The Killarmy's first single from 4th album... almost :P

The Killarmy was one of the rawest, most unique and original crews to ever emerge under the Wu-Tang umbrella back in the late '90s. The six man crew and their heavily underrated producer 4th Disciple dropped the classic "Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars" in 1997 and you'll be hard pressed to find a hardcore enthusiast not loving that album for it's progressive production and militant street themes. Between 1998 and 2001 they dropped two additional albums, "Dirty Weaponry" and "Fear, Love & War"; both banging albums but since then it's been quite quiet from the six emcees and their producer, at least as far as a unit. Any news on new music from the group will have any Wu-Tang followers mouth watering so when rumours from official sources about a new album being in the works started circulating in early 2010 we were all hyped. The word was we was going to have the first single in June of that year, a track called "The Sound of Gunz", provided by Wu-Element producer Bronze Nazareth. It turns out the song ended up on P.R. Terrorist's protogé Bugsy Da God's new album "The Terrorist Advocate" and features verses from Dom Pachino and Shyheim. The new Killarmy album is still in the works but they decided to use a 4th Disciple track for the first single instead which sounds like a good desicision and now that Killa Sin is out the album can really become the comeback LP we all have hoped for.

Bugsy Da God's album that just dropped is a certified underground banger that captures both the New York underground and vintage Killarmy sound from the tracks I've heard so far. It also has a lot of Dom Pachino verses on there as he is the presenter of the LP and it also features production from 4th Disciple, Bronze Nazareth, Lord Beatjitzu and a gang of lesser known beatmakers that nontheless represent. I can certainly recommend this, you can order the album and check the tracklist/artwork @ Undergroundhiphop.com and check him out @ his myspace. Below is a taste of the album that also works as a glimpse into the coming Killarmy project since it's a scrapped track from there as I mentioned, and even a considered single at that.

BUGSY DA GOD FT. PR TERRORIST & SHYHEIM - "SOUND OF GUNZ"

Side Effectz update: The video's here!

A few days ago Swedish underground trio Side Effectz dropped their latest single "Same Shit, Different Toilet" for free download and with the accompanying single cover seen above. If you missed that out when I posted it the first time just click here for a recap. Now Linkan, Isaak V and Juancan delivers the video to said track, check it out below and drop a comment. Album coming soon!

Another AG joint

I noticed this sweet track by AG when browsing the good ol' 2 Dope Boyz site so props to them. I think this is the third or fourth leak from The Giant's upcoming "BerriTV" album dropping this year, as i understand it mostly or all produced by European (Dutch?) beat-maker Mike The Martyr and so far the album is shaping up nicely. Just search this blog for A.G. if you missed the other tracks the first time. AG is still killing it, as i often say this guy rhymes with more heart and charisma than 95% of emcees in the business and he's never sold out in his entire long-spanning career. The track is called "Where You Been":

AG - "Where You Been"

Da Beatminerz - "Movin' On Ya Weak Production"

Da Beatminerz rank among the sharpest producers to dominate the underground scene back in the good ol' days of the '90s. They had a crew of dope emcees in the Boot Camp Clik who they gave a unique sound, resulting in the hardcore rap classics "Enta Da Stage" by Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun's "Da Shinin'", Heltah Skeltah's "Nocturnal" and O.G.C.'s "Da Storm". As soon as BCC started feeling like the stripped down rugged sounds of Evil Dee, Mr. Walt and Baby Paul were holding them back the quality of their projects declined for a good while. Meanwhile Da Beatminerz started getting a good rep as in-demand beatmakers for artists ranging from Rakim to Craig Mack. A whole bunch of incredible 12" singles came strapped with a Beatminerz remix and if that was the case you could count on it being superior to the A-side mix. Here I present a collection of some of my favorite productions from the Dewgarde producers (with the occasional help from underrated former Beatminer Baby Paul), released between 1995 and 1999 which in my opinion was their creative peak (although they still put out some heat every once in a while, you'll might catch a volume 2 of this focusing on their 2000-2011 productions). You won't find any tracks from the early Boot Camp Clik albums but as usual a mixture of remixes, unreleased cuts and outside production. TURN IT UP!!

