Rhymes: Lil Herb - "Fight or Flight (Remix)" (feat. Common & Chance the Rapper) (Music Video)

A few weeks back three of Chicago's best emcees got together for a remix off on Lil Herb's under the radar mixtape, Welcome to Fazoland mixtape. Now we have a video from the three that highlights both the good and bad parts of the southside of Chicago. It's really nice to see Common not only co-sign the 18 year-old Lil Herb, but also come back home to do a video shoot. This song and video also shows the wide range of talent and styles from Chicago.

While Common and Chano may have the bigger names, Herb holds down his track with his aggressive delivery, rapid flow, and lines like: "I used to think that I could go back what I used to do
Now I cry less and less at all my homie's funerals." With his excellent tape and appearance on Common's Nobody's Smiling album, in addition to appearing on XXL's freshman cover, it's looking like Herb will be joining Chance and Vic Mensa as Chicago's top tier of young talent.

Rhymes: masterminds - "fightmusic (Feat. Murs & Slug)" (Artist Spotlight)

Obviously seeing a track featuring Slug and Murs in my inbox is going to catch my eye, but the New York based duo masterminds are very dope. They got a very raw, DIY aesthetic, with hard hitting drums and dusty samples. "fightmusic" is one of several high energy tracks on their new album "Giant Antlers." Check out their extremely bizarre, animated video up above, and you can check out their whole album here: http://themasterminds.bandcamp.com/. I've only played it once, and so far it's pretty excellent top to bottom. My initial favorites are "fightmusic," "east harlem rose," and "new york i love you. i'm drunk. you're insane."

fightmusic from the masterminds on Vimeo.

the masterminds are tarik and kimani. born in new york. formed at wesleyan university. son's of 60's jazz, 70's soul, 80's pop, 90's hip-hop, and 00's indie rock. we've been friends since 1994. put out our first 12" in 1996, and our last record in 2002. took some time off to be alive, and now we're back.

Rhymes & LIfe: Danny! - "Keep Your Head to the Sky"

Yeah, I know this joint has been out since the beginning of 2012, but he posted it on Tumblr again, and I felt it necessary to share some personal thoughts/reflections on Danny!'s music and my life.

I’ve been riding for Danny! fairly hard the past 4-5 months. But damn dude just makes some really uplifting music. I’m in the midst of some pretty hard times in my life currently, and I can honestly say “And I Love H.E.R.” has been one of the most helpful albums for me to listen to the past few months.

Back in May, he allowed me to listen to Payback (1.0), and this was right when all these bad things started to happen. I really wish I would’ve been able to listen to tracks like “Get Up” along with the rest of the album, but unfortunately that wasn’t the way things played out. “Misery” off of And I Love H.E.R. more than made up for it though.

Anyways by the time Payback (2.0) comes out (SEPTEMBER 25), I really hope to be on the other end of this whole thing I’m going through. But if not, I know Danny!’s gonna hold me down with some great, inspirational music. Check this track out and remember to cop Payback on 9/25 via Okayplayer Records.

And if September is too far away for ya'll, he just re-released his 2nd instrumental album, Dream, Fulfilled today.

Rhymes: Nas - "Daughters" (Music Video)

Hello my fellow beets, I know it's been a while, but I was super busy graduating and getting a job and all that jive. But I am finally back with a dope video/song off of Nas' upcoming album, Life is Good, which is set to drop July 17! This is the third video off of the up-coming album, and it is a really great song about being a father to a teenage daughter.

The song has recently gotten some flack from Nas' ex, Carmen for making their daughter, Destiny look bad. And I agree that the song and video highlight a lot of negatives including a line about her posting pictures of her condoms on Instagram. But at the same time, Nas is an artist and he is going to write about his life. He often blames himself in the song for not being a strict enough father or not always being there for his daughter. Overall this is a very moving and genuine song (produced by No ID, who is going to exec produce the album), and hopefully the rest of Nas' 10th LP will be as good.

