Sensin(G) Hip-Hop
Peep this everyone that still visits the Poetic Agenda: Lozo has created a new blog where he is returning to posting music here at
http://sensinhiphop.blogspot.com/
Hey guys, so originally I
Input: Pictureface (2008)
Tracklist
01. Pictureface
02. Life and Death (featuring Joanna Rubio)
03. Wheels In Motion
04. Out Of Tune
05. Damn It Feels Good To Be Input
06. Diamonds On The Inside
07. Dead Weight
08. Old Fashioned
09. Mr. Bad Guy (featuring Reason the Citizen)
10. Metal On Metal
11. I Dreamed Of A Place
12. Open Sea
13. Walking In Circles
14. Stormy Weather
15. Exhausted Patience
16. Dial Tones (featuring Satyr and Grounded 1)
Gustavo D’Arthenay, a.k.a. Input, grew up in Denver, Colorado as the youngest son to hardworking Venezuelan immigrants. While still a student in high school, Input became enamored with Hip-Hop culture and began cultivating his unique blend of rhythm based music and pointed lyrics. Drawing inspiration from his life experiences, Input released his debut album “Elusive Candor” in 2006 while attending the University of Colorado Denver. Input’s sophomore effort “A Radio With Guts,” released in 2007, showcased his growth as an artist and won him a loyal following among fans of the local hip-hop scene.
-Last.FM profile
Pictureface is an amazing album from start to finish. It was in my top 5 of 2008 and is still very highly-regarded by Coloradoan hip hop heads. If you haven’t heard of this cat before, you should stop sleeping and grab this album. The production on here is incredibly varied and helps to accentuate Input’s ability to switch up his style. Each track has a freshness that goes well with a blunt and a beer or when you’re in your car riding around town.
Frich presents I Speak The Gospel, Vol 1: If you don’t understand just listen to this
Best of 2010 mix for D-A/UGDN and Poetic Agenda ##. Artist - Track title (Album title) 01. The Strangerz - Tune In (2nd To None) 02. Rozewood - Nightmare Author (2012) 03. Moka Only - FSG featuring Shad (Airport Four) 04. Black Milk - Deadly Medley featuring Royce da 5'9" & Elzhi 05. Funky DL - But That's Not Me (Back to Frank [Funky DL Samples Amy Winehouse]) 06. John Legend & The Roots - I Can't Write Left-Handed (Wake Up!) 07. Gangrene - Not High Enough (Gutter Water) 08. The Roots - Radio Daze featuring Blu, P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw (How I Got Over) 09. Eligh - Soul on the Road (Grey Crow) 10. Qwel & Maker - The Down Dumbing (Owl) 11. Curren$y - Micheal Knight Remix featuring Raekwon (Pilot Talk 2) 12. Snowgoons - The Uncrushables featuring ILL Bill, Sicknature & Sabac Red (Kraftwerk) 13. Main Flow - Understand featuring Just Brea (Return of the Castle) 14. Reflection Eternal - Just Begun featuring Jay Electronica, J. Cole & Mos Def (Revolutions Per Minute) 15. Tech N9ne - Alucard (Seepage EP) 16. RJD2 - A Son's Cycle (Inversions of the Colossus) 17. Trademark da Skydiver - Oxygen (Special release on 4/20) 18. SLik D - Blown As Possible (SunShine) 19. Stat Quo - The Beginning (Statlanta) DOWNLOAD
The Roots – Illadelph Halflife (1996)
1: Intro
2: Respond/React
3: Section
4: Panic!!!!!!!
5: It Just Don’t Stop
6: Episodes
7: Push Up Ya Lighter
8: What They Do
9: ? Vs. Scratch (The Token DJ Cut)
10: Concerto Of The Desperado
11: Clones
12: Universe At War
13: No Alibi
14: Dave Vs. Us
15: No Great Pretender
16: The Hypnotic
17: Ital (The Universal Side)
18: One Shine
19: The Adventures In Wonderland
20: Outro
Lozo: First of all, The Roots are a legendary group commanding alot of respect from me personally, and should from all hip hop heads. Black Thought is an amazing lyricist..one of the best to do it. This album is good all in all, there is not one bad track on here, I guarantee it! borrowed lnk
Moka Only: Airport Four
MOKA ONLY: AIRPORT FOUR (2010)
Tracklist
01 Airport Dream Theme
02 On A Roll
03 How Do You Feel Today
04 Glazed featuring Mr. Brady
05 Museumcees
06 Morning Arrival
07 Ways
08 Shivers
09 Diggy
10 Let You Know featuring Psy
11 Sweet Action
12 Blue Blazes
13 Always A New Day
14 Ylfm
15 Flying Fish
16 FSG featuring Shad
17 Glorious
18 Neva Stop featuring Mr. Brady
frich: I first heard of Moka Only through his work with Dilla, Aceyalone, and Swollen Members. I’ve always really enjoyed his relaxed flow and his wordplay. Everything about the dude’s style is great and only gets better with time. Furthermore, he’s released over 40 albums in a pretty short time, and in my opinion, I haven’t heard a track that has completely flopped.
