical device that I would call "punchwords" instead of punchlines, J. Cole is exclusively a lyrical/story telling rapper catering to a more cult-following of dedicated hip hop fans. These two guys should never be compared in their styles, but they both follow the similar pattern of blowing up in popularity from their mixtapes before they even drop an actual album. J. Cole's debut studio album Cole World has no release date yet, but I will continue to wait patiently while I snag up all his mixtapes below. Make sure to catch the new one coming out this Friday here!!
1. Change (01:29)
2. Gas Mask (03:21) 3. Frozen (Feat. Kool G Rap) (03:21)
4. Battle Axe (Feat. Mu) (02:57) 5. Binoculars (03:00)
6. How We Live (Feat. Hassaan Mackey) (04:06)
7. Chokehold (Feat. Paradime) (04:05)
8. The Funeral (03:01) 9. Statistics (Feat. Invincible) (03:43)
10. Real Detroit (Feat. Marvwon) (04:18)
11. The Melody (03:33)
12. Reporting Live (Feat. Guilty Simpson) (04:15)
13. Fooled for Thought (01:23) 14. Desperation (03:10)
15. Caged Birds (Feat. Finale) (04:12)
16. Homage (Feat. Frank West) (03:44)
17. Get in Where You Fit in (03:24)
So there are times that I write blog posts just because I want to share music with you, but this time it's different. I REALLY NEED TO SHARE THIS ALBUM WITH YOU. Like, god damn, you HAVE TO hear this. If you have been a true fan of hip hop for years and have been dissatisfied with the new music that comes out these days because it doesn't give you that feeling of early 90's hip hop, then this is what you've been waiting for. It's an instant classic in my mind and I do NOT use that term lightly. This album is easily in my top two albums of 2010 for several reasons, which I will go into below (I'll leave my other top album of this year for another post).
Ok, so here we have a new collaborative group called The Left made up up 3 members: Producer Apollo Brown, MC Journalist 103, and DJ Soko from Detroit's gritty underground. Their album Gas Mask, released about two weeks ago, is a cohesive project of supreme quality... all 17 tracks are phenomenal. I was excited at the beginning of every track to hear what was coming next. Usually, I'm skeptical when I listen to new songs because I listen to sooo much hip hop that I'm forced to discriminate right off the bat, but this feeling went out window as I was anxiously awaiting whatever was next. Right from the get-go my hip hop spidey sense was tingling.
The production throughout the entire album by Apollo Brown is nothing short of amazing and blends perfectly with Journalist 103's flow - both of which are raw, gritty, and as consistent as they are creative. The tracks are formed around chopped samples of soul vocals, horns, and BANGIN drums that span the range of emotions everywhere from the somber "Homage" to the triumphant "Get In Where You Fit In" to the pensive "Binoculars". In fact, Journalist 103 describes the production perfectly when he opens the track "Frozen" with the lyrics "From the time you stick the disc in, it's the same feeling that a heroin addict gets when he stick a syringe in. I put you in the deep nod, back and forth, constant. Once I get in your system, there's no way you can stop it". Need I say more?
The storytelling style and timbre of Journalist 103's voice makes every track compelling to listen to over Apollo Brown's beats. This isn't your typical braggadocio rap (except for track 4). This is rap filled with deep thoughts and visuals. For example, on, arguably my favorite song and appropriately titled, "Desperation", the lyrics paint the picture: "I got one hand clutching the nine, the other's clutching the microphone. Trying to make a clear choice between the right and wrong. Trying to stay in the zone with the right mind frame, but I keep getting distracted, my whole life's changed. I done went from being the best at it to being the last to even get mentioned it's pure madness. I can go to the lab and be productive or throw my hands up at the world and say fuck it. The rap game - hate it. Hip hop - I love it". Damn, I love the energy that spills out of every track and the emotion that Journalist 103 pours out over these fantastic beats. It makes me wish every album had such complexity and artistry... and that every MC had an appropriately titled pen name.
What many albums lack these days is a consistency in their sound and overall song quality. The reason being is that nowadays we live in a world where music is consumed by the song instead of by the album. Thus, there is no need for artists to continue creating great albums. It is clear that mp3's have caused the "death of the album" as we know it, but the nostalgia for a great album will still resonate with the generations that grew up with them. It is clear that those who continue to stay true to the art of making quality music will in the long run gain more true fans that are willing to support them. The only questions is, will they last long enough in this dog-eat-dog world to reap the benefits over the long term? I really hope that these guys last, so if you take my word for it and want to support these guys, please buy the album HERE! You just might need some good speakers instead of headphones to tackle this bad boy.
