DJ Joel - Intro To Tha Summer, 2014

The streets have been waiting, and now it's here!

1. Freddie Gibbs - G Like Dat
2. Clyde Carson - Do That Ho (feat. D-Lo)
3. YG - Bicken Back Being Bool
4. Freddie Gibbs - High ft. Danny Brown
5. 9th Wonder - No Competition ft. Talib Kweli, Elzhi, Phonte
6. Isiah Rashad - Ronnie Drake (ft. SZA)
7. SZA - Babylon (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
8. Schoolboy Q - Grooveline Pt. 2 (ft. Suga Free)
9. Skeme - Ain't Perfect (feat. Wale)
10. Eligh - Refuge
11. Big K.R.I.T - Mount Olympus
12. The Grouch - My Best Teacher
13. Curren$y - Mo Money ft Juvenile, Young Roddy
14. Curren$y - Stove Top
15. Skyzoo - Truthfully
16. O.C. - Ymi
17. Nas - The World is Yours (Cookin' Soul remix)

Get SOME!

Best of 2010 in hip hop

Here are my favorite tracks from 2010...enjoy!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/m44xf6

Top 12 Hip Hop Albums of 2009

Here you go...my personal favorite albums of 2009. Yeah, it's 12. Please make comments. Agree/disagree?

1. Skyzoo - The Salvation
   This album had constant replay value since it's release. Pretty much solid front-to-back, with the exception of the track "Mr Popularity." Skip...
   
2. Drake - So Far Gone (mixtape)
   This one is a no-brainer. This "mixtape" was classic and introduced those nonbelievers to Drake (myself included). After getting this I went back and got everything else I'd missed. My first impression of this album was that it was what Kanye was trying to do with 808s and Heartbreaks, but didn't do nearly as well (singing, emotions, mellow beats, and raps).
   
3. Cormega - Born and Raised
   For me it doesn't get any better than Cormega for gritty, honest, true school NYC raps. I am still amazed an album like this can be released in 2009. A definite throwback in the best way. Cormega finally got the beats all right, and had minimal guests (all sharing his true school NYC ethos).
   
4. Saigon & Statik Selektah - All In a Day's Work
   Statik Selektah is definitely my favorite and most consistent producer of the past year plus. I never really paid attention to Saigon until he teamed up with Statik and here he shines. The few other tracks I've heard from him were always "eh," but this is superb.
   
5. Ghostface Killah - Wizards of Poetry
   I have to admit I slept on this album at first thinking to myself, "Ghost and R&B? No thanks." But after listening I remembered why Ghost is so dope. The deal with this album is the rhymes all revolve around the topic of females and relationships in general, but are definitely not sappy. Think more along the lines of Wildflower. The production is semi-smoothed out, but raw, like Ghostface.
   
6. The Jacka - Tear Gas
   This was the #1 bay album of the year, hands down. With dark production (think the opposite of hyphy) and the most-varied guests I've seen on any album. Devin the Dude, Cormega, E40, Zion I, Freeway,...need I say more?
   
7. DJ Quik and Kurupt - Blaqkout
   DJ Quik is one of the top 5 producers of all time and on this album, he's teamed up with the very talented, but generally lyrically lazy Kurupt. On this album though, Kurupt sounds inspired and rejuvenated a bit by the presence of Quik. The album is very well rounded with songs to ride to as well as songs you could hear in the club (if they played stuff besides whats on the radio). Quik continues where Trauma left off to push the limits of his production range with tracks like "9 times out of 10," but also gives you the smooth funk you love on tracks like "The Appeal."
   
8. Souls Of Mischief - Montezuma's Revenge
   This one came out at the end of 2009 as a sleeper, but a certified banger. The production is handled solely by Prince Paul (Gravediggaz, De La Soul). At first this sounds like an odd pairing, but after one listen, all doubts are set aside. This album bangs from front to back with energized and witty lyrics from Phesto, A-Plus, Opio, and Tajai. And with Prince Paul on the production, even the skits are worth not skipping (see Morgan Freeman). The Souls manage to sound rejuvenated and seem to have aged very well unlike some of their counterparts.
   
