[Album] CRAIG MACK - "The Mack World Sessions"

This album compilation passed a lot of heads without further notice when Craig Mack self-released it on his own digital label in 2017. To tell you the truth I wasn't even aware of this release when it dropped amd only came across due to his untimely passing. However looking through the tracklist I see that this is not a newly recorded joint but rather a collection of all the rare 12" singles and their B-sides he dropped in gearing up for his third album which would probably find its way to stores between 2000 and 2005. After Bad Boy cut him off after giving them their first grammy nominated and platinum selling he found a new home on StreetLife Records for his sophomore, and pretty lackluster, '97 joint "Operation: Get Down". Despite being overseen by Eric B. and featuring production by Ty Fyffe, Al West and Johnny "J" the LP flopped hard.

So it's not suprising that Craig Mack decided to leave all the glamor, glitz, A&R:s and major labels behind to focus on his third album. Unfortunately it doens't seem to have been completed, but through his work with proucers like K-DEF, The 45 King, Self, Hot Runner, Minnesota and J-Force. Though many of these songs appeared on rare White Label 12"s, the album never manifested.  Until last year that is - Craig Mack himself released the majority of these songs, sequenced as a proper album and given the title "The Mack World Sessions". This is interesting as many of the WLB singles was released under umder a "MackWorld" label, created especially for these releases. Perhaps Craig knew he had little time left and wanted to get the music he once worked hard for out there for the people to soak in. Enjoy and Rest in peace to a legend that was quickly forgotten.

NAS x Symphony Orchestra - "Illmatic" live from the Kennedy Center

PBS channel has this show called "Great Performances" where they dedicate an hour show to a great performance by coupling a legenary artist with a symphony orchestra. There's been performances by Andrea Bocelli, Alicia Keys, opera performances of "Madame Butterfly" and much more. But there for sure has never been a Hip Hop artist perform in this context before and this is a HUGE look for the genre. And of course it is Nas who is going to be the one to do it. The Nasty one was in a somewhat similiar situation with his collaboration with DJ Premier and the Berkley Symphony Orchestra in "Regeneration" but this is an entire live performance of "Illmatic". Nas is always incredible live but this adds yet another dimension and you can see how he truly puts his all in it. PBS uploaded the video for free to their site but unfortunately only americans are able to see the conent. So thanks to YouTuber Lonnie Mac we can now all have the privelige of watching this amazing show,

[Compilation] TRAGEDY KHADAFI - "The Kuwait Tapes"

We here at The Lost Tapes love Tragedy Khadafi, while I did like his "Intelligent Hoodlum" album it was when he dropped "Tragedy: Saga Of A Hoodlum" that I really started to fuck with him. And then we got his whole 25-to-life movement and the molding he did of Capone-N-Noreaga from average street rappers to revolutionary slang kings on "The War Report". Nas, Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi is the epitome of the Queensbridge sound, there can't really be one without the other based on the fact on how much they inspired each other. Some might think that Tragedy is just a street rhymer but they are clearly not listening - Trag is as ill a lyricist as Nas and Prodigy were at their prime. Just check Tragedy's verses on "L.A. L.A." (the Kuwait mix where he just keeps going and going), "T.O.N.Y.", "Parole Violators", "Calm Down", "Message to Killa Black", "Blood Type", "They Forced My Hand" and "Permanently Scarred". And that's just to name a few classic verses and tracks.

Recently Khadafi dropped two free tapes featuring some of his finest, yet rarest material from this period - fittingly titled "The Kuwait Tapes". The tracklisting is similiar to a Tragedy compilation I upoaded way back when that I never got around to reupload so I hope you'll enjoy it again this time around. I know I will! 

01. "Calm Down" (Ft. Nas & Noreaga)

This 1997 classic was supposed to appear on "The War Report" but it's a good chance label politics got in the way. At least it was released on the CNN 12" singles from "The Report".

02. "Judas Theory" (Ft. Capone-N-Noreaga & Mobb Deep)

This monster was produced by Stretch Armstrong as a promo for the upcoming artists back in '96.

03. "Half A Mill" (Ft. Capone-N-Noreaga)

This was another radio freestyle to get the CNN names out there. Some sources says it was recorded in 1995 and some sources say 1996. My guess is for the latter.

04. "Strange Fruit" (Ft. Noreaga, Pete Rock, Cappadonna & Sticky Fingaz)

Pete Rock was working on his first solo album back in 1997 and while the album came out nothing short of blazing the Soul Brother sure made a name for himself. The exception was the Nina Simone sampling "Strange Fruit" which was by far the hardest record on the LP. The album version didn't feature Noreaga, Pete Rock or Sticky Fingaz either.

05. "The Turnaround" [Thug Remix] (Ft. Real Live & Capone)

Only the real heads knows about this one as it was the B-Side to the "The Turnaround" and thougit's proudced by K-DEF it really features that thugged out CNN type sound mid-'90s. This is probably my favorite CNN remix / B-side / rarity and for good reason so if you never heard it you are definiteyl in for a treat.

06. "LA LA" [Iraq Mix] (Ft. Capone-N-Noreaga & Mobb Deep)

The 'Kuwait Mix' was always my shit, as I always felt it came as hard as it could and it also proved Marley Marley was still one of the dopest producers in 1996 (Stretch Armstrong did the edits). The Iraq Mix wasn't bad by any streth of the word, but the West Coast vibe that payed "homage" to the Dogg Pound song didn't pack the lethal punch that a diss record of this caliber truly needed.l.

