The Dope House brings us the new mixtape from Purple Ribbon's Vonnegutt. You may know Vonnegutt from Kyle Lucas. You may... Well, I mean, thats probably where you know them from. Kyle Lucas is the emcee in the group. Their singer is meh.
The Atlanta beatsmith drops his album Music of the Misinerpreted. I gave this a spin today while working....and it's an end to end burner. It features, Phonte, Big Pooh, Sha Stimili, Nottz, and more. Some soulful shit on here. Do yourself a favor and grab it.
So with the mystery surrounding dude, we still don't know whats official and unofficial visuals from him and his camp. This one definitely looks like some money went into it. So we may never know...but either way....its fucking awesome.
The Philaflava/Steady Bloggin' homies let this go, via Young God a couple days ago. This song made a few light rounds in a ripped format last year, but here's a quality drop. BSBD hooked this remix up after Pimp C passed. Awesome track.
01 Intro 02 Did You Hear What They Said 03 The Bottle 04 Offering 05 Or Down You’ll Fall skit 06 A sign of the ages 07 Enough skit 08 Fell Together 09 We Almost Lost Detroit 10 New York City 11 Wholl pay reparations on my soul skit 12 Blue Collar 13 Vildgolia (Deaf, Dumb & Blind) 14 Winter in America 15 No Knock 16 Peace go with you brother skit 17 Outro
New tape from Co$$, to prep for his upcoming album, Before I Awoke, out June 21st. If you're not familiar with Co$$, check out his song "Revelations" on CLAV8.
New (to us, old to J. Cole) joint from Jermaine. Dope one too. I'm just saying, Cole needs to put that album out now. He says its better than Friday Night Lights. And that may be hard to do...
The QN5 representative, and emcee/singer/producer, releases a brand new instrumental LP for free. All of these tracks were made between 1995-2003 on a Roland W-30 machine. This is just his selections from the 1,000+ song catalog he had created using the machine... Grab it for free over at bandcamp...
The homies lee and chino drop some heat in visual form...I may be drunk but I believe this is the first time they've dropped with just them two on a track....regardless if thats true or not....this is just dope.
The Miami emcee has been MIA for a while (pun intended), to allow his latest mixtape, The Reason: A Defense Mechanism settle in. But now, as he preps the summer release of his new tape, How Thoughtful 2, he lets loose of a new joint to get us excited...
When the world loses someone as inspirational and influential as Gil Scott-Heron, this is bound to happen. Tribute to Gilbert from Chuuwee and Bam Circa 86.. Rest In Peace Gil Scott-Heron.
If you've read my #2-10, you'll know that I love Jazz. So it's only right that my favorite album of all time combines equal parts Hip Hop and Jazz. This is another album that I didn't discover until a few years after it had come out. This album came out in 1995, and I picked it up in the summer of 2001. I was 15, and had just gotten my first job. To give you some retrospect as to what other music I was listening to at the time, the day I picked up this album (on a complete whim), I also purchased Juvenile's Project English, and Trick Daddy's Thugs-R-Us...
01. The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??!
I walked into Sam Goody during the summer of 2001. I had just gotten paid, and as a 15 year old audiophile, I had every intention of blowing my whole paycheck in that store. After making a few selections, I stumbled across a few albums by The Roots. At that point, I believe that "You Got Me" was the only song I'd heard by The Roots. But I liked it. Also, I knew who Rahzel was, because of his Making The Musicalbum. And I knew that Rahzel was a close affiliate of The Roots. So, I decided to give them a shot. The only question I had now was; which album do I buy? After quickly looking over Do You Want More?!!!??!, Things Fall Apart, and Illadelph Halflife, I chose the album that only cost $9.99. It wasn't my best decision making process, but if turned out to be one of my best decisions regardless...
The Roots - Proceed
The Roots - Swept Away
I remember it took me a few days to actually get around to listening to the album, but once I did, I was amazed. The Roots were able to seamlessly blend jazz instrumentation with rugged lyricism. The live instrumentation allowed the songs to build, change, develop and follow the emotion of the emcee. From the mellow sing-songy intro, to the final seconds of "The Unlocking," The group is able to reinvent themselves a million times within the same album. From jazz, to raw hip hop, to bluesy melodies, to call-and-response skat, to ballady "Silent Treatment."
