Rhymes: John Legend - "Rolling in the Deep (Adele Cover)"

John Legend did an awesome a capella cover of one of my favorite songs off of one of my favorite non-hip hop albums of 2011, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" off her album, 21.

Click Here to Download swiped from 2dopeboyz.com

Rhymes: Death Cab for Cutie - You Are A Tourist

DEATH CAB for CUTIE - You Are A Tourist [Album Version] by ATL REC.
Lately I've been hip hop'n ya'll to death. So here's a nice little change of pace: the new Death Cab single. Ben Gibbard and the boys are geared up to release their 7th LP on May 31. Check out the album cover and track list below:

01 “Home Is A Fire”
02 “Codes And Keys”
03 “Some Boys”
04 “Doors Unlocked And Open”
05 “You Are A Tourist”
06 “Unobstructed Views”
07 “Monday Morning”
08 “Portable Television”
09 “Underneath The Sycamore”
10 “St “Peter’s Cathedral”
11 “Stay Young, Go Dancing”

Rhymes: Pharoahe Monch - "W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)" Album Stream

Pharoahe Monch's long awaited third album, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades finally saw its release this week. The much anticipated project, and first on indie label Duck Down Music, features a stellar cast including production by: Exile, Marco Polo, and Diamond D and guest spots from: Phonte, Styles P, Immortal Technique, Citizen Cope, Royce Da 5'9", Jean Grae, and more.

I've only listened to the album once so far (on the stream up above), but it sounds like it's going to be one of the year's bests. It is a politically charged album reminiscent of Dead Prez and Immortal Technique (who is featured on the album's title track).

BONUS:

Here is the "extended music video" for the lead-single, "Clap (One Day)." The stunning visual plays more like a short film than a music video.

Rhymes: CunninLynguists - Oneirology Album Stream / Live Performance

The 'Lynguists fifth full-length album, Oneirology will be released next Tuesday (March 22), but Kno, Deac, and Natti decided to unleash the effort a week early. So far I've listened to the album probably close to ten times on the bandcamp, as I await the physical release. It really is among their best work. It's unbelievable how much they can evolve their sound in a matter of months. This record sounds nothing like Deacon's side-gig, N***az Wit Altitude or Kno's solo opus,Death is Silent both of which were released less than 6 months ago.

Like their 3rd offering, A Piece of Strange, Oneirology is a concept record that revolves around fantasy, death, and dreams. I haven't really been able to closely examine the narrative yet because I haven't really listened to it all that carefully because I've been playing it mostly while doing homework over my laptop speakers, which definitely does not do the album justice (don't worry I just ordered a new pair of headphones specifically for this album).

CunninLynguists recently released this live acoustic version of one of the album's many standout cuts, "Looking Back." This is a great performance with Natti and Deacon trading verses, Anna Wise singing the chorus, Kno on the drums, and (presumably) Willie Eames on guitar. I would LOVE to see them do the whole album in this format, in an MTV Unplugged-type setting.