Crowd Control

Mr. Evans recently threw up a new track from the underground rap group Kidz In The Hall, featuring the lyrical stylings of Naledge and the production of Double O. The group is touring to promote their upcoming album Land of Make Believe, which was released March 9th.

They are currently performing with the likes of fellow rappers Donnis, who was recently admitted to XXL's 2010 Freshman Class, Izza Kizza, and 88-Keys. Together with Kidz In The Hall, they released a track titled after their tour, Crowd Control.

Kidz In The Hall ft. Donnis, 88-Keys, Izza Kizza - Crowd Control

I'm also hitting you guys up with another track off their album which features Chip Tha Ripper and Donnis as well. Fresh Academy may be a track all about boasting and bragging, but they make their point clear.

Kidz In The Hall ft. Chip Tha Ripper, Donnis - Fresh Academy

Slaughterhouse Showcase

For those of your that are not familiar with Slaughterhouse, they are the "rap supergroup" made up of undergroup spitters Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce da 5'9". They formed late in 2008 after they all appeared together on the Joe Budden album Halfway House, on the song Slaughterhouse.

They released their self titled album to the acclaim of many. Each member of the group feeds off each other to create an album which I can listen to practically beginning to end. They have all been releasing a lot of freestyles over tracks for mixtapes and many just for the fans.

This featured track is a freestyle over Lloyd Bank's Beamer, Benz, or Bentley. Joell had his own freestyle over it entitled Nissan, Honda Chevy, while Joey linked up with Royce on the song New York, Jersey, Philly. This "mash-up" combines Joey and Joell's verse to give us an end product that is the best of both worlds.

Nissan Honda Chevy vs. New York, Jersey, Philly

Bonus: Lloyd Banks ft. Juelz Santana - Beamer, Benz, or Bentley

I Said I Would Do It

After a year of waiting, I finally found the opportunity to see B.o.B in concert, especially since we are on the heels of the release of his debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray set for release April 27th. He is currently touring with Lupe Fiasco and the two are set the play the House of Blue's in Boston the first week in April.

I can't express how excited I am. B.o.B has an energy to his rap game, like many up and coming acts, and I imagine that his live performance will more than meet my expectations. Below I am posting a track by Bobby Ray that is supposedly a track done about three years ago. I find it hard to believe a track like this couldn't have gotten him exposure a few years ago. With T Pain at the track and at the heat of his popularity, I would have believed a track like this could have gained well-deserved popularity.

B.o.B ft. T Pain - Trunk Band

The Hustla

Cassidy is the kind of rapper that will come with something real tight every once in a while and cruises under the radar in between big tracks. He puts out constant fire mostly due to his quick-tongued delivery that stems from his history of being a freestyle rapper.

He recently teamed up with the production talents of Swizz Beatz to put out this club track Henny n Bacardi. Swizz has a standard hook that keeps you moving in between verses and the energy of the production is off the charts. Cassidy comes hard, switching up the flow, and he does not disappoint.

Cassidy ft. Swizz Beatz - Henny n Bacardi

I also decided to post a Cass song that I came across while shuffling through my library. I wanted to reliberate this track that has a similar energy. It seems like him and Cory Gunz mesh so well together because of their similar flow. The track ends amazingly with The Hustla flowing even after the beat cuts off. tEnjoy.

Cassidy ft. Cory Gunz - Body Bags

Comedian Cam

I'm convinced that if Cam'Ron wasn't a rapper, the dude would be a comedian. Time after time he drops absolute gems of hilarity. Case in point with this new song from Cam and his partner in crime, Vado, called "Amber Lamps." Apparently the song is off of his new mixtape, Boss of All Bosses 2, which has suffered quite a few push-backs. If you don't understand the sheer genius of this song title, let me paint the picture for you. Better yet, just watch the video...

If you didn't catch it, after the dude gets socked in the mouth, he says "bring the ambulance."

However, due to his accent, in addition to his cut lip, it sounds more like "bring da amba lamps."

Of course, it was only a matter of time until Cam made a song about this...

"Amber Lamps"

Also, another classic Cam moment was when he went on Bill O'Reilly's show with Dame Dash.

Dame actually presents a pretty valid argument, but Cam pretty much makes a mockery out of

the whole thing. Needless to say, it's a must-see.

Where I'm From, Marcy Son, Ain't Nothin' Nice

"Where I'm From" is without a doubt one of my favorite Jay-Z songs. It's gotta be the hardest beat Jay's ever rapped over, and you can feel the menace of the projects just listening to this classic. When I saw that Amen-Ra, a member of Diddy's production team, The Hitmen, made a video describing how he created "Where I'm From," I knew I had to post this. I'm a sucker for watching production "how to" videos. There are tons of them all over youtube, including ones with Black Milk, 9th Wonder, The Heatmakerz, D.R. Period, and Just Blaze, so I'll be sure to post some of those in the future.

