[Stream] BENEFICENCE - "Basement Chemistry"

Beneficence is a rapper from New Jersey who has been putting in work for a long time, gaining the respect of many of the hottest rappers and producers throughout the East Coast due to his skilled rhyming and down to earth persona. Though he put out his first 12"s in 1994 and 1998, respectively, it wasn't until he hooked up with Ill Adrenaline Records in 2010 that I and many with me really came across his work. On his debut album "Sidewalk Science" for the label he worked extensively with Diamond D on the production while Roc Marciano, Truth Enola, Rob-O, The Legion, Diamond D, Lord Tariq, Prince Po and Frank-N-Dank shared microphone duties. His follow up, "Concrete Soul" was released a year later in 2012 and was even more packed with big names that had a lot of underground fanatics drooling. I'm talking beats and rhymes from Buckwild, K-DEF, InI, Lord Tariq, DJ Doo Wop, Gensu Dean, Confidence, Roc Marciano, B1, Herb McGruff, Da Beatminerz, AG, El Da Sensei, Nature, Masta Ace and many more. A true '90s hip-hop extravaganza if I ever heard one and funny thing is that it all worked in bringing back that sound we all love and cherish.

 

Now Beneficence and Ill Adrenaline is back for round three, and as they say if the formula ain't broke, don't fix it. "Basement Chemistry" is a little lighter on the guest features but still manages to pull some impressive rhymes and beats from Inspectah Deck, DJ Spinna, Da Beatminerz, AG, Masta Ace, MC Eiht, El Da Sensei, L'Orange, Chubb Rock, MindsOne, Confidence, Black Sheep + The Legion and more. The latter two appears on the single and accompanying video for "Make It Hot (Jingle Jangle v.2)", the sequel of Dres and Legion's classic 1993 single. You can peep the video above and stream the entire album below. The LP is available on CD, cassette and vinyl and can be purchased from UGHH now.

[Album] ALCHEMIST x OH NO - "Welcome To Los Santos"

The Grand Theft Auto series has always prouded themeselves on excellent soundtracks to accompany the gaming experience. For GTA V, which drops tomorrow for PC, they are taking it one step further as the Gangrene brothers Oh No and Alchemist has been left fully in charge to produce the original soundtrack. The game has been out on various consoles since 2013 which has allowed ALC and Oh to really soak in the atmosphere of the adventure that is "GTA V - Welcome to Los Santos". The fourteen tracks deep album features new music by Freddie Gibbs, Action Bronson, MC Eiht, Danny Brown, Killer Mike, AB-Soul, Curren$y, Kokane, and many more. But don't expect a straight up hip-hop album, as the two Ayahuasca loving producers draws inspiration from a wide range of different styles and sounds to create something totally unique. It's definitely a dope listen though, so don't sleep on this one! You can stream the entire album via the YouTube playlist up top and NPR or purchase the digital download from iTunes if you want to pay your dues.

PURCHASE "WELCOME TO LOS SANTOS" @ iTUNES

DJ EFN Ft. MC EIHT, BLU & KAM - "South West" [K-DEF Remix]

A while ago DJ EFN and K-DEF revealed that Redefinition Records and K-Def was about to release a limited run of 45 singles featuring 'Def remixes of some of his favorites from the album. Earlier we heard the banging new take on "Selfish" featuring King Tee, Fashawn, and Kurupt, and now we get the K-DEF remix of DJ EFN's "South-West" featuring West Coast legends MC Eiht, KAM, and Blu which you can check out above. Stay tuned for more info on these banging 2 volume set (i think it is) and also check out DJ EFN's full-length album "Another Time", filled with dope beats and rhymes from some of the illest legends out there.

MARCO POLO Ft. KING TEE & MC EIHT - "West Coast Love"

Producer extraordinaire Marco Polo is best known for his New York oriented boom bap. Here he gives us his take on a thumping West Coast banger, with some help from two of the Cali's most legendary emcees - King Tee and MC Eiht, and it's fucking DOPE. "West Coast Love" is most likely the final single we're gonna hear before Polo's long awaited "PA2: Director's Cut" finally drops on November on November 12 via Soulspazm (though the vinyl will take another month to arrive). Pre-order @ UGHH now who has started shipping out the CD:s today.

 

[Album] SUBSTANCE ABUSE - "Background Music"

Eso Tre and Subz form the LA duo Substance Abuse who recently relased their third album "Background Music", which sees the talented pair iinviting legends of the industry including KRS-One, Percee P, Sadat X. MC Eiht, Tash (Tha Liks), and more. From that LP comes the Percee P and Myka 9 blessed video single "Paper Tigers" which you see above. Don't sleep on this album cuz it's really dope and you can stream the entire project below and is available for purchase in digital form (hopefully an vinyl will be made available somewhere down the line).

