The Philly Freezer

Since Jay-Z was clearly the face of the Roc-A-Fella dynasty, a lot of people tend to forget that Freeway produced one of the best albums to come out during that era. Philadelphia Freeway was a heater from start to finish, thanks to his gruff flow along with production from Kanye, Just Blaze, and Bink!. Recently, he released the video for his new single "Let You Know," off his upcoming EP, Freedom of Speech, which is sure to be hot. Check it out...





Bonus: One of the all-time best Roc-A-Fella tracks, "What We Do"

A New Direction

We've decided to switch things up a bit, here at "From A Young G's Perspective." When you're sitting on a wealth of musical knowledge, it's no fun to keep it to yourself-- you've gotta share it with the people. So, from now on we will be posting everything from Hip Hop to House... just overall great music. 

First up is the new mixtape from British Dubstep DJ, Jakwob. You may have heard his remix of Ellie Goulding's "Starry Eyed," which is a banger. I've been bumping this 24/7 since I downloaded it, especially the spaced out jam, "Slaves." The entire 'tape is pure class, enjoy.

In the Studio Pt. 1: Just Blaze Smack DVD Edition

One of the ways I prefer to waste time on Youtube is to search for production videos from my favorite producers. Just Blaze has long been one of such producers, and to me, his sound is Hip Hop in its perfect form. He always keeps the essence of it in place, but makes his music so that is accessible to the casual music fan, as well as the die-hards like myself (case in point: Lord Knows). Back around '05, Just did a demonstation for SMACK DVD-Magazine of his process in the studio, which basically consists of finding a hot sample, adding drums, etc. Obviously there is much more that goes into the process ("by the time I'm finished it'll be a whole different monster"), but you can get the jist of what it's like from the video below...

That's Kinda Awkword

Whenever I see a new joint from Sean Price, I know that I've gotta check it out- the dude always brings it on the mic. As if I needed any more reason to listen to this, it's also worth noting that Harry Fraud, the NY-based producer best known for "Shot Caller," is behind the boards yet again. Even though I've never heard of Awkword, if he continues to release songs like this, I'd be more than happy to keep listening.

"Shot Caller (Remix)"

Below is the video for Awkword's "Bars & Hooks," which is NY music at its finest.

The Return of 50 Cent?

50's been awfully quiet of late, probably due to the reported tension between himself and Interscope records. I haven't kept up with this story as much as I should have, but last I heard, 50 was disappointed with the lack of support that he received on his last album Before I Self Destruct. All that aside, he's coming out with a brand new DJ Drama-hosted 'tape called The Lost Tape, which hopefully will be pretty dope. 50 rarely disappoints with mixtapes, especially since he's basically the godfather of them. Below is the first leak, "Remain Calm," which definitely reminds me of the 50 of old.

50 Cent (feat. Snoop Dogg)- "Remain Calm"

Bonus: one of my all-time favorite 50 tracks, "Hustler's Ambition"

Mr. Evans' Most Anticipated Albums of 2012: Live from the Underground

I won't lie, when I first heard about Big K.R.I.T., I completely judged him and figured he was just another Southern Hip Hop "rapper." However, all that changed when I was in the car bumpin' shade45, and "Country Shit (Remix)" came on. I immediately scrunched up my face and mean-mugged uncontrollably for the 4 minutes that ensued. As soon as the DJ said, "that was that brand new Big K.R.I.T., 'Country Shit (Remix)'", I knew I had to investigate. I immediately downloaded his first mixtape "K.R.I.T. Wuz Here," and the mixtape that he had just released at that time, "Return of 4Eva." To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement; K.R.I.T. brought me back to the days of Pimp C, with his funky, yet soulful southern-flavored Hip Hop. K.R.I.T., who is now signed to Def Jam, is due to release his upcoming album Live from the Underground in July. Details have been few and far between, but it's certain that he'll bring the heat.

Album Release Date: Summer 2012

If you haven't heard K.R.I.T.'s newest mixtape, 4Eva N A Day, check it out below.
Big K.R.I.T.- 4Eva N A Day

The People's Champ

If you don't know about D.I.T.C. (otherwise known as Diggin' In The Crates), you need to brush up on your Hip Hop history. Comprised of some of the greatest talent in Hip Hop, including, Showbiz & AG, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Fat Joe, O.C., Buckwild, and Big L, they were probably second only to Wu-Tang, in terms of collective talent. Below, I posted the song "Way of Life," by D.I.T.C., which many of you may recognize. Recently, O.C. released a song "People's Champ," which knocks with a dirty, old-school organ leading the way. The track is off of his new album Trophies, which is entirely produced by Apollo Brown. Check that out below the D.I.T.C. video.

