[VIDEO] Uptown XO - "Spread Love"

The second cut from Uptown X.O.'s slamming "Colour de Grey" LP gets the visual treatment. If you have yet to check out the album, "Spread Love" is a good introduction so let it BANG! Produced by AB The Pro, just like the rest of the album.

DJ Low Cut Ft. Dirt Platoon - "Second Brokest" [Remix]

DJ Low Cut's impeccable "NY Minute" album is getting the remix treatment by some of France's finest beatmakers and released in a Remix Version. The album is out now, and as a lil' sneak peak Low Cut is giving away DJ Brans mix of Dirt Platoon's "Second Brokest" for free download. "France's Finest: NY Minute Remix" can be purchased via Bandcamp, with the option of free streaming first.

G&D - "Popstopper"

The husband-wife duo of G&D (Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins) has been behind some of the most interesting and original soul music of the 2010s. Although brilliant sources, they are again joining forces for another album; this one called "The Lighthouse". Guests on the 17 tracks album are limited but features guest apperances from LMNO and Shana Muldrow. On May 23, the LP will be available via the duo's self-owned SomeOthaShip Connect imprint, and for a taste of what's to come, here's the first single "Popstopper".

MARCO POLO x ARTIFACTS - "Back to Work"

Marco Polo is killing shit this year; the Artifacts blessed "Back to Work" is the third master meeting in like three months following "What's Wrong" w/ Rakim, and "Night & Day" w/ Big Daddy Kane. All three songs will appear on Polo's upcoming mixtape/street album "Newport Authority II" which will also include tracks from Das EFX, Lil' Fame, Torae, Ruste Juxx and more. As if that wasn't enough, this will be followed by Polo's official sequel to his critically acclaimed "Port Authority" LP which will pack an even crasier tracklist (Organized Konfusion, OC, Inspectah Deck, Gangrene, Talib Kweli, Masta Ace, Posdnous, Large Professor, etc...).

[EP] VON PEA & AEON - "Duly Noted"

Von Pea, one third of the Brooklyn group Tanya Morgan, decided to record some solo material when he received an inspiring beat tape by the trio's in-house producer Aeon of Lessonndary. Von began recording right away while on tour in the UK, and the resulting six tracks forms the EP "Duly Noted". The record also includes all of Aeon's instrumentals to the songs. Grab the EP below and check out the video for the first single "Things Have Changed" up top. 

01. "Nip Slip"
02. "Pessimistic"
03. "Things Have Changed"
04. "*Tagged Me*" [Interlude]
05. "Alone"
06. "Alive"

"DULY NOTED" @ DJBOOTH 

[VIDEO] Havoc - "Gone"

Havoc is by far the more interesting half of Mobb Deep these days, and now signed to Nature Sounds he's gearing up for the release of his first proper solo album. I say proper because "The Kush" hardly was much too talk about, not least since it felt like something quickly thrown together. "13" ia hitting stores on May 7, and judging by the latest singles we've heard from Havoc it could very well be a monster. Check out the brand new video for "Gone" above, and in case you missed the Royce Da 5'9" featured single "Tell Me to My Face", click here.

[Mixtape] REEF THE LOST CAUZE - "Your Favorite MC's & Favorite Beats"

Last year, ruff-voiced spitter Reef The Lost Cauze hooked up with German production team The Snowgoons to deliver the full-length "Your Favorite MC". Today, Reef is releasing a follow-up to that record together with DJ/producer who's reimagining the original music setting Reef's verses over classic beats, creating some really sick blends. Without a doubt a nice listen, so check out the tracklist below and PRESS PLAY!

1. Reef ft Slaine & F.T. "F**k Rappers Remix" vs UGK "International Player's Anthem" (Blend)

2. Reef "I'm A G" vs Gang Starr "All 4 The Cash" / MOP "Cold As Ice" / Cam'ron "Down n Out" (Emynd Blend Medley)

3. Reef "Brotherhood" vs Styles P "My Life" (Emynd Blend)

4. Reef "High By Myslef" vs Mic Geronimo "Masta IC" (Emynd Blend)

5. Reef ft OJ The Uncanny & King Magnetic "Big Shots" vs Smif N Wessun "Da Shinin'" Medley

6. Reef "Devil's Advocate" vs Jay-Z "1-900-Hustler" (Emynd Blend)

7. Reef ft Just Allah & Sicknature "Euthanasia" vs Birdman "What Happened to That Boy" (Emynd Blend)

8. Reef ft Sabac Red & Wise Intelligent "Mount Up" vs Xzibit "Paparazzi" / Pharcyde "Runnin" / Erule "Listen Up"

9. Reef ft Outerspace "Timezones" vs Mobb Deep "Hell On Earth" / "Still Shinin" / "Drop A Gem On Em" (Medley)

10. Reef "Kill Somebody" vs Cypress Hill "How I Could Just Kill A Man" (Emynd Blend)

11. Reef "Boxcutter Samurai" vs Kool G Rap "On The Run" (Emynd Blend)

12. Reef ft Esoteric "Brain On Drugs" vs Wu-Tang Clan "Uzi" (Emynd Blend)

13. Reef "F**k Rappers" vs Young Jeezy "Put On" (Emynd Blend)

14. Reef "100 Rhymebooks" (Emynd "Cherish The Day" Remix)

REEF THE LOST CAUZE - "YOUR FAVORITE MC'S & FAVORITE BEATS"

[Mixtape] HOUSE SHOES x BIG - "Dreams"

Legendary Detroit DJ and producer House Shoes'' "Dreams: B.I.G. Re-Imagined" is a little different from the usual BIG tribute. Rather than rushing it out for a 9:th release, the initial idea came to Shoes on that date and since then he has been on work on the project. The initial idea was to send out a bunch of classic BIG accapellas to a bunch of his producer homies, resulting in fresh takes by innovative producers such as Nottz, Wajeed, Khrysis, Quelle Chris, Nameless, 14KT, Brenk Sinatra, and of course House Shoes himself. I'm usually not that fond of new interpretations of the true classics, but Shoes did a real great job here and there's a lot of music on it that deserves to be heard, so make sure to press play ASAP!