01. Da Beatminerz - "Intro"
02. Bahamadia - "Spontaneity"
03. Black Moon/Smif-N-Wessun - "Headz Ain't Redee" [Remix]
04. Smif-N-Wessun - "Nothin' Move (But The Money)"
05. The Roots - "Proceed Part 5" [Da Beatminerz Remix]
06. Rakim - "Shades Of Black" [Da Beatminerz Remix]
07. Originoo Gun Clappaz Ft. Smif-N-Wessun - "Likkle Youth Man Dem"
08. D'Angelo Ft. Kool G Rap - "Brown Sugar" [Da Beatminerz Remix]
09. De La Soul - "The Hustle"
10. Sadat X - "Da Interview"
11. Pharcyde - "Drop" [Da Beatminerz Remix]
12. Shadez Of Brooklyn - "Change"
13. Mic Geronimo Ft. OC & Royal Flush - "Men vs. Many"
14. Shortie No Mass - "U Like My Style"
15. Royal Flush - "Movin' On Ya Weak Production"
16. Flipmode Squad & Black Moon - "We Got Ya Open Pt. II"

DA BEATMINERZ - "MOVIN' ON YA WEAK PRODUCTIONS"

Dope new underground shit from Sweden

 Side Effectz is a rap group hailing from Sweden that's hopefully about to blow in a minute. Their main rapper is Linkan who got a fly, original style and writes and spits about what he knows and how he lives. The crew also consists of two skilled producers, Isaac V. a/k/a Apokalips and Juancan, who both drop occassional rhymes as well. As part of the extended AOTS family they dropped their limited street album "AOTS: The Album" in 2008 but now with a better distribution deal and more time in the game they are gearing up to release their first official album "The Wood Sessions" later this year. The lead single is called "Same Shit, Different Toilet" and is produced by Isaac V so go ahead and download it below (or stream it via YouTube) and feel free to write a line or two in the comments section. TBG/Nydala stylee!

SIDE EFFECTZ - "SAME SHIT, DIFFERENT TOILET"

Premier breaks down 38 classic productions

Complex.com is a pretty hit-and-miss site when it comes to these things but once in a while they drop a real bomb on us. Such is the case with this lengthy DJ Premier interview just posted over there, The amazing and legendary producer breaks down no less than 38 of his classic recordings for us. Definitely not one to miss, who doesn't want to hear Preem speak his mind on sessions that led to tracks like "New York State Of Mind"; Kane's "Show & Prove", "Jazz Thing", "Crooklyn Dodgers '95", "MC's Act Like They Don't Know", how DJ Premier landed the remix of that "Classic" joint with KRS-One,, Nas, Rakim and 'Ye? Props for days to Complex for this one and my hat off to Premier himself for caring enough to do stuff like this for his longtime fans and at the same time gaining further promotion!

A very interesting part from the article was that GURU and Preem fought to get "DWYCK" on 'Daily Operation' in 1992, in fact on the actual CD (not back cover or inserts) the song is actually listed as track #10; right after "2 Deep" (here's a pic of the actual CD with the intended tracklist). I always loved stuff like that, making little changes to albums that the artist intended but for sample clearance reasons or label problems it didn't happen but with the technique of today I can easily make those changes (although I of course have all the Gang Starr retail albums as well). Especially considering "Daily Operation" is my favorite Gang Starr album, tied with "Hard to Earn". Gang Starr Forever man and rest in peace to Keith Elam a//k/a The Guru, you meant a lot to me and still do. One Love.