MC Eiht - "Blue Stamp"

Another nice single from MC Eiht's just released "Keep It Hood" EP which is out now on iTunes. I need to check out the project properly, but everything points to this being super dope. Check it out for yourself HERE.

[Mixtape] MC EIHT - "Allstarz & Strapz Vol. 3"

While the looong wait for MC Eiht's higly anticipated "Which Way iz West" continues, still without no end in sight, the West Coast OG delivers a potent mixtape featuring a lot of sick, previously unreleased material. Mixed and hosted by DJ Nik Bean, the tape features production by Brenk Sinatra and DJ Premier, and guest apperances from Xzibit and Young Maylay amongst others. Check it out below.. GEAH!!

01. "I Need That"
02. "Picture Me"
03. "You Don't Know Me (Warzone)"
04. "We On"
05. "Need Air" (Ft. Xzibit)
06. "Give That Up" [ECMP Ft. Bigg Rocc]
07. "Head Tight" [ECMP Ft. Daddy Rich]
08. "Hold 1 (1st Generation)"
09. "Let Me Get 2 It"
10. "One Ref"
11. "Real Niggaz" [ECMP Ft. Big2DaBoy & Ace]
12. "Start Sum Chit"
13. "Stand Up"
14. "Succ Me" [ECMP]
15. "Where We Go" [DJ Premier Remix]
16. "Who Run the Block" (Ft. Young Maylay)

MC EIHT - "ALLSTARZ & STRAPZ VOL. 3"

MC EIHT - "Where We Go"

Compton's Most Wanted, MC Eiht, have been featured quite a bit on The Lost Tapes lately. The reason is his upcoming album "Which Way Iz West", produced by Brenk Sinatra and DJ Premier and set for release via Works of Mart / Blue Stamp Music sometime this year. A few weeks ago, I put together a five track sampler of all the released songs so far, and juging by those songs this could very well be the illest album of the year; or at least one of 'em. 

The good peeps over @ DJ Premier Blog yesterday posted a radio rip of another Brenk/Eiht record called "Where We Go". The ill cut will not appear on "Which Way Iz West" but is a left-over cut from those session. Who knows though, might end up an iTunes bonus or something of that nature. Whatever the case, this album NEED to happen as soon as possible! Link borrowed from DJPB, thanks!

MC EIHT - "WHERE WE GO" 

OL' DIRTY BASTARD - "O.D.B.E.P." [1996]

There's no debate that Russel Jones was in many ways the heart and soul of Wu-Tang, and in hip-hop in genreal; he always spoke his mind, his ryming style was unorthdox and original to say the least, and he had a great ear for beats. On top of that, he was totally unique both as an artist and as a person, He truly was a free spirit, who finally found his sanctuary in the afterlife in November 2004. He never cared the least what people thought about his wild antics and there's so many amazing stories about this man which makes it clear that his legacy will live on forever, both through his music and his personality. After the critically acclaimedd debut album from Jones, it would take four years before his sophomore (and highly overlooked) "Nigga Please" made it to the stores, but already in 1996 he released a rare, and very ill EP/mini album called "The O.D.B. EP"; originally a Japanese only release which collected the majority of 12" singles, remixes and a few RZA produced cuts that didn't make the final cut of Dirty's debut album. For fans of the Wu, there's definitely a lot to love aobut this EP, as it's great to hear alternative takes on such classics as "Brooklyn Zoo" and "Shimmy Shimmy Ya". Remix credits include Dante Ross' SD50's, Lord Digga, Studio Ton and even an unexpected cameo from West Coast legends MC Eiht and E-40, and a few unfuckwithable previously unreleased RZA productions reminiscent of his work on "Return to 36 Chambers". 

"The O.D.B. EP" is a full-bown extended play, featuring not only the eight original songs/you'll find below, but also instrumentals and accapellas.,I decided not to include those to make it a better play-through, but if you're interested in those aforementioned versions, let me know and I'll upload the entre thing ASAP. Enjoy this rare collection of classic Ol' Dirty Bastard 12" singles, B-sides and exclusives, originally released in 1996. The spirit of Russel Jones lives on, we love and miss you brother!

01. "Brooklyn Zoo" [Lord Digga Remix - Clean]

02. "Give It To Ya Raw" [LP Version]

03. "Give It To Ya Raw" [SD50 Remix]

04. "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" [Extended Version]

05. "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" [Studio Ton Remix] (Ft. MC Eiht & E-40)

06. "Don't U Know Part 2" [Clean]

07. "Ol' Dirty's Back" [LP Version]

OL' DIRTY BASTARD - "O.D.B.E.P." [Modified]

MC Eiht's "Which Way iz West" update

As I'm sure you all know by now, Compton legend MC Eiht signed with DJ Premier and Year Round Records around 2008. The plan was to give Eiht a home for his next album, "Which Way Iz West", while also getting the chance to have it overseen by one of the greatest minds in the music business. The original release date was sometime in 2010, and we are now in 2012, and still no word on a date which is really getting on one's nerves, considering this is one of my most anicipated releases of the year. The same goes for NYG'z, another YRR signee who's been caught in label limbo on YRR for several years; come to think about it, since its start ten years ago, YRR has only released TWO official albums and I bet a lot of great music and talent has been wasted that way. But it it is what it is...

