Us Natives "Used Vinyl Review"

When you hear that two producers are coming together to form a duo, you wonder why? Not just about the functionality of it, but how can multiple producers actually help a sound? Won't it get too muddled and lose what makes you a fan of them individually? While this might be true in some cases, Us Natives (Ill Clinton & John E Cab) some how make it work and make it work incredibly well. While listening to Used Vinyl Review a few things came to mind. The first was, holy fuck this is incredible, it sounds like a strung out, drum infused orchestra that pounds in my head and lets me fly away. The second being just how well these pieces stand on their own, in fact, I think I would be disappointed to have an MC over top of any of these tracks, they need to be enjoyed as is and loved for what they are, great pieces of music that come together and make a mind blowing album. Us Natives did something very special with their layering of elements, often having an instrument acting as a vocalist for a track, such as the trumpet on "Royal." I really cannot say enough about this album, it blew me away on all levels. You NEED to download this album as soon as you can, put your headphones on or your stereo, turn it up, and get ready for one of the best hip hop albums of the year, instrumental or otherwise.

You can stream and download the album here.

Philavibe (Phil G the Knowbody & Ill Clinton) "Rare Phorm"

40 tracks? That is quite possibly the first thing you will notice about Rare Phorm and that is understandable because that is a whole shit load of music. But do not let that overwhelm you, really it is sort of an anthology of Philavibe's music so far, with some tons of unreleased tracks as well that do not fit into any of the albums the group is working on. It is a great place to start to familiarize yourself with the Phil G the Knowbody (who in case you do not know is the MC of the group) and Ill Clinton (who is the producer) and the duo that is Philavibe. So check out the project and enjoy, while you are it at, go back and get the group's previous efforts and get ready for what they have cooking next.
You can stream and download the album here.

Black-Tokyo "Strange Bologna EP" & "The Canvas Animals EP"

After a brief one month hiatus (which to most artist would not be a hiatus at all but I digress) Black-Tokyo returns with not one but two EPs of sonic symphonies to unleash open our ears. Strange Bologna seems to be the more fun and nerded out album (filled with bangers of course) while The Canvas Animals seems much more introspective and serious. Now, I could of course be hearing this albums all wrong (but to my ears I am not) but no matter what you hear in these albums, one things is clear, Black-Tokyo returned with a big bang (20 to be exact) and he shows no signs of letting up any time soon.
You can stream and download Strange Bologna here and The Canvas Animals here.

Anthony Valdez "Jesus Loves Me"

If you are unfamiliar with Anthony Valdez, you need to catch up. He has a great show on KCRW, routinely puts out incredible mixes, plus there is his own music. Basically, the guy is a musical monster and you can see a check out a bunch of his work at his website. But this post is about his latest mix, entitled Jesus Loves Me featuring some great songs that you know, some you don't and some remixes that will blow your mind. Check out below and keep up on what he is doing, because he is always up to something. Tracklist: Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Obol Remix) Maylee Todd - Hieroglyphics (Tall Black Guy Remix) Hiatus Kaiyote - Nakamarra Erimaj - Conflict Of a Man Cousin Culo - Enemies Get No Water Seven Davis Jr - Thanks The Weekend - Coming Down (Sango Mix) Bondax - You're So Jay Electronica - Dear Moleskine Jai Paul - Jasmine Kanye West - Mercy (Feat. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz)

The Fucking Mutants (Dave Dub & Megabusive) "Mutation"

The good people over at Isolated Wax Records just released the Fucking Mutants (aka Dave Dub and Megabusive) from their cages to drop the new track "Mutation." Hopefully this means an album is coming from the group, but we shall see. If not at least we have this great track to imagine what could be and I highly doubt this won't be on some album in the near future. So press play and prepare for your ears and mind to mutate.

Zilla Rocca & Curly Castro "Monty Hall Expo"

Some in the near future (hopefully) the Wrecking Crew "Curly Castro x Has-Lo X Zilla Rocca) will be releasing Wu-Tang Pulp their tribute to the Wu-Tang Clan (no shit) to hold us over until then, Curly Castro and Zilla Rocca have released the track "Monty Hall Expo." The song features Zilla Rocca's flip of Ghostface's "Mighty Healthy" while Curly Castro takes you on a trip through the world of the Wu. What is really cool about this track (and probably the whole album) is while it is an homage to the Wu and is dope by itself, you will just catch more if you are a fan. So put your headphones on, take a walk through the city and prepare for Wu-Tang Pulp.

