The Academy Ft. Royce da 5'9", Bronze Nazareth, Sean Price, & K-Solo - "Let's Go"

Holy Shit!!!

I just got through listening to this track 5 times in a row. I couldn't stop spinning it back over and over. So many quotables on this one. It was released about a month ago. I had it in my iPod, but must've overlooked it until now. Whoa.

I dig the summer anthems, the jazzy loops, and the feel good Hip Hop that comes with the season. But, when the weather starts to turn, I need this raw street shit in my ears again. There's nothing like it. This track, "Let's Go" hit me in the perfect mood.

Royce. Bronze Nazareth. Sean Price. K-Solo (yea, I know. WTF?). This song comes off The Academy, a project being headed by Kurupt, and featuring a who's who of capable MCs from all over. Click HERE to read more about it.

The great thing about "Let's Go" is that each MC brings his A++ game, knowing they need to put in work to compete with the others. That's something you don't see all that often anymore. Too many MCs give away their weaker verses for compilation projects (save for Statik Selektah and DJ JS-1's material). This is Hip Hop competition at its finest right here.

Can't say I noticed K-Solo much yet, but Bronze Nazareth definitely held his own with some clever bars that have single-handedly restored my faith in Wu-affiliates. Of course, the shine really comes from Royce and P, as they had me skipping back again and again. This song is without a doubt going on my top favorite songs of 2011. Hip Hop always needs music like this. Enjoy.

Females Can't Spit?

In a recent excerpt from what I'm assuming was a wack interview (judging by Vlad's inability to move a conversation in any direction at all) Sean Price said he doesn't fuck with ANY female rappers. He later acknowledged Rah Digga and the legendary MC Lyte.

It would've been nice to hear why, but, again Vlad is a shit interviewer. P basically just said none of them interest him. Fair enough. One man's opinion.

I, for one, feel females have something important to offer hip hop fans. And, not only female fans. The problem is that the females that make it into the mainstream are usually affiliated with, and overshadowed by, an all male crew. And, the ones that seem to make it into the conversation for some reason, are offering nothing more than predictable gimmicks and shallow punchlines. There's no replay value, and no staying power.

But, I'm seeing positive changes. Save for a few still sticking to the same tired script of weak rhymes filled with sex speak to try to cash in on minds as shallow as their's, there are quite a few women in hip hop today that can truly spit.

Not only do their rhymes bring a wittiness and overall depth that rivals some of their male counterparts (and dwarfs the majority that probably think of themselves as peers), they are making conceptually good songs that explore our world from another perspective. And, that is something that should be of value to both sexes. Today, I can list more females with serious skill putting out music at the same time then I think I ever could before. And, they are making it cool for women to be smart. I appreciate that.

Which female MC(s) do you think could have the gender dropped from their title and just be called an MC?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Sean Price Live Rhymes

A little while back, I posted the flyer for Sean Price's baby shower and performance in NYC. I thought it was pretty damn funny to turn a show into a shower for your kid and charge a baby gift off your registry in place of a ticket price. Plus, the flyer had me rollin'. The event just took place and here's some footage of the performance. I'll throw some more clips up if I find em' on YouTube later.

Below that, P kicks a freestyle on DJ Enuff's radio show. And, if you like Sean's style, you love what he spits. P!!!!!

Sean Price's Baby Shower + Performance

You can't tell me this shit isn't funny as hell...and clever marketing. P!!!

Black Milk Previews 2010

If you're looking for something to get you pumped for the new year we got coming, here it is. Well, this isn't actually it, but it's a preview of what Black Milk has in the works for 2010. I'm officially excited.

What I've Been Listening To This Past Week

Been hearing a lot of good stuff lately. This week was another filled with great music (for the most part). Here is some of what I heard. UPDATE: I made a little update to the Kam Moye part, as I didn't think I was all the way clear the first time.

Sean Price: Kimbo Price (A Prequel To Mic Tyson) - Sean P never disappoints. So, if you are a fan of the way he walks the line between hardcore and humorous I'd be sure to pick this one up before Mic Tyson drops. P!!!!!!!!

