[Video] RUSTE JUXX / ROCK - "Off The Hinges"

While early BCC affiliate and Ruste Juxx has continued growing into a respectable solo career of his own, he has released album after album of quality hip-hop overseen by the likes of Marco Polo, . He is no doubt talented but I sometimes feel that his flow and lyrics can be a bit too repetitive fo his own good. Whatever the case he's constantly putting out hot albums, often using a single producer for an entire album to capture that era when that was the one and only process. The first video from his recent released Duck Down release is called "Off The Hinges" and features a welcome guest apperances by Da Rockness Monstah who always comes correct with his gritty voice and uncompromising flows. The song is lifted from Juxx¨s "Ready to Juxx" which is out now @ iTunes.

PAPOOSE x ICE-T x JADAKISS x JIM JONES - "6 AM"

Over a seriously infected thumping bassline, pounding drums and the occassional cuts and sax breakdown, Papoose rounds up some of the most legendary New Yori emcees (Pap, Ice-T and Jadakiss) from different eras in the game for a tribute to Ice-T's '87 classic "6 N The Morning" from "Rhyme Pays". I only took a quick listen and unless I somehow managed to miss his verse, it seems that Ice-T is only making a cameo in the video which is of course a dissapointment. No matter what, I can get with this powerhouse cut and you know that Pap and Jada (almost) always delivers. Whatcha think?

FIRST DIVISION / ROC MARCIANO / SUPASTITION - "Grown Ups" / "3xDOPE"

Canada duo First Division is heavily maketing their upcoming "The Critical Path Part 2" which you can add to the list of all dope albums being released on March 27. I just posted the albums immediate predecessor; the highly sick "The Critical Path 1", released as a clean  mini-album, was jut posted here on the post right below this one so be sure to check those nine bangers as well because these guys only deliver straight HEAT.

So far two singles have been released from the official project, the latest being the Roc Marciano and produer Beatwyse-assisted "Grown Ups" which brings a terrific job of combining the agressive boom bap hip-hop of the early-to-mid-'90s but of Fwcourse filled with the group's trademark headbanging but bleak and confrotantional beats and rhymes. Such is definitely the case with the latest Free Division single - "Grown Up" just as is the other single and the free street album. The digital maxi single includes "Grown Ups" in three versions - the main one, the radio edit, and the instrumental (unfortuntely no remix of original B-side, but it's still a rewind worty joint.

  

The earlier single was originally released about four days ago and is another rhythm heavy banger entitled "Three Times Dope" - a title that refers to the group going head-to-head with Supastition on the single. Just like the aforementioend joint, production is handled by BeatWize who once again comes through with a true head knocker. Don't sleep on any of these singles or the project in the post below. I doubt you'd be dissapointed so TURN IT UP!

[EP] FIRST DIVISION - "The Critical Path Pt. 1"

This slamming eight track EP went straight over my head when it was first released as a free download a few days ago, but I'm real glad I found it because this is exactly one of the many different types of hip-hop that I absolutely love with no holding back. First Division is an Ontario, Canada duo consisting of Shylow and Expertise, and besides Shylow's many DJ apperances on Marco Polo's album the duo also appeared on the stand-out cut "The Long & Winding Road" with Large Professor on Marco's immaculate "Newport Authority 2" (if you read my review you'll know that I hold that premix even higher than the more official "PA2: Director's Cut". On the "The Ciritcal Path Pt. 1" the duo gives an amazing performance both beat wise, lyrically and on the turntables - pretty much hip hop at it's finest. This is the pre-cursor to their upcoming official album "The Critical Path 2" which drops later this year. Scroll up a bit to find the two first singles from this album and a big shout out to this duo for making this incredible music available for free - if they are just pressing up this on vinyl, I'm sold!

MIDAZ THE BEAST - "The New #52" (Vol. 17, 18, 19)

Since I haven't been updated The Lost Tapes as much as I would have preferred this last month, two relatively new exclusives from L.T. favorite MidaZ The Beast's "The New #52" series (the weekly music serial released by MidaZ and his camp once every week together with complete single artworked designed by talented comic book artist Gift Revolver) slipped under the radar. As I often say, better late than never, so be sure to check out the latest madness from The BEAST. First out is "Gotta Get Over" (which you'll find uptop) where you find MidaZ going in HARD over the dark funk (complete with sinister strings, a chopped hard bop sax, vocal stabs, a pounding bass line, and even a broken accoustic piano while our man goes deep - might just be one of my favorites from the series yet!

Second cut is a more laid-back, bass heavy "Grown Fol Music" where MidaZ takes a lyrical journey between battle type lyrics and the occassional more spiritual and/or introspective lyric. The constant bass line and the drum programming (the latter which is very, very low in the sonic image. The electric bass and the ocassional rhodes however is what truly makes this track a long with impressive verses by guest emfcee Kinetic 9 of Killarmy fame and of course MidaZ himself. Powerful song for real, and not suprisingly produced by IMAKEMADBEATS,

The most recent "New #52" track is a HARDCORE posse cut produced by AJ of Dynaite Bruh's, and started out as a Sha Stimuli track featuring Wordsworth (the finished song also features D'Augustine). I absolutely love rugged and raw posse cuts of this nature, uncompromising and hard hitting so I might even go out on a limb and say that this is the sickest yet out of all the "New #52" releases. To check out all entires in the series so far, CLICK HERE.

