The Audacity of Dope

I’ve been playing the hell out of this track for ages now, ever since it was included at the end of a mixtape Mayer (as DJ Haircut) put out with his group Now On, and I’m still not tired of it.  Talk about a timeless joint.

As I mentioned, if you aren’t familiar with this dude, you’ve been sleeping for about a decade.  Haircut has been down with the Lab Techs and the almighty Athletic Mic League (peep the Buff1 cameo) for years putting out great albums and making some insane beats.  He’s now splitting his time between crafting songs for Now On, killing beat battles (shout to the Big Tune folks), and becoming a worldwide sensation as Mayer Hawthorne.  Go head homey…

New dopeness from Michigan MC and Athletic Mic League affiliate, Octane, off his Forgotten Chosen album with Illite.  The hook is slightly generic and reminiscent of Thugnificent, but the verses are mean.  Plus, the homey 14KT* is on the beat, so you already know.

*Special shout to KT for hanging out with me when Shwayze was getting drinks thrown at him on stage at the Red Bull Moon Tower event at SXSW.  Easily one of the hilarious highlights of the week:

“Oooh, can’t hit me…I dodged that like the Matrix”…

*10 more drinks fly on the stage*

Some dope visuals for a new video from the Now On crew (if you aren’t familiar, read up) for their song “The Willows.” This beat is too smooth…but is it wrong that the video reminded me of the Blair Witch Project? Dope regardless! Be on the lookout for Tomorrow Already dropping September 30th…

(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.