Whooooooo, speak on it Mike. The only thing I really have an issue with is the idea of “eff saving the planet.” I understand the point he’s trying to make, but without a planet, everything else becomes moot. Regardless, greatness in its rawest form.
This has been my jam for months now, and they finally dropped a video for it. Jazmine Sullivan is a 21 year old singer from Philly, where she first broke on to the scene with her performances at the famed Black Lily showcases. This is her lead single for her upcoming debut on J Records. Let’s hope she keeps this vibe and doesn’t get Missy too involved. Here’s the mp3 if you need it:
Jazmine Sullivan – “Need U Bad”
Spotted on OKP.
While I was digging through the archives to grab that bonus Reks track, I noticed this classic joint by Soulive and thought I’d post it up. Talib Kweli jumped on one of their tracks in 2002 and Hi-Tek remixed it, creating this ill, but often slept on, Reflection Eternal track. Peep it.
Soulive ft. Talib Kweli – “Bridge To Bama (Hi-Tek Remix)”
So smooth with it.
I don’t think anyone is spitting harder than Reks right now, other than perhaps Royce. He’s attacking every beat like his life depended on it, and this DJ Premier track is no different. If you’re a Sound Session listener, you know we’ve been playing lots of Reks material over the last few years. If you’re a Hyphen stalker, you know I used to play his old Brick Records 12″s back on my college radio show from 2000 to ’04. Either way, be happy you’re up on him now. Reks’ new album, Grey Hairs, drops July 22nd and it’s [M.O.P] FIYAAAAAAAAAA [/M.O.P.].
Here’s the “Say Goodnight” mp3 and a bonus Throwback joint from his 2001 album, Along Came The Chosen, where 8 MC’s represent 4 cities:
Reks – “Say Goodnight”
Reks ft. Esoteric, J-Live, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Pacewon, Young Zee, Danja Mowf, and Lonnie B – “Final Four”
Shout to Statik Selektah and congrats on the engagement man!
In honor of seeing the latest Will Smith flick, Hancock, last night, I thought I’d post up one of my favorite albums of all time. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince literally changed my life, since they’re responsible for the first hip-hop I ever heard. Plus, my entire sense of humor was shaped by their music and the greatest TV show of all time, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The first cassette I owned was Rock The House when I was 6 years old (woah…20 years ago), but their second album, He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper, was the joint that put me over the top. I must have listened to it a million times, and to this day, I still have every line, adlib, and scratch memorized. Clearly, part of my affinity for this LP is sentimental, but I think it’s still dope music that stands the test of time. Peep the title track for example, where Will absolutely blacks out. Black Thought has said it was his favorite verse growing up, and that rhyme alone is greater than the careers of most contemporary rappers.
If you’ve never heard this album, listening to it for the first time in 2008 clearly won’t mean the same for you as it did for me, but you need to check it out. If you remember it, but haven’t pulled it out in ages, do so. Afterall, it’s summer…and that’s officially JJ+FP time. There are even rumors that we might see some tour dates from Jeff and Will over the next few months (if they come to Seattle, it’s a WRAP). And go see Hancock…it’s dope.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper
Bonus: The Smoking Section has the other JJ+FP albums up for download right here.
Whoooo, this is fire. If you aren’t familiar with the CunninLynguists, you need to get up on the 3 man group from Kentucky/Atlanta ASAP. They’re right up there with Outkast, Little Brother, Slum Village, the Roots, Inverse, and U-N-I as my favorite groups doing it today. One of the MC’s, Natti, just paired up with their producer extraordinaire, Kno, to rework Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” record. The result is an ill “cautionary tale about the decline of the ‘one-trick-pony’ rapper.” Super fresh.
Natti (of the CunninLynguists) – “Ruled The World (Kno’s Viva La Vida Remix)”
Swiped from the QN5 blog.
“Put you in a mansion/Somewhere in Wiscaaansin”
–T-Pain, “Can’t Believe It”
This has always been one of my pet peeves. If you reeeeeally have to twist how a word is pronounced to make it rhyme, it doesn’t. The only dude who pulls it off reasonably well is Wyclef, but that’s often questionable too. This particular indiscretion by T-Pain just makes me cringe. Peep for yourself, 31 seconds in:
I thought I had found all the bonus tracks from Kenna‘s last album, the brilliant Make Sure They See My Face, but I just came across this one. This dude is one of the best artists doin it out there, so add this to your Kenna collection if you didn’t have it. Oh, and turn this up loud:
Swiped from KnowXone.
“I’m sick of bl**jobs, b*tch leave me alone”
–The Game, “Dope Boys”
I’m sorry, what? Blasphemy. hahaha…anyway, another dope song from Game’s upcoming L.A.X. album. This one features Travis Barker killin’ it on the drums. Check it out:
The Game ft. Travis Barker – “Dope Boys”
And if you didn’t peep the studio version of Travis’ Busta Rhymes remix, do so.
You should be. Mick is yet another dope MC from Chicago that’s been putting it down for a few years now. I first heard of him in ’03 I think, and I’ve been checking him out ever since. Dude is nice with it. Recently, he’s been all over the blogs and his buzz is real high right now. If you’re sleeping, here are a few dope recent joints to peep:
The United Centa (Mick Luter, Big Wiz, Rashid Hadee) – “Under The Act”
Mick Luter – “Someday” (Prod. by 1120)
Mick Luter – “Dayz of our Lives” (Prod. by Buckwild)
Mick Luter feat. Element – “Game Recognize Game”
CNC feat. Mick Luter – “Touch the Sky”
Mick Luter – “J-Down” (Produced by Hi-Tek)
Mick Luter – “How we Raised”
That first one is especially intriguing to me, since I’m also a huge Rashid Hadee fan. They’ve formed a group called The United Centa along with Big Wiz, so be on the lookout for anything dropping under that name. Also be sure to check out his upcoming mixtape, The Lesson, dropping on Tuesday…