Wow. Zion I & The Grouch chopped up a classic Earth, Wind & Fire track really nicely on Victorious People.
It features Freeway & The R.O.D. Project. Check it out. Click here to download. Here’s the Earth, Wind & Fire original:
Fresh
Skewby drops some knowledge on his new song Don’t Understand. Dude comes with substantive lyrics but keeps it entertaining…
…the beat is cool too. Support good music. Thematically, the first verse kinda reminds me of this gem:
Kendrick Lamar is another one of the XXL Freshmen on the Honor Roll. Check out his 2 new joints.
First up is Don’t Understand: Click here to download. Next is Outrageous: Click here to download.
Big K.R.I.T. is without a doubt one of the strongest of the 2011 XXL Freshmen. He’s done a stylish and introspective video for Dreamin’.
Check out the video and 2 new joints (Man On Fire and Now Or Neva rmx ft. Slim Thug) from K.R.I.T. below. Here’s Man On Fire (from the XXL Freshman
The 2011 XXL Freshmen put on a show at NYC’s BB King’s last night and dropped a mixtape today.
Watch a recap of the show and listen to and download the whole mixtape below. Here’s the mixtape: Download Mixtape
The 80 Blocks to Tiffany’s Reference from the last post inspired some video crate digging. Check out this 20/20 clip on hip-hop from 1981.
It is reported to be the first nationally-televised news story on hip-hop…ever. Though in some respects the verbiage almost sounds like an SNL skit because it’s so rudimentary, it is
If you are down with hip-hop from the 90’s, get ready. Pete Rock and Camp Lo are about to release a project together.
It’s called 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s and below are the intro and a song called Mic Check to whet your appetite for that good cookin’. In addition to the reference
The Jets appreciate soulful tracks. It’s evident from the beats selected by Curren$y, Trademark Da Skydiver and Young Roddy.
Pilots, the newest record from Trademark Da Skydiver and Young Roddy, is no exception. Props to 2DopeBoyz for putting this project together. Check it out. Click here to download. Not
We posted a dope track by Focus ft Kida last week. Now Rapper Big Pooh and Chaundon lay down some verses on it.
Dope rappers + Dope track (still) = dope record. Check out Idols & Role Models (Perspective #2). Click here to download. If you missed it, here’s Perspective #1 ft Kida.
2 days, 2 dope freestyles. First up is Young Chris and then Pusha T.
Young Chris laced Toca Tuesdays and Pusha T dropped bombs with Funk Flex. Check ’em out. Click here to download.
Speaking of legends, here’s an unreleased track from Common.
It’s got a reggae flavor to it. Check out Follow Me. Click here to download.
Keeping it on the West Coast tip, here’s some new E-40 ft Bun B and Slim Thug.
3 legends holding it down on a funky beat. This is some OG ish. Check out That Candy Paint. Click here to download and click here to buy the album.
Here’s a cool interview where Pharoahe Monch reflects on working with Nate Dogg to create the classic Oh No.
This was one of the few East Coast joints that Nate Dogg blessed. Sucker Free Here’s Oh No:
Wiz Khalifa teams with Curren$y his favorite partner in rhyme on Rooftops.
Click here to download. Rolling Papers drops on 3/29.
How dope is stic.man from Dead Prez?? Dude did a song and video about putting in work…in the gym and with his diet game!
Who does that?? Him. That’s who. This is my ANTHEM after 5 days in Austin. Check out Back On My Regimen. Yeah. It’s still bigger than hip-hop for him and
Jewels just continue to drop from SXSW. Check out this video of Black Milk performing with a full band.
Both the sound and video are professionally done, and gives you a great sense of what it was all about last week.
Here’s a new Ab-Soul video for Nothin’. Once again, he flips up his style to kick something very different from past releases.
Still dope, though. Check it out. Click here to check out some of his other flows.
Pusha T’s Fear of God mixtape has arrived. Listen to the whole thing and download below.
Download Mixtape Also, here’s a cool interview between Miss Info and Pusha T on his thoughts on making Fear of God without Malice.
It’s a good day for older mixtape gems. Here’s a new video from an old Freddie Gibbs mixtape.
Check out How I Feel from midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik. You can listen to and download the mixtape below if you don’t have it already. Here’s the mixtape: Download Mixtape
Here’s some “new” J. Cole. This is apparently an unreleased track from The Warm Up sessions.
Whatever the case it’s 90 seconds of typical J. Cole goodness. Check it out The Good Son Pt. 1. Click here to download. And if there’s anyway you missed The
There have been a lot of great tributes to Nate Dogg but who better to show love than Warren G, Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound.
Check out their performance at SXSW. Also, below are 2 Nate Dogg mixes from DJ Premier and DJ Skee. DJ Premier Tribute Click here to download. DJ Skee Tribute Click
Here are 3 new joints from Pusha T. Fear of God the mixtape drops next week. It’s about to be ree-diculous.