You Best Be On Your A-Game

While I was perusing through 2dopeboyz, which has long been one of my favorite Hip Hop blogs, I stumbled across a video called "Cool Boyz," by a Toronto-based group called A-Game. What really caught my eye was that it was produced by T-Minus, who is one of Drake's go-to producers. T-Minus has crafted some fire beats recently, including, "We'll Be Fine," "Underground Kings," and "Make Me Proud," off of Take Care. This track has his signature sound, and manages to showcase the talented newcomers from Toronto.

An Intro to Flosstradamus

Just recently, a friend of mine introduced me to Flosstradamus- the Chicago DJs signed to A-Trak's Fool's Gold record label. I was impressed with what I heard, but kind of forgot about them not long after that. Now, they've teamed up with Charlotte, NC rapper Deniro Farrar to create a spaced-out track similar to what you'd hear from Drake and Noah "40" Shebib (think along the lines of "Club Paradise," and "Successful," with their spaced out sounds and Lo-Fi drums). This is definitely a pleasant surprise, and I'll be sure to pay more attention to upcoming releases from these guys.

Deniro Farrar x Flosstradamus- "Look At the Sky"

And Of Course N-A-S Are The Letters That Spell NaS

NaS is one of the greatest MCs of all time, but he has long been plagued by poor beat selection. In my opinion, he should have had 3 Illmatics by now, but mediocre beats have held him back. Hopefully this time around with his upcoming album, Life Is Good, things will be different. The Salaam Remi-produced first single, "Nasty," was a nice taste of the sound NaS is going for on the new album; he seems to be back in that raw Hip Hop zone that fans have been waiting for. With production from Swizz Beatz, DJ Premier, Alchemist, RZA, Kanye, and Bangladesh, hopefully NaS can finally put out an album that actually lives up to the expectations.



NaS- "Daughters" (prod. by No I.D.) *props to Rap Radar*

Here's the video for "Nasty" for those who haven't seen it...

Mr. Evans' Most Anticipated Albums of 2012: Good Kid in a Mad City

I honestly cannot remember the last time I've been this excited about an up-and-coming artist. Kendrick Lamar has everything you look for in an artist- charisma, lyrics, a great vocal tone, excellent songwriting... he is the complete package. If you haven't heard Section.80, which was one of the best albums of 2011, you are definitely behind. What is perhaps most fascinating about Kendrick is his ambiguous sound, despite the fact that he's a Compton native. Section.80 had a diverse array of tracks, with a few jazz-type records that really showcased Kendrick's lyrical dexterity. Most everyone has heard "Rigamortis," but if you haven't, you can check it out below. 

Recently, Kendrick has been in the studio with the legendary Dr. Dre, and it's been reported that they've worked on about 30 songs together, which sounds like a dream come true for Hip Hop fans. Kendrick has also been ghostwriting for Dr. Dre's now mythological album, "Detox," but perhaps he can spark that fire under Dre, to get him to finally release the album to the general public. The Scoop DeVille-produced first single, "The Recipe," will appear on Good Kid in a Mad City, and it is as smooth as you'd expect it to be. Dr. Dre drops in for a couple verses, but it is more notable that he mixed the final track, giving it those heavy drums that we've come to expect from anything mixed/produced by Dr. Dre. I have no doubt that Kendrick's debut album will live up to the hype.

Album Release Date: Summer 2012

Black Milk On Tour

Black Milk, who's been one of the best producer/MC's in the underground for years now, was recently out west for his "Claps and Slaps" tour, and made a pit-stop at a record store to get his fingers dusty. Crate digging has long been a staple within the Hip Hop community, especially among sample-based producers like Black Milk. He's known for picking out obscure samples and flippin' them into raw, uncut tracks, so it's cool to see him in his natural environment. Check out the video below...

Straight West Coastin'

It's been a while since we've heard anything new from Nate Dogg's estate, as the legendary hook-man passed away over a year ago. However, we're now blessed to have some wonderful G-Funk from the great Warren G, The Game, and Nate Dogg on the hook. It's a very West Coast affair, with a sparse, well-mixed beat akin to Dr. Dre, or DJ Quik. Hopefully we'll hear more from Nate Dogg soon, with future releases from Warren G and Kendrick Lamar dropping in the coming months.

Warren G (feat. Nate Dogg & The Game)- "Party We Will Throw Now"

The Original Dom Kennedy

Brand new Dom Kennedy mixtape, just dropped today. FutureSex/DrugSounds is still one of my favorite mixtapes of the past few years. If you're not up on Dom, here's your chance to listen to one of the more talented up-and-coming rappers in the game. I haven't listened to this tape yet, but if it's anywhere near as good as FS/DS, that would be a WIN.

