Stalley is one of the leaders of the new school (not the group…the movement). Check out his video for The Tune Up.
http://vimeo.com/19481984... Read more
Fresh
Lupe Fiasco’s new single Words I’ve Never Said is typically brooding and introspective. He stays true to his voice.
Skylar Grey's vocals on the hook and the rock vibe give it a KiD CuDi/Eminem/B.o.B.-type feel. Check it out.... Read more
Here’s another super hot (but short) joint by Consequence called Bi-Polar.
That's 2 in 2 days for Consequence. Click here to download.... Read more
Do you remember how dope Rawkus Records was? They were the label that brought us Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Eminem, Pharoahe Monch (solo)…and many others. Here’s a little playlist to remind you.
If you missed it, here's a breakdown of what Rawkus meant to hip-hop.... Read more
Got G-Funk? The legendary DJ Quik drops a vintage West Coast track. You can almost feel the LA sun with Luv of My Life.
Click here to download. And, if you missed it, here's a G-Funk playlist for you.... Read more
Remember Kev Brown? He produced the best version of The Black Album other than the official version.
Here is a video featuring a couple of new songs from his upcoming project with Kaimbr under the name Alexander Green. This one is strictly for the underground. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJbcM6OVEFo&feature=player_embedded# If you missed The Brown Album click here to download it.... Read more
Kendrick Lamar dropped a cool laidback heatrock with Vanity Slave.
Dude should definitely be in the discussion with Wiz, Curren$y and J. Cole as one of the best newcomers out there. The track also features Gucci Mane on the hook. Click here to download.... Read more
The 1982 album by Statik Selektah and Termanology was one of my favorite albums last year. Here’s the video for The Radio off that project.
Like its title suggests, 1982 is throwback hip-hop. The sound does not reach back to the 80's though. Instead, it lands in the early to mid-90's, the golden age, and is a return to the boom bap (including scratches from DJ Premier). You can find more 1982 here and download... Read more
Be on the lookout for The Kid Daytona in 2011.
I didn't give his mixtape The Interlude the proper amount of attention when it first dropped in November but it was one of the better ones of last year. If you missed it, take a listen below and download it if you like what you hear. Download Mixtape | Free... Read more
Consequence has always been on the verge but he never had that hit to take him to the next level.
He had an incredible pedigree--his big debut was on A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes and Life, he was Q-Tip's cousin and he became closely affiliated with Kanye West, ultimately signing with G.O.O.D. Music. He never had that one big song that put him on the map, though. His new... Read more
Vado combines 2 of his stronger cuts in the video for Wake Up and Beat Knocking. Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxzZ710T2bY&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Songs in the key of G: Smoke DZA’s Uptown81 is cinematic. It has lush strings, a subtle clarinet and he and Kendrick Lamar black out on the lyrics.
This one is a winner. Click here to download.... Read more
It’s been 14 years since the death of Biggie Smalls and even longer for Tupac Shakur. Still, the murders remain unsloved.
Earlier this month, news broke that new leads in The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder have been uncovered and the case has been re-opened. Will we finally learn the truth? In the meantime, it's a good time to re-visit Biggie and Tupac, one of the best documentaries out there on their deaths.... Read more
Smallville is one of the dopest tracks J. Cole has produced but he didn’t save it for himself…
Instead, he gave it to XV. The song is called Smallville. Click here to download.... Read more
Kidz in the Hall Pledge Allegiance To the Dope with Curren$y and Mikkey Halstead. Strictly hotness. Check it out.
This is the second installment in their weekly Brain Candy series which also features weekly video previews. It's sounding like they're about to have a strong album. Click here to download.... Read more
Black Thought, Fat Joe, Eve, The Game, Jermain Dupri and Diggy Simmons all on one song???
Yessir. And that's not even all. The song is Young Chris' Philly Sh*t and it also features Fred The Godson and Young Malc. Check it out. Click here to download.... Read more
Dr. Dre’s second release from Detox, I Need a Doctor ft Eminem, could not be more different than Kush.
The word is Kush does not reflect the overall direction of the album. It is Detox after all...Which direction do you like better? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3WlVhvyMnY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuJDaOVz2qY... Read more
Wiz Khalifa’s new song Roll Up is a cool flip of Cyndi Lauper’s 80’s classic True Colors.
