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]