I had kind of thought the Airport series was done after 3, but I can’t stop listening to Airport Four. This album is in my top 10 (maybe top 5) of 2010. The beats are all fresh and relatively minimalistic so his flow is what captures and keeps the listener’s attention.
Definitely check this album out if you dig that mellow Canadian west coast hip hop style. And check it out even if you don’t. You may be surprised.
Stand-out tracks: On A Roll, FSG featuring Shad
Sandpeople: Points of View
Sandpeople was formed roughly three-and-a-half years ago as an unlikely gathering of hip-hop artists in the Pacific Northwest. This crew has since built itself into a well-respected underground 12 member unit fully equipped to fill a stage and empty a keg (preferably in reverse order). Within the first two months, and long before most Sandpeeps had even met each other, their debut album Points of View was recorded and released over a two week span.
Here we have the first Sandpeople album featuring Al-one, Ethic, iame, 1770-8, Jon the Baptist, $imple, Pres, Gold, Sapient, and DJ Delay. Beats made by EarthFireMusic, Aware Productions and Ohmega Watts. 19 tracks of freshness.
Tracklist
01 In the Beginning
02 Sight & Sound
03 Put a Sock In It
04 Papier Oshin
05 Land of the Free
06 Masquerade
07 Desert
08 Saltine Cantina
09 Torrential Thought
10 Earth 2 O
11 You Ain’t Right?
12 Dear Diary
13 Semaphore
14 Free Dirt
15 Confession
16 The Abyss
17 Anguish
18 Utility Belt
19 Resolution
DOWNLOAD
320 kbps MP3 (FhG)
Drake – So Far Gone (2009)
| 1 | Lust for Life | 2:56 | |
| 2 | Houstatlantavegas | 4:51 | |
| 3 | Successful (feat. Trey Songz & Lil Wayne) | 6:15 | |
| 4 | Let’s Call It Off (feat. Peter Bjorn and John) | 3:54 | |
| 5 | November 18th | 3:07 | |
| 6 | Ignant Shit (feat. Lil Wayne) | 5:04 | |
| 7 | A Night Off (feat. Lloyd) | 3:14 | |
| 8 | Say What’s Real | 3:51 | |
| 9 | Little Bit (feat. Lykke Li) | 3:50 | |
| 10 | Best I Ever Had | 4:18 | |
| 11 | Unstoppable (feat. Santigold & Lil Wayne) | 3:30 | |
| 12 | Uptown (feat. Bun B & Lil Wayne) | 6:22 | |
| 13 | Sooner Than Later | 4:22 | |
| 14 | Bria’s Interlude (feat. Omarion) | 2:19 | |
| 15 | The Calm | 4:04 | |
| 16 | Outro | 2:55 | |
| 17 | 17. Brand New
Lozo: Honestly, I am not a mainstream hip hop head myself. Many times I do not find what I hear to be real hip hop and therefore just fake wanna be shit. But Drake’s mixtape So Far Gone is a different story for me. I feel this mixtape goes hard! The beats go perfect with the content of lyrics and you got Lil Wayne on a track and Drake…just as a musician is something else to me rather than just another mainstream rapper…at least on this mixtape. |
Zion I – Mind Over Matter (2000)
1. Creation
2. Revolution (B-Boy Anthem) Feat. VinRoc
3. Critical Feat. Planet Asia
4. Mysterious Wayz
5. Tha Choice Listen
6. Koncrete Jungle
7. Metropolis
8. Oh Lawd
9. Trippin
10. How Many
11. Elevation
12. A Little Change
13. Fools Gold
14. Venus
15. Rap Degreez
16. Silly Puddy Feat. The Grouch
17. Inner Light
18. One
19. Inner Light (Icy Remix)
lozo: review/First and foremost, this is most likely one of my favorite hip hop gems of all-time. Lyrically, the depth is there(Zumbi)…scratches on point from Amp Live(producer). Both dudes are from the Bay…they do not disappoint..this is their debut album from back in 2000. Just pure genius. the concepts are extremely spiritual and intellectual and deal with life on that level. Enjoy!!
