The Journey to Hip-Hop ... Connecticut: Blacastan - "On and Off the Mic ft Apathy"

Check out Blacastan, out of Hartford, Connecticut, doing what he does on the mic with this track titled "On and Off the Mic" featuring another Connecticut native named Apathy. This guy holds his own on the stage, as I witnessed, when he guest appeared for Jedi Mind Tricks and Apathy as well at Toad's Place. This track is off The Master Of Reality album recently released in March 5. Go cop that.

This mix, full of 19 all new studio tracks features all original production from the likes of 7L (who also mixes and arranges the entire piece in his signature Bladerunner's cut and paste edit style), Columbeyond, Esoteric, Apathy, DJ Doom, Blacastan himself and more. Vocal contributions come from Apathy, Columbeyond, Krumbsnatcha and Blac's Branch Davidians crew.

This is a prelude and serves as what Blac calls "... the meal before the meal ..." referring to his upcoming full length opus entitled "Blac Sabbath." The debut album boasts production & vocals from some of the elite in the game: Statik Selektah, Blue Sky Black Death, Mr. Green, Colombeyond, Esoteric and Celph Titled.

Blacastan - "On and Off the Mic ft Apathy"


Blacastan's MySpace
Blacastan's Twitter

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Download ... Addifi "The Green Diner Mix"

I hit play and chilled for 18 plus minutes to the beats of Addifi, an indie LA producer/DJ. There's definitely a refreshing sound in his beats. Why did I listen? The email tells the story.

"Hey,
I'm a big fan of TMB, especially the mix tapes and esoteric, lesser known stuff, most importantly I love what you guys do for the indie artists, a big support there. I'm an indie LA producer/DJ who recently put together a Beat Tape of some instrumentals I've been working on and I was just looking to spread the word and see what people think.

Anyway, if you get a chance I'd love for you to check it out and hopefully you dig the tunes and it was worth the time, if not, thanks for taking the time and keep up the great work."

It's all about the approach. It's not because he said he was a fan but because he just wanted to share music and understood our website. We get a lot of emails from folks that have obviously NEVER checked the page because of some of the content they send us. Whether Addifi had copy/pasted this to a hundred different blogs (I doubt that's the case) I respect the approach in recognizing the content of our site.

I definitely enjoyed "The Green Diner Mix" and it was worth the time. Check the project and hopefully you'll dig it too!



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The Journey to Hip-Hop ... Connecticut: @BigStat

I first heard about Big Stat back in September '09. It was his "Don't Quit Your Dayjob" mixtape that caught my attention. At the time he was doing some shows throughout Connecticut and elsewhere and his mixtape was hosted by Redman. So, I checked him out. Dude is cool. He hasn't stopped working hard for his music in the months that I've been following him. I dig his sound. I shared his mixtape back then but now I'll share a few cuts off of it that are among my favorites. Enjoy!

Open Up My Eyes (Produced by Ralphie-O)


I Gave You Everything (Produced by Nachural)


Download: "Don't Quit Your Dayjob"
More info: WWW.BIGSTAT.BIZ

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Download ... @Ritchcraft presents "The Big Band Blueprint"

It's an interesting concept for sure. But I'm not going to say much and let this be one of those joints that I'll let you decide about. Enjoy.

"Halifax producer Ritchcraft, has recently compiled a mixtape featuring the smooth jazz samples from the big band era accompanied by the infectious flow from Jay-Z’ rap classic The Blueprint. The mixtape is titled The Big Band Blueprint, is hosted by Nico Roth, 4 Plae, and Fresh Kut Ave and features 13 tracks, including revamped classics like H to the Izzo & Heart of the City.

Ritchcraft has been involved in the East Coast music scene for close to 5 years. His production credits include working with local MC’s Quake & Kayo, along with a handful of others. His skill lies in his ability to create genre-bending tracks that separate him from his competition. Ritchcraft’s musical influences range from funk to disco to classic rock, there isn’t a style of music that this producer does not borrow from."

ritchcraft.bandcamp.com/album/the-big-band-blueprint-2

www.ritchcraft.bandcamp.com
www.myspace.com/ritchcraft

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TMB's Track of the Week 4/27/10: @TheLyricists "Come On"

I have been sitting on this track for a little while, not because I didn't want to share it but because I wanted to share it as the Track of the Week. The jawn comes from the Port Huron, Michigan (just east of Detroit) crew The Lyricists. It's off their upcoming "Constructicons Mixtape". Enjoy "Come On"

www.myspace.com/TheLyricists

Come On [Download]



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Check It ... Louwop ft Divine Brown "Stay Building"

Shoutout to the homie Chedo over at the thecomeupshow.com for hitting me up with this new joint from Louwop featuring Divine Brown "Stay Building". Enjoy!



www.louwop.com


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What I'm Watching ... G.o.D. Jewels "All Things 'Go"

I first got put on to G.o.D. Jewels by way of his management team. They were cool about the approach in introducing his music. I respected that, so I checked it. I dug it. That was a few months back. Now, G.o.D. is less than a week away from releasing his new project "Greatness Opens Doors". I've heard the advance and it's fresh.

Check the vid for his single, "All Things 'Go". Vid directed by noahCHRISTOFER. Enjoy.



www.godjewels.com
www.myspace.com/godjewelsmusic


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TMB's Weekly Podcast, Episode 5

Check it, another dope episode of The Mad Bloggers Show. Last week we took a break from a regular mix to bring you all Little Brother cuts. Now we're back with music from Adrift, Reflection Eternal, J-Live, Blu, Nametag, Kidz in The Hall, Shad and more. It's a solid episode. Enjoy.

