Archive for Mixtape

Big K.R.I.T. – ReturnOf4Eva, Album.

It’s hard to dislike Big K.R.I.T. The blog-favorite turned Def Jam signee is endlessly humble (watch the video for “Dreamin'” below where he plays a school janitor) while still capable of mustering the gusto for heat like “Sookie Now” with David Banner. He wears his influences (Organized Noize, UGK) on his sleeve and he appreciates a good sample. Even if a mild-mannered Mississippi rapper isn’t your thing, K.R.I.T. pulls you in with big, beautiful, engrossing beats full of guitars, strings, and all kinds of analog love. And it’s free. There’s no reason to miss ReturnOf4Eva.

Download: Big K.R.I.T. – ReturnOf4Eva

via ReturnOf4Eva

Watch the video for Dream’ after the break.

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Rittz – White Jesus, Mixtape.

“Box Chevy Pt 3” was the high point of Yelawolf’s breakout mixtape, but the song’s standout verse belonged to an unknown rapper whose scalding double time verse prompted many a Google search of the name “Rittz.” All they found was a MySpace of a guy who looked like Carrot Top’s country cousin. It turns out Rittz was on the verge of hanging up the mic when Yela called him.

Over a year later, the Georgia rapper is signed to Yelawolf’s Slumerican imprint and he has his own mixtape out. Packing dozens of words into each second, Rittz lets out a lifetime’s worth of frustration with women, friends, and his career. He also parties it up with lots of drugs. It’s a true country rap affair with appearances from Yelawolf, DJ Burn One, and Supahot Beats. Time will tell if White Jesus does for Rittz what Trunk Muzik did for Yelawolf.

Update: Apparently, the tape has been “Re-Mastered,” so download it again.

Download: Rittz – White Jesus

via DJBooth.net

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Torae – Heart Failure Mixtape.

Heart Failure wouldn’t work if Torae didn’t have a sense of humor. His Valentines Day mixtape is all about rapper-specific relationship issues:  ‘Why are you coming home at 3:30 in the morning?’ ‘You have to go on tour again?’ and of course ‘Who are those groupie bitches?’ Remember, this was the guy who was at the forefront of the boom bap revival in 2009 with an album called Double Barrel (that means guns).

It’s an homage to the “for the ladies” tracks that show up halfway through an album when the rapper thinks it’s safe to show you his sensitive side. It’s way more Hot 97 than you’re used to from Torae, but it’s still sample-based production and a vintage flow. The previously mentioned “Let It Go” is a favorite.

Here are some photos from the release party, including a shot of yours truly. I’m one of the white people.

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Blood Bros – Heaven 2 Hell, Mix.

Train! Fight! Die?!

DJA and Dirty South Joe have distilled the essence of motivation and physical and mental exertion into musical form. The product of their labor is Heaven 2 Hell, their second 80s action soundtrack mix. As with any action sequel, the stakes are higher and the danger level has doubled (maybe even tripled). Put this on and get inspired.

Find the track list after the break and don’t forget about part one. Keep it locked for Blood Bros 3!

via Mad Decent

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J Dilla’s Donuts as Performed by Stray Phrases.

The crowd at The Local 269, a shabby New York City bar on 269 Houston Street, could not have been less interested. The bartender scribbled on his notebook, two older men talked to a woman half their age, and a gaggle of NYU students crowded a booth by the stage. Midterms were distant enough that they could drink on a Sunday. When an ear-splitting free jazz session finally died down, three NYU students put down their drinks took the stage.

“I thought Dilla was just a rapper,” asked a friend of mine who was there by mere coincidence. I began to reply, but the opening riff from “Workinonit” drowned out my voice. Maybe it’s a good thing more hip-hop kids weren’t in the house — one of them would have replied to that statement with the business end of a broken bottle.

The Detroit hip-hop producer passed away on February 10, 2006, but his influence is inescapable in 2010. The fanatical zeal of the Dilla fanbase has resulted in an outpouring of tributes, but few like this.

Stray Phrases is a jazz trio consisting of Storm Siegel on drums, Dave Mainella on piano, and Evan Crane on bass. On Sunday October 17, 2010, they covered J Dilla’s classic instrumental album Donuts from beginning to end. Metal Lungies is proud to bring you a recording of the whole set.

