Metal Lungies

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here. We’ve been hyping it up and now the album is here. Liner notes here.

Treacherous dialect and tuneful indie rock, manifested in hip-hop format.

LISTEN.

5 O’Clock Shadowboxers – The Slow Twilight

Take it, you animals. Just take it. Wale finally drops his long-awaited follow-up to his much-lauded The Mixtape About Nothing, the 9th Wonder assisted Back to the Feature, which is chock full of collaborations (Curren$y, State Property, Joe Budden, Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Black Thought, Torae, Jean Grae, Royce da 5’9”, Bun B). It’s everything Wale promised it would be.

Download: Wale & 9th Wonder – Back to the Feature

via Elitaste

Even though Intermission is a compilation album, some tracks only work in the context of the album’s austere vibe. These are three standout tracks that can stand on their own. Intermission is the Soul Assassins crew at their best, with dark, brooding, sometimes rock-influenced production (DJ Khalil and DJ Muggs – doesn’t get much better than that) and grimy verses from the best the West Coast has to offer. illRoots got Muggs to break down each track.

Download: Soul Assassins – Intermission (ft. RZA, Rev William Burk, Planet Asia, B-Real) (produced by DJ Muggs)

Download: Soul Assassins – Good Evening Los Angeles (ft. Self Scientific) (produced by DJ Khalil)

via 2dopeboyz

Download: Soul Assassins – Let Go (My Life) (ft. Fashawn) (produced by DJ Muggs, DJ Khalil) 

via unkut

Also, here’s some amazing visuals for the album’s bonus track, "Figure It Out" featuring Young De, Xzibit and Mykestro.

Brown Bag Season bears fruit once more. These guys are becoming a good source of bi-weekly dopeness. Not reinventing the wheel, but consistently impressive.

Download: Brown Bag AllStars – Dumbin’ Out (produced by maticulous, cuts by DeeJay Element)

Download: Brown Bag AllStars – Ugly Face (produced by marink)

Tip of the hat to J57.

This shit is nuts. Gangrene album coming soon. I love how this looks like it was done on video – nicely done, fellas.

DOWNLOAD: Gangrene – Under Siege

Via NR

Donwill offers some back story:

Around the time we were working on moonlighting me and brickbeats used to just meet up and record random shit. I always had this idea to pay homage to some of my favorite songs and use some of those interlude beats that my favorite albums always had on em. The result was the Vainglorious Remake LP. On it you will find me reenvisioning PE, Ghetto Boyz, NWA, EPMD, ATCQ and a few others and of course the Lessondary crew is in attendance.  It’s ‘out of print’ by the standards of the digital age but thanks to the homie its been ‘reissued’ aka he found it and uploaded it to zshare. Apparently he has included a few extra songs to boot!

Long story short: dope beats and rhymes. What more could you ask for? What up, Donwill!

Download: Donwill – Vainglorious Remake LP

livin in the pharcyde via Tanya Morgan

You gotta love MP & Tor’s sense of humor. First the artwork and now the video. Even though Double Barrel is strictly head-smacking anthems, the guys know how to have fun.

via okayplayer

On the Canadian side of things, here’s the second single off Direct Deposit, a collaboration between MC Tona and producer Lyve. Don’t know much about either, but I dig this song’s soulful sung hook, chopped up piano samples and booming bass.

Download: Tona – Fast Pace (ft. Saukrates, T.R.A.C.K.S.) (produced by Lyve) / (Instrumental) / (Clean)

A light switched on in my brain when I saw this track, because Termanology actually told us about it back in August. At the time, he said Joell Ortiz would be on it, but I guess his verse got lost in the mail. The song is worth the wait; as promised, it’s “pretty much on some ‘100%’ type shit.” Off DJ Deadeye’s album, Substance Abuse.

Download: DJ Deadeye – Wild Puerto Ricans (ft. Tony Touch, Termanology & Ea$y Money)

Bonus: DJ Deadeye – Girl Interrupted (ft. Termanology, Skyzoo)

via OnSMASH

Let’s give hip-hop pioneer Paul C (learn something) the same posthumous respect and admiration that we give Dilla (minus the erroneous production credits). Hosted by Prince Po, Paul C. Lives, Vol. 2 is a compilation of mostly non-album cuts produced by the late great Paul C. Let’s make ‘Paul C to the Organisms’ the new ‘J Dilla Changed My Life’.

Download: DJ Kid Grebo Presents Paul C. Lives, Vol. 2 (Hosted by Prince Po)

Get volume 1 here.

via unkut

Tracklisting after the jump

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