Dilated Peoples and DJ Premier has been a combination to count on since at least 2000:s "Expansion Team" LP with the incredible "Clockwork", and since then everything this quartet has touched has been gold (including solo exursions like Preem's work on Evidence's "Cats & Dogs"). "1st" isn't strictly a new Dilated Peoples / DJ Premier collaboration though, but you get new verses from Ev and Rakaa over new brilliance by the Preemster. In fact "1st" is a single from Torii Wolf, a singer-songrwriter from Wantangh, New York. Not only is Wolf a unique character who defies musical boundaries, but she's also scheduled to be the first female artist to get her entire album produced by DJ Premier. Take that with a grain of salt though, because were are the NYG'z album? Where are the Nick Javas album? Where are that Nas album? Where are the Pete Rock / DJ Premier album? And so on... Well, let's just hope for the best, because it would be dope.
Anyway, Premier remixed Wolf's first single "1st" a while back and now they got Dilated Peoples to jump on it and the results are quite outstanding. Check it out for yourself; personally I absolutely love the somber piano keys, the trademark scratch and the chemistry between the three vocalists!
People love and will always hold the early EPMD albums in the higest regards among other classic hip-hop albums, equally because of PMD and E's intricate front-to-back rhyming but also because of the duo's funky sample-heavy beats that solidified Erick Sermon as one of the best producers around (don't be completely fooled though, as PMD had a lot of production input as well - especially on their first album "Strictly Business" as revealed to Brian Coleman in his chapter on the album from his "Check The Technique"). Still The Green Eyed Bandit has proven time and time again that he's a super dope producer with or without EPMD, as he has produced at least two out of three classics for Redman (he was involved in "Dare Iz A Darkside" but the bulk of the beats was handled by Reggie himself). Reading Erick Sermon's name in the credits of a new hip-hop album was a true mark of quality However I do have to admit that past 2004 or something like that hes been more and more generic in his sound, though he ocassionally comes through with some real hardhitting shit that we all love.
For this compilation I decided to focus more on E-Dub's earlier material, past the early EPMD albums and up until about 2000 (and mostly earlier). These tracks to me represent stands as a good compliment together with the classic albums Sermon has produced as the reason why he is still to this day considered a living legend in the game. Erick Sermon has always been very good at killing beats for both R&B and hardcore hip-hop artists, and even the ocassional ragga artist like Super Cat, so I decided to make this compilation pretty diverse within those categories. Featured on the compilation are a couple of Sermon solo cuts, Def Squad, Keith Murray, Shaquille O'Neal, LL Cool J, Redman, K-Solo, D'Angelo, Bahamadia, AZ, Jodeci, and more. As usual the Def Squad tracks on here (Red, E-Dub, Keith Murray) is non album tracks/soundtrack joints and such, basically stuff that you won't find on either of these guys albums. If you're not up on them yet, be sure to check out Redman's entire catalouge, Keith Murray's first albums, large parts of Erick Sermon's catalouge, and of course all the EPMD albums (yeah even the last one is pretty ill if you ask me)... and whatever you do, TURN IT UP!!!
