Sometimes it amazes me to see some of the features different artists can pull off. There are artists like Yo Gotti that don't really do much for me. Impressively though, he was able to pull three of the biggest young rappers in the game right now over his Look In The Mirror Remix. 
“Got me drinking out the bottle, Living for today aint thinking about tomorrow”
If there is one music festival to attend this year, Ultra is it. There are few events like it in the world- almost every top electronic DJ will be there. With five different stages, and headliners like Tiesto, Deadmau5, David Guetta, Armin Van Buuren, Carl Cox, Moby, Kaskade, Laidback Luke, and many others, this year's show is sure to be one of the best festivals of the year. The party goes from March 25th-27th in Miami, and you can check out the full lineup here.
Let's rewind back to 2004-2006 in NYC... Saigon was droppin' mixtape after mixtape, and was gearing up to release his debut LP (which is dropping February 15th of THIS year), and a Brooklyn-born MC named Papoose was killin' the scene as well. Pap used to hustle mixtapes outside of NYC-radio station, Hot 97's, office building. DJ Kay Slay got a hold of one and was impressed by the kid's talent. Papoose ended up signing a $1.5 million deal with Jive, but his album The Nacirema Dream was shelved indefintely due to "A&R hell"- essentially, disagreements over the album. Below, I've posted what is Pap's essential song, "Alphabetical Slaughter." He goes through every letter, A-Z, and "breaks it down for you."
Yesterday, a new song and accompanying video leaked off of Wiz's upcoming CD, Rolling Papers. "On My Level," which features O.G. legend, Too Short, is a hot little jam in the same vein as a lot of Wiz's previous material- "I take one shot to the brain, and I order three more shots, I'm goin' in...". All in all, I'm definitely feeling it and lookin' forward to hearing more from Young Khalifa.
If I have to inform who Drake is, you've probably been living under a rock the past two years. Needless to say, everyone knows the kid is on fire. His debut album, Thank Me Later, was certified platinum and spawned numerous singles including, "Over," "Miss Me," and "Find Your Love," all of which were "successful" (get it?). So when Drake announced that he had already started working on his new album, Take Care, people started talking about what improvements the kid from "Degrassi" could make on his sophomore effort. Drake, himself, has said that he didn't get to put the time and effort into his first album that he wanted to. This time around, he's looking to change that. Drizzy's already hit the studio with his go-to producers Boi-1da, and Noah "40" Shebib. And rumor has it that he's reached out to DJ Premier, Q-Tip, and 9th Wonder as well. The album should be fire, but we're probably gonna be waiting on it for a minute since no release date has been announced.
Back in 2009, Blaq Poet, a Queensbridge-based MC (which also happens to be home to NaS, Mobb Deep, and Ron Artest among others), released an album called, Tha Blaqprint, on DJ Premier's label Year Round Records. It didn't sell particularly well, but that was never the point- it received solid reviews and went under the radar as one of the better releases of the year.
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's "They Reminisce Over You," also known as "T.R.O.Y.", is one of the greatest Hip Hop songs of all time. Pete Rock's funky horns, along with C.L.'s lament about a lost friend makes for what Pitchfork Media ranked as the #35 best track of the 1990s. "T.R.O.Y." always finds its way onto lists like "top tracks of the 1990s," and the "best Hip Hop songs of all time," and for good reason. There are few songs that can give a lasting impression, but this one is undeniably classic.
When J. Cole came onto the scene with his two critically acclaimed mixtapes, The Come Up and The Warm Up, people began to wonder who was this fiery, young MC from North Carolina. Having been featured on numerous songs the past couple months, the man has made a name for himself as one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in Hip Hop. He unfairly gets compared to Drake, but to his credit, he's made a lane for himself- he isn't trying to be the cool mainstream rapper/part-time R&B crooner. Instead, he's shown a lyrical dexterity that hasn't been heard from a young MC in quite some time. 
The Bronx duo known as Camp Lo, has released quality music over the years- most notably their 1997 debut album, Uptown Saturday Night. Upon release, it was widely acclaimed, and has since gained a cult-like status. Ski (now known as Ski Beatz), who is known mostly for the cuts he produced on Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, produced the majority of Uptown. Even if you've never heard of Camp Lo, you've most likely heard "Luchini." It's been featured in TV shows like "Entourage," and numerous commercials as well.
If there is one man who could single-handedly resurrect lyric-driven Hip Hop back into the mainstream, it could be Jay Electronica. The man is a poet, almost prophetic with the way he "paints the picture." His first mixtape, Act I: The Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), was unlike anything Hip Hop had heard in years when it came out back in 2008. But then he released the Just Blaze-produced bangers, "Exhibit A," and the reigning underground Hip Hop song of the year, "Exhibit C." When "C" dropped, all the Internet blogs went crazy... not only was the beat absolutely bananas, but then you've got this guy kickin' rhymes like, "so now I'm back spittin' that he could pass a polygraph, that Reverend Run rockin' Adidas out on Hollis Ave., that F.O.I., Marcus Garvey, Nikki Tesla, I'll shock you like an eel electric feel Jay Electra" .... ridiculous. Jay has been working closely with Just Blaze and Diddy on his next highly-anticipated mixtape, Act II: Patents Of Nobility, and recently signed a deal with Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation, to release his debut album. I'm excited to see what this man can do with a platform such as Roc Nation, because even with the most limited sources imaginable, Jay Elect can make music of the highest quality. Below is the preview for his song "Dear Moleskin," which was supposed to come out a while ago but still hasn't been released.
You probably haven't heard of Slim Da Mobster, but it's a name should get familiar with. Hailing from South Central, L.A., Slim signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath record label back in 2009, and has been ghost-writing for Dre's upcoming album, Detox. Like many Aftermath artists that have come and gone before him, I expected Slim to bite the dust just like Bishop Lamont and Rakim. However, two years later he's still around, and it appears that we have the first song (at least first I've heard) from Dre's newest protégé. I consider it a near miracle that this song is out because Aftermath is notorious for making music and never releasing any of it.
In my humble opinion, Pusha T is one of the best MCs in the game. Alongside his P.I.C., Malice, the Clipse have released some excellent albums including Lord Willin', Hell Hath No Fury, and Till The Casket Drops. Pusha's dropped some of the hottest lines I've ever heard, most notably, "I move 'caine like a cripple," off of their 2002 hit song, "Grindin'." When news broke that Pusha would be signing a solo deal with Kanye's label, G.O.O.D. Music, I rejoiced as did many Hip Hop fans. Imagining Pusha rapping over Kanye beats, as well as the standard productions from The Neptunes, is an incredible prospect. Although no release dates have been mentioned, we do know that Pusha will be releasing a mixtape in the coming months called Fear of God, and his as-of-now untitled solo album should appear soon after. In the meantime, enjoy the G.O.O.D. music cipher from this past B.E.T. Awards featuring Pusha, Kanye, CyHi Da Prynce, Big Sean, and Common.
"Anything," is definitely one of my favorite Jay songs. When you hear it, it's obvious that it was produced in the same vein as "Hard Knock Life," with both of their samples coming from musicals (Oliver! for "Anything," and Annie for "Hard Knock Life"). This song actually wasn't on any of Jay's albums, it was released on Beanie Sigel's 1999 album, The Truth. I would love it if Jay made another sample-heavy album with producers like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Bink!. Blueprint 3 had some cool samples, but its focus was to build something for this day and age. I have a feeling that for that to happen, the stars would have to perfectly align, but one can only hope. For now, take a listen to one of the more underappreciated Jay-Z songs.
