[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.

THE ROOTS - "Rising Down" (Ft. STYLES P & MOS DEF) [Alt. Mix]

As any fan of this blog knows I'm very big on lost sessions, demos and alternative versions from dope artists (hence the name). I finished ?uestlove's biography "Mo' Meta Blues" yesterday so naturally I've been on a Roots kick lately. From the moment I heard them I've been a huge fan of albums like "Illadelph Halflife" and "Things Fall Apart" but lately I've come to feel like The Roots is one of those bands that really have gotten even better with time. Almost every single one of their albums shows a growth and a new direction and especially Black Thought has really evolved into one of the greatest emcees of all time if you ask me. His always been an incredibly talented lyricist with an unbelivable flow but what I really appreciate with the records post-"Tipping Point" is the emphasis on meaningful lyrics. One of my favorite The Roots joints has to be the album opener and title track to their 2008 opus "Rising Down". Not only is it a genius collaboration between Styles P, Mos Def and Black Thought, who all offer different perspectives on what we are doing to the world, the production is some of the hardest shit the band has ever laid down. Check out the original version of the song that features a different beat than what eventually ended up on the LP.

[download] 

[Album] TALIB KWELI - "Fuck The Money"

Shit like this is always appreciated, when a major artists decides to give his loyal fans something back. Legendary Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli has been dropping solid projects since 1998 including "Black Star" with Mos Def, "Quality", "Liberation" with Madlib and "EarDrum". His more recent output has been a bit hit-or-miss to me, with a few lukewarm albums that all had their moments but where quickly forgotten as they failed to live up to his potential. Therefore I'm glad that he's decided to release his brand new album that popped up out of nowhere and is completely free for anyone, hence the title "Fuck The Money"... and while it might not be a front-to-back masterpiece there's plenty of hot music on this digital disc. Featuring twelve tracks, Kweli is Always center stage while the few guest spots comes from Styles P, Miguel and Patrick Stump, Nire, Kendra, Niko-Is, and AB Soul. The majority of the production comes from Amadeus with additional contributions by The Alchemist (on the stand out The Venetian(, Thanks Joey, Farhot, Abhi/Dijon and Kaytrananda. Head over to the official Kweli Club Store and get your free copy by entering your e-mail adress and voila! You can also stream the entire project below via Soundcloud, which also has a download link for the full thing. Enjoy this sick mix of sick lyrics and sick beats!

BOAZ - "Like This" [East Coast Remix] (Ft. Oddisee, Termanology & Vinny Radio)

Boaz is a Pittsburg emcee who released his debut album "The Audiobiography" in 2009. This Tuesday's he's getting his sophomore on, with the release of "Intuition" which features production and guest spots from the likes of !llmind, Jadakiss, Styles P, Junior Reid, and Larry Fisherman. For the !llmind produced single "Like This", Boaz has unveiled two remixes - one representing the West Coast and featuring Crooked I, Murs and Fashawn, and now the East Coast remix which sees Boaz getting busy together with Oddisee, Termanology & Vinny Radio. Check both of them out below and also visit Boaz Soundcloud to peep joints with Styles P, Jadakiss, Junior Reid, Scarface, Sean Price, and more. Pre-order "Intuition" @ iTunes.

[Video] SONNIE CARSON - "Never Ran, Never Will" (Ft. Styles P)

Last year skilled Brooklyn spitter Sonnie Carlson released his free project "Most Likely to Succeed", featuring several productions by D.I.T.C. legend Buckwild. One of those cuts are the thumping Styles P featured single "Never Ran, Never Will" that now gets the visual treatment. Be sure to bang this LOUD and if you're still sleeping on this street album be sure to click on the link above and press play!

SONNIE CARSON / BUCKWILD - "Never Ran Never Will" (Ft. Styles P) / "Brooklyn"

Sonnie Carson grabbed my attention back in 2012 with his "Flight 2012" mixtape which featured several rugged collaborations with DITC's Buckwild on the boards. Now the pair team up once again, this time also inviting Styles P into the fold, for the single "Never Ran, Never Will". I also added a link to "Brooklyn" below, another recent Carson single produced by Buckwild. Matter of fact the LP these are from, "Most Likely to Succeed", is out today!

