Hip Hop
Video: XV – “U.F.C.”
XV, the kid with the green backpack, released a fresh set of visuals for one of his recent mixtape’s hardest-hitting songs, “U.F.C.”, which also features vocals from Kristina Rose. If you watched Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, you’ll definitely enjoy the Joker Thugs trailing along throughout the video, which was shot throughout Chicago by Rex Arrow Films.
Check it out below. Vizzy’s debut album should be out in 2012. Hold tight.
Video: Common – “Blue Sky”
Ever since Common first released his new single “Blue Sky”, I’ve been listening to it excessively. There’s something special about that Electric Light Orchestra sample…
Below, you can watch the newly-released music video for the track. The Dreamer, The Believer out on November 22, 2011 through Warner Bros. Records and is entirely produced by No I.D. From what we’ve heard already, the album (Common’s ninth) is set to be a great one. As he put it himself: “It’s going to be positive hip-hop. Hip-hop that can really generate good spirit, the spirit of the music and just good energy.”
Mixtape: Phil The Thrill – Barely Awake
Chill beats and quality songs from an up-and-comer. Fly thoughts! You can download the mixtape below or alternatively, stream it after the break.
Listen: Pusha T – “What Dreams Are Made Of”
Here’s a brand new track from Clipse‘s Pusha T titled “What Dreams Are Made Of”, which will be included on Pusha’s forthcoming album Fear of God II: Let Us Pray. The new album will be out November 8th via Decon and G.O.O.D. Music and also includes Pusha’s well-received collaboration with OFWGKTA‘s Tyler, the Creator.
Listen to “What Dreams Are Made Of” below and also be sure to check the album’s tracklisting after the break.
MP3: Pusha T – “What Dreams Are Made Of”
Fear of God II: Let Us Pray Tracklisting:
01 Changing of the Guards (feat. Diddy)
02 Amen (feat. Kanye West and Young Jeezy)
03 Trouble on My Mind (feat. Tyler, the Creator)
04 What Dreams Are Made Of
05 Body Work (feat. Juicy J, Meek Mill, and French Montana)
06 Everything That Glitters (feat. French Montana)
07 So Obvious
08 Feeling Myself (feat. Kevin Cossom)
09 Raid (feat. 50 Cent and Pharrell)
10 My God
11 I Still Wanna (feat. Rick Ross and Ab Liva)
12 Alone in Vegas
Listen: Kid Cudi – “Bigger Than You” [Unreleased 2007]
“He had in his head what he wanted to start the album with. Like way back it was a song called “Bigger Than You,” which some people might of heard because it leaked. It was a really dope record. “Bigger Than You” was actually the first record me and Cudi ever did together. It was on the first day that we met, we cut that song. Once we cut it, he was like, “That’s the intro to my album.” It stayed that way for a while, but that record was cut a long time before the album was ever done, so eventually it kinda faded out.”
MP3: Kid Cudi – “Bigger Than You”
This isn’t the first time this song has appeared on the Internet, making its initial appearance as “Do It Alone” on Cudi’s demo tape. This, however, is the completely mastered version from Emile. Listen for yourself above.
Sol Premieres New Single “Albert Einstein”
Our Seattle-based friend Sol just sent over a brand new track titled “Albert Einstein”, which features production by Jacks Green & Pseudonym. The first single from his upcoming album Yours Truly, “Albert Einstein” was released to build anticipation for his album and to follow up the release of his extremely successful free EP, Dear Friends Vol. III (download it for free here). A bit darker sounding than some of the songs we heard on Dear Friends, “Albert Einstein” has some great punchlines and a hook-that-isn’t-a-hook (“I don’t think I need a hook for this one / Cause you already hooked on this one”).
Grab the song on iTunes here.
Listen: Childish Gambino vs Chiddy Bang – “Put It In Your Manners (DJ 21azy Mashup)”
This mashup came out a couple of days ago, but I thought it should be posted here so more people could listen to it. It’s a mashup of Childish Gambino‘s “Put It In My Video” and Chiddy Bang‘s “Mind Your Manners”. You can listen to the feel-good track below.
DJ 21azy has already done some pretty good mashups, so if you like this mashup make sure to check out his Soundcloud page here.
DJ Premier Banned Justin Bieber from the 2011 BET Cypher
DJ Premier, the man behind the turntables who made a name for himself as the production half of the critically-acclaimed Gang Starr, announced on air today that he banned Bieber from participating in the cypher. Breaking down the process for joining the cypher, Preemo said, “They’ll give me the list [of artists]. We have arguments upon arguments. Shout to [President of Music Programming and Specials] Stephen Hill. Shout to [BET producer-writer] Jesse Collins. Believe me, we be arguing over who should be on it and all of that. Lots of big fights over the phone.”
He then went on to talk about Bieber’s request to join, stating, “I was like, ‘Yo, as long as he got a dope rhyme, let him spit.’ But then we heard, ‘Oh, he wants Luda to write his rhyme.’ I was like, ‘Oh no, no, no, no. If you ain’t writing your own rhyme, you can’t do it.’ So Justin, you gotta take a backseat. Write your own rhymes, honey. You gotta call him honey on that one.”
Maybe next year, Shawty Mayne.
[You can listen to a recording of Premier’s talk over at Rap Radar. If you missed the cyphers, you can watch all of them right here.]
Listen: The Roots – “Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)”
“Make My” enlists the help of fellow Def Jam emcee Big K.R.I.T., who spits the first verse on the track before being followed by Black Thought. Mellow, rock-infused production by frequent collaborator Khari Mateen and The Roots themselves rounds out the song, which will be available for purchase on iTunes starting November 1st. Check out the album’s tracklisting after the break.
(Via Okayplayer)
Interview: Phil The Thrill
Check out my full interview with Phil below.
Hey Phil, what’s up? How’s it going?
Phil The Thrill: Good, good, good.
I’ve just been reading about Steve Jobs. Man, that’s terrible.
Phil The Thrill: Crazy, crazy. I mean, they knew it was gonna happen eventually, but it was just all of a sudden it seems like.
Yeah… ah, the man’s a genius. So I hear you’re 22 years old and from Newport News, Virginia, is that correct?
Phil The Thrill: Yessir.
Actually, where have I heard of that place from? Is that…Michael Vick’s hometown?
Phil The Thrill: Yeah, yeah. Michael Vick, Allen Iverson.
Oh, okay. How’s the music scene there?
Phil The Thrill: It’s… pretty scattered. This area is known as Hampton Roads, the 757. I’m not sure how familiar you are with this part of Virginia but Missy‘s from here, Timbaland‘s from here, Pharrell‘s from here,The Clipse are from here. So yeah, we have a pretty crazy rich tradition as far as music goes. It just seems like they’ll move away and you know, it’s hard to really get them back to reach out to artists that are coming up now. But as far as tradition goes, we’re definitely on the map when it comes to music, period. And then 45 minutes up the road is where Trey Songz and Chris Brown are from.
Man, that’s nice.
Phil The Thrill: Yeah, man, it’s crazy.
So where did your rapper name, Phil The Thrill, originate?
Phil The Thrill: It’s actually been a name that’s stuck with me. It’s actually been my nickname since I was around twelve years old. I was an athlete playing basketball and football and you know, when little nicknames happen to you when you’re a kid… they’d just be like “Oh, Phil The Thrill!” It sticks and through high school, when everyone would have AIM screennames, I was like lemme use my nickname. It stuck with me then and when I went on to play college basketball, it stuck with me there. So it became my Twitter name and once it sticks, I’m not going to try to change that just because I’m doing music. It’s my nickname and what people know me as. (more…)
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