Take a listen to some new ish by the homie Mally from Minneapolis, and his super-producer sidekick The Sundance Kid. As Eddie Murphy says, "Merry new year!"
I unleashed my Top 10 Biggest Pop Culture Fails of 2010 list over at tumblr earlier today, dropping a few of my selections each hour. Unlike last year, the list isn't rated and probably provides just a small snapshot in the world of pop culture events. In any event, enjoy the full list after the jump.
You've seen our personal picks. You've seen the picks we've agreed on. And now check out our honorable mentions. But before you start ragging on me and Q about leaving some releases out, know this, we're about to give you 10, count 'em, 10 honorable mentions (five from me, and five from Q). So without further adieu, check it after the jump, and let's get it on..(no Public Enemy).
The best part of Diddy-Dirty Money's Last Train to Paris is it's production. No one ever said that Diddy couldn't pick quality beats. So, I yanked one of the beats from LTTP. "Someone to Love Me" is one of my favorite beats on the project. So, I reached out to the homie DJ Doug Funny to assist in the recreation of the beat. Then I sent it to a few of my favorite emcees, including Sacramento's own Keno. He delivers. There may be a few other versions of this track, as well as a few other beat jacks off of LTTP. TMB has officially hijacked the last train to Paris. Ha!
Wasn't going to post this track by Em but being that I actually dig this shit here more than what he's been putting out commercially lately, I said fuck it. Check it out.
Brockway is back with another mix of dope Canadian Hip-Hop in a free download. Refreshing, new, dope. Jump on this!
Ottawa, ON - In continuing with their annual holiday tradition, Brockway Entertainment has compiled their 22 favourite Canadian rap tracks of 2010 and packed them all onto one album. The '2011 Canadian Rap Future Superstars' compilation is non-profit initiative aimed at providing exposure for up-and-coming Canadian rap artists. The album can be downloaded and ordered for free from www.BrockwayEnt.com.
The diverse 2011 compilation features 34 Canadian artists, 8 Canadian DJs and 17 Canadian beatmakers, spanning 10 Canadian cities from Halifax, NS to Victoria, BC.
Brockway Entertainment increased its community collaboration in 2010 as Moncton's Nayles provided the album design, and Montreal's Asher Media Relations will be providing publicity assistance again this year. Anyone interested in getting involved with next year's compilation is encouraged to contact troy(at)brockwayent.com
The 2011 track listing features:
1. DJ Jayceeoh (North America) - GO OFF! feat Scratch (Of the Roots), Skratch Bastid, Shiftee, Hedspin, Dopey, Mat The Alien, Marvel, I-Dee, Spryte, Excel & Wundrkut 2. Alex Dimez (Toronto) - All Out (remix) 3. JD Era (Toronto) - You Know This (radio edit) 4. Pip Skid (Winnipeg) - Back Rub Rap feat Yy & Silly Willy 5. Langdon Auger (Victoria) - The Drive Through 6. Perfeck Strangers (Toronto) - Work To Do (radio edit) feat Drake 7. Plex (Edmonton/Toronto) - Spare Change feat Rellik, Touch & Leemai 8. Indelible (Vancouver) - Gets Me High feat Blaming Taylor 9. The Extremities (Halifax/Toronto) - Lost Souls 10. D-Sisive (Toronto) - I Love A Girl (Grizzly Bear Hijacked) 11. Ski (Toronto) - 4Evr Young (Dj Unknown Remix) 12. TRP (Windsor) - Execution 13. Magnum K.I. (Winnipeg) - Sleep feat Süss 14. e.d.g.e. (Vancouver) - Target Practice feat Dave Ryan 15. D-Sisive (Toronto) - West Coast 16. Louwop (London/Toronto) - For the Love 17. Metawon (Calgary/Vancouver) - Joy + Pain feat Just B 18. Gee Wunder (Toronto) - Pressure Busts Pipes feat Mad Child 19. Mullet N Steps (London) - Can't Have Me 20. Baf (Moncton) - Believe me (remix) feat iNTUiT 21. Underground Realroad (Montreal) - Be Who U-R feat Miss Tee 22. Nayles (Moncton) - People Playin'
The compilation began in 2003 as a handful of burnt CDs made by executive producer Troy Neilson for friends & family during the winter holidays. In 2005, Neilson made extra copies, which were sent to campus radio and other media outlets. Since then, the success of the compilation has continued to grow, while annually topping the campus radio rap charts.