[Mixtape] ALCHEMIST - "The Cutting Room Floor 3"

No matter how much The Alchemist we've gotten over the last couple of years, we just can't get enough. Recently he produced the entirety of Boldy James "My 1st Chemistry Set" and early next year he and Evidence will release "Lord Steppington" as Step Brothers, but as all play and no work makes Al a dull boy we are treated to "The Cutting Room Floor 3" in between. Those familiar with Alchemist knows that "The Cutting Room Floor" is a series of mixtapes (the first released in 2003; the second in 2008) featuring unreleased goodies, demos, alternative takes, instrumentals and weed smelling interludes. The third installment is truly done in a classic mixtape fashion with snippets of songs bleeding into each other, and featuring both previously unreleased old stuff, new cuts, fresh beats, and a few songs that have been out a few years; all produced and mixed together by DJ Alchemist. With verses from Nas, Raekwon, Havoc, Kool G Rap, Blu, Mobb Deep, Large Pro, 50 Cent, Evidence and Gangrene over a stupid fresh batch of ALC bangers, this 20 track set is an absolute joy to listen to, even despite the fact that it has Rick Ross on it. The deluxe edition features an additional six joints which includes new music by Roc Marciano/Action Bronson, Fashawn and Styles P. Aside from Bronson and Marciano's "Pool Hall Hustler" I feel the tape flows much better with just the original 20 tracks however.

If you happen to have a Spotify account you can stream the entire thing over there, otherwise the digital mixtape is of course available to buy from Amazon or iTunes. However you go about it, make sure you hear it!

Troy Ave Ft. Styles P - "Do It"

Brooklyn's Troy Ave might not be a favoite though he undeniably have style, but the great ghost of D-Block is something totally different. When the two New York representatives hook up for a new single the result is nothing short of certified. I couldn't say who produced this but the bass-groove and jazz and funk aesthetics of beat makes this a very interesting joint. "Do It" premiered yesterday by Funk Fex, so it's a censored version of the track but hopefully this will make some noise as we need some dope New York music attracting a broader audience.

"DO IT" @ FLEX

SNOWGOONS Ft. STYLES P & GENOVESE - "These Streets"

The German based production unit known as Snowgoons just released their "Black Snow 2" project the other day. The tracklist is filled with some of NY's and the US finest emcees going at it over The Goons' agressive production work, and following the title track single with Ill Bill, Celph Titled, Apathy and Sicknature, the choice for second single has landed on "Walk These Streets". The song features an especially impressive performance from Styles P as well as an apperance from Genovese, and is definitely a decent cut though I think that there's definitely better joints on the album to release as singles tbh.

[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

U-GOD ft. Rebel INS & eLzhi - "Mount Everest"

There's a lot of hot shit stirring up the hip-hop game right now, just take this new leak from U-God's upcoming "Keynote Speaker" LP. "Mount Everest" follows the formula of the previous two singles by pairing Golden Arms with two stunning emcees; in this case Inspectah Deck and eLzhi, an interesting collaboration indeed. As I mentioned in a previous post on the album, I so hope that Uey will get it right this time and deliver that absolutely superb Wu-Tang album that a little more than half of "Dopium" represented. "Keynote Speaker" is being released by Soul Temple Music on July 23; pre-order here (but beware as several buyers have reported problems when purchasing directly from the label's site). Thanks to FeLo for the wupload and supplying the tracklist below!

01. "Vortex Of My Mind: Skit" (Ft. Vivian Scarlett)
02. "Keynote Speaker"
03. "Heads Up" (Ft. Jackpot Scotty Wotty & GZA)
04. "Inferno: Skit"
05. "Fire" (Ft.. Jackpot Scotty Wotty & Method Man)
06. "Fame" (Ft. Styles P)
07. "Skyscraper"
08. "Heavyweight"
09. "Colossal Cosmos" (Ft. Vivian Scarlett) (Skit)
10. "Stars"
11. "Golden Arms"
12. "Room Keep Spinning"
13. "Zilla"
14. "Get Mine"
15. "Mt. Everest" (Ft. Inspectah Deck & Elzhi)
16. "Tranzform"
17. "Journey" (Ft. Kool Keith)
18. "Be Right There"
19. "Days Of Glory"

[SINGLES] Statik Selektah - "Extended Play"

