AZ - "Red Magic"

AZ's "Doe Or Die II" has been high up on most hip-hop head's wish lists for quite some time now so it's good to see a new sign of the upcoming release. "Red Magic" sees AZ delivering a classic example of why he is so highly revered, set over a smooth flowing track by previous Da Beatminerz's member Baby Paul together with Beat Fanatik. Nice!

[Tracklist] COMMON - "Nobody Smiling"

Common and his long-time producer No I.D. has revealed the tracklist, artwork and release date for their latest long player, entitled "Nobody Smiling". To be released on July 22 as a joint venture between Def Jam and ARTium Records the record sports a black-and-white photo of Common, contrasting the cheerful high-colour photo seen on "Be". Made up of only ten songs (with an additional three attached to the Deluxe Edition) the album is entirely produced by No I.D. and includes collaborations with Vince Staples, Big Sean, Cocaine 80s, Jhéne Aiko and a few others. Not included on the final tracklist are the previously released singles "Made in Black America" and "War"; however the hard hitting "Kingdom" is thankfully still apperaing.

EDIT - Be sure to check out the just released single "Speak My Piece", embeded at the bottom of this post.

01. "The Neighborhood" (Ft. Cocaine 80s & Lil' Herb)

02. "No Fear"

03. "Diamonds" (Ft. Big Sean)

04. "Blak Majik" (Ft. Jhéne Aiko)

05. "Speak My Piece"

06. "Hustle Harder"

07. "Nobody Smiling"

08. "Real" (Ft. Elijah Blake)

09. "Kingdom" (Ft. Vince Staples)

10. "Rewind That"

DELUXE EDITION

11. "Out On Bond" (Ft. Vince Staples)

12. "7 Deadly Signs"

13. "Young Hearts Run Free" (Ft. Cocaine 80s)

MOBB DEEP x GHOSTFACE KILLAH - "Dirt"

This is chunky as hell, and definitely bring back memories of the original "The Infamous...". Since I saw Mobb Deep in concert last week I've been on a real Mobb roll lately, and the dirty !llmind produced "Dirt" is without a doubt one of the absolute top joints from the group's latest. Now it's even iller as Ghostface Killah adds his own verse to the track, and it's classic Ironman.

ILLA GHEE Ft. Sean Price - "Speak To 'Em"

"Speak To 'Em" is another fresh single from Illa Ghee's sophomore album "Social Graffiti" which hit retailers July 8. Crummie Beats who produced this builds this on a sample that I know have somewhere in my crates but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is right now and it's really bugging me. Any help?

APOLLO BROWN Ft. Roc Marciano - "Shotguns in Hell"

Back in May Apollo Brown released his cinematic long-player "Thirty-Eight". While the project consists of  20 vintage Brown instrumentals, both the CD and 2xLP editions came with a 5" vinyl single. This 45 contains two songs with Long Island giant Roc Marciano going in over two of the cuts from the album; "Lonely & Cold" and "Shotguns in Hell". Previously MMG let digital heads hear "Lonely & Cold" and now peeps are also able to check out "Shotguns in Hell"; one of my favorite beats from the album. Rugged and raw!

BEAT KONDUCTA - "Black Dreams (Sludge Fight)"

This Madlib banger from his upcoming "Rock Konducta" project is a psycadelic rock trip into beatmaking that will definitely have you bang your head. The fifth installment in 'Lib's "Beat Konducta" series will feature roughly fifty tracks whose source material is lifted from various rock genres from all over the world, from the '60's to the '80s, all flipped to make crazy beats as only Otis Jackson can. The album will be released on CD on July 15, while the vinyl version is divided into two parts - Part One which has already been released, while Part Two drops on July 8. Read more and pre-order/order @ Rappcats.com.

[Mixtape] V/A - "Counterstrike 2: A Decade of UNKUT"

Robbie Etterson's brilliant hip-hop site UNKUT was definitely one of the reasons I wanted to get into this blog game, and it still remains one of my favorite sites. A few years ago Robbie got together a gang of dope underground rappers and producers and released the Unkut mixtape "Counterstrike". But now, on the 10 year anniversary of the sites incarnation, Robbie definitely steps it up with "Counterstrike 2: A Decade Of UNKUT", featuring 20 tracks with exclusive material from a lot of my favorite artists and producers. Some of the most interesting is the first Real Live material in years (K-Def and Larry-O for those not in the know), an Amed produced Milano banger, Grand Daddy I.U., Omniscience, Beneficence, $amhill, Craig G/Agallah and several others. This is a definite must hear if you love underground hip-hop, in the true school end of things, and is available for free download and CD and possible tape editions will pop up as well. 

Executive produced by Robbie Ettelson, mixed by Crate Cartel's Discourse, artwork and design by BURN Crew and (C) by unkut.com 2014. Click here to read more, check out the tracklist, etc.. Download or stream below and MEGA props to Robbie for this one; you're da fucking man!!

DOWNLOAD @ ZIPPYSHARE

[Video + Album] DICE RAW - "Run" / "Jimmy's Back"

I actually totally missed out long-time Roots "member" Dice Raw released a solo album back in late 2013 called "Jimmy's Back" though I always been a fan of especially his raw emcee style. The six minute powerful story-telling "Run" is a single from aforementioned album which is available @ iTunes. I also found two tracks from the album @ Dice's Soundcloud. Check 'em out below; personally I find "Wake Up" (produced by Khari Mateen) pretty damn dope but "Animal" is real forgettable. EDIT:  I found a stream to the entire album via Raw Life, check it out below.

[Video] SHABAAM SAHDEEQ - "Keepers Of The Lost Art"

On April 29 hip-hop veteran Shabaam Sahdeeq releeased his best album yet, "Keepers Of The Lost Art", unquestionably one of the most underrated projects of the year despite a relatively good promo campagn from Below System. If you're not up on this album yet, do yourself a favor and cop the CD @ UGHH or your retailer of choice, I strongly doubt you'll regret it as Sahdeeq has finally released an album worthy of his talent. The title and opening track of the album just got the visual treament which you can see above, and in case you missed the four previously released videos from the album check this YT playlist and get your support on!