07. "1st Day of Spring" (Ft. Mobb Deep)

Word is that this is a "Hell On Earth" leftover, though I don't think I ever seen an official source for it. Either way it does pack Havoc's dark horror vibes production and raw verses from Hav, P and Tragedy - remember that Tragedy was the one that took Havoc uner his wing back in the early 1990s and had him rhyming on his "Saga of a Hoodlum" LP. "Hell On Earth" is basically perfect as it is, but to be fair, I'd rather have this song than that enhanced CD content "In The Long Run".

08. "Thug's Paradise Remix" (Ft. Capone)

"Thug's Paradise" originally appeared on the Nothing to Lose soundtrack before appearing as a hidden joint on "The War Report". And the worst song at that. D-Moet's flashy production really didn't do nothing for that album and this remix does equally little.

09. "Mumia 911" (Ft. Chuck D, Pharoah Monch, Black Thought, Last Emepror & Zack DeLa Rocha)

Ok now we're getting back to business. This was always a favorite of mine and the full-lenght version features a bunch of other rhymesligers like Afu-Ra, Wise Intelligent, Slim Kid 3, Aceyalone, dead prez and then some. This was released as a 12" single in honor of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal under the collective name of Unbound Allstars. The 12" single featured remixes by Fat Lip, Diamond D and an uncredited one called "Rocks Tha World Full Length Mix". I'm not entrely sure but I think the version included here is the Diamond D remix so that's a good sign in and of itself.

10. "Renaissance 2.0." (Ft. Black Market Milia & R.A. The Rugged Man)

The only Black Market Milia member not to make an apperance here is Killah Priest but it's Ok considering how dope the beat is, and how Tragedy Khadafi. Timbo King and R.A. The Rugged Man murder shit.

11. "Lift Ya Glass" (Ft. Imam Thug)

This Ayatollah produced banger was actually included on Trag's first solo album, "Against All Odds" but consering how excellent this joint is and the back and forth between Trag and Imam Thug is I don't mind in the least.

12. "Usual Suspects" (Ft. DMX, Mic Geronimo, The Lox & Ja Rule)

Mic Geronimo had a lot of potential so it's a shame he kind of dissapeared after his second album, "Vendetta", from where this is lifted. "Usual Suspects" is kind of the follow-up to "Time to Build" that featured DMX, Ja Rule, Jay-Z and Mic Geronimo. The track in question is produced by Daven Prestige Vanderpool who was kind of an uneven producer but here he broguth the goods..

13. "Armageddon (Crime Side of Life)" (Ft. Self)

This Tragedy Khadafi single dropped in 1999 on Next Level Distribution but didn't make too much noise at the time. Consdering that Trag's "Against All Odds" was originally supposed to drop in 1999 it's possible that this is actually a cut song from the original album.

14. "Enemies Of The State" (Ft. Canibus)

One of a couple of collaborations between Canibus & Tragedy. I think the year is between 1997 and 1998 but I could be wrong.

15. "Bottom Line Dollar Sign" (Ft. X1, F.T. Royal Flush & Jane Doe)

Now this is an ill posse cut right here featuring several somewhat forgotten rappers. Personaly I'm a big fan of F.T. of Street Smartz and Jane Doe recorded a solid album with 88 Keys that never got released, and of course Royal Flush is an underground street legend in his own right. This js a rare joint right here, I actually never rhard heard it before.

15. "Let's Be Specific" (Ft. Havoc, Raekwon, Freddie Foxxx & Cool Whip)

This is an underrated banger for sure. Taken from Funkmaster Flex first installment of his "The Miixtape Vol, 1; 60 Minutes of Funk"). This is a power house ending to a sick compilationso sit back, press play, turm the volume up and ENJOY!'

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[Album] MR. LIF & L'ORANGE - "The Life & Death Of Scenery"

Mello Music Group keep releasing quality music from quality artist. Mr. Lif has released excellent music since before his Def Jux days with underground classics like "I Phantom" and "Enters The Collosseum", always filled to the brim with clever concepts and an unmistakable flow. So when he join forces with L'Orange you can count on all fingers and toes that this is something you'd better listen to if you want a headbanger with lyrical substance. Stream for free or cop the high quality FLAC or Mp3 via Mello Music Group's Bandcamp. And while you're at it be sure to check out the debut album from The Perceptionists, tehe duo consisting of Mr. Lif and Akrobatik. Turn It Up!!

01. "The Perfect World Radio Hour: Day 279"

02. "A World Without Music"

03. "The Scribe" (Ft. Akrobartik & DJ Q-Bert)

04. "The Perfect World Radio Hour: Day 304"¨
05. "Antique Gold" (Ft. Chester Watson)
06. "The Gentile End"
07. "The Perfect World Radio Hour: Day 341"
08. "Strange Technology" (Ft. Akrobatik & Gonjasufi)
09. "Five Lies About The Outsde World"
10. "The Perfect Radio Hour: Day 421"
11. "A Palace in the Sky"
12. "There's An Art to Sleeping" [*Bonus]

"The Life & Death Of Scenery"

[Album] Khrysis & eLzhi - "are Jericho Jackson"

Another day another dope Detroit album. eLzhi has been a beast since back in the days of Slum Village and since then he has just kept on becoming better and better. Following 2016:s excellent "Lead Poison" (not to mention his uúnbrlivsblr "eLmaticc" joint with Will Sssiion) he now teams up with North Carolina producer Khrysis of Justus League fame. For 38 minutes and eleven songs the duo stay clear of guests but gets heavy on the soul and jazz. The album is available on Deezer, Sporify and Apple Music so go find that ish and press play.

