[Instrumental EP] 9th Wonder - "Zion"

9th Wonder has been on my radar since his excellent work for Jay-Z ("Threat"), Sean Price ("Heartburn"), The Little Brothers and then some, and though he has dopped some hit and misses throughout the years he's definitely's producer you need to check out on his credentials alone. His latest project is called "Zion", and just like excellent instrumental hip-hop artists like K-DEF, Klaus Layer and Flying Lotus to name a few. 

And good news for instrumental hip-hop heads like myself, the 36 track hefty "Zion" is just the first volume on a lot of upcoming 9th Wonder instros to come. ""I hope to release every beat I’ve ever made over the next few years, ... Some unfinished, some ideas, some of my favorites, etc. They can’t just sit around, so this ZION series will be used for that. I’m letting them all go." 9th wold Mass Appea Magazine recently. So what you're waiting for, press play below, close your eyes and start banging your head.

SREAM "ZION" @ 2DBZ 

ROBERT GLASPER Revisits MILES DAVIS For "Everything's Beautiful"

I have been meaning to pust this for quite some time but never got around to it but this is a record that I for one will not sleep on. Just like Branford Marsalis and GURU was the ambassadors for jazz and hip-hop fusion in the '90s, the incredibly talented producer Robert Glasper has taken over that role in this day and age. And just like Marsalis he is an incredibly talented jazz producer and pianist with a very deep understanding for grat hip hop. For his upcomng project "Everything's Beautiful" he was invited into the Miles Davis' (the greatest artist of all time) vast collection of original studio tapes by the good people over at the Miles Davis Foundation (which includes son Erin Davis and newphew Vilbert Vincent, Jr. who both played with Miles on stage during the last part of his career). 

The idea for the project is a noble one, rather than an album of covers of the classic Miles tunes, which are never as good as the originals either way, Glasper and co. has dug deep into the archives to find the best samples and found interesting ways to put Miles' voice into a 21th century setting. Considering that the legendary trumpeter, who was always on the move, was going full hip-hop with his last release "Doo Bop" in collaboration with Easy Mo Bee there's no question in my mind that he would be proud of a project like this which makes it a lot more tasteful than several cash-in EP:s and the likes that have been released over the years. "Everyting's Beautiful" sees Glasper play and build on tracks he has reconstructed in the production chair from both Miles' classic that anyone knows such as "All Blues" as some of the more rare material that only true afficionandos as myself are aware of. To top it off he has invited a host of amazing producers and singers to round out the project, including Erykah Badu, 9th Wonder, Phonte, Rashad "Ringo" Smith, Bilal.

Check out the mini documentary on MilesDavisVevo up top and peep the first single "Ghetto Walkin'" featuring Bilal over this paragraph. And turn that volume up while you're at it! And in case you have missed out be sure as hell to check out the trailer for the highly anticipated Don Cheadle vehicle "Miles Ahead" where he has really gone into the acing method of performance to tell a highly fictionalized account of Miles' later years. It's been getting rave reviews at film festivals and should be on one of the best of the year. Peep the trailer here 

[Stream] TALIB KWELI x 9TH WONDER - "Indie 500"

Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder's "Indie 500" is another one of those releases that I've been really eagerly anticipating since it was first announced a while back. What's strange though is the fact that the majority of the project is not at all produced by 9th Wonder however, instead 9th's four beats are combined with heat supplied by Nottz Raw, Khrysis!, Hi-Tek, Eric G to make the LP a memorable one. No matter how you slice it this should be a banging project as Talib knows how to make a banging record when he got the correct beats to work with. You can stream the full album via Soundcloud, while the CD and LP ships from UGHH now.

TALIB KWELI & 9th WONDER - "Every Ghetto"

Talib Kweli is gearing up for the release of another full-length album which will be available on November 6. Titled "Indie 500" the project is billed as a collaboration with 9th Wonder but a quick look at the tracklist reveals that 9th only being behind four of the LP:s thirteen tracks, while the rest of the music is submitted by other producers such as Khrysis, Eric G, Hi-Tek and Nottz. Should be a good release either way, especially if the first single "Every Ghetto" is any indication.

