Talib Kweli

Talib has long been a mover and a shaker in the indie hip-hop scene. His solo work, as well as his work with Mos Def as Blackstar, and his Hi-Tek collabo Reflection Eternal has made him one of the most well-known rappers of the underground movement, and some would even venture to say he's made it into the mainstream (for whatever that's worth). Here's some of his best work (as always, in my opinion), not including his hits "Get By" and "I Try".

Miss Hill - Talib Kweli / Mediafire

Hot Thing (Feat. will.i.am) - Talib Kweli / Mediafire

Hostile Gospel Pt. 1 (Deliver Us) - Talib Kweli / Mediafire

B.o.B Samples The Beatles

So first off, this is my last post from the comforts of my college dorm and it's [relatively] fast internet. The fact that my internet at home might as well be snail mail, combined with a full-time job over the summer, may make posts fewer and far between, but I'm really gonna try to make sure to keep up the pace. After all, I've gotta make sure all of you out there have some new music to bump on summer drives.

This is my first post on B.o.B, but if you haven't heard of him, you've probably been living under a rock for the past few months. His debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts, and his singles "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" have been blowing up the radio. Here's two really tight mixtape cuts, both sampling The Beatles. I've been waiting soooo long for someone to sample "Eleanor Rigby" in a hip-hop song, and my prayers have finally been answered.

Lonely People - B.o.B / Mediafire
One (Feat. Big Kuntry & Mac Boney) - B.o.B / Mediafire

Twista

Twista has always had one of the most unique flows in hip-hop. Once clocked in as the fastest rapper in the world (11.2 syllables per second), almost all of his rhymes come fast and hard. Unlike most other speed rappers though, he has the ability to make his quick-paced rhymes sound laid-back, and sometimes I might even call them mellow. This is due largely to his beat selection. Twista has an uncanny ability to find beats that go perfectly with his uncommon style of rapping and this, combined with the A-list producers (Kanye West, Jazze Pha, The Neptunes) he enlists, have made him one of the most interesting rappers to listen to in recent years. Lyrically, he's not all that amazing, but his flow combined with his beat selection have made him one of my favorite rappers to listen to, especially when I'm looking for somethin' to bump in my car. Enjoi.

Creep Fast (Feat. T-Pain) - Twista / Mediafire
Still Feels So Good (Feat. Jazze Pha) - Twista / Mediafire
So Lonely (Feat. Mariah Carey) - Twista / Mediafire

Mick Boogie - Re-Living Thing (Mixtape)

 Mick Boogie has long been well known in the blogosphere as a talented producer and mixtape guru, hosting tapes for everyone from Big Sean to Eminem. After Peter Bjorn & John released their 2009 album Living Thing, he took it upon himself to craft one of the best remix albums I've heard in awhile. The tape's production is pretty damn good, especially since I'm not a Peter Bjorn & John fan at all, but Boogie is able to use a lot of their original rhythms and melodies while making the songs sound fresh. The host of lyricists is also one of the albums strengths, made up of a number of rising stars including Donnis, Big Sean, Wale, and Fashawn. These two songs are my the best on the album in my opinion, especially "Stay This Way" which seamlessly incorporates the band's signature "oohs" and whistles into an awesome beat.

If you wanna get the whole mixtape, you can cop it HERE.

Stay This Way (Feat. Big Pooh, Phil Nash & Chaundon) - Mick Boogie / Mediafire

Just the Past (nVMe Remix) [Feat. Big Sean, Black Milk & T3] - Mick Boogie / Mediafire

The Newz - Totally Insane

I don't have much to say about Totally Insane. Actually, no one really has much to say about them; I doubt many people have even heard of them. Hailing from EPA (East Palo Alto), they've been reppin' the hood since way back in 1991. I may not know much about them, but this song is a CUT. For real. Get ready to hit the repeat button, this is one chilled out jam that will have you nodding your head in no time; this is with out a doubt one of my favorite songs I've found in the past year.

"I think the president is smokin' weed, bumpin' this beat, makin' a living off my misery"

The Newz - Totally Insane / Mediafire

Xaphoon Jones

 Xaphoon Jones (real name: Noah Beresin) is the production half of hip-hop group Chiddy Bang, and is one of my favorite new producers/mash-up artists to come out in the past few years. Unlike a lot of hip-hop, which focuses on sampling older soul or funk songs, or even other hip-hop songs, Jones is all about sampling new tracks from every genre imaginable. On Chiddy's new mixtape (more on that later), he samples from artists as diverse as Gorillaz, Ellie Goulding, and Kate Nash, to name a few. These three songs are off his first tape, the Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Vol. 1, which you can cop HERE. This guy is about to be big so listen now, before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.


