Benz and a Backpack

As a whole, this mixtape is only as good as its collective parts. And though Nipsey Hussle, Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, Wiz Khalifa and J. Cole throw down on tracks 3-8, DJ Whoo Kid makes sure to remind all of us why the artists are always better than the DJ when he’s on the joint. Yes, whooooo kiiiiiid, we know its you, we know you like cutting in with little kids in the playground and horror noises, but da Juiceman has said “bread in the kitchen” enough… there is no need to “throw that shit back.”

Highlights are a dope beat on track 6, Fashawn going in on track 4, and J Cole showing his NY state of mind on “Who’s World.” All in all, its a good product from 10 esteemed young artists.

Since datpiff doesn’t want to tell you the artist order, and since its an incomplete version of the tape, we’ll post it below the jump for you. Download the full tape at XXLmag.com

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This past weekend I was lucky enough to have Sage Francis and B. Dolan join Dizzy and me on Midnight Madness.  Here is an old-school video of Sage going at it with one of my other favorites: Brother Ali.  Although Brother Ali was more consistent and clear, Sage takes the cake with an epic punchline.  Look out tomorrow for a more thorough post about Sage and B. Dolan’s new album Fallen House, Sunken City, along with video footage from the 95.5 studios.

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Its been a few years since Drag-on has released any type of solo project. It was three years ago when he released the “Hood Environment” mixtape, which feature his artists Terra Da Dude and Eyez B.
Drag-On linked up DJ Self to drop this mixtape to give people a small sample of whats to come. His new solo album was originally suppose to be released on September 28, 2009, but do to personal conflict with his management and recording studio, he was forced to push the release date back and start recording an entire new album again. Read the rest of this entry →

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We’ve seen a couple collaborations between Snoop and CuDi of late, the most recent of which (“I Do My Thing”) was produced by none other than Dr. Dre. All old school Snoop (and tree) lovers take notice: there’s a new toker in town.

CuDi’s making waves not only in the music world but also in the realm of television. He plays the bottle-popping, easy-going Domingo on HBO’s newest hit series How To Make It In America. CuDi’s character is peripheral (so far), but the show itself taps into hip hop culture in a big way: the two main characters were raised on hip hop in New York City, and now in their late 20’s and with little direction in life they team up to start a denim line called Crisp.

Hit the skip for new CuDi X Snoop, plus a full Mixtape Monday stuffed with goodies from all over the industry (including the very first single off Drake’s upcoming official album AND the first four episodes of How To Make It In America!).

Kid CuDi ft. Snoop Dogg – I Do My Thing [prod. Dr. Dre] [prod. Watts & Ringo]

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Little Brother – Curtain Call

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Drake – Over [prod. Boi-1da]

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Whenever people ask me about Cuba, I never know where to begin. I find myself in the same place now, attempting to introduce a small island with a massive culture that resonates stubbornly around the world. Havana truly is the Paris of the Carribean, and I was fortunate enough to meet a multitude of poets, musicians, artists, and film makers while I was there. Their passion for their craft, in a society that cycles through times of artistic repression, is raw and real in a way no money-hungry American could be. There is an ironic sense of liberation in a world with no social mobility.

Given my affinity for hip-hop, I was anxious to find out as much as possible about the music and culture while I was down there. Like most people, I hadn’t heard much more than Orishas before arriving. Although I was ready to look beyond them, Orishas definitely formed part of my experience there. Seeing them open for Juanes while being baked in the sun with 1 million people was something I guarantee I will never experience again.

But my real hip-hop experience came at a much more intimate concert, standing in a small courtyard with people both around and above me. The Cubans did what they could; the stage had a projector that replayed irrelevant video clips next to a banner that read “Cuban Hip-Hop.” Cuban it was; the show was run casually as groups came and left the stage in no particular order or purpose. But, the energy was high, and you couldn’t help but feel warm inside watching a bunch of perpetually smiling (possibly drunk) rappers bounce around the stage. Or maybe it was just the rum juice box in my hand.

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If anyone was watching ESPN 2 this afternoon, you may have been lucky enough to witness the hilarity of Wale sitting across from Skip Bayless on First and 10.  Wale, a self proclaimed “sports buff”, holds his own against the pros.  The two disagreed on a few big topics, including Tim Tebow’s future and Lebron’s place at the top.  At the end of the show, ESPN throws a curve ball and has the two debate if Jay-Z is the greatest rapper of all-time:

“For me, I got Lil’ Wayne and Eminem on the top….I got em!….I like the old school.”

Now while Wale definitely has earned the right to talk about sports, I have no idea what Skip Bayless thinks he is doing. His perceived time line of rap history is a little distorted.

The intersection of hip-hop and sports tends to focus around the NBA, but Wale shows his well-roundness with a little focus on the NHL.  He has developed a particular appreciation of the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin.  Like his Jeremy Shockey line in “Chillin’”, Wale’s sports references tend to be a little more obscure than most.

Wale isn’t the only rapper to get the Bayless treatment.  Lil’ Wayne was on First and 10 a little more than a year ago.  Wayne makes his affection for ESPN obvious in his rhymes, but his knowledge and presence as a sports anchor are severely lacking compared to Wale’s.

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I’m not trying to slack off just because it’s my birthday. In fact, I’m going to take this opportunity to select a few joints that may not be the most enduring hip-hop artifacts, and may just completely suck in all reality. I guess some you could say some of these are guilty pleasures. I still have a few mix CDs from the days of dial-up and Napster. (Remember how the songs would just stop downloading completely when dial-up disconnected you, so most of your cd’s would have songs that would end prematurely?).. I break these CDs out once in awhile, and I’ve realized they never seem to fail at putting me in what I’ll kindly refer to as “party mode”. I apologize if they don’t have the same effect on you, but in that case I guess maybe you weren’t a fan of mainstream hip-pop or a middle school student in 2k! Check it out regardless, cuz you might still get some laughs out of it.

Here are some songs that (I thought?) really went hard in my middle school daze… The videos aren’t particularly visually stimulating; every one of them is very typical of the era, with the super saturated color and high shots of mad heads jumping around.. I hardly remembered some of these videos until compiling these joints for this week’s Throwback Thursday.

M.O.P. featuring Busta Rhymes, Teflon, and Remy Martin: Ante Up (Remix) (2000)
Not gonna feel guilty yet…

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