DELTRON 3030 - "Melding Of The Minds" [A-Plus Remix]

While Deltron 3030's second album "Event II" seemed to kind of come and go rather quitely, I thought it was a tight album that offered a lot of strong beats and performances from Del. Therefore it's a good thing to remind folks of that LP by this crazy remix of the Zack De La Rocha collaboration "Melding Of The Minds" by Hiero/Souls producer A-Plus. This is in fact more than a simple remix as A-Plus introduces a new style for each verse going from boom bap to hyphy. Read all about it here.

[Album] SOULS OF MISCHIEF / ADRIAN YOUNGE - "There Is Only Now"

It was a long time in the making, and I had very high expectations on the LP and it actually managed to live up to every single one of them. There's no question that Adrian Younge's produced Souls Of Mischief album "There is Only Now" is a straight-up fantastic album that's equally potent to both Souls and Younge fans. The album is out now and is a definite purchase for every serious hip-hop head if you ask me, and if you haven't had the chance to hear it yet, you can stream it in it's entirety below thanks to their official Soundcloud page. The stream is clean but after you heard it you will most likely be very tempted to purchase a copy of the vinyl or CD @ at your favorite retailer so press play and head over to UGHH or your retailer of choice. TURN IT UP and stay tuned for more info on the Bilal/Younge/Ali Shaheed LP as it progresses!!

SOULS OF MISCHIEF - "Ghetto Superstar" / "Finally Back"

Man, I'm so hyped for this album! Souls Of Mischief / Adrian Younge's collaborative effort with Ali Shaheed Muhammad hosting is bound to be a fantastic LP judging from all the singles and interviews we've taken part of so far. Both the fourth and fifth single from the album, "Ghetto Superstar" and "Finally Back", have been released simultaneously and both are heavy hitting, old-school flirting banger with emphazis on Rhodes, booming bass and exquisite live drums. You can bet I'm copping "There is Only Now" when it drops on August 28, and so should you! And as that wasn't enough,, Younge and Muhammad is also producing the entirey of Bilal's upcoming album (scroll down to the first single "Sirens II" below for an early taste).

SOULS OF MSICHIEF - "Panic Room"

Most likely the most interesting producer working today amongst the younger generation, Adrian Younge, has created modern masterpieces for The Delphonics, Ghostface Killah, and his own Venice Dawn. Now Younge is working with the legendary Oakland quartet Souls of Mischief for the group's first full-length album since 2009's heavily slept on Prince Paul sponsored "Montezuma's Revenge". "Panic Room" is the third single from that LP which is entitled "There is Only Now" and drops via Linear Labs Music on August 26. Listening to the leaked tracks so far has me absolutely flabbergasted... God damn, I can't wait for this! Also peep the official video to "There is Only Now".

SOULS OF MISCHIEF x ADRIAN YOUNGE - "All You Got is Your Word"

The combination of the smooth flows of the veteran emcees in Souls of Mischief with Adrian Younge's compositional skills has proven every bit as interesting as one could have expected. The second single, "All You Got is World" features all the elements that made The Souls so memorable and loved when they first came on the scene. Also check out the previous single "There is Only Now" in case you missed it and keep your ears open for the album of the same name, out on August 26 via Linear Labs.

SOULS OF MISCHIEF x ADRIAN YOUNGE - "Only Now"

Oh fucking shit!! Now this is something I've been fiending to hear since it was first announced months ago, Souls Of Mischief's Prince Paul's collaboration "Montezuma's Revenge" was an incredibly underrated and misunderstood album which proved that the Cali crew still got it. And for their new album they has hooked up with Adrian Younge, the most interesting producer around these days, having produced modern masterpieces for Ghostface Killah and The Delphonics using no samples (though you would never guess). The title track and first single "There is Only Now" (click to check out the tracklist) which finally drops on August 26 features a somewhat inspired guest verse from Snoop Dogg (at least for that joke of his former of self who very recently made one of the worst songs of all time with PSY). The album is a story in itself, narrated by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, performed by  the different Souls members who takes on different roles all backed up by Adrian Younge's golden age sounding hip-hop with the use of his own playing and live band.

ZION I Feat. Sadat X, Opio, Mr. Lif, Kev Choice, Deuce Eclipse - "Get Urs"

The duo of Zion I can be very interesting but I can't say that I feel they deliver every time. For example, they just dropped their new free EP "Libations" which features six tracks of varying quality. However the posse cut "Get Yours" featuring the crazy line-up of Sadat X, Opio, Mr. Lif, Kev Choice and Deuce Eclipse is definitely a banger. Check out the track below or stream/download the entire EP @ Zion I's Bandcamp. On the other hand their earlier "The Masters Of Ceremony" is a lot stronger and well worth a listen!