Cyne – Cyne (Collection 1999-2003)
1. Inform Invade (an introduction)
2. African Elephants
3. Steady
4. Tragic
5. A Moment With Enoch
6. 400 Years
7. 400 Years (Seth P. Brundel remix)
8. E-motion
9. Paradise
10. A Moment With Speck
11. Octagon
12. Midas (Cuts by DJ Infamous)
13. Midas (Plex Remix)
14. Out Of Time
15. Outro
Lozo: Well, Cyne is really a tremendous group. Cise Star is a phenomenal lyricist with great story telling ability and comes across as a wise individual who seeks to release his inner most feelings on his tracks. He spills his heart on tracks as well as his mind…dude is deep. plain and simple. The production is also on point! So overall you gotta check out this compilation of some great cuts from Cyne. Highlight: “Steady”
Funky DL samples Amy Winehouse: Back To Frank
Let me kick this off by saying that I truly think this album is a contender for one of the best of 2010. I don’t see this album dropping from my personal top ten list of this year.
I can’t believe I missed this back in January. Back To Frank is an entire album project in which Funky DL re-worked Amy’s debut album ‘Frank’ into a hip-hop masterpiece. Winehouse has a prominent role in each song’s hook that makes this album seem like a duet instead of using the stereotypical rapper’s chop it up and chop it up some more sample process. Sections of Winehouse’s album remains untouched, but have Funky DL added to the mix.
I don’t think anyone else could have done this as well. It helps that I like Funky DL and enjoyed Amy Winehouse’s debut album Frank–a playful, twisted, and arrogant piece of work comprising husky, frequently sexually charged vocals, painfully honest lyrics and soft trumpets, laidback beats, and sparse guitar work.
This is a very chill record for the jazzy Hip Hop/R&B fans out there. Blaze one down and put this on.
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. What Do You Expect?
3. Kicked To The Curb
4. Handed To You Free
5. Realize Responsibility
6. Stronger
7. The Sweetest Thing
8. But That’s Not Me
9. Made For You
10. I Can’t Help You
11. Outro
DOWNLOAD
256 kbps MP3
Enjoy,
frich.
Get ready for 4/20
5 Mics is back.
Our good friends at 5 Mics just started up a new UGHH forum. Go check it out:
-bee
Rappin’ 4-Tay: Don’t Fight The Feelin [1994]
Tracklist
01 Back Again
02 Dank Season
03 Keep One in the Chamba
04 Can U Buckem’
05 Just Cause I Called You a Bitch
06 Playaz Club
07 She’s a Sell Out
08 I’ll Be Around
09 Tear the Roof Off
10 Sucka Free
11 Call It What You Want Too
12 I Got Cha Back
13 This Is What I Know
14 Gift
15 Out 4000
16 Playaz Club Remix
I first heard Rappin’ 4-Tay on the 2Pac track Only God Can Judge Me. His flow on that track is off the hook. After that I needed some more, and this is a must-have album for any fan of old school west coast hip hop. The beats were created using stereotypical mid-90s synth sounds. What sets this album apart is 4-Tay’s passionate, smooth-as-butter flow. This album is the shit.
Download
192 kbps MP3 (VBR)
Diamond D: Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop [1992]
Tracklist
01 Intro
02 Best Kept Secret
03 Sally Got a One Track Mind
04 Step to Me
05 Shut the Fuck Up
06 Fuck What U Heard
07 I’m Outta Here
08 A Day in the Life
09 Last Car on the 2 Train
10 Red Light, Green Light
11 I Went for Mine
12 Comments from Big ‘L’ and Showbiz
13 Check One, Two
14 What You Seek
15 Lunchroom Chatter
16 Confused
17 Pass Dat Shit
18 Freestyle (Yo, That’s That Shit)
19 K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)
20 Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop
21 Wuffman Stressed Out
22 Feel the Vibe
23 A View From the Underground
Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop is the debut album from hip hop producer-emcee Diamond D, released with his crew the Psychotic Neurotics. The album features some of the earliest appearances from Diamond’s later D.I.T.C. partners Big L and Fat Joe, as well as production from popular beat makers such as Large Professor, Q-Tip, and DJ Mark the 45 King. The album features the singles “Best-Kept Secret” and “Sally Got a One-Track Mind.” The album was not released on vinyl. However there were promotional copies pressed up with full artwork which were very highly sought-after. The vinyl edition was eventually made available as a reissue years later. The original promo has a sticker on it; the reissue had this sticker scanned into the artwork.