01. "World of Illusion"
02. "Overthinking"
03. "Self Made"
04. "Cuffin' Season"
05. "Seventeen"
06. "F.R.I.E.N.D.S."
07. "To Do List"
08. "Talkin' Bout"
09. "Listen"
10. "Brequets"
11. "Thank You"

U-GOD Ft. Raekwon, Rebel INS & Scotty Wotty - "Epicenter"

Real Wu-Tang heads know that Scotty Wotty is a beast on the mic who at one point in time was supposed to hold down a part in the legendary Clan before drugs and life happened. Scotty and GZA even was the Staten Island rhyme teacher on the street corners so for U-God to not forget where he is coming from speaks volumes. "Epicenter" is like the fourth cameo from the older God and it's a monster record from March 30th BabyGrande release "Venom" so be sure to check that one out. And if you're like me having trouble waiting DJ Green Lantern, DJ Homocide and Baby U has released the second installment in the "Bring Bad God" mixtape series while we wait for the official album. March will also see the release of the official first autobiography of one of the nine generals, so be sure to support and pick up "RAW: My Journey into The Wu-Tang" as soon as that drop.

D.I.T.C. Still going STRONG

The entire legendary D.I.T.C. posse and the extended Diggin' in the Crates posse gang, has stayed busy from 1988 to 2018 to say the least. Bursting on to the scene with Jazzy Jay and his label, super DJ Diamond D and MC Rob in '88 when they made noise with the single "I'm Not Playin'" which was also the name of the Ultimate Force LP that unfortunately got shelved until 2007  While the album wasn't officially released for almost 10 years it sure as hell made waves and started the D.I.T.C. brand as Jazzy Jay's studio in The Bronx became the go-to-studio for the producers and emcees in the Bronx Area that Jazzy saw potential in. within a couple of years, the Diggin' in the Crates brand was established, building on Lord Finesse's classic "Funky Technician" and Showbiz & AG's "Soul Clap" EP. Diamond, 'Ness, Showbiz & AG was in a couple of years expanded to a full fledged crew including super-talented Big L and OC as well as, produced Bucwild and Fat Joe Da Gangsta. Not to mention semi-related affiliates like Party Arty, D-Flow, AG's brother Wally World, to name a f ew.

D.I.T.C. is probably the one crew that's on the level of Wu-Tang Clan in continuing to release solid projects amd through their The DITCEnt.com Shop you can still grab both free digital albums and physical  vinyl and CD:s. A couple of years back we got the excellent "Mugshot Music" trilogy from Showbiz & AG, "The Diam Piece" by Diamond D,  Lord Finesse's instrumental series and so much more. In other words few crews still goes as hard as the Diggin' in the Crates crew and much of the music is free so don't sleep. Only recently OC dropped the digital but limited "Same Moon, Same Sun" LP via the DITC Store. That project doesn't seem to be available anymore but don't cry over spilled milk because the lyrical phonemona that is Omar Credle has already struck gold again with yet another LP. This one, entitled "A New Dawn", which now be pre-ordered from the site so don't sleep on its February 23 release date. There's both vinyl pressings and CD:s  to grab so hurry up and buy!

As if this wasn't enough Showbiz is also releasinga new project through the site, this one called "A Room Therapy" and officially drops and should actually be out now (although the webstre says Pre-order). The CD goes for 12.99 while LP heads will be forced to pay the somewhat hefty sum of ... About the project it says that it features prodcution by Show, Motif Alumni (who has really shown and prove over the last ew years or so), OC, AG, Tashane Bars, Tashane (R.I.P.), A-Bless, Majestic Gage and Jay Nortey. At the moment there's actually a free digitalal download on the DITCEnt.com page so as they say "Hurry up and buy". The same goes for Show & AG's very overlooked 2017 project "Take It Back" EP which i still upp for free digital download, physical copies and if you want to show at least a little support you can get the LP version rather than the free EP version for only a minimum dollar. D.I.T.C. always move with the times while staying true to their roots!

Yo, and since it's Lord Finesse's birhtday today I think it's only right i'll hit you up with a gem or two of his that's might ne all that well know. Check it out:

[Album] SADAT X x DIAMOND D - "Sum Of Man"

Now I know damn well that three weeks is a lifetime on the world wide web but considering I haven't been posting for The Lost Tapes at all I never got around to post about Sadat X's latest album when it dropped. You don't have to worry that I'm going to backtrack and post all sorts of stuff that dropped in that interim but this one is special to me. Called "Sum Of Man" Sadat X teased about it quite some time ago, saying his next album would be entirely produced by super producer Diamond D. Truly a man of his word, the two has been hitting the studio hard to create a solid twelve joints that's nothing short of certified Hip Hop. The Brand Nubian emcee and the D.I.T.C. production maestro has been working together for a large chunk of their respective career, ever since Diamond laced the classic Nubian single "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down" (in three equally sick versions) and X and Lord Jamar returned the favor by appearing on "Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop". 

