Benz and a Backpack

Last month, Detroit emcee Ty Farris (@TyFarris1) dropped his latest project Champion Hoodies ‘N Hennessy, a mixtape meant to bring the east side Detroit streets to life through rhymes. Presented by SkrillaGorillas, Ty flexes on production from some of the grittiest beatsmiths around: !llmind, Alchemist, as well as K.R.I.T. and Araab. Stream the tape below, and cop it from Ty’s website!

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P Body tha Great gets self-reflective here, listing his favorite of the collaborations he’s done over the course of his long career.

“As one-half of Heltah Skeltah, Sean Price helped sustain New York’s mid ’90s underground rap renaissance. For his solo material, the Brooklyn artist made a name for himself in the mid 2000s by highlighting that his pockets were flat, not fat. Since then, the man also known as Kimbo Price has become one of rap’s most consistent, snarky independent artists, churning out high quality, lyric-driven material.

When Guilty Simpson reached out to Price to appear on his album, the eventual collaboration led to much more. The just-released, self-titled album from Random Axe teams Price, Simpson and Black Milk for an all-out lyrical and sonic free-for-all.”

Read the rest over at the RedBullUSA website.

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This concert is going to be bananas. It’s billed as a ‘Monumental Night Of Hip-Hop,’ and by golly the bill is right. Random Axe (Sean Price, Guilty Simpson & Black Milk), Smif N Wessun, Maino, Jadakiss and Juelz Santana will all be gracing the same stage at the Highline Ballroom tonight. Doors are at 8PM, and tickets are available for $20 ($10 if you use the promotional code MONUMENTAL) right now! We’re in there like swimwear, but if you’re a starving artist or recent college grad, you could always take your chances and beat the crowd to see FlyLo for free at Le Poisson Rouge.

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Prolific DJ/producer DJ JS-1 is celebrating the release of his latest full-length LP, No One Cares, today by dropping his latest single, “Side Streets.” Not only is the highly anticipated album, complete with 40 guests, including artists like KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Sadat X, and Joell Ortiz, and many more, now available for purchase, but fans can stream the full album for free all week as part of AOL Music’s Listening Party.

Helping celebrate the release are Illa Ghee, Nutso, and Guilty Simpson, three notable MCs who champion the underground scene alongside JS-1 with the new single “Side Streets.” “This song represents how we do the underground shit but get respect,” explains JS-1, “while others take Easy Street on the Main Boulevard, but everyone knows they suck.” JS continues, “We still enjoy making hardcore hip-hop while others are making very commercial, radio-friendly, pop-dance stuff.” The song has an uncharacteristically basic production, made up of two blended samples and a dash of hard drums and bass, because JS-1 wanted people to focus on the hard-hitting verses and the very rare scratch hook. “I used a line from Guru that is from an unreleased acapella DJ Premier gave me,” says JS-1. “It’s the main vocal that ties it all in: ‘I can go to any city/ Get respect in the street.’”

DJ JS-1 ft. Illa Ghee, Nutso & Guilty Simpson – Side Streets by BenzAndABackpack2

DJ JS-1′s new album, No One Cares, is now available via a joint venture between Fat Beats Distribution and JS-1′s own Ground Original.

Download: DJ JS-1 ft. Illa Ghee, Nutso & Guilty Simpson – Side Streets (Single) [rt/ctrl-click, save-as]

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“The Verdict” is a track from Vast Aire’s album Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey, an album that was years in the making and long overdue. “The Verdict” brings together two underground titan’s for the first time, and it does not disappoint. Much like the pairing of a nice wine, so matches the production from Ayatollah, laying the foundation for these two legendary MC’s to build upon. Vast Aire’s Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey is now available at all retail and online outlets

Buy: Vast Aire – Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey (Album)

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To celebrate the release of their album, Random Axe dropped off the video for their track “Random Call.” The video, in all its animated glory, has received a lukewarm response, but the album has received nothing but stellar reviews. Cop the album right now via iTunes, or via Amazon where it is just $1.99 for today only.