01. "Kick in the Door" [Nottz Remix]
02. "Dead Wrong" [Wajeed Remix]
03. "Dangerous MC's" [KNX Remix]
04. "The What" [Nameless Remix]
05. "Ten Crack Commandments" [14KT Remix]
06. "Everyday Struggles" [P.U.D.G.E. Remix]
07. "Bust A Nut" [Quelle Chris Remi, Bx]
08. "The Routine (Think BIG)" [Khrysis Remix]
09. "Ten Crack Commandments" [Brenk Sinatra Remix]
11. "Party & Bullshit" [HouseShoes Remix] [*]
12. "Flava in Ya Ear" [Nameless Remix] [*]
13. "One More Chance" [KNX Remix] [*]

HOUSE SHOES PRESENTS "DREAMS: TEN B.I.G. CLASSICS REIMAGINED"

[DOCUMENTARY] "Our Drugs War: 'Life & Death of a Drugdealer' in QueensBridge"

One of my main men Big Rob put me on to this great British documentary that ran for a few episodes a few years ago called "Our Drugs War". In this second 46 minutes episode, we get to follow a young aspiring rapper by the name of Black Box, you might have heard on the Infamous Mobb' 2010 mixtape "Year Of The Dragon" where he and Big Twinz collaborated on the song "Ca$h", as well as an interlude homage to his life that was cut way too short on "Homage (R.I.P. Skit)".

It's a shame that Black Box was murdered just as his career could possibly have started to take off, but that's how fucked up this life often is. An interesting aspect is that the British filmmaker started out as the opposite of a drug liberal, but at the end of the documentaries he had totally changed his mind, after seeing the misery these guys have to endure to the fucked up politics; for example how is pure cocaine gonna have a whole lot less governmental punishment than crack cocaine; which is the same fucking drug. The answer is of course, that crack (which is a lot cheaper) is something that mainly blacks use while the expensive cokaine is what's used by rich white guys in suits. Go figure.... Either way, a great documentary that I strongly recommend, so HIT PLAY!

[Video] KING RAMSES - "Can't Let Go LIVE" / "I Be Knowin'"

Jersey's most interesting up-and-coming artist is not exactly slowing down when it comes to releasing new music and videos to build hype for next month's "The Making Of Ramses", dropping digitally for free in middle April. The latest real music video is "I Be Knowin'", a pretty dope jam though I think it's a bit below what we heard from his thus far. The second video is from a recent live performance by Ramses that went down yesterday in NYC; and despite being a live performance the sound quality is superb, and shows that the emcee has no problem holding down a dope live performance either.

Papoose - "Cure" / "Turn It Up"

Remember when a debut album from Saigon and Papoose used to be a standing joke? I'm glad to see that both artists, whose music I always enjoyed, are now past that as Pap has finally dropped his "The Nacirema Dream" which landed in stores yesterday. I haven't listened to the complete album yet but looking at the production credits the two most interesting joints are the collaborations with Buckwild and DJ Premier. You can check out both below; "Cure" (streamed above) features soul queen Erykah Badu, a real smooth Buckwild beat and Pap's usual dose of well written lyrics. On "Turn It Up" (courtesy of DJPB) Preemo laces Papoose with the usual heavy hitting boom bap. Pick up the album now @ UGHH.

Showbiz & AG - "Can't Wake"

The third single since Show & A finally released their "Mugshot Music", and I have no clue where these tracks are for but I'm sure as hell ain't complaining. Show on the beats, A on the rhymes... like they say, if it's not broke, don't fix it! Peace to Gim and DJPremierBlog.

[Comp] J DILLA - "Words From Dilla"

That's right, another day, another Dilla compilation brought to you by The Lost Tapes... This one's a little different however, since it doesn't feature a single beat by the great beat fanatic (save for one co-producer credit). Instead I wanted to make a compilation of JD's work behind a microphone, focusing on his many guest apperances during the last few years of his life. Recorded between 2002 and 2005 the 13 cuts included here combines to form a perspective on Dilla's musical passion that's often much too overlooked. Granted, the man was never the most sophisticated emcee but to me he always had enough skills to rock a party, and his voice and cadence were just DOPE.

2013 may very well be the last great year as far as Dilla releases go; I'm sure that they'll continue to create albums through the use of material from his many beat tapes for several years still to come, but this year we're getting the last two, previously unreleased, projects that Dilla completely supervised during his actual lifetime. Frank-N-Dank's "48 Hours" is spinning on my turntable as I'm writing, but the real explosion is yet to come... I'm talking about the release of Dilla's almost mythical shelved MCA album, "The Diary" (previously known as "Pay Jay"), which I'm extremely hyped to finally be able to collect when it drops later this year. That album of course features Dilla as a solo artist, an emcee, rather than a producer, although he does in fact lace a few bangers on it as well... I'm just hoping that the execs. (one of them being Frank Nitty) will remain as close as possible to his original vision as far as the mixes, sequencing and all that when preparing it, though I'm not too worried as I think they handled the Frank-N-Dank project beautifully save for the lazy artwork. Well well well, with that being said, let's get on with what you can view as a nice little prequel for the final piece of the Jay Dee catalouge... Here's "Words From Dilla" - TURN IT UP!!

01. "Shotgun Intro" (w. Platinum Pied Pipers) [prod. Wajeed]
02. "Do Ya Thang" [prod. BR Gunna]
03. "Game Over" (w. Phat Kat) [prod. Dabrye; co-prod. Jay Dee]
04. "Door" (w. Phat Kat & Fat Ray) [prod. BR Gunna]
05. "We Gangstas" (w. Diamond D & Nottz) [prod. Nottz]
06. "Thrilla" (w. Sa-Ra) [prod. Om'mas Keith, Shafiq Husayn & Taz]
07. "Love" (w. Lawless Element) [prod. Magnif]
08. "Words From Dilla: Interlude" [prod. Magnif/Lawless Element]
09. "Stupid" [prod. BR Gunna]
10. "Act Like You Know" (w. Platinum Pied Pipers) [prod. Wajeed]
11. "Niggaz Know" (w. Pete Rock) [prod. Pete Rock]
12. "The Reunion" (w. Slum Village) [prod. Black Milk]
13. "There's A War Going On" (w. Wale Oyejide) [prod. W. Oyejide]
14. "a moment of silence..."
15. "...for James Yancey"
16. BONUS - "If You Were Mine" [Detroit Demolition Mix] (w. Tami Heart & SV)

J DILLA - "WORDS FROM DILLA"

Durag Dynasty Ft. Prodigy - "Fish Meat"

Without a doubt my most anticipated album as far as the first half of 2013 goes is Durag Dynasty's "360 Waves"; produced by The Alchemist. There's been plenty of material released from the group already, everything packing a lot of punch, and the latest single "Fish Market" is no exception. Pre-order your copy of the CD, vinyl or deluxe edition @ Nature Sounds now!