Just like he did with Southern hardcore spitter BIGREC a while back the sound and atmosphere is perfectly catered to Sadat X smooth style, intelligent lyrics and unmistakable voice, at the same time as it's unquestionably carries signature of Diamond D. The record is all about these two, a celebration of their 25 year long musical relationship, but guests turn up in extended family like Jawz Of Life (seen and heard on the first single, above) Kurupt and Tha Liks, former Terror Squad crooner Tony Sunshine and the always impressive Raheem Devaughn. I've only heard the singles so far but I'll definitely be listening to the entire LP later today. The release of this album hasn't exactly been big news so hopefully this post might shine a light on the project for some other heads who's been sleeping. The album is released independetly through Dyamond Mine Records and can be purchased in both digital format via iTunes and on vinyl @ Fat Beats or Amazon so pick your choice but do support this!

01. "The Devil is Near" (Ft. Jawz Of Life)
02. "Neva" (Ft. Timmy Hunter)
03. "Good Inside"
04."Out of Bonds" (Ft. Diamod D)
05. "Always Be My Lady" (Ft. Raheem Devaughn)
06. "Yawl Can't Drink With Us" (Ft. Kurupt & Tha Alkaholiks)
07. "Celebrate"
08. "Who's Judging" (Ft. Tony Sunshine)
09. "Bang Bang"
10. "Get Away"
11. "The Five Boroughs"
12. "Reflections"

Stream @ Spotify

[EP] AYATOLLAH x HELL RAZAH - "Blaxploitation"

That Heaven Razah and Ayatollah release a full-on project together has been written in the stars for quite some time now. When Razah and Shabazz formed T.H.U.G. Angelz word was that Ayatollah would lace the entire project and was basically the third member of the group. Then we got "Welcome 2 Red Hook Houses" which featured no 'Tollah beats at all. A dope album but it lacked the signature soul of the man behind classics like "Ms. Fat Booty", "Hold U", "Lift Ya Glass", "The Life" and so man others. Shabazz and Razah had a falling out and the planned T.H.U.G. Angelz album was put on hold. Luckily Razah released it as a free download for the fans called "R.I.P. T.H.U.G. Angelz" and as promised it was a true trio collaboration. If you haven't peeped it yet, be sure to do so, it stayed in my phone for months and months (the first 13 tracks are the actual album and the majority of it is produced by 'Tollah).

The two worked again on Hell Razah's finest statement today, "Heaven Razah", where Ayatollah produced the single "Kids in the Street" (see above). Now the duo is back with more untouchable music, this time in the form of a 12-track release called "Blaxploitation: A Piece of the Action". I think this is the first time we hear Razah recording after beating his brain aneurysm and waking up from his coma so you can imagine the strength of this brother. Stream below but support these legends over @ iTunes.

[Album] TRIBE OF JUDAH - "Organically Grown"

Producer and emcee Tokyo Cigar has been a dedicated friend of me and The Lost Tapes blog for years and we worked together with Mal Moe on "The Uprising" (check that out if you've been sleeping). Tokyo has a great ear for dope sounds, and is heavily influenced by the Hip Hop he grew up around, which gives his music a Golden Age touch without sounding outdated or rehashed as he incorporates different styles, instrumentations and samples that gives his special brand of East Coast tinged boom bap a unique vibe that's unmistakably his own. As I mentioned up top, Tokyo is a friend, but trust me when I say that I wouldn't post his stuff unless I thought it was of very high quality, and whatever he drops usually are.

The latest project he's been working on is producing the album "Organically Grown" for Maryland duo Tribe Of Judah, and it is a heavy hitter to say the least. The current line-up of the group are emcees Sincere and La Sin and the album is completely produced by Tokyo Cigar. Around 2014 Tokyo was working on an album with Hell Razah (which sadly remains unreleased although a couple of those joints can be heard on "The Uprising") and it was Razah who suggested Tokyo hook up with Tribe since he knew them and liked what they were doing, as well as they all being from Maryland he figured it could make for some great music, which it certainly did. The group originally begun as a 5 man unit but has been paired down to Sincere and La Sin since a few years back. "Organically Grown" is actually their official debut album. The last producer they worked with before was Black Jeruz and they have worked with Wu Syndicate and even had meetings with RZA and others of the Wu Elementz. Considering how smashing their new LP is it will most deifnitely be interesting to see what the future holds for this skilled group. 

As Tokyo tells it about the creation of the album: "Sincere and I linked up and began building then we met and choppd it up about the album. I made beats and and went back and changed stuff a couple of times. Then they came to the crib and we recorded the whole thing. I sat on it for a few months then changed a few things and did the final tweaks and mixing then BOOM thats the album haha".. So there you have it, press play and let the hardcore beats and well written and well spoken rhymes wash over you. And be sure to keep an eye open for more material from The Tribe in a near future. Released independently through Tokyo's own Gravity Academy imprint, which means you can purchase a High Quality download through his Bandcamp and you can of course also stream it befor you hit the purchase button... TURN IT UP!!