"As an artist, I understand the struggle", states Neilson. "For years I wrote reviews and features via HipHopCanada.com to provide exposure for Canadian rap artists. By 2005 I was starting to run short on time, so I explored other ways to give back to the community. That's when the compilation series really began to take shape."
Artists wishing to be considered for next year's compilation are encouraged to submit their music via SonicBids ( link coming soon ) or by sending full CD to Brockway Ent, PO Box 90014, Ottawa, ON, K1V 1J8.
Full Album Information including download link, album cover, track listing, etc : www.brockwayent.com/brockwayent2011.html
Brockway Entertainment was impressed by several independent Canadian rap releases in 2010, and is glad to have the opportunity to share with you some of their favourite tracks. We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and you enjoy our 2011 choice selections.
Caught this RT'd by Apathy and felt the need to share. This track by Demrick featuring B-Real is a pretty good track. Check it.
Demrick (aka Young De) featuring B-Real music video "Streets Don't Love You Back" was shot and directed in Los Angeles by Matt Alonzo of Skee.TV (director of hit videos for The Game, Chris Cornell, Ice Cube, Xzibit, etc.) and Michael Busalacchi of Skee.TV
"Streets Don't Love You Back" appears on Demrick's recently released mixtape, De is for Demrick, and features B-REAL of the legendary Cypress Hill as well as production by APATHY (GBC and Demigodz).
I caught this joint right before the holiday and since I'm still playing catch up, I'm posting it up now. So, go ahead and peep the latest cut from Stalley off his upcoming Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music) project dropping 1-11-11, produced by Columbus Ohio's Rashad Thomas and presented by Mishka. The fresh cut pays tribute to Pimp C. Check it out. Chea!
The internet is an interesting place in the sense it's making our world super connected. NYC-based producer Jinesis came across this video by video/sound artist, Kasumi whose work has been in Lincoln Center with The New York Philharmonic and has had collaborations with Grandmaster Flash and DJ Spooky. Jinesis is the producer behind most of NYC's indie hip-hop more prominent emcees. Having worked with emcees from LL Cool J to Homeboy Sandman, Fresh Daily and YC The Cynic, there are very few NYC venues he hasn't has his music played in. Kasumi is one of the leading innovators of a new art form synthesizing film, sound and video in live performance. Immediately, Jinesis knew he wanted to remix the remix and make it more dance friendly and contacted Kasumi about remixing the video. The extra percussion to the already hypnotic loop, which samples a toy commercial from the 1960's, makes it rhythm ready for fancier footwork. Another example of creative individuals using the internet as a tool for creative collaborations. Enjoy!
Let me start this off with, I feel where you are coming from. When a hot beat drops, you're just dying to jump on it. You hear your own ideas for the track. You imagine your flow over the beat. I get it. But as a blogger, I'd appreciate a little bit of originality. Think about this for a moment if you will, popular song comes out. The beat is hot. You think about using it. And while you're thinking, a million other rappers are ALSO thinking about using it too. At which point, you should move on to your next idea. But many of ya'll don't.
What's wack though, not only do some of ya'll jack beats to popular tracks, you switch up your flow to match the original. Oh. Okay. You do impersonations now too? That's cool. My thing is, if you wanna rock over a beat, try to use one that not everyone is using. If it's a popular single, chances are EVERYONE has already thought the same thing you are thinking: "Freestyle over the beat and blast it to the blogs. It's gonna be a movie!"