Masta Ace & Ed O.G.: A&E - Arts & Entertainment, Ace & Ed, I'm not sure what it stands for now that the television station stepped in to cause problems with the project. The album gets off to kind of a slow start, but once it gets going these two veterans are off and running. Songs like "A's & E's" and "Little Young" provide a platforms for Ace & Ed to play to their lyrical strengths and prove them to be a truly dynamic duo. Some songs are just average, but I think this is worth tossing in the iPod for a few months.

Sha Stimuli: My Soul To Keep - After some amazing mixtapes (including 12 in 12 months) that made me a fan Sha finally dropped this studio album. Right now I'm a little underwhelmed with it. The sound of the album was so similar track by track that it got a little boring. This isn't helped by the fact that Sha never really switches up his flow. There is some serious subject matter here, and he clearly has a vision for this album. I just think it could have been executed better. Oh, and "The Smelly Cat Song" would have fit better on one of his mixtape and should have been excluded from this project. It didn't fit at all with the rest of the album.

Crooked I: Mr. Pigface Weapon Waist EP - 7 tracks (6 songs) and Crooked I has released some of the best gangsta shit from the west I've heard in a long time. The beats are hard, the rhymes are hard, and the cover cracks me up every time I see it. The whole sound just screams out west coast hip hop. On this EP, Crooked does what Game wishes he could.

Freeway: The Calm Before The Storm mixtape - So, Freeway is an MC you either love or hate it seems. I've always been a fan. He disappointed me for a short while, but is at the top of his game right now with several projects in the works. This tape is an indication of what to expect on those projects and is well worth the listen. No one can match Free's delivery which I'll just simply describe as unorthodox, and if you like his style, you will like this mixtape like I do.

Kam Moye (AKA Supastition): Splitting Image - Anyone who's heard Supastition rhyme before knows that he can be a fucking beast. But this album, while still lyrically dense goes in a more personal direction. Because the subject matter is, as he puts it, 100% of himself, North Carolina emcee Supastition has decided to drop his moniker for this album and go with his name, Kam Moye. After listening, it's easy to see why. Kam delves into a lot of different issues and parts of himself on this unbelievable new release. I can't remember ever being impressed with Kam like I am with this album. Full of honesty and depth, as well as great rhymes, Splitting Image has some of the best hip hop I've heard all year. As he said himself on the opening track 'RE: Born', "I'm heavy, I don't mean physically, I mean lyrically". Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed with this album.

DJ Jazzy Jeff: He's The King, I'm The DJ - It's always nice to hear a collection of MJ music, and Jazzy Jeff does a great job putting it all together with some hip hop influence (meaning those hip hop records that used MJ's music). This is a quality mixtape.

Kid Cudi: Man On The Moon - The first time I listened to this I was bored to death. So, let me do you a favor and let you know up front that this is a down-tempo album all the way through. It does not pick up really at all. So, wait until you're in the mood for something a little slower and less hard hitting. However, make sure you are also in the mood to really listen. There are some really interesting songs offered on Man On The Moon, and Cudi knows how to speak on his type of track. I liked a lot of the lyrics, and the melodies pulled me in after a while. I wasn't a fan of Cudi before - I heard a mixtape earlier in the year, or late last year that I thought was horrible (though I may revisit it now) - but after giving Man On The Moon a second chance I am starting to change my opinion. I don't think that fans would be receptive to Kid Cudi if Kanye West hadn't come first with his own sound and then co-signed him, but I'm glad he did. This is a different sound for hip hop. It's not always what I'm in the mood for, but I'm glad it'll be there when I am.

DJ Revolution: Class of '86 - I'm not sure if this came out this year or not, but I just came across it. The title describes it - a collection of the best music from 1986 with Rev on the turntables. What else do you need to know?

Idle Warship & Mick Boogie: Party Robot - Nice to have a full mixtape from the Warship - especially a free mixtape put together by Mick Boogie. Talib Kweli, Res, and Graph Nobel make up the collective known as Idle Warship, a group offering dance music with a soul. Who says party music has to be simple and unimaginative?

Chace Infinite: I Would Have Killed This mixtape - Not sure what I think of this yet either. Here, Chace rhymes over beats that his Self Scientific partner DJ Khalil produced for other artists. Some you will surely recognize, some you may not. While Chace is definitely a talented MC, I don't agree that he killed every beat he spit over on this mixtape. There is some quality material here though.