Track of the Week 1/8/11: Dusk "Black Lungs"

It's been a long while since we posted a track for the track of the week. It's a feature on the blog that both O and I have talked about a lot. So, we're bringing it back.

This week's track comes from Salt Lake City rapper Dusk (who was featured on the site just a day or so ago). I discovered this track after he sent his The Brady Effect project to me. Because of the EP, I found myself checking out more of his music through his Reverb page. I was immediately impressed by "Black Lungs," which is off of his Black Lungs Ep with his group MindState. There's something dope about the gritty sound created on the blues driven "Black Lungs." Definitely a cool track. So, check out and enjoy the track of the week. Chea!



Black Lungs Ep
twitter.com/duskraps

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What I'm Watching ... Sin "Release"

This track and video are both dope. The video simple but the track delivers an incredible story. The "Release" is just that, a release for Sin through rhyme. Definitely a fresh track. Look out for his The Book of Sin mixtape dropping soon. Video directed by Marksmen Films. Enjoy.

www.twitter.com/SINygfbf

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Check It ... YC The Cynic "Fall FWD RMX" (prod. by 2Hungry Bros)

YC The Cynic returns with his remix to the title track off his upcoming project, Fall Fwd. On the remix he's joined by Baxter Wordsworth, P.So and 8thW1 with production from 2Hungry Bros. Definitely a dope cut. Twitter theme song for subliminals and wack hashtags? Maybe. Ha! Check out the cut and look out for the Fall Fwd mixtape coming soon.

The back story to "Fall Fwd" according to YC:

Recently, I rocked at a show at SOBs to celebrate Big K.R.I.T. signing to Def Jam. While I was performing, one of the underground's favorite darlings to hate was hard at work on the internet, calling the show #Niggafest2000, and getting at me in the process.  Needless to say, my brethren rose to the occasion and were quick to defend, and she ended up getting put in her place. That inspired this joint right here.

Also, tonight:

twitter.com/ycthecynic

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Check It ... Big K.R.I.T. "Good Foot"

I've been a fan of Big K.R.I.T. since I first discovered his K.R.I.T. Wuz Here project last year. I haven't been disappointed by any of his newer cuts either. So there's no surprise that I dig "Good Foot." K.R.I.T. kills it on this track. Check it out and enjoy. Chea!



Good Foot.mp3

twitter.com/bigkrit

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Check It ... Elite Assembly "Give It My All" (Prod. By The Jake)

Crazy production from The Jake. Dope rhymes from Elite Assembly. The end result, "Give It My All" from the Dover, NH beatmaker and New Jersey rap group. I'm definitely digging this cut. Check it out. And check out the new site thejakemusic.com for other tracks too. Oh and Dream Pusher EP coming soon. Chea!



Give It My All ft. Elite Assembly.mp3

www.thejakemusic.com
www.twitter.com/TheJakeMusic

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What I'm Watching ... Whatever Lola Wants

Whatever Lola Wants from Elle Maxwell on Vimeo.


She's still Lola but you might find her these days going by Elle Maxwell. The DMV emcee has been featured on the blog a few times, with her recent projects Basik Edukation and The Black Madonna Soundtrack. She's talented and I definitely dig what she does. In the docu-style vid, she delivers a freestyle and an update on projects. Check it out.

twitter.com/_ellemaxwell
whatevalolawants.com

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What I'm Watching ... Marsha Ambrosius "Far Away"

This Marsha Ambrosius video started in one place and went somewhere I wasn't expecting. I respect what Marsha did with the visuals for Far Away. It's a fresh video and definitely deserves a watch. A beautiful song too. Enjoy.

twitter.com/MARSHAAMBROSIUS

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What I'm Watching ... Dominican Spiderman

Sometimes you need a laugh and this video definitely gave me that. This dude use to work for me like 200 years ago (ha, okay maybe 8). He was funny then and he's funny now. He's been putting together these sketch videos each week and dropping them on the net. However, it's his Dominican Spiderman that's gaining the most attention right now. The vid had 10,000 hits in just the first 24 hours and now it's up to over 20k hits. Omar is a funny dude. Check out the vid. Ha!

omarthecomedian.com

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Take Three: Rah Digga "Dirty Harriet"

"..comin' to the floor, I be next to rep like Al Gore..."

Yes, I fell for it. Hook, line and sinker all in one. The Flipmode Squad was damn near the only thing (next to Wu-Tang) that I was checking for. Probably damn near the best dynasty skillwise, Flipmode Squad seemed to have all of it in spades: the dope yet insane rhymer in Busta Rhymes, the certified hypeman who could actually rap decent in Spliff Star, the dark voiced and epic sounding Lord Have Mercy, Roc Marciano who was definitely a great no-frills emcee, and Rampage the Last Boyscout, whose rhyming seemed staggered and well spaced out. But then came the self-proclaimed first lady of Flipmode, and none were more excited than me when Rah Digga stepped out for this solo outing.

Maybe it wasn't as well lauded as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, but in terms of skill and wit, Rah Digga was pretty much the only other mainstream female emcee who matched pound for pound with Lauryn back in those days. Now that may seem like a bold statement and I may alienate a lot of my peers as a result, but you could say that folks like MC Lyte, Rah Digga, and Lauryn Hill were in a large part responsible for some of the dopest new female talent that rap has encountered. Today's Take Three, my column in which I reduce dope albums or otherwise to three cuts and let you, the listener/consumer make your determination, is all about Rah Digga's debut album, Dirty Harriet. First one of the new year too! Check it out after the jump.

Download ... Dusk "The Brady Effect"

Released last November The Brady Effect, produced by Fisch Loops, is a three song EP from Salt Lake City rapper Dusk. The fresh project is pretty creative in that all the beats contain one Brady Bunch record. Check it out.



twitter.com/duskraps

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Check It ... Verbal Taktiks "Hip-Hop 101"

Last April the California crew Verbal Taktiks released a pretty fresh project called Coffee House Chronicles Books I​​-​​VII: Morning Brew, which started off with this incredible spoken word intro and continued with some fresh rhymes over dope beats. I became a fan of their work. Verbal Taktiks return with the first single off of their follow up, Coffee House Chronicles Books 8-15: Full Cup.  "Hip-Hop 101" is kind of a State of the Union on the current state of Hip-Hop, with a bit of lessons learned. Check it out. Chea!



www.verbaltaktiks.bandcamp.com

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Check It ... Everyday Life feat. Floe Montana & Tamar

Back in December San Francisco native, now Sacramento resident Styles1001 put out a pretty fresh project called The Solution. The project was produced entirely by him and featured Random Abiladeze, Chuuwee, Mahtie Bush, Tribe of Levi, JGood, Task1ne and Keno, among others. The first single featured Flow Montana on the rhyme, in the jazzy track "Everyday Life." Now Styles drops off the visuals for that track. Shot in both San Francisco and Sacramento, enjoy the fresh video and dope track. Chea!

styles1001.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/Styles1001

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