1995E40

Before E-40 was goin' dumb and gettin' hyphy, he was dropping funk and being lyrically creative...in a seriously major way.



E-40 - Fed (Download)


E-40 - Spittin' (Download)

SHOW THE GOONS!

My buddy's roommate in NYC did a photo shoot with Freekey Zekey, and afterward Freekey improv'd a typical rap blog interview:

P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. Free

Lansing's own P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. passed around his latest single a bit ago (scroll down), but he recently released his latest EP completely free on the internetz.

Enjoy:

P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. - Love Songs For Losers & Ballads For Ballers

Show him some love in return, and check out live dates on the Myspace.

P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. Fresh

Got a brand new exclusive track here from the forthcoming EP of the top dude of Lansing hip-hop, P.H.I.L.T.H.Y.
Press pack says this:
What’s love? P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. looks for the answer on his new EP with
Jansport J, entitled Love Songs For Losers and Ballads For Ballers.
Whether it’s romance, family, friends or God, P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. covers
all of the bases with this concept project. The first single, “Say
It,” sees P letting his guard down and telling his special someone how
he really feels.

I say this:
PHILTHY definitely succeeds here in making a track that's relaxed and engaging at the same time, and if any of you know or have seen him you know that's the vibe he's just about always putting out there. It definitely rides well off his last album, Save Us All, but with a little more cohesiveness in the production (not to forget about J) and recording. It sounds like he's actually in the track somewhere, not just rhyming on top of it. I'm looking forward to more of this on the new EP. Oh yeah, and SEE HIM LIVE! (dates on the myspace.)

P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. - Say It (Download)

Choice electro-funk.

1984. Sugarhill records. Yes please.

Party jam:
West Street Mob - Ooh Baby (Download)


King of the "Apache break" samplers:
West Street Mob - Break Dance (Electric Boogie) (Download)

X-Post

Lots of good stuff today, but none of it from me.

First up, for the club heads, Baltimore club legend DJ Class dropped a new track a few months ago with Lil' Jon but it was most recently remixed with a Kanye feature! Big news. And one more step towards b-more taking over.



DJ Class w/ Lil Jon - I'm The Ish (Download)


DJ Class w/ Kanye West - I'm The Ish (Download)


In case the chorus seems silly, just start singing it to yourself throughout the day. Works wonders.

Next up, DJ B.Cause is one of my favorite mixtape makers out there. His latest is all 90s SF Bay area rap vinyl. Heavily funkified. Get it here.

Finally, Do It To It Vol 2 is now out. All six soul injected b-more/club tracks come from separate A-list underground producers:

SIDE ONE
Bird Peterson "Torture Motherf*cker"
Dave Nada "JB Baby"
Emynd "Hold it Down 2009"

SIDE TWO
Wizard of Gaz "Preacher Man"
Tittsworth "I'm Rich"
Mike the 2600 King "Hold Up I'm Comin'"

Here's a badass promo video/megamix they made:


It's only out on vinyl right now. Sorry no freebies. Cop it here or at least check the artists! (You might not recognize the names, but if you've seen me play out you've heard at least a half dozen tracks by these dudes. They are top notch!)

Screw

This is the album for today. It's made by dudes on the northwest coast but it ends up sounding like a dark Southern rock band drowning in a vat of codeine. Standard rock instruments drone on and on with a lava-slow drum beat and no vocals, producing a steady hearth of sound waves that seems like it should be more depressing than it is. I guess this stuff is called "drone metal," but the only metal thing about it is a distorted guitar, and although I would say the music is droning, it is entirely melodic unlike most "drone" music. It's like the chopped'n'screwed of rock music.


From, The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull

Earth - Omens and Portents I: The Driver (Download)


Earth - Engine of Ruin (Download)



Oh OK, for those of you that dunno, here's some original screw juice:


DJ Screw - 13 Ways (Download)


And something I get caught up listening to somehow more than I'd like:
Ciara - Promise (Claire Chanel's Triple Slow Screw) (Download)

Happy Birthday P.H.I.L.T.H.Y.!

Lansing MC P.H.I.L.T.H.Y is throwing a bash for his birthday on Thursday at the Basement.



Check his MySpace for some tunes...and this little taste of a freestyle from Mac's:
RideOut and P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. Freestyle (v2.0)


Catch me there!

Blue Beats For Longing

I got on to Boston's DJ Flack originally because of his alarming genre-smashing mixtapes (see: Beyond The Valley Of The Smurfs). But it was this all vinyl mix of nostalgic hip-hop instrumentals that became a rainy day staple of mine, as well as a long time favorite in general.

DJ Flack - Blue Beats For Longing:

Direct Link.

Tracklist:
Akon - Lonely
Zap Mama - Yelling Away
Born Jamericans - Gotta Get Mine
Mad Lion - Self Help
Boogie Down Productions - Love's Gonna Get'cha
DJ Krush - Final Home
Balance - Mumbles
Atmosphere - Bird Sings Why the Caged I know
Raekwon - Live From New York
Faith Evans - Can't Believe
Dirty South Breaks (Shotgun & Klever) - Ammo Records
Wu Tang Clan - Can It Be All So Simple
Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks On Me
Cujo - Cat People
Lusine (Ghostlly) - Everything Under the Sun
Non Phixion - Four W's
Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers (Prince Paul mix)
Bonobo - Sleepy Seven
Hei (Kim Hiorthoy) - Forkskjellige gode ting
DJ Premier - Unreleased Instrumentals Vol. 1
Pete Rock - Pete's Jazz
Ghislain Poirier - Civil Disobedience
DJ Premier - Unreleased Instrumentals Vol. 2
Doujah Raze - Spinmata
Timbaland & Magoo - Indian Flute
Cypress Hill - Illusions
Edo G - Boston
Mystic - The Life
K-OS - Heaven Only Knows
Edan - Sing It Shitface
Akeyalone - Mic Check (Lab Rats Remix)
Street Elements of Flavor (Wayne Rollins) - Off to the Races
DJ Flack - Honeymoon Breeze
Count Bass D - Violatin' (Mighty VIC Remix)
Da Germ - More and more
Atmosphere - Onemosphere
The Game - Hate it or Love it
Atmosphere - One of a Kind