Those Silly Kids...

Naledge and Double O, also known collectively as Kidz in the Hall, are far from one of my favorite groups, but I will say they have released some pretty solid songs over the past few years. Their 2006 album, School Was My Hustle, was definitely overlooked and is absolutely worth checking out. Their newest CD, Land of Make Believe, drops tomorrow, and hopefully they can move some units. The latest single is the Just Blaze and Colin Munroe assisted "Take Over the World." It's co-produced by Double O and Just Blaze, and Mr. Munroe takes care of the hook. The track is dope, so check it out.

"Take Over the World"

REvolutions Per Minute

I don't care what anyone says, Kweli and Hi-Tek are near the top of the list when it comes to producer/MC duos in Hip Hop. Their chemistry is simply undeniable, whether you take their first album, Train of Thought, or any of the other songs they've collaborated on, the finished product is always top-notch. Now, with the album on deck for April 20th, we have the official first single and accompanying video. The song is real hot, and Hi-Tek laced this beat. Talib, as usual, comes with enough bars to satisfy any Hip Hop head.

"In This World"

Here's the official video for "In This World"... get ready for April 20th

The Young Spitter That Everybody in Rap Fear

And here it is, the first single off of Drake's debut album Thank Me Later, "Over." I've listened to this song quite a few times, and it's definitely growing on me even though the hook is sub-par. The beat is an absolute heater thanks to Boi-1da, and Drake brings it for the most part. Drake's verses do the job, and I'm really feelin' the song, but the hook is a bit of a letdown. I will say the one aspect I'm very pleased with is that he came with some heat... something that's got a little heavier vibe, and isn't so lighthearted like "Best I Ever Had."

Before this single was released I was definitely worried about the direction of Drake's debut album. I'm still not entirely convinced that it will be anything but a mainstream shit-sandwich of an album, however, this is more along the lines I was looking for out of the kid. There's no doubt Drake is talented, but I'd hate to see him put together an album full of radio cuts with The Dream and other pop music regulars.

"Over"

There's Still No Competition

At long last, the highly anticipated follow up to Fabolous' There Is No Competition mixtape has finally dropped. Hosted by DJ Drama and his Gangsta Grillz series, Fab has unleashed There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service. I haven't had the opportunity to listen to this tape yet, but if it's anything like the 1st Competition, it's gonna be fire. Fab is one of the illest MC's out there. It's unfortunate that he hasn't been able to put together a full, cohesive album, but the dude has hits for days.

There Is No Competition 2

We Form Like Voltron

Fresh off the press, Rae, Ghost, and Meth have hit us with the latest fire off of their Wu Massacre album. "Criminology 2.5" is a remade, properly mixed version of the leak of "Criminology 2" from late 2009. Originially, it was thought that "Criminology 2" would appear on Rae's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, but it appears that Method Man has added a third verse to the song which is now dropping on Wu Massacre. The song instantly brings back memories of the first Cuban Linx album, but with an updated feel.

"Criminology 2.5"

Also, check out the tracklist for Wu Massare, which looks beyond dope...

1) Criminology 2.5 (feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man)

2) Mef Vs. Chef (feat. Rhythm Roots Allstars) [prod. by Allah Mathematics]

3) Ya Moms skit (feat. Method Man & Raekwon)

4) Smooth Sailing Remix (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Solomon Childs & Streetlife) [prod. by Ty Fyffe]

5) Our Dreams (feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man) [prod. by RZA]

6) Gunshowers (feat. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck & Sun God) [prod. by Digem Tracks Productions]

7) Dangerous (feat. Rhythm Roots Allstars) [prod. by Allah Mathematics]

8) Pimpin' Chipp (feat. Rhythm Roots Allstars) [prod by. E Meal]

9) How to Pay Rent skit (feat. Tracy Morgan)

10) Miranda (feat. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man) [prod. by Allah Mathematics]

11) Youngstown Heist (feat. Trife, Sheek & Bully) [prod. by Scram Jones]

12) It's That Wu Shit (feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man) [prod. by Scram Jones]

Wu Massacre drops March 30th... support good music and cop it

Miscellaneous Post of the Day

If there's one thing that I despise about the music industry, it's when labels try and tell artists how to make their music. As if the artist doesn't know their audience well enough. Obviously there are certain demographics that you want to reach out to, but at the end of the day if the artist is top-notch, case in point with Lupe Fiasco, let the artist do their thing. Long story short, Lupe turned in his album to Atlantic recently, and apparently they handed it back to him asking him to make some "changes." In my opinion, just let the man do his job and make great music... he clearly knows what he's doing. Anyways, you can read Lupe's full account of the situation here.

In the coming days, I'm going to post the next entry into the "Behind the Boards" series. Part 6, which will feature none other than the lengendary DJ Premier, will be one of the best yet. Premo is widely regarded as the king of Hip Hop production, and when he speaks, you best listen. Recently, he was on Sean C & LV's (two members of Diddy's production crew, The Hitmen) radio show discussing the art of sampling in Hip Hop culture. As a fan of sample-based beats, I found it pretty interesting and felt it should be shared...