Wrong.
I know what you're probably saying: "my shit goes harder and I killed this beat more than anyone else." Oh. Okay. Yeah, that's cool and may very well be the case but when everyone is using the same beat, your shit gets lost in the sauce. I really can't say this enough.
Oh and another quick point, stop calling said tracks "freestyles" when in fact you've written down your verse. That's also lame.
But this is all old news though, because many of ya'll have heard me rant on this subject before. My current frustration comes from the new Lil Wayne track, 6 Foot 7 Foot. Much like Lil Wayne's hit, A Milli, a lot of you are jumping all over this joint. I'll be honest, that beat goes hard. It's fresh. I dig it. But there are a few fails involved with this latest "freestyle frenzy"; besides the obvious EVERY ONE AND THEIR MOM IS DOING IT. The fail comes in the title of the track. For the record, it's 6 Foot 7 Foot (6'7'). I thought that was obvious considering it's in the chorus. But it's that tricky symbol that are fucking up a lot of you rap cats, your managers and your PR team too. Even the original artwork for the track was wrong, so I guess I can't fault you. Or I can.
Via @OCSupreme "Like I said, the world will die in the corner wearing a fucking dunce cap."
FYI: "The symbol for feet is a single apostrophe ('). The symbol for inches is a set of 2 apostrophes (")." Not sure what grade you learn that but you can always google for a refresher.
However, no matter how many times it's been stated, folks continue to use 6'7" in their artwork and the title of the track. Shit, even XM radio fucked it up (see pic above). I mean, if you're going to continue to flood the Internets with your "freestyle" at least get the title right. But go ahead and please continue with your 6 foot 7 inches freestyle. And then wonder why your career comes up short.
I'm just saying.
I'm sure, somewhere one (or more) of ya'll are shaking your head and mumbling, "this n-gga think he's somebody. What a hater." But that's a conversation for another day.
Peace,
ThroatChopU
PS: Remember, real G's move in silent like Lasagna (if you like to mispronounce things, that is).
A fresh project from Asher Roth and Nottz, check out the Rawth EP. Shouts to PotholesInMyBlog for the link. At eight tracks, this project is definitely dope. Enjoy.
I caught this track from M Slago off the upcoming Rampage EP. As the email stated, this is not a group but four of Dallas' "Hip-Hop elite getting together to make some dope music." The crew includes, Word Life, The Rapture, and Dow Jonez with M Slago on production. "Run For Cover" is the first track off the EP dropping February 1, 2011 and features Money Stax. This joint is dope. Enjoy.
There were a lot of fresh releases this year, and yesterday Egypto and I gave you what we believe are some of the top releases this year. Those were the ones we agreed on. These are our personal five. Egypto gives you Janelle Monae, Big Boi and others. I give you Eternia & MoSS and Donwill and others. There were a lot of fresh releases this year and our list is just a snapshot of what we believe are the top joints. Check out our individual five after the jump. Enjoy.
For those who are unaware, me and Q here at The Mad Bloggers are fans of surprises, and always hitting you with great analysis as well as musical surprises. Well, this day is no different, as Q and I team up to offer up a collaborative writing effort on the best things to our ears to hit us in 2010. Here's how we worked it out, ground-rules wise: each of us got to pick five releases individually, then we agreed on five. After that, we also each picked five different ones as honorable mentions, so we could cover the musical gamut with some of our favorite releases this year. This is part one of three. Read more after the jump.
I didn't actually get a chance to watch the Black Girls Rock award ceremony, however, there was buzz all over the internets about this performance. I meant to post this earlier, but better later than never. Aunt Sarah, Safronia, Sweet Thing and Peaches definitely rocked this. Enjoy.
I'm definitely becoming a fan of SonReal. Dude is dope. Check his newest video, "Clap for Me." Filmed and edited by Dane Collison, with additional filming by Byron Wilson and Aaron Hoffman. Enjoy. Chea!
