Benz and a Backpack

Elzhi through Juan Deucington, plus Gil Scott-Heron, Ghostdini and The Genius, Muldrow and Monae; Jump-Off Joey’s Mood Muzik 4, French Montana’s Mac & Cheese 2, and Cole’s Friday Night Lights.

Previously: Dizzy’s Best Singles Of 2010 [Part 2]
Previously: Dizzy’s Best Singles Of 2010 [Part 1]
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Miss Swagger Herself and I have been on a hardcore 70′s kick recently– Maxayn, Eddie Hazel, Cymande, Mandrill. This morning we opened our eyes and ears to Donny Hathaway’s Everything Is Everything. To the best of my knowledge, the third track on the album “I Believe To My Soul” has been flipped twice: once by Bink! for Nate Dogg’s “I Got Love” and then again on Wu Tang’s “One Of These Days,” off Iron Flag. Although Everything Is Everything was Donny Hathaway’s first album, a lot of people consider it to be the best work of his career.

Sample Session Saturday: Donny Hathaway – I Believe In My Soul by BenzAndABackpack4

Hit the skip for the video to Nate Dogg’s “I Got Love,” plus the remix featuring Fab, Kurupt, and B.R.E.T.T.
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A quick Youtube search of “Ryan Leslie in the studio” will get you a long list of videos demonstrating the talent of a kid who began attending Harvard when he was only 16.  Known more for his musical prowess than his smarts, Ryan Leslie is often called upon to add that extra special something to a track that is almost done.  In the video above, he joins Fabolous in the studio to carve out some keyboard riffs for the instrumental break in his latest single, “You Be Killin’ Em.”

Like “Fancy”, the song is dedicated to ladies with high-end style and swagger, coming from a recent trend of songs dedicated to the ladies (as Mr. Alexander graciously documented).  So far the song is only getting spins on Hot 97 in New York, but given the stations ability to trend set for mainstream hip-hop across the country, this record should blow up very soon.

Fabolous – “You Be Killin’ Em”

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Hit the skip for Fab’s latest video “Lights Out”.

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Fab came out swinging when he freestyled yesterday on Funk Master Flex’s radio show on Hot 97. Fabolous was all over the radio to promote the release of his EP There Is No Competition 2. The EP is the in-stores version of his mixtape “RIP To The Competition 2“, which was by far one of the most successful mixtape of the summer. There is No Competition 2 features seven songs from the mixtape, and three brand new tracks.

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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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Not sure how Rae is below 50 and Fab, but I guess I expect too much of MTV.

Full story here.

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To wrap up the first weekend of the NFL, the Bills and Patriots will face off tonight on Monday Night Football. What a weekend it was: Adrian Peterson proved why he is THE big man on campus, Mark Sanchez impressed just about every ESPN analyst, and Drew ‘Playing Quarterback is a’ Brees was lights out. Tune in to ESPN tonight at 7pm for Tom Brady’s return to action. Hit the skip for Drake, Brother Ali, Phonte, and Sean Price.

KRS-One & Buckshot – Past Present Future ft. Melanie Fiona & Naledge (of Kidz in the Hall)
KRS-One is signed to Duck Down…which makes no sense artistically, but from an industry stand point it’s more understandable than it seems at first glance.

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Fashawn – Lost In New York
Saw the boy Fashawn at a Roots jam this summer in NYC, and he held it down.

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Raekwon ft. Jadakiss & Styles P – Broken Safety
Off OB4CLII. The Chef + D-Block reps = GOOD

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Ghostface Killah ft. Fabolous & Shareefa – Guest House
Ghostdini’s new album, The Wizard of Poetry, drops soon. Album artwork here.

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