RA The Rugged Man / Talib Kweli - "Learn Truth"

R.A. The Rugged Man and Talib Kweli are both lyrical beast, and their distinct styles sound great together on "Learn Truth"; their first, much overdue, collaboration together. Mr. Green is the producer behind this dope jam which will appear on Rugged Man's upcoming Nature Sounds release, "Legends Never Die", out April 30.

Prince Paul x Paul Barman x DOOM - "Hot Guacamole" [Demo]

I'm not much of a Barman fan at least he knows how to pick some dope ass beats, due to his connection with greats like Prince Paul, Automator and MF DOOM. "Hot Guacamole" was always my jam too, so this demo version of the track is of course recommended though it's not very different from the version that appeared on "MM... Leftovers". Prince Paul's unreleased series continues (also peep Paul's demo with Missy Elliot from "Pootie Tang" which I believe I never posted last month):

"This was a song was recorded in My studio in the early 2000's .Doom I had know for quite some time and at this point I had recorded Barman " It very stimulating ' EP . Barman wanted to collaborate with Doom on a song which was a great idea . All I remember in recording this was being amazed how these two guys styles complimented each other. Too bad we didnt record more songs that day. We never had a formal release of this demo song but did appear on Doom's Leftovers ."

K-DEF x SLICE-OF-SPICE Collection

Just as Lord Finesse, K-Def is another one of the great East Coast artists that's collaborating with Slice-Of-Spice for the release of several limited vinyl exclusives of previously unreleased material. So far the label has released long-awaited stuff like The Article EP with emcee Da Capo, and a 7" series featuring tracks with World Renown, J-Twice, Prime Suspects, and Rated R. I'm so hoping that they will be able to release the complete World Renown album on wax, that would be worth a pretty hefty price too as far as I'm concerned. Just as with Finesse, last week S-O-S uploaded a one hour set featuring full streams of most of this material. To purchase material from the K-Def/S-O-S catalouge, click here.

LORD FINESSE x SLICE-OF-SPICE Collection

When checking out Slice-Of-Spice's Soundcloud page for the post you'll find below, I stumbled across this amazing 1.5 hour set of Lord Finesse music. As I'm sure you know, Finesse and S-O-S have hooked up for the release of loads of previously vaulted music and new remixes, all available on exclusive collector edition vinyls. In this set, the label has collected most of those releases in a continous track for our enjoyment; simply fantastic! Besides snippets of the "Funky Technician Instrumentals", included are remixes of early Finesse classics by legends like DJ Muro, Large Professor, DJ Spinna, and Finesse himself, as well as a lot of dope unreleased cuts. To purchase this material on wax, head over to Slice-Of-Spice's Lord Finesse section.

LORD FINESSE Live in Tokyo Pt. 2

The second half of Lord Finesse's immacualte DJ set in Tokyo on Valentine Day is now up for free stream thanks to the good guys at Slice-Of-Spice. Filled with rare and classic hip-hop grooves, The Funky Man is sure to have your head banging for no less than an hour. Enjoy folks!

Cappadonna - "Slang Editorial Part 2"

With the release of his recent "Earth, Wynd & Fyre" project, I thought Cappadonna had abandoned the plans of recording a sequel to his classic breakthrough LP "The Pillage". Luckily, that's not case at all it's implied by the drop of the follow up to one of his most cherished tracks; "Slang Editorial". Although produced by DJ Intrigue rather than True Master, it goes a long way in capturing the vintage sound of Cap's early days.

[Video] AZ - "Thank You"

AZ improves on his single releas of tbe DJ Doo Wop assisted "Thank You" with an official video for the track.. This is crazy, A's definitely one of those who never lost it.

[Album] ANTIHEROES - "Modern Day Riot"

Following the impressive "So Easy" single just the other day, The Toronto duo of Flex and Sha Prince that make up The Antiheroes unveils their debut project for free via DJBooth. The digital LP features guest apperances by Thurz, STS, Emerson Brooks, and production by Rich Kidd, MMac, Junia-T, and Jay Emess and can be heard in full below... Enjoy!

01. "Modern Day Riot"

02. "Cloud 9" (Ft. Rich Kidd)

03. "I'm Ghost"

04. "Ignorant x Arrogant"

05. "Blow Up" (Ft. D-Sisive)

06. "11th Hour" (Ft. Relic)

07. "Greed" (Ft. Tre Nyce)

08. "So Easy" (Ft. Thurz)

09. "The Allure"

10. "Understand" (Ft. Emerson Brooke)

11. "Where I Lives" (Ft. DaxFlow)

12. "Why" (Ft. Tamsynn-Lee)

13. "6 Degrees" (Ft. STS)

14. "Misery Ave."

STREAM / DOWNLOAD @ DJBOOTH 

[Video] P.A.P.I. Ft. Large Pro - "Built Pyramids"

Despite the name change, the Large Professor produced single "Built Pyramids" is easily one of the beast tracks Noreaga has dropped in a long time. It will be interesting if his upcoming LP will follow this direction... I have hope! Check out the video too, pretty nice.

[Video] Captain Murphy - "The Killing Joke"

Flying Lotus has been one of the most incredible artists of the last year; all genres considered. First inviting us to the dream-like world created by the mostly instrumental "Until The Quiet Comes", and now opening up a completely different chapter as the voice-altered emcee Captain Murphy. The concept is similiar to what Madlib did with Quasimoto, yet Lotus completely makes it his own, providing a unique weirdness that makes "Duality" one of the most interesting LP's of the day. From that album we now get the official video for the Batman-inspired tale called "The Killing Joke".