[Review / Stream] BLU & NOTTZ - "Titans In The Flesh"

Real quality releases have been few and far in between in my honest opinion but one producer I fucks with heavily is Mr. Nottz who caught my attention back when Busta dropped "E.L.E." and from then till now he continues to amaze me. It should be noted that Nottz, like Dilla (who was a big fan himself), is a little more prone to experimenting with different styles than say Large Professor or DJ Premier. As such his catalouge might not be quite as constant in quality as the aforementioned legends but when he's on, he's ON. And listening to "Titans in the Flesh", his new project with celebrated LA wordsmith Blu it quickly becomes evident that Nottz's brings his ON game big time, as does Blu. Over only six joints, a remix by J57, and 26 minutes Blu sounds as home on whatever curve ball headbanger beat the producer throws at him - whether as raw as the funkiest LA low rider banger ("Heaven On Earth") to the most soulful New York boom bap classic ("To The East", "The Man"). Or why not bring both of them styles together like on "Giant Steps" which features an exercise in lyrical futility between the Coasts with Skyzoo, Bishop Lamont and Blu all going for the jugular with the exquisite cuts of DJ Revolution tearing up the turntables being the cherry on top. Not to mention the shout out to John Coltrane - if you know, you know. There's no wack tracks here, just that ill shit that made me fall in love with Hip Hop all those years ago. A big shout out to Nottz and Blu for this monster you made. When your head is constantly nodding for 30 minutes you know that you're listening to real fucking Hip Hop.

If you follow this genre and these particular artist you are of course aware that "Titans in the Flesh" is the follow-up to 2013s "Gods in the Spirit" that featured five original collaborations and a Nottz remix. Though three years separate their release and crafting they work well together as an album, as well as a look into the growth of these two artists and their musical camraderie. Be sure to support good music and go and cop this new project through iTunes if digital is your thing or grab the limited edition Yellow 12" EP from UGHH while you preview the sounds via the official Soundcloud stream up top. "Gods in the Spirit" is also still available on iTunes and on Deluxe Edition CD from UGHH. I strongly recommend listening to both of these projects back to back, shit is absolutely excellent.

[Album] SOUNDSCI - "Walk The Earth"

The quintet of Oxygen, Audessey, U-George, Jonny Cuba and Ollie Teeba had me hooked with their modern boom bap as displayed on their official debut "Formula 99" back in 2012 and has been a dedicated fan since. Since then they have released several EP:s, side projects and their concept album "Soundsational" where the group found inspiration from the underrated catalouge of James Kirkland. Now the group is back with their third official album and it's just as fierce as their previous work, with the emcees bouncing off eachother over raw, yet often soulful production from The Process (Cuba and Teeba). Check it out for yourself as you can stream the project below. I doubt you'll be dissapointed and make sure to visit the official Bandcamp Page for Merch, info and purchase of the project.

[Revisited] RAKIM - "The Seventh Seal" (2009)

Damn, a few years ago I stumbled across an extremely rare Rakim track by some DJ that had uploaded it to YouTube that was absolutely bonkers but I forgot to post it for y'all and know I can't find it anymore. I'm gonna get my detective on, but in the meantime I want to get on some throwback shit while discussing his LP "The Seventh Seal". Said album is a good LP in my book, the rhymes are definitely there and it features personal future classic like "Walk These Streets", "Still in Love", "Dedicated" (say what you want about that No Doubt sample, that shit was heartfelt as hell), "Workin' For You" (whew), "Holy Are You" (oh my god) and "Man Above". Then there were the good (and in a few cases even great) but not outstanding masterpieces like "Documentary Of A Gangsta", "Won't Be Long", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Put It All To Music", and so on. The only joint I felt was outright wack juice was the cringe worthy rock influenced "How To Emcee" with kicked off the album nontheless and I'm sure gave a lot of heads a bad taste right from jump.

Now don't get me wrong, "The Seventh Seal" is a solid album and it's a lot better album than many claim it to be, but after a eight year hiatus following a somewhat overrated album called "The Msater" (yet it's underrated in many circles as well) I had definitely hoped for more although at the time I tried to tell myself it was a better album than it really was. It needed more bangers, it needed more New York grit, and in many cases it needed better beats. Lyrically it was all there and as Rakim, along with a very select few others (Nas, KRS-One, Ghostface) are able to keep your interest over a mediocre beat it's a worthy addition to his discography and I sure it's not his last. He did some dope records on Aftermath that has subsequently leaked but as he has explained the chemistry with Dre wasn't there so that's understandable, though I would liked for him to include "After You Die" and "Welcome to the Hood" on the album, as well as the four studio tracks that appeared only a few months before on that Live & Unreleased CD.