01. Erick Sermon - "Maintain"
02. Bahamadia - "I Confess" [Erick Sermon Remix]
03. AZ - "Gimme Yours" [Erick Sermon Remix]
04. Shaquille O'Neal - "My Style, My Steelo" (Ft. Redman & Erick Sermon)
As you might be aware of by now, the latest legendary emcee in line for a full-on collaboration with Detroit producer Apollo Brown is Sir Ras Kass. The album, which is set for a October 28 release via Mello Music Group, is called "Blasphemy" and consists of 15 songs featuring collabs with people like Sick Jacken, Sean Price, Royce Da 5'9", Xzibit, Bishop Lamont, Pharoahe Monch and Rakaa Iriscience. The two latter is featured on the first single "H20" (didn't Ras already put out a song with that title?) which you can check out above. Finally a Ras Kass album entirely produced by a really talented cat with a sound akin to the Golden Era. Pre-order a copy of the limited 2xLP set @ MMG, press play above and check out the tracklist below. 01. "Next Caller" 02. "How To Kill God" 03. "H20" (Ft. Pharoahe Monch & Rakaa Iriscience) 04. "Please Don't Let Me" 05. "Strawberry" 06. "Giraffe Pussy" (Ft. Royce Da 5'9", Xzibit & Bishop Lamont) 07. "Roses" (Ft. 4 Rax) 08. "Deliver Us From Evil" 09. "Too Much of A Good Thing" 10. "Animal Sacrifice" 11. "Humble Pi" 12. "48 Laws Pt. 1" 13. "Francine" 14. "Drink Irish" (Ft. Slaine, Sick Jacken & Sean Price) 15. "Bon Voyage"
Tomorrow Dilated Peoples releases "Directors of Photography" their first album as a group since 2006:s decent but not mindblowing "20/20". Having listened through it once, I gotta say that I am highly impressed - Evidence has grown as both an emcee and producer with each release, culminating in his "Cats & Dogs" and extending his peak here; Rakaa is doing his thing and DJ Babu is as savage on the turntables as ever. Then of course you got the boom bap beats by guest producers like DJ Premier, Alchemist, 9th Wonder, Jake One and Diamond D. As The Lost Tapes pay a lot of attention and hommage to the Diggin' in the Crates Crew it's only right that I'll give you a chance to stream and listen to "Let Your Thoughts Fly", the absolutely superb joint he produced for the record. Evidence (with ALC as The Step Brothers) also contributes an equally heavy track to Diamond's upcoming "The Diam Piece LP". Turn this banger up below, but no download, purchase your copy @ iTunes or Fat Beats.
Oh shit, here is one that I've been eagerly anticipating! I'm talking about the new Dilated Peoples album, "Directors of Photography", the LA trio's first project as a unit since 2006:s "20/20". Released to stores next Tuesday via Rhymesayers, but already now you can stream the LP in its entirety via Pandora - if you live in the US that is. With both lead singles being crazy ill, a tracklist with guest features from Defari, Gangrene, Sick Jacken, Vince Staples, Aloe Blacc, etc. and Dilated being Dilated this should be a great listen. Be sure to pre-order the 2xLP or CD @ UGHH.
01. "Intro"
02. "Directors"
03. "Cut My Teeth"
04. "Defari Interlude"
05. "The Dark Room" (Ft. Vince Staples)
06. "Good as Gone" [prod. DJ Premier]
07. "Show Me The Way" (Ft. Aloe Blacc) [prod. Jake One]
It's been a while since we got an official Dilated Peoples album (although all members of course has been holding it down lovely on the solo tip) so I know we're a lot looking forward to "Directors of Photography" which drops August 8 on Rhymesayers. We previously heard DJ Premier and The People reunite on "Good As Gone" now the LA trio grabs Jake One and Aloe Blacc for the potent "Show Me The Way" - two singles that are definitely pointing in the right direction as far as this LP is concerned. Peep the tracklist below, courtesy of Amazon.com. 01. "Intro" 02. "Directions" 03. "Cut My Teeth" 04. "Defari Interlude" 05. "The Dark Room" (Ft. Vince Staples) 06. "Good As Gone" 07. "Show Me The Way" (Ft. Aloe Blacc) 08. "Figure it Out (Melvin's Theme)" 09. "Let Your Thoughts Fly Away" 10. "Century of the Self" (Ft. Catero) 11. "@mrevidence Interlude" 12. "The Reversal" 13. "Opinions May Vary" (Ft. Gangrene) 14. "Trouble" 15. "LA River Drive" (Ft. Sick Jacken) 16. "The Bigger Picture" (Ft. Krondon) 17. "Times Squared" [*] 18. "Halleluljah" (Ft. Fashawn, Rapsody, Domo Genesis, Vinnie Paz & Action Bronson) [*]
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.