Oh, and don't forget to subscribe, so you can get greatness delivered directly to your music playing devices each week. Thanks for the support!


TMB's Weekly Podcast - Episode 5, tracklist

01. Ridin - Fresh Cut Collective
02. Mixed Emotion - Bitches Is Crazy (B.I.C.)
03. BossCo.2 - Blu
04. Kirby's Airwalk - Theo Martins
05. Nothin (Remix) - Mayday
06. City Playgrounds - Reflection Eternal
07. The Product - Nametag
08. Wait - Soul Plasma
09. The Grizzly Man - Kidz In The Hall
10. Yaa I Get It - Shad
11. Asian Girl - Murs and 9th Wonder
12. Cheap Sunglasses - Apathy
13. The Way That I Rhyme - J-Live
14. DUN EZ - Adrift Da Belle

TMB Podcast # 5 [Download]



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Download ... @DJHyphen's "Sunday Night Sound Session, #256" (Guru Dedication)

Check out the latest episode of Sunday Night Sound Session with DJ Hyphen and J. Moore. They took to the airwaves on Sunday and dedicated their entire show to Guru. I dig Hyphen's intro to the episode. Enjoy some great music!

"Soon after posting up last week’s SNSS on the blog, I heard the unfortunate news that the legendary Guru passed away. While the circumstances surrounding his coma and battle with cancer have been strange, suspicious, and possibly manipulated by his business partner Solar, enough has already been written and gossiped about on that front. Unless some new information comes to light, I’m leaving all that to the parties involved.

What I will hold on to instead is the incredible amount of quality work that Guru left us, both as a part of Gang Starr and with his Jazzmatazz projects. No, he wasn’t the best MC bar for bar and people seemed to either love or hate the monotone voice, but his contribution to this music and culture is one that few rappers will ever equal. Guru didn’t just talk the talk in his rhymes: he was a living embodiment of hip-hop, both the positive and negative aspects (like all great artists). He wasn’t a perfect man, as some in the Seattle hip-hop community can personally attest to, but ultimately, I’ll remember him for his classic records and constant effort to promote positivity in his music.

There have been plenty of great tributes to Guru already, but we wanted to pay our respect by dedicating the entire SNSS episode to him this week. We had about 400 records we wanted to play, ranging from the early Gang Starr stuff to Jazzmatazz to guest spots and b-sides, but we just ran through them live and picked ‘em along with our listeners as we went. We also dropped in a few snippets from our last interview with Guru in 2007. Shout to the entire Elam family, the Gang Starr Foundation, and 7 Grand Records. Enjoy the music and RIP to Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal…"

Show #256 (4-25-10)
RIP Guru Tribute

1. Gang Starr – “You Know My Steez”
2. Gang Starr – “Who’s Gonna Take The Weight”
3. Gang Starr – “Ex Girl To The Next Girl”
4. Gang Starr – “Work”
5. Gang Starr – “The ? Remainz”
6. Gang Starr ft. Nice & Smooth – “DWYCK”
7. Gang Starr – “Step In The Arena”
8. Gang Starr – “Conspiracy”
9. Gang Starr ft. Inspectah Deck – “Above The Clouds”
10. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep”
11. Gang Starr – “Soliloquy Of Chaos”
12. Gang Starr – “Mass Appeal”
13. Gang Starr – “Full Clip”
14. Gang Starr – “JFK 2 LAX”
15. Gang Starr – “Skills”
16. Gang Starr – “Manifest (Remix)”
17. Guru ft. Jay Dee & Bilal – “Certified”
18. **INTERVIEW WITH GURU (7-24-07) (SNIPPET) #01**
19. Gang Starr ft. Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx – “The Milita”
20. Gang Starr ft. K-Ci & JoJo – “Royalty”
21. Gang Starr – “Code Of The Streets (Kenny Dope Mix)”
22. **INTERVIEW WITH GURU (7-24-07) (SNIPPET) #02**
23. Gang Starr – “In Memory Of”

Link to download the mp3 of the show.
back up/streaming link
2nd back up

www.theaudacityofdope.com
twitter.com/djhyphen


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Check It ... P.Genz "Soul Clap"

This joint almost got overlooked in the inbox. Happy I listened. Check it.



www.myspace.com/pgenz

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Download ... @ScholarMan "Indomitable Will" mixtape

I caught the email last night and got the chance to check out the project today. Good stuff! ScholarMan is good people and his music is dope. Check out "Indomitable Will".

Mixed by the ill DJ Nominal, this mixtape features the lyrical talents of K-Mynez, TrueBless, Kats, SoloCypher, Lolo Life’, Chima Anya and BEveready. It also features guest producers Lagbara, Jonesy, X3M, Labmatik, Ardel Limbo, Overlor and Reign.

"Indomitable Will" [Click to Download]


Soganic Music
www.soganicmusic.com


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The Journey to Hip-Hop ... Connecticut: Pruven - "Destiny's Path"

Pruven, an MC I've gotten to see perform numerous times already, is a very humble and down to earth individual for someone towering at 6'2"+. His album, 1st Words: Earn Everything, released in January of this year gives you plenty of cuts with a few surprising features from Mr. Lif to Copywrite as well as his affiliates Cee Reed and Roc One, along with others. I chose this track titled "Destiny's Path" off that album because I was digging it as I was going through a bunch of Connecticut artists' music. Anyways, check it out. Hear for yourself...

Pruven - "Destiny's Path"


Pruven's MySpace
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