It became even more apparent that Ra had lost some of his impeccable ear to the streets when it was revealed that "What's Wrong", his collaboration on Marco Polo's "Newport Authority 2" was actually a scrapped joint from "The Seventh Seal". Like WTF, along with "Holy Are You" and perhaps "Still In Love", that would have been the real boom bap banger the album was in such a despeare need for. Add to that not only that but that also a slamming, hard grooving posse cut laced by Ty Fyffe called "Euphoria" was scrapped from the album in favor of being some Mp3 exclusive it just left a sour taste in my mouth. I know you have heard these joints before, but consider this tracklist for "The Seventh Seal" and tell me it's not would have made for a stronger album. Ra definitely need a good executive producer these days, and to tell you the truth he has needed one since he and Eric B. split up. And that is not to say that he's not still the God MC and has put out PLENTY of hot wax throughout the years but as far as albums goes his legacy would benefit from one classic disc. Check this tracklist brothers and tell me this wouldn't be a lot closer to an album fitting of this great of the greats legacy? Considering that the album has been out for so long I took the libery of uploading this version, if Ra or any from his camp feel this is a violation I will take it down immediatly, and either way it won't be up for long - I just want to give a chance for my beloved readers to get a chance to what in my opinion could have been. Feel free too comment! To me this is a much, much better balance of Ra's spiritual side which he conveys great on many of these songs, but strays to far away from his cassic styles when it comes to balancing the smoother joints with the boom bap his fans have come to expect. Please comment after listening - all songs on this was done and most likely at one point considered for "The Seventh Seal". Also having Nick Wiz, the ultra unterrated producer and long time Ra collaborator, produe just over half the tracks gives this exclusive Lost Tapes version a more coherrent feel to my ears. What do you think?

01. "What's Wrong" [prod. by Marco Polo] [*]
02. "Walk The Streets" (Ft. Maino)
03. "Documentary Of A Gangsta" (Ft. YQ)
04. "Man Above" (Ft. Tracey Horton)
05. "Hip Hop" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
06. "Love For Sale" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
07. "Holy Are You" [prod. by Nick Wiz]
08. "Working For You"
09. "Word On The Street" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
10. "Message in The Song" (Ft. Destiny Griffin)
11. "Love For Sale" [prod. by Nick Wiz] [*]
12. "Euphoria" (Ft. Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Styles P & C. Chanel) [*]
13. "Psychic Love" [prod. by Nick Wiz]
14. "Still in Love" [prod. by Nick Wiz]
15. "Dedicated" [prod. by Nick Wiz]

RAKIM - "The Seventh Seal" [c7 update]

[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 

[Album Stream + EPK] MASTA ACE - "The Falling Season"

I am just as aware as you the lack of updates on The Lost Tapes the last six months or so, a place that once bragged about its daily updates and exclusive contents and again sorry about that. I hope some of you ocassionally check out what's happening here, because although I don't really have time for this blog at the moment (and to be honest the large amount of watered down music, even from the legends these days, have made me somewhat uninterested in any new hip-hop compared to just a couple of years ago). With that said I still will want to highlight some new releases that I feel are worthy of our time as well as the ocassional compilation and so on. So if you're still here, trusted reader, peace be upon you, and if not.. Well, so be it.

The first album that I want to talk to you about is Masta Ace's "The Falling Season" which dropped a week or so ago by now but as it has been a suprisingly low-key record as far as promotion goes I figure some heads might still have missed out on it. Ace used to be one of my favorite artists in this game for a long time, releasing some incredible album gems that I would argue are, if not masterpieces, then at least close to that classic status. I am of course talking about the two Masta Ace INC. albums as well as the undisposable "Disposable Arts" and the equally slamming "A Long Hot Summer". Nothing but bangers on those albums, excellent rhyming over excellent production that sounded fresh and cohessive despite featuring a multiple of producers and guest emcees sharing mic duties with Ace. If you remember, "A Long Hot Summer" was supposed to be Ace's final solo album, and as such he truly went out with a bang. Instead he was to focus the rest of his career touring and droping ocassional collaborative efforts with his groups EMC, Ace & Edo (G) and the MF DOOM produced (through recycled beats) concept album/mixtape "M.A. Doom: The Son Of Yvonne". All these albums had their joints to be sure, and Ace could still deliver hot verses, but I always felt that a large chunk of the production and overall themes left a lot to be desired on all of these albums.

Imagine then the hype when I found out that The Master was working on an official follow-up to "A Long Hot Summer", a real solo album with all original beats that told a story interweaving skits and songs into a cohessive concept album just like his last two highly acclaimed and aforementioned proper solo albums. That album is finally here - entitled "The Falling Season" which follows the young future underground star throughout his childhood years, all set to the production of newcomer KIC Beats. Of the latter, Ace has described the previously untested California beatsmith as a beatsmith that does not rely very much on samples but instead incorporates live instrumentations whenever possible. And this to me is the albums greatest weakness, although I suspect it might grow on me. But I really have a bug about these legendary emcees who on his recent projects got bangers upon bangers from some of the greatest underground producers in the industry (Domingo, MF DOOM, J-Zone, Beatnuts, Ayatollah, 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Dug Infinite, Marco Polo, DJ JS-One, and so on). While KiC Beats has some good tracks his best work hardly reach up to the levels of the great tracks supplied for Ace by the producers mentioned above, and it definitely hampers the project. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad album per se, just an underwhelming one when you consider how amazing music Ace can put out when the chemistry between producer and artist is on top. Still well worth checking out, and don't take my word for it because I've heard several people highly praise this LP so judge for yourself - you can stream the entire project below via Bandcamp before grabbing a digital copy from their site. More good news is that its available on vinyl, CD and cassette so if you dig this or just want to complete your collection I say go for it (check out HHV for prices and editions). Check out the EPK up top, and stream the album above - oh and one more thing guests include Cormega, AG, Your Old Droog, Wordsworth, Pav Bundy, Stricklin, Torae and The World Famous Supreme Team. Give it a spin below right away!

