About Artist: Pharohe Monch is most famous for his single “Simon Says” (1999) but is also a respected MC who has continued making revolutionary music. This track is produced by Exile who is a super talented producer and who began his early career in a duo group alongside Aloe Blacc.
About Song: This song came out on Pharoe Monch’s third album “W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)” in March 2011. It was never a single but it did re-apper on Exile’s mixtape “Intro to the Outro” in September 2011.
DOWNLOAD MP3 KendrickLamar-BlackFriday.mp3 Summary: Kendrick drops some black friday goodness. Check out J. Cole’s version! About Artist: Kendrick Lamar is reigning king of the west coast. One of the most influential rappers in the game right now. About Song: This song is Kendrick Lamar rapping on J. Cole’s “A Tale of 2 Citiez” from 2014 Forest Hills Drive. The song is part of a 2 track drop. J. Cole released a verse on Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” from To Pimp A Butterfly, also titled Black Friday.
This song dropped on black friday along with a counterpart song. Favorite Part: Kendrick goes hard. Other: Black Friday (Soundcloud)
DOWNLOAD MP3 JCole-BlackFriday.mp3 Summary: J Cole drops some black friday goodness.Check out Kendrick Lamar’s version! About Artist: J Cole is one of the most influential rappers in the game right now. About Song: This song is J. Cole rapping on Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” from To Pimp A Butterfly. The song is part of a 2 track drop. Kendrick Lamar released a verse on J. Cole’s “A Tale of 2 Citiez” from 2014 Forest Hills Drive, also titled Black Friday Favorite Part: Other: Black Friday (Soundcloud)
DOWNLOAD MP3 Roman-GianArthur-NoSurprisesftJanelleMonae.mp3 Summary: Laaay back and enjoy About Artist: Roman GianArthur is one the artist on Janelle Monae’s Wondaland Records crew. Obviously I’m a huge Janelle Monae fan. This is just the very beginning of Roman GianArthur’s career on the big stage but I very high hopes from the sound of this first project. About Song: This song is off of an awesome free EP that Roman GianArthur dropped call OK Lady. The whole EP is a series of remake of Radiohead songs and I really love it from top to body (the track High and Dry is my other favorite). Favorite Part: “A heart that’s full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won’t heal
I’ll take a quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide” 0:30-1:06
…and then that piano that comes in
I also like when the song switches up at 2:03 and that woman is speaking portuguese. Other: OK Lady (freeon Soundcloud)
About Artist: Rihanna hip hop / pop superstar. Jay-Z affiliated. Diplo is famous EDMish DJ part of Major Lazer and and Jack Ü. Grandtheft is some other DJ that I don’t know about.
About Song: This is a remix of Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My Money, which came out in 2015 and hopefully represents the vibe of her upcoming eith studio album.
Favorite Part: This is my new favorite song it just put such a good twist on the original. I love the outro (the last minute of the song). It’s got a little Timbaland vibe, and I love the way it kind of bends part of the chord structure. I don’t normally like this kind of remix but I love love love this one.
About Artist: Fashawn first gained my attention in 2009 with his album Buy Meets World. He was on the cover of XXL magazine in 2010 with J. Cole and Big Sean but his career hasn’t taken off in the same way. Aloe Blacc is a singer songwriter who is famous for I Need a Dollar, and for being the vocals on Avicii’s Wake Me Up. I have no idea who Choosey is.
About Song: This song is from Fashawn’s 2015 album The Ecology, which I would recommend listening to al the way through.
Favorite Part: I love the little bossa nova type guitar on the track with some classic sounding hip hop raps on the top.
About Artist: De La Soul is a legendary hip hop trio who blew up in the late 80s. They cemented their place in the the hip hop hall of fame decades ago but now 10 years after their last album they’re back. Nas is was arguably the king of New York before Jay-Z took over. Nas is still a top tier hip hop legend though.
About Song: This song is a little teaser off of an upcoming album that De La Soul is doing through Kickstarter
Favorite Part: Love the horns on the track and the fact that hip hop icons like De La Soul have some super fresh music out.
About Artist: Wale is a DC rapper who I’ve been a fan of for many many years now. In march Wale dropped “An Album About Nothing” an album that he made with Jerry Seinfeld (Wale’s had a history of Seinfeld related projects). Singing on this track is SZA who made a great Z (EP) last year and who is signed to Kendrick Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment.
About Song: This song is a track off of The Album About Nothing (2015).
Favorite Part: I love the concept and the sexiness of having a little discrete sumthin sumthin on the side. SZA does a great job on the hook, Wale sounds smooth, and the Seinfeld interludes are awesome.
DOWNLOAD MP3 ActionBronson-BabyBlueftChanceTheRapper.mp3 Summary: A little jazzy piano boom bap. About Artist: Action Bronson is an interesting guy. He’s a large white redhead New Yorker. Coming out of nowhere he’s got a pretty good following and his creativity in marketing and in his music, videos etc is something special. Chance the Rapper is a youngin from Chicago. He has a distinct voice, and while some find him annoying, I really like him (I’ve posted some Chance songs before on the blog) About Song: Baby Blue is a track off of Action Bronson’s recent album Mr. Wonderful. Favorite Part: I like the track and I like Chance the Rapper’s verse. It’s just a solid jazzy, classic hip hop kinda song.
About Artist: Kendrick Lamar, what can I say. He might be my favorite rapper right now. He’s the new king of the west coast and has taken over the rap game. His latest album To Pimp A Butterfly is a must must must listen (you can listen here)
About Song: This song is just one of many great songs on To Pimp A Butterfly. Check out the lyrics below
DOWNLOAD MP3 BigSean-Outro.mp3 THIS SONG HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO A COMPLAINT BY THE RIAA. Summary: Soul Samples. Always. About Artist: Big Sean is young rapper from Detroit that signed with Kanye West a couple years ago. He’s part of a wave of rapper’s that I feel especially connected to that include J. Cole, Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, B.o.B. and Wale. It was the songs from these artists that started this blog (they are all also right around my age). About Song: This song is the outro to Big Sean’s third album “Dark Sky Paradise” that’s set to come out February 24th. The album is pretty solid, with “I Don’t Fuck with You” being the lead single. A couple of the bonus tracks are pretty good too. I’d say it’s the best Big Sean album so far (though complete albums hasn’t been his strength). And doesn’t “Dark Side Paradise” sound an awful lot like “Dark Twisted Fantasy” Favorite Part: This song is different than all the other tracks on the album in that it features a soul sample, which I always love. This song samples Darondo’s “Didn’t I” (1973). Other: Dark Sky Paradise Wikipedia Big Sean Wikipedia
About Artist: The Fugees need no introduction. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel made two albums in the mid 90s. The second, The Score (1996), is an all time classic. The Beast is the fifth track on that album.
About Song: In a time of #blacklivesmatter and exactly 50 years after the murder of Malcolm X, this song is as powerful today as it was when it was released 19 years ago (lyrics).
Favorite Part: Lauryn Hill’s verse at 1:45 has got to be my favorite part….
“The subconscious psychology that you use against me
If I lose control will send me to the penetentiary
Such as Alcatraz, or shot up like al Hajj Malik Shabazz”
