Benz and a Backpack

Ski Beatz offers up another session at his 24 Hour Karate School and this time around the dojo is at 30,000 feet up. 24 Hour Karate School: Twilight drops Valentine’s Day and all the usual suspects (Curren$y, Smoke DZA, Stalley, etc.) are sitting co-pilot. Bow to your sensei, because Ski treating that bass like you should treat your girl this Tuesday. You ain’t “Living it Up” like Mikey Rocks and Trademark unless you got the type that wants them sticky-green flowers though.  If you ain’t got a girl at all, just put this on rotation in the whip and cruise with Mary Jane.

Hit the skip for the the tracklist and a little sumn extra. Remember, J.ust E.njoy T.his S.hit.  Read the rest of this entry →

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New Stalley visuals courtesy of director Shruti Parekh aka TygaWolf. “Larry Bird” showcases Stalley on his basketball lean, proclaiming himself a lyrical sharpshooter (“the black Larry Bird”). Miss Parekh offers a set of images that are unquestionably New York, proving why any smart NYC-based emcee would tap into her talent for their video.

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Gangsta Gibbs and Ski Beatz? Winner winner, chicken dinner. 24 Hour Karate School Part II this Tuesday August 9th (pre-order here), and it boasts a promising list of features: Gibbs, the L.E.P. Bogus Boys, Stalley, Mikey Rocks, Tabi Bonney, Locksmith, Terri Walker and more. Whoopish!

Download: Ski Beatz ft. Freddie Gibbs – Illegal (Single)

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Cool visuals from the homie Locksmith here, with a rotating camera a la Stanley Kubrick courtesy of directors Ryan White and Antoine Rucker. The beat, which is the production work of Frontline member Left, is sparse but engaging, and Locksmith does it justice. Locksmith will be dropping two projects this year: Embedded produced by Ski Beatz and Labyrinth produced by E-A-SKI. You can also catch Locksmith featured on Ski Beatz’ upcoming album 24 Hour Karate School Part 2, due out Aug 9th, 2011.

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HeirGang/FastMoney helmsman Da$h is back with his 5th project “ChRon BurGundy,” a 12-track tape that features Boldy James, Marz Lovejoy, RetcH & Roy FrencH, and production from Ski Beatz, Dash himself, Matt Cody, Sean O’Connell and more. Though there have already been a fair share of Ron Burgundy-themed projects in recent memory, Da$h does the damn thing with some help from his friends. Track list and D/L under the cut.

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This came courtesy of the Brownsville Baller last week featuring the lyrical monster from Flint, Michigan Jon Connor. Ragazino got bars (and a whole lotta kicks, too), and the video features a bunch of footage that’ll have you strolling wistfully down memory lane. Download Maffew’s February 2011 mixtape Rare Gems The Collection free of DJ drops here, and keep tabs on him via his website.

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Cali rap pioneer Murs recently spent a few weeks on the East Coast recording with Ski Beatz, the producer behind legendary tracks forJay-Z, Mos Def, Curren$y, Jay Electronica and many more. He’s now back on the West Coast, without his trademark dreadlocks, but with a new album: Love & Rockets, Volume 1: The Transformation, set to drop this fall on Dame Dash‘s DD172/BLUROC labels in conjunction with a sixty-day tour alongside Tabi Bonney, McKenzie Eddy, Sean O Connell and Dash. In this video clip (after the jump), Murs walks into Frank’s Chop Shop in NYC and emerges a few pounds lighter…
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SKI BEATZ FT LEP & TERRI WALKER- LOOKIN’ FOR ME from DD172 on Vimeo.

Newest visuals for “Lookin’ For Me,” off Ski Beatz’ upcoming 24 Hour Karate School Part II due out on August 9th. The chorus features the lovely Terri Walker, with weighty verses from both of the LEP Bogus Boys. As always, Ski’s production is on point, and Terri Walker blesses us with some British smack talk. Directed by Jonah Schwartz.

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Here’s the first single off Mikey Rocks’ upcoming mixtape The Rocks Report. “Coochie Crook” features Sir Michael on his Blackbeard flow, hooking all the booty he possibly can. Song produced by Ski Beatz, video by Jonah Schwartz.

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Ski dropped this on his YouTube channel last week, but here are the official CC visuals for his single “Lock” featuring Bay area emcee Locksmith. The song is off Ski and Locksmith’s upcoming collaborative Bluroc release Embedded, and it features Lock at his most lyrically potent. Ski sets him up well though, constructing a four bar loop that acts like a cushion for Lock’s gravelly flow.

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Earlier today, the man with perhaps the most epic beard released visuals for his cut “The Tune Up” produced by Rashad. Although Stalley does work with Ski and DD172, for this video he linked with director Kellen Dengler, and the bounty of their labor is thrice plentiful. Look out for Stalley’s album, Mishka Presents…Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music), which drops early next week.

Download: Stalley – The Tune Up [prod. Rashad]

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As I went back through my iTunes, these are the albums I found myself listening to the most, and generally from top to bottom. You’ll notice KanYe’s album is missing from my list. While I absolutely love (and have dissected) a lot of the music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I find myself too often having to tune out the lyrics in order to focus on the music. As such, the album has very little replay value for me. By contrast, Doss & Hir-O (who recently got a nod from K-Nott) crafted, to me, one of the most sonically innovative and timely albums in recent memory. If you don’t already have Computer B!ue, make sure you grab it (for free) right here.

Honorable Mention: Freeway & Jake One – Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers)

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