[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.

[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.

[Out Now] AYATOLLAH & DRASAR MONUMENTAL - "Boxcutter Brothers II"

Vendetta Vinyl keeps on bringing MAD heat to the table, the latest quality release from the label is the second installment in the "Box Cutter Brothers" series. The brothers is a group formed by Drasar Monumental and Ayatollah and just like its predecessor the LP consists of six instrumentals each by the two beat heads. Heavy chops, ill compositions and sliced up instrumentals are guaranteed! Cop the album ASAP @ VendettaVinylVietnam.com.

In case you haven't heard Volume 1 yet, it is still available from Vendetta Vinyl and Drasar's Bandcamp, where you can also preview it in its entirety.

[Out Now] AYATOLLAH & DRASAR MONUMENTAL are THE BOX CUTTER BROTHERS

As I often say when I realized that I had completely forgot to post a gem, its always better late than never, and especially when it's a relative new release from Drasar Monumental and Vendetta Vinyl who has supported The Lost Tapes for years now and the love is definitely 100% monumental. The labels main producer Drasar Monumental of course proved with his album/EP trilogy with MF Grimm that he's one of the most forward thinking producers doing it at the moment, while never losing his ear for true Golden Age boom bap. He's been putting out some excellent mixtapes a long the way, featuring illy remixes and such, but  now we are finally getting a brand new release from the man on Vendetta Vinyl.

Entitled "The Boxcutters Brothers" the twelve track album is a joint effort between Drasar and equally incredible legendary producer Ayatollah who provides six instrumentals each (one side of an LP), featuring nothing but "heavy chops, ill compositions, and 12 sliced up instrumentals for you to rock out with". The full title of the album is "Ayatollah & Drasar Monumental are The Box Cutter Brothers - Heavy chops, ill compositions, and Sliced Up Instrumentals" and is available for order via VendettaVinylVietnam.com now while they are still available. Peep the back cover with tracklist below.

SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE x HELL RAZAH - "R.I.P. T.H.U.G. Angelz"

Back in 2008 original Sunz Of Man members and Red Hook, BK residents Shabazz The Disciple and Heaven Razah formed The T.H.U.G. Angelz. An acronym for Those Humble Under God, the duo bonded over spiritual music that exposed the tough life in the ruff neighborhoods around them without gloryfing the horrors. The powerful chemistry of this duo had already been showcased on a handful early underground bangers as part of the Sunz (including "5 Arch Angels", "Deep in the Water" and "Writin' Rhymes With A Liquid Pen"), it was first during the late 2000s that fans would be able to experience just how incredible these two sounded together. Since hearing him on "Diary Of A Madman", I've personally held Shabazz The Disciple to be one of the illest and most underrated emcees of all time. Few, if any, other emcee can conjure up such deep spiritualism within his lyrics while also coming strapped with a real raw, hardcore street edge. Add to that the fact that Shabazz is an extremely strong storyteller, as he has proven time and time again and you pretty much got an artist with the whole package. Hell Razah is a perfect compliment to 'Bazz aggressive rawness as he's more soft spoken, with a lot of knowledge built into any which verse, often presented in a reflective, almost nostalgic pretext.

In 2008 they hooked up with BabyGrande and released "Welcome 2 Red Hook Houses", an overlooked thirteen track set featuring some absolutely outstanding records such as "The Orbituary", "Audiobiography Remix" and "Welcome to Red Hook". Prior to the release of that album word on the T.H.U.G. Angelz project was that they were working exclusively with super producer Ayatollah, who suprisingly didn't have a single credit on the aforementioned CD. The chances of getting to hear the mysterious Ayatollah collaboration that the duo obviously had worked hard on seemed to die when 'Bazz and Razah had a public falling out and vowed to never work with each other again. A true shame! Luckily the story doesn't end there as Hell Razah has decided to release the entire project as a free download for the fans. Featuring 13 songs plus some additional bonus tracks, this is some pretty damn dope shit right here. Ayatollah (who I think is responsible for the vast majority of production on tracks 1-13) does a good job with the soul samples, and like true street poets The T.H.U.G. Angelz builds true Soul music by injecting their lyrics with pure emotion and pain, sprinkled with wealth, health and knowledge of Self. WINGZ UP!!