9. The Grouch - Three Eyes Off The Time
   This EP is a collaboration between the bay areas own DJ Fresh and Living Legends The Grouch. I remember when I met DJ Fresh back in 2004 when I was living in San Jose. He was working at Circle A skateshop, DJing between customers. He told me that he had just gotten back off of the Nas "God's Son" tour. Having just met him I kinda wondered if he was full of shit. Guess not. DJ Fresh provides lush beats for Grouch's ever conscious, but fresh delivery. The production is very melodic and rich...it sounds bay area, but also with influences of J Dilla and other east coast producers.
   
10. Wale - Attention Deficit
    Wale provided one of my favorite mixtapes with his Seinfeld-themed album called "Mixtape About Nothing" in 2007. Now in 2009 he finally released his full length debut. The album he delivered is great with solid production, thoughtful lyrics, and original concepts. Unique for a major label debut.
    
11. Royce Da 5'9" - Street Hop
    This album is amazing...and amazingly slept on. I'm not sure the deal. It sounds like it wasn't mastered entirely and the cover looks very last-minute. The tracks are all original (not mixtape) and features production on a few tracks from DJ Premier and other top shelf producers. Royce definitely flexes his pen game on this album with amazing concept and storytelling tracks (listen to "Part of Me" and "On the Run").
    
12. Termanology - Time Machine
    With Term's sophomore release he mostly sticks to the script with production from Large Professor, Statik Selektah, and Fizzy Womack among others. The standout tracks are "Time Machine" produced by Large Pro and "Nothing Iz Real" - a great track featuring a downtempo sample from the group Zero 7.
    

Also, after reading a few other peoples lists for 2009, I have to admit that I have not heard these albums: Brother Ali - Us; Wiz Khalifa; The Cool Kids.

Eric "G"(Squad) producing tracks on Skyzoo debut

The young dude Eric G from back in the day is apparently crushing the motherfucking game lately. He's on Skyzoo's debut album with 2 tracks, alongside the likes of 9th Wonder and Just Blaze.

So hyped:
Interview: http://www.nodfactor.com/2009/07/27/60
Album: Skyzoo "The Salvation"

Ras Kass, Biography part I

Biography of John Austin: Episode 1 from Ras Kass on Vimeo.

I see dead people

Dope new shit from Term:

Casual, San Quinn, FTC

Dope:

"Off the Pacific" TD Camp ft Casual & San Quinn from Hella Records on Vimeo.

Quik and Kurupt on a Camel

Ice Cube vs. P Rod

Best hip hop in The City...Tuesdays at 330 Rich

DJ Sake One: http://www.djsake1.com/word.htm

DJ Quik reunites the West Coast...lasts for about an hour

Went to an amazing DJ Quik performance last night at the Key Club in Los Angeles. The performance is a monthly thing (maybe not anymore) called Quik's Groove. Backed by a live band and tons of all star guests it was crazy. The lineup was Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, B Real, Raekwon the Chef (yeah, that's right), Soopafly, Sugafree, Westurn Union, and the Ricky Bell from Bel Biv Devoe. That was till about 12:30am...

The entire night Quik had been very picky about too many people being on stage and kept saying to the audience "don't you hate when you go to a show and there are way too many people on stage." I'm guessing this is where the trouble started because people's egos were probably being bruised as Quik kept ushering people off the stage. So as any Quik fan knows, him and Sugafree have been on the outs for a number of years, but inexplicably last night he came out on stage. The fans went crazy and it was cool to see him. Personally, I think Katt Williams owes Suga Free some royalties on his image...or vice versa. Also, although Suga Free is about as misogynistic as is gets, I think it's kind of joke? Anyway, Suga Free was performning and Quik was having a word with some big dude who was on stage loitering...probably saying, "get the fuck off the stage." All of sudden, Quik pulls back and cold cocks this dude right in the face - boxing style. The guys is at least twice the size of Quik...think David and Goliath. As soon as that happens the guy tries to hit back and misses as Quik ducks his punch...and then the body guards break it all up and the shows over.

It would have been cool to see what Quik had in store for the last 45 minutes of the shows. He kept alluding to a suprise he had at the end and I don't think he meant the fight.

Best hip-hop albums of 2008

Best Albums of 2008, in order of importance:

1. Nas - Untitled
   Okay, this one's pretty obvious to most of you. 2008 finally brought out the Nas we've all been waiting for...since the Lost Tapes. On this album he's overtly political with tracks like Black President and N*gger, and even flossy with songs like Hero and Breath, but it all fits together seemlessly. Gone are all traces of "Braveheart Party" or "You Owe Me" (see Nas Least Greatest Hits).
   