'Cause DJ Quik's More Gifted Than Santa

If there's one producer/artist who doesn't get the attention he deserves, it has to be DJ Quik. Quik has been killin' it for years, and is one of my favorite producers (he, too, will get his own post for "Behind the Boards"). Quik, like Dr. Dre, is not only known for his production abilities, but his immaculately clear and crisp mixes. Unfortunately, until Quik teamed up with fellow West Coast MC, AMG, a lot of people my age had not heard of him. Together as The Fixxers, Quik and AMG released "Can U Werk With Dat," which ended up becoming a pretty popular song. My favorite song that they released together was "Trouble," which was and still is a dope track. I've posted the video for it, below...

The main reason I decided to do a post on DJ Quik is a few months ago he and Kurupt, of The Dogg Pound, released an album called BlaQKout, to some pretty rave reviews. It seems to have flown under the radar, so I felt it was only right to give a solid album and a legend in the game some shine.

DJ Quik & Kurupt- "9x's Outta 10"

DJ Quik & Kurupt- "Do You Know"

The Energy You Givin' Off Is So Unfamiliar

If there's one man keeping Hip Hop from becoming tired and stale, it has to be Jay Electronica. If you've been keeping up with us, you've probably noticed that The Orlando Magic and myself are pretty big fans of this guy. "Exhibit A" was my favorite Hip Hop song of 2008, and the same can be said of "Exhibit C" for 2009, so it felt only right to post two recent videos of these two songs.

A month ago, a short teaser was released for "Exhibit A." I thought it was dope the first time I saw it, but the more I revisited it, the more it grew on me. It seems that the video features the same footage that was used for the "Dear Moleskin" preview, but it's cool nonetheless.

Apparently Jay Elec was over in Europe, and there are various videos/pictures of him playing in Lon

don and Amsterdam recently. I decided to post a vid of him performing "Exhibit C" while he was

in Amsterdam, and it shows that the dude can put on a solid show as well. I'm definitely looking

forward to having the opportunity to see him live.

Behind the Boards Pt. 5: Kanye West

No man has done more for Hip Hop over the past 6 years or so, than Kanye West. By now, everyone knows that he is a mega-star within the music world, but most people know him as an artist, not as a producer. Hopefully, everyone knows by now that he does pretty much all of the production on his albums, but even fewer people know he's produced for artist's like Jay-Z, NaS, Talib Kweli, Common, Alicia Keys, The Game, and the list goes on... Kanye is a genius behind the boards, and is one of the greatest Hip Hop producers ever.

1) Talib Kweli- Get By

The song that established Kweli on a more mainstream level, "Get By" was and still is, one of Kanye's greatest creations. Utilizing a sample from the song "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone, Kanye flips the piano chords into an unforgettable beat.

2) Common- The Corner

In my opinion, the gulliest beat that Common has ever rhymed over, and possibly my favorite Common song. "The Corner" is so vivid in its imagery, with Common spittin' knowledge and Kanye providing the perfect backdrop, it's hard to imagine a song that is much better than this.

3) Jay-Z- A Dream

Without question one of the most overlooked Jay-Z songs, "A Dream" is simply epic. Kanye laces the beat with an ill guitar sample, and Jay does some of his best storytelling ever. The Notorious B.I.G. sample is a nice addition, but the production is what puts this one over the top.

4) Jay-Z- Izzo (H.O.V.A.)

"Izzo" is the first big song that Kanye produced. Along with "Izzo," Kanye produced "Heart of the City," "Takeover," and "Never Change" off of The Blueprint. Kanye, Just Blaze and Bink!, produced the lion's share of the album. Izzo ended up as high as #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

5) Kanye West- We Major

One of my alltime favorite Kanye songs, "We Major" is just out of hand. The horns make the song so grandiose, it sounds like the soundtrack fit for a king. For some reason I feel like it gets overlooked since it wasn't a single, but for me, it's one of the standout cuts on Late Registration.

6) Kanye West- Slow Jamz

"Slow Jamz" is the first Kanye song I remember, and it was an absolute jam. Jamie Foxx and Twista added their own flavor in to create a great song. "Slow Jamz" came out around the same time "Through the Wire" was released, and together they proved to be a potent mix, and helped establish Kanye as an artist.

7) The Game- Dreams

"Dreams" was a standout track off of The Documentary, and that's no small feat. The Documentary had some of the hottest tracks in recent memory. Kanye sampled the song "No Money Down" by Jerry Butler, but he chopped and edited it in a way that made the song completely his own.