The Roots - Essaywhuman?!!!??!
The Roots - Silent Treatment
From the minute I listened to this album, I was a huge Roots fan. Ive given this album as a birthday present on more than one occasion. And since that summer in 2001, I've purchased every Roots album within the month that they were released. Aside from the musical progression within each song, Black Thought provides some of the most original schemes, and insightful lyrics in hip hop music. He is an immaculate story teller, but can still kill a braggadocios joint with the best of them. Through the years, The Roots have become one of my personal favorite groups. They consistently evolve their music, but never lose the soul elements that they started with; The live instrumentation, the jazzy mellow moods, and the conscious, raw lyricism. Though a few members have come and gone, the essence of the group remains, and has only gotten better. The Roots are hands down my favorite group in hip hop, and this was the album that started it all.
The Roots - Datskat
The Roots - Mellow My Man
High Point: The whole album. From front to back. This album is flawless. Low Point: N/A
---------------------------------------------------------- Honorable Mentions include (alphabetically): Aceyalone - A Book Of Human Language Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night Cee-Lo Green - Cee-Lo Green And His Perfect Imperfections Cool Calm Pete - Lost CunninLynguists - Dirty Acres Freestyle Fellowship - Innercity Griots Kendrick Lamar - O.D. (Overly Dedicated) Lyrics Born - Later That Day Mikah 9 - Citrus Sessions Vol. 1 Outkast - Aquemini Pharoahe Monch - Desire Reflection Eternal - Train Of Thought Tupac - All Eyez On Me Zion I - Mind Over Matter
One of the best to do it passed recently. We here enjoy celebrating a musicians life by partaking in his legacy's work. Here's good place to delve into Mr. Heron's musical work.
1 Paint It Black 2 Evolution (And Flashback) 3 Free Will 4 Whitey On The Moon 5 The Vulture 6 Small Talk At 125th And Lenox 7 Billy Green Is Dead 8 Ain't No New Thing 9 Get Out Of The Ghetto Blues 10 The King Alfred Plan 11 No Knock 12 Enough 13 Who'll Pay The Reparations On My Soul? 14 Home Is Where The Hatred Is 15 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Haven't done this in a few weeks. Trying to make up for it with some personal favorites. Also got a new Drum Machines Have No Soul mix coming out real soon. But for now enjoy this shit.
1. All Day Music 2. Get Down 3. That's What Love Will Do 4. There Must Be A Reason 5. Nappy Head (Theme From "Ghetto Man" 6. Slippin' Into Darkness 7. Baby Brother
I may piss off my colleagues (lol) with this pick and some may call it a cop out...but I'm going to stand by it and point out it was the most logical thing to do.
#1 OutKast - First Three Albums
Lets get my excuse for selecting three albums out of the way. Had I not included these three albums as one pick my top 5 albums of all time would include these. I figure it's the smart thing to do, so if you don't like it...FUCK YOU. There has never been a group or even an artist for that matter, who has reinvented their sound every album. Boi and Dre matured; lyrically, musically, and even content wise, every album. If you had the opportunity to follow them right out the gate...then you literally got to see them grow up on record. Yet, they never lost a step. Every style and sound they experimented with came off with conviction and passion. The soulful southern draw utilized was foreign to what at the time, we were used of, from the few southern acts that had gained success. Outkast could've stayed in the same lane after the initial success they had with Southernplayalistic, but instead they kept it moving and built on that sound and put out a record that had a completely different feel to it (ATLiens) than their first record. Then once again they took the lab and created another record (Aquemini) that was a new sound that fans hadn't heard yet. It would've been easy for Kast to have stayed content with the success of their first record and used that as a stencil for every album they made from that point out. But their chemistry and creative artistry allowed them to take risk with their sound. Has it caught up to them? Hey, that's up to you to decide...but I will say that it was that decision making and creativity that allowed them to have the success that they did through out their careers. Most acts struggle with trying to make a classic record. Most toil over trying to make a record relevant to the times. Not many have made records that stood up through the test of the time. And even fewer have made 3 of those records.
Honorable Mentions: Remember these list are based on albums that have had the most influence for us.