“On behalf of Hell Razah Music, Inc. & GGO Chapters across the globe we invite you to enjoy the music and continue to support & pray for our founder and President Heaven Razah as he continues in his recovery  and music endeavors.” - Queen the Prophet (Ghetto Govt Officialz 1st Lady)



ALSO COP HELL RAZAH - "EL RAZIEL" LP @ iTUNES

[Out Now] AYATOLLAH - "Who Is My Soul Brother?"

I remember when I first heard Ayatollah, or DJ Kool G as I think he was credited as then, on Mos Def's "Ms. Fat Booty" and was just blown away on all levels. I mean it was absolutely ridicilous how the soul just poured out of this man's sampler and since then he has rarely dissapointed me to this day. Any time I see his name in the linear notes I know that he's likely to have one of the hottest joints on the project. From his early days with Rawkus, he has released albums on Nature Sounds, Elementality, Green Streets Entertainment, his own 'Tollah Music, and now he has hooked up with Day By Day Entertainment. The result is a 13 track instrumental album titled "Who is My Soul Brother?". As for now it's a digital release only, so purchase it over @ iTunes. It is also available via Spotify so if you are a registered user (and if you are not, what's your excuse?) you can stream the album in full below.

01. "While You Run The Street"

02. "Duppy Connquer"

03. "Rich & Black"

04. "Girl, You're My Everything"

05. "The Battle Of The Locusts"

06. "Hold Yourself Together, Aight B"

07. "In The Summertime"

08. ""Lock The Pain Up"

09. "Alex"

10. "The Microphone"

11. "The Power Of Christ That Compels You"

12. "Have You Seen Wendee"

13. "Now's The Fucking Time" [Explicit]

Stream AYATOLLAH - "WHO IS MY SOUL BROTHER?" @ Spotify

Purchase AYATOLLAH - "WHO IS MY SOUL BROTHER?" @ iTunes

[Album] ILLA GHEE - "Social Graffiti"

Due to the lack of updates this past week (sorry about that) I haven't yet posted Illa Ghee's newly released "Social Graffiti", one of the many interesting LP:s dropping this month. Illa's latest packs 17 hard jams with the talented MC going head-to-head with an amazing all-star cast of producers and guest vocalists; including OC, Sean Price, Large Professor, Crummie Beats, JuJu, Steele, Ayatollah, DJ Skizz, Fame, Rell and more. The whole project is up for free stream/digital purchase via DJBooth while the CD will be available next Tuesday - pre-order @ UGHH.

01. "Social Graffiti (Intro)"

02. "Salute The General" (Ft. Fame)

03. "Speak To 'Em" (Ft. Sean Price)

04. "Murda Boyz"

05. "Rum Raisin"

06. "Get Money"

07. "Razor Blade Vomit"

08. "Blurred Pupil" (Ft. Rell)

09. "James Worthy"

10. "Bruised Ego" (Ft. JuJu)

11. "No Mercy" (Ft. Guilty Simpson & Switch)

12. "B.O.D.Y." 

13. "Hold Up" (Ft. Royal Flush)

14. "Talking in a 3rd Person" 

15. "90" (Ft. Large Professor)

16. "On The Brooklyn Side" (Ft. Steele & OC)

17. "Open The Door" 

ILLA GHEE - "SOCIAL GRAFFITI" @ DJBOOTH

[Album] AYATOLLAH - "Be Real Black For Me"

Ever since I first heard him back in the Rawkus days I've had nothing but the highest admiration for Mr. Ayatollah. Now part of the Elementality family, the highly talented producer keeps churning out banging material - the latest being his new album "Be Real Black For Me". Filled with majestic strings, triumphant horns, soulful guitar licks, thick rhythm tracks and tight turntable work, there's no question that this is a perfect listen for the upcoming summer. While the majority of the LP is instrumental, 'Tollah also finds time to collaborate with the one and only Anthony Hamilton (on the beautiful "I Love Music"), EMP fam Silent Knight and Jered Sanders and even Inspectah Deck. The only downside is that as of now it's only available as a digital release (purchase it from iTunes) though a limited 7" single featuring the Anthony Hamilton joint on the A-side and the Rebel INS/Silent Knight track on the flip is also up for grabs @ Cotter Records. You can however stream the entire thing in all it's glory below, just don't forget to TURN IT UP!!