Pawz One is a quick-minded writer and spitter with a good ear for beats that's been on the rise for a few years with independent mixtape releeases like the "Verbal Virus" series, "B.A.D. Company" and "Numbers Don't Lie". Coming from the streets of Los Angeles you can count on Pawz having a whole bunch of interesting stories to tell, and as the press release states "the album plays out like a Golden Era hustler's anthem, [but it's the] delivery and presentation that makes this one so memorable". "Face The Facts" is eighteen tracks of fine storytelling rap, everyday life documents and striving from nothing to the top over a mix of gritty boom bap and slightly smoother jazz-esque joints provided by long-time collaborators Default and Breeze (both fellow LA-reps), respecitvely. While Pawz would perfectly hold down this LP by hismelf it's hard to complain when the guests invited to the table includes Ras Kass, Rakaa Iriscience, Masta Ace, Termanology and 2Mex. Another positive is the heavy use of cutting and scratching, something that pretty much any real hip-hop LP benefits tremendously from in my opinion. Though Pawz have been making his name known through the mixtape series throughout these recent years, I'd say that practice is over and "Face The Facts" is Pawz true introduction to the world - an introduction that indiciates that this young L.A.-born and bred emcee is definitely hear to stay. Easily one of the best debuts of the year - excellent!
"Face The Facts" are being released by Below System Records (the same imprint that gave us another of 2014:s strongest outing with Shabaam Sahdeeq's "Keepers of the Lost Art") and are right now selling the album in digital format and as a three panel digipack CD. However Below System will be doing a run of the LP on wax, limited to 250 copies, and unlike all those fancy labels that choose to make new vinyl releases rare by pushing the prices to ridiciolous amounts, these 250 copies are not priced much higher than the CD which is a big thumbs up from me. The vinyl drops on September 26, and can be pre-ordered as a part of three different packages. Package #1 (the LP only), Package #2 (the LP + CD + three track cassette single of "The Luv" featuring Masta Ace) and Package #3 (same as #2 but also includes a Pawz One/Face The Facts T-Shirt). Via Bandcamp you can order the CD (which are shipping now) and cop the digital as well as stream the entire album which I have embeded below (notice that the player starts with track #8 just back up til' you come to track #1 before you hit play). PLAY IT LOUD.... A LITTLE LOUDER!!
Considering the love the Elementality crew get up on here it should come as no suprise to anyone that I'm a big fan of one of their main producers Analogic's musical output which includes beats for MadKem, Silent Knight, and many more. Now he's stepping into the limelight as an artist in his own right, releasing "The Booth Shall Set You Free", entirely produced by Analogic and featuring collaborations with Wordsworth, Silent Knight, Sean Boog, Evidence & Rakaa of Dilated, Jered Sanders, Justin Bates, Supastition, Hasaan Mackey, and many more. Definitely worth a listen (or plenty of them) as EMP has put up the entire album for free stream although it's really released on SoulSpazm Records (another label that has proven their capability to find and support great underground hip-hop these last couple of years). It seems it's a strictly digital release though as I can't find any info on a physical release from the usual sites, but you can purchase the project from iTunes. ENJOY!!
My main man Linkan (of Side Effectz fame) strongly recommended me to check out this new mixtape called "Shyne Coldchain II" from Vince Staples - the latest addition to the Def Jam roster. Representing Long Beach, California, Staples got a gripping flow and explores a wide array of topics that is sure to keep any hip-hop heads attention. Especially since he's backed up by a plethora of FAT ASS beats courtesy of No I.D. on this 10 track opus, save for two cuts produced by Dilated Peoples's Evidence & DJ Babu (#1, #6), and one each from Scoop Deville (#7) and Childish Major (#5). The young spitter has been signed to Talib Kweli's Blacksmith imprint for some time prior to his move to Def Jam, so expect an official full-length presented by the two labels hopefully sooner than later. With all original beats, nothing but full song and previously unreleased verses "Shyne Coldchain II" gives a great insight into what we can expect from a full LP from this cat and if that's the case it will without a doubt be one to keep your eyes and ears the fuck open for! You can stream and/or download the digital project for free via DatPiff below, but if you want a quick taste of what to expect you can peep the official music video for "Nate" above; produced by Scoop Deville and featuring singer James Fauntleroy. TURN IT UP!!