[Album] A-PLUS - "Legrowlize It Vol. II"

Souls Of Mischief producer/emcee A-Plus have created some absolutely amazing beats throughout the years, some really good zone out material and in honor of the 4/20 celebration he lets loose of a 30 minutes free project entitled "Legrowlize It Vol. II" (check out "Legrowlize It Vol. 1" as well in case you missed it before). Featuring 30 minutes of kush-influenced instrumentals created under the influence between the late '90s and early '00s, made on an ASX-Pro. Presented by Annette Eyewear "this is the perfect perfect to crank up and zone out to. Enjoy responsibily". 

[ALBUM] A-PLUS - "Think Tank"

I relalize this has been out for a week by now, and I can't remember why I didn't post it when Hiero sent me the mail but better late than never right, because this is some dope ish right here. A was pretty much always my favorite producer in the Hieroglyphics camp; a great recent example is when he produced "Tour Stories" for the Souls Of Mischief album as his sole credit and it came out the strongest joint off the project (of course I know Paul had a hand in all those songs even where he's name wasn't mentioend, but still). And being that I'm a sucker for instrumental albums, I dig that A's latest album "Think Tank" is completely stripped off vocals and 100% focused on the man behind the boards.

Over 13 tracks, A-Plus flexes his musical muscles with a wide array of different sounds and moods, yet firmly rooting the project in hip-hop with his immaculate drum programming and sample chopping. As you might know A-Plus is also a part of an experimental electronic duo with Agee named Molly's Dirty Water (check out their album "Oh Molly"), and while there are definitely both experimental and electronical touches splashed throughout the set, there's no doubt where the foundation lays. "Think Tank", not only sports a beautiful cover, but the music is of high quality. I strongly recommend listening to this LP as a unit to get the full intended musical experience to fully appreciate it. Another little tip is to listen to the music through a great set of hearphones when you have an hour over!

[Announcement] 20th Anniveary Edition of Two '90s Classics

Late 1993 and early 1994 was filled top to bottom with incredible albums that today stands as some of the best hip-hop LP:s ever recorded. As it's been 20 years since their original releases, fans are in 2014 treated to exclusive anniversary edition of two of those classics. First out is Hieroglyphic's Souls of Mischief crew and their immortal "'93 Til' Infinity". The limited edition package will be available through Get On Down Records and includes a remastered edition of the album on both double vinyl and 2xCD format. Although there's no tracklist out yet I am assuming that the second disc will include either the instrumentals or rare B-sides, remixes, and such. As Get Down is behind the release I am assuming it will also contain an extensive CD booklet detailing the making of the album through a track-by-track breakdown from the artists themeselves. Included in the package is also an exclusive Souls Of Mischief T-Shirt. These babies are quite expensive but as they are limited to only 500 copies, they will definitely end up as collectors items - so hurry up and buy. In further news on The Souls their much anticipated collaboration with super-talented multi-instramentlist and producer Adrian Younge, "There Is Only Now" has finally been given an official release date of February 18 and can be pre-ordered now @ UGHH.

The second album that celebrates its 20:th year in existence this spring is what I still consider one of the three greatest hip-hop albums ever released - Nas '94 debut "Illmatc"; a flawless set of music if I ever heard one. The two disc release will not only include a remastered version of the timeless ten that makes up "Illmatic" but also a bonus disc. Disc two consists of remastered versions of all the remiixes included as B-sides on the original releases of the singles from the LP, including classic takes by Large Professor, Godfather Don & VIC, Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo, and more. What excites me the most however is the prospect oof a fully remastered version of "I'm A Villain", always loved that joint! In support of the release Nasir will appear at Coachella this summer, alongside several other avenues.

DISC 1 -"ILLMATIC" REMASTERED
01. "The Genius"
02. "New York State Of Mind"
03. "Life's A Bitch" (Ft. AZ & Olu Dara)
04. "The World is Yours"
05. "Halftime"
06. "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)
08. "One Time 4 Your Mind"
09. "Represent"
10. "It Ain't Hard to Tell"

DISC 2 - BONUS (REMIXES, RADIO, LIVE)
01. "I'm A Villan"
02. "Freestle @ Stretch & Bobbito on WKCR (October 28, '93)"
03. "Halftime"  [Butcher Remix]
04. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" [The Large Professor Remix]
05. "One Love" [LG Main Mi]
06. "Lifes A Bitch" [Arsenal Mix]
07. "One Love" [One L Main Mix]
08. "The World is Yours" [Tip Mix]
09. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" [The Stink Mix] (* From UK single)
10. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" [The Laidback Mix] (* From UK single)