Life & Rhymes: The Rise & Fall & Re-Rise of Hip Hop in America, Pt. 2

The Ten Albums That Fixed Hip Hop

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Now, if you're reading this and haven't read Pt. 1 of this "Rise & Fall & Re-Rise of Hip Hop," then you need to click HERE and check that out. To continue from Pt. 1, hip hop was great at first, but took a heavy blow and declined into a practically soul-less, money-making business scheme that did nothing for the genre of rap and hip hop. BUT, alas, many artists took to the plate and hit the pads and boards and came out with what I consider the top ten albums that fixed hip hop. Below  you will find the albums, ranked in order of effectiveness of 'fixing' hip hop, with a review of the album and how it helped steer hip hop back in the right direction. To me, I think it is these guys that us hip hop heads have to thank for bringing hip hop on the right path. Check it out:

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10

"Goblin" - Tyler the Creator [2011]; Ok, so Tyler the Creator isn't the greatest rapper ever (no offense), but you gotta' give him props for completely reinventing the sound of mainstream hip hop; not single-handedly of course, but who would've thought that five years ago so many people would listen to songs with as many curses as he uses and how many obscene topics he raps about. "Yonkers" became a big hit after it dissed superstars B.o.B, Haley Williams, and Bruno Mars for their songs "Airplanes." Thanks to Tyler, the whole sound of mainstream hip hop took a small shift from poppy, commercialized beats to more intense and dark-sounding loops, and repetitive hooks to hook-less songs that are reminiscent of the "I don't give a f***" mentality of a young Eminem.

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9

"Best Day Ever" - Mac Miller [2011]; Mac Miller did similar things to hip hop that Tyler did. They are two completely different artists, so how can they be compared? Well, for one, they're both hot, new artists who emerged onto the hip hop scene out of nowhere and took it by storm. Although smoking is a topic heavily used by Mac Miller, his "Best Day Ever" mixtape garnered national attention and brought him into the mainstream spotlight. You can't deny Mac is dope; he's even throw down crazy verses on some 9th Wonder beats and other notable underground features. Mac Miller has talent and help to curb the mainstream sound from poppy to something more centered on microphone skill, something that was lost for a few years.

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8

"Be" - Common [2005]; Now Common has been dope since he was Common Sense, but who really on the outside (mainstream) knew Common? With Kanye West as the producer, Common's career was revitalized with his phenomenal lyricism and message on this 2005 masterpiece. How did it fix hip hop? Kanye West was huge back in 2005, he dropped "The College Dropout" a year earlier that launched his solo career, and was preparing the release of his sophomore album, "Late Registration," which would boast hits like the radio-friendly, "Gold Digger." But the important thing to note is that this album wasn't like albums that came out at its time. This album was nominated for four Grammy's, which really brought this album to the attention of the mainstream audience, which helped to reinsert alternative hip hop and conscious hip hop into the popularity of the hip hop community.

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7

"Donuts" - J Dilla [2006]; Sure, I'll admit, at the time of its release, "Donuts" was practically unheard of by the mainstream population, although a great deal of hip hop fans mourned J Dilla's death just three days after the release of this album. And although many heard this album upon its release, the majority of its listeners, including myself, did not hear this album until well after its initial release. It was then that this album gained national praise by the underground hip hop community where many consider it the greatest instrumental album ever created. Rhapsody rated it as the third greatest hip hop album of the 2000s and was rated very positively (mostly 9/10's) across the board. Dilla is one of the most unknown, but known hip hop artists ever, and by that I mean, most people have heard Dilla's stuff, they just don't know it was Dilla. For example, Drake rapped over a Dilla beat on one of his mixtapes, but how many people know that it is Dilla? Dilla revolutionized the production side of hip hop, a whole decade after Pete Rock first made it truly famous.

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6

"Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" - Lupe Fiasco [2006]; This album is a masterpiece. What this album really did for the genre was productively bringing alternative hip hop to the forefront of mainstream rap. For a time, it was cool to sound like Lupe, and by that I mean with sample-filled beats and smooth, intelligent vibes and meaningful lyrics and subject matter. Songs like "Hurt Me Soul," "Kick, Push," and "Daydreamin'" were radio hits and enjoyed by fans across the hip hop community. Lupe helped to expand the hip hop genre into something more alternative and creative, which really helped draw in a whole new audience to hip hop. This album is dope and definitely created a bridge between underground and mainstream hip hop.

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5

 

"Late Registration" - Kanye West [2005]; Along with the release of Common's "Be" a few months earlier, the soul-sample filled beats and diverse lyrical tactics employed by the young, new Kanye West really floored hip hop. He brought a whole new feel to hip hop, both lyrically and with his instrumentals and production skills. He mastered and popularized the 'chipmunk-sound' in sampling and brought a truly hip hop sound to the mainstream. Sure he had some radio hits like "Gold Digger" and "Touch the Sky" but those records are dope and deserve praise for bringing the art of sampling a mainstream audience.

