When I was in middle school (early 00s), my friend once took me and a bunch of other kids to Benihana in Manhasset, NY for his birthday. I know, very baller. After dinner, one of us noticed LL Cool J was sitting at a table with his family. He noticed us whispering and staring at him and he waved at us. We all went over and got his autograph.
It’s a good thing Curly Castro wasn’t there. He calls “Eulogy to L” “my lament of the former existence of one of our stalwart emcees, turned media spectacle and glittery popstar.” ML BFF Zilla Rocca on the beat. Winston’s Appeal drops January 28.
And here’s the only Philly posse cut you’ll ever need.
I usually associate Mistah FAB with shit you turn off after 30 seconds, but wow, this is dope. Even though it’s a generic concept (bringing boom bap back) with an even more generic title (“Boom Bap”), this is just potent hip-hop. B-boys and graffiti. No surprises, aside from the fact that this is coming from Mistah FAB, no complaints.
Also, I love that his producer is white and nerdy enough to write for Metal Lungies.
Let’s count the artsy cliches in the new video from Versis: 1. black and white cityscape 2. walking down the street in the rain 3. not looking at the camera while rapping.
But who cares? The dapper visuals for “The Journey” suit Dibia$e’s ritzy beat perfectly and film noir is timelessly cool.
You can listen to Versis’ album iLLCANDESCENThere.
It’s hard to overstate what this track means for rap nerds. Unreleased material from the prolific Madlib isn’t all that surprising. But Jaylib? This deserves to be auctioned off in London with Fabergé eggs and Napoleon’s golf clubs. Jeff points us to the sample, The Meters’ “Handclapping Song.” Madlib Medicine Show #11: Low Budget High Fi Music is out now.
I was going to post Snoop’s last joint “El Lay,” but it wasn’t gangster enough to compensate for his Katy Perry placement. That shit was offensive. However, I’m very comfortable with “Gangbang Rookie.” Whoever decided to include clips from Snoop’s Larry King interview, bravo. Also, Jake One says it’s Battlecat on the keys.
I’m not one to get excited about Freeway or Reek Da Villian, but Statik brings the best out of them here. “Im In the Hood” comes from The Statik-Free EP, which they recorded live for the Internet to watch. Out now.
And yes, Reek actually spells it “Villian.” I looked it up.
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!
