Benz and a Backpack

Lester Bangs do their best to combat obeatsity. Download for free from their BandCamp!

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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!

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A few things about that Dilla documentary really stuck with me. He mentioned that when he would do something unique and cool, other cats would bite his style. It seemed to upset him. He said instead of copying someones style, you should “Do You.” Which brings me to this dude Knxwledge.  The Philly beatmaker/producer has been cooking up some beautiful messes that escape my descriptive talents. It seems like the dude releases a new EP or beat tape every week; each one different then the last. The dude is all about the “Do You” way of life. Recently he’s been putting his creative spin on some of my favorite verses, but this Kendrick Lamar verse is new to me. (Update: The verse is a Toca Tuesday freestyle and the record being flipped is a Leroy Hutson album [shouts to Potholes in my Blog])

The last thing I wanna mention is something ?uestlove said in the documentary. He said Dilla taught him that you can “keep it sloppy” as long as you “keep it funky.” This is definitely some funky ish right here dun.

Hit the skip for a couple other Knxwledge projects I’ve neglected to share on here, including the tribute to J. Dilla he dropped yesterday. Click the album artwork to stream. Read the rest of this entry →

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Couple cats from Finland have been cooking up some tight boom bap this year under the name The Boomjacks. I don’t know what these dudes get into over the holidays, but I’d like to. The duo does some trippy sampling, some serious bass slapping, and seals the deal with some gritty snares and hi-hats. So if you need something to distract you from your hangover, this should do the trick.

Stream/cop after the skip! Happy New Year! Read the rest of this entry →

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DropxLife released three new tracks earlier today via his Twitter. Those of you familiar with his fellow XO group-member, The Weeknd, may have already heard the AllxLegends mixtape, which showcased the artist’s  knack for crafting atypical instrumentals with a wide-range of samples. If you were to magnify the most intimate breaks from DJ Shadow‘s Entroducing…, shrink down and spend some time exploring, you’d find something like a DropxLife instrumental.

The other two tracks and download links after the skip. Read the rest of this entry →

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Some of y’all might know him as Pete Rock‘s younger brother, some of y’all might not know him at all. Rapper/Producer Grap Luva doesn’t seem to mind. He contributed to classic albums like  Mecca and the Soul Brother  and J-live‘s The Best Part,  but he’s flown under the radar for a greater part of  the past decade. That is until now. Neva Done, his first solo EP, is nothing short of amazing. First, the keys creep up on you; you’re at peace. Before long your heads nodding; the carefully crafted drum-loops will put dust on your damn fingers. You’re not listening to a beat tape, you’re on a nostalgic journey through time and space. Then it hits you, this is just the first track.

Now, I won’t front. I am not too familiar with the SP 1200, but this cat seems to know a thing or two. This dude is a crate-diggin animal, there’s no doubt about that. He can spit too though. Check him going in on “Neva Done” over a Kev Brown beat:

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“Work It Out” is inspired by the troubled middle school students he counsels. Someone get this guy a medal.

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Hit the skip for part two of that video (Damu the Fudgemunk on the camera) and a link to cop the EP. Read the rest of this entry →

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fwmj’s Producers I Know Presents: J57′s “The Analog Tape,” inspired by early an early-to-mid 90′s sound complete with dirty, dusty tracks that hearken to the Stretch & Bobbito era of beats. Shouts to Dart Adams for overseeing the project!

Download: J57 – The Analog Tape (Beat Tape)

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For the fourth time this month, Philadelphia-based producer Knxwledge drops off a wonderfully ill beat tape. This time, Knxwledge pulls on a variety of soulful, aired-out string, horn and vocal samples, splicing them with nimbly automated drum patterns. ShadySide.EP is available for the nominal fee of $1 via Knxwledge’s BandCamp. Whaddap Gloof!

Download: Knxwledge – ShadySide.EP

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Knxwledge has had a prolific August. The Flowrs.EP is the Philly producer’s third release this month, and it’s replete with crumbly, off-beat grooves that are as warm as they are engaging. The tape is like a trip on California’s famed Highway 1– you twist and turn, rise and fall through its peaks and valleys, breathing in clean ocean air while the wind rushes against your face. Knxwledge excels at creating spacious mixes that exude nostalgia, so it’s no wonder the skillful producer was called upon by West Coast rhymers Blu and Co$$ to supply beats for their most recent albums. Keep tabs on Knxwledge via his Tumblr or BandCamp, and thank the GasedBod that he made it a little bit easier to acknxwledge that summer’s quickly coming to an end.

Download: Knxwledge – Flowers.EP

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Producer Falside links up with ProducersIKnow.com to bring you his newest instrumental installment, Snare Conditioning. Best known for providing beats to a slew of hip hop’s veteran luminaries and eager new-comers alike, Falside holds the boom bap tradition tight with this latest beat tape. Please download, listen, share, and enjoy!

Download: Falside – Snare Conditioning [Beat Tape]

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Beat Stew: Vol. 3 is a 22-track, free mix tape – the 4th in the Beat Stew series – featuring the Proximal Records crew as well as artists like Matthewdavid, Devonwho, Turquoise Summers, Evany, Day After Discovery and more. The mixtape focuses on a future funk sound to get listeners in the groove for BENEDEK’s upcoming single “That’s My Jam!” featuring DaM-FunK, due out on August 16th. Sit back and let the funk transport you to another planet.

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Curated by the big homie House Shoes (who’s having a big couple weeks), this tape is chocked full of atmospheric gems and is easily worth every penny of the $10 it costs. Do the right thing:

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