Dom Kennedy- The Original Dom Kennedy

Throwback: The Notorious B.I.G.- "One More Chance"

Seeing as today marks the day Biggie was taken away from us (R.I.P. May 21st, 1972 - March 9th, 1997), I felt it was only fitting to make today's throwback in his honor. To this day, I still believe Biggie was the greatest MC of all time. His lyrics, flow, delivery, and tone of voice were all top-notch, and the man made hits for days. All this on top of the fact that he delivered a classic album (Ready to Die), and a near-classic as well (Life After Death), it makes it hard to dispute the man's greatness and the impact he had in such a short amount of time. "One More Chance" is just one of the many amazing songs in his catalogue, but I always seem to come back to this one because of the iconic image of him sitting on the staircase, plus the overall legendary aspect of the song.

The Race

Finally... a song off of Wiz's album that I can bump. I love the kid's mixtapes, but some of the stuff I've been hearing of late has been a little too commercial for my personal taste. Wiz claims "The Race" is his favorite song off the album, and although I haven't heard his new LP, I'd say he has good reason to make this statement- it's a real smooth beat, akin to something you might hear on Kush & OJ, so give it a listen...

Wiz Khalifa- "The Race" (props to nahright.com for the DL link)

Act II... Coming Soon

Although we still don't have a release date for Act II, Jay Elect decided to release a promo video for his upcoming highly anticipated mixtape. If the music reflects the effort that it appears he's putting into this project, I have no problem waiting a little bit longer until it drops. 'Til then, enjoy this visual of the making of what is assumed to be one of the songs on Act II.

Push A Ton

With only a few weeks until Pusha T unleashes his Fear of God mixtape, he's making a full court press in terms of getting the word out about his new venture with G.O.O.D. Music. Complex Magazine (which I'm convinced is one of the top publications in the world, now) did a comprehensive preview of the mixtape, which I couldn't be more excited about. With features and production from Pharrell, 50 Cent, Rick Ross, and Kanye, this could end up being one of the top releases of the year. You can check out the preview here.

Here's another leak off of Fear of God called "Cook It Down," which uses the instrumental of the Bun B and Drake-assisted song, "Put It Down." Be on the lookout for the 'tape to drop on March 21st.

Pusha T- "Cook It Down" (props to nahright.com for the DL link)

Throwback: Jadakiss- "We Gonna Make It"

I hate to go on a rant right now, but just listening to this song really brought somethin outta me. They just do not make jams like this anymore... everything is so manufactured- as NaS would say, "No Ideas Original." These days, it's basically grab Alex Da Kid or Lex Lugar to produce the track, and add some sing-a-long hook, and who cares about the content.

This right here though, is absolutely timeless... probably my favorite Jadakiss song, and a banger of a beat from The Alchemist, who I still think is way too underrated as a producer. I apologize that the video is censored, but if you want to check out the explicit version, I'm sure you can find it laying around the internet somewhere.

*by the way, pretty hilarious that Jalen Rose makes a cameo appearance from 3:03-3:06 lol

Throwback: Shyne- "Bad Boyz"

Before he got locked up, Shyne was without a doubt one of the most hardcore MCs in the game. His story is classic- legendary DJ, Clark Kent, discovered him freestyling in a barbershop. Clark noted how unique Shyne's voice was, and how it was so similar to that of the late Notorious B.I.G. "Bad Boyz" is one of the most gully songs you'll ever hear, with Barrington Levy doing his "jamaican wail" all over the track, and an incredibly sparse beat that leaves room for Shyne to get as raw as possible.

Rich & Black

Nasir Jones left a lot of people disappointed, including myself, when he failed to make an appearance on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. 2. After all, NaS and Rae teamed up for one of the greatest Hip Hop songs of all time, "Verbal Intercourse." Many yearned for a "Verbal Intercourse 2," and in many ways, "Rich & Black" serves as just that. While it may not be the lyrical display that "Intercourse" was, "Rich & Black" does present two of Hip Hop's finest MCs doing what they do best over an incredibly dope beat. Be on the lookout for Raekwon's new album, Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang, which drops on March 8th.

Raekwon feat. NaS- "Rich & Black" (prod. by Sean C & LV) [props to 2dopeboyz for the DL link]

OFWGFTA

Odd Future is a hip-hop collective based out of California who are everything that the rap industry is not. That is where a lot of their appeal comes from, though. A lot of the subject matter is darker, almost a la a 90's Eminem at times, but their delivery is definitely up to par with other young artists. Tyler, The Creator is the originator of the Odd Future clique.