8) Jay-Z- Takeover

"Takeover" is one of those classic 'beef' songs. Primarily aimed at NaS, although Mobb Deep caught hell as well, when Jay-Z dropped this at Hot97's Summer Jam back in the day everyone went crazy. It is the track that started the now epic feud between Jay-Z and NaS, and to this day it holds its own as one of the greatest 'beef' tracks ever.

9) Alicia Keys- You Don't Know My Name

One of the more underrated Kanye beats, "You Don't Know My Name," seems to get lost in his catalogue. It's definitely my favorite Alicia Keys song, and one of my favorite beats. 'Ye provided the perfect palette for Alicia with this one.

10) Kanye West- Last Call

"Last Call" might be my favorite Kanye song. The way he flipped Bette Midler's "Mr. Rockefeller," is simply genius. It doesn't get much better than that, plus the narration at the end is pretty cool as well.

Honorable Mention: Slum Village- Selfish, Twista- Overnight Celebrity, Kanye West- Gold Digger, Jay-Z- Lucifer, Scarface- Guess Who's Back, Talib Kweli- Guerrilla Monsoon Rap

Bring Da Ruckus

As one of my favorite producers, anytime I see a RZA-produced song I have to listen to it, no matter who the artist is. Case in point, I stumbled across a song by this artist named City Haze, who has a mixtape coming out called Star of the City. The song has a dope Chinese/Kung Fu/Wu-Tang type harp sample, and Haze holds his own over this dope RZA track.

City Haze- Lost In Tokyo

The 24 Hour Karate School

There's a movement starting from within Dame Dash's DD172 complex. It seems like the dude is really doing something special from behind those walls, and with artists like Mos Def, Jay Electronica, The Cool Kids, and Curren$y doing a lot of work there, it's hard to argue otherwise. Ski Beatz, most known for producing "Dead Presidents 2" and "Feelin' It" off of Jay-Z's first album Reasonable Doubt, is releasing a mixtape called The 24 Hour Karate School. This "school" is apparently the nickname for the music studio within the DD172 complex. Jay Electronica, Jim Jones, Curren$y, The Cool Kids, Nikki Wray, Jean Grae, and Mos Def are all making appearances.

Below I've posted a 13-minute long preview of the mixtape, as well as a radio rip for the song "Prowler 2," which a lot of people have been looking forward to due to the amount of great MC's that are featured on it.

24 Hour Karate School Snippets

Ski Beats, Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz & Mos Def- Prowler 2 (Radio Rip)

Also, the people over at creativecontrol.tv put together this trailer for the mixtape...

24 HOUR KARATE SCHOOL TEASER from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Miscellaneous Post of the Day

Another Monday... luckily I got plenty of music/info to help everyone get through the day. DD172 mainstay, Curren$y, dropped a new mixtape today called, Smokee Robinson. It's hosted by Don Cannon, who is one of my favorite DJ's and producers. To be honest, I haven't given Curren$y a chance up until this point, so hopefully this mixtape will show me why everyone's been talkin about this dude.

Curren$y & Don Cannon- Smokee Robinson

A new artist I'm really excited about is this dude Hayes, from Detroit. He was recently signed to Aftermath, and Dr. Dre and Timbaland have both agreed to co-produce his debut CD. Who knows when it'll drop, since Aftermath is notorious for pushing albums back/never releasing them. However, the prospect of a Dre and Timbo co-produced CD sounds too amazing not to think about. Plus, from what I've heard thus far, the kid is pretty dope. Check out his mixtape, below.

Hayes- The First 48

Also, check back later this week as I'm going to post parts 5 & 6 of "Behind the Boards."

Miscellaneous Post of the Day

I've been slacking with my posts this week, so I decided to bring you all some heat on this Super Bowl Sunday. A couple days ago, a song leaked from Rick Ross' camp, and it was believed to be "Maybach Music 3," but it turns out the song is called "Veteran's Day," and it's off of Ross' new CD, Teflon Don. It features Lil Wayne & Birdman, with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League doing the work behind the boards. The song is fire so check it out.

Rick Ross ft. Lil Wayne & Birdman- "Veteran's Day"

I'm pumped to buy Freeway & Jake One's new collaboration album, The Stimulus Package. First of all, the packaging is one of the coolest I've seen in years, and all the songs that have leaked are dope. Here's another heater that leaked recently...

Freeway & Jake One- One Thing

Here's a video promoting that album...

As I've stated before, I'm actually pretty excited for Erykah Badu's new album, New

Amerykah Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh. Now, we have the first official single... a real smooth,

soulful track called "Window Seat." It's exactly the kind of song I'd like to listen to on a

Sunday afternoon, and what I've come to expect from Ms. Badu.

Erykah Badu- "Window Seat"

36 Years ago, today, James "Jay Dee aka J Dilla" Yancey was born. Although Dilla-Dawg

passed away four years ago, his music continues to live on. His production is what made

me fall in love with Hip Hop and I definitely miss hearing new stuff from him. Although

I'm sure he has plenty of beats locked away in the archives, it's sad to know that he'll

never make a new beat again. In his honor, I decided to post the video of one of my favorite

Dilla songs, "Won't Do," below.

