Jon Connor - "Soldier"
Connor's back at it again! He's gonna drop The People's Rapper mixtape on April 13, which will find Connor spitting over Eminem instrumentals. I enjoyed the Jay-Z Blueprint project Connor dropped earlier this year, but I have a feeling this Em project is gonna be incredible. Em brings a certain ferocity on the mic that I can see Connor matching song for song. Here's a little taste as Connor goes in over the "Soldier" instrumental. Love the Chris Jericho sample to start the song as well.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Song of the Day
XV feat. GLC, Emilio Rojas & Casey Veggies - "Blame Yourself"
Another gem from XV. This came out last fall, but I totally forgot about it until it came on my iPod yesterday and remembered just how dope this track is. Great production from Seven and all three MCs hold it down. XV kicks things off and spits the strongest verse saying he goes from Urkel to Stefan. That shit is so dope. And I love the sampled, "You can only blame yourself" interspersed with GLC on the hook.
Another gem from XV. This came out last fall, but I totally forgot about it until it came on my iPod yesterday and remembered just how dope this track is. Great production from Seven and all three MCs hold it down. XV kicks things off and spits the strongest verse saying he goes from Urkel to Stefan. That shit is so dope. And I love the sampled, "You can only blame yourself" interspersed with GLC on the hook.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
New Release Tuesday
It's been a while since I had anything to write about for New Release Tuesday, but today brings two albums that are certainly worth checking out. The first is the highly anticipated collaboration between DJ Premier and Freddie Foxxx called Kolexxxion.
If you're uncertain how this album will sound, just Google Gang Starr's "The Militia" push play and listen to the third verse. Then run to Amazon or iTunes or your local record shop and buy Kolexxxion. We also got a sneak preview last year as the duo released "BAP" which can be found on this disc as well. Premo is one of the greatest producers of all-time and now Bumpy Knuckles has a full disc of terrific production to get loose over.
The second disc is Gift of Gab's The Next Logical Progression. Now I'll be the first to say that I much prefer a Blackalicious album over Gab's solo efforts, but that's really nitpicking when you consider how good of an MC and song writer Gab is. I would expect more of the same from Gab on this album, which means dope lyrics, smooth flows and laid back, but head nodding production. If you're new to Gift of Gab, I'd recommend picking up Blackalicious's Nia first, otherwise, jump right in and enjoy The Next Logical Progression.
The second disc is Gift of Gab's The Next Logical Progression. Now I'll be the first to say that I much prefer a Blackalicious album over Gab's solo efforts, but that's really nitpicking when you consider how good of an MC and song writer Gab is. I would expect more of the same from Gab on this album, which means dope lyrics, smooth flows and laid back, but head nodding production. If you're new to Gift of Gab, I'd recommend picking up Blackalicious's Nia first, otherwise, jump right in and enjoy The Next Logical Progression.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Song of the Day
Mac Miller feat. Posdnous & Raekwon - "Of The Soul (Remix)"
No matter how you feel about Mac, you can't front on him for reaching out to Pos and Chef for the remix, especially getting Pos. Mac has quite a young following, so to grab a pair of legends and tip his cap to two MCs that have inspired him is a great touch. He could've gone the easy route and grabbed Tyga and 2 Chainz or some shit, but he went and got some real MCs that have more than earned their spot in the game. The beat is real laid back on this one and I love that Pos asks, "Why we gotta say 1, 2, 1, 2, anyway?" before spitting his verse.
No matter how you feel about Mac, you can't front on him for reaching out to Pos and Chef for the remix, especially getting Pos. Mac has quite a young following, so to grab a pair of legends and tip his cap to two MCs that have inspired him is a great touch. He could've gone the easy route and grabbed Tyga and 2 Chainz or some shit, but he went and got some real MCs that have more than earned their spot in the game. The beat is real laid back on this one and I love that Pos asks, "Why we gotta say 1, 2, 1, 2, anyway?" before spitting his verse.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Song of the Day
Busta Rhymes feat. Twista - "Can U Keep Up"
Busta and Twist go at lightning speed over a Just Blaze banger. Busta has been on fire over the past year or so. Everything he touches has been must hear shit. It's nice to see him going crazy like this since he's obviously got nothing to prove at this point in his career. I don't think we've seen Busta this good since his "Scenario" and early L.O.N.S. days. And Twista is the perfect counterpart for this track as he's even faster than Busta.
Busta and Twist go at lightning speed over a Just Blaze banger. Busta has been on fire over the past year or so. Everything he touches has been must hear shit. It's nice to see him going crazy like this since he's obviously got nothing to prove at this point in his career. I don't think we've seen Busta this good since his "Scenario" and early L.O.N.S. days. And Twista is the perfect counterpart for this track as he's even faster than Busta.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Song of the Day
J. Cole - "Before I'm Gone"
Listened to Friday Night Lights again the other night and damn that shit just gets better and better with each listen. When Cole World: The Sideline Story dropped my friend D told me it was decent, but for him Friday Night Lights was so good that it made Cole World pale in comparison. Now I see it. And I liked Cole World, so that tells you how good this tape was. If anyone ever wanted to understand the hype behind Cole, just put this song on for them and they'll see what he can bring to the table.
