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Kidz in the Hall decided to consolidate the tracks they leaked from their Brain Candy series, along with some new / previously unreleased gems into a new mixtape titled Semester Abroad. It’s been a while since we had anything solid to listen to from these guys, so get stuck in to this. The tape features appearances from Curren$y, Smoke DZA, the Kid Daytona and more. Enjoy…
Stream the full mixtape below, download it up top.
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You may remember us making a little noise about Elzhi’s new project. A reworking of Nas’ godbody testament, Illmatic (still the most important LP of my teen years) featuring live instrumentation from Will Sessions.
As an original stan, do I feel it’s doing the legacy justice? I’m 5 tracks in right now – and it’s actually sounding incredible.
Real heads, pop this in your player (via XXL) and rejoice. It’s a strictly gully morning these sides.
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Shystie dropped her new mixtape a few days ago entitled You’re Welcome. The London born emcee (slash actress) has been relatively quiet as of late, but she’s officially back and with a tape that I have found to be pretty impressive.
With the exception of a few, there aren’t that many female rappers representing these shores as well as Shystie – her flow and lyrical content are very much on point – elements well displayed on You’re Welcome.
Admittedly, not every song speaks to me, but for the most part the combination of what Shystie is saying, how she says it and the beats she has chosen to express herself over has earned my attention. I mean, there are some massive tunes on here – I have to shout out ‘Ima Boss’ – probably my favourite on the tape. Shystie goes in over a neck breakin’ crunk beat – sh*t sounds like it’s straight out of the ATL – this one took me by surprise. Other highlights include ‘We Be Rollin”, the all-female ‘Warning’ (featuring Lioness & Lady Leshurr), ‘Headbanger’ (featuring Ghetts, Bounty Killa & Trilla) and ‘Fine Day’.
Would definitely recommend you spend some time on this.
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If marijuana had a flow, it would probably sound like the lackadaisical, hypnotic tones of Curren$y – one of my favourite emcees in recent times. Both Pilot Talk servings managed to hover near the crest of best Rap long players for 2010 and even when dealing with ‘the commercial conundrum’, each release has vehemently stayed true to what makes the chap our spheres call Spitta stylisitically compelling amongst new breeds (cough, side-eye to co-hort Khalifa and the not so pleasingly executed major label debut, cough).
Now, pair him up with arguably one of the greatest East Coast beatsmiths of the Noughties, and you’re fuck*ng minted.
Star Slinger just put out this new mixtape featuring songs from the likes of Hudson Mohawke, 213, Sa-Ra, J.Dilla, Daedelus, Kindred the Family Soul and more.
…Tell me that list doesn’t wet your appetite? R&B/Soul/Hip Hop heads – get involved. Listen & download via the player below.
Full tracklist after the jump…
Full Crate put together this 45 minute mix called Subs, Dust & Synths for VageGasten. The mix pretty much does what it says on the tin – expect “beats, subs, dubs and more dusty, yet energetic tunes!”.
Got some HudMo, Salva, Lunice & Onra in here – full track list after the jump…
Listen and download below…
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It’s almost time. Pusha T’s much anticipated debut solo mixtape on G.O.O.D Music is about to drop. Until it does though, get stuck into this stream. It’s officially Mixtape Mondays. This one will satisfy all you gritty ass thug types.
Tape drops in a few hours. Expect it here soon as.
Hitting play right now. Will share my thoughts in a bit. Do the same, hit the c-section.
Update: Download added via xclusiveszone
Shouts to Andrew
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Rounding off the rounding up of ish doing the rounds…
More Post-Drake-step (tipping hat to Speeakz for that coinage) style sonics on this – but effeminized of course. Aww. For what it’s worth though, production is this tapes strongest asset (bar the awfully corny sounding ‘Popular’ that doesn’t fit… deleted off my iTunes).
