Pigeon John- The Bomb

I always thought Pigeon John had cross over potential and the latest cut from his new album Dragon Slayer proves just that. Volkswagen also picked up this track for their new 2011 Jetta commercial. Do the Pigeon while Pigeon does his thing. Dragon Slayer is in stores/available digitally now!


Download: Pigeon John- The Bomb
Download: Pigeon John- Before We're Gone

Video: Eligh- Miss Busdriver

Here is Eligh's first single from his forthcoming album, Grey Crow, set to release on November 9th. The single is also now available on iTunes.

Free Mixtape: Rashid Hadee- Hadiesel: The Fuel Up

It has arrived! One of my most anticipated mix tapes from the highly underrated Chicago producer/MC, Rashid Hadee. If you missed the leaks you can check them out here, if you are ready for the download you can grab it below. The project features 17 new tracks including collabos with Hi-Tek, Big Wiz, Melatone, J. Slikk and The Primeridian.

Download: Rashid Hadee- Hadiesel: The Fuel Up

01. Hadiesel Intro*

02. Hadiesel*

03. Look My Way Feat. KING*

04. Magnificent Feat. Augustine & The Primeridian*

05. Brotherhood (snippet) (Prod. by Cash Flow)

06. Dont Wanna Fuck With Me Feat. Melatone (Prod. by J. Dilla)

07. People Goin Down (Prod. by Hi-Tek)

08. A Change Is Gonna Come (Interlude)

09. A Change Is Gonna Come Part 2 Feat. Spq-Her*

10. Just Like America Feat. Big Wiz (Prod. By Big Wiz)

11. Someday (Prod. by Analogic)

12. The Best Sex Ever (Prod. by Madlib)

13. Workmen’s Compensation (Prod. by J. Slikk)

14. Temptation Feat. Shogun & Obese*

15. Dazed Enuff Feat. Thaione Davis*

16. My Street (Rashid Hadee Remix) Feat. Melatone*

17. End Of The Day (Prod. by King I Divine)

*Prod. by Rashid Hadee

Review: Ski Beatz- 24 Hour Karate School

I started doing album reviews again over at Potholesinmyblog. Here is my first review for Ski Beatz' 24 Hour Karate School.

Original Link

Unlike many early nineties producers, DJ Ski’s (aka Ski Beatz) timeless work is still celebrated by true school and new school fans alike. While most producers slowly fade into a pool of nostalgia, Ski is one of the few from that era that has re-invented himself, his production, and career with help from hip hop’s hottest new talent. Dame Dash’s DD172 collective and BluRoc label, anchored by the blunted breath of New Orleans MC Curren$y, has given new life to Ski. The man behind Uptown Saturday Night and numerous Jay-Z staples has returned as the wise sensei that’s been brought out of retirement to teach the young MCs old tricks of the trade. He will now mold raw talent into future champions, while learning new moves and attitudes to add to his already stellar repertoire. The first session, Pilot Talk, has proven Ski to be an honorable sensei; however, 24 Hour Karate School is the true test. Is the highly anticipated release that has been riding the vapors of Detox ready to fight the hype? Kajime!

It’s no surprise that the album begins with a Curren$y cut. He alone is the reason that many fans excused the stench of this overdue album, and their chemistry continues to swirl like Smoke DZA’s brain cells on the grand opener “Nothing But Us“. Curren$y and DZA team up to deliver their usual fried M.O. over triumphant horns and splashes of live drums, trading off verses full of blazed bravado. The one-finger-in-the-air intro is followed up by another form of Curren$y on “Go“, this time connecting with Diplomat Jim Jones over a screw face street banger with a distorted guitar sample that sounds like frantic transmissions from the ghost of Jimi Hendrix’s electric axe. Then, riding the flames of the first seven minutes, Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, and Joell Ortiz chop, kick, spit and destroy another stomping guitar riddled riddim, leaving trails of ash behind them like a Smoker’s Club tour bus. If only the rest of the album carried the same enthusiasm and synergy.

As track three awkwardly stumbles into track four, the long awaited album-turned-mix tape-turned-album begins to chip and unveil it’s true form. The odd collaboration between The Cool Kids and Brooklyn MC Stalley on “Do It Big“ sounds like a ‘we were all in the same studio one night’ experiment gone wrong. Stalley redeems himself on his solo track“S.T.A.L.L.E.Y.“, shaking the lackadaisical presence of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglsh and letting his seamless flow slide through the guitar and organ. But the struggle to match the first three tracks continues. The underwhelming feature from DMV MC Tabi Bonney on “Not Like Me“, where Tabi repeats coded boasts over a forgettable backdrop, adds nothing to the already under seasoned mix. Not even one of the most popular young hip hop acts of the past two years could stop the slide. Wiz Khalifa slowly scales Ski’s shower of horns and altered guitar plucks scattered throughout “Scaling the Building”, but falls short of delivering a song that lives up to his regal reputation.