Nasa over at Uncommon dropped this project yesterday. There was no way I was reading my email or posting yesterday. I have to take a day off. Ha! So, I'm posting it up today. Check the back story and the bandcamp link below.
The Iomega Years is an album that was truly 10 years in the making because it collects an entire decade of lost beats from Nasa. All previously unreleased and unheard, The Iomega Years collects one beat from each year of the first decade of beat making from Nasa (1999-2009).
Nasa recently moved on from saving all his beats on an Iomega Zip Drive after 10 plus years of reliable service. Nasa's Iomega heard every kick and every snare and saved every sample played, this album is dedicated to the device that is now seeing it's semi-retirement. You can hear Nasa's rough around the edges beginnings on the MPC 2000xl all the way through the progressive sound that he's known for today. It's like watching a time lapse photograph, as you witness his style evolve in a way that no other producer has ever let you see.
The project is accompanied by snippets of historical events that happened in the years that each beat was made so that you are transported back to the time, place and mindset of Nasa at that very moment!
Sit back, get comfotable and take this trip with with Nasa, you'll have a lot of "I remember where I was when" moments on this journey and hear an artist grow at the same time.
Check the Ricky Shabazz and the Boom Bap Boys Present: Free Shabazz. It's a pretty fresh project featuring a gang of cool production and dope artists. Enjoy.
Antiquarian (prod: J57 /cuts: DJ Emoh Betta)
The Bullshit (prod: Jinesis) – P.So
Shouts to Common (prod: Reality) – Homeboy Sandman
Probability Bandits (prod: Falside) – Noah23
Don’t Stop (prod: Khrysis) - Chaundon
Cold Sores (prod: Dynamo414 /cuts: DJ Emoh Betta) - Ceschi
Herb Lunchauer – Soul Khan
Datura Stramonium - Kalae Allday & YC the Cynic
The Colors (prod: Maticulous /cuts: DJ Brace) – Audible Doctor
Give up the Ghost (prod: Time Crisis /cuts: DJ Emoh Betta) – Time Crisis
Guns N Roses (prod: Introspective Minds /cuts: Rain) – Moe Pope
Devil’s Bandit (prod: Falside) - Slaine
Destroy (prod: Jaz Infinite) - C-Rayz Walz
Make ‘Em Move (prod: Jinesis) – Fresh Daily
Eagle Eye (prod: Karniege) - Karniege
Kidnap Your Boyfriend (prod: Aaron Cormack) – George Watsky
Soon as I found out that Lauryn Hill was coming through to perform around my area, I had to be on it for several reasons. I didn't know what to expect from the show and from Ms. Hill but was down to see for myself. Having to wait 3 hours for her to get on stage from what supposed to be a 9pm show start and dropping $50 on a ticket, I wasn't feeling too good about what I thought was to come. After hours of waiting in a packed spot, antsy, agitated, cramped, her band members started filling the stage. I figured then she had to show up and that she was late. Her DJ even had stated earlier in the night that she was running late due to a fire in a hotel or something. Don't take my word for it because it was hard to hear when he gave the explanation.
Finally, after about another half hour of her band setting up she was spotted. Crowd went bananas. Song after song she performed her hits with minimal stops and maximum energy. It was hard to hear some of her singing and therefore hard to figure out what songs she was performing, but overall it was a decent show. But, I think that's enough about me trying to describe it with my words. Check out the videos by clicking READ MORE to view them and see for yourself. Enjoy.
Carlitta Durand can sing. And on Christmas Eve she delivers Nostalgic Nights, a mellow EP that may require you to grab a few glasses of wine, dim the lights and chill out by the fire place. Throw this joint on after the kids have gone to bed and relax. Or throw it on now. Enjoy.