SOULS OF MISCHIEF x ADRIAN YOUNGE - "Only Now"

Oh fucking shit!! Now this is something I've been fiending to hear since it was first announced months ago, Souls Of Mischief's Prince Paul's collaboration "Montezuma's Revenge" was an incredibly underrated and misunderstood album which proved that the Cali crew still got it. And for their new album they has hooked up with Adrian Younge, the most interesting producer around these days, having produced modern masterpieces for Ghostface Killah and The Delphonics using no samples (though you would never guess). The title track and first single "There is Only Now" (click to check out the tracklist) which finally drops on August 26 features a somewhat inspired guest verse from Snoop Dogg (at least for that joke of his former of self who very recently made one of the worst songs of all time with PSY). The album is a story in itself, narrated by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, performed by  the different Souls members who takes on different roles all backed up by Adrian Younge's golden age sounding hip-hop with the use of his own playing and live band.

[Album] BUCKSHOT & P-MONEY - "Backpack Travels"

New Zealand boom bap producer P-Money dropped his album "Gratitude" last year which featured collaborations with a lot of American heavvyweights and was in fact a pretty damn good album. Now he's hooking up with Duck Down records and Buckshot as an emcee in particular on the fittingly titled "Backpack Travels". I've heard the singles so far and everything has sounded absolutely smashing to my ears so I'm excited about this 10 track LP which sports guest apperances from as varied artists as Raz Frezco, Joey Bada$$, CJ Era, Smif-N-Wessun's Steele, T'Nah Apex, Charles Reject and David Dallas. The CD is out now, while the split color vinyl drops on August 5 - both can be ordered/pre-ordered @ UGHH.com. You can also stream the entire project for free via Soundcloud below, where you can also purchase a digital copy if that's more up your alley. Also check out the official video for "Sweetest Thing" up top, featuring female spitter T'Nah Apex on the hooked.

MEYHEM / BUCKWILD - "Freestyle 1" / "Freestyle 2"

You already know that Meyhem Lauren is one of my favorite emcees out of the younger generation and that Buckwild is one of my all-time favorite producers, so it came as no suprise that their collaborative effort "Silk Pyramids" represent some of the best work both artists has put in in some time. The album which is released through Chopped Herring Records, is available in a few different versions - you got the ordinary CD and digital release which features the 13 tracks that have been made available for streaming on various sites. You got the high priced 2xLP set which omits "I Need It All", "Q.U. Cartilage", and last but not least you got the (order the vinyl set @ Chopped Herring while they last and you have a lot more money than me.

Instead of the aforementioend tracks on the CD the vinyl features the joints "French 75" and "Rep The Streets" (and possibly "Friendship is Priceless"). The Extras EP includes instrumentals and accapellas of these joints, but also "Q.U. Cartilage" (undoubtedly one of my favorites from the album), and the Sonnie Carson guested "ODA" in addition to two untitled freestyles. These two freestyles have been unleashed to the net by Buckwild himself via his Audiomack account (along with "Q.U. Cartilage"). The illest of these sounds like Meyhem going crazy over what I think is an original beat while the other is a freestyle over Buck's classic '93-'94 beat for "Ozone" from OC's "Word...Life". Enjoy!

[Comp / Article] 4TH DISCIPLE - "Disciple Zone Vol. 1"

El-Divine Amir Bey, better known as 4th Disciple, is a true original in a hip-hop game where most producers is occupied by imitating each other. Though once an integral part of the Wu-Elementz, the exclusive production company lead by The RZA, 4th Disciple was undoubtedly the one who had a 100% unique style whereas Mathematics, True Master and later Bronze Nazareth sounded more like protoges of RZA. Born and bred in Steubenville, Ohio, Bey, then known as Sewlyn Bougard, grew up in a musical family and started soaking up the bulging hip-hop scene at a young age. "I was born into music. From my mother playing the classics around the house, to my father and uncles jamming in Grandma's basement, all of which influenced me heavily." After acquiring some equipment 4th soon started sharpening his skills as a deejay which eventuall would lead to production using both pause-tapes and a Casio keyboard. Steubenville also housed a gang of local emcees which  would become incredibly important to 4th's future career, including One Man and future Killarmy members Islord, Shogun Assasson and Beretta 9.

Around this time Robert Diggs, a.k.a. The RZA, occassionally visited Steubenville with his cousins ODB and GZA, selling drugs and hanging out in similiar circles as 4th. The future superstar and head of Wu-Tang Clan recognized a kindred spirit in the young 4th Disciple and invited him to work on the nine-man unit's now classic debut album "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)". Though he didn't produce anything on the album per se, he handled the turntables on the few cuts that needed turntable work, and more importantly gave him his first taste of recording an album as well as soaking up production tips from Prince Rakeem "The RZA". Even then he realized that he was part of a beginning legacy that was gonna be huge, "I always believed in my heart and mind ["36 Chambers"] would be a success. I actually thought things would grow to be bigger than it did but it's still a legacy". It wouldn't take long before after this that 4th's name started appearing as a producer; in 1994 he laced the A-side of female emcees Wild Pitch single "Hush Hush Tip", a collaboration with Method Man and legendary composer and pianist Weldon Irvine, followed by "Sub Crazy" on Meth's debut album "Tical". The latter is an interesting case, not only because it's the first non-RZA production on a Wu-Tang clan related album, but because 4th was credited as a co-producer under RZA although he himself has statetd that he did indeed make the basic track. A long standing rumour is that Def Jam didn't want any unknown producers on Meth's debut album, and many has said that Y-Kim is the uncredited producer of "What The Blood Cloth". Proper credit on not, 4th would go on to work in various capacities on the debut albums by Ol' Dirty Bastard (co-producer) and Raekwon (co-mixer, technician and turntablist on several tracks), produced joints with 12 O'Clock, Raekwon, U-God and Cappadonna for various mid-'90s soundtracks. But most importantly he produced no less than five tracks of Wu-Tang Clan's multi-platinum selling world wide phenomenon "Wu-Tang Forever"; including stand out tracks such as "Impossible", "A Better Tomorrow" and "Older Gods".