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4

"Recovery" - Eminem [2010]; After flushing away the drugs from his body, Eminem came back to the spotlight after half-a-decade of slacking off with his music. Although, personally, I don't find "Recovery" to be Em's best piece of work, it did have a huge impact on the hip hop world. Eminem was back, and that meant one important thing - the 'king' was back. Many hardcore Shady fans attribute the rise of commercial 'mainstrem' rap to the hiatus of Eminem. Although this may be partially true, I don't know if I could put the crutch with the entire Shady camp. He did, however, brought more hardcore rap and creative, witty, and insanely-crazy lyricism back to the genre, which was almost non-existent in his absence. With his re-emergence, the bar of flow and lyricism was raised a lot higher.

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3

"The Blueprint 3" - Jay Z [2009]; This album made the list because of one song: "D.O.A. (Death of Auto tune)." That song, coming from a legend, a great like Jay-Z, truly put a damper on the overused auto tune (vocoder) effect, most notably made famous by rapper/singer T-Pain. Now, there is nothing wrong with using auto tune once in a while, but making an entire album out of it... c'mon now. Jay-Z took something everyone thought was cool (auto tune) and made it uncool... that takes a lot of power, something Jay, thankfully had. So thank you Jay for fixing this. 

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2

"A Kid Named Cudi" - Kid Cudi [2008]; Ok, hear me out. This album served a similar purpose to "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" because the main thing about Kid Cudi is that he brought alternative hip hop to an all new high. Before Kid Cudi, who was rapping with dreary vibes over hypnotic beats and talking about night-terrors and his life's struggles with such a captivating tone? Kid Cudi took the underground sub-genre of alternative hip hop and pushed it to the forefront of the rap world. How many kids did you hear back in '08 and '09 talking about Cudi or listening to Cudi? Cudi was spellbinding and brought a widespread amount of youth into the genre of (alternative) hip hop. He then followed up with his album "Man on the Moon: The End of Day" in 2009, which went on to be certified Gold. We have Cudi-just like Lupe-to thank for allowing alternative hip hop to re-surge in the mainstream world of hip hop and rap. 

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 1

"Hip Hop Is Dead" - Nas [2006]; This album brought to the attention of the hip hop community that something was seriously wrong with rap music at the time. Nas spelled it out in his 16-track album that hip hop was nothing like it used to be and something needed to be done about it, and who better than the veteran Queens spitter, Nasty Nas to deliver the proverbial slap in the face. It wasn't very effective in the long run as many rappers took to rhyming saying that hip hop wasn't dead, contrary to what Nas though, however, it did create a stir in the hip hop community, so it is worthy of recognition as an album that helped to fix hip hop. But without this album at the early onset of rap's downfall, no one might've realized how bad of a direction rap was going in and, who knows, maybe we might've not been able to enjoy the great change in hip hop music that we have been able to experience.

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I hope after reading these two articles that you would agree with me in that hip hop is back to being great again. If you have any questions or comments or disagree (or agree!) tell me by commenting or emailing me at hiphopspeakeasy@gmail.com. Also please check out my website by clicking the link below. Lots of dope hip hop albums, reviews, interviews, news, & more! Peace!

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THE HIP HOP SPEAKEASY

Life & Rhymes: The Rise & Fall & Re-Rise of Hip Hop in America, Pt. 1

An Introduction

Hip hop has come a long way since its inception in the latter half of the '70s. From break-dancing kids, taking up the streets of inner cities with their boomboxes and crews, to hip hop music becoming, seemingly, the #1 genre in America. A few years ago, and still today, almost every hit single played on the radio station is a hip hop (or at least hip hop influenced) track. So with all of this success, you would think people would be happy with the state of hip hop, right? Wrong. If you're like me, a true hip hop head, you would know that for years and years, many fans of the genre have been bashing the "bubblegum rap" and "mainstream" hip hop that has plagued and basically trashed the image of the genre we all know and love.

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The Divide

In a very general, blanket-statement, hip hop can be divided into two types: mainstream & underground. The difference? Mainstream gets airplay and national recognition, while underground, not so much. Now, back in the day, I'm talking the Golden Age of Hip Hop from the late 80s to the mid 90s, the hip hop that was widely regarded as "good" hip hop was stuff that many underground lovers today enjoy. Nas' "Illmatic," A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" and "The Low End Theory," Pete Rock & CL Smooth's "Mecca and the Soul Brother," these were all considered dope. The recognition and praise was widespread, making the divide between 'mainstream' and 'underground' seemingly nonexistent. It was here that rap was at its pinnacle. Hip hop was in its Golden Age, in its finest years, and there was hardly any "whack" stuff out. In my opinion, the onset of advanced computer technology, the MP3, and the realization of hip hop as a money-making scheme, rather than a soulful musical genre, all led to the divide between what we call 'mainstream' and 'underground' hip hop. The 'underground' stuck to the music, to the love of the art, while the 'mainstream' sought after the forever-famous "road to riches and diamond rings." 