The Step Brother's project has been in the making for several years, and now that "Lord Steppington" is finally hear it's just as dope as I had hoped. While I'm not much fan of Alchemist's rhymes, I always liked Evidence a lot since way back in Dilated's "The Platform" days so with The Chemist's extraordinary beats and dope guests it's definitely makes up for it. A very rewind worthy record to say the least, just like the latest single from the project "Why We Do This" which now has been given the (short) video treament.
The Step Brothers of Alan The Chemist and Dilated People's top lyricist is very likely my most anticipated album to drop in the first couple of months of '14. "Mum's in the Garage" is a straight up, powerhouse performance from the duo and Action Bronson both in its slightly psychadelic production, shaking bass lines, and tight drums and the vocals. "Lord Steppington" is finally hitting stores on January 21 via Rhymesayers, so you know what you gonna do my friends - and yes, the boys know how to do it (as in coloured 2xLP set, CD, and digital). Much thanks to Noisey for the premier.
Just like the just released Necro and Kool G Rap collaboration, Alchemist and Evidence's announced Project as The Step Brothers has been in a long time in the making that now seems to move forward at a fast pace. Roughly Three weeks ago we Heard the first leak by the duo under that name, "Ron Carter", a mostly instrumental joint that paid homage to the legendary jazz bassist. The new "Step Masters" is most likely the first official single from the album, titled "Lord Steppington" and out via Rhymesayers Entertainment on January 21, 2014. Throughout Evidence solo and works with Dilated Peoples, and Alchemist's proejct, Ev and ALC has definitely more than enough of heat to supply a terrific compilation which you possibly could expect on The Lost Tapes as we're getting closer to the release. Pre-order @digital copies or grab the CD/LP from the official storewhich also carries a lot of other goodies!
When I first came across Fashawn through his works with Alchemist and finally his Exile produced official debut "Boy Meets World" in 2009, I was super hyped about this talented young West Coast spitter and couldn't wait to hear more music from the man. However, I have to admit that I have lost track on his many releases since, as not many of them have really imrpessed me too much, save for a few bangers here and there. However, it's no question he's a lyrical beast and when he's got the right production to back him up (preferably on some hard shit), things rarely go wrong. Such is the case with his latest single, "The Beginning" sporting an Evidence beat stripped down to its bare (Ev also directed the video above), rugged essentials and a charged Fash doing what he does best. Taken from the forthcoming "The Ecology" (which was the title of one of the best songs on the aforementioned debut album) which features Exile as its executive producer should hopefully be out soon.
Last week I posted the full tracklist for Alchemist and Evidence's anticipated full-length collaboration as Step Brothers album "Lord Steppington" (with all tracks produced by ALC). The album is out through Rhymesayers Ent. early Jaunary 2014, but already now we are treated to the first official single from the project - and it's definitely a banger! The track is called "Ron Carter" in an homage to one of the greatest jazz musicians/bassists of all time. Check it out below and stay tuned for more info on the project as we comes closer to its release date.
That's right, this summer will see the release of another ill project, in the form of a collaboration between LMNO and Evidence. The album is called "After The Fact";entirely produced by Ev with vocals handled by LMNO, indicating some pretty damn interesting stuff. Out on July 16 via Up Above Records so stay tuned and check out the short teaser/announcement video above.
Oh, and speaking of Evidence beats, the Dilated Peoples' emcee/producer is releasing the all instrumental "The Green Tape" which drops just before - on June 25. Check out the opening track "Self Taught" below...
The album collaboration between Durag Dynasty (Planet Asia, Tri-State, Killer Ben) and producer Alchemist is now finished and geared up for a March 26 release via Nature Sounds. Alchemist's run through 2012 and Planet Asia's initial announcement of the LP, which has been given the title "360 Waves", has made this my personally most anticipated project in the coming months. Together with another hard knock track, this time featuring Evidence, we are now getting a peak at the tracklist and artwork. One month to go...