01. "Which Side Are You On" (Ft. Tef Poe & Kendra Ross) [prod. by Nottz]

02. "Every Ghetto" (Ft. Rapsody) [prod. by Hi-Tek]

03. "Pay Ya Dues" (Ft. Problem & Bad Lucc) [prod. by Eric G.]

04. "Lo-Fi" (Ft. NIKO IS) [prod. by Khrysis]

05. "Prego" (Ft. Pharoahe Monch & Slug) [prod. by 9th Wonder]

06. "Life Ahead Of Me" (Ft. Rapsody) [prod. by 9th Wonder]

07. "Great Day in the Morning" (Ft. Add2) [prod. by 9th Wonder]

08. "Don't Be Afraid" (Ft. Rapsody, Problem & Bad Lucc) [prod. by 9th Wonder]

09. "These Waters" (Ft. K'Valentine) [prod. by Nottz]

10. "King Shit" (Ft. NIKO IS & GQ) [prod. by E Jones]

11. "Bangers" (Ft. MK Asante & Halo) [prod. by Nottz]

12. "Technicolor Easels" (Ft. NIKO IS) [prod. by Khrysis]

13. "Understand" (Ft. Brother Ali & Planet Asia) [prod. by Khrysis]

SADAT X & EL DA SENSEI - "We Must Stand"

The OG Sadat X has teamed up with El Da Sensei to form a new duo called XL. Their first single is called "We Must Stand" and is a heatrock produced by 9th Wonder. This will be followed by a full-length album called AVX Records/Empire Distribution.

[Video] RAPSODY - "The Man"

I'm not gonna front I always liked Rapsody since I first heard her, but she was never a favorite of mine or anything like that which is why only selected tracks from her discography has been posted on The Lost Tapes. However, having blasted the shit out of Kendrick Lamar's excellent new album and being blown away by Rapsody's verse on "Complexion". She really held her own against K.Dot as one of only two guest emcees appearing on the LP, so I feel like I need to check out more from Rapsody, or what do you think?

Eric G. does a great job on producing Rapsody's new single "The Man" (also featuring singer Heather Victoria), which appeared on her "Beauty and The Beast" EP (available @ iTunes) which originally dropped October 7 last year. The moody visuals fits the atmospheric track and raps' heartfelt lyrics perfectly. JAMLA in the house!

BP Presents STONEFACE + WILLIAM COOPER / KOOL G RAP + 9th PRINCE

Back in early 2010 I stumbled across a pretty damn stupid ill EP by emcee Stoneface and producer BP, two representatives of the Gem Starr moment (Black Market Militia stand up!). BP's soulful golden age-esque sound has formed a valuable platform for artists such as Tragedy Khadafi, Timbo King, Shyheim, William Cooper, Killah Priest, Nature, Cappadonna, Masta Killa, and even RZA, amongst others. Stoneface hasn't really done very much from what I know but he's definitely a talented emcee with a lot to say as proved by his previous EP, "BP Presents... Stoneface", which I strongly recommend. "Illadelph Threat", which you hear above, is a loose track from the vaults in a series of previously unreleased songs that BP unleashes every Monday. The previous songs in the installment features William Cooper / Cooper and 9th Prince respectively. Check them out below.

[Album] HALO Guest Starring MASTA KILLA - "Mansa Musa"

Wow, this pretty much came out of nowhere even for a huge Wu-Tang fanatic like myself; having only heard one or two singles from Halo & Masta Killa produced by 9th Wonder recently, but that the two worked on the downlow on an entire LP came as complete news to me. I have only started listening, but the collaboration sounds fresh on an early basis, and with production from 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Nottz, and AMP it can't be half bad. It seems it's a digital project only, with guest features from the likes of Talib Kweli, Badd Lucc, Problem, Rapsody and more joining Halo and guest star Masta on the microphone. You can stream the entire project below, where you can also purchase it directly from DJBooth below. Don't sleep!

ED)T - Taking a closer look at the tracklist, Masta Killa appears on five songs in total but it's still a nice look for the Wu-Tang emcee who's really has been't releasing much of anything since his last, relatively underwhelming LP, "Sellin' My Soul".