And, no, the song is not about the medicinal. It's actually a love song...Props to Wiz for changing it up. Click here to download. Here's Cyndi Lauper's True Colors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPn0KFlbqX8... Read more
Been keeping it old school with the playlists, but this week decided to focus on some of the better tracks to drop recently.
You'll find tracks from Stalley, The Kid Daytona, Big K.R.I.T. + Gillade, Saigon, Terrace Martin, Wiz Khalifa, Yelawolf, Reks, Jay Electronica and more. Press play, sit back and enjoy.... Read more
Here’s a new Wiz Khalifa video. It’s called On My Level and features one of the oldest G’s in the game–Too Short.
Something to ride to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmP7TYtDVUU&feature=player_embedded# Click here to download.... Read more
Ever see the movie Dazed and Confused? Mac Lethal just dropped a verse and video where he summarizes the entire movie in 2 minutes.
You have to see this to believe it. Dude may be the fastest rapper in the world. If you haven't seen the movie before, it's a classic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcFyX2o9zoo&feature=player_embedded... Read more
When’s the last time you heard a rap with no curses that wasn’t the “clean” version? Check out Lo Fi Love by Theo Martins.
He talks about Africa, family, faith and real life concerns without coming across as preachy. The verse and the track are on point. It's a rare and good look. It's hard to believe but there used to be a time when cursing in hip-hop was rare...No judgments, just food for... Read more
When’s the last time you heard a tuba on a hip-hop track not made by The Roots? Look no further than Stalley’s SLAPP ft Rashad.
Here's the video. It's another Creative Control production. Props to Damon Dash for constantly reinventing himself just when you count him out (again). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Je_KUzZYo&feature=player_embedded Click here to download.... Read more
Need some gangsta ish in ya life? Check out Freddie Gibbs just going IN on Learn to Duck. Wow. Just wow.
http://vimeo.com/19176326... Read more
Reks dropped 25th Hour a couple weeks ago. He spits on one of DJ Premier’s best tracks in years. Here’s the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oF7AU12LMB0#... Read more
Run 4 Ya Life by Problem is 70 seconds of pure heat.
There's no hook, just rhymes and MONSTER beats. Check it out. Click here to download.... Read more
This beat box display by Eklips is seriously ill. Dude does a medley of 30 or so songs in 4 minutes. He hits a lot of hip-hop classics. Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0_2vmkTmf0&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Laws’ song Honor ft CyHi Da Prynce dropped in December. Here’s the video. Dope song, if you missed it before.
CyHi goes in (as usual). http://vimeo.com/19169345 Click here if you want the download.... Read more
Here’s the first full visual from Big K.R.I.T.’s project with the band Grillade. It’s an in-studio performance of Hometown Hero, shot stylishly in black and white.
Big K.R.I.T. gets MAJOR props for branching out like this so early in his career. Few rappers take on the live band aspect and when they do it's after they're 3 or more albums deep. Even fewer incorporate a rock element into their sound. K.R.I.T. is doing both before even... Read more
Dr. Dre’s tracks always bring out the best in The Game.
Check out their latest collabo called The Ocean. It's on The Game's new mixtape Purp & Patron which you can also listen to and download here. The Ocean Here's Purp & Patron: Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com... Read more
Talib Kweli’s Cold Rain dropped a few weeks ago. Here’s the video.
It's a cool concept. He does his spin on The Book of Eli but the precious thing he's protecting is music. Talib has always been a heady MC. It's good to see there is still room for that in hip-hop.... Read more
Lloyd Banks’ album was ridiculously slept on. The video for I Don’t Deserve You ft Jeremih is yet another banger.
Click here to cop the album, HFM2. Support good music.... Read more
The Kid Daytona flew under the radar in 2010 but dude is DOPE. Get ready to hear a lot more from him in 2011. Here’s the video for his song On The Hill.
He takes it back to the nineties, kicking hot lyrics over a super-jazzy sample. You may recognize the sample from when Biggie and Jay-Z murdered it on Puff Daddy's Young G's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmYks8YKOZU Here's the original--On The Hill by Oliver Sain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-MSeohFtnM&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Ever see the movie Wildstyle? It was the first hip-hop film ever.