ARTICLE @ COMPLEX.COM

Lengthy interview with Showbiz

Making sure that y'all don't miss this great interview with Show that HipHopDX.com just posted, i'm putting up a link to it since it is well worth reading. As you should know by now the legendary East Coast producer has teamed up with KRS-One to drop 'Godsville' just this Tuesday. So far it's a digital release only but apparently physical copies is set for release by March 8 (my review of the album will be coming soon). In this interview Show speaks on how the collaboration with Kris came about but also touches on future projects (including plans to record a new Show & A album in a real hardcore manner) and clearing up why we never saw many Show credits outside of the D.I. camp. He also lets us know that D.I.T.C. is definitely over as far as being a group which is sad news although when you think about it, most of them are still going strong with their solo projects so we're still gonna get some incredible hip-hop delivered. Oh and in case you missed it, there's a banging compilation of sixteen Show produced bangers below that I posted yesterday!

SHOW INTERVIEW @ HIPHOPDX.COM

Show - "Showtime Vol. 1"

D.I.T.C.'s Show drops his collaboration album with KRS-One, 'Godsville', today so I thought it would be a fitting tribute to his legendary work to bring out some of his older classic work and if y'all appreciate this dopeness enough then support his new album with Kris. I don't drop these compilations of an artists work to just give his music away for free, but rather giving a selection of rare non-album material that hopefully will make someone find a new artist or re-evaluate someones music and in turn supporting that artists retail albums. That's how I do it personally, I always support guys like D.I.T.C. if the project they brings to the table is dope (and they usually are) and hopefully alot of people are the same in that way. 

Enough about that already, this compilation features 16 choice cuts carried by Show's impeccable production work and spans from 1994 to 2001. As usual I didn't include the most ordinary stuff, like the D.I.T.C. group and solo albums are worthy purchases and stand on their own legs, but tried to feature tracks that some of you might never have heard before. Even if you did hear them this is a worthy download, it's hard to deny that Show is one of the top producers in the game when you hear selections like this. Featured artists include OC, Fat Joe, AG, Big Pun, Raekwon, Kool G Rap, B-Real, Freestyle Professors, DITC, KRS-One and much, much more. And while you're listening you can Pre-ORDER SHOW & KRS-ONE IN "GODSVILLE" HERE.

01. OC - "Showtime"
02. Freestyle Professors - "Down With The Freestyle Professors"
03. KRS-One - "K.R.S. (Knowledsge Reigns Supreme)"
04. Fat Joe Ft. Big Pun, Raekwon & Armageddon - "Fire Water"
05. Big Pun Ft. Fat Joe, Kool G Rap & B-Real - "Wishful Thinking"
06. Scaramanga - "Mind I C Mine"
07. Sadat X - "Stages & Light"
08. D.I.T.C. - "All Love" [Show Remix]
09. The Legion Ft. Show & AG - "Who's It On?! Part One"
10. Blackface Ft. Fat Joe - "Session"
11. Geo & Riccochet - "Don't Sleep"
12. Attica Blues - "3ree (A Means to Be)" [Show Remix]
13. Microphone Pager - "鬼哭啾啾"
14. M.O.P. - "Pounds Up"
15. Freddie Foxxx - "I Come to War"
16. D.I.T.C. Ft. Kid Capri - "The Club"

SHOW - "SHOWTIME VOL. 1"

Beneficence LP coming soon

I never heard of this cat before but judging from the two tracks presented below and a glance at the tracklist this looks like a must for any fan of vintage East Coast boom bap. According to UndergroundHipHop.com, Beneficence hails from New Jersey and is an affilliate of The Artifacts and been around for a while; checking his page @ Discogs.com I noticed he released a double-sided 12" single back in 1998 so he definitely has had time to hone his skill. The forthcoming album is named 'Sidewalk Stories' and will be available on LP and CD from March 1, so if you like what you hear then support real hip-hop by paying the few bucks it will cost you. The LP includes 12 tracks while the CD edition has a few bonus cuts, adding the sum up to 17 songs in total (two remixes included). The features and credits looks straight up off the hook, Five tracks produced by my man Diamond D in addition to beats by 12 Finger Dan (who had a real gem placed on the banging Freestyle Professors's album last year), Presto and DJ LKB. NY legends such as Roc Marciano, The Legion, Diamond D, Freestyle Professors, Rob-O, Prince Po, Lord Tariq, El Da Sensei, Wise Intelligent and Truth Enola will share mic time with Beneficence and that's obviously a ridicolous line-up. I got two tracks from the album for y'all to download to get a taste of what the man is gonna bring in the beginning of March. The first 12" single dropped a few months back and the A-side is called "Heavy Hitters", and is one of the Diamond productions. The other track features a killer verse by Roc Marciano and hit the nets just a few days back; these are also the two opening tracks on the CD version of the album. Take a listen, enjoy and drop a comment if you like what you hear - I know I do!