It's been a while since we put out a podcast. I think we dropped the last one back in October. Crazy. Anyway, we're back to wrap up the year with episode 21. This might be perfect for a ride on the way to exchange gifts or just hanging out in the house before being bombarded with family this weekend. Either way, enjoy the latest episode of The Mad Bloggers Show! Oh and on behalf of the team, have a happy holiday! Chea!
01. Bring It - Kaine Karrera 02. Get On Point - BIC 03. What Matters - SigNif 04. 1,000 Deaths of Wackness Feat. Likwuid and Fresh Daily - P.So 05. I Believe Feat. Raashan Ahmad - KingHellBastard 06. Ups Turn Down - Chuuwee 07. Dumb Out Now - Malicious 08. Panic - Roc Marciano 09. No Comp Feat. STS - ¡MAYDAY! 10. Jack & Ginger - John Public 11. In Tha Park Feat. Black Thought - Ghostface 12. I Ain't Shit - Big K.R.I.T. 13. Shot Glass Magnified Feat. Sene - Soul Khan
Joseph Robert ladies and gentlemen. It's always really hard for us as a team to find R&B music. OK... let me rephrase that. QUALITY R&B music. So when we find some, we're really excited. Believe me, we are. OC sent me an email about this guy and let me tell you, as soon as I heard "Make U Moan" I knew it had to be on the blog ASAP. I don't know a lot about Joseph Robert, but what I do know is that I can't wait to see more of his music pop up on these here interwebs. You can go to his Myspace page and check out a few more tracks: www.myspace.com/jstauh, but for right now, you can check out "Make U Moan" right here. Enjoy and leave a comment!
"Let's kick in the New Year together in Manhattan! It's a Party/Show - going to be a great time AND this is one of the only spots in NYC where the drinks will NOT be over-priced on New Year's Eve!" - J57
A little holiday music from the homie Willie Green. Enjoy.
Just in time for the holiday I wanted to drop a little something. As a broke college student, I would often give my family Christmas albums I recorded in my dorm rooms. My budget is a little better now, but the concept is the same. Red & Green is a 6-track, 17 minute beat tape with the samples coming only from various Christmas albums.
Check out the new project from The Real Jay Mills. Making use of a few popular beats and a gang of original tracks too, The Real Jay Mills goes back to her spoken word roots to find the right sound for her latest, Winter Sadness. Check it.
New music from Talib Kweli off his Gutter Rainbows album dropping January 25th. Based on the tracks released so far, Gutter Rainbows will be definitely be a dope project. Enjoy "How You Love Me." Chea!
I think when an artist give you a deeper look at their project it's dope. Most of the time. This is one of those times. MeLo-X's look at his recent More Merch project is fresh. Peek his EPK. Enjoy.
So, yeah ... I'm about to close up the inbox and I see this email sitting at the top of the inbox. For whatever reason I opened it. And I discovered this jawn from the Eurogang (S.A.S, Bigz, Haze, SK Villain) of London featuring Kollegah of Germany. There is something that's really dope about this track. Maybe it's the beat. Maybe it's the rhymes. Maybe it's the accents. Maybe it's all three. Anyway, at least give it a listen. You might be surprised like I was. Soldiers EP drops December 24. Enjoy the vid in the meantime.
Two dope tracks with YC The Cynic released on the same day? Conspiracy? Ha! This time Kalae All Day teams up with YC and delivers "Datura Stramonium" over the MF Doom beat. It's fresh. Look out for Kalae's new project, Past Times & Crass Lines, dropping February 15, 2011. In the meantime, enjoy this jawn. Chea!
I was just talking about Big K.R.I.T. earlier today. The dude is dope. And this track is fresh. It was featured on an ep of my Hip-Hop Breakfast. Featuring Curren$y and Killa Kyleon, Big K.R.I.T. drops the visuals for the "Moon & Stars" Remix. Enjoy.
This project is dope. Hit play and enjoy Memphis' own Skewby. Chea!