[Stream] AYATOLLAH X DRASAR - "Boxcutter Brothers III"

I'm so happy to see my man Drasar Monumental and his Vendetta Vinyl team get the props they deserve, first through his excellent work with MF Grimm on the "Good Morning Vietnam" trilogy (undoubtedly one of the finest projects this side of 2010). The next series he started was "Boxcutter Brothers" together with legendary producer Ayatollah who casual fans at least knows from hits like "Ms. Fat Booty" but for sure has put in WORK throughout the years. Together they have created what is now a trilogy of excellent instrumentals for us to bop our heads to, write rhymes to or just free think to. The third installment in the series has landed and can be purchased in digital format via Bandcamp, or in physical format directly from Vendetta Vinyl. The fourteen track project features half of the joints produced by D and the other half by 'Tollah but it does not sound disjointed as they have gone for a coherrent sound. It has been out for a while but now you can stream the entire project before decididing to purchase. Be sure to support the realness.

[EP] KENDRICK LAMAR - "Untitled / Unmastered"

I often say that Kendrick Lamar and Kanye are the only two "mainstream" artists in Hip Hop (as in guys who is actually selling records) that are really doing something new and exciting, creating something that might very well be remembered and held in high esteem 20 years from now. Kendrick's "Good Kidd, M.A.A.D. City" was absolutely brilliant, but it was "To Pimp a Butterfly" that really made me realize that he is one of the leadig voices of our generation. Every single verse was so well written and delivered with a lot of heart, the beats was masterfully crafted and added on exceptionally by the great LA jazz artists of the day like Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Terrance Martin and Kamasi Washington. And it all had a strong message, but Kendrick was clever enough to hide his politics well enough to fool the media machine, securing air time and big label promotion. But enough of "To Pimp A Butterfly" (let me add that it was also the best album released in 2015 before we move on).

Since then Lamar has promoted the album at shows large arenas, and in small TV studio settings like those on The Colbert Report and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Beisdes the intense material from the album a lot of these concerts containted one or two unreleased bangers that fans quickly took to the internet to beg for proper studio versions of these powerful jams. Even NBA star Lebron James tweeted to Top Dawg Entertainment CEO pleading for the tracks to be released just a week or two ago. Sometimes prayers, hundreds of Twitter fans and an NBA star can make shit happen because just yetserday Kendrick, out of nowehere, dropped a free EP containing the tracks from those performances as well as some other goodies for us all to enjoy. It's not "Butterfly" but I'll gladly take it. Featuring 8 songs all of them are untitled and are only labeled by the date they were either conceived or completed and the title of the project is "Untitled / Unmastered" which speaks for itself. 

However the meaning might be a bit deeper as TDE's CEO Punch says that Kendrick was inspired by Prince and his "Black Abum" when putting the record together - "as far as untitled me and Kendrick always talked about doing a sort of "Black Album", like how Prince did back in the day. There was no album cover, no song titles, no anything - just tracks he threw out [...] To me it just means freedom" (Source: Billboard). You can stream the full mini alubm at Spotify below (which I'm not a big fan of) or you can head over to iTunes and purchase a high quality copy for your listening plesaure.over at iTunes whhere it's availabe now.

01. untitled 01.08.19.2014 [prod. by Hit-Boy & DJ Spinz]
02. untitled 02.06.23.2014 [prod. by Yung Exclusive & Cardiak]
03. untitled 03.05.28.2014 (Ft. Thundercat, Bilal, Terrace Martin & Anna Wise [prod. by Da Internz]
04. untitled 04.08.14.2014 (Ft. Jay Rock & SZA) [prod. by Bizzness Boi & Nard&B)
05. untitled 05.09.21.2014 (Ft. Anna Wise, Punch & Jay Rock) [prod. by Nard&B)
06. untitled.06.06.30.2014 (Ft. Cee-Lo) [prod. by Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge] (!!!)
07. untitled 07 2014-2016 [prod. by Frank Dukes, Caro, Yung Exclusive, Swizz Beats & Egypt Dean)
08. untitled 08 09.06.2014 [prod. by DJ Khalil]

[Jazz Of The Week] MTUME & TOUDIE HEATH "KAWAIDA"

From late 2015 I've been listening to way more other types of music than Hip Hop as I feel the ratio of weak, average and appaling releases is at an all time low in the genre. I've been a true Jazz fan for almost a decade now and the high level of musicianship, the incredible chemistry between artists on a recording, and the willingness to experiment quickly made it one of my all-time favorite genres. Now, a lot of people when they hear the term Jazz they immediately have a sound in their head that they beleive it is when the truth is that Jazz as a tearm is as braod a description as Hip-Hop, Rock or anything else. Comparing Mahavishnu Orchestra to Charlie Parker (both legendary artists in their own right) is like comparing Mos Def with Young Thug or Cradle Of Filth with with Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