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source’s 100 Best Rap Albums.
Download
V2 MP3
Aceyalone: All Balls Don’t Bounce [1995]
Tracklist
01 All Balls
02 Anywhere You Go
03 Deep and Wide (feat. Abstract Rude)
04 Mr. Outsider
05 Annalillia
06 Knownots (feat. Abstract Rude & Mikah 9)
07 Arhythmaticulas
08 The Greatest Show on Earth
09 Mic Check
10 Call It Cali
11 Headaches & Woes
12 I Think
13 Makeba
14 B-Boy Kingdom (feat. Abstract Rude, Mikah 9 & P.E.A.C.E.)
15 Keep It True (feat. Abstract Rude & Change of Rhythm)
“A spectacular lyrical milestone, All Balls was overlooked at the time, and later slipped quietly out of print. Which is extremely unfortunate, since Aceyalone is one of the greatest lyricists the West Coast has ever produced, twisting his fluid rhymes around and off the beat with the improvisational assurance of Rakim. What’s more, his subject matter goes beyond the battle rhymes that most mike virtuosos hone their technique with. He’s cerebral and philosophical, yet bursting with confidence at the same time, which lends a definite sense of excitement to his literate wordplay. His lyrics aren’t just long strings of ten-cent words — they’re an important part of the songs’ rhythmic drive, and he knows when to leave empty space in his lines to keep the groove flowing smoothly.”
-Wikipedia
Download
320 kbps MP3
Big Noyd: Queens Chronicle [2010]
Tracklist
01 Queens Chronicle (Intro)
02 All I Got To Say
03 Queensbridge Thuggin (feat. Lyadede)
04 The Rules
05 Where My Gz (feat. Lyadede)
06 Kilo Rap (feat. Termanology and Ghetto)
07 Dreams
08 Get It Done (feat. The God Ali and Loki of Essoill)
09 QB Duo (feat. Dog of ACD)
10 Pokerface
11 Money Time
12 Testify (feat. Profit)
13 New York Lights
14 Livin The Life
Queensbridge heavyweight TaJuan Perry, better known as Big Noyd, has worked with 50
Cent, Cormega, Rakim and is of course a member of the tight-knit Mobb Deep family.
Noyd’s role in the Mobb Deep camp goes all the way back to his debut on “Stomp Em
Out” from Mobb Deep’s 1993 debut Juvenile Hell, but it was on The Infamous album that
Big Rapper Noyd attracted wider attention. On the song “Give Up The Goods (Just Step)”
he started the second verse with the line “Yo, it s the r-a-double-p-e-r n-o-y-d, niggas
can’t fuck with me!” He has later stated that he received his first contract (for $300,000)
because of that line. Noyd continued to make show stopping appearances on nearly every
following Mobb Deep album along with numerous tours, countless guest shots and string
of solo releases all his own. He has cemented himself as one of New York s most
consistent MCs. Big Noyd kicks off 2010 with the all new Queens Chronicle. It’s a new
year, but this is the gritty and real Queensbridge sound that fans worldwide fiend for.
-Amazon.com
Download
320 kbps MP3
Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package [2010]
Tracklist
01 Stimulus Intro (feat. Beanie Sigel)
02 Throw Your Hands Up
03 One Foot In
04 She Makes Me Feel Alright
05 Never Gonna Change
06 One Thing (feat. Raekwon)
07 Know What I Mean
08 The Product
09 Microphone Killa (feat. Young Chris)
10 Follow My Moves (feat. Birdman)
11 Sho’ Nuff (feat. Bun B)
12 Freekin’ the Beat (feat. Latoiya Williams)
13 Money (feat. Omilio Sparks / Mr. Porter)
14 Free People
15 Stimulus Outro
Don’t sleep on this. Buy it if you like it.