Now to the good news; in an interview with Swedish hip-hop mag KingSize, MC Eiht revealed that they now have 16 songs that's all ready and done; real quality stuff, that will make the LP that is. Now before the LP is complete, he only needs two additional songs of the same quality. DJ Premier is still the executive producer, providing beats on a few songs as well as mixing and overseeing the entire project and its direction. According to Eiht, Preem has been very impressed by the vast majority of the artist's initial work for the LP. However, "Which Way Iz West" is no longer scheduled to drop on Year Round (which is great news to me), instead it will be released a joint venture between Preem's original label Works Of Mart, and Eiht's Blue Stamp Music imprint (kinda similiar to how "The KoleXXXion" was released via Gracie/Works Of Mart, and that worked out perfectly). As far as producers and guest features go, the one time Menace II Society actor says there's verses from Xzibit, NYG'z and Bumpy Knuckles in the can; from what I gather it looks like the only  beatmakers to be featured on the project is Austria's superb Brenk Sinatra, and, of course, Preemo. Sounds very good to me! GEAH!!

Last week, I uploaded a Lost Tapes EP sampler of all singles released from the album, but I totally forgot the very first one - "So Well", also produced by Brenk. Therefore, you can watch the original music video up top, and in case you missed it before, here's the "Which Way Iz West" EP.

[EP/Comp] MC EIHT - "Which Way iz West"

 MC Eiht's album "Which Way iz West" has been in the works for a long time by now, and was originally set to be released in 2010. Yet, there's still not even a release date for the LP, which on paper and based on the singles released so far should be nothing short of incredible. For the project, Eiht has hooked up with long-time friend and super producer, DJ Premier, and his Year Round Records imprint. Eiht and Preem together guarantees a hot ass album, but we all know that there's been a lot of unfortunate problems with the label; resulting in both Blaq Poet and Nick Javas leaving to pursue other deals, while NYGz "Hustler's Union" remains without even a release date after four years of push backs. I really hope "Which Way Iz West" will not end up a shelved classic, and that we will be able to pick it up at least within a reasonable time frame.

What do we know about Eiht's upcoming album? As mentioned above, DJ Premier will act as its executive producer, but not as main producer. It has been revealed that he has three beats on the album, with additional scratches on a few other joints. The bulk of the project was recorded at the legendary HeadCQuarterz studios (formerly D&D). So far, four singles has been released, and they have all been straight up supreme; real hip-hop shit, with a lot of soulful samples, tight rhythm tracks, ill turntable work and Eiht in absolutely excellent form. "I think [Which Way Is West] is going to be well-accepted, and it's going to go down as one of my best records," the emcee said in an interview with HipHopDX back in 2010.

An interesting point is that the five tracks we've heard so far, (the vieo above is part of the sampler; if anyoe got the mp3 please send it my wa( has all been laced by Austrian producer Brenk Sinatra. This point to the likeliness that he's the main producer of "Which Way Iz West". Some people might feel cheated of Preem's limited involvement, but personally I feel that the chemistry that's so evident between Brenk and Eiht on these cuts is just as exciting. I've compiled all the released cuts into a little sampler for y'all to nod your heads to this beautiful morning. Most of the songs were released as internet singles, while the track "Fine By Me" first appeared on the YRR promo album - "Get Used 2 Us". I also added the "From QB to California" remix of Blaq Poet's "Aint Nuttin Changed", featuring Eiht and Young Maylay, as it is also representative of Eiht's work on Year Round. 'Nuff talk - TURN IT UP!!

01. "All Hood"

02. "I Need That"

03. "Fine By Me"

04. "Where U Goin' 2"

05. "Aint Nuttin Changed Remix" (w. Blaq Poet & Young Maylay)

MC EIHT - "WHICH WAY IZ WEST" [SAMPLER] 

New MC Eiht

Hot, brand new MC Eiht single called "I Need That" from his upcoming full-length "Which Way Iz West" dropping later this year. Like the previous singles, this is produced by Austrian beatmaker Brenk Sinatra and I must say that he and Eiht displays crazy chemistry. He seems to be the main producer of the project which sounds great to me! Of course, DJ Premier will also be lacing a few tracks for the album which is hard to complain about though haha. If you didn't know he's the executive producer of the LP, and here's what he had to say about this single - "MC Eiht and his producer Brenk Sinatra keeps hittin' the streets with dat gutter hood shit. Officially for true heads of ghetto music!". Spotted @ DJPremierBlog, peace.

MC Eiht - "I Need That"