The Audacity of Dope

Anyone who reads TAOD knows how excited I am for the upcoming Foreign Exchange album, Leave It All Behind.  Well this weekend at Rock The Bells, the big homey Phonte was kind enough to play the album for me and I was floored.  It picks up where Connected left off and takes it to the next level -  musically (Nic KILLED this album), lyrically, and emotionally.  I’ll have an interview with Tay about the album (and his other projects) coming later this week, but in the meantime, they just leaked the first single, “Daykeeper” with Muhsinah.

Download it at the new Foreign Exchange site right here and be sure to subscribe to their blog as well!

J Dilla’s younger brother Illa J is prepping the release of his debut, Yancey Boys, and he just dropped the first 12″.  “We Here” has been going around the net for a minute, but since we premiered the b-side, “R U Listenin'” with Guilty Simpson, on Sound Session last night, I thought I’d post it up as well.  This joint is crazy.

Illa J ft. Guilty Simpson – “R U Listenin'”

Illa J – “We Here”

That beat right there?  Woooooooooow.  Reminds me of his brother’s remix for Crustation’s “Purple“…what y’all know about that jawn?

My thoughts:

• Illmind killed that beat.
• Sean and Rock murdered their verses, especially P.
• Rock’s “…and I like Macy Gray” line reminds me of one of my pet peeves: if you use someone for a punchline, don’t apologize right afterward.  Especially if it’s someone like Macy Gray.  I think Royce did the same thing with an Omarion line a while back.  You’re a dope, grimy rapper…why are you copping out of dissing somebody like Macy Gray or Omarion?  wtfffff.
• Why’d the Charlie Manson character look like a cross between Carrot Top and “The Interrupter” off Conan O’Brien’s show?
• Look out for D.I.R.T. dropping September 30th!

Heltah Skeltah – “Everything Is Heltah Skeltah”

Swiped from OnSmash.

And WLotD has reached a new low:

“Etcetera, I told ya, I get paid by the letter/
Like: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z”
–Lil’ Wayne, “Ransom”

This is off the new Drake track that hit the net today.  It boggles my mind how much gibberish Wayne spits and how so many people are quick to jock him.  You have to hear how wack this is:

Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne – “Ransom”

That picture never gets old.  Here’s a brand new reggae-tinged remix of John & Andre’s smash “Green Light,” put together by the British Afroganic crew.  Definitely a different vibe than the original, but pretty damn ill.  Check it out:

John Legend ft. Andre 3000 – “Green Light (Afroganic Remix)”

So apparently this Little X directed video for Com’s joint may not be the official version, since the BBC blog posted that Hype Williams did the real thing.  In the meantime, this looks fresh to me!  Even though Com has a couple shaky lines (“you’re better than that Lonnie” – Mark Jackson), I still like this song.  It’s no “U.M.C. (Universal Mind Control)” though.  Hopefully they decide to make a video for that too.  It has so many crazy possibilities.  If you need “Announcement,” here you go:

Common ft. Pharrell – “Announcement”

Courtesy of OnSmash.

Finally!  Here’s the oft-talked about video for one of the best songs of the year, John Legend’s “Green Light” with Andre 3000.  I’m hard pressed to think of a better guest verse on a R&B song than what Dre drops here.  Ridiculous.  Also, you get a quick preview of another track off Evolver, “Good Morning,” right at the end.  Dope ish.

If for some reason you still need this song, grab the high quality wav here and cop Evolver when it drops!

Video courtesy of OnSmash.

(I’d be facing the other way…)

I mentioned in the Bishop Lamont post that the Los Angeles hip-hop scene is on fire right now and when you combine that area with the another hotbed of talent, the midwest, it’s just not fair.  A lot of artists from Michigan have relocated to the L.A. area over the years (Dilla, Ta’Raach, Househoes, etc.) and the A-Side Worldwide family has a few that split time between the two regions as well.  You’ve probably heard of Buff1 by now, if not through his solo work (cop There’s Only One, in stores now!), then perhaps through the classic Athletic Mic League material.  Another group that’s on the rise, Now On, consists of one of Buff’s AML cohorts, DJ Haircut, alongside Jackson Perry and IX Lives.

Now On dropped their debut album, Eye Level, in 2005, and released an equally impressive project, Don’t Call It A Mixtape, last year.  Their currently prepping the release of Tomorrow Already, and they’ve been kind enough to leak the title track off it for y’all to check out.  I wouldn’t necessarily label this joint as indicative of their sound, as they’re a hard group to put in a box.  There’s no need to classify though, it’s just good music.  I’ll toss in another new track with Shawn Jackson as well:

Now On – “Tomorrow Already”
Now On ft. Shawn Jackson – “Write Back”

With production from the criminally underrated Lab Tech crew, Astronote, and Seattle’s own Jake One, you already know what to expect.  Be on the lookout for Tomorrow Already dropping soon, and also keep an eye out for Haircut’s Mayer Hawthorne project…it’s gonna be crazy.

It’s that time!  My man Emilio Rojas (formerly known as Raks-One) just dropped a video for his new cut, “That Time,” featuring production by M-Phazes (“good gracious!”) and cuts from DJ Ease.  Dope ish.  Be on the lookout for Emilio’s upcoming project, The Nouveau Slick, and a joint project from him and Phazes, aptly titled Phaze One.  Download “That Time” below:

Emilio Rojas – “That Time”

Disclaimer: I like Koopa, but this might be an all Chamillionaire WLotD week.  He’s had a lot of questionable lines recently, which is probably a product of releasing so many punchline heavy verses.  If you do that, you’re bound to have some that don’t quite come off.  Herrrrrrrrre we go:

“When it come to fans, I got hella like copters”
–Chamillionaire, “What’s Up”

BTW, “What’s Up” is a new joint from Rhymefest featuring Cham and Jadakiss that just leaked last week.  If you missed it, here you go:

Rhymefest ft. Jadakiss & Chamillionaire – “What’s Up”