While it was fiction, it plays almost like a documentary, transporting you back to 1983 for a look at the early days of hip-hop culture. It covers all 4 elements of hip-hop culture, from DJing to MCing to Breaking and Graffiti, and features many of hip-hop's pioneers, including Busy Bee,... Read more
This joint with TiRon ft Asher Roth and Blu is a heatrock. It’s called The Richers and it’s got that vintage 80’s R&B sound to it.
TiRon dropped another cool joint last week. That one had a kind of playfulness to it that The Richers doesn't. The Richers is just plain spit kicking over a nice soulful track. Click here to download. This track is one of 10 on TiRon's project called Hney Mstrd. It's chock... Read more
Pharoahe Monch’s Clap (One Day) sounds like it could have been produced by DJ Premier. The track has Primo’s signature boom bap.
The track is actually produced by M-Phazes and features Showtyme and DJ Boogie Blind. Click here to download. Pharoahe's biggest track is Simon Says (Get the f*ck up), but like Clap, much of his material has had a political theme. Here's one of my favorites, The Truth ft Common and... Read more
Here’s some new J. Cole for you. My bet is on him to have the rookie album of the year. The song is called Pass Me By and features B.o.B. on the hook.
There were some incredible first albums last year from B.o.B., Drake and Nicki Minaj. Who's got next this year? J. Cole? Wiz Khalifa? Click here to download.... Read more
With all the beefs it’s easy to forget that sometimes 50 Cent is a really funny dude. Check out Happy New Year to hear his (dark) sense of humor on display.
"I got a dog named Oprah and a cat named Gayle..." 50 once described his music as lyrical cinema. When you listen to it from that perspective, it takes on a different tone, no? Click here to download.... Read more
Is the art of crate digging dead? Not for ?uestlove of The Legendary Roots Crew. Watch him break down the contents of his shopping bag at Amoeba Records.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CrcLoIPzow&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Kidz in the Hall are one of my favorite groups to drop in the last 5 years. Here’s a video preview for their new song Amzin (yep, that’s how it’s spelled…).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLIbxOoqjJQ&feature=player_embedded Apparently, Kidz in the Hall are also going to start dropping weekly product to set up their new album (told ya Kanye started a revolution). They're branding their campaign "Brain Candy." Click here to download the full track.... Read more
When’s the last time you heard Xzibit? Check him out on Don’t Believe You by Slim the Mobster.
The track is produced by Nottz. If you missed Nottz's album, it was one of the better ones of 2010. Click here to download.... Read more
Rewin(d) – AFH Samples (Video Playlist)
We recently posted a documentary about sampling so it seems fitting to make this week's playlist one dedicated to some classic samples. You'll find music sampled by Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, DJ Quik, Biggie, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Redman, Black Moon and more. The tracklist... Read more
It’s a good day for hip-hop. Check out the full stream of Talib Kweli’s upcoming album Gutter Rainbows.
The album drops on Tuesday, 1/25. Props to MySpace for the preview. Click here to stream the album.... Read more
It’s REALLY hard to go wrong with a Statik Selektah mixtape. Take a listen to Concepts: Selektions his new mixtape with Frank the Butcher and download it if you like what you hear.
Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com... Read more
The art of sampling is nearly as fundamental to hip-hop as MCing. Check out this documentary on the history of sampling and its impact.
In the early days of sampling, it was done liberally and, at its finest, was used to create completely new sonic landscapes. Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us back was groundbreaking in its sound and was one of the most sample-heavy albums of all time.... Read more
I usually don’t post concert videos from phones but: 1. the sound quality is good on this, and 2. It’s Common…Check out his new song Believe.
Sounds like Kanye may have done the track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2nFwPdFsk&feature=player_embedded#!... Read more
Ever heard the name Steve Stoute? You definitely know his partner…Jay-Z. Even without the Jay affiliation Steve is one of the most powerful people in hip-hop. Check out this video to see why.
This is from a series called INFLUENCERS. The description of the series is below. http://vimeo.com/18910788 INFLUENCERS In-depth Series features Steve Stoute, Founder and CEO of Translation, a brand management firm that arranges strategic partnerships between Pop Culture icons (Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, Lebron James, Justin Timberlake, etc.) and Fortune 500 companies.... Read more