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In preparation for the release of their highly anticipated self-titled album (which is available right now via iTunes!), Random Axe delivers their most recent single “Black Ops” featuring Fat Ray. For those who do cop the album via iTunes, you’ll also receive the video for “The Hex” as well as the album’s digital booklet. If you’re in the Tri-State Area, make sure you hit one of the trio’s two NYC dates: June 21st at the Highline Ballroom with Smif N Wessun and Maino, or June 22nd at Southpaw in Brooklyn with Black Moon and Skyzoo. You already know we’ll be in there like swimwear.

Random Axe “Black Ops” feat. Fat Ray by duckdown

Buy: Random Axe – The Album

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With the Random Axe album due out in five days, Ruby Hornet’s Sean CK caught up with Da God for an honest, funny, and at times off-putting interview. Among other things, P Body talks about Guilty Simpson and Black Milk, the differences between Detroit and Brooklyn, and how P’s forthcoming album might just be the most ignorant album in hip-hop’s (relatively) short history.

Ruby Hornet: Can you describe the relationship between cats from Brownsville, and then Midwest folk from Detroit etc. There seems to be a relatable vibe between the two.

Sean Price: Man, ya’ll Detroit and ya’ll Chicago nigg*s, ya’ll are crazy. We ain’t like that out here. We get it poppin out here, but not like that. Ya’ll nigg*s are crazy! Having big automatic weapons an shi*t. We might have a pistol, you feel me, maybe a nine, at the biggest maybe a mac or a tech, ya’ll nigg*s be having Ar-15′s, you know what I mean, Big Johnny Rambo sh*ts in the back of ya’ll rides, we don’t do that out here. We got a bunch of fu*kin projects and a bunch of windows, so when you pull out an AK, yo ass is getting told on. Someone is telling on you. we can’t do all that. Nigg*s get it in, don’t get it twisted, but it ain’t like that. We put it in with small caliber weapons, compared to the sh*t ya’ll be doing.
Read more.

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Eight days. Nuff said.

Random Axe “Chewbacca” feat. Roc Marciano by duckdown

Previously: Random Axe – The Hex

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No explanation needed. Album out in June.

Random Axe “The Hex” by duckdown

Buy: Random Axe – The Hex (Single)

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Detroit trio The Left, comprised of producer Apollo Brown, rapper Journalist 103, and DJ Soko, are celebrating the release of their debut album, Gas Mask, today with “Reporting Live,” the first official release from the album featuring fellow Detroit wordsmith Guilty Simpson.

Apollo jumps things off with a soulful grittiness — the track seamlessly mixes Apollo’s vocal chops, horns, and heavy drums – and the instrumental serves as a perfect match for Journalist’s own gravelly vocals: “Reporting live from the gritty blocks of Rock City/ Forgotten sound of Motown produced by many/ Rappers come a dime a dozen, but not many/ Can carry the status of legends, I hope that y’all hear me.” Guilty follows in step with his own verse: “Young killers take it in blood/ Dirt doers get wet up, then pigs come play in the mud.” Detroit city imagery abounds as the two Rock City vets take you on a tour of their hometown.

The Left ft. Guilty Simpson – Reporting Live by BenzAndABackpack2

The Left’s Gas Mask is available now via Mello Music Group.

Download: The Left ft. Guilty Simpson – Reporting Live [right/ctrl click, save-as]
Buy: The Left – Gas Mask (Album)

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JR & PH7 hail from Cologne, Germany. The hip hop production duo with a tendency towards the boom-bap started making waves on the German underground scene in 2007, and just last year they released their debut album called The Standard. The Standard features tracks from heavyweights like Edo G., Kev Brown, Oddisee, Skyzoo, Planet Asia, as well as Guilty Simpson and Black Milk (a dope video for their joint is under the cut). Just last month the two dropped an six track cut called The EP (read a review here), solidifying their credibility even further. The EP features Blu, Eternia, Termanology, Oddisee, and the big homie Trek Life!

Check the video above, then hit the skip for other JR/PH7 goodies. Their features alone should intrigue you enough to cop their albums, but from there JR & PH7, record-digging and sample nerds, will absolutely steal the spotlight.
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