You can feel the heat from Spring coming with these. First up is I Still Wanna ft Rick Ross and Ab-Liva. Click here to download. Next is Feeling Myself ft
Here are some random musings from SXSW.
Hip-Hop is alive and well in Austin, TX this week. If you’re not up on South By Southwest (SXSW) it is a music festival that has been around for decades.
Some of these XXL 2011 Freshman Cyphers are pretty tight (especially parts 2 and 3). Check out all 3 below.
YG, Mac Miller, Diggy Simmons and Lil Twist Yelawolf, Kendrick Lamar, Lil B and CyHi Da Prynce Meek Mill, Big K.R.I.T. and Fred Da Godson
Here’s a cool new upbeat track from XV ft Pusha T called Awesome.
Feels like a summer time joint. Check it out. Click here to download.
Mobb Deep wasted no time getting in the studio once Prodigy came home. Check out Love Y’all More.
Alchemist is on the track. There are tags from Funkmaster Flex, but you won’t mind… Click here to download.
Here’s another solid XXL Freshman Freestyle. This one is courtesy of Big K.R.I.T.
K.R.I.T. continues to spit about the everyday struggle. Click here more of the best of these XXL Freshman Freestyles.
The track for Pusha T’s Cook It Down dropped last week. Here’s the video.
Click here for the download.
My heart is heavy. Hip-Hop has lost 1 of its most important voices. The one and only Nate Dogg. Words alone cannot commemorate Nate Dogg. Here’s a playlist that showcases just a few of his great contributions to rap music. His impact cannot be overstated.
From his start with 213 with Warren G and a young Snoop Doggy Dogg, through his work on The Chronic, through more features than can possibly be counted on some
Got lyrics? Jay Electronica does. His verses + Kanye’s beats = Blue Magic.
Devil in a Blue Dress that is…Check out the video for Prelude to a Freestyle: J. Cole spit on this beat too. LOTS of fire on this track. Check out
Trademark Da Skydiver kicks some more meditative ish on Committed.
Check it out. If you need some more music to meditate to, click here. Click here to download.
It’s a great day for lyricists. Next up is Pharoahe Monch.
The song is called Assassins (guess he and J. Cole are on the same wavelength these days) and features Jean Grae and Royce Da 5’9″. Oh yeah…the beat is fire
Here’s some new J. Cole. He and Big K.R.I.T. are carrying the torch for true Southern spitters.
The track is called Killers and there’s an interesting story behind it. Here’s the story: From Alex Haldi: Hello All, Unfortunately our first single leaked ahead of time but I
American Rapstar is the third song to drop from Big K.R.I.T.’s upcoming album. He’s 3 for 3.
Check it out. Click here to download. Click here for more Big K.R.I.T.
Moe Green is another dude who could have EASILY been a XXL Freshman. Check out his new video for Cruise Control.
Iced Out Lifestyle was another hot one, if you missed it.
B.o.B. get his X-Files on in the video for Dr. Aden. Check it out.
This is from his No Genre mixtape.
Hollyweerd’s Yellow Pages has a mid-90’s feel to it. Imagine a Southern Souls of Mischief spitting on a Pete Rock track…
Check out the video… …and the Pete Rock and Souls of Mischief comparisons:
CyHi Da Prynce dropped one of the 3 strongest XXL freestyles so far…
The other 2 belonged to Kendrick Lamar and Yelawolf. The XXL one still doesn’t hold a candle to this one, though:
Keeping it on the Cali underground tip, check out Blu on WhatUWanna by Dela.
This may be Blu’s best performance since Below The Heavens. Click here to download. Here’s one of my favorite joints from Below the Heavens:
Two underground legends, Defari and Madlib, connect on Puro. Check out the video.
The Likwit Crew never got the props they deserved. King Tee, Tha Alkaholiks and Xzibit were sikwidit. Here’s some of that Likwit goodness:
MED is the truth. He actually holds his own with Talib Kweli on Classic.
Check out the video. Med – Music – More Music Videos
You can clearly hear the influence of Outkast in A.Dd’s music…but that’s a GREAT thing.
Check out their song Greedy. Click here to download. Speaking of Outkast, here’s a dope track from back in the day:
Phil Ade keeps flexing with Take It Slow. Dude has lyrics for days.
Check out the video. Click here for more Phil Ade.
Ab-Soul is one to watch. He consistently puts out good music that takes you on an aural journey.
The latest is his video for Picture That. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XicMahwAVXc&feature=player_embedded#at=229 And, click here if you missed some of his other more recent releases.
Here’s a double dose of new Kanye West. Check out the remix to All of the Lights and the promo video for Kanye’s appearance at SXSW.
The All of the Light remix features Lil Wayne, Big Sean and Drake and the visual is a mix up of some of Kanye’s best tracks. Here’s the video and
50 Cent has been dropping some quality joints lately. All About Dough is the latest.
The track is ill and he’s kicking grimy verses. Feels like 2003. Click here to download.