Another appropriate quote to leave you with (sticking with the drug addiction metaphor): "There's nothing like it when you get your hit for the first time, so take advantage son, it comes once in a lifetime"
As of recently I've been a little more than obsessed with Seattle hip hop. Why? Because the region BY FAR has the most musically creative, intelligent, and all around best hip hop in the nation right now, hands down. It's so easy to miss this fact though if you're an East Coaster like me. That's why I have come to rectify the situation. ATTENTION EAST COAST - THIS IS SOME DOPE SHIT ALERT!
So who is Grynch and why in the hell should you care? Maybe watch this video below and get an idea.
Awesome right? Perhaps even more awesome though than the song's video is the Sabzi produced remix of that track "My Volvo (Bolbo Riddim Remix)" [right click save as to download]
But don't get it twisted, Grynch doesn't just spit gimmicks - he is a damn good MC who is committed to making great-sounding hip hop music and writing quality lyrics. That's why I present to you his sophomore album below and a few tracks to preview - don't miss track 13 "If Only" featuring Macklemore (If you wanna stream the whole album, check out his bandcamp site here). Life's too short to listen to crappy music. Expand your musical intelligence with this dope hip hop below.
01-It's A New Day
02-I Won't Lose
03-Dear Grynch
04-The Youngest In Charge (Feat. Fatal Lucciauno & D.Black)
05-All Night (Feat. Too Good & Billy Patron)
06-Euphoria
07-Summertime (Feat. Geologic) 08-My Second Wind
09-Memory Lane (Feat. Sonny Bonoho)
10-Good Morning
11-Home (Feat. Speedy Gonzalez)
12 -Peer Pressure 13-If Only (Feat. C-nik & Macklemore)
14-The Perfect Imperfection 15-Sara
16-One Love (Feat. Portia)
17-When The Beast Comes Out
18-That's Hip-hop
I really love Devin The Dude and this right here is his NEW album that comes out today! Honestly, he's one of the greats who I never listened to until two years ago when a dear friend of mine pointed out this problem and promptly gave me my first Devin album. It was an eye opening experience and quite a trip when I soon realized that he was on Dr. Dre's famous album The Chronic 2001 (he was on the song "Fuck You", but seriously, who wasn't featured on Dre's 2001?).
The greatest thing about Devin The Dude is that he keeps it extremely simple with fantastic laid back beats and rapping that almost exclusively touches on 3 things: women, weed, and alcohol. Now you may be skeptical as to how an artist can really have enough to say about just those 3 things to make an entire album (or seven), but just listen to this album and you'll quickly understand. As long as you can appreciate his music's simplicity and his often crass sexual attitude towards women, you will definitely enjoy this. It's very easy listening material as far as rap goes and perfect for the casual weed smoker in you (because you may know that Devin celebrates marijuana - just listen to the title track "Gotta Be Me"). The production on this album is real clean with a Houston-influenced southern feel that leaves you all mellowed out. So just cool out. Cool out and listen to H.E.R.
01 Vipassana (Ryan Lewis Remix)
02 Crew Cuts (feat. Xperience) [Jake One Remix] 03 Otherside (feat. Fences) [Ryan Lewis Remix]
04 Irish Celebration (P Smoov Remix)
05 The End (Budo Remix)
06 The Town (Sabzi Remix)
There comes a time when it's undeniable that you have to give support by BUYING good music instead of just downloading it for free. I realize that I am guilty of stealing music 99.85% of the time, but this EP is just one of those occasions where I needed to buy this on principle, regardless of what it sounded like. You may remember when I raved and raved about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis dropping the VS. EP back almost a year ago for FREE and how it was a must MUST download. I think I've listened to that 7 track EP probably close to 30 times and it never gets dull. One week ago, the duo released VS. Redux, which is a 6 song EP of remixes from the original VS. EP (except for the last track "The Town", which was on Macklemore's The Unplanned Mixtape).
Since the original VS. EP's beats were made from sampling other contemporary artists (such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers), the duo could not sell their original EP for money and decided to give that beautiful piece of hard work away for free to us fans. Now, the VS. Redux EP has new beats made by some phenomenal producers including Jake One, Sabzi, P Smoov, Budo, as well as Ryan Lewis. The standout remix is the first leaked single off VS. Redux called "Otherside (Ryan Lewis Remix)" (preview it above!), which is about drug addiction and features the indie artist Fences singing an emotion laden chorus. In my mind, I didn't think it would be possible to top the original Otherside, but this one comes close and does the original justice. If you loved the VS. EP like I did, please support some of my favorite independent hip hop artists and buy this EP that costs about as much as a sandwich at just under $6. Or at least preview it on iTunes and download the original VS. EP for free if you haven't already! The night that this dropped, it broke into the top 10 iTunes hip hop chart. That's a testament to the power of love for great hip hop right there. Peep the "Otherside A Cappella" below.