4th's style became instantly recognizable; structuring hard hitting, but emotional and melodic samples from relatively obscure sources, often favorizing music in major key. As he started moving away from the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan his focus became producing music for Sunz Of Man, Gravediggaz, Killah Priest and especially his group Killarmy - a six man unit made up of members from both Steubenville and Staten Island, whose three albums 4th produced, mixed and oversaw, in fact working behind the scene as the "unofficial" seventh member. By this time The Disciple had definitely found a large fan base and a signature sound that still to this day makes Wu-Tang fans cry out for 4th beats on any and all Wu-Tang album that's being released, despite him not having worked with a Clan member since Cappadonna's "Blood Brothers" (2003) and U-God's "A Long Time Ago" (2005). Instead he has focused a lot of his time working with underground artists and putting out previously unreleased music from the heigh of his creaive bursts. He's also a well-experienced engineer and mixer for hire. But whether he's producing or mixing, you can always tell that he always puts his heart and soul into the music "I have been doing a lot of mixing and mastering these days but my creativity sometimes comes out quick and other times it's a long process depenedning on what I'm striving to do ... I'm a traditionalist so I still use a lot of old school methods with the new technology such as filtering bass-lines and break beat drum loops underneath or behind the kick & snare, etc."

As a long time Wu fanatic I can remember how enchanted beats like "Wu-Renegades", "Impossible", "A Better Tomorrow", "Atoms to Adams", "Nasty Immigrants", "The Night The Earth Cried", and so on made me feel at the time (and still does). In other words it's about damn time that I put together one of my compilations, Lost Tapes stylee. Since I'm sure a majority of my readers are well aware of his work on the songs already mentioned in these article, I have tried to make a compilation of equally banging material that you might not be as familiar with; a couple of them even being unreleased to this day. I usually try to keep my compilations at a reasonable length at around 60 minutes and 14-16 tracks, but listening through the possible tracks I decided that these joints are so dope I had absolutely no problem at all sitting through 20 joints and almost 75 minutes of 4th Disciple heat. I really hope you do the same, and truy enjoy this career overview of the talented musician that stretches from 1994 to 2012 and includes music by Killarmy (none of the album stuff though), One Man, Raw Intellect, Cilvaringz, Tragedy Khadafi, Prodigal Sunn, Rev. William Burks, Vinnie Paz, Sunz Of Man and more. I have a feeling that this will be the first out of two volumes, his catalouge aint huge but pretty much everything in it is extremely on point. The interview quotes spread out throughout the interview are borrowed from iStandardproducer's interview with 4th, which is a nice read while you sit back, press play and  TURN IT UP!!  Oh, one last thing - since I don't have PhotoShop on my new computer, I borrowed the cover of 4th's unreleased instrumental project "Frequence Enforcements Lessons One" for this. If anyone wish to help me out with future compilation artworks please drop me an e-mail.

01. 4th Disciple - "4Give Me: Intro"

02. One Man - "Black Sheep"

03. KGB - "Bless Ya Life: Grim Mix"

04. 9th Prince Ft. Killarmy, Ruthless Bastards & TMF - "Generation Next"

05. Killa Sin - "Feel It: Interlude"

06. Cilvaringz - "Deaf, Dumb & Blind"

07. Raw Intellect - "P4P (Poison 4 Profit)"
08. Bugsy Da God Ft. P.R. Terrorist - "Dogs in Heat"

09. Killarmy - "The Cookout"

10. Remedy Ft. Beretta 9, Solomon Childs, Shogun & Longe-Lo - "The Anthem"

11. Rev. William Burks Ft. Killa Sin, Beretta 9 & 4th Disciple - "Be A Man"
12. Wu-Tang Killa Beez Ft. Killarmy & Prodigal Sunn - "Dances With Volwes"

13. Vinnie Paz - "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb"

14. Sunz Of Man - "Bloody Choices"

15. Killarmy - "Interlude (Unreleased)"

16. Killarmy Ft. Solomon Childs" - "Which Way You Going

17. Atari Blietzkrig Ft. Hell Razah - "Cyclosarin" 

19. Prodigal Sunn Ft. Hell Razah & Tuac - "Rising"

20. Tragedy Khadafi Ft.  Killa Sha - "Mind State"

 4TH DISCIPLE - "DISCIPLE ZONE V.1"

[Video] MC MELODEE Ft. AG - "Naked City"

Another new D.I.T.C. gem for y'all here on The Lost Tapes as AG jumps on MC Melodee's "Naked City", produced by Brady James. The short but potent old school flirting joint is the lead single from MC Melodee's upcoming new EP "Coolin'" which drops on July 8 via Soundcloud and probably iTunes. Fresh!

DOMINGO - "We Put It Down" (Ft. M.O.P., GP100) / "The Return" (Ft. KRS-One, Chris Rivers & R.A. Rugged Man)

Domingo's is another highly underrated legend coming with a brand new album this year. The East New York producer who has worked with some of the best talent in the game throughout his long career, has rounded up some of the finest talent in the game for his July release "Same Game New Rules". Pre-order and read more about the project @ IndieGoGo.com and TURN THE VOLUME UP LOUD on the three singles released so far; "We Put It Down", up top, features M.O.P., GP100 and DJ Cazz on the wons and too's while "The Return" and "Free" is high powered posse cuts with KRS-One, Chris Rivers, R.A. The Rugged Man and Bamboo, and G Rap, Greg Nice, and KRS again going at it HARD. Phew! 