Listened to Friday Night Lights again the other night and damn that shit just gets better and better with each listen. When Cole World: The Sideline Story dropped my friend D told me it was decent, but for him Friday Night Lights was so good that it made Cole World pale in comparison. Now I see it. And I liked Cole World, so that tells you how good this tape was. If anyone ever wanted to understand the hype behind Cole, just put this song on for them and they'll see what he can bring to the table.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Song of the Day
Nas - "The Don"
New Nas single? Oh hell yeah! Nas needs to prove nothing in terms of his legacy, but dude seriously brings it every time with his lead single. Salaam Remi and Heavy D. on the production and it's a just so dope. The beat flips for the third verse, similar to how "Get Down" did and then drops back. Lyrics are there, beat is there, it's a banger, simple and plain. Looking forward to a new disc from Nas.
New Nas single? Oh hell yeah! Nas needs to prove nothing in terms of his legacy, but dude seriously brings it every time with his lead single. Salaam Remi and Heavy D. on the production and it's a just so dope. The beat flips for the third verse, similar to how "Get Down" did and then drops back. Lyrics are there, beat is there, it's a banger, simple and plain. Looking forward to a new disc from Nas.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Song of the Day
Action Bronson & Party Supplies - "Steve Wynn"
Bronson teamed up with producer Party Supplies for a new mixtape called Blue Chips. I gotta download the tape still, but I did hear this track and it's really dope. Bronson brings the heat over some solid production from Supplies. I hadn't heard Party Supplies' music before, but his sound meshes well with Bronson's style. Some great lines on hear as per usual from Action and I love the cover for the mixtape. This is going to be a treat.
Bronson teamed up with producer Party Supplies for a new mixtape called Blue Chips. I gotta download the tape still, but I did hear this track and it's really dope. Bronson brings the heat over some solid production from Supplies. I hadn't heard Party Supplies' music before, but his sound meshes well with Bronson's style. Some great lines on hear as per usual from Action and I love the cover for the mixtape. This is going to be a treat.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Song of the Day
Big K.R.I.T. - "Handwriting"
K.R.I.T. blessed us with another mixtape earlier this week in the form of 4Eva N A Day. This song is one of the highlights on that tape as K.R.I.T. offers his reflections on his career to this point and discusses label issues with not releasing a true "hit single" but still hitting No. 1 on 106 & Park and producing better beats than what's being played on the radio (which is 100% true). He touches on his accent and Southern slang and a host of other things that make K.R.I.T. unique. Good sample, good beat, strong lyrics, K.R.I.T. scores again.
K.R.I.T. blessed us with another mixtape earlier this week in the form of 4Eva N A Day. This song is one of the highlights on that tape as K.R.I.T. offers his reflections on his career to this point and discusses label issues with not releasing a true "hit single" but still hitting No. 1 on 106 & Park and producing better beats than what's being played on the radio (which is 100% true). He touches on his accent and Southern slang and a host of other things that make K.R.I.T. unique. Good sample, good beat, strong lyrics, K.R.I.T. scores again.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Song of the Day
Bun B feat. Redman & Royce Da 5'9" - "Stop Playin"
I found this song yesterday and was going to make it my Song of the Day, but I couldn't pass on that M.A.R.S. joint, so here's a throwaway from Bun's Trill O.G. sessions. How this didn't make the album is beyond me, but at least it's here now. Bun opens up with an Ol' Dirty line from "Brooklyn Zoo" and goes hard about the game being soft. Then Royce steps up and rips the shit outta the mic. And how nice is it to hear some new Redman? Red throws it back to the old school and brings his normal energy to the track to make for one of the nicest songs to come out this year. Can it make the Best of 2012 list if it wasn't recorded in 2012? Hmm, I'm gonna have to make a decision on that one, but in the meantime enjoy this track!
I found this song yesterday and was going to make it my Song of the Day, but I couldn't pass on that M.A.R.S. joint, so here's a throwaway from Bun's Trill O.G. sessions. How this didn't make the album is beyond me, but at least it's here now. Bun opens up with an Ol' Dirty line from "Brooklyn Zoo" and goes hard about the game being soft. Then Royce steps up and rips the shit outta the mic. And how nice is it to hear some new Redman? Red throws it back to the old school and brings his normal energy to the track to make for one of the nicest songs to come out this year. Can it make the Best of 2012 list if it wasn't recorded in 2012? Hmm, I'm gonna have to make a decision on that one, but in the meantime enjoy this track!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Song of the Day
M.A.R.S. (Cormega, Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, Saigon) - "MARS"
I saw the preview video for this shit a couple of weeks ago and was curious as to what would really come of it. So often us hip-hop fans get teased by these supergroups and super projects and nothing ever surfaces. Now I'm not sure if we'll get a full-length album from these four MCs together, but this a nice appetizer if so. Large Professor on the production and brings some old boom-bap sounding, underground N.Y. hip-hop. All four MCs show up for the project, with my favorite verse coming from Saigon. Hopefully we'll get more M.A.R.S. soon!
I saw the preview video for this shit a couple of weeks ago and was curious as to what would really come of it. So often us hip-hop fans get teased by these supergroups and super projects and nothing ever surfaces. Now I'm not sure if we'll get a full-length album from these four MCs together, but this a nice appetizer if so. Large Professor on the production and brings some old boom-bap sounding, underground N.Y. hip-hop. All four MCs show up for the project, with my favorite verse coming from Saigon. Hopefully we'll get more M.A.R.S. soon!
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