Impressively enough, all of his music and videos are produced and directed by him. After being introduced to his music, I took the time to research some of Tyler and OFWGFTA's back catalog and I was impressed by the music as well as the message.

He recently released a video for his new song Yonkers, and made the Odd Future television debut on Jimmy Fallon with Hodgy Beats not long ago, wiling out and performing the song Sandwiches. The Yonkers video is wild, with an obscurely dark side, but it is done incredibly well. The attention the video has received is just evidence of the potential Tyler has to really break out. He recently signed to XL Recordings for a one album deal, keeping full creative control of Goblin, due out in April. Check out the video and links for a couple songs below.

Yonkers

Sandwiches ft. Hodgy Beats

AssMilk ft. Earl Sweatshirt

Rock Life, Every Night

This video had me captivated for the whole five-plus. The use of the flashing lights and colors throughout the video was pretty epic. I have to admit that I didn't know what to expect when the video first began, but I must say I am not disappointed with what Kanye West and Hype Williams put together. The visual for the song, off Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, also features appearences from Rihanna and KiD CuDi.

Word Around Town

Dr. Dre's young co-sign strikes again. This time, Kendrick Lamar recruited the help of Gucci Mane on the hook to revisit a former track. Through his lyrics, Kendrick addresses the materialism of life on the track Vanity Slave Pt. 2, embracing the positives and the negatives.

"Found my swag, but lost my roof."

-Gucci Mane

Speaking of Gucci, I am looking forward to hearing the work that he is supposedly doing with Wiz. In other relevant collab news, we can expect a project featuring both Kendrick and my man J. Cole, who is said to both produce and rap on the mixtape.

Vanity Slave Pt. 2

That's Really Raw

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a sucker for a smooth Pharrell hook. That's exactly what P creatively gives us on a new track from Tyga that he fully laces with a bumping Neptune track. The rapper, hailing from Compton, peppered the track with a few other Cali rappers, and he couldn't have chosen better. The Game and Snoop give this Young Money rapper's track a harder sound that we might not be used to from the dude who came out with Coconut Juice.

Really Raw

Perfectionists

Say what you will about Rick Ross, but over the past 2-3 years the guy has been one of the most consistent rappers out there. Trilla had jams, Deeper Than Rap was a step up, and Teflon Don essentially sealed the deal that the man is one of the hottest rappers in the game. Although his flow has undoubtedly improved, the one area where he consistently outshines the competition is beat-selection. With "Perfectionists," it's no different... The Alchemist steps behind the boards and laces Ross with an absolute heater. Rozay and Meek Mill trade bars over what I think is probably the dopest song out right now.

Rick Ross feat. Meek Mill- "Perfectionists" (prod. by The Alchemist)

For The Ladies

I guess I'm just in one of those moods. Check out the awesome J. Cole track off his most recent mixtape, Friday Night Lights. I can't wait for this kids debut album, due out later this year. The song features a verse from none other than Drizzy Drake, and you can check out the video below, as well.

In The Morning

Train Lights

I definitely deserve a late pass with Gilbere Forte', but if the kid keeps releasing music like this, I will absolutely put more time into his music. "Train Lights" is one of the best songs I've heard in 2011, thanks in large part to the production supplied by Bink!, one of Roc-A-Fella's go-to producers back in the day. Bink! produced three songs on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, and most recently produced Kanye's song, "Devil In A New Dress," and Rick Ross' song, "Cigar Music." That said, Gilbere holds it down on the track and spits some dope lines.

For more info, check out his twitter page here.

Gilbere Forte'- "Train Lights" (prod. by Bink!) [props to 2dopeboyz.com for the DL link]

Throwback: DJ Kay Slay- "Too Much For Me"

Back in 2003, Kay Slay teamed up with NYC-based rapper Loon & Amerie to release a single called "Too Much For Me," off of his compilation album Streetsweeper Vol. 1. The song was hot, but it went way under the radar and a lot of people missed it for one reason or another. I remember seeing it on MTV (back when they used to play music videos), and thinkin' that the song was hot (and it didn't hurt that Amerie was lookin real nice in the video). If you've never seen it, check it out- there's a good chance you'll find yourself humming it for the rest of the day.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Considering the holiday, I decided it would be a perfect time to revisit some great music. If you haven't heard it, U-N-I's A Love Supreme 2.0 is an excellent combination of RO Blvd's hard=hitting, progressive beats and Y-O and Thurz's delivery that has an almost old-school appeal.

A Love Supreme 2.0