DJ Statik Selektah is releasing his fifth "solo" album "Extended Play" via Duck Down/ShowOff, and quite fittingly five singles have been released so far. Some of these cuts is among the most interesting things I've heard from the star producer in quite some time (especially when discussing the albums released under his name), such as the absolute minblowing collaboration between Raekwon, Black Thought and Joey Bada$$ on "Bird's Eye's View", and the sinister, stomping "Camoflauge Dons" which pairs up Tek N Steele with The Flatbush Zombies which you can check out up top. Other previously released tracks are the unlikely pairing of Sean Price and true school's most hated Mac Miller in "21 & Over", the beautiful piano driven "Game Break" which includes a stupid welcome performance by Posdnous, who's joined by Termanology and Lecrea. Just as mellow, dope and even haunting is "Funeral Season" which features outstanding performances by Styles P, Bun B, and Statik on the crossfader... Oh yeah, Hit Boy makes an apperannce too.
After hearing these five cuts I can say that I have a strong feeling that "Extened Play" is gonna be the illest Statik Selektah release since his very debut. To be honest I have been dissapointed in the majority of releases made under his own name since they have felt rushed and like a collection of pretty bland posse cuts. These joints instead sound passionate, are very well produced and are filled with a superb mix of artists. If the remaining cuts follows these footsteps, this could very well end up being one of the top albums of the year... June 18 is the date!

Havoc / Raekwon / Styles P - "Favorite Rap Stars"

Havoc's brings the heat both behind the boards and spitting the first verse on "Favorite Rap Stars", featuring Styles P and Raekwon. Hav's second official solo LP, "13", was released today on Nature Sounds. I'm glad to say that the legendary Mobb Deep producer really beefed up his drums for several choice cuts here, and as far as bangers goes this is definitely one of the strongest tracks on the album. Pick up the CD @ UGHH.

Styles P Ft. Raekwon - "Reckless"

The Ghost from D-Block is teaming up with producer Scram Jones for his new album, "Float", which hit retailers this Tuesday. Besides features from Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Noreaga, and Bullpen, Raekwon appears on the knocking single "Reckless" which you can hear below.

[Tracklist] Styles P - "The World's Most Hardest MC"

Not only will we get the release of "Wu-Block" from The D-Block crew in November, but Styles P is releasing his "The World's Most Hardest MC Project" the week after (November 20). Quite light on both guests and tracks, but this should be solid. Two singles out so far - "Araab Styles" and "I Know".

01. "Intro"
02. "Araab Styles"
03. "I Know"
04. "Like That"
05. "Empire State High" (Ft. Sheek Louch)
06. "Pop Out"
07. "Hoody Sessions"
08. "Monopolizing" (Ft. Bucky & Large Amount)
09. "Shooter" (Ft. Snyp & AP)
10. "Murda Mommy"
11. "Outro"

Termanology & Lil' Fame - "Play Dirty"

Lil' Fame, Termanology, Styles P, and Busta on a Preem banger?!! You know it's over with this line-up who comes together for "Play Dirty", the new single from "Fizzyology". The full-length project by Fame and Term will be available everywhere this November.

[Video] 38 Special / Styles P - "Support"

The first official set of visuals from .38 Special's forthcoming debut album, "Time Served", is here and it's a pretty sick vid with cameos from emcees, DJ:s and actors. The track in question is the Pete Rock and Styles P assisted banger, "Support".

.38 Special / Styles P - "Support Remix"

"Time Served" is the debut album by New York artist .38 Special, that's coming out latert this year.  In the video above, you can see him chilling over in the HeadQcourterz Studios with Pete Rock, DJ Premier and Green Lantern who are all contributing to the project. Pete Rock had production duties on the first single, "Support", which is now getting the remix treatment with a Styles P verse to boot. I have a feeling this will end up being the album version.

.38 SPECIAL x STYLES P - "SUPPORT" 

Statik / Styles P / Saigon - "New York, NY"

Statik Selektah joins forces with Styles P, Saigon and singer Jared Evan for the latest single from Statik's upcoming "Population Control" album that's in stores on Monday. The artist and producer seems to be working extra hard this year as he also got a full-length collabo with Action Bronson, called "Well Done", coming out on November 22 so check for that. I also added the video for the title track of "Population..." which features Sean Price and Termanology ripping shit up. Enjoy, and pre-order the album @ UGHH!

Statik Selektah - New York, New York f. Styles P, Saigon, & Jared Evan-2dope by pyrexpeas

STYLES P x PHAROAHE x PETE ROCK

The Ghost from D-Block has completed his new album, "Master Of Ceremonies", which will hit stores on October 4. This album definitely sounds like a winner from what I've heard and right now I'm proud to present to y'all my most anticipated song off the LP; The Pete Rock produced "Children" featuring the always impeccable Pharoahe Monch. The track is absolute fire but if there's one negative thing to say about it, it's that Monch only spits the hook for some reason (remember "One Shot" on the KRS/Buckshot album too?). Oh well, the track kicks some serious ass either way. Enjoy peeps and shouts to Wilcox86 for the early leak of this joint.

STYLES P - "CHILDREN" (Ft. Pharoahe Monch)