Double Barrel is the antithesis of all the happy-go-lucky hip-hop you hear today. “Combat Drills” is the iTunes bonus track and the b-side on the 12”. Download: Marco Polo & Torae – Combat Drills Also, Marco demonstrates how he makes a beat. via OnSMASH Sphere: Related Content

Jay-Z makes several bold statements on “D.OA. (Death of Auto-Tune).” He denounces Auto-Tune and talks about robbing people for their chains, Bloods and Crips and “assault with a deadly weapon.” He knocks Z100 and shouts out Mister Cee and Funkmaster Flex. Also, the beat doesn’t contain a Santogold sample. Jay-Z..

The funky, raunchy “Cream In Ya Panties” is only the tip of the iceberg. BlaQKout shot above and beyond my expectations with consistency on the mic from Kurupt and pitch-shifting, Travel-Channel-sampling madness from DJ Quik. I need to dig through Quik’s past production credits now. BlaQKout comes out this Tuesday...

Funny they should leak this song now, I’ve been listening to it all week. Tanya Morgan’s sound is hard to classify; they’re lively and feel-good, but not pop. Catch them this Friday at Humphrey Lefty’s when they open for Hardcore Gentlemen. Download: Tanya Morgan – Bang & Boogie via RubyHornet..

I still don’t fully understand what this album is or where it came from, but from what I can gather, it’s a Wu-Tang Clan compilation that features some new tracks. On this track, Ghostface, AZ and Inspectah Deck link up with a band called The Revelations. All three hold it..

(image source) If Kid Cudi keeps dropping heat like this, he’s going to have trouble meeting expectations with his album which is scheduled to come out in August. I’m curious to see if he can duplicate the success of “Day N Nite” with his single… unless “Day N Nite” is..

Aside from his role in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I’ve never been a big fan of Mos Def, but I’m feeling his newest album The Ecstatic — production-wise at least. These are two of the best songs on there. “Auditorium” has an elegant, dark Madlib beat and “Twilight..

We tend to forget about remixes, which is a shame because, as AaronM’s Remix Tuesdays will show you, there are a lot of great tracks that get swept under the rug. I usually disregard compilations of old tracks, but I can make an exception for this project. Dillanthology 2: Dilla’s..