Miscellaneous Post of the Day

This morning, two highly anticipated mixtapes dropped, and both have created quite a buzz since leaking just a few hours ago. B.o.B. (who I'm going to do a "Who's Next" post on soon) released his May 25th mixtape, which features production from Kanye West as well as The Alchemist. May 25th represents his release date for his upcoming album The Adventures of Bobby Ray.

May 25th

For the longest time, I overlooked Bun B as an MC. I dunno why, but for whatever reason I never got into UGK until a couple years ago. This morning, Bun released his new mixtape No Mixtape. From what I've heard so far, Bun is most definitely on his A-game. I'm not a big fan of southern synthesized beats (I prefer funked out samples a la Pimp C and OutKast, at least when it comes to southern Hip Hop), but Bun keeps it 'trill' all the way through.

No Mixtape

Last but not least, the people over at Dame Dash's "Creative Control," released a video of The Cool Kids and Jay Electronica killin' it at DD172's 'Under 100' venue. It's a cool vid, so check it out...

Miscellaneous Post of the Day

Over the past few days, a bunch of new leaks have surfaced. An album that I completely forgot about, but am now once again excited to hear is Erykah Badu's Part Two: Return of the Ankh. As of right now it has a release date for March 30th, 2010, but who knows if it'll be pushed back or not. Anyways, the first official song to be released off of that album has leaked online, and it's pretty hot... Lil Wayne and Bilal make contributions as well

Erykah Badu ft. Lil Wayne & Bilal- "Jump in the Air (Stay There)"

Big Sean, one of my favorite up-and-coming artists, did a freestyle over the beat from Gucci Mane's song "Lemonade." This is the best of both worlds because I'm not a fan of Gucci Mane, but the beat for "Lemonade" is pretty hot (it's produced by Bangladesh, who also did the "A Milli" beat), and Big Sean does the track justice by spittin' some dope lines.

Big Sean- "Supa Dupa Lemonade"

Another album I'm really looking forward to is the upcoming collaboration between Freeway and producer Jake One called, The Stimulus Package. It's being released on Rhymesayers Entertainment, which along with Stones Throw Records, is one of my favorite indie Hip Hop labels. Representatives of Rhymesayers gave HipHopDx a Stimulus Package song for Dx's Hip Hop Helps Haiti donation drive mixtape. The song is hot so check it out, but also take a listen to the mixtape when you have a chance.

Freeway & Jake One- "Time"

Complex Magazine is quickly becoming one of my favorite publications. Two articles that I really enjoyed recently were Complex's "25 Most Anticipated Albums of 2010," and "10 Classic Songs Recorded at Baseline Studios." The first article is self-explanatory, but the second one may require a brief history lesson. Baseline studios, which has been run by Just Blaze the last 6 years, was essentially the headquarters for Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. This past week, it closed down for good... something I was extremely sad to see. With that studio closing, it almost marks the end of an era that I was quite fond of. Anyways, Complex did an article about their top 10 songs that were recorded there.

Behind the Boards Pt. 4: Timbaland

Along with Dr. Dre and The Neptunes, no one has changed the landscape of music more throughout the years than Timbo the King. His style has consistently evolved, each one completely different than the last. Although I'm not a fan of his most recent work (Blueprint 3 and Shock Value 2), there is still no other producer I would want to help create a bonafide hit.

1) Aaliyah- Are You That Somebody

"Are You That Somebody" was the lead single off of the Dr. Dolittle Soundtrack back in '98. The one thing I remember most was that whenever I turned on the radio, this song was getting spins (and for good reason). It's widely regarded as one of the greatest pop music songs of the '90s, and is probably one of my top 3 favorite Timbaland beats.

2) Nelly Furtado- Promiscuous

The track that put Timbaland back on the map... "Promiscuous" was a HUGE song when it dropped, and reached #1 on the Billboard charts pretty fast. I believe this was the first time we heard a collaboration between Timbaland and his now famous understudy Danja.

3) Missy Elliott- Work It

In my opinion, I'd say "Work It" is the biggest song of Missy's career, and that's saying something considering she has a number of hits under her belt. Back when this dropped in '02, MTV bumped this song like it was going out of style. Regardless, it's a hot song, and Timbaland once again laced the beat.

4) Jay-Z- Big Pimpin'

It's hard to say where "Big Pimpin'" ranks in my all-time favorite Jay-Z singles, but it's more than likely in the top 5, possibly top 3. Everything about it is epic... the Hype Williams directed video, the multi-million dollar yacht, big Dame Dash pouring bottles of Crystal out on the video girls (haha), it's just a dope song/video. The beat, which is a sample of an Indian song called Khusara Khusara, is fire. Everyone's heard "Big Pimpin," and if you haven't, you must've been living under a rock the last 11 years.

