For those unfamiliar with the Suite for Ma Dukes project, Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson reinterpreted four J Dilla songs with a full orchestra and released their work as an EP in February 2009.
VTech and Mochilla put on a show in2009 featuring a performance by the Suite for Ma Dukes Orchestra. The show will be released on DVD as part of the Timeless Concert Series box set.
Here is audio and video of the orchestra performing “Take Notice” from Dilla’s Ruff Draft, mixed by Bob Power.
The ML interviewee and Beat Drop contributor just dropped Trunk Muzik, his third mixtape. We’vetalkedaboutYela quite a lot lately, but really this cat deserves all the praise. This is an incredibly strong, concise mixtape with great beats, great features and great rapping. Yela handles slow numbers and double-time trunk rattlers equally well. “Pop The Trunk” is clinic in storytelling and I think Yela actually outshined Bun on “Good To Go”. “Love Is Not Enough” is heartbreaking, the best fusion of singing and rapping on the album. No one quite sounds like dude right now, and this shit is hotter than a burning Confederate flag. Cop this.
Download: Yelawolf – Trunk Muzik Mixtape
Update: Interscope re-released Trunk Muzik as a retail EP.
Fash remakes the Nas album cut off Illmatic. The most dangerous emcee out of Fresno right now, and he keeps getting better. I honestly wasn’t that crazy about most of Boy Meets World, but if Fash is only 20, and I’m excited to see where he goes from here.
Statik Selektah slipped this super smooth jawn onto the upcoming Reflection Eternal mixtape The Re:Union. I love the crisp snare and Royce’s show-stealing verse.
Statik told Rap Radar that this will also appear on his album 100 Proof, but without Kweli’s verse.
“Keep Going” comes from Album of the Year, one of three albums Black Milk is dropping in 2010. From the sound of it, it’s going to be a good year. Black Milk uses live drums and vocals for an epic return. It actually sounds a lot like his first single for Tronic, “Give the Drummer Sum.”
Anything Jay Electronica puts out is going to be held to the standard of “Exhibit C,” which has received an overwhelmingly positive response (as was reflected in our Beat Drop). The New Orleans rapper has fans hanging on his every word.
“Just Begun” is pretty low-key for a song boasting such eye-catching features. It doesn’t try to compete with “Exhibit C”’s anthemic sound, but it’s verses are just as strong.
This and “Back Again” are set to appear on Revolutions Per Min, dropping this Summer.