Many thanks to Joshua Gross for the artwork.

Download: J Dilla’s Donuts as Performed by Stray Phrases
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Jackie Chain – Who Da Mane, Mixtape.

Alabama hip-hop hit the ground running this year. The main success story is Yelawolf, who landed an Interscope deal and has everyone awaiting his next move. But there’s another Alabama rapper with a major label deal and he’s even more of a black sheep than Yela: Jackie Chain, a towering half white, half Korean with a golden brown mane of hair that hangs down to his collar. Did I mention his name is Jackie Chain?

As far as subject matter goes, his new tape falls in the Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa category (call it Lifestyle Rap) with a touch of Rawse-esque (Rawsian?) excess. But Bama production outfit Block Beattaz takes Who Da Mane to another level with futuristic Southern bangers that beg to be played loud. Hopefully his major label debut I ain’t Slept in Weeks will be bigger, louder, and just as weird.

Download: Jackie Chain – Who Da Mane

Direct download here. Watch the video for “This is Not Enough” after the break.

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Untamed – Street Solid, Mixtape.

More Alabama heat. Track 6, “Pole Money,” samples “Maniac” from Flashdance (“She’s a maniac, maaaaaniac…”). Stop reading and download. Jackie Chain, Block Beattaz and other Bama regulars make appearances.

Download: Untamed – Street Solid

via IMNOTATOY

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Evidence – I Don’t Need Love, EP.

Sampling a popular artist is a well-worn shortcut to exposure. Frank Sinatra, Queen, every James Bond theme, and many others have gotten the hip-hop treatment from plucky producers vying for attention. Mainstream audiences eat this stuff up. Sure enough, Evidence’s I Don’t Need Love EP, which uses Beatles samples, earned the palest Dilated Peoples member a mention on Vulture.

But chances are grandma won’t make it past the first verse, unless you have a really cool grandma. Evidence doesn’t go for obvious samples and instead seizes upon a hidden bluntedness in the Beatles catalog. Example: when he samples “Eleanor Rigby,” don’t expect to hear the instantly recognizable chorus. “Egg Men” turns “I Am the Walrus” into chillingly nihilistic weed rap and “If Only They Knew” is an acid trip through an Indian rainforest.

Rakaa Iriscience, Oh No, Alchemist, and Fashawn make appearances. Don’t miss out.

Download: Evidence – I Don’t Need Love EP

via Ruby Hornet

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Sene & J57 – eye don’t dream…but i do, EP.

Sene’s career has an odd trajectory. The Brooklyn rapper made a name for himself in 2009 with A Day Late & a Dollar Short, an album produced by Blu, the elusive phantasm of the West Coast. But today, Sene seems firmly planted in the East Coast as an honorary member of the little-known NY boom bap crew Brown Bag AllStars. eye don’t dream…but i do is a teaser for Sene & J57’s album. The five song EP picks up where Dollar Short left off, alternating between jazzy and soulful with the introspective musings of an underground rapper. Blu & Exile/Tanya Morgan fans, come on in.

Side note: J57 once called me Sir Knobbzington, which is going on my grave.

Download: Sene & J57 – eye don’t dream…but i do
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The Kid Daytona – The Interlude, Mixtape.

The concept for The Interlude sounds like kind of a cool idea, but in execution, it’s brilliant. On his new mixtape, The Kid Daytona rapped over hip-hop interludes reworked by producers like 6th Sense, 9th Wonder Bink! — interludes meaning those funky little beats that bookend your favorite tracks, not the Wu-Tang “torture” skit.

With The Interlude, Kid Daytona takes a fresh approach to the throwback mixtape by using beats sourced from overlooked classic sounds that haven’t been defiled by generations of freestylers. The result is nostalgic and original at the same time. Daytona’s charismatic wordplay helps too. Highlights include Freddie Gibbs tearing up “The Chronic (Intro)” and the Pete Rock & CL-inspired “Fly Lullaby.”

Download: The Kid Daytona – The Interlude

via LRG

Track list with the sources for all the interludes after the break.

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