Metal Lungies

I never thought I’d fuck with somber Auto-Tune crooning, but here we are. No matter how you slice it, this is actually dope.

Download: Tha Joker – Can’t Change (ft. Big K.R.I.T., Tito Lopez)

A dreamy, Dilla-esque loop from Ray West’s new beat tape.

I’ve been gushing about Lee Bannon’s experimental boom bap for a long time now, but it turns out he’s a man of many styles. On Caligula Theme Music 2.7.5, the Sacramento producer co-opts SpaceGhostPurrp’s gothic trap rap and brings it back to life.

I was ready to swear allegiance to the Raider Klan last year when SGP petered out and started dropping subpar mixtapes. Lee Bannon is an unlikely surrogate, but he proves versatile with undead bangers like “YG&A,” “Three Bitches,” and “L.I.R.” The influence is clear given the iconography on the promo shirt and an appearance from Raider Klan envoy Matt Stoops on the intro.

Bannon previewed this sudden left turn in November with two tracks on Smoke DZA’s K.O.N.Y. mixtape and luckily, it was no fluke. Maybe he’ll take votes on which sound he’ll conquer next.

Just for contrast, here’s a more traditional track Bannon produced for SuperSTah Snuk’s mixtape due Monday. It’s likely an older beat.

Slum Village still got it. Well, at least T3 and Young RJ do.

Download: Slum Village – Dirty Slums 2

It’s no longer news when an older rapper tells a compelling a story. Nas and Danny Brown have done a fine job of dispelling the notion that rap is driven by youthful energy alone. But Bronx rapper $amhill sets himself apart with an especially earnest coming-of-age story on his first solo release, The Preface.

With his opening bars, he pays tribute to his mother and sister and quickly shows you his world: “Picture me surrounded by lost souls and and firsthand gangster shit.” His matter-of-fact flow and immaculate delivery address trifling chicks and personal growth with the same heft while while free flowing soul beats evoke rap’s infancy rather than its golden age for a proper sense of nostalgia.

The conservative rap appeal is evident, but $amhill is more ambitious than that. “The Sam Hill Story” seamlessly walks through childhood, poverty, family, teen romance, loss, and legacy with seldom seen honesty and perspective. Usually, it’s an accomplishment when a song does one of those things.

Download:$amhill – The Preface

via unkut.com

I know Cocaine 80s is No I.D.’s experimental side project where he does the stuff he can’t do with Big Sean, but “Fly Ass Pisces” could have put a middling R&B singer the map.

Download: Cocaine 80s – Fly Ass Pisces (ft. Common, Jhene Aiko)

via Cocaine 80s

Did you guys see the photo Big Boi posted on his IG with Lil Wayne missing his dreads in New Orleans during Super Bowl week?? This is *big* news you guys, scientists are currently at work calculating the affects this will have on Lil Wayne’s career and Hip Hop as a whole. Early research seems to show Wayne will be able to get to access his recording studio .0000001 seconds quicker to record a verse since there will be less wind resistance when he casually strolls in. Meanwhile, market experts expect ‘Trunk Fit’ to reach new levels of ‘no-one-tracks-this-sort-of-thing’.

UPDATE: Lil Wayne did not cut his hair, Hip Hop unaffected.

N.O.R.E., who is calling himself P.A.P.I. right now, made a token golden age track and it’s pretty good! Large Professor’s New York horns mean you already know if you like this song.

If you were looking for a rapper to save “All Gold Everything” from Trinidad James, meet Starlito. He mows down original and borrowed beats alike on Funerals & Court Dates with a flow that’s half Wayne, half 3 Stacks.

Download: Starlito – Funerals & Court Dates

Bonus cuts after the break.

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As we do every year, we asked some assorted homies to tell us about their favorite beats of the year. The 2012 Metal Lungies Super Friends are…

• Hit-Boy – Tomorrow’s super producer (HITStory, “Niggas in Paris”)
• Chuuwee – Sacramento rhyme technician (Wild Style)
• Mo Kolours – Half-Mauritian beat-making wunderkind (EP2: Banana Wine, “Brave” / “Dredd Music”)
• Ray West – Bronx boom bap scion (LUV NY)
• Jeff and Eric Rosenthal of ItsTheReal, twerking at the intersection of Judaism and hip-hop.
• Adrian Carter – Cooler than you
• Metal Lungies editor-in-chief KNOBBZXL aka Bigg Moose aka Evan Nabavian

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