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Pitfalls and Shortcomings

I personally believe Nas was a year or two too early when he said that "Hip Hop [was] Dead." In all actuality, I never really thought hip hop was dead, 'cause I always played stuff that I felt was dope hip hop, but hip hop did see some unfortunate pitfalls and shortcomings in the latter half of the 2000s. Now, I don't want to bash any artist in particular, but what is really important to note about the rap music that came out about five years ago was what? -- centered around money, cars, jewelry, partying, girls, etc... Now subject-matter isn't everything in the genre, as beats play a big part in the sound of the music, but c'mon. I understand if your record label is making you put a hot radio hit or two on your album, but to make every song sound the exact same, with repetetive hooks, thoughtless lyrics, and copycat rhymes, it was just too upsetting. To see hip hop burst out of New York City and California with such creative innovation, and within a decade to see the creativity practically come to a standstill, where artists sounded so similar they seemed to blend together and were nearly indistinguishable when featured together was upsetting. To further prove my point of hip hop's pitfalls and shortcomings, you can even ask Time magazine who questioned in 2005 if 'mainstream hip hop was dying.' It almost seemed impossible for hip hop to ever return to its glory days when creative lyricism and true heart and soul was put back into the music... that was until the turn of the 2000s to the 2010 decade...

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Hip Hop is Reborn

Call it a shout out, but there are so many artists to thank that helped turned the life of hip hop around, because it definitely took a turn for the better in the last few years. I am a huge hip hop fan, and have been for several years... but I'm not one-dimensional, nor am I ignorant, nor am I a 'hater.' I took a short few decades of a musical genre and did some studying, listening and analyzing to give my educated opinion on the state of this music that we call rap and hip hop. I truly feel this way, that hip hop was at its best, then, rather quickly, dropped into something almost embarrassing to compare to older hip hop, to something we can all be happy with. Again, I don't mean to bash any artist in particular, it is just how I feel. But, I am glad hip hop is back and I look forward every week to the new albums that come out that give a breath of fresh air to hip hop. All of you still hatin' on hip hop by saying that all these rappers suck and these mainstream guys are crap and are sticking to stuff like Biggie & Pac, it's time to realize that there is so much good hip hop out right now, you just gotta' know what to look for and where to look. So, in my opinion, I think hip hop is going to last and is going to be dope for a very long time.

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Please check back tomorrow for Pt. 2 of this article where I break down the top 10 albums that aided in the resurgence of hip hop (in my opinion)!
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I hope you enjoyed my article and please check out my website at

www.hiphopspeakeasy.com

Rhymes: Brother Ali - "The Bitemarked Heart" (Free DL)

By now you should know the deal; with every album Brother Ali has released, he drops off a little appetizer a few months before. This go-round, the good Brother shows off his charm with a 7-track EP for Valentine's Day.

This EP is a nice little warm up for his up-coming album, Mourning in America, Dreaming in Color, which will be entirely produced by Seattle beatsmith, Jake-One. Jake-One and Ant handle the production on The Bitemarked Heart EP.

Click Here to Download.

Brother Ali - The Bite Marked Heart by rhymesayers

Rhymes: Asher Roth - "Dope Sh*t"

Asher Roth dropped a dope mixtape at the end of 2011 titled Pabts & Jazz. This track is one of the many highlights. Ash flows over a smooth, jazzy beat by 1500 or Nothin'.

The video is pretty awesome, it really makes me want summer right now. And seeing the PA rapper spit infront of a jazz band is pretty awesome too.

His Def Jam debut, Is This Too Orange? should be out sometime in March/April, and if Pabts and Jazz was any indication of what the album will sound like, we're all in for some dope sh*t indeed.

Rhymes & Life: Classic Songs That Weren't

What are some classic/timeless songs that maybe didn't get enough shine for one reason or another?



Inspired by Scareface's "The G Code" which appeared as an album cut on the last Geto Boys album. How was this not one of the biggest songs of the last decade?