[Remix LP] GUMMY SOUL + SOULS OF MISCHIEF

This month marks the 20th anniversary of Souls of Mischief mindblowing debut album, the prophetically titled "'93 Til' Infinity". In celebration of the occasion, the Souls for the first time has handed over the exclusive acapellas to acclaimed producer Wally Clark of Gummy Soul to create a brand new project around. The result is a creative concept album that focuses on recreating a '93 mindstate of hip-hop production on Clark's behalf:

"I wanted to take all of the records that people used back then, and create new compositions using the same techniques they were using - such as filtered bass lines, classic drum breaks, echo-y horns - to make an album that sounds like it could have been released in 1993," says Clark. "It was an amazing exercise trying to capture the essence of a sacred time in hip-hop. It also allowed me to playfully use samples that are normally deemed off-limits, they are too well known."

"'93 Still" is definitely something you'll want banging in your headphones for some time to come, especially as it works as the perfect appetizer for the official Souls of Mischief album with Adrian Younge that drops via Soul Temple Records later this year.

ADRIAN YOUNGE drops LP w/ SOULS OF MISCHIEF

I figure I got time to drop one more, and this is absolutely juicy stuff if you have managed to not hear about it yet.. I'm sure the vast majority of heads hanging out here are really digging the records Adrian Younge has delivered to Ghostface Killah, Venice Dawn, The Delphonics and for the "Black Dynamite" soundtracks. Well, probably the most exciting thing I've heard this weekend is that Younge has already produced and recorded yet another concept album for Soul Temple Records, and this time it's none others than Hiero's Souls Of Mischief! I  don't really have time to write anything about the little info that is out right now, more than Ali Shaheed Muhammad is doing the narration for the story told through these tracks, and the sound has been described as "Low End Theory" meets "De La Soul is Dead". Read more @ XXL while we wait for that first single to be unlocked!

[Album] HIEROGLYPHICS - "The Kitchen"

The Hieroglyphics is back with a new LP, titled "The Kitchen". The legendary Oakland team's first collective project in over 10 years doesn't entirely consist of new material though - some of the tracks found here have previously been released on various solo projects by the members. Most of the material is previously unreleased and newly recorded however, and created in collaboration with the Sacramento based DJ-crew The Sleeprockers. The entire album is streaming over @ Spin (see link below), but if you want to support you can cop a digital copy from iTunes. Hit play for some of that smooth Hiero ish!

“This record is a fun release, an audio collage. Not much has changed with Hiero." - Casual

HIEROGLYPHICS - "THE KITCHEN" @ SPIN

OhNo x Souls Of Mischief - "Controlled Riots"

This massive track boosts a very welcome Souls Of Mischief feature, that takes the crew into an agressively psychadelic Oh No landscape quite far from the legendary Hiero's comfort zone. Dope? Yes indeed! Oh No's "Disrupted Ads" is out today on the small label Kash Roc Entertainmet. Though slightly lighter on the guest features than Oh's previous "OhNoMite", the project is still strapped with cameos from Alchemist (Gangrene!), MidaZ The Beast, Roc C, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Blu, MED, Charli 2na, Rapsody, and Dudley Perkins. Sounds interesting? Cop it @ iTunes or grab a physical copy over @ UGHH in your choice of 2xLP (with bonus 7") or CD.

OHNO x SOULS OF MISCHIEF - "CONTROLLED RIOTS"

A-Plus - "Pepper Spray" EP

This came out of nowhere - brilliant emcee/producer A-Plus of Souls Of Mischief teams up with production team Compound 8 for a new EP titled "Pepper Spray". Following the incredible "Montezuma's Revenge", we haven't heard much from the Souls members but this fresh seven tracks might satisfy the hunger of any Mischief head. Especially since it features the original Hieroglyphic himself, Del The Funkee Homosapien on track #4, "Californication".

The title and cover is borrowed from (you guessed it) Red Hot Chilli Peppers. All songs on the seven track EP are produced by production team Compound 8 and features lots of samples from the aforementioned rock group. Matter of fact it's a hip-hop homage to the group so it might not fit all tastes. Enjoy!

01. "Intro"
02. "Can't Stop"
03. "Road Trippin'"
04. "Californication" (Ft. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien)
05. "Hey Oh"
06. "By The Way"
07. "My Friends"
08. "Give It Away"

A-Plus - "Pepper Spray EP" @ Bandcamp