Ayatollah Ft. Silent Knight - "The Wig Out"

Ayatollah very recently released his first solo album on the Elementality label, titled "Avant-Garde". On the disc you'll find this banging collaboration with fellow EMPB repper Silent Knight; "The Wig Out". As is always the case with 'Tollah, his music is worth checking for so click on the link above and support the man! Also if you're a skilled emcee looking for a break, a contest is being held for a feature on the official release of the single "Nothing But The Funk", click to read more.

Ayatollah - "Nothing But The Funk"

Always bringing interesting stuff to the table, Ayatollah is about to release of a brand new solo album called "The Avant Garde". The first single, "Nothing But The Funk", bangs a long just right and should get you preparing for the LP which is out March 5 through Elementality Productions.

[Mixtape] AYATOLLAH - "Me Myself & Akai"

As readers of The Lost Tapes sure should know by now, the DJ K.O. helmed Elementality Productions is one of the most interesting underground labels doing at the moment. They have recently released superb free music by DJ K.O., MadKem and Silent Knight, and their latest endeavour is a full-length project by the legendary producer Ayatollah, a man who needs no further introduction. The label will release a 13-tracks instrumental album by 'Tollah on their label, which will be available on iTunes and other retailers on March 5 and is titled "Avant Garde", which hints at this being something of an unusual sound from what we've come to expect from the talented beatsmith.

 

With nine instrumental LP:s already to his name, it will be interesting to see what he will do with this one, especially considering it's on a new label and with a title that might raise a few eyebrows. " “I wanted people to see my different sounds and styles” says Ayatollah. While some of Tollah’s previous instrumental efforts focused on the exploration of sound, "Avant Garde" was crafted with that Rawkus-era in mind. “I really got to open up and truly get raw on the drum machine”, he explains. “I do not set out to adapt the music I make to new trends. I would rather the music I create become or set new trends on its own terms, naturally.”

 

While we're waiting for the first official single in early February, the label is presenting a 40+ minutes mix of the producers' biggest hits, lesser known cuts and DJ K.O. exclusives. A definite headbanger in other words so make sure to check this one out below. Peep the 34 songs tracklist here.

Large Pro x Kool G Rap x Big Noyd - "Naturally Born"

Three of Queen's finest emcees line up for this knock out jam called "Naturally Born", wonderfully laced by Ayatollah. This is another single from the upcoming Coalmine Records compilation that will be out sometime early this year. I believe this is the third single and so far everything has been absolutely ridiciolous.

[Comp] AYATOLLAH - "A Meeting of Soul & Hardcore"

It's been some time I brought you one of our trademark compilations on the site, but the time has come to break that ice. And what better way to kick things off with a compilation showcasing 20 of the outside productions by the extremely versitaile producer Ayatollah; which in many cases are a super overlooked producer for many so called "hip hop heads".

The first time I heard the works of Ayatollah must have been on Mos Def's impeccable soul/hip-hop classic "Ms. Fat Booty" single in early '99. Although the credits read DJ Kool G, I assume that to be an early alias of 'Tollah as once the album dropped the latter was the credited man behind the beat. No matter what the credits read, I was flabbergasted by the beautiful symbosis created between the producer and the album artist that was full on display on his two contributions to "Black On Both Sides". Mos' waiving an intricate story about a very special lady he met and managed to get her attention and phone number; all over Ayatollah's perfect musical balance between classic '90s hip-hop and that classic old school soul that worked perfectöy through Kool G's well execiuued use of the many samples . Once Mos released his album the following year (1999); the credits had been straighted out, and Ayatollah was also responsible as a co-producer for the harder, but equally impressive "Know That", featuring Black Starr mate Talib Kweli going back and forth concering the artist's stand on the rap game. Very impressive to say the least, and definitely two of the best songs on a superior album.

Needless to say this stellar cuts told me to the start checking for any future mentions of Ayatollah in any other album credits (this was in '99/'00), ad the prolific producer has rarely dissapointed me over the years. I'm not gonna front that there's been some (although very) few clunkers along his extensive catalouge, but I doubt you could give me an example of some equally prolific beat wiz that hasn't a small amount of duds in their catalouges. When he's at it his best though he's probably one of the illest producers doing it right now, and has been doing it for the last ten years. Through his work on an MPC and other quipment 'Tollah has showed his incredibleness time and time again with his contributions to Talib Kweli's debut, part of INS' second LP, and RA The Rugged Man just to name a few; The Last Emperor, Rakim, GURU, and more recently he's been heavily involved in J-Love's two last albums - and the list goes on. Many of the unbelivably dope, and often relatively new, goodies are collected here:; an amazing 75 minutes trip into the mind of the master producer/remixer only.