Also ElZhi's "S.A.R.A.H. (Feel This)" has such a classic feel to it, it's a shame it only landed on a mixtape.

Countless Nas songs like "Deja Vu" and "Life is Like a Dice Game" have been considered classics for years despite not even having a CD quality version ever being released, but what about the Kanye West produced "The World" track? Jay-Z's "44 Fours" and "Dead Presidents III" are nearly as good as the original versions of their songs.

Blu is another artist who has leaked so many quality tracks despite being released in low bit rate format (see: albums like Jesus and Godlee Barnes), but has early classic tracks like "Just Another Day" and "Fly (Liberation Song)" may have only appeared on an EP and a compilation by producer Exile, but had a major impact on my life.

Back when BET's Rap City was still in the basement, So So Def rapper, Sun NY had a video for a song called "Soul of a Hustler," which was slated to be on an album of the same name. But unfortunately he never gained much steam beyond the 5-minute, hookless single, and was dropped from Jermaine Dupree's label before the album ever came out.

Rhymes: Nas "Nasty" (Music Video)

Nas getting back to his Nasty-roots on his lead single for his up-coming album, tentatively titled, Life is Good. Video is pretty basic, but still good to see Nas in such a refreshed and hungry mode. This song was one of my favorite tracks of the summer with Salaam Remi's sparse, rhythmic-drum beat and a dense flow from Mr. Jones that scoffs at the idea of a hook for a track that's so, well... Nasty.


Speaking of a rejuvenated emcee coming off of two lukewarm albums (actually UMC was just turrible), Common looks to resurrect his career yet again with his reunion with No ID, The Dreamer, The Believer LP. If this song (which also dominated my Summer playlists) is any indication, he should be spitting like the Common of old (although that new single that samples ELO is more Finding Forever than Like Water For Chocolate).

This video features these two legendary emcees fantasizing about a beautiful woman. It's a simple, yet effective concept. The Dreamer, The Believer should hit shelves late November.

Rhymes: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Make The Money"

Finally!!!! After years of watching (and listening to a Youtube rip on my iPod) the video above, my favorite Macklemore song has been released.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SONG, EMBEDDING NOT WORKING

The piano driven track plays more like a mission statement than a song. And Macklemore is as personal and honest as ever, and Ryan Lewis adds a brilliant instrument-based beat. I'm assuming this along with "Can't Hold Us" "Wings" and hopefully "My Oh My" will appear on the duo's upcoming album, which they hope will be released before the year's end. Obviously it will be one of the best albums of 2011 if it does get a Q4 release.

Macklemore & Ryan recently announced a new tour and again they will be hitting up The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor once again. The last time Macklemore was in Ann Arbor, he put on the most incredible show I've ever seen, without a DJ because RyLew was in Ireland.

Rhymes: Blu - My Sunshine (music video)

My Sunshine | Blu feat Nia Andrews from aaronisnotcool on Vimeo.

And another smooth west coast late summer jam from another California favorite, Blu. This is the lead single from the long-awaited major label debut, No York! This is probably the best track I've heard from the project thus far.


Blu will be releasing an official version of his Jesus LP (under the name B, presumably due to record label conflicts) on August 23, get a copy here.

Rhymes: Evidence - "Same Folks (ft. Fashawn)" (Music Video)

Here's the 2nd offering from Ev's much anticipated Rhymesayers debut. On the laid back, summer vibe soul beat, the Dialate People goes back and forth with another one of my favorite up-and-comers from the left coast, Fashawn. The music video is also pretty awesome, as it shows the 2 rappers debut a new song the old fashion way, playing it for people on the streets (as opposed to spamming your Twitter feed).

Cats & Dogs 9/27

Rhymes: A Message from Evidence (Video)

Finally one of the most anticipated releases of the year, Evidence's RSE debut, Cats & Dogs will hit shelves 9/27. I will also be seeing Evidence (along with Blueprint and Atmosphere) next week in Cleveland.

Rhymes: Grieves and Budo - Together/Apart (Review)

Swiped from Okayplayer.com

Seattle based emcee Grieves signed to indie powerhouse Rhymesayers Entertainment back in late 2009. Since then he has been on the road and working on his third full-length album (and first on Rhymesayers) Together/Apart with producer/multi-instrumentalist Budo. Like on his previous albums, Grieves is extremely introspective and personal in his verses. On the spaced out, piano-driven opener “Lightspeed,” he essentially covers his entire life in less than four minutes.

