No better way to start your day than with Phonte’s new joint “Life Of Kings” featuring Evidence and Big K.R.I.T. as well as production from 9th Wonder. Phonte’s verse is fresh like china white, and if you didn’t catch it when it dropped this week you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see Mama Tigallo rap Ev’s verse like she wrote it. [Via}

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Chuuwee is poised for a fast ascent this year. After a strong showing at SXSW, the eclectic Left Coast emcee has two projects prepared to drop in the next two months. “West Francia” is off Chuuwee’s mixtape entitled Crown Me King, due out April 24th. A month later, Chuuwee will drop a full length album Wild Style that’s sure to be well-received. 2012 will belong to many artists, but Chuuwee’s combination of earnest emceeing, intelligent lyricism and work ethic will certainly secure him a piece of the pie.

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Time Machine (Jaysonic, Comel and DJ Mekalek) is back after a four year hiatus with a project entitled Vicious Experiments. The new eleven track project exists somewhere in the grey area between mixtape and album, and features collaborations with Apathy, Damu The Fudgemunk, Raw Poetic, Juan Deuce and more. Vicious Experiments will feature both original production and re-workings of music from eclectic sources spanning various eras and genres. Props to Fal and Deuce behind the lens!

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The 330′s finest dropped his highly anticipated mixtape Savage Journey to the American Dream. As I’ve said before,  I was a little skeptical when I found out Stalley signed to Maybach Music Group. His feature on the Rich Forever mixtape helped clear things up, but he still has a lot to prove.Rick Ross is a major league player and I’m anxious to see if Stalley can make the jump to the big-leagues without losing his ism. I don’t think he would compromise his principles unless he felt like it was for the best, so I’m coming into it with an open mind. It’s produced almost exclusively by Block Beataz, and if you heard that track they did with G-side I posted a few weeks back, you’ll realize that these dudes mean business. I’ll give the full scoop when I get a chance!

Hit the skip for the Download link and the tracklist!

Download: Stalley – Savage Journey to the American Dream

Visuals for Rick Ross – Party Heart Feat. Stalley and 2 Chainz:

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Smoking weed, snorting coke, and dropping acid is what Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and producerErick Arc Elliot, collectively known as Flatbush Zombies, are all about. The Brooklyn-based trio regularly uses these vices to escape the world they live in, or rather, DON’T live in. After amassing over 30,000 YouTube views in two days for their viral gem “Thug Waffle” and storming through Austin the other week for SXSW, Flatbush Zombies released their latest video, “S.C.O.S.A.,” last week, and just yesterday, the internet unexpectedly gave leak to the group’s latest single, “Laker Paper.”

The soundtrack to their psychedelic underworld is propelled by the urgent and bass-heavy production of Erick Arc Elliot, which comes off like a DMT-fueled concoction of Gravediggaz, Tech N9ne and Three 6 Mafia. Together, their addictive, haunting soundscapes make even the prissiest of prudes pledge allegiance to the walking dead, as became evident with “Thug Waffle” and “S.C.O.S.A.,” the latter combining warbled and head-pounding bass into a video of blurred and frenzied shots, the trio’s perverse addictions on full display.

The Zombies’ allure is once again evident on “Laker Paper.” The single, with artwork designed by Erick Arc Elliot, opens with glassy-eyed synths and dirty bass guitar that, together, give the track a washed out, alluring feel. The hypnotizing darkness is a perfect compliment for Meechy and Juice’s weed anthem, driven by a drugged out chant on the hook. “Purple in the blunt / Swisher be the paper,” raps the screwed-up vocal. “Mouth full of gold / I’m feeling like a Laker.”

Stream below, download after the jump!

Download: Flatbush Zombies – Laker Paper [prod. Erick Arc Elliott]

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Wiz dropped his highly anticipated mix tape Taylor Allderdice. Obviously haven’t had a chance to give it a listen just yet, but I caught a few tweets from the Listening Session that went down a couple weeks ago. One blogger (@LowKeyUhtn), called it a mix between Cabin Fever and Kush & OJ; tough to to say what that means, but I’m going to take it as a positive. It’s no secret that the rapper has been struggling lately. I was convinced the dude fell off completely. Rolling Papers was less then stellar, he’s dating a whore, and now he’s writing bubble gum rap for the radio. Alas, a few of his recent singles and features have offered listeners a beacon of hope. He’s also had some trouble pushing his albums in the past, so he’s really counting on this one to build some steam for the upcoming O.N.I.F.C. 

So give it a listen, share your thoughts below, I’m interested to hear y’all take on this as well.

For now just hit the skip for the link and check back later for my full take and I’ll upload it so you can stream it as soon as possible. Chuuuccch.

Download: Wiz Khalifa – Taylor Allderdice  |Alternate|Alternate (best)

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**WARNING: IF YOU HAVE ANY AVERSIONS TOWARDS VISUALS OF: HOMOSEXUAL MEN AND EXTRA THICK – SUPER THICK WOMEN AGGRESSIVELY BOOTY DANCING IN THE STREETS AND OUTSIDE CLUBS, SCENES OF GHETTO LIVING, GRAVEYARDS, DOGS OFF LEASH AND DIPLO DANCING LIKE A WHITE GUY, LOOK AWAY NOW!!** 

Almost a month ago, Diplo, released the audio for, “Express Yourself” feat. Nicky Da B. An inspired homage to the vibrant New Orleans Booty Bounce music scene, Express Yourself, was an audio typhoon of calculated musical confusion.  Since the release of that single, a single that will appear on an EP of the same name due out sometime in May, I’ve been dying for some visuals to the record. I have a very active imagination, and when I listen to music, I often imagine what the music video would look like for whatever song it is I am listening to at the time. When I listened to, Express Yourself, I definitely envisioned a lot of booty shaking and “I dropped a contact” style dance positions , maybe a peppering of flashing lights and some obligatory shady club scenes, but the treatment that was created for, Express Yourself, by Director, Lil Internet, was something decidedly more interesting and original. Hit the skip the watch EXPRESS YOURSELF feat. NICKY DA B.

I do really enjoy it when music videos can match the true feeling and essence of what a song is and what it evokes, and the music video offerring for, Express Yourself, does that in spades. The editing of this video is suburb. Slow motion, fast motion, quick cuts, strobe speed image layering and amusing parallels are all at work here. This video takes you to the street and out of the club, and in doing so, gives you, what I feel, is a much more organic representation of the New Orleans Bounce scene. From corner stores, to abandoned houses, to street corners and barren parking lots in between, the bounce music scene covers a lot of ground outside the clubs, and I appreciate seeing this represented in the music video for, Express Yourself. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this shockingly entertaining music video, however, I wouldn’t recommend watching this video more than three times in a row. For the purpose of writing this post, I watched the, Express Yourself, video multiple times in succession. There is now a steady twitch going on in my left eye. Just FYI.

Thanks for taking the time to read and watch this post! See y’all in a bit. Much love.

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New Island Beatz Vol. 1 is the freshman effort from Providence artist/producer New Island, featuring warm vocal samples (and an in-the-flesh singer on “Finally”) and soulful music massaged into well-crafted, digital soundscapes. Think 9th Wonder meets Flying Lotus, combining straight forward hip-hop backdrops with highly conceptual electronic music.

The album stands alone as an engaging, well-rounded musical effort, but several tracks cry out for proper treatment from the right rapper. That said, the tape ebbs and flows like the Providence River– a wondrous, naturally beautiful stretch of water that winds through one of America’s oldest industrial cities. Download via BandCamp!

Download: New Island – New Island Beatz Vol. 1 (Instrumental Album)

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Two days ago, the good people from the Mad Decent blog tweeted about the release of, Drankenstein 3. For those who may not know and are potentially asking themselves, “what exactly is a, “Drankenstein?“ allow me to inform: “Drankenstein”, is the name of a CD series mixed, produced and released by musical visionary, Bird Peterson (A man who you may remember from other Benz and a Backpack posts like “The Bird Peterson Holiday Spectacular“). “And what does a, “Drankenstein”, sound like?” you ask…Well, the Drankenstein mixes are a combination of Trance music and Dirty South hip-hop. No, I was not trying to type “Trap” music. Drankenstein mixes are the best of Trance meets the best of Dirty South. Unlikely combination? Yes. Successful combination? Ab-so-fucking-lute-ly. Proof? Alright. Below is a sample from, “Drankenstein 2″, which mixes the 90′s trance smash-hit by, Darude, “Sandstorm”, and Bun B‘s booty shaking anthem, “Pop it for Pimp” featuring Webbie and Juvenile. Click the skip below the video to stream and download all three Drankenstein mixes! Also read my two cents on the new mix: Drankenstein 3.

CLICK THE ARROW POINTING DOWN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SOUNDCLOUD PLAYER TO DOWNLOAD EACH MIX. 

Volume 1:
Drankenstein By Bird Peterson Volume 1 by amberuffelman

Volume 2:
Bird Peterson-Drankenstein 2 by Mad Decent

Volume 3 (RELEASED MARCH 7TH):
Drankenstein 3 by Bird Peterson by Mad Decent

On Drankenstein 3, Bird does yet another stellar job of combining the unlikely cohesive musical genre pairing of, Trance and Dirty South, to create a confusingly delightful swirl of sounds that’ll make you want to scratch your head just as much as it will make you want to tap your feet. Drankenstein 3, much like 1 and 2, again, uses verses and choruses from hits supplied by some of the biggest and most recognizable names of the third coast’s music scene (Lil Wayne, T.I., Young Buck, Drake, Three 6 Mafia, 8 Ball & MJG, Gucci Mane, Bun B etc) layered on top of a collection of carefully selected and reconstructed trance classics. The sounds and atmospheres created on a Drankenstein mix are something you’re likely to hear nowhere else on earth. The musical mash up on a Drankenstein mix is the narcotic equivalent of MDMA hanging out with a bottle of Codeine cough syrup for about an hour. It shouldn’t work, but it does. And as long as, Bird Peterson, decides to keep making these classic mixes, I will bafflingly continue to listen.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Feel free to comment below. Don’t forget to follow myself (@justspreadit) and Benz and a Backpack (@benzandabackpack) to stay up-to-date with all the latest and greatest in the world of musical dopeness. See y’all in a bit. Much love.

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Big K.R.I.T. has, without a doubt, become one of my favourite artists in all of music. I say “artist” and not simply just “rapper”, because Big K.R.I.T. has proven himself to be a musical force on a host of different levels. He writes his own rhymes, produces all his own beats, arranges most of the instrumental accompaniment for his songs, can sing his own hooks and, after seeing him in concert when he came to, Toronto, last summer, the man can most certainly perform too. Big K.R.I.T. is rare and special talent that more people need to be exposed to. And I feel like after the strength of his last 2 mixtapes (mixtapes that listened more like actual albums that could have been sold online and in stores for 10 bucks a pop), K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and Return of 4Eva, and after I’m sure will be another undoubtedly acclaimed release in, 4Eva NA Day, Big K.R.I.T. should finally receive the mass appeal and appreciation he so unquestionably deserves. Listen to the first song released off, 4Eva NA Day, below, Boobie Miles, and click the skip for the link to download Big K.R.I.T.’s mixtape masterpiece, 4Eva NA Day!! 
Big K.R.I.T. – Boobie Miles (Prod. By Big K.R.I.T.) by BIGKRIT

http://www.livemixtapes.com/download/16042/big_krit_4eva_n_a_day.html <—CLICK TO DOWNLOAD!!!

Download, listen and enjoy! Stay tuned for a full review of the album by me in the days to come! Much love.

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