* Upon request by Beneficence himself I've deleted the links, but the snippets can be heard via the link at the bottom of this post. That's something I respect when an artist or someone involved in the project would rather just ask me to take a link down than try have me go through some bullshit legal problem. Peace

01. "Heavyhitters" [prod. Diamond D]
02. "Monetary Policy" (Ft. Roc Marciano) [prod. Presto]
03. "Fight On" [prod. DJ LKB]
04. "The Essence" (Ft. Truth Enola) [prod. Presto]
05. "Bare Knuckle" [prod. Diamond D]
06. "Royal Dynasty" [prod. DJ LKB]
07. "What Would You Do?" (Ft. Rob-O & Kazi) [prod. 12 Finger Dan]
08. "Watch You" [prod. DJ LKB]
09. "What A King Would Do" (Ft. Diamond D) [prod. Diamond D]
10. "Aim, Fire, Spit" (Ft. The Legion) [prod. Molecules]
11. "Sidewalk Science" [prod. Diamond D]
12. "Treasures Untold" [prod. Diamond D]
13. "With My Real People" (Ft. Prince Po & Lord Tariq) [prod. 12 Finger Dan]
14. "King Of Knights 2" [prod. DJ LKB]
15. "Go Away" (Ft. Frank Nitty) [prod. DJ LKB]
16. "Royal Dynasty (Remix)" (Ft. Wise Intelligent) [prod. DJ LKB]
17. "Treasurers Untold (Remix)" (Ft. Diamond D) [prod. Diamond D]

PRE-ORDER ALBUM HERE
LISTEN TO SNIPPETS HERE

J-Love Ft. Kool G Rap, Cormega & Roc Marcy

Now THIS line-up is straight up pure evil right here! J-Love always hooks up the great posse cuts just being a great mixtape DJ for sure, although I've seen a lot of peeps hate on him because he tags his exclusives. That's ridicolous, of course he's gonna tag those tracks so no other DJ tries to claim them plus no other DJ unearths rare, previously unreleased material like J. Now his rapping, that's another story alltogether but when you got three of the best street rhymers of all time clashing heads that's easy to give a pass.

J-Love Ft. Kool G Rap, Cormega & Roc Marciano - "Tricks Of The Street"

John Legend & The Roots hooks up with J. Period...

Here's a great suprise for everybody who, like myself, loved the soulful sounds of the cover album that John Legend and The Roots put out last year ("Wake Up"). J. Period has connected with the team for this exclusive free remix project that seems to be a little more hip-hop oriented in it's direction, more verses from Black Thought, the first collaboration by Pete Rock and CL Smooth for several years, a new verse by the god emcee Rakim?! Does it get any better?! "Little Ghetto Boy" featuring both Tariq and my man The Abstract... this sounds like it's gonna be a keeper, can't wait to complete this download. Head over to J. Period's homepage below to do the same yourself, no signing up bullshit either! Props to Issues for putting me on to this.