While Grieves is a sharp writer, can craft good sing-song hooks, and be very relatable, Budo seems to be the top performer on Together/Apart. Arguably the beatsmith was up staged by his rapping counterpart on their 2008 effort, 88 Keys & Counting, but this time around he crafts some excellent instrumentals including a wide range of live instrumentation including pianos, synths, horns and guitars. On tracks like “Tragic” and “Prize Fighter,” it’s pretty evident Budo worked hard on improving his drums, as these tracks will have any head bobbing.

The main drawback on Together/Apart is the lack of variety on Grieves’ end. If this is the first Grieves record you’ve ever heard, you will probably find Grieves’ tales of his loss of women, alcohol and drug abuse, and depression entertaining and enlightening. But if you’re familiar with his work, you’ll probably be a little put off by the redundancy of his subject matter. While there aren’t any tracks that I would categorize as a bad song on the album, Together/Apart does seem to be rather top heavy, with most of the stand out cuts at the beginning of the record. The album also seems to drag a little towards the end of the record, which I think could’ve been fixed by including a few more guest appearances. Usually I’m not one for a long list of guest rappers, but a few more features really could’ve broken up the monotony of the record like the tracks with P.O.S. and CunninLynguists did on Grieves 2010 EP, The Confessions of Mr. Modest.

Overall Together/Apart is a very good record, and a few minor missteps from being a great one. Despite Budo’s hardest beat on the record, both Grieves and label mate Brother Ali come a little weak on “Tragic.” And the record could use more up-beat and lighthearted tracks like the Krukid assisted “No Matter What.” This album features more singing from Grieves than in the past. And like “Cloud Man” from 88 Keys, tracks consisting of just singing result in being some of the album’s best tracks. “On the Rock” has Grieves singing to the lonely ice cubes at the bottom of his empty glass, and the epic “Heartbreak Hotel” is easily the album’s best track.

-Zach Gase

BRL Grade: 8 beets out of 10

Rhymes: Kendrick Lamar - "Section.80"

(Music Video for HiiiPower)

Compton native Kendrick Lamar just released his newest album, Section.80, and it's easily one of the year's best. Lamar covers a range of topics surrounding 80s babies who grew up in section80 of California, and he does it well. The album isn't necessarily political, but is extremely socially conscious as K.Dot tells vivid stories about people in their early 20s about their vices, pains and evils.

The album is on $7.99 on iTunes, and is one of the few albums i've ever bought from iTunes and it is well worth your money. Kendrick is sure to be one of the next biggest rappers, but he also has a story to tell.

Grade: 9 beets out of 10

Rhymes: Atmosphere - "The Last To Say" Music Video

Get More: Atmosphere, Music, More Music Videos

Here's a powerful video to one of the best tracks off of Atmosphere's latest album, The Family Sign.

Rhymes: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Wings" Music Video

After months of filming, editing, and raising money on Kickstarter, the boys Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have finally released their music video for their up-coming album's lead-single, "Wings."It is currently on the front page of XXL's website which is impressive, and hopefully will get them more exposure. This video is as powerful as the song, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis continue to impress me more and more. Word is they are about to released a new track from their album soon.

Rhymes: Common "Ghetto Dreams (feat. Nas)" Free Download

Common - Ghetto Dreams feat NAS by Nasir Jones

Finally after a long wait after the leaked snippet and a brief delay (presumably due to Common switching labels) the Nas-Common collaboration has been released by Common himself. Common sounds hungry again, and his upcoming album, The Believer, The Dreamer hopefully will be another come back album from the Chicago emcee.

Nas runs away with this track in some Eminem "Renegade"fashion, wow combine this with "Nasty" Nas sounds hungier than ever.

Rhymes: Lyle Horowitz - Smiles of a Summer Night (Free download/stream)

Once in a while, I will randomly check out a post on Okayplayer about a member's music. Usually I'll give a track or two a quick listen, just because when I post stuff there I'd like it people listened to my stuff.

But with beatsmith, Lyle Horowitz's latest release, Smiles of a Summer Night I was hooked instantly with the phenomenal intro sung by vocalist, Dana Washington. The entire project has a great, laid back summer vibe. The production is solid throughout, with the exception being the Charles Hamilton produced, "Have Fun." The rapping is also surprisingly on point as well. PreZZure steals the show on all three of the tracks he is on including my personal favorite, "Bar Life."

I highly recommend that you check out this free project. Due to the high number of people checking out this project, he has exceeded the Bandcamp free download limit (of 500 downloads), but he was kind enough to give an alternative download link.