[EP/Comp] TALIB KWELI/ 9TH WONDER - Prelude"

Talib Kweli has always been an emcee of tremendeous depth and substance, blessed with a distinct flow and a natural rhyme persona. Unfortunately, much of his solo material has been suffering from poor choices in the beat department when there haven't been an Hi-Tek, Oh No, Madlib or Jay Dee to oversee the project and make sure that the lryical talents were equally matched with timeless production. However, a few days ago Kweli broke the news of a full-length collaboration with 9th Wonder (who I need to make a compilation on one day come to think about it). The album which is still in its earliest stages is tentatively titled "B.A.D. (Build & Destroy Gang)" and is according to Greee aiming towards being an intelligent album packing the same punch as "The Chronic" did in the early '90s. Ambitious yes, and it definitely sounds interesting on paper, but you got to admit that's a pretty bold statement. 9th would need every beat to be a "Heartbeat", a "Threat", a "Good Ol' Love", a Shakedown, a "Beautiful Decay" and so on... It could work!

Anyway, I know these guys have collaborated together on a few records before; not only the track from 9th's "The Wonder Years", but also a few cuts where Talib was invited to rock over a 9th beat on other projects such as 9th's collabo with Buckshot "The Formula" which music video you can catch above ("Hold It Down"). I was kind of curious to hear what these two sounded likd in a several song setting and managed to get a hold of the four tracks released featuring Kweli rocking over 9th Wonder production. This being The Lost Tapes of course I wanted to share this with my readers so we together can get a feel for what an album between these two could be. Properly entitled "The Prelude EP" other emcees making their presence known here include Maino, Joell Ortiz, Terrance Martin and Buckshot. Unfortunately, no solo track by Talib Kweli has yet to be released but if the album is more than loose rumors expect to be able to follow the news developement right here @ The Lost Tapes... Til' then, TURN IT UP and feel free to drop a comment on your thoughts on the EP and upcoming album!

01. "Never Stop Loving You" (Ft. Terrance Martin)

02. "Life's A Bitch" (Ft. Wale & Joell Ortiz)

03. "Hold It Down" (Ft. Buckshot)

04. "For The Money" (Ft. Maino)

9TH WONDER / TALIB KWELI - "THE PRELUDE"

[Album] JAMLA - "Jamla is the Squad "

I realize I'm a bit late on this, but I think this definitely deserves a post as Jamla Records is definitely a talented roster. We earlier heard two quality cuts; "No Competition" (Phonté, Talib Kweli & eLzhi), and "Be Inspired" (Pete Rock, Rhapsody, Lecrae), but now the whole 25 track compilation/mixtape is here, and mixed by DJ Statik Selektah none the less. Featuring stellar production by Khrysis!, 9th Wonder, Eric G and AMP with vocalists such as Masta Killa, eLzhi, Blu, Big Rapper Pooh, Buckshot, Termanology, Terracce Martin and the aforementioned artists, this is sure to be a banger. Stream the full project below thanks to DJBooth and feel free to drop a comment on what you think.

Rapsody x 9th Wonder - "Mass Hysteria"

I just posted Dynasty's album which undoubtedly sound very dope, and another of the illest up and coming femcees is definitely the Jamla supported Rapsody who's been dropping plenty of impressive mixtapes, most recently .... . Now she's dropping another single with one of her few main producers, the always trustworthy 9th Wonder who's chemistry together with Rapsody has been shown over and over again; especially on the recent "She Got Game" mixtape. Check out a stream of "Mass Hysteria" below!

[Video] RAPSODY - "Kingship"

Get More: Rapsody, Kingship, Music, More Music Videos

Rapsody, rightfully one of the fastest rising female emcees on the underground scene, made a lot of heads turn with her free "She Got Game" mixtape which boosted a lot of solid productions from mentors 9th Wonder, and Khrysis, with additional beats coming from Eric G., Mr. Porter, E.Jones, and DJ Premier. The latter's production "Kingship" was also the lead single, which is why it now finally get the video treatment in a warm black & white shoot showcasing the MC/producer getting busy at what they do best, respectively. Download the mixtape here!

GQ - "Last Breath"

Oakland, CA's GQ flows smoothly over 9th Wonder's heavy bass pumping cut for "Last Breath". The single can also be heard on GQ's free prelude mixtape "Death Threats & Love Notes", which is available @ DJBooth.