Memphis buzzmaker Skewby has hooked up with DJBooth.net to bring fans his new release, More or Less. The follow-up to last year’s Proving You Wrong Since 1988, the LP features 14 brand new cuts from the freestyle series alumnus. Included on the set is reader-approved leak “Everyday.” Joining Skewby throughout More or Less are Jackson Ave, CJ Tate, Elliot Ives and Tre-V. In addition to production by the artist himself, the project includes beats by Go Judo, Rickey G, DJ Charlie White, DJ Chev, Carlos Broady and Vherbal.
I caught this track from StreetCongress.com producer Jay 3. The track is from O.I.S.D. off of Ahead Of The Class 3: The Final Exam dropping in January. Definitely a dope track. Enjoy.
I've known OnCue for years. I've been a longtime fan of his music. The kid is talented. I recently linked up with him for my last feature of the year over at RefinedHype. Check out Return of The Real: OnCue Finds His Voice. Chea!
Yeah buddy! Check this jawn from Rapper Big Pooh off his upcoming Fat Boy Fresh Vol.1 (mixed by DJ Flash and hosted by Statik Selektah) coming soon. This track is dope. Enjoy! Chea!
Check out the fresh Mean Doe Green track, featuring Chuuwee, C Plus and Nicatyne. The track is dope and is on straight repeat mode. Shouts to RefinedHype for the link. Enjoy!
I see the homie ScienZe on his Miseducation steez. And it's dope. ScienZe hits the ground running on this 16 track project from the moment the intro starts and delivers straight through to the end (shouts to ScienZe on the Lean on Me outro). He definitely stands on his own with his latest project, Hall Pass. With a school based them, ScienZe takes you through the core subjects and a few electives too.
By far one of my favorite tracks is "Drama (Geppetto)". And then there is the super smooth track "Biology (W.O.M.A.N.)". Other favorites include "Mathematics (Judo)", "Study Hall (Let Em Know)" and "Lunch (The Punch)." ScienZe is talented. And Hall Pass is a well put together project to wrap up 2010.
Well done ScienZe. Well done.
The homie ScienZe hasn't uploaded his latest project to his bandcamp page yet, so I figured I'd hit you with a full preview below. If you dig it, be sure to download the full project (click to download). Enjoy.
The homie from the north, Ritchcraft, remixes the CL Smooth featuring Skyzoo track "Perfect Timing". Ritch did a pretty good job. It's fresh. I dig it. I hope you enjoy. Chea!
Milwaukee emcee Prophetic is gearing up for the release of Mo Profit Mo Progress 2, with a documentary to match. Peep the two-part trailer below. Looks fresh. Definitely looking forward to the new project. Enjoy these clips in the meantime.
Check out new music from e.d.g.e. off his upcoming mixtape All Flow Everything. The homie definitely stays working on quality music. "81 Alpha" has that dope old school feel to it. Check it out and enjoy.
Another fresh video from the homie Jeff Spec! This track is featured on his Sneakerboxx LP. The vid is directed by mcenroe (Rod Bailey www.downthedial.com) and shot by Phil Lanyon (philiplanyon.com). Enjoy! Chea!
At 5:30 this morning I hit play on the advance copy of Ghostface Killah's Apollo Kids. Uh, dope. Before listening to the full project I had heard this Black Thought featured track, which found itself on replay throughout the weekend. Also dope. Initially when I saw all the features on Apollo Kids (the project features Jim Jones, Ugod, Raekwon, Method Man, Redman and the Game among others) I frowned. But the features work. And they work well. Cop that Apollo Kids tomorrow and enjoy "In Tha Park" in the meantime. Chea!
John Graham is good people. And he makes quality music. I dig what he does. Peep the latest track in his The Reflection Series. He borrows a Neptunes produced track and delivers "Mirror Image." Enjoy the track. Oh and artwork by ThroatChopU (CHEA!)