V2 MP3
Lushlife – Cassette City
Tracklist
01. Innocence [2:28]
02. Daylight Into Me [3:32]
03. The Kindness [4:20]
04. Meridian Sound, Part One [2:45]
05. Another Word For Paradise (featuring Camp Lo) [4:10]
06. Until the Sun Dies [4:50]
07. Songbird Athletic (featuring Greg Saunier of Deerhoof) [4:20]
08. Meridian Sound, Part Two [1:27]
09. In Soft Focus (featuring eLZhi & Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti) [4:09]
10. Fall of the Light Brigade [4:19]
11. Innocence (Reprise) [2:08]
12. Bottle Rocket [3:34]
13. Meridian Sound, Part Three [2:13]
“Sometimes you just have to believe the hype. It feels like it’s been ages since a truly fresh perspective has come out of the underground hip-hop scene. And by fresh, I don’t necessarily mean cutting-edge. The old adage has never been so true — to truly move ahead you often have to take one step back — and that philosophy has been executed to perfection by Raj Haldar, the talented Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist/producer/MC responsible for one of this year’s best hip-hop offerings and absolutely your summer BBQ roaster, Cassette City.
Haldar made waves a little while back with West Sounds, a unique melding of Kanye West and The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, and while that may have seemed like transient novelty, it wasn’t. It was simply prelude to a sound firmly entrenched in this young producers bag of tricks. When I say this is a raw, edgy hip-hop record that will satisfy those longing for a return to 90s East Coast mastery AND heavily references Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, David Axelrod and Burt Bacharach, I am not fucking around. Today’s post, “Bottle Rocket” together with a handful of satisfying tracks featuring a truly ecletic list of guest players like Camp Lo, Ariel Pink, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and Greg Saunier, drummer of Deerhoof (I wasn’t kidding, that’s pretty sick for a hip-hop record, no?) show the type of quality that results from MCing, producing and laying down the instrumentation for samples all on his lonesome. Classicaly trained, historically reverent and skillfully adept. The combo for next-level shiiiiiiiiiiit.
…
Recommended if You Like: Black Milk, Marco Polo, 9th Wonder & Buckshot, Lupe Fiasco, Ezhri, Koushik”
-Scissorkick
Download
V2 MP3
Typical Cats
Typical? In an era of hip-hop where emcees come a dime a dozen, and originality is the point focal of many ‘underground’ consumers, do you want your group to be typical? Dwell on that thought for a minute, but don’t jump to any conclusions; these kids are here to prove to you that they ain’t no joke. Typical Cats are composed of Qwel, Qwazaar and Denizen Kane on the M-I-C, DJ Natural on production and turntables, and Kid Knish on the ‘essential spice and marination’. All five hail from Chicago Illinois, a city that has a permanent place on hip-hop’s map of freshness (trust me, it does exist). Denizen Kane is a lot more on the spoken-word / poetic tip, while Qwel and Qwazaar mostly focus on battle rhymes. The beats tend to be very jazzy and laid back. Typical….
The album kicks off with one of the best introductions I have heard in a long time, with all three emcees dropping short verses over a dope acoustic guitar loop and smooth female vocals in the back. Qwazaar states it best with “This here is for all the cats who is searching hard for the content, who won’t settle for the nonsense, for those whose intellect just will not accept the dumb shit / the last true few heads, willing to spend they final dollars, on they favorite hip-hop artists, no matter what the cost is / let’s start this.” This does exactly what the beginning of an album should do: introduce you to the artists without any filler material.
Simple beats are often a curse, but they don’t have to be. Natural’s production on “Reinventing The Wheel”, the next track, is quite basic, but the three emcees mesh together so well over it. The message is that the Typical Cats aren’t here to restructure hip-hop, they are merely trying to improve upon its current design. The chemistry that these three emcees have together is truly remarkable; few groups can ever pull it off this well. Too often in a group one emcee will steal the spotlight from the other, but these three compliment each other’s styles nicely.
There are a few more tracks on this album which feature the entire group, and they do not disappoint. “Any Day” has a once again jazzy beat layered with flows that cannot be described. The topic of stress is covered; Qwel and Qwazaar spit nice, but Denizen speaks so well on this issue you’d swear he should be a published poet. The influence from the days of Common Sense’s “Resurrection” is very obvious on “Take A Number”, but what’s wrong with that? Influence is a lot different than emulation, and it is obvious from listening which one the Typical Cats use.
