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

Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

On Monday XXL released the cover for its 10 Freshmen for ’10 issue following a month-long promo campaign that featured videos of each rapper on the list flowing. After doing some digging I found out a few fun facts:

1. Drake and Nicki Minaj turned down the opportunity to be on the list because they felt they were too good for it at this point.
2. Apparently Drake also felt like it was a huge snub that he didn’t make the list in ’09, but it may have been better for his career seeing as half of the people on that list (see: Ace Hood, Cory Gunz, Mickey Factz, Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton) have plateaued like a motherfucker.
3. Either way, XXL missed out on the boy from T Dot and may have made another gaffe this year: XV. Dude made major noise with Everybody’s Nobody and has been steadily releasing material since. XXL better hope he stays below the radar so they don’t go 2-for-2!
4. Check back for more details about the XXL Top 10 Freshmen Party going down in NYC later this month. Seeing all these dudes at one time would be pretty ill.

Hit the skip for the 10 videos. Watch them all the way through (the longest is only about a minute), vote for whose verse you thought was the best, and if you have a sec leave a comment explaining why.
Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

I am mostly of Irish descent, but I’ve come to discover that Cuban culture, in all its warmth, graciousness, musicality and plain old fun, resonates very strongly with me- kind of like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and wind but without all the shattering. Clutch, who just spent four months in Cuba and is Cuban through and through- told to me a few weeks ago that B-Real from Cypress Hill was a Cubano, so it was with particular interest that I checked the new single off their forthcoming album Rise Up entitled ‘Armada Latina,’ featuring Pitbull (Cuban) and Marc Anthony (Puerto Rico).

The track caught my ear immediately because the it samples CSNY’s ‘Judy Blue Eyes’ and the drop is drum break is ridiculous. It also struck me that Marc Anthony- who bagged the baddest chick in the game at the height of her popularity in North America- can really, really sing. Production on the track was done by Jim Jonsin (of T.I. and Lil Wayne fame).

Cypress Hill ft. Marc Anthony & Pitbull

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Just for fun…
Joe Budden – Focus

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Audible Doctor ft. Sene – A Chance To Say

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Hit the skip for the DL link, plus a Mixtape Monday Tape flush with brand new Cole, CuDi, XV, Murs & 9th Wonder, Big Sean, and more!
Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

The N(Y)C native is at the helm of this new school of rappers with the tiller firmly in his hand, rudder at his command. Easily the coldest spitter of the group, Cole has an advantage on every other rapper in XXL’s Top 10 Freshmen. Hit the skip for a breakdown of the list, plus music from Cole you may have missed over the past couple months.

J. Cole – College Boy

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

J. Cole – Shook Ones Freestyle

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

______________________________________________________________________

2009 was defined by the mixtape. Drake landed atop the charts with singles off his mixtape So Far Gone (‘dropped the mixtape that shit sounded like an album’), but really Drake is the product of deeper changes that have taken place in the music industry over recent years. Now it is becoming more and more viable to release free material and keep tabs on what demographic likes it rather than strive for certain sales benchmarks. That way, you can do what Wale and Wiz Khalifa each attempted this year, and what J. Cole and Mike Posner are on the cusp of doing:
1. Put out mixtapes to garner and sustain buzz about you, as well as allow you to identify your share of the market, and then
2. Drop a studio album that, while it pleases your core fans, at the same time it appeals to a broader listenership, which in turn increases your sales revenue.

It’s delayed gratification at its finest, and it pushes collaborations to a new level. Wale got practically everyone and their second cousins down on his album; Drake’s been doing collabs left and right with various people in different niches of the industry; Cole is getting up with the other young guns (and, more recently, some not so young guns) to secure his footing in the game. Hit the skip for our Top 10 Mixtapes Of 2009, judged on the criteria of creativity, success, and impact. If you haven’t found a way to get your hands on these yet, leave a comment and we’ll see what we can do…

Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

The first time I heard “Smoke and Drive” was in a hazy college dorm room during an intense session of FIFA 09.  The song instantly raised my ear; a raspy chorus, three unique guest spots, and a beat comprised of piano riffs, subtle gongs, and dragged out synths.  I had to show this song to my friends at home.
A few days later, my friend Andy D caught me in my room listening to Posner’s mixtape A Matter of Time.  “Did I show this to you?  My friend from high school and this guy are frat brothers at Duke.”  Damn, son, he’s got some talent.  Anyone who has listened to this guys work will understand what I’m talking about.  His unique vocals resonate with the listener in a weird way, almost like the male Macy Gray.  And his production abilities?  Uncanny.  There is a Youtube video of him re-working Beyonce’s Halo in a few minutes, then heading to the school studio to record it (video below).  He’s also the leader of his own band, the Brain Trust.  He describes his relationship with his band as “I am the President and they are my cabinet, I tell them what to do.”  A whiff of cockiness reminiscent of an early Kanye, someone who knows what they’re doing.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post

Apparently I’ve been slacking a bit, because this track came out in late June and today was the first time I had heard it. But I figured some of you had to have missed it too, so I felt an obligation to post it. If you haven’t downloaded Mike Posner’s mixtape A Matter of Time by now, you should. (The whole thing is free on itunes and datpiff) Posner, a Michigan native and Duke University undergrad, produced the whole thing himself and supplies vocals on every track. He uses a blend of hip-hop, pop and dance beats to create a unique sound and is starting to etch out a name for himself in the hip-hop community, especially through his numerous collaborations with emerging Island Def Jam artist Big Sean. This relatively new track, however, is independent from either artists’ latest mixtapes and features another promising young talent in DC’s own Wale. Although you’ll hear Posner’s signaturely raspy vocals in the hook, the production was done by 9th Wonder. I expect to see a lot more from these three artists over the next few years.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Tweet This Post

I’ve recently been commuting to an internship everyday, and since I have no clue where my I-pod is, I’ve gone old school and have resorted to the use of blank sony discs and a CD player.  CD players aren’t really that old school in the big scheme of music, but does anyone who owns an I-pod remember the last time they used a portable CD player?  I don’t.  Making a mixtape from your I-tunes library that will entertain you for a decent amount of time is harder than it sounds.  We are so used to having 10,000 songs on our I-pod, limiting yourself to 15-20 on a CD is a huge difference.  So here is my first mixtape-commute CD.  All the songs are recent hip-hop release and are all good, so I suggest checking them out.  And after reading this article, I challenge you to make a 70 minute long playlist and see how many days you can last only listening to those songs.

1.  Mike Posner – Who Knows Feat. Big Sean

A good song to start a CD with.  This song is laid-back and puts you in a chill mood.  Download A Matter of Time for free on I-tunes, its the best free thing you will get in awhile, I guarantee it.

2.  Drake – November 18th

This song is one of my Drake favorites and shows Drake’s range on singing half of the spectrum.  The intro and hook are slowed down Mike Jones style, and it sounds good in contrast to Drake’s voice.

3.  Jadakiss – Hangover

Classic Jada talking about partying.  The hook though is “Can you feel the love tonight” from a  Phil Collins song or something.  I don’t know.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tweet This Post