Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Chance The Rapper feat. Childish Gambino “Favorite Song”
- Jay-Z “100 Bill”
- Talib Kweli feat. Busta Rhymes “Rocket Ships”
- Kurupt feat. Daz “Now Ya In, And Then Ya Gone”
- J. Cole “Cole Summer”
HEAR:
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Jay-Z “Open Letter”
- Styles P. feat. Jadakiss “Red Eye”
- Cory Gunz “IDK My Limits”
- Big K.R.I.T. “Life is a Gamble”
- Pusha T. “Numbers on the Boards”
HEAR:
This week I decided to put up a all hip-hop mix dedicated to hard to find and unreleased music from the mid to late 90s. There are a lot of rare joints here! Get em while it’s hot! Cause it is…
1. KFC(Mase,Cam’ron,Bloodshed,Mcgruff,Big L)- American Dream
2. Smiff-N-Wessun- Wrekonize Remix
3. Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah- Rainy Dayz Remix
4. Jay-Z feat. Melissa Morgan- Can’t Knock the Hustle Remix
5. Redman- Funkorama
6. Blahzay Blahzay feat. La The Darkman, Smoothe Da Hustler, Trigger Tha Gambler- Danger Pt. II
7. Mobb Deep- Back At You
8. Busta Rhymes feat. O.D.B.- Woo Ha Remix
9. Cam’ron feat. DMX- Pull It
10. Nore feat. Tragedy & Nas- Calm Down
11. Nore- Married 2 Marijuana
12. Jaz-O feat. Sauce Money, Jay-Z- Foundation
13. Ghostface Killah- Cobra Clutch
14. Mic Geronimo feat. DMX, Ja-Rule, The LOX, Tragedy- Usual Suspects
15. Large Professor feat. Nas- One Plus One
Man, what the hell did J. Cole do to Jay-Z? You would never know that he was signed to his label (Roc Nation). Not only is he absent from J. Cole everything (i.e. Songs, Pics), now Hov does a remix with his man Kendrick Lamar? The cover of the single is a pic of Kobe and Jordan together. What?! If I was J. cole, no disrespect to Kendrick, but I’d need answers.
Jay-Z has barely endorsed J. Cole publicly. Ok, so Jay Cole was on Blueprint 3. That song was completely forgettable. I understand allowing your artist to make a name for themselves, but this feels like more. Jay did a entire album with Kanye. Kanye didn’t need it. Hov seems more than willing to share some lime light.
I understand that Jay-Z likes to gravitate to the “hot” side of the room but damn. Your little man is drowning under the pressure of his peers Drake & Kendrick. It doesn’t help his cause if you draw more attention their way. I’m not totally against the way Jay-Z has handled J. Cole. I felt he got in Memphis Bleek’s way on Roc-a-Fella.
Once again, this is a case where you have a dude who is just as talented as his peers but he needs that one hit. He obviously is unable to craft it himself. Those radio records wouldn’t chart if he was on some bullsh*t label like Mack Town Records.
Who knows? Maybe J. Cole’s sophomore album will tell a different tale. He better hurry up. Drake’s 3rd album is right around the corner.
Check out this Tribute to Hip-Hop Posse tracks…Classic: “POSSE CUT TRIBUTE“
The X-Factor Podcast Episode # 97.1 (Time:1 hour 30 min.)
1. “The Symphony’”
2. “Buddy (Remix)”
3. “Scenario/Scenario(Remix)”
4. “Live at the Barbeque”
5. “Don’t Curse”
6. “Headbanger”
7. “Flava in ya Ear(Remix)”
8. “Protect Ya Neck”
9. “Eye for a Eye”
10. “Headz Ain’t Redee/Leflaur Leflaur Eshkoshka”
11. “Affirmative Action (Main & Remix)”
12. “I Shot Ya/4,3,2,1″
13. “24 Hours to Live”
14. “Reservoir Dogs”
15. “Banned From T.V.”