MidaZ The Beast - "Vodka & Ayahuasca"

I'm a bit late on this one, but Midaz always drop official stuff so I recommend you all to listen. Here he goes in over one of the super rugged beats from Gangrene's "Vodka & Ayahuasca" LP, spitting a short, but powerful verse. Also, in case you missed out on one of the top street albums of last year, do yourself a favor and check out Midaz's "LOOPS" project.

Antiheroes Ft. Thurz & Ash Riser - "So Easy"

The Toronto duo Antiheroes lets loose of "So Easy"; another banger from their forthcoming LP, "Modern Day Riot". Watch out for a great guest verse from LA spitter Thurz as well as a real head-nodder from Rich Kidd who handles the production beautifully. Watch out for the album on DJBooth tomorrow (will be linked here as well).

Lord Finesse Ft. KRS-One - "No Gimmicks" [OG Mix]

Two of the greatest rhymers of all time, and both very skilled producers as well, are of course Lord Finesse and KRS-One. The two collaborated on the classic "No Gimmicks" which appeared on Finesse's '95 album "The Awakening" in two equally ill versions. However, it turns out that neither of those were the original mix, as a previously unreleased studio version has now been unearthed by the trustworthy Slice-Of-Spice label. Check it out below, and if you had the loot to buy all volumes in the Finesse Signature Seven series you're lucky enough to get this crazy jam on a bonus flexi disc.

[Single] 8thW1 - "Happy" / "Take it Light"

A couple of weeks back Elementality released the song "Happy" from 8thW1's jazz-influenced album "Lux DeVille" which is out on this May. Today we get the first official single from the project, labeled as a digital 12", and the first in a series of such from the EMP label, featuring the tracks "Happy" backed with "Take it Light" and instrumentals to both joints. Real mellow, feel good ish, produced by PVD. Direct download here or stream via Soundcloud below.

[Video] Yamin Semali - "Yamin"

The opening song, and title track, from Yamin Semali's recently released solo album "Yamin" which I posted not too long ago. Dope stuff!

P-MONEY / ROC MARCIANO - "THE PROFESSIONALS"

The New Zealand producer P-Money is about to drop his first solo/production album, "Gratitude", via Duck Down / Dirty Records so already by that affiliation you know it's gona be well worth checking. A while back we got the first single from the project, the "Welcome to America" collabo with Havoc and Skyzoo titled rocking it over P-Money's tight production that's definite to induce some serious head nodding and heavy replay value. The same can be said about the even harder new single, which features the calm killer rhymer Roc Marciano who's right on the money as always!

COMMON / D'ANGELO - "Geto Heaven Part Two"

I first realized that some people might actually have missed out on this fantastic classic when my copy of "Like Water For Chocolate" started to wear out and I tried to download it. On every single download, "Geto Heaven Part Two" was replaced with this horrible club remix featuring Macy Gray, and of course the song that skipped on my CD was "G.H.P.T.". I can't understand how ?uestlove, Common and Derick Dudley could ever think it was a good idea in any way, shape, or form to throw in that remix on such a complete album as "Like Water..."; it totally breaks up the mood and it's not even remotely good on its own. To me, Com's first album after he moved to New York is his best album, and not only that but one of the bsst hip-hop albums ever released; Jay Dee's production on 11 of the albums 16 songs are all fantastic and the remaining tracks by D'Angelo, ?uestlove and James Poyser and the powerful outro by Karriem Riggins is such a wonerfully arranged front-to-back listen. To me, it's a better and more mature album than both "Resurrection" and "Be", though both of them are true masterpieces in my book as well. One of the album's strengths is the flow of the album, and how all the songs tie in to each other with the The Soulquarian's collective handling of the production and Common's renewed sense of awareness in his lyrics; something that had started on "One Day It'll Make Sense" but really came through with his move to New York where he met like-minded people like Talib Kweli, Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch. For the abovestated reasons, it's really mind boggling how the horrible Macy Gray version without any apologies takes a gigantic leap from everything the album represents.

The original version, instead featuring one of the geatest soul artists of the last 20 years in D'Angelo, is something completely different; strong, positively melancholic and passionately beautiful, created through perfect performances by everyone who participated in the sessions. Unlike the album's preceeding tracks, "Geto Heaven Pt. 2" is entirely created with live instrumentation; you got Brother ?uestlove on drums, D'Angelo on accoustic piano, James Poyser on Rhodes, Antonio Hart on flute and Pino Palladino on bass. In other words, The Soulquarian's truly coming together as a unit and working out a hauntingly beautiful, yet peaceful song. It was the perfect opening to the final act of Common's crown acheivement as an artist. Interestingly enough this wasn't even part of the original LP in its initial stages, which is pretty fantastic considering how much in the vein of it it definitely is, but rather recorded for D'Angelo's "Voodoo" album. Of course, those two albums were recorded simultaneously in Electric Ladyland studios with much of The Roots' "Things Fall Apart" and the majority of Erykah Badu's brilliant "Mama's Gun"; making a quartet of albums that are like sister albums to each other and are about equally good; true classics that everybody who loves soul and hip-hop should have in their collections,  The story, as told by ?uestlove, goes that when D'Angelo heard the original beat for "Chicken Grease", that The Soulquarians had just jammed out during a Common session he was more than willing to trade "Geto Heaven" for the initial Common track; and even throw in a wonderful guest vocal chorus to boost. You could almost say that "Like Water..." and "Voodoo" are reflections of each other; the hip-hop side, and the soul side (and Badu's "Mama's Gun" I always considered to be the female counterpart to D'Angelo's male perspective on "Voodoo"), so the pieces naturally just fit as good as they did. The Roots' "Things Fall Apart" definitely fit in in this equation as well, it's a rather new sound for The Roots heavily influenced by D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and of course Jay Dee who laced the funky as shit joint "Dynamite" and the hilarious B-aside only, "New Year's At Jay Dee's".  