I Wanna Know Now (Bob Marley, MGMT) -Xaphoon Jones / Mediafire
Testify (Radiohead, Kanye West) - Xaphoon Jones / Mediafire
You Need (Clipse, Led Zepplin) - Xaphoon Jones / Mediafire

Gorillaz

Not much needs to be said about the Gorillaz, I'm sure most of you know who they are/have heard their music before. Just in case you haven't, basically they are a rotating collective of artists headed by Blur frontman Damon Alborn. He reperesents this collective through four different virtual band members who appear in all the group's music videos, and often on stage as holographical representations. These are three tracks I feel like a lot of people may not have heard as none of them were singles. Stylo is the first single off their new album Plastic Beach, and although the original is good, I think this Chiddy Bang remix is a lot better; it's much catchier and an easier listen for mainstream listeners. November Has Come has a dope feature from my man DOOM, and All Alone is officially my favorite Gorillaz song, hands down. Enjoy.

All Alone - Gorillaz / Mediafire
Stylo (Feat. Mos Def and Bobby Womack) [Chiddy Bang Remix] - Gorillaz / Mediafire
November Has Come (Feat. MF Doom) - Gorillaz / Mediafire

Nice & Smooth

Nice & Smooth are funky. Also hip-hop junkies. This pretty much sums up this golden era hip-hop duo from NY. They worked extensively with Gang Starr, and are best known for their song "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" which features a dope sample of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car". Their song "Hip Hop Junkies" is also one of my favorite's, with a very original sample of The Partridge Family. As much as a I love the new breed of rapper that is emerging today, you truly can't beat the good old '90s for quality  hip-hop.

Sometimes I Rhyme Slow - Nice & Smooth / Mediafire
Hip Hop Junkies - Nice & Smooth / Mediafire

NEW Drake & Eminem Singles

*DISCLAIMER* Normally, I post music that I think is really dope and want to share with all of you. These two songs are not that kind of song. I just figured everyone would want to cop Em and Drake's new single's so I threw 'em up; I'm not particularly a fan of either.

So earlier this week Em announced that the first single, "Not Afraid", off his Recovery album would be out this Friday. Yesterday, Drake released the album art for his second official single "Find Your Love" and said the single would be released before the day was over. And guess what? For once, two hugely popular artists ACTUALLY released their singles when they said they would.

Not sure how I feel about either song yet, neither is necessarily bad, but they both seem kind of bland. Drake's single was produced by Kanye, and Em picked up Boi-1da, one of the hottest producers out there right now. Tell me what you think in a comment, I'm interested to see how these two singles are received. Props to illroots for the singles.

EDIT: Got another DMCA takedown notice for this post. I don't want to get my blog taken down so I had to remove the links. If you want any of the songs mentioned, click on the illroots link above, he's still got them up, or hit me up for the download.

Wiz Khalifa

In light of Wiz's upcoming tour date in Eugene, I thought I'd see if I could convert some new found fans and help fill up WOW Hall. The way most people know Wiz Khalifa is through his massive summer 2008 hit, Say Yeah. Infectiously poppy, this song was what gave Wiz his fanbase. Now he's got a couple independently produced albums and quite a few mixtapes, and he's established himself as one of the top up-and-coming rappers of the year. The song "In The Cut", featured below is off his new mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice, one of two or three mixtapes by him that are supposed to come out this year. "The Thrill" has Wiz dropping in over Empire of the Sun's "Walking on a Dream", and is definitely one of his best efforts to date. Wiz is still figuring out how to appeal commercially, but once he does, dude's gonna be huge. Cop now.

To get tickets for his May 13, 2010 show in Eugene, visit The WOW Hall website.

EDIT: Got another DMCA takedown notice for this post. I don't want to get my blog taken down so I had to remove the links. If you want any of the songs mentioned, hit me up for the download.

Aesop Rock

      

One of the most innovative independent producer/rappers of the past decade or so, Aesop Rock always has fresh new beats and original songs up his sleeves. He's been making beats and rapping for awhile now, and often collaborates with producer Blockhead on his tracks. He's put out 5 full albums, as well ass a few EPs, compilations, and a long list of production credits for other rappers. These songs are from a few different albums, and the Limelighters Remix is pretty slick.