J.RAWLS / MASTA ACE - "Bills"

You know that Masta Ace is one of my absolute top emcees so new tracks by this so called "retired" rapper always bring a smile to my face and when his bars runs loose over soulful banger like here on "Bills", courtesy of J.Rawls, you know it's something worth checking out. As for the theme of the song I sure a lot of y'all (including me) "Bills" hits pretty close to home. The song is set to appear on the producers upcoming album "Legacy" dropping later this year.

[Mixtape] SKYZOO & TORAE - "Pre-Loaded: Best Of The Barrell Brothers"

Two of the finer younger East Coast spitters of the day can be found in Skyzoo and Torae, and since they first broke on the scene as individuals to be reckoned with they have also released several slamming collaborations. As they are now teaming up for their highly anticipated "Barrell Brothers" project, including collaborations with producers such as DJ Premier, Oh No, Black Milk, !llmind, Khrysis, Apollo Brown, and more, the duo is already now giving us a pre-loaded batch called "Best Of The Barrell Brothers". Mixed by DJ E-Holla, this is a nice lil' something to hold you over until May 27. Spotted @ Rugged Ones.

[Video] THE ROOTS - "Understand"

"Understand" is one of the stand-out tracks from The Roots' upcoming album "& Then You Shoot Your Cousin" featuring strong performances from Black Thought, Dice Raw, and Greg PORN over the sonics of what gospel soul sounds like in the context of hardcore hip-hop. It is also the second choice for single from the album and just like with "And The People Cheer" it's an animated video. I wrote some early impressions during my first listen of the album the day before yesterday and I have been given it lots of spins since then - however, I noticed that there is yet ANOTHER full-length song that Black Thought doesn't at all appear on, which is the final track, making the project featuring a total of SIX Black Thought verses. Now what the hell's that all about? Dissapoinitng to say the least... But oh well, the album is getting a lot of spins so I can't complain too much.

In related news, The Roots (?uestlve and Tariq) was up at Sway's Hip Hop Nation show at Sirius yesterday and dropped some marvelous shit to get your mouth watering. Check out that clip below.

[Album] THE ROOTS - "& Then You Shoot Your Cousin"

"...and Then You Shoot Your Cousin" is the brand new album from The Roots, and yet again it's a straight win for Philly's finest. It's incredible how this group manages to refresh and update their sound every other year while somehow staying loyal to their devoted fanbase and delivering incredible LP:s that demands to be heard on front-to-back listens. I'm on my first listen and I'm absolutely floored with much of what I'm hearing on here - focused, pure hip hop, at it's best times more rugged and unforgiving than the group's two closest preceding albums, "&TYSYTC"freely mixes the jazzy sample sounding licks of the group's humble beginnings with the powerful electronic soundscapes and hard beats of their later work. The downside is that it is very, very short - only featuring 33 minutes of music spread over only eight (!) songs and three interludes (the physical release will however include one more song which I give them props for). That's not so much a problem as long as it's this ill, but I must say that it bugs me that Black Thought's role in the group seems to get more stripped down with every release. First by putting guests on every song on the LP ("Undun", "How I Got Over"), and now even given over entire songs to guest singers (not to mention entire projects released under the name not at all including him). Still the album is a triumphant return for one of the greatest crews to ever step foot in the music industry.

While the project is available on LP, CD and digital tomorrow, you can already now listen to a free stream of the entire album via Pitchfork below...  TURN IT UP!!

01. "Theme From The Middle Of The Night" (by Nina Simone)

02. "Never" (Ft. Patty Crash)

03. "When The People Cheer" (Ft. Greg Porn / Modesty Lycan)

04. "The Devil" (by Mary Lou Williams)

05. "Black Rock" (Ft. Dice Raw)

06. "Understand" (Ft. Dice Raw / Greg Porn)

07. "Dies Irae" (by Michel Chion)

08. "The Coming" (Ft. Mercedes Martinez)

09. "The Dark (Trinity)"

10. "The Unraveling" (Ft. Raheem DeVaughn)

11. "Tomorrow" (Ft. Raheem DeVaughn)

THE ROOTS - "&TYSYC" @ PITCHFORK

[Album] COALMINE & DJ REVOLUTION - "UNEARTHED"

The Coalmine Records mixtape/compilation  "Unearthed" first was announced over a years ago, but good things sometimes take time to manifest and this is most definitely a good thing in every way. The only thing that's slightly unfortuante is that every single song (with the exception of one as far as I know) has already been released as digital singles. However, the official release is put together with the incredible mixing skills of DJ Revolution and is full of hardcore hip-hop moments of pure bliss from a highly impressive cast of emcees and producer (click here to check the tracklist). Highly recommended!