16. “John Blaze”
17. “Watch Out for the Hook”
18. “Ante Up (Remix)”
19. Simon Says (Remix)
2013 has had some decent hip-hop…already! …Here’s what I’m currently rocking:
9th Wonder & Jay-Z “Black American Gangster“
“This one hit early. January 1st to be exact. I liked the original album but this 9th Wonder remix breathes new life into it. It even make songs I didn’t like better. You need to add this to your rotation if you haven’t already.”
J. Cole “Truly Yours“
“This dude makes some of the best mixtapes around. This Ep is hot! The beat selection, the topics, and his sincere delivery combine for a thoughtful mixture. If only we could get a album from him on this level. I’m hopeful. Check it…”
Inspecktah Deck + 7L & Esoteric ”Czarface“
“I wasn’t expecting this one. This is for the hip-hop heads. The album feels like the 90s (or a 90s Wu album) but doesn’t sound dated. There have been similar projects butthey tended to sound dated. Idk. Dope lyrics combined with head nodding beats = heavy rotation.”
Vado “Slime Flu 3“
“I just like this dude. Period. I’m a fan. I have no rhyme or reason as to why (I’ll take a crack it though…). His confidence makes mediocre songs sound interesting. His beats are always on point. The Slime Flu series has been dope. If you are a Vado fan, you’ll be more than happy with this one.”
Curren$y “New Jet City“
“I never get tired of this dude…when I should. His subject matter is the same. His delivery is the same on every track, and his music can be categorized as “weed-hop”. He just makes good music to vibe to. New Jet City is perfect for those who want to take a mental break from the technical wordplay in some hip-hop. It’s just chill, and features some dope guest appearances. Check it out…”
I said I would watch this year…but I didn’t. I just, genuinely, don’t care anymore. The award show has improved over the years but I still feel that some magic is missing. It doesn’t feel like there is any suspense as it relates to the winners. The bigger the record (as it relates to sales), the greater the chances it will walk away with the honors. When a song like “Niggaz in Paris” wins over a song like “Daughters“….well.
Most of the candidates in the Hip-Hop categories deserved to be nominated. The winners were predictable though. I was particularly interested in who would win best album. I thought Drake’s album “Take Care” was good, but “Hip-Hop”?
This album contain less “rap” than his debut. I don’t like the fact that the Grammys proved me right. It’s either a sales win, a popularity win, or a sympathy win (for old heads). I was hoping Nas would get the “sympathy” vote for his excellent work but oh well. At the end of the day, it is less about who wins and more about the message these wins send.
*Shrugs* I watched The Walking Dead instead…
If you grew up in the NYC area around the 80s and 90s, Video Music Box was king! They just weren’t a hip-hop video show like Yo MTV Raps or Rap City. Often times, you could tune in and catch a live performance at a local NY club. Raw video footage! Everybody knows the Tunnel freestyle featuring Biggie and 2Pac but some of us saw it before we heard it. Ralph McDaniels and The Vid Kid brought you unlimited coverage of some of today’s hip-hop legends. Salute…
Check out this interview with Ralph McDaniels: NYHipHopReport.com
Also check out some classic Video Music Box videos:
Happy New Year People! 2013 is here, so what’s new in hip-hop? We know how fast consumers can move from a new release to the next. People are already looking toward the future for their hip-hop fix. Look into my crystal ballz….
Upcoming Notable Hip-Hop Releases(Dates Subject to Change):
OUT NOW- 9TH WONDER & JAY-Z “BLACK AMERICAN GANGSTER”
JANUARY 10TH- ACE HOOD “STARVATION 2″
JANUARY 15TH- A$AP ROCKY “LONGLIVEA$AP”
JANUARY 22ND- VADO “SLIME FLU 3″
JANUARY 22ND- JOE BUDDEN “NO LOVE LOST”
JANUARY 28TH- J.COLE “BORN SINNER”