[Promo] SHOWBIZ & AG - 2014 Album

2014 is probably the greatest year to be a hardcore D.I.T.C. fan since the 1992 era, and it's god damn exciting to say the least. OC kicked off the year with his smooth collaboration with Ray West "Ray's Cafe" (and don't forget the "B-Boy Stance" 7"), while last month saw the release of no less than four records from the camp - "The D.I.T.C. Remix Project", Southern monster of a spitter BIGREC tapped Diamond D for production for the entirety of "DoomsDay", Meyhem Lauren put in his finest work yet with Buckwild behind the boards on "Silk Pyramids" while AG joined Belgium's DeeJay Koss for the "Natural High" EP. That's more than enough to satisfy me for the entire year, but I'm sure you know that Slice-Of-Spice and Lord Finesse is releasing a box set (or 2xCD) containing 25 rare and/or previously unreleased mid-'90s instrumentals called "The SP1200 Project" (which is now up for pre-order @ S-O-S). And now SHOW & AG reveals that they are releasing a new album this fall as well which they just dropped a promo video containing of footage of the duo in and around the studio accompanied by a one minute snippet of a new joint that I've rewinded four times by now. "SHOWBIZ THERE'S DEALS TO MAKE, SO LET'S GET BUSY AND DIG IN THE CRATES"!

[Video] JAKK FROST x MALIK B x FREEWAY x TANA DA BEAST - "Beards R Us"

Jakk Frost, Malik B, Freeway and Tana Da Beast's bumping beard anthem "Beards R Us" is definitely on point. Originally released in late 2012, the the posse cut now gets an interesting video loaded wih cameos, recorded at this year's Roots Picnic. I really need a Malik B album this year for real for real! Grab the single @ iTunes.

[Video] PRINCE PO & OH NO - "1st Word to What Was Last Said"

Queen's legend Prince Po and West Coast beat master Oh No hooked up earlier this year for a collaborative album called "Animal Serum", an interesting project (with a few less inspired tracks) to say the least. Prince Po proved that he's still the lyrical beast he's always been, like on this gem from the LP - "1st Word to What Was Last Said". Cop "Animal Serum" @ Nature Sounds.

[EP] OTHORIZED FAM - "Mugshots Vol. 1"

 Last week Heavy Jewelz revealed that they have dug up and mastered five rare and previously unreleased cuts of the heavily underrated Staten Island click Othorized F.A.M. All tracks have been touched up to the utmost and a lot of good people have worked on this to bring you the finest EP possibly. As is usual the case with limited edition EP:s like this they can get pricey, which is why Heavy Jewelz has decided to release a high quality digital release for the cheap price of only 5 USD. I strongly recommend those who are not buying the vinyl to support this cheap release, and you can now preview the entire EP in full via Bandcamp and it's absolutely fantastic. TURN IT UP!!

[Video] S-TYPE Ft. ROC MARCIANO - "Inside (Outro)"

Producer S-Type just released his new EP "Rosario" featuring three instrumentals, an intro by YC The Cynic and the "Inside Outro" featuring Roc Marciano, which just got the video treatment, seen above. You can grab the EP from iTunes right now while you bang your head to this.

On a related note, I was pretty impressed by NY emcee AWAR's 2012 debut album "The Laws Of Nature" which featured production and features by Alchemist, Nottz, Roc Marciano, Has-Lo, Evidence, and more. A few days ago AWAR released his new single, also featuring Rocky Mars and produced by Vanderlsice. It's from AWAR's upcoming album "The Winning Team" which drops next month and also features Freddie Gibbs, LaToyia Williams, King Los, BJ The Chicago Kid, and more. I didn't post it then, but better late than never so I'm taking this time to post it here for anyone who might've missed it when it first dropped.

THE OTHER GUYS / TANYA MORGAN - "Blow My Mind"

I've been following the talented DMV production duo The Other Guys for quite some time now, and Brooklyn's Tanya Morgan has been interesting to me for quite some time as well. "Blow Your Mind" is a banging collaboration between the two and is the lead single from The Other Guys upcoming debut retail album "Seeds Of Ambition". The Guys has signed to HiPNOTT Records, who is really getting together a slamming roster, and the album will be released on July 15 via the label. You can check out the tracklist and pre-order the CD @ UGHH now while the single can be downloaded now @ iTunes and Bandcamp (as well as pre-order the album on digital and CD, respectively).

MIKEY D x DEVASTATING TITO - "Got'M Say'N Hey" [prod. by Large Professor]

MC Mikey D was the replacement for Large Professor in Main Source when it came to record the group's second album "Fuck What You Think" around '93. There was obviously not very much bad blood between the two Queens artists and in 2008 Mikey D appeared on Extra-P's third solo offering, entitled just "Main Source". Now the two reunites once again on a beautiful old school smelling funk groove, also featuring Fearless Four's Devastating Tito. Peace to Robbie @ Unkut for this dope find!

[Mixtape] PRICE STYLEZ - "Masterpiece Theater Vol. 1"

M-Phatik Soundz and Kevin Nottingham's HiPNOTT Records is presenting the debut mixtape of highly skilled Boston representative Price Stylez - "Masterpiece Theater Vol. 1". The true school sounding effort represents real life lyricisms and works as a great introduction to Price Styles who lets his flow loose over both original productions (like the Confidence produced singles "Dear Nigga" and "This Thing of Ours") and classic hip-hop grooves, all mixed by Brown Bag AllStar's DeeJay Element. In other words a good warm-up for Price's upcoming debut album which drops via HiPNOTT later this year. Don't sleep!

[Sampler] LORD FINESSE - "The SP1200 Project(s)"

A couple of days ago Slice-Of-Spice posted three free downloads from a mysterious project by Lord Finesse called "The SP1200 Project" with the promise that more info would be coming soon. Turns out that this is a whole lot better than just a new instrumental Finesse records with previously unreleased beats, it's actually THREE of those type-of records! Two 2xLP:s and an EP with great sound quality and AMAZING beats (there's no denying that Finesse is one of the illest to ever rock an SP1200). 

