[Album Stream] MARCO POLO - "PA2: Director's Cut"

Ooooooh shit, the time is finally hear! If you've been following this blog for at least two months you know that I've been superhyped about the release of Marco Polo's official follow up to his 2007 album "Port Authority"; even going as far as stating that this will without a doubt be among the very best albums of 2013. "PA2: Director's Cut" officially hits stores and retailers via Soulspazm Records this Tuesday but the label and artist have decided to let loose of a full stream of the LP a little early, and luckily I happened to sit at the computer just as they did so so I'm breaking my neck and shaking my head in disbelief to this boom bap monster full of ludicrous hard beats, a guest lists that probably haven't been matched since Pete's first "Soul Survivor" and a whole lot of cuts from turntable wizards such as Shylow, DJ Revolution, and DJ Romes. I'm only a few tracks in but I'm just as blowed away as I predicted I would be... Marco Polo is a name you can count on and has been for years, if he's in the credits you can Count on his placement being one of the best tracks on the LP (one of the most telling examples is the track he laced Torae with for the latter's "For The Record"; an album that also featured contributions by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Diamond D, 9th Wonder, Large Professor, and Nottz).

Things kick off with "3 O'Clock" and from there it just keeps booming and banging in that hardcore hip-hop direction that only true heads can enjoy - your girlfriend might very well ask you to turn off that damn RACKET!! Litteraly, there's standout after standout, both beatwise and lyrical wise - which isn't really suprising considering it features a majority of my favorite spitters of all time. There's a lot of posse cuts here which are so welcome - hearing Tragedy Khadafi, OC, Inspectah Deck, and Large Professor is sort of a dream come true. The preceding joint featuring Nature, F.T., and Big Twinz is a real Winner too, matching the aggressive Queens style of the emcees with a somewhat more soulful beat... Don't get fooled though, nothing on hhere isn't straight balls to the walls hard as far as drum programming and overall style go. I also like how there's a lot of little crazy beat interludes coming in here and there, sometimes with talk over, sometimes not. On first listen I feel that this is by far Marco's strongest album yet; "Port Authority" was a terrific record with instant classics like OC's "Marquee", Large Pro's "The Radar", Roc Marcy's "Lay It Down", G Rap's "Hood Tales" and so forth. While pretty much all the individual tracks were brilliant, I thought as an album it didn't come all the way through as it sometimes felt more like a compilation than an album, due to a lack in coherrence betweeen the songs. That problem is nowehere to be found here; the skits, the typpe of beats, the sequencing, the guests (which include everybody from Last Emperor, La Coka Nostra, MC Eiht, Breezly Brewin, Malcolm Martin, the original Year Round family with Blaq Po, H. Stax & NYGz Panchi,, etc.), and the emphasis on the DJ makes this a truly exceptional journey into beats and rhymes as they should be done. Hip-hop at it's finest in other Word. And this is just on my first listen.... Can't fucking wait to get this on vinyl and make my neighbors hate me a little more! Stream the full album via OnSmash below, and order the CD from UGHH or iTunes if you're truly diitized. I'ma wait til' December 10 when the 3xLP vinyl drops (this set is like 80 minutes and I'm sure as hell ain't complaining).

 

01. "3 O'Clock" (Ft. Organized Konfusion + DJ Lynx)

02. "Savages" (Ft. ILLBILL, Slaine & Celph Titled + DJ Revolution)

03. "Earrings Off" (Ft. Rah Digga + Shylow)

04. "Can't Get Enough" (Ft. Big Twinz, Nature & F.T.)

05. "Astonishing" (Ft. OC, Inspectah Decck, Tragedy & Large Professor)

06. "6 Trill" (Ft. The Last Emperor + Shylow)

07. "West Coast Love" (Ft. MC Eiht & King Tee + DJ Revolution)

08. "Wrong Girl" (Ft. Reggie B & Reach)

09. "Drunken Sleuth" (Ft. Invincible)

10. "Intermission" (w. Michael Rappaport)

11. "Emergency Man" (Ft. Malcolm & Martin + DJ Revolution)

12. "Strange Brew" (Ft. Gangrene + DJ Romes)

13. "What They Say" (Ft. Lil' Fame, Kardinal Offishal, Styles P + Shylow)

14. "Parental Discretion" (Ft. Breeze Brewin)

15. "Underdogs" (Ft. Supastitition + Shylow)

16. "R U Gonna Eat?" (Ft. The Doppelgangaz)

17. "Sucka Free" (Ft. Blaq Poet, Hannibal Stax & Panchi of NYGz)

18. "G.U.R.U." (Ft. Talib Kweli & DJ Premier)

19. "Glory (Finish Hard)" (Ft. Masta Ace, AG, Posdnous & Dion Jenkins)

MARCO POLO - "PA2: Director's Cut" ... Stream @ OnSmash

[Video] WYLD BUNCH Ft. H. STAX - "I Do Not Fail"

Wyld Bunch is an up-and-coming New York emcee who creates hard knocking music that's paying dues to the classic boom bap of his city while retaining his unique style both as a rhymer and in picking beats. Éarlier this year he released the 8 track EP "Unbreakable", entirely produced by DJ Brans; Another superior French beat maestro joining the likes of DJ Low Cut and Alterbeats in aiding American underground emcees to create fantastic hip hop music.