So why am I posting a song from 2000 you might ask; the answer is simple - as I said I came to the realization that many people might not even have heard it since it seemed it was hard to download when I was hunting it down and this deserves to be heard by EVERYONE, much unlike THIS - "GHETO HEAVEN (T.S.O.I,P. REMIX)". That "Like Water..." is spinning on my turntable right now of course plays into the decision to post this now as well, so if you haven't heard the original version. you can check the YouTube video up top, and to download I ripped a quite nice 192 kbps rip of my CD (the one that sometimes skips). Luckily, I'm listening to the Mp3 now and it's not skipping at all, so enoy this straight up FANTASTIC track (produced by GOD according to the credits BTW). If you're gonna buy Common's New York debut with The Soulquarian's make sure to pick up a used copy, preferably on wax; maybe on Discogs to make sure that you get the original version of the LP. With that being said, that wack remix still doesn't alone manage to break an album as dope as "Like Water..."; you still got Jay Dee doing most of the production (which is it s lot more traditional and atmospheric  than his work on the madly overlooked "Electric Circus), and is full of fantastic beats, interludes, guests and of course amazing coallabos by The Roots, Slum Village, MC Lyte, DJ Premier, Bilal, Mista Sinista, Mos Def, Roy Hargrove, Femi Kuti, Cee-Lo, and Razhel.

COMMON Ft. D'ANGELO - "GHETTO HEAVEN PT. II"

[Mixtape] DJ SPINNA & JUST DIZLE - "Dearly Departed Pt. 1"

Now this one is just crazy... US and France unites in the form of DJ Spinna and Just Dizle who together puts together the mixtape "Dearly Departed". This is a salute to some of the finest emcees who left way too soon, including choice cuts by the likes of GURU, Apache, Big L, Nate Dogg, Big Pun, Heavy D, Proof and Pimp C. This is a definite download, and hopefully we'll get a Part 2 soon enough. Click here for a full tracklist.

[Album] QUELLE CHRIS - "Niggas is Men"

Quelle Chris is back and repping it hard with his new street album on Mello Music Group, "Niggas is Men". The idea here is to set things up for the release of a "proper" LP on the label later this year, but this rugged collection is sounding like a damn ill LP on its own to me. Production is handled by Quelle Chris, Messiah Musik and Sifu with guest vocals laced by the likes of Tanya Morgan, and Denmark Vassey, its safe to say that you need this one in your headphones ASAP. Make sure to grab it while you can, because the free download is up til' Friday night ONLY; after that you'll still be able to grab it via digital retailers like iTunes.

Ayatollah Ft. Silent Knight - "The Wig Out"

Ayatollah very recently released his first solo album on the Elementality label, titled "Avant-Garde". On the disc you'll find this banging collaboration with fellow EMPB repper Silent Knight; "The Wig Out". As is always the case with 'Tollah, his music is worth checking for so click on the link above and support the man! Also if you're a skilled emcee looking for a break, a contest is being held for a feature on the official release of the single "Nothing But The Funk", click to read more.

King Ramses - "Lost My Mind"

The latest single from New Jersey spitter King Ramses is called "Lost My Mind" and further sets the stage for the release of "The Making Of Ramses" out April 15 via iTunes and other digital retailers. Make sure to check out the official promo sampler/mixtape for the LP, available now through DatPiff!

[comp] LACE DA BOOMS - "MURDER SEASON"

In the mid-'90s there were so many incredibly dope acts on the hip-hop scene that unfortunately a lot of them were lost in translation, so to speak. Not too long ago, the immensely talented New York emcee Big Kwam's entire catalouge was collected in true Lost Tapes fasion as "Verbaliwed: Raw Skillz". Luckily I have been able to find all of Kwam's original 12" catalouge in my local used record shop and was totally blown away; still looking for the "Execution Expert" EP though. But Kwam is only one of many immesely talented rhymers with a great ear for beats that got a chance to drop a few singles through the mid-'90s before fading into obscurity. Big Twan is another example, who's superb EP "One Time For The Lyricist" I recently found in the used section. Then there's of course Mike Zoot, Matt Fingaz, Shades Of Brookltn, and a whole host of other hot emcees that never got their real chance to shine and has since resignde from the recording industry.

One of the most prominent out of these young rhymeslingers was Lace Da Booms, a Brooklyn native, who released a trio of 12"/EP:s between 1996 and 1997 on the Guesswhyld label; a label that was responsible for a whole lot of dope underground music. Lace first made noise in 1996 with the 12" single "Cut That Weak Shit" B/W "Ain't No Secret"; the first record on Matt Fingaz' Guesswhld imprint, and featuring headnodding mixes by Buckwild, Guesswild Production, and Obsession, with guest apperances by Quasi Modoe and Royal Flush, not countig the solo B-side, produced by none other than Domingo.

The following year the same label released the next single, including the Buckwild produced "Murder Season" with two versions of "And Once...", laced by Domingo and Sha-Self, respectively.  The Brooklynite's final '90s release is perhaps his finest, released shortly after "Murder Season", this untitled record was actually released as a 2x12" set featuring instrumental, clean and dirty versions of all eight songs found on the two discs, and only one guest apperance by  singer Hope Calabrass. However, the production credits run like a who's who of the great underground producers of the time: Buckwild, DJ Spinna, DJ Ogee, Domingo, and Derick Trottman. To me, it's probably DJ Ogee's (mainly known as OC's original DJ, and for producing a smaller amount of classic tracks throughout the years), smooth but bass- and turntable heavy contribution "The Glory" that is the real stand-out on an EP full of dope music. On a side note, I've been wanting to do a DJ Ogee collaboration for some time but not sure if the material would be enough.

To be perfectly honest I don't know too much about Lace Da Booms beside the few singles he has released, where he's from, his connections to several ill producers and record label. With remixes and alterative versions I have put together a typical Lost Tapes compilation of every VLS material Lace put out in the couple of years he was active on Guesswhyld. Clocking in at just over 45 minutes with thirteen songs (including three remixes and two guest apperances), "Murder Season" plays out like a dope album and truly makes you wonder whatever happened to Lace.  In fact, in an article from 2009 in Black Sheep Mag, here the emcee is talking about a a then forthcoming EP which will be followed by a full-llength; but this was in 2005, and I sure haven't heard anything yet. Oh well, here's ALL of Lace Da Booms tracks ever released, including singles, B-sies and his two sole guest apperancnes (tracks #3 and #13). ENJOY!!