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele Self Scientific - The Self Science Kane & Able - My Brothers Keeper C Murder - Life or Death Blu & Exile - Below the Heavens Killarmy - Dirty Weaponry Gza - Liquid Swords Killah Priest - Heavy Mental Blackstar Mos Def - Black on Both Sides Qwel & Maker - The Harvest Mestizo & Mike Gao - Blind Faith Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde Makaveli - 7 Day Theory Slick Rick - The Adventures of Slick Rick Ice Cube - Amerikkkas Most Wanted The Roots - Do You Want More??? Tru - Tru 2 da game Master P - Ghetto D
I've been a fan of the Kidz for a while now, but lately they just havent really been on point. So I havent been posting their stuff... But I'm happy to say that they've got a winner with this one. Semester Abroad is out now. And it's kinda meh. But this is from a new upcoming EP, which will be out this summer...
I dont know who this kid is. I dont know how he managed to grab verses from three emcees of their caliber. And I dont know why he thought that name play off of Curt Cobain was one worth keeping... Just fast forward through the first verse, and enjoy the rest...
The Weeknd is still a bit of a mystery. But I'm hoping that just leads to more music... New joint from the Weeknd. His new mixtape, Thursday, will be out "sooner than you think." Or so he says...
We're getting closer and closer to number 1. But before we get there... We've got to take a pit stop at number 2...
02. Ahmad - Ahmad
In 1994, Ahmad put out his first single, "Back In The Day." This song was immediately my favorite song ever. There was just something about the laid back beat, and that smooth hook that just really grabbed me. And at the time, I was only 8 years old, so I didnt really "get" any of the reference from the song haha. But I loved it, and after taping it off the radio, I spent many-a-days listening to that song on repeat...
Ahmad - Back In The Day
When I convinced my mom to let me sign up for BMG Music Group in middle school (98-99ish), the first two albums I added to my order were Ahmad's "Ahmad," and Skee-Lo's "I Wish." I finally had an outlet to get all of the music that I'd wanted when I was younger. Where the Skee-Lo album didnt hold up as a whole, I couldnt get enough of Ahmad's album. Of course, when I threw the cd on, I went straight to "Back In The Day" (track 2), then went back to track 1, to start the album. I was immediately pulled in to the funk sounds, and awesome story telling...
Ahmad - Freak
The album mixed styles from Hip Hop, to Funk, to Jazz. And Ahmad could rock over all of them, like it was no big deal. The party tracks were just as awesome as the laid back, "meaningful" tracks. The instrumentation was buttery smooth, and if you cant tell from my CLAV tapes with Monk, that laid back smooth sound is what I tend to gravitate towards.
Ahmad - Ordinary People
Ahmad grew up in Los Angeles, so of course he was going to have a story about the environment he was raised in. And although the concept of a "ghetto" was not something I really understood at the time, he was able to paint the picture of his city through his incredible story telling. But he also told it in a way that wasnt glorifying the violence that he came from. Which I kinda felt was easier to relate to...
Ahmad - You Gotta Be...
Through Ahmad's career, this album has always stuck out to me as his best body of work. Although only 10 tracks long (with 2 remixes), his ability to paint a picture with his words was unparalleled to me. And the production was incredible. So whether he was reminiscing about his own childhood, or simply making a song for his homies, Ahmad was one of the illest I'd ever heard do it...
Ahmad - Homeboys First
Ahmad also had a large influence on my own music. The first single from my last mixtape was my homage to "Back In The Day," by the same name, in which I also borrowed the hook. Also, the album was clean. And in my household, there were no curse words on the stereo, so I could (and did) play this album anywhere... One of my other favorites from the album, was "The Jones's" My name is Nick Jones... So, clearly as a kid I felt it necessary to sing this song at all times...
Ahmad - The Jones'
High Point: Back In The Day. I cant help it. I could listen to that song a million times over, and still love it just as much as I did when I was 8 years old. There is just something about that song... Low Point: The Palladium. Although the song has grown on me over the years, it was the one song I used to skip when I first got the album.
If you (like me) dont know who "Ka$hflow" is, listen for the Spitta verse. Chill beat too. Would be dope as a Curren$y solo joint... But alas... In the meantime, they battle for the dollar-sign-name.
