Hip Hop
Listen: Kanye West & Jay-Z – “Otis”
Since “H.A.M.” is now only a bonus track on Kanye West and Jay-Z and’sWatch The Throne, our first official taste of the new album is “Otis”. The song just made its debut, thanks to Hot 97′s Funkmaster Flex. Featuring a sample of Otis Redding‘s “Try a Little Tenderness”, “Otis” features the two rap superstars dropping one-liner after one-liner over a soulful Kanye beat. Wild.
MP3: Kanye West & Jay-Z – “Otis”
Watch the Throne will be released online on August 1st and physically on August 5th. Check out the tracklisting after the break.
Listen: TV On The Radio – “Caffeinated Consciousness (Das Racist Remix)”
Who saw this one coming? Heems and Victor of the rap group Das Racist were invited by Interscope to remix TV On The Radio‘s “Caffeinated Consciousness”, collaborating with producer patrickWhat. The remix features a slowed-down version of “Caffeinated Consciousness” and a few rap verses from Das Racist. “Pitchfork dot com… I don’t even read that,” rhymes Victor. Stream the remix below.
Das Racist’s first proper release, Relax, will be released September 13, 2011 via Greedhead (Himanshu’s own record label). You can preorder from Insound here. The album features production from Diplo, El-P, Vampire Weekend‘s Rostam Batmanglij, and Yeasayer‘s Anand Wilder.
Video: Chiddy Bang – “Mind Your Manners”
Mind your manners and check out Chiddy and Xaph’s latest offering, a brand new lyric video for their summer-time single, “Mind Your Manners”. Chiddy Bang‘s Iconapop-sampling jam (produced by Xaphoon, of course) was first released to the world a few weeks ago to generate buzz for the Philadelphia duo’s highly-anticipated debut album, Breakfast, which will be released later this summer via EMI/Parlaphone.
The video features animated lyrics to the single and a wide assortment of breakfast foods in the background. Check it out after the break and remember to show your support for the two when the single drops on iTunes on the 19th. Another music video will be released for the song in the near future. Swelly!
Listen: Wale – “Bad Girls Club (feat. J. Cole)”
If you remember Wale‘s debut album, the DC rapper was completely outdone by guest feature J. Cole on “Beautiful Bliss”. Mr. Folarin obviously wasn’t that embarrassed, as “Bad Girls Club”, the first official single from Ambition, once again features J. Cole. This time, however, Cole doesn’t completely outrap Wale, with pretty lackluster verses all around. Check it out for yourself below.
Ambition, Wale’s first album on Maybach Music Group, is set to be released this fall.
Download: Wugazi – ’13 Chambers’ (Wu-Tang Clan x Fugazi)
Wugazi, the mashup project of Cecil Otter (of Doomtree fame) and Swiss Andy, have just released their album 13 Chambers. Wu-Tang Clan acapellas from their legendary Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) album are paired with Fugazi tracks from fan-favorite 13 Songs, resulting in thirteen fantastic mixes.
I know what you’re thinking: you’re tired of all these Wu-Tang mixes. This isn’t the first mashup of the Wu and I can guarantee you that it won’t be the last, but the unique pairing of punk-rock and rap make this album a must-listen. Check out “Sleep Rules Everything Around Me”, “Sweet Release”, and “Forensic Shimmy” below for a preview.
Download:
Direct
Listen: Theophilus London – “I Stand Alone”
Timez are indeed getting a bit weird as Theophilus London‘s debut album approaches its release date of July 19th. When a snippet of a brand new Theophilus track was included in the HBO trailer for season two of How To Make It In America, we were all eager to hear the full version. Now, first single “I Stand Alone” has debuted in its full form… on Wired.com?
It’s certainly an odd place for the Brooklyn rapper to debut his first single, but nevertheless, check out the jam below.
Video: Shabazz Palaces – “Bop Hard (Live at KEXP)”
Sub Pop-signed avante-garde rap group Shabazz Palaces unleashed a brand new song, “Bop Hard”, while making a stop at Seattle’s KEXP radio station the other day. The song features lush instrumentation and Palaceer Lazaro’s thought-provoking rhymes. If you aren’t already familiar with the group’s catalog, now would be a good time to check out their newly-released debut album, Black Up, out now via Sub Pop. It’s been hailed by many to be this year’s greatest rap album.
Check out the live performance of “Bop Hard” below.
Listen: Wale – “First Class (feat. Big Sean & B.o.B)”
Wale links up with Big Sean and B.o.B on “First Class”, a brand new Raz Fresco-produced track. The track features the three freshmen alumni trying to outdo each other. Solid verses all around from an all star cast.
It’s currently unclear whether or not the cut will appear on Wale’s upcoming sophomore album and his first since making the switch to Maybach Music. As he says on the track, Wale’s setting out to “renovate the game” after a rather disappointing debut album. Check out the song below.
Hoodie Allen Details ‘Leap Year’
New York-based rapper Hoodie Allen has announced that his forthcoming Leap Year mixtape will be released on July 26th. Like his previous mixtape, Pep Rally, Hoodie will be releasing it online for free download.
Hoodie tends to incorporate many indie samples into his work, including the works of The Black Keys, Beach House, and Gil-Scott Heron & Jamie xx in the past (just to name a few). His new work should be no different, as is shown by the brand new Leap Year trailer below. Excited? You should be.
Hit the break to see Hoodie’s upcoming tour dates.
Interview: Max Tannone Talks ‘Ghostfunk’
Max Tannone, the producer behind Jaydiohead, Mos Dub, and Dub Kweli, has just released his brand new mashup project. This time, he pairs Wu-Tang Clan‘s Ghostface Killah up with African funk to create Ghostfunk. Just hours after the album’s release, Max took some time to discuss his new project with us. Check it out below.
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