Labor - Aesop Rock / Mediafire
Water - Aesop Rock / Mediafire
Limelighters (Unconventional Science Remix) - Aesop Rock / Mediafire
Forest Crunk - Aesop Rock / Mediafire

Jaylib

Madlib and Dilla the illest. A truer statement has never been uttered. When Madlib and J Dilla, two of my favorite hip-hop producers, combined to create Jaylib, my prayers had been answered. The raw hip-hop sound of their album Champion Sound gets better and better every time I listen to it; each time I hear one of their songs I find new subtle nuances, a bass-line in the background, some drums I'd never heard, etc. One of the things I think is really cool is the way in which the album was created. Dilla and Lib spent the months making the album by mailing their parts back and forth to each other, with one creating a beat and the other rapping over it. In this way, half the tracks are produced by Dilla, with raps by Madlib, and the other half are reversed, with Madlib behind the tables and Dilla on the mic. Not surprisingly, the four songs I'm about to post here, my favorites off the album, are all Dilla produced. These four songs are some of my favorite of all time, with heavy bass, some crazy samples, and Madlib's goofy lyrics. If you were only to pick up one though, get The Red. It is without a doubt one of my favorite songs of all time, and if you really want to get a party moving, that's the song to play.

The Red - Jaylib / Mediafire
Raw Shit (Feat. Talib Kweli) - Jaylib / Mediafire
React (Feat. Quasimoto) - Jaylib / Mediafire
Starz - Jaylib / Mediafire

Cee-Lo Green

Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine. Cee-lo has been around for a minute now, but I feel like, at least in the NW, he doesn't get much love. In the '90s he was a part of Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob, and since has begun a successful solo career, collaborating with a host of other artists, including the Dungeon Family, Ludacris and Outkast. His most well known work is probably his collaboration with DJ Danger Mouse as half of Gnarls Barkley. Here, however,  I want to highlight his solo work, because besides being a rapper, he's a great soul and funk singer as well. These four tracks are singles off of his two solo albums, and they can all be found on Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine, his best-of album.

I'll Be Around (Feat. Timbaland) - Cee-Lo

The Art Of Noise (Feat. Pharell) - Cee-Lo

Gettin' Grown - Cee-Lo

Under Tha Influence (Follow Me) - Cee-Lo

EDIT: Got my first DMCA takedown notice for this post. FUCK THAT. But  I don't want to get my blog taken down so I had to remove the links. If you want any of the songs mentioned, hit me up for the download.

What Does Your Soul Look Like (Parts 1-4) - DJ Shadow

Aside from being the greatest live DJ you've never heard of, DJ Shadow is also one of the most skilled producer's in the hip-hop games. This is my first post on him, but it certainly won't be my last. Mainly, this is just to get him up on the blog because he's one of my favorite artists, and later I'll add a bunch more of his stuff. These four songs, called What Does Your Soul Look Like (Parts 1, 2, 3, & 4) total over 28 minutes, and are some of his best work. You can go to sleep to them, get real stoned to 'em, or just relax. Each one is very unique, and yet somehow they feel strangely similar, as if telling some ongoing story. I love all four of them, and if you give 'em a listen, you will too.

What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1) - DJ Shadow / Mediafire
What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 2) - DJ Shadow / Mediafire
What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 3) - DJ Shadow / Mediafire
What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4) - DJ Shadow / Mediafire

Greatest Hip-Hop Instrumentals Of All Time?

If you're a head, guaranteed you'll already have these songs, but I thought I'd throw them up here because they're probably my two favorite hip-hop songs of all time. I also happen to believe they are two of the best (if not the best) hip-hop instrumentals of all time. Care to prove me wrong? Post a comment with a link to what you think are the best, I always love a good debate.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth

They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) - Pete Rock & CL Smooth / Mediafire

A classic cut by one of the all-time greats, Pete Rock and his buddy CL Smooth. A tribute to fallen friend Troy Dixon of Heavy D & The Boyz, it came out in 1990 as the lead single off their debut album Mecca and the Soul Brother. It captures the classic sound of golden age hip-hop, and CL's smooth rhymes flow perfectly over Rock's jazzy beat.

Souls of Mischief

'93 'til Infinity - Souls of Mischief <b>/ Mediafire

The Souls of Mischief (part of the Bay Area's Hieroglyphics crew) came out with this jam way back in 1993, and it was the lead single off their album of the same name. It's the ultimate laid-back party jam, and I can think of nothing I'd rather do when it comes but just chill straight 'til infinity. A-Plus' production on the song is second to none, and Opio, Phesto, and Tajai's playful lyrics about women, blunts, and brews fit perfectly with the jazzy piano and sax samples in the background.

GET THESE NOW. And hit me back with a comment if you think you've got a better instrumental.