EPISODE 41: Singer, songwriter and once (and again?) Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump joins the Hype Men to discuss why he and Lupe Fiasco connect + working with Lil’ Wayne + which DipSet member was supposed to jump on a Fall Out Boy anthem + his ska roots in Chicago + recent projects with Murs and Flo Rida + impressing his girlfriend at a meeting with Jay-Z + much more!
Unfortunately I don't mean it in a "badmeaninggood" kinda way... this beat is/was super ill, and these kids may just be killing it. You be the judge. The new Khaled/Drake/Rick Ross/Weezy beat has spread like wildfire, and 3 people have already hopped on it. Time will only tell how many more we see... But for now...
Crooked I - I'm On One Freestyle
Jim Jones ft. Sen City - I'm On One Freestyle
French Montana - You Owe One
Hit that dislike button... Or I mean, you know... whichever one applies...
Produced by J. Cole. Section 80 coming soon. Super excited for this tape... And I hope he and Cole are still planning on dropping that joint tape as well... TDE, SON!
This next pick is one of the albums in everyone's top 10. All my picks thus far are probably rarely going to come up in someone's top 30....let alone 10. But these have all been selections that have meant the most to me. This is probably the one album (aside from maybe my #6 pick) that are highly praised by the masses. I believe it was one of my older sisters boyfriends that left this TAPE at my house back in 93'. I was only 9-10 years old, and was a highly influenced kid. Praise the Hiff Hof god's that He hadn't left behind Snow's "infromer". I remember first being drawn in by the angry, curse laden delivery. There was no album or sound for that matter that at the time sounded alike it.....
#2 Wu - Tang Clan - Enter The 36 Chambers
BRING DA MOTHERFUCKIN' RUCKUS!!! A 10 year old mexican from a So Cal hood was immediately pulled in. A 9 man crew from Staten Island put together a masterpiece by outdated and budgeted means. Nearly 20 years later, that release hasn't grown tired or lost any of its initial allure. The crew may have faltered and let ego's undermine the clan...but their first effort still stands on its own untarnished and unscathed over time. Here was a group of emcees coming together and creating music that trampled across uncharted territory. They did it the way they wanted and stayed true to themselves. They forced the project down the mainstreams throats and dug out a niche in for themselves. It's rare to get an emcee that is as hungry as the wu tang clan fresh out of the gate....LET ALONE 9 of them all vying for the same jump off verse on a song.
Maybach Music's newest representative drops off a new joint for Maybach Mondays. Soooooooo dope. Seriously, if you're still sleeping on Stalley, you need to try running with scissors around a pool's edge. And the pool's filled with broken glass.
Now, Im not saying Im biased or anything... But basically, I'll post anything from Dungeon Fam. Sleepy Brown returns with a new joint called, "You're My Lady," from his upcoming album, Sex, Drugs & Soul. If you're not a fan of raw vocals over a barely-there-beat, then give this one a pass. But if you like good music, then grab this immediately.
Slum Village alumni, T3, grabs a verse from fellow Detroit emcee, and the late, great J Dilla's little brother. T3's solo album, 3iLLA drops June 21st.
The Procussions front man lets loose of a new joint from his upcoming album, Saudade, which drops June 14th. Joining him on this song, is another Procussions veteran, by the name of Stro (aka Stro The 89th Key). If you dont feel this joint, you probably arent very good at enjoying music.
As Laws preps his new mixtape, Yesterday's Future, he drops off a new joint called Momma Miss America. The full mixtape drops tomorrow, and features Laws rapping over some classic Paul McCartney instrumentals... Should be interesting...
9th Wonder's newest protege Rapsody, links up with PA's own Mac Miller for a smooooooooth new joint. I dont know (or care) how you feel about Mac Miller, but this joint is dope...
In the summer of 2000, I was up late watching music videos (as I had a tendency to do), and I came across an incredible song by a group I was entirely unfamiliar with. I spent the following two weeks hunting down the album in music stores where no one working there seemed to be familiar with the group either. After some work, I finally found the album and upon listening, fell in love with hip hop all over again... That album was...
03. Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
On that late evening, when I first discovered Jurassic 5, the song that caught my attention was this album's title track, "Quality Control." Aside from the fact that the song was something incredibly fresh to me, the video was also super entertaining. But the sound was what really grabbed me. I'd never heard 4 emcees rap a verse in unison, and still so so dope. It showcased them as individuals through each of their solo verses, but also as a full functioning group in the first segment, and the hook.