"WAKE UP!"  @ J.PERIOD.COM

DJ Krush - "Krushing Competition"

 Another The Lost Tapes exclusive compilation, this time the focus is on the Japanese super producer DJ Krush. The theme here is his collaborations with US emcees, you'll hear guys like Guru, Black Thought, Mos Def, Method Man, Mr. Lif and a whole bunch of others flow on top of his dense atmospheric instrumentals. The rhythm knocks, punches and swings but the majority of the tracks found here are in the key of ambient music; creating an interesting connection between the hard and the smooth. Filled with jazzy pianos and horns the dark and moody music transforms into a coherrent unit which shows Krush's Japanese herritage as well as his American hip-hop influences. Considering how much the sound of jazz is evident in his music, I made a decision to close the "album" with his take on Miles Davis's legendary "Black Satin", which is a personal favorite of mine. This is music I strongly recommend to anyone familiar or not familiar with the extended work of DJ Krush and hopefully it will inspire you to pick up some of his retail albums (where some of these tracks comes from, other from rare 12" releases or remix albums). I would like to give a shout out to my man Undiluted Karma for hooking me up with his edits of the instrumental interludes found on here (tracks #11 and #17), thanks homie.

01. DJ Krush - "Intro"
02. CL Smooth - "Only The Strong Survive"
03. Black Thought - "Hardware"
04. GURU & Big Shug - "Most Wanted Men"
05. Finsta Bundy - "Supanova"
06. DJ Krush - "Tragedy Speaks... Interlude"
07. Tragedy Khadafi - "Real"
08. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - "Back On Da Block" [Remix]
09. Black Thought - "Zen Approach"
10. Mr. Lif - "Nosferatu"
11. DJ Krush - "Interlude"
12. Aesop Rock - "Kill Switch"
13. Mos Def - "Shinijiro"
14. Nigo Ft. Biz Markie - "Something For The People" [Remix]
15. Method Man & D'Angelo - "Break Ups 2 Make Ups" [Remix]
16. The Roots - "Meiso"
17. DJ Krush - "Outro"
18. Miles Davis - "Black Satin" [Remix] [*]

DJ KRUSH - "KRUSHING COMPETITION"

Free Kool G Rap EP

 Yessir, the legendary rhyme vet is back in business! While gearing up for the release of his forthcoming long player "Riches, Royalty & Respect" (which will include the dope single "Sad") sometime in 2011, G Rap decided to hit his followers with an "Offer you can't refuse". Eight brand new tracks, with beats supplied by long-time associate Domingo and The Alchemist amongst others and the sole guest apperance coming from Mobb Deep's own Havoc (luckily we're saved from the embarassment of another Rick Ross collaboration). Sounds good to me, i'll spin this in a minute and i'll suggest you do the same and drop a comment while you're at it.

01. "The Fix" [prod. by DJ Pain]
02. "Mugshots" [prod. by Pokerbeats]
03. "America's Nightmare" (Ft. Havoc) [prod. by Alchemist]
04. "Take 'Em Back (Supafly)" [prod. by Blastah Beats]
05. "Baggin' in Da Spot" [prod. by Leaf Dog]
06. "Scarface Snow"
07. "Offer You Can't Refuse" [prod. by Domingo]
08. "Money Talks"

K.G.R. - "AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE" EP

Consequence Ft. Lil' Fame & Bun B

Consequence, who was an early affiliate of A Tribe Called Quest through his bloodbond with Q-Tip, and was first of the signees to KanYe West's GOOD Music label. In the mid 90's he had an album ready called "Hostile Takeover" that got shelved, just as a reminder I posted all the leaked tracks from that project in an early blog post, well worth checking if you missed it. I never thought Consequence was a great rapper but he's listenable and surrounded by talent who supplies him with dope guest verses and ill beats. In conjunction with XXL, the man will drop his mixtape "Movies On Demand II" for free download and judging by the leaks it's gonna be a pretty strong tape (check the tracklist above too: can't wait to hear that Roc Marciano joint). I will of course post the entire tape here when it drops. In the meantime you can check out the latest leak (with a few of the older ones as added bonuses). I mean Lil' Fame, Bun B and Cons on a beat sounds kinda monstrous doesn't it?! Plus it has one of my favorite hip-hop/soul guest singers in Rell (who was on "The Message" by Dr. Dre and Lord Finesse for example). Well check it out and drop a comment.