Tracklist:
01 – Intro
02 – Reinventing the Wheel
03 – Any Day
04 – Qweloquiallisms
05 – It Won’t Stop
06 – Snake Oil
07 – Natural Causes
08 – Take a Number
09 – The Manhattan Project
10 – Too Happy for Qwel
11 – Live Forever
12 – Cliche
13 – What you Thought Hops
14 – Thin Red Line
Encoder: FHG (Guess)
Encoder settings: Constant Bit Rate 160 kbps MP3
Contains: Album Art, ID Tag [ID3v2.3 (UTF16) & ID31.1]
———-
Chicago‘s Galapagos4 label relocated to Oakland last year and it seems that, stylistically, the Typical Cats aren‘t far behind. On their second full-length, the Windy City trio of Qwel, Qwazaar, and Denizen Kane expound spacey, sun-soaked philosophies over strutting, jazzy beats-a formula fit for the West Coast. The Midwest influence isn‘t lost on them-their flow suggests they were star pupils at the Slug School of Rapping. Smoky but unspectacular production, provided by the aptly-titled DJ Natural, augmented by a trio of live musicians, creates a comfortable cushion for this trio‘s clever verbal give-and-take, which would be at home anywhere.
Tracklist
01 – Can’t Save
02 – Easy Cause It Is
03 – Typical Flows
04 – No Man Island
05 – Justice Coming
06 – 12th Story
07 – The Trouble
08 – Drink Ticket
09 – Butterfly Knifes
10 – The Do
11 – The Pavement
12 – Style Wars Theory
13 – Before Before
Encoder: LAME 3.98r
Encoder settings: Variable Bit Rate -v0 (Extreme)
Contains: Album Art, ID Tag [ID3v2.3 (UTF16) & ID31.1]
DJ JS-1 – Ground Original 2: No Sell Out [2009]
01 00:30 Rahzel – Intro
02 03:00 Large Professor Ft. PMD – Like This
03 03:57 KRS-One and Canibus – Clear N’ Present Danger
04 04:40 Chino XL, Sean Price and Killah Priest – Murder
05 04:26 CL Smooth, Brother Ali and Sadat X – Nuthin’
06 03:43 Aesop Rock, C Rayz Walz and Vast Aire – Karma Killerz
07 03:38 OC and Pharoah Monch – Ridiculous
08 04:06 Nutrageous, Copywrite and Jak D – Sum Rap Shit
09 03:56 Termanology, Punchline and Rugged Intellect – Runnin’ This
10 04:09 Ill Bill, Virtuoso and Slaine – I Dont Mind
11 01:01 DJ Premier – No Sell Out Interlude
12 05:38 Craig G, Jak D, Blaq Poet, Trez and Big Noyd – On The Map
13 02:53 Vinnie Paz – Men Of Business (The M.O.B.)
14 04:10 Torae, Pumpkinhead and Block Mccloud – Bang Da Underground
15 03:50 AG, Craig G and Edo G – Original G’z
16 03:53 C Rayz Walz, Jak D and Poison Pen – No Comparison
17 03:26 Akrobatik, J-Live, Supastition and Pack FM – Too Easy
18 04:02 EMC (Masta Ace, Stricklin and Punchline) – I Knew A Girl
19 02:54 Wordsworth and Rahzel – What’s Happening
20 03:41 Rakaa Iriscience, C Rayz Walz, Krondon and Q-Unique – Rock Steady
21 05:38 Ultramagnetic Mcs, Canibus, Prince Poetry and Rahzel – Brainbender
apawllo: Definitely the most highly anticipated of all of his releases, the tracklist alone warrants a purchase but here it is for free anyway.
Smooth Current – Maintain The Focus [2009]
01. The Beginning… (Intro)
02. Disbelievers Clear The Way feat. Insight
03. The Dream Chaser feat. Substantial
04. Re: Strain of Stairs
05. Ain’t Even Like Me feat. Kim Hill
06. Sweet Madness
07. Don’t, Won’t, Can’t Stop feat. Othello
08. In The Twilight
09. Designed Like This feat. Insight, Dagha & Moe as Electric
10. S.M.O.O.T.H. C.U.R.R.E.N.T. feat. Lushlife
11. Blue Time feat. Nikko
12. Heathaze
13. That’s It feat. Profile
14. Afterglow (Outro)
apawllo: Dope production with a jazzy feel. Don’t sleep.