5) Justin Timberlake- Cry Me a River

When this song first came out, I remember thinking 'wow Justin Timberlake is a little bitch,' but after the millionth time I heard "Cry Me a River" on the radio, I gotta admit I started to like it. The beat is credited to Timbaland, but it's pretty well known that it's also co-produced by Scott Storch (who I will do a "behind the boards" post for in the near future). Looking back on it, the song is undeniably hot.

6) Bubba Sparxxx- Ugly

The funny thing about Bubba Sparxxx is that the dude is straight country. Only a producer like Timbaland (or Dr. Dre, case in point with Eminem) could take a white boy from the rural south, and create a dope song. "Ugly" is a raucous beat... the kind that we've come to expect from Timbaland, and Bubba holds his own for the most part.

7) Jay-Z- Dirt Off Your Shoulder

I still say "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" is one of the hottest beats/Jay-Z songs of all time. I hate to keep making references to Blueprint 3, but I really was expecting songs of this calibur... not like the lackluster "Off That," or the two other Timbo-produced songs. Anyways, "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" once again solidifies Timbaland's reputation as one of the best producers of all time.

8) Petey Pablo- Raise Up

THIS ONE'S FOR NORTH CAROLINAAAA!!!! Petey Pablo was pretty wack, but it's hard to deny the appeal of "Raise Up." The beat is wild, and the hook is just out of hand. It's one of those songs where you just have to "Raise Up" when you hear it.

9) LL Cool J- Headsprung

Say what you want about "Headsprung," but if you just listen to the beat, you cannot deny that it is one of the hottest beats Timbaland has to offer. Personally, I like "Headsprung" as a complete song, but I know there are haters out there that aren't really feelin' it. Regardless, I think we can all agree that the beat is fire.

10) Missy Elliott- The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

This is a landmark song for a number of reasons. First of all, it's the first Hype Williams-directed video to become famous for 'the fish eye' effect. Second of all, this is the song that really put Missy on the map. I remember seeing this video on MTV, thinking it was the most bizarre thing I'd ever witnessed up until that point in my life. Third of all, "The Rain" is what established Timbo and Missy as a hit-making duo.

MISSY ELLIOTT'the rain'
Uploaded by banatchec. - See the latest featured music videos.

Once again, Timbaland's catalogue is way too extensive to only choose 10 songs, so I highly advise you to check out the honorable mentions, as well...

Honorable Mentions: Missy Elliott- Gossip Folks, Ginuwine- Pony, The Game- Put You on the Game, Lil Kim- The Jumpoff, Ludacris- Rollout, Memphis Bleek- Is That Your Chick, Justin Timberlake- (the entire FutureSex/LoveSounds album)

ConsTV

In one final post today, I wanted to share the newest track from G.O.O.D. Music's Consequence. He did it big with Whatever U Want, and he will be releasing his next mixtape project ConsTV Presents... Movies on Demand which is said to drop sometime in February.

The recent track is entitled Childish Games and features a verse by Asher Roth, as well as a sample of the Notorious B.I.G. The track depicts the problems with the fakeness of the world and the industry, and how it needs to stop. It's great to see Consequence keep doing his thing and I'm glad he got my man Asher on the track since I haven't heard anything from him since the drop of his under appreciated album Asleep in the Bread Aisle.

You can hear the track below, see behind the scenes footage of the video here, and check out the G.O.O.D. Music remix of Whatever U Want on this previous post.

Consequence ft. Asher Roth - Childish Games

Yeeeeeaaah

I definitely enjoy a lot of the music of Wiz Khalifa. His mixtape, Burn After Rolling, was, for the most part, a great listen. Things got quiet with him after his album dropped late last year, but he is still out there doing his thing.

I recently heard what could only be called a smoker's anthem that he did over Lady GaGa's Poker Face. In the cleverly titled track SmokerFace, Wiz rejoices over one of his favorite past time's. You can check out the track below. Be on the look out for his next project, entitled Kush and Orange Juice, that will be released sometime between spring and summer of this year.

Wiz Khalifa - SmokerFace

Distant Relatives

I am extremely excited for the release of the upcoming collaboration between Damian Marley and Nasir Jones. The album, Distant Relatives, is scheduled to be released April 20th. Marley told Rolling Stone in March of 2009 "We're trying to have a sound that's reminiscent of both of us, but not exactly like either."

From what I've heard so far, they are doing just that. One being a rapper and the other a reggae artist, they do their perspectives things on each track but they mesh so well together. When you hear the back and forth bars you realize that this project is something that the two should have done long ago. There is something about their chemistry that only adds to each of their respective talents.

As the name Distant Relatives and the album cover may hint at, the album concentrates a lot of issues in Africa, topics stemming from ancestry to poverty. Regardless of the heavy social commentary, the tracks below do not cease to entertain. Be on the look out for features from Stephen Marley, K'Naan, and Snoop Dogg.