Featuring collaborations with Miguel (and his frequent producer Fisticuffs), Drake and Kendrick Lemar, .sailing soul(s). is an above-average R&B mixtape-album. Stylistically, Aiko doesn’t provide anything exceptional (inevitable Cassie comparisons), but delivers some fine, honeyed melodies that are easy on the ear to accompany her girl angst fluff. An enjoyable enough debut bolstered by some fat soundbeds of, erm, emosh. Let’s see how this lady does.
Below is a stream of her single, titled ‘Hoe’, with assistance from Miguel.
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Whilst we’re on the mixtape tip this morning, may aswell throw a couple more up, and despite the buzz we’ve had to sit on this for a while for reason I’ll go into now…
Figuratively, if OFWGKTA was a gigantic c*ck, the entire earth would be riding it like an axis right now. And maybe deservedly so, since Hip-Hop thrives on movements and head wolf Tyler has only proven with gusto why his pack are tearing strips of flesh out of their nearest cool kid competitors. Speaking as fans before the hype I’d like to think we pride ourselves on dispensing with the online arse-licking and calling sh*t for what it is at all times.
As much some have claimed it is, their prime crooner Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia/Ultra is not the second coming of the game-changing, culturally impacting mixtape-album, So Far Gone. There, I’m calling it. Now fall back.
So what’s got the hip hype mongers all riled up now? Well, seems our generation (and the one just below it) have arrived slap-bang at the mnemonic intersection desperate for new saviours of commercial R&B – as it presently lies a bloodied carcass of a genre. And we all know how ‘buzz’ on the interwebs works: outlets chuck crowns at ‘next big things’ praying their heads fit.
Being in the throws of a post-So Far Gone/emo-R&B phase, Nostalgia/Ultra serves as evidence. What it unfortunately lacks is it’s template’s sonic cohesiveness to be called a real 2011 successor and seems too much like a jumble sale of shelved session tracks.
What it does have is couple stand-out cuts (notably ‘Novocane’, ‘Lovecrimes’ and topically ‘American Wedding’) delivered by a reasonably proficient R&B singer with quirky lyrics (The Dream, anyone?)… which in my opinion doesn’t feel like it’s enough to warrant the size of the social network brouhaha. Throw some calculated eclecticism by way of Radiohead and MGMT flips, bit of retro cover-art, win over the right demographics, ta-dah, impressionable net nerds are schmoozed.
I won’t completely knock Frank, he’s young, down with a progressive crew and has time to develop a unique, iconoclastic style like fellow Odd Futurist, Mr. Creator. Unfortunately here he’s only showing hints of what should make him special instead of the whole picture.
R&B? Awaiting revival still.
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Very nice way to start the week.
We’ve been educating you on The Weeknd over the past few months and like us, you seem to be enjoying their output. So, you’ll be pleased to see that the Canadian group have just released a brand new mixtape called House of Balloons. The tape features their massive single ‘What You Need’ and it’s follow up ‘Wicked Games’. I’m pretty confident this will be my #mondaysoundtrack. Probably yours too…
Update: Listened to this a few times now and I must say, where a few others have recently failed – The Weeknd have managed to craft a rather cohesive post-Drake-step (lol, yes) R&B mixtape. It’s abundantly clear everyone [attempting to make] contemporary R&B in 2011 is desperately trying to produce the next So Far Gone.
… And no, I’m not saying that this is what this is.
But House of Balloons actually sounds like it belongs here, to this time, now. It doesn’t sound desperate, it’s got… Swag (an essential ingredient to any noteworthy R&B). The Weeknd have homed in a sound, crafted a sense of atmosphere and in turn brought something pretty fresh to the table. We can spend copious amounts of time and typography on why their sound, sounds like this, and more over can scientifically dissect why it sounds like this now – but it’s all been said before (although the Ginuwine/Timbaland influences on tracks like ‘Coming Down’ is definitely something worth mentioning, still), however what needs to be said is – if you’re looking for a modern take on R&B, which isn’t sh*t – this is for you.
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