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
The year 2000 was also the year that I started rapping. Although that's really not too notable, that was the time when I first started paying closer attention to cadence, flow and verse structure. And when it came to those, J5 was leaps and bounds above the Cash Money records that had been piling up in my room... To this day, I credit this album as being the first step I took into the world of "underground/conscious hip hop."
Jurassic 5 - Influence
Aside from the beats, and the technical aspects of the rhyme, another reason I loved the album so much was due to it's content. Their music had meaning and purpose. Songs like, "Contribution," really made me pay attention to the intricacies of the story, and think deeper than the music. Couple that with the amazing production of DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist, and this was just another song that I had on constant repeat...
Jurassic 5 - Contribution
While the album had some throwback sounds, and some deeper lyrics, it also gave everyone something to throw on in the car, and thump while you were cruising. To this day, when I'm putting together a "Cruisin'" playlist on my iPod, I'll add this joint. The crazy schemes, and hype beat are too awesome not to...
Jurassic 5 - The Game
The album as a whole was just something so fresh to me. The perfect blend of old school simplicity with new school flavor. Any rap fan could find at least one beat on the album that would have them going crazy. And the combination of 4 voices into one powerful output was something that was reminiscent of the past, but still so ahead of its time as well. I was blown away by the album when I first heard it, and still love it today...
Jurassic 5 - W.O.E. Is Me (World Of Entertainment)
High Point: Influence. Although Quality Control was my favorite track for a long time, I kinda took more to Influence later. Although I could probably rap both songs front to back... Low Point: Swing Set. Now, dont get me wrong, this is an amazing composition by DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist, but when I bought this album I didnt expect a jazzy 30's style instrumental track. I have grown to appreciate the song, but at the time, I would always skip it...
I swear this is a complete coincidence, but Poet just posted a "random acts of f*ckery" type of post, and here I am to contribute... A good buddy of mine went to college with this rapper named D. Willz, and this is his music video. My friend showed me the video back in March when it first dropped, but I'd forgotten about it until this weekend. The song is kinda not amazing, but the video is incredible. So enjoy. Ironically or not...
After Dead Poet's new favorite R&B singer, The Weeknd, put out his mixtape, House Of Balloons, producer Dviousmindz was so inspired, he decided to create a new beat tape sampling different songs from the mixtape. If you havent heard any of Dviousmindz's past work, do yourself a favor and check out his bandcamp. He's got some dope stuff on there...
Cole said he was gonna give us a new joint, and here it is. Now, I liked "Disgusting," but a lot of people didnt... Hopefully this one goes over better...
I've said a couple times in the past month while doing these write ups that I was a avid No Limit Records heads. I'll stand behind my love for a good deal of the albums that came out between 96-98. To me they had a about 15 albums in that span that are solidified classic joints. It would be hard press to find another non major that can make that claim. I remember for a good year and a half they'd put out a quality album EVERY WEEK. A huge feat, but I think when it was all said and done, that was also a huge part of their downfall. That along with a huge falling out with their distribution deal and of course multiple soldiers dying, convicted of crazy crimes, and just jumping ship. My #3 pick was only half on No Limit. He ran with C Loc and the Concentration Camp. They decided to link up with Master P in Jan of 1998 and put out a Co produced album....
#3 Young Bleed - My Balls & My Word
This album has not only stood the test of time for me and stayed with me throughout the 'phases' and styles that I've preferred. I feel it's gotten better over time...which says a lot because I loved it from the day it came out. The bluesy southern soundscapes paved the way from production like Dj Burn One, K.R.I.T., and Banner just as much as the Dungeon Fam did. The bulk of the production was handled jointly by underrated producer Happy Perez & The Beats Pound stable. The Continuity of each beat painted a PERFECT backdrop for Bleed's laid back delivery. This album won't blow you away lyrically....but it is a prime example of an artist coming together with his producers and making each song with the entire album in mind for the grand scheme of things. Every song is a great song from top to bottom. Music never overpowers the emcee....and the emcee's never over power the production. They compliment each other perfectly, More-so than any other album I've heard. And I'll stand by that statement in any circumstance.