 

01. "Murder Season"

02. "Cut That Weak Shit" [NYC Mix]

03. "Strategy"
04. "The Truth Iz..."

05. "Glory"

06. "And One" [What's Da Deal Mix]

07. "Countless Thoughts"

08. "Ain't No Secret"

09. "Cut That Weak Shit" [Buckwild Mix]

10. "Sumtimez"

11. "And One" [What's Up With A Deal Mix]

12. ""Cut That Weak Shit" [Obsession Remix]
13. "Mad Abour You"


2, 9, 12 additional guest vocals by Quasi Modo & Royal Flush)
3 additional guest vocals by Raiderman, Mr. Voodoo, Sean Price, & Mike Zoot
13 additional guest vocals by  Wizdom Life,  Matt Fingaz, Craig G & Mike Zoot
2 remixed by Guesswild Productions, 11 remixed by Obsession
1, 7, 9 prod. by Buckwild; 3, 6 prod. by Sha-Self; 4 prod. by DJ Spinna;
5 prod. by DJ Ogee; 6,8 prod. by Domingo; 10 prod. Derric Trotman.

LACE DA BOOMS -
"MURDER SEASON"                                              

Bobby Capri / Sean Price - "Tunnel Vision"

V.A.'s Bobby Capri's deut EP "Instant Gratification" is another April release to put on your watchlist. The first single features besides, of course, a powerful performance by newcomer Bobby Capri a stunning guest apperance by Sean Price in the vein of his recent "Mic Tyson" output (on a side note, I saw P perform in Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago, but my memory is fortunantely extremely hazy so don't expect a review). The song here is titled "Tunnel Vision", and the official music video for the track is currently being shot. Other guests on the EP include Jon Connor, Troy Ave., Apollo The Great, and more. Who's handling the production has not yet been revealed however, but the production on this first one is a co-work between J-Mac and The Amazing Doc. I'm not familiar with any of them before, but I definitely dig their style here, and hope to hear more from them in the future.

[Video] KILLAH PRIEST - "The Winged People"

For more than a year we have been patiently waiting for Killah Priest's promised double album, "The Psychic World of Walter Reed". While we were getting a lot of dope singles and short music videos, jokeful comments was made about the album never materializing at all. Luckily for us, Priest's more ambitious project is finally here; and it's a double disc as promised. I haven't tooken the time to listen to all of the 42 tracks yet but from what I've heard personally and the reviews I've read I'm willing to bet money it's a pretty damn fantastic album.

 

One of the official videos of music that actually appear on the two discs is "The Winged People" which as usual features brilliant lyricism with a message that's both introspective, and spiritual without losing its street element. The production is gorgeous, handled by a St. Peter who creates a somber track for Priest's vocals with an array of low-key instrumentation. "The Psychic World of Walter Reed" is out now on CD and in digital format. The 2xCD is only available directly through Killah Priest's official site for $21 excluding shipping (yeah, it's a little steep, but remember that it's 42 songs); or you can pick it up via iTunes if you want to support the cause, and you should (the price here is $15)!

Ill Bill, DJ Eclipse, Torae talk productions from Pete Rock, Preemo & Extra-P

Ill Bill was the guest on the latest edition of DJ Eclipse's and Torae's Rap Is Outta Control show. In this two minute clip, the trio speaks on the thoughts and blessing of incorporating the famous "Illmatic" line-up of Pete Rock, DJ Premier and Large Professor for their respective albums. Of course, Non Phixion was the first to do it with their official debut LP "The Future is Now", and more recently both Torae and Ill Bill reached out to the power trio to lace several cuts on their latest albums, respectively... And to great effect! Interesting stuff!

[Review] K-DEF - "One Man Band"

As far as vinyl releases goes, K-Def's first real official solo album with Redinition Records is here. The "Nightshift" project from last year clocked in at just over 20 minutes and were eight songs strong on the LP set though the CD edition also featured four additional cuts (also available on two separate 7" releases from the NJ producer). Despite "One Man Band" being a longer and somewhat more compelte release, it's safe to say that if you liked what 'Def accomplished on his recent EP:s and 7" singles with Redefinition Records. This is more of the same superb instrumental journey music, though there's a few new tricks up the producer's sleeves here as well, as expected. If you're still not convinced after this review, you can stream the entire project via REDEF'S Bandcamp.

The Music:

Things kick off with the funk/jazz excursion that is "Funky Fridays" which is is absolutely brilliant both as an opener and on its own. It's eight miutes of 'Def at his finest, incorporating elements of mainly funk and jazz "samples", with strings, Rhodes, hypnoic rhythm patterns and what not. Clearly a great intro that sets the tone fot the rest of the album. This is followed by the short but equally powerful single "Dark Soul" where a haunting array of keyboard and synth samples sets the tone for what's to come with an addictive bassline and a strong 5/4 rhythm that takes stage to underline the simultaneous melodies. It works well. and already here it's clear that K-Def are aiming for a new sound than the raw hip-hop infused sound he brought us with the "Night Shift" EP.  Track three is a another funk driven exercise, with some slight hints of Rhodes, strings and even a flute sample, adding to the deep bassline. Once again, it works best in the context of a front-to-back listen to the album, though as with the previous tracks it will sound interesting as a stand-alone cut; though by all acounts it's a true album. But the many sound effects, varied instrumetation and funk, jazz and soul fusions constantly make it stand out. This is followed by one of he strongest cut on the entire LP, somewhat reminiscent of "Da Supa Heath" in that its an instrumental somber piano driven piece with a 3/4 rhythm, and that I get the feeling that I have heard the same sample somwehere else; but as K-Def totally replays everything it more creates a sense of deja vu, than an instant recognition. This could and should also be counted among his strengths since he ventured out as a solo artist!