The first LP is called "The SP1200 Project: A Re-Awakening" and features 12 previously unheard beats made from in the mid-'90s era. "The SP1200 Project: DAT Signature Sound" is a bonus LP with nine more instrumentals from the '90s, some classics, some never before heard, while the bonus picture disc 12" "E-Mu EP" which features "Party & Bullshit", "Jewelz", "Suicidal Thoughts" and the previously unreleased instrumental "Abstrakt Neo Synopsis". All three are available to hear in sampler format, totalling almost 30 minutes of rugged headbanging and if these samplers don't have you banging your head then I just don't know what. As usual with Slice-Of-Spice they have gone the extra length to make sure the sound quality and artwork is top notch with all tracks mixed and engineered by Eddie Sancho, mastered by Tony Dawsey and released on 180 gram vinyl in a gatefold jacket designed by Mr. Krum. More info and pre-orders will be up @ Slice-of-spice.com very soon so stay tuned!

[EP] PHONIKS - "Summer Nights"

Portland, Maine producer Phoniks had me totally hooked when I had his funky blend of jazz, soul and hardcore beats on his remix EP "Autumn in New York" earlier this year. Since then he has released the equally impressive original project "Dephacation" with Virginia duo Awon & Dephlon, and this guy is definitely not sleeping cuz he's back with yet another crazy fat remix EP. Underlining classics by Jay-Z, Nas, AZ, Big L, 2Pac, Biggie, and Black Moon with what has already become his trademark sounds the smooth sounds of "Summer Nights" is definitely one you want to have in your earphones this summer.

[Album] SILENT SOMEONE - "Change"

US producer Silent Someone has dropped a lot of impressive beats, joints and remixes over the last couple of years and now he's back with his latest album - "Change". The 10 tracks EP consists mostly of ill instrumentals from Silent's stash to kick back to but original Juice crew member Craig G bless the title track (click here to check out the official video) while Soundsci's Oxygen brings some heavy bars to the album closer "Retrogression (Late Nite Remix)". The digital is out now and can be purchased or streamed from Bandcamp while Good Felons will be releasing the vinyl eventually. If you stream below and wanna hear the whole thing (and you should), be sure to rewind back to track #1.

J DILLA - "Filth"

It's just amazing how much music the late, great James Yancey recorded before his untimely passing but considering how brilliant this man was it's a great thing (for the most part, there's definitely been some shady releases). The latest installment in Dilla's posthumous catalouge is supervised by Ma Dukes Yancey and is a box set featuring 40 unreleased Jay Dee tracks and instrumentals (!). Titled "The King Of Beats (Ma Duke's Yancey Collection)", the box set also includes four 10" vinyl records, a large booklet with interviews with peers and colleagues and a 3" floppy disk. Included are the previously unreleased "Filth", premiered by Rolling Stone so thanks to them.

ILLA GHEE - "90" [prod. by EXTRA-P]

Hardcore street spitter Illa Ghee is gearing up to release his debut album next month and with apperances and productions from NY legends like Ayatollah, OC, Lil' Fame, Large Professor, DJ Skizz, JuJu, Guilty Simpson, Royal Flush, Steele and Sean Price you can expect this to be pure boom bap craziness. The first single "Salute The General" with Fame promised great things, and the same can easily be said about the follow-up joint "90", produced by none other than producer extraordinaire Large Pro. "Social Graffiti" lands in stores on July 8 so get prepared!

CORMEGA - "Rap Basquiat"

 Ever since "The Come Up", it's been a well established fact that few emcee/producer constellations are as potent as Queens duo Cormega and Large Professor. Since they always appear on each respective projects it's only right that this year will see them team up for a full-length album. And what an album "Mega Philosophy" is shaping up to be if going by the singles released so far; "Honorable", "Industry" and now "Rap Basquiat". Some very good news is that the album will be available on both wax and cassette a long with a limited 7" pressing of "Honorable", pre-order them both from Red Line Music Distribution.

CORMEGA - "RAP BASQUIAT"

SLIMKID3 & DJ NU-MARK - "Bouillon" (Ft. Del & Murs)

DJ Nu-Mark's amazing "Broken Sunlight" single series and following album was one of the highlights of 2013 so the news that the super talented DJ/producer is joining forces with former Pharcyde alumi SlimKid3 for a full-length LP brought a big smile to my face. The album will be out this summer via Delicious Vinyl and seems to be self-titled and just like with the aforementioned Nu-Mark project, the album will first be broken down into a gang of beautifully designed and collectable 7" singles before the main event hit stores. This is definitely something you want to keep your eyes on, and don't just take my word for it - listen to the lead single "Bouillon" where the duo teams up with fellow West Coast legends Del and Murs for a real heavy hitter. TURN IT UP!!

LORD FINESSE - "The SP1200 Project"

The combination of Slice-Of-Spice and Lord Finesse has resulted in a fruitful year for East Coast heads and vinyl collectors alike and it's not about to stop yet. While details are still sketchy it has been announced that the next project in line between the two is an instrumental album entitled "The SP1200 Project: DAT Signature Sound". While details remain sketchy as of now (S-O-S writes that all info on the project will be revealed during this week), three songs have been made available for free download via the labels Soundcloud page. Two of them sound fresh to my ears while the third is an instrumental version of the title track from OC's 1997 album "Jewelz". That one you'll find up top while the other two, "Doin' What I Want" and "Moog Montage" can be heard below.

DJ SCRATCH / NAS - "It Ain't Hard To Tell" [Remix]

 Now this is just fantastic news right here; I've been a fan of DJ Scratch's work and is it even possible to not love the best work of Nas? DJ Scratch will pay tribute to Mr. Jones by releasing the album (or mixtape?) "Scratchmatic" on July 4 - a collection of Nas acapellas over all new Scratch beats. The first taste is a remix of "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and it thumps HARD as hell. Shouts to Unkut for the premier. On a related sidenote, expect a DJ Scratch compilation to pop up here on The Lost Tapes any day now!