DK and Trin "freeEP vol. 1"

Hooray once again for MCs and producers getting the memo that a great collab can do something special. This time, it is MC, DK and produced, Trin (aka MegaTrin, etc) who joined together to bring you freeEP vol. 1. The album shows a little bit of everything from the duo, ranging from the heartfelt and emotional, "Keep It Real," to the hard thumping "My World." This is a project that once you press play will take you into it's own little world and everything else will fade away, in other words, it will do what great music should do. Check it, download it, and get ready to zone out.

You can stream and download the album here.

maticulous "In Transit"

You may remember the next contestant on the blog from his project Mello Instros, this time, meticulous joined up with kevinnottingham.com to bring to you his latest project In Transit. The project is the quality instrumentals one expects from meticulous who is never afraid to mix up the sound and feel of beats throughout an album, or even throughout a song. In case a meticulous instrumental project wasn't enough for you, he got DJ Brace to do the cuts on it as well, in other words, check this out now and enjoy it, you will not be disappointed.

You can stream and download the album here.

RoQ'y TyRaiD "Year Round School" [Official Video] produced by DN3

RoQ'y TyRaiD just dropped a video for his song "Year Round School" produced by DN3, and it is dope as hell. The video is a little trippy, Brady Bunch, classic hip hop, and just fun, while the track features a banging beat and great rhymes by RoQ'y TyRaiD. Really, it is just all around cool and enjoyable, so check it out below and vibe out.

junclassic "Rhymes Written" produced by Karl Lazlo

Far too often, and MC or producer looks to work with a big name just to be associated with that name instead of looking to find someone to compliment and enhance your sound. Well, junclassic and Karl Lazlo found that person, that one that plays so very well off of their vibe and sound. The somewhat creepy, but laid back beat of Karl Lazlo fits perfectly with junclassic's voice and rhyme style which to me have always had a tinge of horror to them and laid back but still hits hard, and together it just enhances those elements. On the bandcamp page it says "Rhymes Written" is the first collab between junclassic and Karl Lazlo. Now, to me what stands out in that sentence is "first," meaning there will hopefully be more on the way, possibly even a full album. Take a listen to the track, download it, and prepare for whatever else these two are cooking up.

Corina Corina "The Familiar" produced by Willie Green

It is not often that I post songs that are not hip hop or jazz...just seems to be what I hear most, but occasionally I will stumble across something different, one way or another. This time it is the singer Corina Corina (if you listened to Jesse Abraham's One Day you heard her probably without even knowing it like myself.) I will be honest, what caught my attention first was that the song is produced by producer extraordinaire Willie Green. But after giving it a listen, I thoroughly dug the voice and writing of Corina Corina. So do my a favor, take a listen to the track and keep your ears open for her debut album The Eargasm.

Agartha Audio & Taiyamo Denku ft Craig G and Sadat X "Road is Ruff"

Anyone who pays attention to what I say on the subject of music knows that Agartha Audio is one of my favorite producers out there right now. So when I heard he had a knew project coming out I was thoroughly excited, even more so when I heard the album would be a collab album with Taiyamo Denku. The album, entitled Quadrofiendia will not be released until June but they have been nice enough to offer us a taste of the album. The first release from the album, "Road is Ruff" features two legendary MCs, Craig G and Sadat X. So not only do you get the production one expects from Agartha Audio and the quality bars of Taiyamo Denku but you get verses from Craig G and Sadat X...really there is not much else you can ask for. So check out the track below and get ready for Quadrofiendia to drop with features from Masai Bey, Teddy Faley, L.I.F.E. Long, Shyheim and more.

Autolect "The Prestige"

Less than a month ago, Autolect released The Altruistic Adventures of Sleep Walker after being rather silent on the scene for a while, going so far as supposedly retiring. But now, he is back with another project, this one titled The Prestige, which is almost like a sampling of some of his demos mixed with new stuff, but has a rough or organic feel to it. As expected, the rhymes are top notch as are the beats, honestly I do not know what else I can say about Autolect that doesn't sound like I am being a stan. He is a top notch MC who has his own voice and perspective, if you haven't heard him yet, The Prestige is a great place to start and then delve into his other recordings, you shall not be disappointed.