 

The abovestated sense of deja vu can be heard in several parts of the album, most notably on "Soul Paper" where 'Def flips the piano melody made famous through Wu-Tang Clan's classic "C.R.E.A.M." to great effect. I mentioned once to JNOTA of Redef an idea about how K-Def could make a great album of his own own instrumental covers of classic hip-hop tracks ("Stakes is High", "Escapism", "One Love" on "Da Supa Heath", the two Ghost tracks from "Willie Boo Boo: The Fool" and now "C.R.E.AM."; yet, i'm probably missing some). What I love about these type of excursions is that they are not strictly rip-offs but rather uses the main elements of the well-known maserpieces flipped in a 100% K-Def way. The "Soul Paper" track, for instance, leaves the instantly recogizable piano sample but let it run for a longer time and over a completely new rhythm track. The same goes for the following track "New Jersey Dodger" where 'Def to great effect incorporates main elements of "Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers" but with a whole lot of new instrumentation, sound effects and a new rhythm pattern that truly makes it stand on its own. As mentioned above, I would really love to see a full-length project or mini-album with K-Def taking on some of hip-hop's most classic tracks, and I still have hopes that this might  actually happen one day..

But just as much as the deja vu moments found here, you are left with amazement at all the brand new musical cues that runs through the majority of "One Man Band". I know peeps who have a hard time listening to instrumental hip-hop music, and when it comes to listening to straight instrumental versions of vocal cuts (such as flips of 12" singles) I partially agree with them, but for music that's specifically created for listening to them that way, like Def's album like "Nightshift", "Willie Boo Boo" and now "One Man Band", the music never gets stale as new musical cues are steadily added and replaces the vocalist to great effect! Unlike Dilla's "Donuts", you could probably use this as complex instrumentals to rhyme over but I'd much rather keep it in its full instrumental glory. One of the things that's different here from some of the artist's previous releases is that this is completely instrumental project, whereas for example"Night Shifft" had apperances from Rob-O and Raw Poetic between the instrumetals. In that sense it's more aching to 2006:s "Willie Boo Boo" , but it's clear as day that K-Def's way of creating instrumental LP:s has changed quite a bit over the six years since the former album was released; and to me this sounds like the more complete  record.

 

Rather than going in and describing every single song on the project, as I see this as an album that you not only could but should be listened to from front-to-back, and preferably in a good set of headphones, as it truly forms a musical journey, again putting 'Def as one of the 10 to 5 best producers to ever touch an MPC; now using a completely digital software where he replays all samples (which in itself is very hard to believe considering the professionality and pure hip-hop sound of the music). Clocking in at about 40 minutes with thirteen tracks, the project's length is just about right and the inclusion of the 7" only "Ghettoman's Hideout Theme" as a hidden bonus track on the vinyl really sounds right at home on this project. As mentionned above it should be noted that the CD version includes four bonus instrumentals not found anywhere else. Whether or not these actually will do much for the final project is left unsaid, but I have a feeling that if they did, they would have been an essential part of the LP and therefore included on the LP version as well.

Conclusion:

All in all, K-Def has done it again and if you're a fan of designed instrumental hip-hop albums, this is a really strong album that NEEDS to find a place in your crates or bookshelves if you're like me; an extremely big fan of K-Def and Redefinition Records. From the eight minutes openening journey that is "Freaky Friday", the other songs mentioned above, the jazz-saxophone based "Street Jazz" (which I feel have some of the trademarks of No ID's produciton on Common's "Communism"), the somber "Ghetto Grooves" with it's mesmerizing bassline, Rhodes and recurring melodic motif; the beautiful guitar- and uenexpted sound effects driven "K Commes Thru". Again, there's no need to go through every single song, because despite them standing on their own, it's when they are put together in this beautiful sequence that they really come to life.  I'm still waiting for my order to arrive, but I strongly recommend all readers of The Lost Tapes to support K-DEF and Redef by picking up the album which at the moment are available now in three formats: CD (with four bonus beats), and two 2xLP sets; one pressed on regular black vinyl, and one on lime green vinyl. Hurry up and order your copy from Redef ASAP, the shipping is fast whether you're in Europe or the States so *hurry up and buy*. Another excellent release from K-Def, and the next project from the producer is a full-length collaboration with Raw Poetic which sounds really promising based on the five songs I've heard so far.

[VIDEO] Nametag - "Hookless"

While I love the CA hip-hop scene, my two personal favorite areas for hip-hop music is, of course, NYC followed by Detroit. The city has a unique sound, had one of the top producers to ever have lived, producers and instrumentalists like Karriem Riggins, Wajeed, Black Milk, Taara'ch, and many more; not to mention acts like SV, Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat, Eminem (at least his early records; and also D12's first LP), Royce Da 5'9 and D-Elite, 5 Ela and early Proof material, Que D, Frank-N-Dank, Fat Ray, and many more. One name that keeps popping up now and then is Nametag, an emcee I first heard on Black Milk's early album "Sound Of The City", "Popular Demand" and "Calitroit"; and later appeared on both installments in "Dirty District". Apparantly, he's actually Black Milk's first cousin, and has released a few EP:s and the album "The Name is Tag" which caught a lot of positive reviews from the hip-hop press.

On April 16, he's planning to release his sophmore album titled "For Namesake". The album will feature a mix of popular and fresh names from the "D", such as Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Miz Corona, Mahd, and Jashua Smith. The first viddeo is now available for your pleasure, "Hookless", which confirms Nametag as one of the fastest rising star of the "D". If you want the song in downloadable MP3, click here.

Punchline Ft. Fokis, The 17th & Asha - "Dream Chasing"

Punchline hooks up with Bronx bomber Fokus whose recent mixtapes with Brand Nubian's Sadat X have all been really noteworthy; emcee The 17th, singers Asha and the beautifully voiced Nyiah is also on the hook for this smooth banger. "Dream Chasing" is actually the title of this new posse cut from a couple of days ago; a street single that was just released  and is sounding pretty damn GOOD. I'm not sure where this will eventually turn up, but most likely a forthcoming Punchline mixtape/street album so stay tuned for more information and possibly further download links,.