Harlem MC Rugz D-Bewler finally saves the day with his “Super Bad“ powers. Lightening the mood and lighting up Ski’s lone trunk rattling gem with a hypnotizing slick tongue style that gets better with every listen. But the electric energy from Rugz gets quickly squashed by another bland appearance from Tabi Bonney, which finds itself in front of a staticy Camp Lo banger that would have served as a much better follow up to “Super Bad” due to sharing the same vibe. One of the many sequencing mishaps that killed replay value and overall flow. What follows the Camp Lo closer might of been the biggest sweep of the leg. The funk’n beautiful latin spiced “Cream of the Planet“ and “Taxi“ instrumentals served as nothing but empty reminders of the broken promises and politricks that robbed this release of its biggest star, Mos Def; the MC that gave the album and recording studio its name.

24 Hour Karate School does not live up to its hype. We can blame it on time and we can blame it on politics, but what was delivered to our doorstep was not what we ordered. Ski Beatz has proven to be a viable producer in present day hip hop and his chemistry with Curren$y, Smoke DZA, Stalley, Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz and Rugz D-Bewler is obvious throughout this album, but the same cannot be said for the rest of its supporting cast that failed the rigorous tests of the dojo. The album that listens like a mixtape and gives off the same slapped together feeling does deliver a few memorable chops to the neck, but the imbalance of chemistry and overall talent threw off the synergy of the entire class. And like Mr. Miyagi said: “Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home.”

Free Mixtape: Muneshine- Flawless Vol. 1 (2006)

I caught Muneshine flashing this around on his twitter a few days ago and thought it deserved a post. This unreleased 2006 mix tape is full of collaborations and can't miss true school remixes of various golden era gems. Grab some icy hot for your neck along with your headphones-- Muneshine is the Jose Bautista of this rap shit.

Download: Muneshine- Flawless Vol. 1 (2006)

Free Mixtape: Twizz- Summer Stars

You can call them the Anti-Lebrons because unlike King James, Poetic Republic, Muamin Collective, and hip hop quartet Keyel are making Cleveland proud. Building on Vol. 1, their celebrated 2009 introduction to the blogosphere, Keyel MC Twizz (formerly known as Prose) has released Summer Stars-- a 15-track mix tape that serves as a tour through the world of Twizz and his partners in rhyme.

Below are two of my favorite tracks and the full download (you can also stream and sample via the bandcamp page).

Download: Twizz- One Take ft. Ahp Qwes (of Poetic Republic)



Download: Twizz- Nightscapes ft. Street Chemist



Download Mixtape: Twizz- Summer Stars // Bandcamp

The Doppelgangaz- Doppelgang Affiliation

The NYC duo does it again with their brand new single, Doppelgang Affiliation. 



Download: The Doppelgangaz- Doppelgang Affiliation
Download: The Doppelgangaz- Digging

Free Mixtape: 1773- Mixed Signals Vol. 2

Enlisting beatmaker talent from across the globe and a myriad of Chicago Hip-Hop artists, Mixed Signals Vol. 2 brings the focus back onto 1773’s trademark high energy, back-and-forth delivery, with a limited number of guest appearances. Choice verses from Wes Restless(of The Gent$, The Jordan Years), Cerebral Vortex (of Vertual Vertigo, MPM), Sincerely Yours (of The New Old), Dee Jackson (of 80s Babies), and South African producer/MC Thir13teen add a unique flavor to the already rich soundscape. But as an end result Mixed Signals Vol.2 more fully captures the spirit, and brings into focus the motivations of 1773 as a duo.

Hosted by Chaka B and mixed by DJ TREW (Ground Lift Media), Volume 2 features production byTrishes (Austria), Soundprophets (Chicago), Tall Black Guy (Chicago), & Thir13teen (South Africa) as well as beats by J. Dilla, Shawn Jackson, Black Moon, Silhouette Brown, & 14KT.

And as an added bonus, each download of Volume 2 includes a hi-quality 320kbps version of Just Jay(of 1773) and Moral One’s new EP titled Maxwell St. Clocking in at a brisk 20 minutes, this EP represents the ideals of hard-earned pride and ‘big shoulders,’ two defining qualities for which Chicago has become infamous.

