The Beat Konducta Madlib has unleashed a new edition of the Mind Fusion series, named African Earwax. A tiny run of 30 physical copies were manufactured and snapped-up at a recent Rappcats pop-up shop in L.A., complete with hand-drawn designs from MF Doom cover artist Jason Jegel, but you can stream the whole thing in its digital form below. Dope as always.
Listen here.
Furious Five legend Kidd Creole makes an appearance on this great new track from the Filthy Brotherz. No word about if this is from an upcoming album, but it sounds good, and its nice to hear the old school legend still doing it.
Mass Appeal by Gang Starr is right up there in our top 3 favorite hip-hop songs of all time, possibly at number 1. It sent a tingle down our spine then to hear that the latest episode of the often-incredible Magnum Opus series from Complex is dedicated to the track. We get to hear from DJ Premier hinself, plus a host of others from his inner circle, each helping to paint a picture of how the classic joint got made, and its impact since. Shame we’ll never get to hear stories from the much-missed Guru. Watch below right now.
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was always going to be difficult to top, even for one of the best artists amongst the nine men that made up the Wu-Tang Clan. By 1999, the world had already been blessed not just with Raekwon’s classic debut some four years previously, but also superior albums from Ghostface Killah, GZA, Old Dirty Bastard, Method Man and Cappadonna. The pressure on Rae to turn-in something as good as his debut must have been thick, even if no one dared to mention it.
When Immobilarity did drop, it was given something of a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike. Listen again in 2015 however, and its actually a pretty good album, and arguably better than the genuinely disappointing proper sequel to the classic debut, 2009’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II.
What seemed to bug people most at the time was how little this seemed like the other Wu-Tang solo albums so far. There are no guest spots from Ghostface, and in fact Method Man and Masta Killa are the only two official clansmen to appear. And perhaps most noticeably of all, there are no beats by RZA.
Looking back, this was actually a good thing. A lack of guests gave Rae the space needed to focus, and write with enough confidence and weight to carry entire tracks on his own, the way that Ghost has always been able to.
Moving from RZA production also added some variety, away from the occasionally stale beats that he was sometimes guilty of making, even if the little-known producers on the album were usually just trying to ape his style. Its no coincidence that the nicest beat is the Pete Rock produced Sneakers, hinting for the first time just how good Rae sounded over beats from skilled beatmakers outside of RZA. By Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, the line-up of producers had become diverse enough to include everyone from Dr Dre to J Dilla, via Erick Sermon, Alchemist, Marley Marl and more.
Other standout tracks include Friday, My Favorite Dred and Live From NY, each of them filled with the same vivid imagery that helped maintain Rae’s reputation as one of the best storytellers in the game.
If you slept on this album in 2009, dust it off and have another listen. You’ll be surprised at how good it sounds.
Petestrumentals II from the maestro Pete Rock is finally here, and it sounds as dope as we all knew it would. Its available to stream before you buy, and you can do so below. Support the Soul Brother Number 1 and the good people over at Mello Music Group by making the purchase.
The legendary Stezo is back in our ears, thanks to unearthed material from boutique/re-issue label Dope Folks Records. Listen to Here To School Ya on the link below, then buy it when it drops.
Listen here.
Original A Tribe Called Quest member Jarobi White and Black Sheep rapper Dres are keeping the spirit of the Native Tongues alive with a video for Ain’t No Day The Sun Don’t Shine, from a few months back. It also features Yaw, and you can watch below.
Take one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. Get them in the studio with one of the best producers to emerge in the last few years. Watch the magic happen. Thats roughly how we hope the newly-announced Time? Astonishing! album from Kool Keith and L’Orange was put together. Anyone who copped the Persona compilation album from Mello Music Group will have already heard them as a team, but this could be one epic album when it arrives. J-Live appears on first single The Traveller, and you can hear it on the link below. Watch this space for more news.
Listen here.
You can never have too many J Dilla tributes, and this one from producer Byron The Aquarius is a particularly good specimen. Its 13 tracks of solid beats inspired by the much-missed Yancey boy, and you can stream and buy it below.
After a string of singles, we now get to hear the entire new Slum Village album early, a week before it drops. We knew it had J Dilla beats, but not this many. Not that we are complaining about that. Guests include De La Soul, Black Milk and more, and you can stream the whole damn thing below. Let us know what you think.