[EP Throwback] SHOW & AG - "Unreleased Shit" - 1995

When Showbiz & AG found themeselves in the pressure of following up one of the absolute greatest hip-hop albums ever created, they went in the studio with a more stripped down sound, a real agressive sound, more self reflecting lyrics and more intense deliveries from AG's point of view. To me, '95's "Goodfellas", while being quite radically different from their impeccable debut, is still very close to a classic album. It's hard as hell, an furious minimalist approach and drums of death make for an incredible ride through the dark side of the mid-'90s hip-hop;: keeping the DITC formula while also getting heavy inspiration from KRS-One's '92-'95 albums, Wu-Tang Clan, and similair actss. The result is fantastic, and clocking in at 50 minutes (45 for the vinyl copy) makes for a damn near pefect album.

There were no less than five songs recorded for those sessions that Show and A decided not to include in the final cut; probably because it would make the album too long as it's banging music all the way through. The songs include the longer and original Show mix of "Time For" which Roc Raida remixed for the album; the slamming "Stand Strong", the original "I'm Not The One", with it's pounding drum programming, dark jazz undertones that makes it a standout on the bootleg EP that these songs were released on. There were no sample clearances issues or anything, but the duo simply decided the LP would be better as it is now and I tend to agree, although of course these songs are must hear for any dedicated DITC fans and have been bootlegged in the long run. Since the Diamond D collabo "You Want It" featuring Diamond D and Party Arty, is a fantastic cut and appears on the CD but unfortunately not on the vinyl release so it's included here, adding to the dopeness of the 25 minutes run time; especially considering how extremely banging the joint is in a front-to-back listen.

I'm sure most of y'all have heard this, but if you haven't, and are a fan of Show & A, don't sleep on this because this is a great insight into the making of "Goodfellas". All songs produced by Show; all vocals by AG besides track #5. Enjoy and BANG YOUR HEAD!

01. "Time For" [Original Mix]
02. "Stand Strong"
03. "Under Pressure"
04. "I'm Not The One" [Original Mix]
05. "You Wan't It"
06. "Ain't No Fun"

SHOWBIZ & AG - "UNRELEASED SHIT EP: BOOTLEG"

[Mixtape] MILANO - "THE HURT LOCKER"

Milano Constantine is such an underrated emcee in so many circles, yet even amongst many of them his 2006 mixtape "The Hurt Locker" seems to have gone over a lot of people's heads. It's a dope but short mixtape, but filled with exclusives; unfortunately the only version I know of it is ripped in 128 KBPS but it's definitely listenable. Production on this tight tape is handled by D.I.T.C. affiliate Amed who contibute no less than five exclusives (who you btw gonna see a lot more here on The Lost Tapes very soon, both in the form of a compilation and a thourough interview).

Other producers include T. Ray, Will Tell, Grim Team, Agallah, and freestyles over classic '90 beats inncluding "Ain't The Devil Happy" and "Elevators". Clocking in at only 30 miutes, this is a focused mixtape, with dope production and showing Milano is always a damn dope emcee. So press play and let it run through, you won't be dissapointed. Mad thanks to Antoine for hooking me up with this, thx bro!

In related news I saw a post on Amed's Facebook page saying "Milano & Amed" album coming soon, this was posted around January but I think this got a good chance of actually manifesting, and I would love to hear that. We'll just have to wait and see, but I have high hopes for it; especially considering all the amazing music he has produced for Milano; a producer and an emcee that I always really liked, and have made a lot of underground classics together already.

01. "Warrior Call" / "Where You Been @" [prod. T-Ray]
02. "Big Dogs Freestyle"
03. "When You Hear"
04. "What You Thinking 'Bout" [prod. AKI]
05. "New York Got Me Depressed" [prod. Amed]
06. "The Formula" [prod. Amed]
07. "Global Warning" [prod. Amed]
08. "Show 'Em Part II... Freestyle"
09. "Mean" (Ft & prod. Delta]
10. "Ain't The Devil Happy Freestyle"
11. "Everybody Hurt's" [prod. Amed]
12. "The Lord is With Thee" [prod. AX]
13. "Heavy Metal" [prod. Will Tell]
14. "Hardcore" [prod. Grimm Team]
15. "Agallah & Milano" (Ft. & prod. Agallah]
16. "Elevator '90s Freestyle"
17. "That's Milano" [prod. T-Ray]

MILANO - "THE HURT LOCKER TAPE"

[DJ Set] LORD FINESSE Live in Tokyo Pt. 1

The Grand Imperial Funky Man recently appeared in Japan for a gang of dates for The Soundvawe Tour. Slice-Of-Spice recorded his entire two hour DJ set recorded in February full of dope breaks, original sample classics, rare grooves and a mix of some of the classics from the hip-hop and soul catalouge. "Live in Tokyo Pt. 1" runs for about 55 minutes, and will soon be followed by a sequel, allowinng us to hear the entire set so stay tuned for that as you'll find it here as soon as it's made available through S-O-S Soundcloud page. Throw it on your headphones, crank it up on your system, and ENJOY!

BIG DADDY KANE / MARCO POLO - "Night & Day"

About two weeks ago we were treated to a lost Marco Polo production from Rakim's "The Seventh Seal" '09 album, "What's Wrong". Absolutely fantastic boom bap for the decade with Ra spitting his immaculate stuff as usual... The song has now turned from a Rakim track to a Marco Polo song as it will appear on his upcoming "Newporth Authority II" mixtape/street album that should be out very soon, as it's a prequel tape to Polo's official sequel to "Port Authority" sequel which drops this spring on Soulspazm Records. The mixtape is no throwaway tracks though; including the Rakim track, new music from Lil' Fame, Das EFX, Artifacts, Torae, Ruste Juxx, and more; including the collaboration with Big Daddy Kane called "Night & Day" that you can now hear below (or HERE if the embeding doesn't work). 

This is incredible hip-hop at its finest, pure 2012 boom bap beats with one of the greatest lyricists of all time killing it so don't hesitate to press play and stay tuned for more info and a link for the project as soon as it drops (if it is indeed a free digital release). Enjoy the track presented here by your humble narrator, my little droogies.