A lot of the jazz music that was created from the late '60s and up and until the late '70s especially saw loads of incredible releases that ANY hip-hop head with an open mind should be able to really dig. To me much of this music is in many ways similiar to what we love about Hip Hop as a genre. The song structures of a jazz song is usually quite similiar in that each song is introduced and closes with a "head", which sometimes also appears in the middle as an interlude, from which you can draw parallel to a hook/chorus. In between the heads you got each artist taking prolonged improvisitional solos, often in a friendly competition way, once again drawing similairites to how emcees try to make a statement with their 16 bars before passing off the mic to the next emcee in line. More than that jazz in the 1920s to 1960s (before the rock/funk/soul boom) was what the black music culture number one. Just like hip hop artists today, the jazz starts of that era was the hippest black men in the entertainment industry. As evidenced by a leader of the genre like Miles Davis collaborating with Easy Mo Bee for his last album and the seamless transition of the two genres presented on GURU's "Jazzmatazz" series is clear proof of how naturally hip-hop has grown out of the jazz tradition (perhaps more via the Soul and Funk which in turn owned equally much to jazz). Not to mention the countless Hip Hop classics that came out of sampling earlier masterworks as well as the black national pride often associated with the music. The biggest difference between the two is however a negative. The fact that, unlike with Hip Hop (and especially in this day and age), not every one could become a player. You needed to be highly skilled on your instrument, be creative and put in lots and lots of work as far as practice go. With Hip Hop today cats who has trained "cats in the hat" ass rhymes for a year can be the next big thing over a generic Trap loop that anyone could put together. That artists like Kevin Gates, Stitches, and Chief Keef to name a few is having very solid fanbase is tragic and speaks volumes of the downfall of music as a whole (this can be applied to other genres than Hip Hop as well - if you ask me, commercial music has never, ever been in such a bad state as it is now). This is what I mean when I say that I have become somewhat disillusioned with Hip Hop the last six months or so, there's just way too much bullshit and even the good ones, the underground stuff, rarely sticks out all that much.

For the first album in this series I want to put a spotlight on a very rare release from 1969 called "Kawaida" and is a theme LP put together and overseen by conga and percussion player James Mtume Forman in honor of the black power nationalist Maulana Kawaida andthe  his United Slaves organisation. At the time of recording Mtume was a relative novice on the music scene, but his connection with his immediate family - drummer Albert "Toudie" Heath and reedman Jimmy Heath he managed to get high-profile musicians like Herbie Hancock (piano), Buster Wiliams (bass), Don Cherry (bass) and percussionist Ed Blackwell to perform his six compositions. If you're familiar with Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi sextet (which is one of my all time perfonal favorite bands) this obscure release is pretty much the one that set it all off. All members were given a Swahilii name, something that would carry over to the aforementioned Mwandishi band (which besides Hancock also included Buster Williams). Though only 44 minutes in length, the album spans a large part of jazz history but is especially close to the burgeoning free jazz and fusion movements that were beginning to brew around this time. It is quite intensive and perhaps it is not the best album to start with if you're new to this genre (try "Kamili" and "Baraka" however) but I wanted to start off this section with a rather rare LP (it has yet to be reissued in its original form on Compact Disc despite the high profile cast). Check some info on the album here, lifted from Scott Brown and Clayton Carlton's Fighting For Us. What do you think of a series like this, is this something you as a reader will like to see more of? If you're a producer I can guarantee that you'll find a lot of good sample material that often hasn't been used before. 

A1. "Baraka"

A2. "Maulana"

B1. "Kawaida"

B2. "Dunia"

B3. "Kamili"

KAWAIDA

[Mini Album] CURREN$Y & ALCHEMIST - "The Carrolton Heist"

Back in 2011 super producer and Lost Tapes favorite Alchemist produced a free 10 tracks album for New Orlenas, Louisana emcee Curren$y. The resulting "Covert Coup" was a testament to both artissts strengths and was unbelivably dope considering it was released as a free project despite being better than most retail LP:s in 2011. "The Carollton Heist" pick up where the last album/mixtape left off with 10 brand new tracks in high quality, full lentgth, and without any DJ shouts or transitions. Alchemist hasn't produced as much as he did between 2011 and 2013 so it's good to see him back in business and still delivering BANGERS. Check out his original take on the tried and tested soul sample on "The Mack Back" which also lets Curren$y shine telling a biographical story of a rising mack; "93 AMG" is a perfect marriage of a dope emcee and a superb producer, as ALC's low key proudction allows Curren$y to dish out an outstanding verse on the true hardships of life; the final joint is a smooth and beautiful joint with a prominent horn hook running throughout as Curren$u spit more biographical ish about his career and life.Very pleasant closing to a very pleasant album that is pure Hip Hop and comes strongly recommend.

We can go track for track because this is fucking brilliant and is good proof that the one MC/one DJ is still a great idea as long as the duo have such chemistry as displayed here. The guest emcees are kept to a minimum with Lil' Wayne, Styles P and Action Bronson who all make interesting contributions to the proceedings.Download for free or stream via DatPiff and do the same for "Convert Coup" in case you somehow missed the excellence of that project when it dropped.

[EP RAY WEST w. KOOL KEITH & KURIOUS - "Don't Know Why"

Following up ont the Ray West theme, here's the last and third project I'm going to post for y'all right now, though it made me realize that I need to do a R.W. compilation soon enough (I also got an interview with the man lined up). About a year ago the duo teamed up with the lost-and-found MC Kurious to release "Don'tw Why". The five track EP works as a precursor to the full-length CD "A Couple Of Slices" which dropped last october so pick it up, pick it up, PICK IT UP!!