   The production, which is usually Nas's achilles heel, is consistent and cohesive enabling nonstop listening straight through. The production lineup from the outside looks like the usual Nas crapshoot: Stic.man, Polow Da Don, DJ Toomp, Mark Ronson. Somehow they all make it work and sound cohesive. The largest factor in making it all work is Nas. The lyrics throughout remain focused even when the beats change.
   
2. Q Tip - The Renaissance
   Front to back, start to finish, this is a great album. Kamaal the Abstract seems to have picked up his beat and rhymebook where he and the rest of Tribe left it back in 1996?? Aided by live instrumentation, the production on this sounds fresh and new, even when using samples. There are no guest emcees, only guest vocalists: Norah Jones, Raphael Saadiq, and D'Angelo. This creates a near perfect soundscape for Tip to wax poetic. The Norah Jones collabo "Life Is Better" is airy and soulful, perfectly riding the keys and snapping drums.
   
   Q Tip the emcee shines brightly here (not just the abstract). In recent years, many Q Tip songs seemed to lack focus and inspiration - possibly due to his 2 shelved albums. On The Rennaissance, however, inspiration seems to have been found. This record fits nicely in the Tribe catalogue - an amazing feat for 2008.
   
3. Kidz In the Hall - The In Crowd
   With Kidz In the Hall's sophomore release, The In Crowd, they have solidified themselves among hip-hop's upper echelon. This is shown in the both the music they create and the list of guest emcees willing to contribute, including Phonte, Camp Lo, Skyzoo, Boot Camp, Push T, and Bun B. The in-house production provided by Naledge is incredible. It's soulful and fresh, while mainting the true-school aesthetic.
4. Statik Selektah - Stick 2 the Script
   Boston producer Statik Selektah has had a busy year. This is his 2nd producer album released this year, the first called Spell My Name Right. He also contributed heavily to both Reks and Termanology's albums. From listening to Statik's beats, you can hear that he's a perfectionist. Every scratch, every snare, every sample is exact. His sound builds upon the foundation laid by Pete Rock and DJ Premier.
   
   The selection of emcees is great. The same high-quality of beats are crafted for up-and-comers Termanology, Cassidy, and Saigon to solidified veterans MOP, Bun B, and Talib Kweli. Look for even more from Statik Selektah in 2009.
   
5. Reks - Gray Hairs
   When this album came out, virtually out of nowhere, from Statik Selektah's label Showoff Records, I was left wondering what happened to Term? The buzz for Term was way higher than Reks, but somehow his album came out first. That small complaint voiced, this album is dope. The production lineup is incredible including DJ Premier, Statik Selektah, and Large Professor.
   
6. Zo! and Tigallo - I Love the 80s
   This album came virtually out of nowhere. It's a collaboration between Phonte of Little Brother (aka Tigallo) and Zo!, an vocalist/musician under the Little Brother/Justus League umbrella. Basically it's an 80s R&B remake album(!) Although it sounds like a possible recipe for disaster - instead it's a masterpiece. Tigallo is the alter-ego of Phonte, the respected emcee and 1/2 of Little Brother. This album is done with humor if you listen closely, but also with a perfectionist ear. Tigallo has made appearances on Little Brother albums...usually mocking current sappy R&B songs. On this album Zo! and Tigallo completely go for it and sing their way to a classic album. As for comparisons to other rappers who tried singing, think more Andre 3000 and less Gnarles Barkley.
   
   The production is all synthesizers and done with 80s hipster flare. This album is definitely fun.
   
7. Elzhi - The Preface
   Elzhi continues to be Slum Village's best kept secret (and Slum Village continues to be Detroit's best kept secret). This album is what fans were waiting for since Elzhi showed up on the Trinity back in 99' or 00'...
   
8. Jake One - White Van Music
   Seattle's own Jake One (producer) has put together a really, really, really, good (cue Zoolander) producer compilation/album. The production is quality and consistent throughout and the guest emcees are as eclectic as anyone could imagine (in a good way). Here goes: Keak Da Sneak, Posdonus, Little Brother, MF Doom, Young Buck, MOP, Bishop Lamont, Busta Rhymes, Freeway, Alchemist, Vitamin D, Casual, Elzi, Royce Da 5'9", Brother Ali...
   