I'm not sure but I actually Believe that I forgot to post "Unbrekable" when it first dropped but better late than never, right; especially since a few days ago Wyld Bunch dropped the first video from the project. "I Do Not Fail" features Hannibal Stax, fresh off his dope LP collaboration with Marco Polo, and is one of many exciting guests to make an apperance throughout the eight original songs; other MC's include Guilty Simpson, Roc Marciano, Masta Ace, Soundsci's Oxygen, Raf Almighty, and H. Lloyd. Released on Effiscienz, you can stream the entire album and pick up the limited vinyl 12" EP @ Wyld Bunch's Bandcamp. The record is also available @ UGHH and HHV. The CD also features one remix each of every song of the LP; including alternative versions concocted by Kyo Itachi, DJ Low Cut, Confidence, Alterbeats, and more.

DJ Skizz Ft. H. Stax, Big Noyd & Panchi - "Triboro Thoro"

DJ Skizz, who's a member of the World Famous "Halftime Radio Show", is releasing his debut album as a producer on June 23. Titled "B.Q.E. (Brooklyn-Queens Experience)" the LP will serve up dope platters with some of New York's finest, including legends like OC, AG, Roc Marciano, Cormega, Masta Ace, Craig G, Havoc, Psycho Les, Ill Bill, Lil' Fame, Tragedy, General Steele, Rah Digga, and FT to name a few. For the second single of the project, Skizz arranges a crazy fat trio track with underground emcees of the highest caliber; Gang Starr affiliates Hannibal Stax and Panchi (NYGz), as well as Big Noyd.

[Video] Hannibal Stax & Marco Polo - "46 Bars Of Death"

I've been a fan of Hannibal Stax since the glory days of Gang Starr, and it's really about time he gets to shine with a solo release of his own. The fact that it's a project made in collaboration with one of the sharpest boom bap preservers out there, Marco Polo, of course points further towards marvelous results. "Seize the Day" drops via Soulspazm Records on May 7; in the mean time you can nod your head to the sounds of the first single, "46 Bars Of Death".

[Compilation] Hannibal Stax - "Prequel to Seize The Day"

The real Gang Starr heads are well aware of who are Hannibal Stax, and though he has yet to release a proper solo release yet he's been part of The Foundation since at least 1995. Together with underrated producer Mike Rone, he was part of Fabidden Fruit who was signed to GURU's Ill Kid Records back in the mid-'90s; releasing the banger "Hi Energy", produced by the Wu's True Master, on that GURU sampler which was followed by "Forbidden Fruit" on the first "D&D Project". People probably best know him for his memorable performance on the Gang Starr classics "It's A Set Up", and "Same Team, No Games", the Afu-Ra '98 B-side "Trilogy of Terror" and "All That" from his debut album. More recently H.Stax appeared on the DJ Premier produced Big Shug monster "Dirt" in 2005 and the Works Of Mart 2006 12" featuring "Proper Dosage" b/w the Mike Rone produced "It Iz What It Iz".

Now, finally he is preparing some well deserved solo material, as we got a testament of last week with the brilliant Marco Polo produced jawn "Sr8 Smashing". His mixtape, "The Honorable", mixed by the incredible PF Cuttin' and hosted by DJ Premier which of course guarantees quality will be made available in the coming days. The mixtape will serve as a prequel to Stax 2013 album "Seize the Day", which will be completely produced by Marco Polo. Polo has also announced that he's working on a second installment of his "Port Authority" series.

While we're waiting for the tape and following album, I put together a lil' Lost Tapes style compilation of H.Stax's previous works. As far as I know this is all the songs he ever officially released (not including his freestyle works); Thanks to the homie Fritz I was also able to include the 2005 B-side "Proper Dosage". Enjoy my little droogies!

01. F.A.B.I.D. - "Get It In" (Intro)
02. Afu-Ra / Fabidden Fruit - "Trilogy of Terror"
03. Fabbiden Fruit - "From Within Out"
04. Fabidden / True Master - "Hi Energy"
05. Fabidden Fruit - "Cup Of Life"
06. Gang Starr / H. Stax - "It'z A Set Up"
07. Afu-Ra / H.Stax / Mike Rone - "Trilogy of Terror"
08. F.A.B.I.D. - "Proper Dosage"
09. GURU / Big Shug / H.Stax - "Stay Out Of My Face"
10. Big Shug / H.Stax / Smiley The Ghetto Child - "Dirt"
11. Gang Starr / NYGz / H. Stax - "Same Team, No Games"
12. F.A.B.I.D. - "It'z What It Iz"
13. Hannibal Stax / Marco Polo - "Str8 Smashin'"

HANNIBAL STAX - "PREQUEL TO SEIZE THE DAY"

Hannibal Stax - "Str8 Smashin'" [prod. Marco Polo]

Original Gang Starr family member Hannibal Stax, sometimes known as H.Stax, has often been on tour with The Foundation, but what he hasn't yet done is release a proper solo album or mixtape, but that is all about to change now with "The Honorable", a mixtape hosted by two of my favorites; Preem and DJ PF Cuttin'. Following that will be a full album collaboration between Stax and the always impressive Marco Polo, which will be out soon on Soulspazm records. "Str8 Smashin'", however, is listed as the first single from the pre-tape, but it remains to see if it will appear on both releases as this is a real dope jawn. You can follow Marco/Stax on their new Facebook page. If Soundcloud is acting up below click here and stay tuned for more info.