Saturday, July 19, 2008

Rubberband Stacks of Tracks



If you don't know how I operate when it comes to my music, once I get around to downloading tracks I do it all at once and make myself a new playlist, and I get the chance to, I post the tracks so I'm not the only one enjoying 'em.

I'm letting the readers in on a few of my past playlists since it's been a while. As you scan the last and check the tracks, you might find yourself sayin' that the tracks older, but remember so is the respective playlist.

Without further a due, here are those tracks, and be sure to check out the material I provide for you on the right hand panel.

Old
Busta Rhymes ft. Lil' Wayne, Ludacris - Throw It Up
Busta Rhymes - You Don't Want None
Common ft. Pharrell - Announcement
The Game ft. Keyshia Cole, Jadakiss, Bun B, Pusha T, Fat Joe, Young Buck - Pain Remix
The Game - Dope Boys
Gillie Da Kid - Do Ya Job
Killer Mike - 10 G's
Lil' Wayne - Never Get It
Memphis Bleek - No Drought
Mickey Factz ft. Fresh Daily - Keep Moving
Musiq Soulchild - Radio
Nas - I'm On
Nas - Sly Fox
Nas ft. Chris Brown, The Game - Make The World Go Round
Noreaga ft. Lil' Wayne - Still On The Run
Papoose - Brooklyn
Papoose - Straight Stuntin'
Pharoahe Monch ft. Erykah Badu - The Healer/Hip-Hop Remix
TI - Swing Your Rag
TI - What Up

Older
Busta Rhymes ft. Reek Da Villian, Spliff Star, Lil' Wayne, The Game, Big Daddy Kane - Don't Touch Me Remix
The Clipse - Fast Life
David Banner ft. Lil' Wayne, Busta Rhymes - La La La
DMX ft. Freeway - Where Ya Been
Jadakiss ft. Rashad - Bang, Bang
Jae Millz - That Cash
Kanye West ft. Colin Monroe, Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos, The Clipse, Jay-Z, Wale - Flashing Lights Remix
Lil' Wayne ft. Jay-Z - Mr. Carter
Lil' Wayne ft. Kanye West - Lollipop Remix
Nas - Hero
Rick Ross ft. Pharrell - Get Down
Saigon - Believe It
Styles P ft. Gillie Da Kid - Cannon
Styles P ft. Wyclef Jean - Understand Me
Three 6 Mafia ft. Pimp C - I Got
Young Jeezy ft. Kanye West - Put On

Oldest
Ace Hood ft. Rick Ross, T Pain, DJ Khaled - Cash Flow
Busta Rhymes - Where My Money
The Game ft. Keyshia Cole - Pain
The Game ft. Lil' Wayne - Who Run It
Hot Rod ft. Akon, Freeway - Hustleman
Lil' Flip ft. Jay-Z - Deep In The South
Papoose - Die Like A G
Pharoahe Monch - Broken Heart
The Roots ft. Dice Raw, Wahud Ahmad - The Grand Return
Swizz Beatz - Where The Cash At
TI - No Matter What
Young Buck - All Eyes On Me
Young Buck - My Interview



I should have one more playlist post for you lucky readers in a few days, plus I'll be working on starting up my Top 10 list yet again.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

What Else Should A Brotha Do


Some call it hipster rap, others call it alternative. Whatever it is, Kidz In The Hall are a talented underground rap duo that have been putting out solid music since 2006. Earlier this year, they released the song Driving Down The Block, off The In Crowd, that I immediately saw as a certified banger.

I wasn't the only one with these positive thoughts, though. Rappers from every walk of the industry became interested in this jam and the group began to release a series of remixes, all of which I've brought to you today. Each of these following tracks have been boasted by the last few of my playlists.

Kidz In The Hall - Drivin' Down The Block
The song that made it all possible.

Kidz In The Hall ft. El-P - Drivin' Down The Block Remix
Rapper, producer, and founder of the Def Jux label, El-P, took the song, added his own verses, and flipped the beat to release an independent rap take on the track.

Kidz In The Hall ft. Pusha T of The Clipse, Bun B, The Cool Kids - Drivin' Down The Block Remix
This was the first remix to take major rappers and make this song all too hot. Note that two of the featured artists here are also featured on my Go Hard post.

Kidz In The Hall ft. Pacific Division, Tyga, Glasses Malone, Mistah F.A.B. - Driving Down The Block Remix
The final and most recent remix to date takes a West Coast twist on the track. This version features the most obscure rapping additions but the Left Coast feel is a nice touch.


This is all for the first post of many.
Much more to come, soon.

We Got It For Cheap


More specifically, we got it for free - freestyles that is.

These aren't freestyles in the sense that the artists are posted on the block rap battlin' off the top of their heads. These freestyles are when a rapper takes another brotha's track and spits a new verse over it. They might be doing this to bank off the tracks established popularity, because they liked the beat, or because they though they could do they track better than the original. Below are a few recent ones I've been listening to.

Joell Ortiz - Summertime In Brooklyn Freestyle :: One of the most unappreciated lyricists today.
Papoose - Live and Learn Freestyle :: Keep 'em comin', Pap.
Chamillionaire - Hero Freestyle :: Decent, but doesn't hold a candle to the Nas original.
Freeway - Hero Freestyle :: I needed to have this addition after the original post because Free goes that hard.
Peedi Crakk - Dey Know Freestyle :: Peedi Peedi > Shawty Lo.
Skyzoo - Dear Summer Freestyle :: Hipster rapper does well on Jay's older track.


