What I'm Watching (3/31/11): OnCue, MeLo-X, The Jealous Guys, Luke Christopher and David Dallas

Over the last few days a gang of fresh videos from the likes of OnCue, MeLo-X, The Jealous Guys, Luke Christopher and David Dallas have hit my inbox and the Internets! Five fresh videos for some pretty damn dope tracks. Enjoy them all after the jump. Chea!

TMB's Throwback Video of the Day ... Lauryn Hill - "Ex Factor"

Now I know we've all been like, "where the eff is Lauryn Hill?" We miss her music! I know she has been in concert a few places, but that woman has disappeared from the music game for over a decade. I don't know about you guys but I'm personally starting to get offended by her absence. I'm just saying. Anyhow, this song popped into my head earlier today and I thought I'd share. If you've heard her one and only studio album, then you know this is a classic and that it sounds just as good now as it did 12 years ago. So enjoy the rest of your Thursday afternoon and mellow out to the sounds of "Ex Factor" from her 1998 debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.




Follow EMS: twitter.com/ericamsimmons
Follow the madness: twitter.com/TheMadBloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

rockthedub.com presents FiF

Shouts to the homie Khal over at rockthedub.com, celebrating five years of slowing down the Internet. Ha! Khal is a good dude and runs a pretty dope site. Congrats on five years (which is like 200 years on the Internet).

It's definitely been five years since I started up rockthedub.com, and like we always do at this time, here's the annual free compilation, featuring 21 tracks (plus a bonus pack of 13 additional tracks) featuring the Brown Bag AllStars, Pugs Atomz and DJ Vadim, Elucid, Zilla Rocca, Curly Castro, Scripts N Screwz, Whygee, Mario Dones, Rickie Jacobs, J NiCS, The Two. Fifteens, AWKWORD and others, with two special refixes from DJ Nappy.

Tracklist:

01-Heist ft. Zilla Rocca - I Need Killers (and Thieves Like You Wouldn't Believe)
02-Che Grand ft. Elucid vs. Artificial Intelligence - Deaf Ray Dub (Disc Jockey Nappy Refix)
03-P.L.O. ft. Ralph Rip Shit - Hold That
04-AWKWORD ft. Y-Love - Mr. President (The Wisconsin Song) (prod. by The White Shadow)
05-Cyclops - You Don't Understand (prod. by Razorsharpe)
06-Brown Bag AllStars - In His Shoes (DJBrace Remix)
07-J NiCS - Slumber (Numonics rockthedub Remix)
08-Pugs Atomz & DJ Vadim ft. Stahhr Tha F.E.M.C.E.E. & Jabee - Shoot'em Down
09-Rickie Jacobs ft. Artic - Malcolm X (prod. by Clay Hilman)
10-Jefferson Price - Hip Flask (prod. by Tranzformer)
11-Elucid - My Blank Verse (prod. by Small Pro)
12-The Two. Fifteens - Cloudy. Got Em'
13-Scripts & Screwz - Highway
14-Whygee - What Love Is (prod. by Nofrendo)
15-K. Vincent - Ain't A Thang Change (prod. by  Nabs, add. prod. by Alex Cruz & Black Lion Beats)
16-Mario Dones - Mars Attacks (prod. by Buscrates 16 bit Ensemble)
17-Assorted Anonymous - Roll By My Lonely (prod. by NVious)
18-Elucid - Heavy Metal (prod. by Screwz)
19-Do Ear - Soul Dealers
20-Shawty Lo ft. Rick Ross & Jim Jones vs. The Two. Fifteens - Foolish (Disc Jockey Nappy THUGSTEP Refix)
21-Curly Castro - Down With Batista (prod. by Happ G)

The Bonus Beats package features additional tracks from Elucid and The Two. Fifteens, as well as tracks from JSWISS, R.O.E., Stealth, E Dot Dizzy, Kenny Kenny, SUICIDER, Triple J, Prhym8 (w/ Emcee Slick), R.O.E. and more!

DOWNLOAD FiF | Hulkshare
DOWNLOAD FiF (Bonus Beats) | Hulkshare

Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

Check It (3/31/11): Music From Shane Eli, Blitz The Ambassador, G-Eazy and B.I.C.

So, it's Thursday. What are you listening to?

Here are a few joints I've received via email or bumped into on the Internets. This Thursday's offering comes from Shane Eli, Blitz The Ambassador, G-Eazy and B.I.C. . Enjoy. Chea!

The homie Shane Eli really delivers on his newest track, "The Night is Young", off his I Can Do Better project dropping soon. Jason Caesar provides the vocals on this smooth track that is being called "a bedroom burner." Ha! Definitely a dope track. Salute to the brother Shane Eli.

I really hope folks aren't still sleeping on Blitz The Ambassador. He's an incredible emcee, with bars and so much raw talent. Yesterday he released this fresh track, "Dear Africa", featuring Les Nubians. A dope and fresh track from the Ghana-born-New-York-based Blitz. He's currently working on Native Sun, due out in May. In the meantime, enjoy "Dear Africa."

I really fucks with this G-Eazy "Outta Pocket" joint featuring Chippy Nonstop. I have to thank Chad over at DonutsandMilk.com for putting me on to this joint. This track is from G-Eazy's The Outsider project.

This is more of a laid back track from my high energy brothers B.I.C. There's so much potential from these young guys who rocked at our last Independent's Day Showcase. This track is off producer Chuk's new tape Concord (Hadji: The Beat Konstructa). Enjoy.



Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

JC Poppe & Pezzettino - "Princess Palace"

With an election day looming and much of the frustration of Wisconsin voters being tuned out, native Wisconsinites JC Poppe, Pezzettino, Allen Cote, and Benjamin Schaefer teamed up to vent their anger with Governor Scott Walker and the current attitude Wisconsin Republicans are taking against unions...and issue that affects teachers, schools, health care, etc.

The song called "Princess Palace" sums up how so many people in Wisconsin feel while dealing with the strong-arming of their beliefs. The video was done by Pezzettino and is a great artistic telling of the feelings of so many Wisconsin workers that aren't being listened to.

The creative lo-fi track is a sincere attempt at continuing the passionate string of protest tracks coming from Wisconsin artists because the protesting and disapproval of the strong-arming of constituents can't slow down and can't stop!

(via @jcpoppe)

Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

TMB's Throwback Video of the Day ... The Roots - "What They Do"

We're back with another Throwback Video of the Day and this is the kind of joint you want to wind down your Wednesday with (that was a tongue twister) Ha! If you can't bob your head to this, you just don't know music. I'm definitely loving the vibe of this one tonight. It's the perfect nightcap to end a busy day. At the request of @JosephAParker, raise your glass in the air and enjoy "What They Do" off 1996 album Illadelph Halflife.




Follow EMS: twitter.com/ericamsimmons
Follow the madness: twitter.com/TheMadBloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

Kudos: @JosephAParker

John Legend "Rolling In The Deep" (Kenton Dunson Remix) Feat. Kenton Dunson

With the new blog schedule I set for myself, I rarely post things on Wednesday. But I came across this joint from Kenton Dunson, which is a remix to the cover of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" and so I felt the need to post today. Let me just put something out there right quick, folks shouldn't get into the habit of doing covers of any of Adele's music and think that shit is gonna fly over here because it's not. I think Adele has a powerful voice and her tracks are better left untouched in terms of covers. I hope we're clear on that. Ha! However, this Adele cover is the joint that John Legend laid down some smooth vocals to on the acappella version of "Rolling In The Deep", so it's cool with me.

Adele, since her first album, has kind of become a Hip-Hop songstress by default with much of vocals being sampled *cough Hometown Glory*. What Kenton Dunson did here was take the John Legend version of "Rolling In The Deep" and add to it. Kenton writes, "when I heard John released this acappella of an awesome song by a great artist, I took that acappella and went to my piano, kick drum and bottle of whiskey...this happened."

I think Kenton did a great job adding layers and two pretty cool verses to this joint. Hit up the comment section with your thoughts. In the meantime, enjoy. Chea!

  John Legend - Rolling In The Deep Feat. Kenton Dunson (Kenton Dunson Remix) by kentondunson

twitter.com/kentondunson

Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

A Conversation with Big K.R.I.T. x "Amtrak"

Unless you've somehow been under a rock or for whatever crazy reason aren't checking for Big K.R.I.T. musically, yesterday he put out his follow up to K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, ReturnOf4Eva. The project is dope and self-produced by K.R.I.T. Since hitting download last night, that joint has been on blast mode!  Every time I hit play there is another track that becomes a favorite. Last year Wuz Here made a lot of lists as a top release and I'm sure ReturnOf4Eva will find itself on similar lists at the wrap of this year. Up top check out a conversation with K.R.I.T. via feedoffrap.com. Down below check out one of my favorite cuts, "Amtrak." Enjoy. Chea!



returnof4eva.com

Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

Interview: Special Sundays x Ro Blvd

This past Sunday, I had the chance to talk to Ro Blvd. about his newest project "Produc Placers 6: Shenanigans", as far as, the story behind the title, the other installments, the vision behind it, who he worked with, the ladies names as the beat titles and what he sampled. We also spoke
about him being the executive producer of Thurzday's upcoming album, as well as the new track "Rodney King".

(via @MiSS1SPECiAL)

Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

Download: RUFIO x KENO "For Those Who Are Still Sleeping"

Keno is one of my favorite dudes coming out of the Sacramento Hip-Hop scene. He's part of the dope duo theOTHERSIDE (with producer Sauce Fonda) and stays putting out quality music. He recently teamed up with producer Rufio and the two just released For Those Who Are Still Sleeping. Definitely a dope project with features from Chuuwee, Soosh and more. Hit download and don't be a bitch about enjoying some free.99 music. Chea!



Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

TMB's Throwback Video of the Day ... El-P "Deep Space 9mm"

I wasn't sure what music I was in the mood for, but when I tuned into this, I just started bobbing my head. Plus, the video is dope. Drums are dope, which besides the lyrics, are one of the most notable elements in the song. So without further ado via @humpjones, enjoy "Deep Space 9mm" by El-P (2002).





Follow EMS: twitter.com/ericamsimmons
Follow the madness: twitter.com/TheMadBloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers

Kudos: @humpjones
(Hit me up tomorrow with more suggestions of throwback urban music and you could see your name here)

What I'm Watching: Koncept & Tranzformer x Boog Brown & Apollo Brown

Initially I was gonna hold both of these until my Thursday series of posts but fuck all that because these two tracks and videos are dope. So this is part two of What I'm Watching. It's fresh that both videos come from one producer, one emcee projects.

The homie J57 of the mighty Brown Bag Allstars stays putting quality music in my inbox. He hit me up yesterday with the track and then today with the video. "Change" is a dope track featuring Jefferson Price off the Koncept x Tranzformer More Than Meets The Eye EP. Enjoy the simple yet dope visuals below.



"Running those gums like you're toothless..." 

This Boog Brown video I spotted over at Potholes. Boog spits straight bars on "U.P.S." Gotdamn! This track is off the Boog Brown x Apollo Brown Brown Study. Dope track. Enjoy. Chea!



Follow the madness: twitter.com/themadbloggers_
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers