Benz and a Backpack

In honor of 15 years in the business, Dru Ha, Buckshot and the other members of Duck Down are dropping an anniversary album including tracks from each year since its inception (plus some other goodies). Hit the skip for the tracklist, release date, and videos only Duck Down roster members could pull off.

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Recent Duck Down Records signees Kidz in the Hall just released their third album, Land of Make Believe, and I had the chance today to give it a once-through.  The album is consistent from start to finish, but a few standout tracks caught my attention.  The highlight thus far has been “Flickin”, a song about living the high life laced with building synths and snapping snares.  My only complaint is the uneccesary use of auto-tune on an already great hook.

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Their lead single on the album, “Jukebox”, has done really well on college radio as of late.  It is an upbeat song, but not quite dance-able.  They said this was intentionally done because they wanted to make a perfect song for a bar-type atmosphere, hence the title.  Catch the video here.

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One last favorite is the boom-bap sounding “Out to Lunch” featuring The Kid Daytona.  We played this song during Midnight Madness the night Sage Francis and B. Dolan paid us a visit.  B. Dolan appreciated the production so much he tweeted us later in search of the instrumental.

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Buy the album on iTunes and support Duck Down music!

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The homie JC Poppe shot over the newest single ‘Dribble’ of his upcoming sophomore release Tea Party (no relation to the radical political movement). ‘Dribble’ combines mellow, simple guitar riffs and an active bassline, high-pitched chipmunk vocal samples and straight-forward drums that all coalesce around Poppe’s easy-flowing lyrics. Tea Party, slated to drop in mid-late summer, will feature production from 88-Keys, Khrysis (the mastermind behind this Sean P track), Double O of Kidz in the Hall, and more! Hit the skip for the DL link, and hit JC Poppe on Twitter or MySpace, cause dude is real as they come (and I could almost swear that’s Paul Giamatti behind Poppe in that picture…).

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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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Two summers ago I was lucky enough to catch the Paid Dues Tour at New York City’s Nokia Theatre in Times Square. I was particularly excited for it because the lineup included a bunch of artists I’d never seen in concert before: Kidz in the Hall, dudes from Boot Camp Clik, Blackalicious, GZA, all culminating in what I hoped would be a satisfying set from the godfather of hip-hop, Rakim.

I remember the show with particular clarity because my boys and I endured an hour-and-a-half-long train ride that should’ve only lasted twenty-five minutes. The stifling June heat had us sweating our shirts out while we were held in station after station by train dispatchers. People in our car were fanning themselves with whatever they had: Yankees and Mets fitteds, celebrity gossip magazines, folded-up copies of the Daily News (with a picture of a smiling Barack Obama- who’d just secured the Democratic Presidential nomination- under a headline that read: ‘HISTORY!’).

Once we pulled into 42^nd Street, we bobbed and weaved through swarms of people in the station and on the fume-filled streets (hustling because we were already way late), and by the time we got to the Nokia Theatre we’d practically melted. Making it through security felt like clouds parting to allow us entrance into a very well air-conditioned heaven.
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For all those Doom heads who may not have seen this, you’ll be glad to know Madlib and Metal Fingers are currently working on a second album together. This week we’ve got an eclectic collection of music from all kinds of artists: Kidz In The Hall, Lloyd Banks, Sean P!, Raekwon, Nickel Nine, and Statik Selektah. Big ups also to Radio B, the Richmond, VA native who broke into the game as a battle rapper and transformed himself into a complete emcee. Hit the skip to peep his tracks, both of which are dope, as well as a highlight from this weekend’s football hoop-la that is bound to impress.

Raekwon – Crime Wave Freestyle

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Radio B – This Is My Life

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Sean P – Street Shit (off the Kimbo Price Mixtape)

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Co$$ – No Allah

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