So, the time has come for an obvious time to do a well-thought out compilation with the sptotlight on Ayatollah; orginally plann to do it sometime, but my homie Mal of M-Phazes Productions reached out to me to really make it happen. I picked out about 20 songs from my Kweli CD:s and mp3-folders, ending up picking about 50/50 of the songs each and in usual The Lost Tapes order, the sequencing is incredible and really gives a good look into 'Tollah's career, with classics spanning between 2000 and 2012. Don't sleep on this, and recommededly play it from front-to-back because you won't dissapointed, whether or not you're familiar with Ayatollah before or not... TURN IT UP, and major thanks again to Mal Moe for his contribution and collaboration on this comp which we have decided to call "A Meeting of Soul & Harcore". This, I think is a good description of Ayatollah's style and are chock full of dope guess; so even if you've heard this songs, please don't sleep!!

Last but not least, I want to stress that Ayatollah is still very much active in the music business; in 2008 he was supposed to produce the complete collaborative album by "THUG Angelz" with Hell Razah and Shabazz The Disciple, though that never materialized. Two years later he released the innovative three disc instrumental album "Fingertips" to rave reviews, aiming for that warm sound you can oly get from sampling soul and jazz classics. Last but not least, an instrumental three set LP hit selected stores on a three LP album entitled "Live From MPC-3000"; but the real treat that hit the pubertity yesterday; "Live From The MPC 3000". Aight, 'nuff talk, head over to the aforementioned site and enter tour

01. Ayatollah - "Top Billin' (Intro)"
02. Mos Def / Ghostface - "Ms. Fat Booty Pt. II"
03. Tragedy / Imam THUG - "Lift Ya Glass"
04. The Odd Couple (Ghost & Cappa) - "WTC Pt. 2"
05. Last Emperor - "Tiger Trail"
06. Rugged Man / Killah Priest / Masta Killa - "Chains"
07. Inspectah Deck - "Venndetta"
08. Styles P / Pharoahe Mondh - "The Life"
09. Sean Price / Ruste Juxx - "Spliff-N-Wessun"
10. J-Love / LAD / Willie The Kid - "Fuck That Man Up"
11. RA The Rugged Man - "Don't Fuck With" (Ft. Havoc) [12" Mix]
12. Bald Head Slick / GURU - "Don't Cry"
13. Cormega - "Bring it Back"
14. EMC - "The Grudge"
15. Apathy / Celph Titled - "School For Scounnndrels"
16. Cella Dwellas - "Game Of Deah"
17. Killa Sha - "A Thing Called Love"
18. Sean Price - " Don't Say Shit to Ruck"
19. Rakim - "Cold Feeling"
20. Royce Da 5'9" - "Life" (Ft. Amerie)

AYATOLLAH - "SOUL & HARDCORE"

Celph Titled & Apathy - "School For Scoundrels"

Here's one that I missed when it dropped a few days ago, but this is definitely worth hearing so here goes.. Celph Titled and Apathy hooks back up together for this smoking Ayatollah produced cut made for a forthcoming compilation album by Coalmine Records, titled "Unearthed". I haven't been able to find a date for the project, but apparantly it boosts features and production from people like Large Professor, Kool G Rap, Pharoahe Monch, Royce Da 5'9", Skillz, Torae, Nottz, !llmind, Heltah Skeltah, Khrysis, M-Phazes, Blu, and more (obviously also incluing "School For Scoundrels" and its writers). Sounds like a monster of a record!

[Stream] Moka Only & Ayatollah LP

Former Swollen Member, Moka Only and the incredible producer known as Ayatollah has hooked up to build "Bridges". The full-length album features fifteen brand new songs by Moka, all produced by Ayatollah and completely free of guest verses. The album was released on CD this week and can be ordered from UGHH and other sites. Distributor Nature Sounds have also uploaded the entire project for free listening on their BandCamp page so make sure to check out a few cuts and see what you think of it. It's hard to go wrong with Ayatollah beats if you ask me! Thx to Food For Thought for the info on this.

[STREAM] MOKA ONLY / AYATOLLAH - "BRIDGES"