01. The Next One (Intro) 02. Durag Dynasty Theme 03. Tender Greens 04. Fish Meat (Ft. Prodigy) 05. 360 Waves 06. Trailer Mix (Ft. Phil The Agony) 07. Spiral Event (Ft. Evidence) 08. Yasir Arafat Prelude 09. Yasir Arafat 10. Tetrahydrons on Mars (Ft. Chace Infinite) 11. Goon Call (Ft. Iman Thug) 12. Bigger U Are The Harder You Fall (Ft. Big Twinz & Alchemist) 13. Shooters 14. Luxury Whip 15. Funyons
Around an with the releasess of "Cuban Linx 2", "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" and this year's free "Unexpected Victory", Raekwon The Chef seemed to pop up just about everywhere; it hardly went a week without at least one Rae cameo. Now, I think it's been chilling on the insane amount of recording it seems, which makes this collaboration with the always superb Beat Junkie/Dilated People, DJ Babu, even more interesting. That they both give very impressive performances doesn't exactly hurt either.
"Keep It Politics" is the third single to be released so far from the upcoming compilation "Closed Sessions Vol. 2", you cna check out the two previous singles and the album trailer/info @the official site.
Notes to Self is a relatively new group on the hip-hop scene that's starting to cause quite a stir in the underground community. The quartet consists of emcees Swamp Donkey and Roshin, producer/rapper Bronze One and the turntable wizard DJ Dopey who's best known for taking home the crown on the DMC 2003 world championship. In other words, these guys ain't playing! They caught the interest of BBE Music and started working on their debut LP, " A Shot in the Dark" that was released a couple of years ago to positive reviews.
Considering that I've been a fan of Dilated Peoples' since 2000s "The Platform", I was thrilled to see two Dilated cameos on the disc. Evidence spits a sick ass verse on the lead single, "Notes to Self" (and also appears in the video) as well as a cameo from the full crew on the bonus track "Yellow & Grey" remix. If you like what you're hearing, don't hesitate to purchase your copy of the album @ UGHH.com.
The second video in this double feature is for Killah Priest's new single "The Document", also just released. It's hard to keep up with the unbelivably underrated emcee that is Killah Priest, but if all these recent songs appears on his next album this would make it the third or fourth video from his new project. The LP "The Psychic World Of Walter Reed" has been years in the making and will feature production by the likes of RZA, 4th Disciple and Godz Wrath to name a few. Rumors has it that it might end up being a double CD and I for one, can't fucking wait! Priest is easily one of the illest and most clever rhymeslingers in the field of rap music. "Heavy Mental" and "The Offering" is close to perfection so I hope this will be just as, or at least close to, as good. TURN IT UP!!
The combination of the L.A. quartet consisting of Dilated Peoples and producer Alchemist has proved to be a safe way to create incredible records since Dilated's first official 12" single in '97. Alchemist has been a major part of every one of their albums as well as contributing heavily to Evidence's banging solo projects. In 2003 he released "Heavy Surveillance" on his own independent ALC Music Library imprint. It's a nine tracks mini album released in promotion of Dilated's then upcoming "Neighborhood Watch". 7 of the 9 tracks are produced by Alan the Chemist himself with T-Ray and Babu/Ev each contributing one song.
As you would expect the music on this disc packs that heavy thump and superior turntablism we have come to associate with this crew throughout the years. Besides the usual M.O. of Rakaa and Evidence holding shit down on the microphone, they are joined by Infamous Mobster's Prodigy, Havoc and Big Twinz as well as Talib Kweli and the late, great GURU. The two remixes at the end were previously available as B-sides and "Marathon" would appear on "Neighborhood..." but as far as I know the remaining tracks were exclusive to this impeccable release. Don't sleep!
01. "Alchemist Intro"
02. "Heavy Surveillance"
03. "Thieves" (Ft. Prodigy)
04. "Big Twinz Interlude"
05. "Marathon"
06. "Under the Sun" [prod. by DJ Babu / Evidence]
07. "Dilatin'" [prod. by T-Ray]
08. "Worst Comes to Worst" [Remix] (Ft. GURU & Havoc)
09. "Live On Stage" [Remix] (Ft. Talib Kweli) DILATED PEOPLES x ALCHEMIST - "HEAVY SURVEILLANCE"
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