BLACK MILK - "What It's Worth"

New soulful banger from Black Milk, just as fine as the dopest stuff on his recent "No Poison, No Paradise".

[Throwback] THE PHARCYDE - "Labcabincalifornia" *Bonus Tracks*

Even a lot of hardcore The Pharcyde fans don't even know about these  joints, which in itself is a shame since they are actually part of their perhaps finest and most celebrated album ever - the incredible journey that is "Labcabincalifornia". SlimKid3, FatLip, Imani and Bootie Brown's loose rhyme steezes and blunted flows really came to the forefront on this LP, backed up by fantastic early production work  by Jay Dee, east coast golden age soldier Diamond D, Grand Mixer M-Walk, and the guys themeselves who all did an absolutely marvelous job. However Diamond's "Groupie Therapy" was not the only time during the recording of "Lacab" that the LA unit bumped heads with the East Coast sound of the day and the D.I.T.C. crew more in particular. The Buckwild produced "Heart & Soul" and the equally rare "Emerald Butterfly" were both  recorded for the album and are thus right in the key of the rest of the record. So much in fact that whenever I listen to my copy of the album I often throw them on right afterwards to get a more complete experience so to speak. Both tracks are exceptionally ill as you soon will hear if you haven't already.

"Heart & Soul" fits right in with the overall flow of the album, as Buckwild avoids revisiting the
dark, heavily horn driven Bronx sound that had become his trademark at the time with his many remixes, "Lifestylez",  "Stress", "Word... Life", the Artifacts record and so on. Instead his production here matches the crew's lyrical playfullness and free-form deliveries by placing them over a deep bass track with a lone, but chopped up, accoustic guitar sample taking center stage all the  while percussive insruments counterpoints the main drum track. The song also features a nice '90s-esque female hook by an uncredited singer which immediatly catches your attention, suggesting that this could possibly have made it as a single even. Ironical, considering that it was left off entirely of the main album, only made available on a few selected versions including the Australian and German releases a long with the aforementioned "Emerald Butterfly". I can't decide if dropping these tracks were a good or bad thing - on the one hand, they both fit the album perfectly and I love "Labcabincalifornia" so it's great hearing more (mastered and completed) music from those sessions, but then again it would kick up the overall running time close to 79 minutes which is a pretty tough listen for any sitting. 

"Emerald Butterfly", produced by LA Jay & Tre Hardson, sits right at home within the Labcab world as well, a slower jam that's filled with a gorgeously dark bass line being maintained throughout, hard drums and once again a female chorus that works as a counterpoint to the rough mode of the song. The same goes for the beautiful Rhodes and flute samples that break up the main melody with regular intervals. While neither track would be among the five best songs on this classic LP, they are both as good as the majority of "Labcab..." and even if you don't own them in physical form (like me), or maybe didn't even know about them, this is a must hear for any Pharcyde fan which is why I have uploaded both songs in great sounding 320 kbps rips, taken from a CD source (much thanks to whoever ripped them and uploaded them in the first place). Also of interest to fans of the album (and one that proves that these tracks was indeed recorded for inclusion on the album in the first place rather as filler to be able to bless a few releases with unrelated bonus cuts) is the official Pharcyde biography put out by Delicious Vinyl in late '95 - read it here. Enjoy y'all!

"Labcabincalifornia" - Bonus Tracks

18. "Emerald Butterfly"

19. "Heart & Soul"

PHARCYDE - "LABCAB" *BONUS*

[Video] COMMON Ft. Vince Staples - "Kingdom"

Common just let loose of his beautifully looking Hype Williams directed video for his epic new single with producer No I.D. and guest emcee Vince Staples, "Kingdom". Com' really gets busy here and the arrangements and production is just mind-blowing - excellent joint.

[Album] KLAUS LAYER - "For The People Like Us"

Sometimes you gotta head over here to Europe to get that ill boom bap in it's truest form - Klaus Layer's "The Adventures Of Captain Crook" was without a doubt one of the most banging albums of last year. Now the German boom bap maestro is back with another album on Redefinition called "For The People Like Us" and while the vocal tracks has dissapeared all together this time, the signature sample-based Golden Age sound of filtered bassline, pounding drums, Rhodes and horns is in full effect. Consisting of twelve instrumenal bangers, Layer keeps growing as an artist and there's no question this one will get heavy play this summer. Stream it for free below but be sure to support by copping it via iTunes or Bandcamp; I can't seem able to find a vinyl copy on the Redef site but I have a feeling it will pop up sooner or later, so hold your eyes and ears open.

RAW POETIC & KEV BROWN - "District 9"

As you should now from the previous singles, Raw Poetic and Kev Brown have joined forces as an emcee/producer duo in recording their first project together for Redefinition Records. Although an EP rather than an LP as I have stated before, "Concentrated Maneuvers" is shaping up real nice as you can hear by the latest single "District 9" which you can check out up top. The mini album will be available on Redefinition / Low Budget Records sometime this July so be on the look out. Pre-order the wax @ UGHH or the digital @ iTunes (where you can also peep the tracklist).

[EP] YOUR OLD DROOG - "Y.O.D. EP"

  I saw this EP posted some time ago but didn't play it or give it much thought, the name sounded kinda cheesy and there's so much music dropping these days so there's not a chance you gonna be checking it all unless you somehow get it recommended or find it through collaborations with artists you dig. However I noticed that there's a big ass thing on the internet whether Your Old Droog and his self-titled EP is actually a publicy stunt from Nas, recording an EP under a different name and with his voice slightly pitched throughout. I'm a big fan of Nasir Jones so I thought it shouldn't be too hard laying that rumor to rest if that wasn't the case so I gave the 30 minutes EP a front-to-back listen in headphones this morning and GOD DAMN this cat sounds a whole lot like Nas - and not just the voice either, but the flow, the delivery, the lyrical topics, and so on. "Your Old Droog" is produced, cut, recored and mixed by El RTNC, Droog and DJ Skizz; neither who has worked with Nas before though that of course need to mean anything. 