   Coming from Seattle myself, this hodgepodge of emcees makes perfect sense. This is exactly the kind of diversity you would've found in my walkman on a stop-n-pause mixtape back in the 90s when I used to live there...although the lineup may have been something more like: De La Soul, Lighter Shade of Brown, DJ Quik, Outkast, Nas, Extra Prolific, and The Gravediggaz.
   
   I used to wonder what Jake One's "sound" was, but now I understand it. His beatmaking method is to tailor each beat to fit each emcee. It doesn't sound like he makes a random beat tape for artist to choose from. "Bless the Child" featuring Little Brother would fit right alongside any of the best Justus League beats (Khyrsis, 9th, etc). "I'm Coming" featuring Black Milk sounds like Jake One made this beat while hanging out in a grimy basement in Detroit with J Dilla and Black Milk. Dope.
   
   The only complaint I have is that a few of these raps sound like they are a few years old - hear the references to G-Unit affiliation from MOP and Young Buck. Although this is understandable as Jake One was a part of the G-Unit in house producers while making this album. Oh, and here's a joke: what do you name a song produced by Jake One featuring Alchemist and Evidence? Give up? "White Man Music" aahahahahh...although Jake One opted for "White Van Music."
   
9. Westurn Union - House Shoe Musik, Vol. 1
   Although this was billed as a "mixtape" this was better than their actual album entitled "Dubb Union". This album seems to have picked up where Ice Cube left off with "Amerikkka's Most." It's political, gangster, and lyrical. This album is unabashadly west coast. The album's strength lies in the mature focused rhymes from veteran emcees Soopafly, Damani, and Bad Lucc. The point of view of disgruntled (west coast) hip-hop fans is articulated in the track "Next Time" where the emcees admit that they too had grown sick of the played out G Funk west coast pigeon hole, but now admit that they too miss those old days, when you look at the present state.
   
10. Paris - Acid Reflex
    Paris keeps coming with that hard truth. Tight classic sounding funk-driven beats backed by black panther-esc militant lyrics. Hyper critical of the police, the government, and the overall white-power establishment Paris calls listeners to action.
    
11. The Game - LAX
    The Game is the rapper everybody loves to hate - and it's pretty easy to do. What's harder sometimes is to admit that he released a good album. He still name drops too much, but his storytelling and delivery have improved as well. What puts the album over the top though is his ear for beats and Game's sincerity. Jayceon wears his heart on his sleeve for better or worse. There are some very welcome guest appearances as well in the form of Nas and Common.
    

Honorable mention:

1. Prodigy - Product of the 80s
2. Termanology - Politics As Usual
3. San Quinn - From A Boy to A Man
   

Mixtapes that are almost albums:

1. Tanya Morgan is a Rap Group
2. Wale - Mixtape About Nothing
3. Evidence - The Layover
   

Seattle makes good hip hop album!

Seattle's own Jake One (producer) has put together a really, really, really, good (cue Zoolander) producer compilation/album. The production is quality and consistent throughout and the guest emcees are as eclectic as anyone could imagine (in a good way). Here goes: Keak Da Sneak, Posdonus, Little Brother, MF Doom, Young Buck, MOP, Bishop Lamont, Busta Rhymes, Freeway, Alchemist, Vitamin D, Casual, Elzi, Royce Da 5'9", Brother Ali...

Coming from Seattle myself, this hodgepodge of emcees makes perfect sense. This is exactly the kind of diversity you would've found in my walkman on a stop-n-pause mixtape back in the 90s when I used to live there...although the lineup may have been something more like: De La Soul, Lighter Shade of Brown, DJ Quik, Outkast, Nas, Extra Prolific, and The Gravediggaz.

I used to wonder what Jake One's "sound" was, but now I understand it. His beatmaking method is to tailor each beat to fit each emcee. It doesn't sound like he makes a random beat tape for artist to choose from. "Bless the Child" featuring Little Brother would fit right alongside any of the best Justus League beats (Khyrsis, 9th, etc). "I'm Coming" featuring Black Milk sounds like Jake One made this beat while hanging out in a grimy basement in Detroit with J Dilla and Black Milk. Dope.

The only complaint I have is that a few of these raps sound like they are a few years old - hear the references to G-Unit affiliation from MOP and Young Buck. Although this is understandable as Jake One was a part of the G-Unit in house producers while making this album. Oh, and here's a joke: what do you name a song produced by Jake One featuring Alchemist and Evidence? Give up? "White Man Music" aahahahahh...although Jake One opted for "White Van Music."

Check it: Jake One - White Van Music