You can stream and download the album here.

Chief Megatron "THE LEADER EP"

Shortly after releasing XL, Chief Megatron returns with THE LEADER EP. While the the project comes in at just over 10 minutes, it has a whole lot to say and digest. Chief Megatron's flow may be characterized as laid back, but I see it as more conversational, almost like a teacher lecturing his or her students. At first you are taken aback...but then with each listen you see just what he is doing and you end up getting lost in his words and the music, forgetting what is surrounding you and just surrendering to the art. But that is a whole lot of rambling that probably will not make any sense unless you get THE LEADER EP and experience it for yourself.

You can stream and download the album here.

Pistol Opera Agency "1.5 The Remixes"

It has been a minute since Pistol Opera Agency (Black Tokyo on the beats and LAMEBOT on the mic) dropped Vol 1 their debut of sonic chaos unleashed on the world. While they work on the next project (which I assume will be Vol 2) they give us 1.5 The Remixes. I am always leery when a producer/MC combo release a remix of their projects, mainly because they tend to lose a lot, but when you bring in producers like Blockhead, Waatu, A.I. Beats, Chopzilla, and Mad Savvy, you are presented with something that is anything but a failure. It is able to both work as an extension of Vol 1 while being it's own project as well. They also do included two LAMEBOT productions, a remix of "I'm on My Way (Dreams Are Real)" and the unreleased track "The Watering Hole." So check out the 1.5 The Remixes, enjoy it, and get ready for when Pistol Opera Agency returns again.

You can stream and download the album here.

Random (aka Mega Ran) "Awakening"

You may have remembered the review I did at the end of February for Random's TOUR: Date with a Dream that was released for his tour. Well, he recently decided to offer up my favorite track off the project "Awakening" as a free download. In case you forgot what I said about the track, here it is

"The highlight of the album for me is the track called "Awakening." It is one of those inspirational songs that at the same time makes you angry. He is able to sum up the feelings of many quality MCs (and really all artists in general" with the lines:

These critics judge me on the revenue I generate, it seems the only way to blow is to imitate, I wanna innovate and stimulate minds, travel the universe, penetrate time, hurts when your worth is defined by your purchase, worse is walking the earth without a purpose

Those lines alone, make the song incredible. But he does not stop there, honestly, it sounds like an artist on the verge of a major break through, getting ready to do something extra special."

But what is really cool about this download, is if you pay for it, you also get the entire TOUR: Date with A Dream album, and trust me, you want it. So check out the track below and support the artist and get a dope album in return.

Carl Kavorkian "Uglyass Music Vol. 2"

Last month, Carl Kavorkian unleashed Uglyass Music Vol. 1 upon the world and decided that the world was still too pretty so let Uglyass Music Vol. 2 free to terrify the masses. This time, Kavorkian offers up 15 instrumental cuts from Earbleeders and Jimmy the Greek's Smell My Talent and Mommie Sez I'm Speshul. As you would expect (assuming you are aware of the talent that is Carl) the beats are dope as hell, and in some cases just as creepy. So I suggest that right now, you go get this project, turn up your headphones and while you're at it get the albums that these beats are on, because the final projects were just as good.
You can stream and download the album here.

billy woods ft Roc Marciano & Masai Bey "Body Of Work" produced by Willie Green

In one week on April 10, 2012, billy woods will release his long awaited album History Will Absolve Me on Backwoodz Studioz. If you are unfamiliar with him I HIGHLY recommend you download Cowardly Threats & Hideous Cruelty: The Best of billy woods and of course check out the track below, entitled "Body Of Work." But before you do that, let me tell you a little about why this track is so damn good. First, there are the two other MCs on it besides billy woods (who kills his verse,) Roc Marciano and Masai Bey, both MCs that you also need to know if for some reason you are unaware of them. Then there is the producer, the one and only Willie Green. As expected from the cast, this track is something special, I could keep telling you why, but let's be honest, it would be much better for you to just take a listen to it, enjoy it, and get ready for History Will Absolve Me.