Since then a few major sites have come forward saying that they have met the dude, and that he's a cat of irish descent repping Brooklyn. Conspiracy theorists of course will say that this is total BS, but in my mind this publicity stunt doens't seem to be in Nas' character at this point in his career. On top of that, about 7-8 months ago DJ Skizz released the single "Rhyme Strange" which starred Imaginary Droog - a white cat from Coney Island, Brooklyn that appears on the single artwork and is definitely the same (check the embeded YouTube clib above). I don't think that it's Nas, but the similarities are indeed uncanny, but most of all "Your Old Droog" is a damn fine EP that you should definitely check out at least once. Stream it below and feel free to drop a comment on your thoughts. If it is indeed a unique person I think he needs to find his own voice and he can really become somehing, especially backed up by stellar production like this. Press play!

JERU THE DAMAJA Ft. The Beatnuts - "A.R.M.E.D."

We've been eagerly anticipating the return of Jeru The Damaja since his smashing collaboration with Large Professor on "Solar Flares". Now "The Hammer" EP has landed at digital retailers, and beside the Extra-P banger also features production by JuJu, PF Cuttin', long-time collaborator Luis "Sabor" Tineo and The Polish Kid. The EP is available from iTunes for the cheap price of $3.99, so stream the JuJu produced/Beatnuts featuring second single "A.R.M.E.D." below and purchase a copy for yourself.

OTHORIZED F.A.M. - "Mugshots Vol. 1"

This Wu-Tang Clan affiliated quartet hails from Staten Island, New York, and consists of emcees Lounge Lo, Wigz, Molly-Q & Crunch Lo and despite being around in the '90s and member Loung Lo being Cappadonna's blood brother, the crew never got the break the few 12" released singles promised. These two three track EP:s ("Caught My Eye"/"Money Getters"/"We Othorized" and "Pictures Of Life"/"The Plan"/"Flambouyant") were released in 1994 and 1995 on Vortex and Redline Recoreds, respectively. Although only six tracks in total, these cuts left a lasting impression on many underground heads and hardcore diggers as they revealed a hungry group very with a sure shot formula for creating unforgiving, hardcore hip-hop with substance, Despite the Wu-Tang affiliation I am not sure if they were ever intended to release an album under Wu-Tang Records (such as Tekitha, Royal Fam, Darkim Be Allah, etc.) and they did not appear on the Killa Beez compilation in '98. 

After a long silence the quartet finally was able to secure a deal with G-Clef's Chamber Musik in the late 2000s and managed to release "1st Amendment" which secured a release for a lot of the material the group had been recording throughout the years and sported features from Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna, Polite, Lord Superb, King Just and Leathafase. They also released a follow-up on Chamber Muzik the following year called "Hot Like Sahara Sand", but this is not a history lesson but rather a post about the brand new Othorized F.A.M. EP "Mugshots Vol. 1" which focuses on material from the '95 years and getting a limited release by Heavy Jewelz Records. A couple of the tracks has been released before but has been remastered to reach sonic perfection, and the EP (which is split into a "Staten" side and a "Gaten" side) also includes an alternative version of the underground classic "The Plan" which has a completely different verse, the "Mugshots" demo that was played by Stretch Armstrong only to never be released, "Easy" and the previously unreleased "Othorized Bloodline". All tracks have been touched up to the upmost, giving this EP and extreme remastering job worthy of a lost underground classic like this. "Mugshots Vol. 1" was mastered for vinyl by Adam B, cover art by Spacek The Architect, logo design by Othorized and labels by Debonair P. As far as the music goes all songs are produced and written by Othorized F.A.M. Check out the sampler up top and as I'm sure you'll be blown away head over to Heavy Jewelz to order a copy while they still got 'em. Also download the previously released version of "The Plan" below and let the volume BUMP!!

OTHORIZED F.A.M. - "THE PLAN"

SLIM-E / ROC MARCIANO - "Sole Progression"

Now this is straight up ill on some real hip-hop shit; I don't know much about Slim-E but he goes in HARD on his single "Sole Progression". The track is produced by Slim-E himself and features a welcome feature by hardworking Strong Island legend Roc Marciano. With lines like "the oldest profession is the soul's progression, your sole posession - opposite to soul's posession, so save all that hail mary's to an old confession" a long with the minimalistic but earth shattering production makes this a definite winner. Watch out for "Sim City , the LP that this is the lead single from.

[EP] MR. GREEN - "One Day"

It was not too long ago that I first heard Mr. Green, or even heard of Mr. Green, but once I heard some of the tracks he did for artists like Malik B, PaceWon and Jedi Mind Tricks I was absolutely sold. His soulful, yet absolutely hardboiled, crisp and sample based sound is just the type of hip-hop beat that I find it irrestible to move to... and the way he gets his drums? Goddamn manan, that shit is just CRISP. So you can bet it's a good thing that Mr. Green with zero promotion  has decided to release a brand new EP featuring seven instrumentals that each bang as hard as the previous. You can stream the entire thing for free below, or buy a cheap download for $5 USD. This one made my day, so I suggest you do not sleep and hit that Play button right away friend-o.

[Videos] DILATED PEOPLES x DJ PREMIER - "Good As Gone"

When the trio of Dilated Peoples are at the top of their game few other crews can deliver such head nodding A+ Hip Hop as proven by their classic debut "The Platform", its follow-up "Expansion Team" and more recently Evidence's excellent solo album "Cats & Dogs". Their new single "Good As Gone" brings their brand of modern day Golden Age West back to the forefront with vintage performances by all three members and a dirty beat by DJ Premier who reprises his role from "Clockwork". This will appear on the trio's upcoming Rhymesayers LP, "Directors Of Photography" which is due out on August 8 after eight years in the making. Stay tuned as the info starts being revealed.