And everyone and their mom did a freestyle over Dwayne's A Milli. This is a very small selection of 'em, and the winner is Jay.
Chamillionaire - A Milli Freestyle
Fabolous - A Milli Freestyle
Chris Brown - A Milli Freestyle
Jay-Z - A Billi

Grade-A Beef


G- G- G- G-unit is ga- ga- ga- grudging.

This all started when Fifty decided that it would be a smart move to kick another, more-talented artist out of his gang of rappers (i.e. The Game). He went and released Young Buck and then proceeded to show how much of a fool he was by starting beef with the former clique member.

As I recently informed you in my post, Go Hard, this down-south gangsta is rapping better than he's ever been, so he wasn't the best target for Curtis to attack, but to him the plan seemed full-proof. He released a year-old, taped cellphone conversation between him and Young Buck where Buck got emotional over his status in G-Unit to prove how much tougher he was than Nashville rapper.

In response, Young Buck, aided by The Game, lyrically tore 50 to shreads and left him a failure, and I believe Buck said it best when he stated, "The only people that tape conversations is 5-0."


Young Buck - The Taped Conversation
The Game - Taped Convo
Bonus: Young Buck - Terminate On Sight

Ready For Lift Off

A recurring theme in the world of rap and hip-hop is spittin' rhymes and metaphors about space and all things unearthly. These tracks aren't secluded to underground, nerdy rap artists and tracks. We see even mainstream and gangsta rappers with out of this word phraseology.

Extraterrestrials
Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
DangerDoom - Space Ho's Remix
Deltron 3030 - Positive Contact
Jedi Mind Trick ft. Binary Star - Masters of the Universe

A More Familiar Species
Common ft. Pharrell - Universal Mind Control
Gucci Mane - My Plug Is An Alien
Lil' Wayne - Phone Home
Young Jeezy ft. Fabo - Spaceships on Bankhead

Go Hard

It's been way too long since I last hooked my readers up with what's hot and let 'em know what's not, and I'm going to try my best to make up for all that I have missed. Below, I've featured a few artists that I think are going real hard right now, in no particular order. These songs that I'm hooking you up with below fall into some of the playlist posts I plan on hittin' you up with soon.

Young Buck
I feel like since he was kicked out of the Unit, he has become a completely different rapper. His verses hit so much harder, everything about it is so much rawer, and you really get a feel for him as an individual rapper. He's regained his creative license and is no longer held back by those who have fallen off.
Soundscan
I'm Out Here
Move On
My Whole Life
The Cool Kids
These dudes keep peaking my interest with every jam they release. Each song has it's own individual retro feel that the duo consistently sticks to through both the beats and the bars, plus it helps to have a wardrobe this tight. From their newest EP, The Back Sale, to the recently downloaded That's Stupid Mixtape, Chuck and Mikey keep me wanting more. Who else could rap about bikes and Nikes and keep it so fresh?
Unos
A Little Bit Cooler
Mikey Rocks
Black Mags
Pump Up The Volume Remix
That's Stupid Mixtape
Rhapsody Commercial
Pharrell and N.E.R.D
After Mr. William's break from his group to explore a solo career, he returned to his funk/rock/dance/alternative/soul/experimental/hip-hop roots to begin work on the band's third full length album, Seeing Sounds. The overwhelming description of their style that I just left you with is the soul reason that their sound is so nice right now. I mean, it doesn't hurt to have a group that is two-thirds comprised of the production greats, The Neptunes. N*E*R*D is going hard right now and in a completely different respect than any other artist on this list.
Spazz
Lazer Gun Carying
Everyone Nose
Everyone Nose Remix (ft. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Pusha T of The Clipse)
Young Chris
You may or may not remember Young Chris as one half of the Roc-A-Fella rap duo, The Young Gunz (see Can't Stop, Wont Stop). Althought the group's commercial success was somewhat short lived, they remained on the label and recently, Young C started releasing a series of solo tracks. He, also, apparently plans on releasing his debut solo album this year, that I would definitely be interested in getting a hold of. His Philly roots are reflected in his lyricism that, I think, sometimes parallels the style of a young Jay-Z, himself.
Paradise (ft. Lil' Wayne)
You Don't Even Know
Party
Ride Out
Wale
This cat is the first rapper out of the DC/Maryland/Virginia area in a while to have potential to rise to national popularity in the industry since The Clipse and Pharrell. He's had the internet goin' nuts for a while now, and this online popularity has caught the ear of other respectful artists who featured him on a couple songs and got him some further recognition. His witty wordplay, unique delivery, and upbeat rhyme patterns make most every track he releases enjoyable.
Mr. Carter Freestyle
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (ft. Skyzoo)
Whole Time (ft. Young Chris)
The Crazy
Bun B
Bun B has been a highly respected rapper in the South for a long while now for his involvement in the Underground Kingz, or UGK, with the late Pimp C. The group had been putting out music solid music since 1987 - before I was born - but, sadly, it was after the passing of Bun's groupmate and long-time friend that he really began to shine. Jumping on featured track after track, he tore up countless verses, and with the release of his second solo album, II Trill, he solidified his place on this featured artist post.
Damn, I'm Cold (ft. Lil' Wayne)
Swang On 'Em (ft. Lupe Fiasco)
That's Gangsta (ft. Sean Kingston)
You're Everything (ft. Rick Ross, David Banner, 8 Ball & MJG)

Remember to check the plenty of upcoming posts.