Ill Clinton "SKYWALKEN Vol 2"

Ill Clinton is back with a sequel to his creation SKYWALKEN entitled SKYWALKEN Vol. 2 (ok so the title isn't mind-blowing, but that's the only thing that isn't dope as fuck.) At a time when so many beats sound the same and so many artists play it safe, Ill Clinton is pushing the boundaries...hell he isn't pushing them, he jumped over them and is 20 feet beyond. Need some examples, how about on "Fog" where he uses an extremely slowed down guitar (I think it is a guitar) with knocking drums and some random noises that tend to creep you out, really, listen to this track with the lights out and you will be checking over your shoulder...I am very curious to hear an MC attempt to rhyme over this. Or how about "Transmissions", where you have so many layers that enter into your ear at different pitches you find yourself a bit disoriented, while being sucked in so much and so intrigued you cannot take off your headphones. Oh and by the way...you need to check this album out with quality headphones to really get the effect, if you play this through your computer speakers you are missing out (that goes for most music.) The entire album takes you off to some very odd places, dark, funny, and fascinating...I fear Ill Clinton is trying to take us inside his own mind and an artist's mind is not for everyone but if you give it the chance and dive in without fear you will find it is a wonderful place. So enough of my rambling, go get the album now and prepare yourself.

You can stream and download the album here.

Collectible Humans "String Theory"

When I hear String Theory I feel like I am transported back to the late 90s when I listened to a ton of nu metal (or whatever you want to call it) but it isn't because Collectible Humans are nu-metal...it is the feeling, that anger and frustration being released through music. Really, the feelings are similar to those that I got when listening to early Korn, Rage Against the Machine and Tool. It an odd feeling, one that I think has been missing from a lot of music lately, you can actually feel the emotion going into the words and music, it isn't just to make catchy songs or to make an artistic piece, both Adam Selene and Joshua Coberly (yes I waited this long to tell you who Collectible Humans are, what is your point) use their music as a form of therapy, a release. Some people may view that as a negative but I think that is one of the purest reasons to create art (yes the songs are also catchy, in a slightly disturbing and fun way, and are also artistic.)

Now let me tell you a little bit about the album, the opening track, "Pulling Wings," is what I like to call baby punching music (I do not condone the punching of babies) but it has that pure adrenaline feel to it and it even features George Carlin (according to Kanye and Jay Z he should get a feature so there it is.) But it isn't just angry rap music, they are actually saying something, and that sort of sums up the feeling of the album, pissed off music with a message. But they do a great job of balancing the pure anger with some more upbeat instrumental work (such as "Devil Do") but still has the same punch on their lyrics.

The most fun track on the album easily goes to "Rocket Surgery" with an infectious beat (made more infectious by the work of DJ Addickt,) a Spider-Man/Iron Man spoof, and a dope ass chorus (I use that term loosely), "It's only Hip Hop stupid, it's not rocket surgery." The track ends with a guest appearance from Adam Selene's son, Deacon. I noticed that already I am writing and rambling a lot, but that is because this album holds on to you and gets inside of your brain (for better or worse.) String Theory continues its wonderful job of track sequencing by placing, "To Eat a Human" next, which as you can guess as not exactly a fun song.

The nu metal feel really picks up on the next two track, "Slippery Slope" (which reminds me of a Tool track, you know, if Maynard was a rapper and not one of the best vocalist in the last 30 years) and "She Loves Me Not" (Rage comes to my mind for this one...actually both of the tracks feel as if Rage and Tool came together and created something magical.)

The album concludes with "Blood Plus Grass" which once again features DJ Addickt on the ones and twos. This is easily the most artistic track (in my opinion of course) both with the instrumentation and vocals. You will be listening to this again and again out of curiosity if nothing else. What is going on here between he constantly shifting beat and the range of vocal treatments and total disregard for standard song structure...in other words, this track is amazing and everything you want if you enjoy progressive hip hop.

So yea...I meant to just do a short write up on this but became a bit more...I blame the album for that. If it made me ramble this much, just imagine how much you are going to enjoy it once you press play and let it invade your mind, so do that quickly, think about it later, and thank me in the not to distant future...and of course watch out for the puppet masters.


You can stream and download the album here.