CONS' - "WET THE BLOCK" (Ft. Lil' Fame, Bun B & Rell)
* CONS - "Fake I.D." (Ft. Q-Tip, Large Pro & Havoc) / "Screenshot" [prod. Havoc] / "Money Talk" [prod. 88 Keys]

Rae, Ghost and Jim Jones

 This is the third leak from Raekwon's "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" dropping next month and it sounds very different from what one could expect. It got a west coast vibe to it with heavy use of synthesizers and BIG drums that could work in the club, DJ Khalil supplied the production. Raekwon, Ghostface and Jim Jones goes in but what's the point of the auto-tune hook by Kobe (I think he's down with Strong Arm Steady and he was on Eminem's last album)? It would've been alot better without it but it is what it is. I also included the CDQ of "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" since the one I posted in January was a radio rip. If you've missed out on the first single, "Butter Knives", then click the link.

RAEKWON - "ROCK N ROLL" (FT. GHOSTFACE, JIM JONES & KOBE)

New heat from AG

AG stays being one of the most underrated rappers in the game, i've said it plenty times that you'd have a hard time finding an MC with more heart than Andre. His four albums with Show are obviously amongst the finest hip-hop you'll ever hear and both 'The Dirty Version' and 'Get Dirty Radio' was solid albums in their own right. His only misstep was last years 'Everything's Berri', a collaboration with Ray West that didn't really bang the way one could expect (though it had some fine moments).

Now he's gearing up for another album, 'Berri TV', and i'm not sure if it's gonna be fully produced by Mike The Martyr but he has laced a few gems for AG lately including this single that just dropped. The single is called "I'm A Beast" and below you can download the song as well as watch the new video. Ill shit.

 

AG - "I'M A BEAST" 

The Jam Boys Mixtape is here

Almost forgot that Black Thought and his side-kicks of Dice Raw, STS, Truck North and P.O.R.N. was releasing their debut mixtape (as Money Making Jam Boys) today. Presented by 10.Deep and mixed by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban the tape features the four singles we've heard before plus 13 additional tracks. Since Thought's one of my favorites I can't wait til' the download is complete so i can bang this, rip is in 320 kbps if anyone need a 192 kbps rip let me know.

DOWNLOAD @ 10.DEEP

[COMPILATION] 'Evolution Of The Groove' Vol. 1

If you're a rapper or a serious hip-hop fan, you gotta respect the foundation and give credit where credit is due. Just like the classical music composers like Beethoven's and Haydn's playing was a natural continuation of the Baroque music lead by Bach, or how Rock N Roll was a neccessary progression of Rhythm and Blues; Hip-Hop is in more than one way a direct continuation of Jazz music. Personally, I consider the two genres, though very different to an untrained ear, as relaitvely close cousins to each other. The similarities between them are striking; in jazz you start from the rhythm section (which is for example drums, bass and piano) laying the foundation for the soloists to improvise over. In hip-hop, the beat is not rarely a sampled rhythm section which lays the foundation for the entire song. This is what the emcees/soloists then rhyme over, or solo if you will. One can draw direct parallels between the freestyle and battle, two beloved themes in rap, to the jazzmen's improvisation solo upon the bandstands that's a test of their skills. In fact it wasn't too uncommon that a reed player would have to prve himself by battling a more seasoned player on the bandstand back in the days, 

When jazz evolved into the so called fusion music from the late '60s and on, jazzmen started incorporating elements of what they heard around them like rock, funk, rhythm and blues. This lead to the backbeat becoming harder and steadier, the music got more technical and electronic, introducing trendsetting instruments like the Fender Rhodes piano. All of these factors would later become staples of hip-hop production after beatsmiths like DJ Premier, Q-Tip and E-Swift got tired of sampling James Brown and George Clinton, and started searching out their fathers jazz collections for fresh inspiration. From the first years of the 1990s, a whole bunch of incredible rap acts were born and building their sound on classic jazz records from people like Miles Davis, Coltrane, Lou Donaldson, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock and many more.