Grand Puba – RetroActive [2009]
01. I See Dead People Feat. Rell And Lord Jamar 04:27
02. Hunny 04:05
03. It Is What It Is Feat. Tiffini Davis 05:04
04. Get That Money 03:23
05. How Long? 03:53
06. Good To Go Feat. Q-Tip 02:22
07. Same Old Drama Feat. Large Professor 01:30
08. This Joint Right Here Feat. Kid Capri 03:18
09. Go Hard Feat. Talee 03:35
10. Reality Check Feat. Sarah Martinez 03:09
11. Cold Cold World Feat. Khadija Mohammad 04:32
12. Smile Feat. Big Phil (Outro) 01:56
13. This Joint Right Here Remix Feat. Kid Capri, Sadat X & Lord Jamar 03:24
apawllo: I have a sneaking suspicion that this album is going to get slept on. The reviews I’ve seen have been mixed, which I suppose can be the case often when the artist in question is one who has been mixing it up since the late 80′s. However, RetroActive is a breath of fresh air and highly recommended. Grand Puba doesn’t seem hesistant to dabble in anything related to hip hop new or old, and the result is a cohesive album with few low points.
01. WRBG 0:11
02. Runnin’ Wild 4:28
03. Don’t Hate My Grind (Feat. Bun B) 4:54
04. Warpath (Feat. Ratfink) 3:39
05. Gangsta, Gangster (Feat. Styles P) 4:01
06. Afrika Hot! 3:22
07. NYPD (Feat. Johnny Polygon) 3:11
08. Summer Time 3:54
09. Refuse To Lose (Feat. Chuck D & Avery Storm) 3:32
10. Life Goes On 4:13
11. Helpful 2:26
12. Pulse 0:49
13. $timulus Plan 4:58
14. My Dirty Valentine 3:28
apawllo: Dead Prez back with the Volume 3 of their Turn Off The Radio Mixtape Series, teaming up with DJ Green Lantern for the first time. Featured on the tape are such political commentaries as the lead single “Stimulus Plan,” “Refuse To Lose” featuring Chuck D, and possibly the best track from the album “Don’t Hate On My Grind” featuring Bun B where Stic.Man proclaims “Another day of repression, they call it recession, it’s media misdirection….It’s a cold world but I’m a grown man and a grown man need power in his own hands, ain’t no sittin’ ’round waitin’ complainin’ unless you in love with the plantation.” The mixtape also includes “Summer Time” and “Helpful” which show Dead Prez’s lighter side. All in all, a complete mixtape. Easy to listen to front to back, especially since Green Lantern doesn’t take it upon himself to shout his name every 15 seconds.
Soul Assassins – Intermission [2009]
01. Gangsta Shit (feat. Bun B and M1) 2:44
02. Classical (feat. Sick Jacken and Evidence) 3:03
03. Gunshots (feat. Chace Infinite and Alchemist) 2:57
04. Do It (feat. La Coka Nostra) 3:28
05. Rep Yo Shit (feat. P.C.P. aka Sick Jacken and Necro) 3:00
06. Good Evening Los Angeles (feat. Self Scientific) 3:07
07. Meet Your Maker (feat. Reef The Lost Cause and Outer Space) 3:52
08. Intermission (feat. RZA, Rev William Burk, Planet Asia and 2:29
B-Real)
09. Champions (Remix) (feat. Prodigy and Big Twin) 2:51
10. Let Go (My Life) (feat. Fashawn 2:51
11. Like That Y’all (feat. Planet Asia) 3:05
12. World We’re In (feat. Cynic) 4:23
13. Call It Like I See It (feat. Chace Infinite and Krondon) 3:34
14. Matchbox (feat. Dust) 4:05
15. Figure it Out (feat. Young De, Xzibit and Mykestro) (Bonus 4:27
Track)
apawllo: Great production from DJ Muggs as usual, and many of the features compliment the beats well. Solid album.
O.C. – Word…Life [1994]
1 Creative Control
2 Word … Life
3 O-Zone
4 Born 2 Live
5 Time’s Up
6 Point o Viewz
7 Constables
8 Ga Head
9 No Main Topic
10 Let It Slide
11 Ma Dukes
12 Story
13 Outtro (Sabotage)
14 Born 2 Live (Remix)
15 Time’s Up (Remix)
apawllo: Brilliant album and certified classic. 10/10, 5 stars, etc. etc.