 

Rome Clientel - "RVD"

After his recent signing with Golden Era Music, the skilled Elmira representative Rome Clientele is gearing up for his first proper debut album, as well as his features on a label compilation that will appear soon. The first official solo single from the man after his signing is here, titled "RVD", and is business as usual. Considering that it's recorded over a previously reelased 9th Wonder instrumental ("Dollar Circulate") it's most likely a promotional single in the wait for Rome's own album. Either way it's a head-nodder with Rome spitting impressive verses, reflecting on his life so far, while also contemplating on what the future might hold for him, so I suggest to hit that play button ASAP. What's up Dharmic!

[Album] 9th Wonder / Jay-Z - "Black American Gangster"

It started with the incredible "Threat", an original production by 9th Wonder that was placed on a multi-platinum selling Jay-Z album in 2003. That same album, "The Black Album", was remixed in its entirety by 9th a couple of years later to great effect and now it's time again. The former Little Brother member takes on Jigga's "American Gangster" album in full; giving it the 9th Wonder Remix treatment. 

"I wanted Black American Gangster to sound like a 70′s soundtrack, or to sound like a bunch of 70s groups came through and rocked with Jay…Therefore…I put “featuring” on a lot of the jams…..hope yall enjoy." - 9th Wonder

 

 9th WONDER vs. JAY-Z - "BLACK AMERICAN GANGSTER"

Masta Killa - "Food"

Masta Killa's third solo offering, "Selling My Soul", is due out exactly a week from today. Here's the latest, and so far the finest, single from the project; "Food".

MASTA KILLA - "FOOD"

[Video] 9th Wonder & Buckshot - "Crazy"

I still need to give Buck & 9th's latest offering "The Solution" a real thorough spin, but I have no doubt it's business as usual with these two. Especially after listening to the latest single from the project, "Crazy", and seeing its Donnie Darko themed video.

EDIT - I've taken some front-to-back listenns to "The Solution"  by now, and I'm real happy with the album. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed by their first LP, "Chemistry", though it had its moments. "The Formula" was better, but from both a lyrical and production aspect I'ma go out on a limb and say that this is the best 9th & Buck collaboration yet. Tracks like "What I Gotta Say", "Crazy", the title track, this single, etc. is really something. Together with the new Sean Price and a few oher releases, Boot Camp and Duck Down is relaly holding it down at the mometnt. Great to see!

[LP Stream] Murs & 9th Wonder - "The Final Adventure"

It's been eight years since then Def Jux signee Murs and Little Brother producer 9th Wonder first hooked up to deliver the 10 track testament of chemistry called "3:16: The 9th Edition". Two additional collaborative album later and the duo has decided to call it quits for the Murs/9th Wonder series with a final release; logically titled "The Final Adventure". Along with several other stellar proejcts, the LP is slated for a November 13 release but already now the entire album is available for your streaming pleasure, so go ahead and press that play button right now. In case you're having a problem with the player, try it via HipHopDX.com.

9th Wonder & Buckshot - "What I Gotta Say"

9th Wonder and Buckshot has been responsible for some really hot music together, and they are now preparing their third collaborative effort "The Solution" for a November 13 release via Duck Down/Jamla. I got high hopes for this, the two singles have been slamming and to me Buck and 9th's projects have each been slightly iller than the one before so if that logic holds this should be their finest effort yet... But we'll see. The first single was called "Stop Rapping" and saw an agressive Buckshot giving advice to sucker emcees over a wondrous 9th proeduction with a lot of bottom. Today they hit us up with the equally hot "What I Gotta Say" following a similiar formula; what I would like to call rugged and hard-boiled soul music. Pre-order the CD @ UGHH ASAP.

[VIDEO] Murs & 9th Wonder - "Funeral For A Killer"

I remember getting a cassette of Murs and 9th Wonder's first collaboration together, "Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition", from one of my main men (what up Noiz) back in 2004 and playing that MC til' was unlistenable. Such a good album; the West Coast rhyming of Murs, and the soulful backdrops that North Catolina's finest 9th Wonder provided for the 10 track mini-album. Since then we've been getting four more collaborations between the two, and now it's time for the fifth and final installment; titled "The Final Adventure" which drops on November 13.

As a taste of what to come, the first single has just been revealed and carries the interesting title "Funeral For A Killer". The grip the video for the sick song is grim, and is directed by Hobo Stewart. If you're feeling this, make sure to mark November 13 in your calendars because both Murs and 9th still got it, to say the least.