Looking back at '70s albums like Miles Davis's "On The Corner" with it's experimental african-american polyrhythmic funk, it can arguably be considered the first breakbeat/drum-n-bass album and an early predecessor to what hip-hop would once be. A couple of years later, with the emergence of Herbie Hancock and his funk/jazz monster "Headhunters" (and later his "Rockit" series with Bill Laswell and Grandmixer D.ST), things started in many ways really sound like esarly instrumental jazzy hip-hop. Therefore it came as no suprise that when Miles Davis went in the studio for the last time in the 1991, he enlisted producer Easy Mo Bee because his head was filled with the sounds of the street; Hip-Hop. The result was the slamming but somewhat underrated "Doo Bop". In closing, Hip-Hop and jazz has been close for years, from samples to actual collaborations and undeniable similarities. 

Besides Miles and Mo Bee's project it was New York's finest, Gang Starr, that really opened the door full swing, with GURU's ambitious "Jazzmattaz" series (1992 and 1995, respectively) and DJ Premier/Branford Marsalis "Buckshot LeFonque" (1994). The compilation below is something I made with these type of actual collaborations in mind; many are remixes, some post-humous covers and a few are actual legends from both genres officially recording together. No matter how you see it, I can promise you that it makes for an interesting listen to say the least. Volume II is on the way, and will appear as soon as possible; featuring more of the same, but I think it will have a little more original collaborations so watch out for that! Til' then, enjoy and TURN IT UP!!

01 .Donald Byrd - "Stepping Into Tomorrow" [Madlib Remix]

02. Donald Byrd - "Think Twice" [J Dilla Version]

03. Charlie Mingus - "II B.S." [RZA's Mingus Bounce Mix]

04. Miles Davis - "Freedom Jazz Dance" [Remix] (Ft. NaS & Olu Dara)

05. A Tribe Called Quest - "Verses From The Abstract" (Ft. Ron Carter)

06. Brother Jack McDuff - "Oblighetto" [J Dilla Remix]

07. Grant Green - "Down Here On The Groun" [The Ummah Remix]

08. Ronnie Foster - "Summer Song [Diamond D Remix]"

09. Bobbi Humphrey - "Young Waarrior [Madlib Remix]

10. Branford Marsalis/DJ Premier - "Breakfast @ Denny's"

11. Cal Tjader - "Minority [Large Professor Remix]"

12. Miles Davis - "Black Satin [DJ Krush Remix]"

13. Charlie Parker - "Bebop (Live At The Rooftoop) [Remix]" (Ft. RZA)

14. Cannonball Adderley - "Bohemia in the Dark [Diamond D Remix]"

15. GURU - "Timeless" (Ft. Herbie Hancock)

16. Gang Starr/Branford Marsalis - "Jazz Thing" [Extended Instrumental]

'EVOLUTION OF THE GROOVE' (FROM JAZZ TO HIP-HOP)

Cormega on a RAW Journey

The Large Professor laced "Journey" from Cormega's criminally underrated third LP, 'Born and Raised' was probably my favorite song on the entire album and it seems Corey himself might agree. Besides choosing to do the video for that track, he then released an all-star remix of it to mixtape DJ's and now he drops a third remix of it on us. This time the beat is redone with live instrumentation by the one and only The Revelations; if you heard 'Wu-Tang Chamber Music' you'll know that these were the guys who played out all songs on the album under the arrangement of Lil' Fame and RZA. They also helped M.O.P. for a track on their 'Foundation' album so they are definitely coming up in the hip-hop world. Below you can download their remix as well as the previously mentioned all-star remix (which has DJ shouts but are unbelivable nontheless). I also throw in the video for good meausre. Enjoy and lets hope Mega drops another banger sooner rather than later.

CORMEGA - "JOURNEY" [REVELATIONS REMIX]

CORMEGA - "JOURNEY" [RMX] (Ft. Large Pro, Sadat X & OC)