As We Enter

Strong Will Continue

Exhibit Jay

It took me a while to get behind all the buzz that was about Jay Electronica. I had not really been exposed to much of his music, but he is a very smart and talented individual. If you haven't read it yet, Mr. Evan's did an awesome post on the dude a while back for his Who's Next Series. You can check out that post here.

There aren't many rappers today that can match his outstanding lyricism. Fellow lyricist Nas gave Jay a co-sign which is impressive coming from such a legend in the hip-hop industry. Nas is said to be featured on Jay's Act II, which is said to be experiencing delays because Nasir sending in his verses late.

Many of you have probably heard Jay's Exhibit C by now, but today I'm bringing you a remix of the track. A producer named Hasan Insane flipped the track and contrast Just Blaze's original sample he used. Add in a seamless Nas verse, and an amazing song only got better.

Jay Electronica ft. Nas - Exhibit C Remix

EDIT: I wanted to add a second track, featuring Jay. The track, Just Begun, was brought to us by Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek) off of their Revolutions Per Minute mixtape. The song features not only Jay Elec but fellow up and comer J. Cole and industry veteran Mos Def. Mos actually refers to the four rappers as the fucky four horseman, and I wouldn't mind hearing other collaborations from the group. For more on Reflection Eternal, check out Mr. Evan's post here.

Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek ft. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, Mos Def - Just Begun

Miscellaneous Post of the Day

Going forward, I'm going to make a commitment to write at least one post per day. Whether it's the next installment of "Who's Next?," "Behind the Boards," or the new "Miscellaneous Post of the Day." So anyways, let's see what's recently caught my eye...

As a MacBook, Logic, and iPod user, I'm a huge fan of Apple products. So naturally, when I saw the official announcement for the new iPad, I knew I had to give my first thoughts. Part of me thinks this is the coolest thing I've ever seen (even though it's essentially just a giant iPhone), but part of me doesn't want to let go of the past. As much as I love this digital age, I'm still a fan of physical things. CD's are already becoming obsolete, could books and DVD/Blu-Ray discs be the next to go? I certainly hope not... Regardless, check it out here.

A good friend of mine recently put me on to this Wu-Tang Vs. The Beatles mashup. I haven't listened to it all the way through quite yet, but from what I've heard it's definitely worth a download.

Wu-Tang Vs. The Beatles

Also, if you've read most of the posts on here, you may have noticed that I'm a fan of Dame Dash. Recently, The New York Observer wrote an article about Dame's recent transtition into the indie world and his new Tribeca workspace, DD172. It's an interesting read, so be sure to take a look at it.

"The Wannabe Warhol"

Bonus: Swizz & Dame at DD172

GALLERY @ DD172: SWIZZ BEATZ from Creative Control on Vimeo.

P.S. Stay tuned for Parts 4 & 5 of "Behind the Boards," a review of Clipse's Till the Casket Drops, and the next installment of "Who's Next?" coming soon...

The Adventure Continues

It is no secret that we at A Young G's Perspective are big fans of the newcomer B.o.B. He just continues to impress me as an artist, continually putting out new music. I just recently heard a Hip-Hop Saved My Life freestyle that he delivered off the dome and more importantly, just heard another song called The Biz. B.o.B switches up the flow from verse to verse and just when you think the song is over, he finishes up stronger than ever.

Below is the video for the Hip-Hope Save My Life freestyle and just below that you can listen and download his newest song, The Biz.



B.o.B - The Biz

And don't forget that his debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray is slated to be released May 25th. It is rumored that Lupe Fiasco, Weezer, T.I., and Eminem will be featured on the album, but even without any star artists, I can see B.o.B doing big things with this.

B.O.M.B.

Alright, so I was home for break and didn't have internet, but lucky for us Mr. Evans has been keeping up with the site. Now that I'm back, it's time to get back to work. I was just recently listening to Bun B's II Trill album, his second studio album. The record is solid almost all the way through - a couple tracks that got radio play and many others that didn't but lyrically were excellent. This album was released after the passing of Pimp C, so you can hear Bun's message to his late partner as well as other tracks pertaining to social issues Bun takes up and some standard tracks documenting the southern lifestyle.

My favorite track on the album was Swang On Em with Lupe Fiasco. I love how Bun and Lu are two very different rappers but they mesh so well together on this heavy bounce track. Lupe really impresses me rapping about growing up on southern rap alongside a southern great like Bun. His verse does nothing but add to the track.

Swang On Em ft. Lupe Fiasco

Another great track was the second single off the album. You're Everything was an ode to the late, great Pimp C, Bun's other half of UGK. His passing left something missing in the southern rap world, which you can see by the features of Rick Ross, David Banner and 8 Ball and MJG.

You're Everything ft. Rick Ross, David Banner, 8 Ball & MJG

A third track I'm going to feature is Damn I'm Cold. I have my qualms with Lil' Wayne, but I enjoy hearing both him and Bun on a track together. The beat is dope and both of these respected artists really go in.