Damn this album is beautiful and I just needed to share it with you. On Death Is Silent, Kno proves once again that he is currently one of the best producers in hip hop in terms of his music's creativity, uniqueness, and overall quality. You may have heard of Kno before because he is one of the founding members of the hip hop group the CunninLynguists, where he first displayed his production and rapping talent. Since that CunninLynguists debut album, Will Rap For Food, Kno's music has become increasingly more refined, mixing in an emotional quality that few other producers can create.
Death Is Silent is Kno's first full length solo LP and he shows his mastery of hip hop music by making a cohesive album in terms of both theme and sound. The album's topic revolves around death and it's profound impact on life. The overall feel of the music is just what you'd expect; morbid with an emphasis on the hardening of your nerves in the face of death and father time. Kno produced the entirety of the album and raps the majority of its verses with an awesome cast of notable featured artists including Tonedeff, Substantial, Tunji, and his two partners in the CunninLynguists, Natti, and co-founding member Deacon The Villain. The album has a heavy focus on samples about death, which Kno skillfully builds the concept of each track around. He also uses subtleties like sound effects to create a layered effect on tracks. For example, track 5 "Rhythm Of The Rain" uses rain to give the track extra volume and track 4 "La Petite Mort (Come Die With Me)" uses birds chirping in the chorus to add to the tracks imagery. Also, I'm really digging the vocal samples, which range from obscure quotes about death to creative uses of rap lines from Andre 3000 and Kanye West.
I'd say the production is always my favorite thing about Kno's music, but the lyrics of this album should not be overlooked. In fact, you can read all the lyrics to each song at the CunninLynguists bandcamp page along with the ability to stream every song. My lyrical highlight from the album is on track 8 "Graveyard" where Kno shows you his "wordsmithery" with a stream of witty referencing punchlines like "I Vincent Van Gogh hard in the paint. What gave you the impression that I can't? Many have tried, most of them failed. Trap or Die, Oregon Trail." And as always, Deacon The Villain brings his A-game with complex versus that take some time to digest.
My only wish is that more artists were this talented and could execute like Kno can. I HIGHLY encourage you to download my previous compilation of DJ Kno's Best production work if you like what you hear.
I've been very selective about my new hip hop these days because I only have time to bring you the best of the best when I post. Here is an album that dropped two days ago. As soon as I heard the first single, I could tell what was going down. I mean I love Skyzoo as an MC and I love !llmind as a producer, but to synthesize like they do here is downright dope! They created a solid project from start to finish that gives the listener a reason to do a rewind several times. A straight up beats-and-rhymes-focused cassette-tape-influenced banger for the 2010 era.
In Live From The Tape Deck, Skyzoo takes his lyrics to the next level, as he seems to have matured in his style since he started releasing mixtapes in 2005. In the video for their first single "Frisbees" below, Sky spits bar after bar after bar with a superbly unique flow and meter. For example, start the song and follow along:
"I guess how I set it off will determine how I finish 'em, finishing this is fine, the finish line is the scrimmage, scrimmaging a design, and designing this by the witness, witness it from the side, as I'm drifting up out of the ending. Ending another Stanza, by beginning you explaining, explaining an explanation and waiting while you arrange it, arranging it around, and I'm astound' from where you place it, the placement was out of place, just try to keep it adjacent, to the couplet, tercet, quatrain, cinquain, sestet, septet, octave and in plain..."
His use of the poetic terminology of stanza structure was the first thing to really catch my ear. I mean what other rapper that you know has half of those words in their vocabulary, not just the ability to conjure them up in the old tried-and-true hip hop tradition of counting in your song (think Snoop Dogg à la Nuthin' But A "G" Thang). Needless to say, the rest of the album doesn't disappoint in the lyrical department.
!llmind produced the entirety of the album and boy was that a good decision. When a producer has the ability to do every track on the album, automatically they are concerned about making the project cohesive. !llmind wanted to keep this tape sounding analog, but in a 2010 sorta way. You can be the judge, but I think he did an amazing job. The beats are dark, grimy, and occasionally switch up in style midway through the song which is totally a refreshing touch. You know this album was meant for true hip hop fans and not radio play.