RAEKWON - "Wishing On A Star"

Now this is what I wanna hear from The Chef, not that "Call Of Duty" single with Akon that apparantly was the lead single from his "F.I.L.A." proejct. Perhaps inspired by Jay-Z's '97 classic, Rae uses the original, true classic of the same name, as his platform which really sounds right in the hands of he Wu-Tang alumni - both deep, melancholy and banging. I wouldn't have minded another verse but it is what it is. Below you can also check out another recent Rae single which appeared during my internet absence - the old school flirting "Oh God" with Busta Rhymes and O.T. Genasis. Bad sound quality, sick track. Shouts to OkayPlayer for both joints.

[Video] JOHN ROBINSON & PVD - "All Over The World"

Super talented emcee John Robinson has really made a name for himself by making full-length album collaborations with incredibly ill producer. He made the crazy banging "Who is This Man?" together with DOOM, which happened to be my introduction to the man, and since then he has released an album with one of the most underrated cats in the game - UK producer Lewis Parker, on "International Summers". His latest endeavour is just as exciting as he has crafted an impressive jazz-fusion like hip-hop album with Elementality's PVD who immediatly draws you in. Appropriatly titled "Modern Vintage" the LP sees Robinson effortlessly move through istrumentation arrangements of accoustic basses, scratches, live drums, guitars, keyboards and horns. This should be getting a lot of play, and it's now available to order on CD or 2xLP @ UGHH or for download via iTunes if that's what you prefer. Put on some headphones, lay back comfortably and let the latest single "All Over The World" consume.

REKS Ft. Fredro Starr & Ruste Juxx - "Unholy"

Another late update, here's the latest single from one of the most lyrical young cats around, and he brought Fredro Starr and Ruste Juxx for the ocassion. The result is a dark and powerful joint courtesy of REKS and Hazardis Sound who's teaming up for the concept album "Eyes Watching God". Here's what the press release saysa about the meaning of he LP - "...the concept has the duo showcasing a contrast between 'good and evil' beginning with a 'Gof Side' and closing with a 'Devil's Side". The album artwork features a dual image album cover showcasing both sides, depending from what angle you look at it". Sounds like a pretty cool idea, and Reks rarely dissapoint so I'll definitely be checking for this. Apart from Fredro Starr and Ruste, the LP also featres cameos from N.O.R.E., Saigon, Termanology, Dutch Rebelle and a few ohers. The album is being released on Brick Records on July 15; check out the full tracklist with guests below (all soungs proudced by Hazardis Sound).

GOD SIDE
01. "Eyes Intro"
02. "Garvey" (Ft. N.O.R.E. & Saigon)
03. "Free Minds" (Ft. FzDread)
05. "Eye 2 Eye" [add. vocals by Venesse Renee]
06. "Martyrs (Steve Riko)"
07. "Visionary" (Ft. Termanology)
08. "Lesser God" (Ft. Mino)
09. "Hold Your Apllause"

DEVIL SIDE
09. "Unholy" (Ft. Fredro Starr & Ruste Juxx)
10. "Hop Out Boyz"
11. "Poison" (Ft. Dutch Rebelle)
12. "Snakes"
13. "So Much Knowledge" (Ft. Knowledge Medina)
14. "Devil's Clutches" (Ft. DJ Heron)

BONUS TRACKS
15. "54"
16. "My Arena" (Ft. CityBoyDee)
17. "Jon Doe Flow" (Ft. Termanology & Ea$y Money)

DICE RAW - "Nothin'"

When I first heard a very young Dice Raw on The Roots' albums "Do You Want More" and "Illadelph Halflife"  I know I was hearing a true emcee hat stood miles apart from other rappers of his age. He succesfully held his own on tracks with Black Thought and Malik B and has continued to do so as he's been playing a major part in all of The Roots albums since (rhyming, hypeman, becoming the go-to-man for sung choruses, to producing and/or executive producing the later albums, etc). Why Raw hasn't been offered an official position in the band yet is indeed very strange despite appearing on each and every album, and often co-producing a majority of the LP:s. 

Signed to MCA Records in 2000 (also home of The Roots at the time), Dice released his first album under his own name - "Reclaiming The Dead". Though it packed a few dope jams, it was definitely not the effort people had been hoping for and was quickly forgotten. Since then Dice has grown tremendously, especially as a singer and songwriter, and has now teamed up with Rawlife for a compilation called "Dice Raw & The Family". Exactly what this will be, or whether or not Dice will appear on all songs, remains to be seen. The first single "Nothin'", however, is a promising joint somewhat in the vein of The Roots' most recent album and features Diice crooning his way through the three minutes over an addictive piano melody and a smacking rhythm section.Whatever the Rawlife record is I'm definitely interested to see what the future holds for this project. Check out the single up top.

HAS-LO / CASTLE - "Go To Work"

Has-Lo and Castle, two of Mello Music Group's perhaps msot popular artists, have been working on a collaborative full-length album on the low for quite some tme. The fourteen tracks deep opus is titled "Live Like You're Dead" and features the grim reaper (on the cover anywayz). Both artists doubles as both producers and emcees and are skilled in both forums, so as you can expect this project combines and flows like water. It's definitely a fun project with a lot of weird stuff going on but it's far from a joke, this is pure hip-hop no doubt so don't hesitate to press play on the stream below. An interesting fact is that this actually marks the second time the pair has functioned as a duo - following Has-Lo's reivist of Castle's debut album ("Gasface") which was then released as "Return Of The Gasface" last year. Check this quote on the LP from the press release

"Coming out of that projects intense creative process, Has-Lo and Castle decided to let loose. In true collaborative fasion, both produced, both emceed, and they decided to have som fun with an all nre, original project". So yessir, the album drops on June 29 and can be pre-ordered @ iTunes amongst other sites. Also the first single is now available, check out the groove infected "Go To Work" and get your head reay for some neck-break nodding.