Damn I'm Cold ft. Lil' Wayne

Behind the Boards Pt. 3: The Neptunes

The Neptunes, individually known as Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, have amassed one of the greatest production discographies (if not the greatest) of this past decade. Recently, Billboard gave them that exact distinction. Once again, picking 10 songs was incredibly difficult. The Neptunes have created such an extensive catalogue, that you could easily swap 5 of these songs out for 5 different ones, and it would be difficult to argue. I read a statistic that in 2003, 50% of the songs on mainstream radio were produced by The Neptunes- that is absolutely astonishing, and a feat that likely won't happen again for some time. Anyways, here are my Neptunes top 10...

1) Snoop Dogg- Drop It Like It's Hot

I remember the first time I heard "Drop It," how dumfounded I was by the 'tongue click' that is a main part of this song. But the more I heard it, the more it grew on me, and now it's one of my favorite songs ever. Surprisingly, it took The Neptunes to give Snoop his first #1 hit, and it stayed at the stop of the charts for 3 weeks. Recently, Billboard named "Drop It Like It's Hot" the most popular song of the decade, and in my opinion, it's hard to argue otherwise.

2) Gwen Stefani- Hollaback Girl

I'm not the biggest Gwen Stefani fan (I'm really not a fan at all), but 'Hollaback Girl' deserves your attention. The reason why is the infectious cheerleader-type beat. In typical sparse Neptunes fashion, it's the big, epic sounding drums, and the infectious hook that draw you in. You won't catch me going out of the way to listen to it, but you can't deny how popular this song is. "Hollaback Girl" reached the top of the Billboard charts and basically established Gwen Stefani as a solo artist.

3) Justin Timberlake- Rock Your Body

Without question my favorite Justin Timberlake song, "Rock Your Body" is the song that made me stop 'hating' on JT and finally become a fan. Certainly a lot of credit goes it to The Neptunes and Timbaland for providing him with top-notch music, but he added his own flavor and made the music hot.

4) Britney Spears- I'm a Slave 4 U

Even though the majority of Britney's songs are wack, "I'm a Slave 4 U" is certainly one that is pretty hot. Pharrell and Chad hooked her up with a hot beat with the standard 'Neptunes sound,' but it works. It didn't do quite as well commercially as some of her previous songs, but it garnered a fair amount of praise from critics for a style that was edgier than her past work.

5) Clipse- Grindin'

Grindin'... one of the hottest beats and songs of all time. I remember back in the day, in middle school, I would pound the beat out on the lunchroom table or on the bleachers of the gymnasium- it was just such an infectious beat. The drums are way too hard, and Pusha T and Malice come with serious heat, lyrically. With lines like "I move cane like a cripple," and "some days I wasn't able, but there was always cane," (get it?) they left no secrets as to what they were talking about. "Grindin'" is always in my iPod rotation and that probably won't change for years to come.

6) Usher- U Don't Have to Call

While he's not one of my favorites, there's no question that Usher's got some hits under his belt. One of which is definitely this Neptunes-produced beauty. Their signature sound was perfect for Usher, and the hook and video are memorable as well.

7) Kelis- Milkshake

To be honest, I had never heard of Kelis until "Milkshake" came out, but once I heard it, I knew I'd never forget. It was so hot, you couldn't front on it. The lead synth in the song is hard, which gives "Milkshake" the perfect edge to make it more than just a 'pop' song. The video is pretty fun to look at too...

8) Clipse- Wamp Wamp (What It Do)

While the chorus kinda ruins the song, the beat for "Wamp Wamp" is one of the craziest and best Neptunes beats to date. Pusha and Malice, once again, never fail to rip the track to shreds. There was a little bit of controversy surrounding this beat as Foxy Brown or Lil Kim (I can't recall which) wanted this beat, but Pharrell insisted that the Clipse have it. Some feelings were hurt, and I believe there was the threat of a possible lawsuit, but luckily everything worked out and the Clipse were able to work their magic.

9) Busta Rhymes- Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2

"Pass the Courvoisier Pt. 2" is without a doubt one of the hottest songs I've ever heard. There is no way you can sit still when this jam comes on. Pharrell lends a hand on the hook, and Diddy adds a verse as well as some adlibs, to create an unforgettable track.

10) Nelly- Hot In Herre

Although Nelly is a pretty lame rapper, there's no denying that "Hot In Herre" was a HUGE song when it dropped. Everyone has heard it at least once, and it went on to be a cultural phenomenon to some extent. It was Nelly's first #1 song, and is widely considered to be one of the biggest songs of the past 10 years. Love him or hate him, Nelly and The Neptunes got this one right.

Honorable Mention: Mystikal- Shake Ya Ass, P. Diddy- Diddy, Clipse- Cot Damn, LL Cool J- Luv U Better