I've been realizing just how much hip hop I come across these days and don't share with y'all, but I'm trying to change. Forgive me. Let's start with this mighty fine sampler CD of international hip hop by 5 artists and 4 producers originally from Germany (but the rapping is all in English). The beats are bangin' and the mic skills are on point. Try out the two songs above or stream the whole album at their Bandcamp Site. It's a breath of fresh air in your mp3.
It's been too long since I've brought a gem to your attention, so I thought I'd drop some 14KT production gold on that ass. This song by the group Now On (lower pic) and produced by 14KT (top pic) has occupied my brain waves for the past 6 months. Everything about this song is hip hop perfection. Let me break it down for you while you listen.
Production: 14KT has some of the ILLEST beats around. So if you've been sleeping, it's time to wake up. Believe me, you'll want to stream his whole discography HERE after listening to this song. (Also peep some Red Bull Big Tune footage of him in the video below). From the abrupt start, to the jazzy intro, to the first snare and snap of the high-hat, you can tell something is about to go down here. The drums seem to preside over the muddled background sample and a metronomic head nod is sure to ensue. But there are so many subtleties in the beat that are easy to overlook. Listen carefully and you'll hear all the random background horns, chimes, and whispers in the chorus. 14KT said he made his "Random Horns Remix" in 15 minutes, which was a record for him. I guess sometimes when a genius gets a wave of inspiration, it doesn't take much time for them to create a masterpiece. According to 14KT, the random horns at the end of this song were taken from one of the songs that he produced for Buff1 in '06 called "Pretty Baby" (peep it below - it has been my newest favorite song for the last week).
Chorus: The oh so important hook. Something that can separate a good song from an amazing song and in this case we have Aloe Blacc to the rescue. The man who brought you the FUCKING phenomenal song "I Need A Dollar" kills this chorus, which is only on the remix version. With a catchy chorus like this, why aren't they playing this on the radio?!?! If you don't know Aloe Blacc, watch the video below and thank me later. I know you will.
Lyrics: It really wasn't until around the 10th time I listened to this song that I even processed one word of the lyrics (besides the chorus). This happened for two reasons. 1) The beat was so amazing & 2) In most rap songs the lyrics are adapted to fit the beat, but in remixes the beat is adapted for the lyrics, often making them less prominent and improperly accented. This often is annoying, however if done properly, is extremely appealing since you must listen more actively to the song to understand the words. In this case, the lyrics happen to be worth every second of your time and give the song its real charm. This song is about reminiscing on an old lover and, as you know, I'm a sucker for those songs (Remember my first mixtape Love: The Most Dangerous Game). I decided to take the time to write up the lyrics to this song because I wanted the full love story and could not seem to put everything together without writing it out. I have posted these below. Enjoy your hip hop!
-Chorus-
I never thought that it would end
Wonder how we are gonna be just friends
And I don't know what I'm gonna do
I never found another quite like you
The blue gloom shaded my room for many moons
I stay zooted, creating tunes stating truth
Letting pain make moves with the bass and the boom
Groove shaking my walls, who's breaking my falls?
Pacing the halls, heart racing to stall while awaiting your calls, I was faced with it all
No hatred involved, I'm embracing your touch like the craving it was, still tasting your love
I wasted the days in a daze just tracing your face and your name on the page, what the fuck!
Crazy, a goner, chasing my thoughts of how we could talk of days that were awesome
I laid with you often, you offset the drama
Softened my rock-hard problem of karma
You're saying you're smarter, walking for caution and saving the loss of your favorite friend. Fuck That.
-Chorus-
Your love moved me, I was at home in your arms
So strung you carried my insecurities along
Broke 'em down to basics, you were my foundation
Placing me adjacent to the pain I was facing
Made love by the river, on the shore we'd lay
Climax, closed eyes, together we'd pray
Searching for an understanding in a time so grey
Dreaming of a place far away and what it would take - to achieve you believe when the others was blind
But in time you changed mind, hill too hard to climb
Stop reaching for the ceiling like it's holding back
I pulled my back working hard, so ain't no stopping my tracks
We crashed, smashed windshield and totaled us out
Review, I'm still in love and always will no doubt
Out with the dreams far away, will always claim, the love of my life you know the answer name, and that's real.
Makes me wanna go, makes me wanna go back
Makes me wanna go, makes me wanna go back
Makes me wanna go, makes me wanna go back
Makes me wanna goooooo, ohhohhohh
-Chorus-
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