Presented by:groundliftmedia.com, fatlace.com, melloworange.com, thefindmag.com

Download: 1773- Mixed Signals Vol. 2

Video: FS Green & Full Crate- Mastering Eggs & Pancakes

Here is some behind the scenes footage of FS Green and Full Crate in Cologne mastering their upcoming release, Eggs & Pancakes. Check it out for the soundtrack alone. More info that I posted earlier in the week here.

Video: Young Gully- Cry

After mentioning how much I would love to hear Dam Funk make a few records with a couple of established West Coast acts, I was directed to a few DJ Fresh albums and mix tapes from 2009. I'm definitely loving what I've been hearing-- funked out space bangers ghost driven by some of NorCal's finest-- and found a new artist that I'm really diggin' on top of it.

Young Gully, a 22 year old MC from East Oakland, caught a buzz when FADER fell in love with his Definition of Gas mix tape from last year. Since then, Gully has climbed the Bay Area ranks and made a name for himself by connecting with DJ Fresh on his Tonite Show series and releasing projects like his 2010 Oscar Grant tribute album, The Grant Station Project.

Check the video above and see what you think-- I'll be posting more once I listen to his older material.

Art: Christopher St. Leger

I love this Christopher's watercolor work! I also just found out he lives somewhere here in Central TX.

Location is fuel. I grew up in Indiana but now reside in a small central Texas town with my wife and two children. We make a trip each fall to a farmhouse in rural Hungary where village life, on the brink of change, still clings to the earth. Here, there, and in between I find inspiration for my work as a painter.

Click below for more of St. Leger's work. 

Stainless Steele- Liquid Mirrors

New track from Pennsylvania MC Stainless Steele from his upcoming album, Dub Hop Illuminations, set to release on November 5th. Too get yourself familiar, I'd recommend streaming his 2008 sleeper, Chester Copperpot Making Jewels, on his bandcamp page.

Random & Mr. Miranda- Fabshawn & Mirandom ft. Mistah Fab and Fashawn

Random has had one helluva year so far.

This new Random track with Phoenix based MC Mr. Miranda is from their collaboration EP, Mirandom, and features dope verses from two of NorCal's finest in Fashawn and Mistah Fab. Via PHIMB.


Download: Random & Mr. Miranda- Fabshawn & Mirandom ft. Mistah Fab and Fashawn

Free EP: J Bizness 3P Series- Vol. 6: Sahtyre

Let's keep that wave of Swim Team love going...

Rapper's I Know presents Volume 6 of producer J Bizness' 3P Series with Swim Team MC Sahtyre; one of LA's rising lethal lyricists. The first track, Drive, sets the standard and is possibly my favorite Sahtyre tracks of all time next to Liquified Dopeness and Pure Inspiration. Check them all out below.

Swim Team is focused.

Download: J Bizness & Sahtyre- Drive
Downlaod: Sahtyre- Liquified Dopeness
Download: Sahtyre- Pure Inspiration
Download EP: J Bizness & Sahtyre- 3P Series Vol. 6 (Bandcamp) // Mediafire

Open Mike Eagle- Garbage Man (Prolific of E. Super Remix)

In a few weeks I am planning on posting Whiskeyteeth's version of the XXL's popular Freshman list (I'm sure your ass is dangling off the edge of your computer chair in anticipation). So far the list has been kept very hush-hush-- no leaks, no message board postings, no top tweets-- but I can't take it anymore; it's time to reveal the first MC of our 2010 New School Rising.

Windy City raised now Smog City settled MC Open Mike Eagle has found quite a comfy nest amongst LA's sky scraping palm trees. The peculiar art rap proprietor has single handedly revived the spirit of Project Blowed, while adding vivid strokes of color to an already brilliant Southern California scene. His debut album, Unapologetic Art Rap, has launched his music into the blogosphere where it has been met with hugs and hand pounds from the web's worthiest taste-makers. Rightfully so considering the album transcends trendsetting and instead gives hip hop's starving underworld a fearless classic full of razor sharp wit and mind boggling mic skills.

Out first official freshman from our New School Rising list has just sent over a new loosie for us to feast on. I'll let him dish out the info:

Alwayz Prolific from the beat collective E. Super is a producer I frequently work with. He produced “Art Rap Party”, “Mistakes” and co-produced “Helicopter” and “Partly Cloudy” from my LP. He laced up a grimy, funky, and dark remix of Garbage Man.

Peep the download below and do yourself a favor and cop Unapologetic Art Rap on iTunes or "the way of the dinosaur".

Download: Open Mike Eagle- Garbage Man (Prolific of E. Super Remix)