This week’s hip-hop quotable is Dr. Aden, a track from B.o.B’s “No Genre” mixtape. Dr. Aden is one of those conspiracy theory songs about the U.S. government creating epidemics and biological warfare and experimenting on human beings in third world countries. These theories don’t seem that crazy to us these days, with the recent revelation that we infected a bunch of Guatemalans with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases back in the 1940s. In this track, B.o.B tells the story of a doctor who gets caught up in the whole experiment. Click below to listen to B.o.B’s Dr. Aden:

[See post to listen to audio]

And proceed through the break to follow along with the lyrics.

[Verse 1]
Well this the mysterious case of Dr. Aden/
Looking after her patience was her only obligation/
But that was back before, back before the situation/
Before she got a visit from an agent/
He introduced himself as an employee of the nation/
He asked would she be willing to offer cooperation/
You fit the job description and all the qualifications/
If interested, I need your signature on this paper/
She signed the dotted line without the slightest hesitation/
She then received the letter stating the rules and regulations/
And the military bases where she must be relocated/
She is not to discuss any business that’s work related/

[Verse 2]
In Central America on a classified location/
Before border patrol, before illegal immigration/
Inside a lab where chemicals are manipulated/
Is where we see Dr. Aden, she’s very concentrated/
But her concentration’s broken when she hears a conversation/
Down the hall small talk about destabilization/
And out of curiosity she wonders from her station/
Inside an unlocked coffin she does some investigation/
She breaks into a file with top secret information/
Probably some of the most distrubing documentation/
She ever saw in her life, the article simply stated/
A study being conducted on human civilization/

[Verse 3]
Deep down inside she wished it was all her imagination/
She couldn’t doubt it, cause there it clearly stated/
She works in a facility where viruses are created/
And not only that; remember when she had her patients?/
She wrote out prescriptions for what she thought was medication/
Her office was really just a part of the operation/
She wipes her eyes as they water full of frustration/
How a victim of government experimentation/
Where’s the justification? Where’s the justification?/
Where’s the judge when you need him? He’s probably on a vacation/
Probably inside of the same country these events take place in/
But as the puzzle pieces fall into proper arrangement/
Yes we begin to see the intention of these creations/
The patterns of epidemics like HIV in the eighties/
Biological chemicals designed to be contagious/
It’s nothing in the business of controlling a population/

If you told me six months ago that I’d be featuring a song by T.I. as hip-hop track of the week, I probably would’ve laughed at you. But I’m really digging the verse he contributed Not Lost, one of my favorite tracks from B.o.B’s “No Genre” mixtape. Not Lost features an infectious chorus, and three nice verses about staying strong in the face of adversity. Click below to listen to B.o.B’s Not Lost:

[See post to listen to audio]

And proceed through the break to follow along with the lyrics.

[Chorus]
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m lost/
They gave me nothing but doubt/
First they waited then they hated then they counted me out/
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m stuck/
They say I lost my way/
But first I showed ‘em then I sold ‘em right in front of they face/

[Verse 1 - B.o.B]
Well, this is the world that we live in/
One minute you the hero, the next you the villain/
We got up in this game just to try to make a living/
And hit you with the truth while you watching television/
But still these are the cards that we dealt/
They kicked you on the ground when you most need help/
Until you dried up and they sit you on the shelf/
And then you start to cry ’cause you all by yourself/
So just know if you want to wear the belt/
The only way to excel is the soul that you sell/
So I could care less about the clothes on myself/
I’m trying to drive straight on a road made of nails/
Yeah I gotta pay the toll if I fail/
Or else it will be another story to tell/
I’m getting to the door I can tell/
I’m just waiting on the day til the glory prevails/

[Chorus]
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m lost/
They gave me nothing but doubt/
First they waited then they hated then they counted me out/
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m stuck/
They say I lost my way/
But first I showed ‘em then I sold ‘em right in front of they face/

[Verse 2 - T.I.]
All I know is keep going, shit don’t stop/
Until the hustle double up and put the click on top/
Used to want to have the bricks on lock/
‘Til we went to prison saw we couldn’t pick them locks/
Easy decision/
Now a nigga think I lost my touch/
Listen if I ain’t the realest ever done it, I ain’t off by much/
So please don’t wake me up/
If I’m dreaming in the fast lane speeding no safety belt/
And this a marathon, pace yourself/
In this race for wealth, talking shit just a waste of breath/
Chasing me like chasing your tail, you never catch it/
Respect is something you never get if you never had it/
I’m looking back and laughing, this life of mine/
Brought me all the way here from a life of crime/
Just a constant reminder that the end all, be all/
Is the one who knows all, sees all because/

[Chorus]
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m lost/
They gave me nothing but doubt/
First they waited then they hated then they counted me out/
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m stuck/
They say I lost my way/
But first I showed ‘em then I sold ‘em right in front of they face/

[Verse 3 - B.o.B]
Well these are my predictions/
I’ll be on the top 40 with a big hit/
Traveling the world trying not to get sick/
And I’ma get more friends on my friend list/
And then after that, I’ll be famous/
And every one I know will tell me that I’m changing/
And then my cell phone will never stop ringing/
And I’ll be all over magazine pages/
Yo and they’ll play my songs ’til they boring/
And if I ever do stop touring/
They’ll treat me like a foreigner/
Don’t believe me ask Lauryn/

[Chorus]
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m lost/
They gave me nothing but doubt/
First they waited then they hated then they counted me out/
Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m stuck/
They say I lost my way/
But first I showed ‘em then I sold ‘em right in front of they face/

I normally don’t post nostalgic hip-hop songs that talk about some past golden era of hip-hop. I guess I’ve just got tired of them, as it seems like every emcee these days makes a throwback track. But I made an exception for this week’s track of the week. Celph Titled & Buckwild’s Miss Those Days is an ode to hip-hop from the ’90s, and is a good example of the duo’s direction in their new throwback album “Nineteen Ninety Now.”

Something about this track just makes me feel relaxed, and the theme hits well for me this time of year, as everybody starts to reminisce about the end of the decade. Click below to listen to Celph Titled & Buckwild’s Miss Those Days:

[See post to listen to audio]

And proceed through the break to follow along with the lyrics.

[Chorus]
It’s like those days are still so fresh on my mind/
Seems like yesterday when I started writing my rhymes/
And I miss those days when look back over my life/
Though things done changed, I miss those good times/

[Verse 1]
Shit will never be the same/
I can picture it but never explain/
Memories stain every inch of my brain/
And pump through my veins/
How Grand Puba had the Tommy Hill locked down/
And how that Cool Water smelled, back then not now/
Backpacks and Starter caps, outfits didn’t match/
Which reminds me that the nineties was the aftermath of crack/
Girls had they name on they necklace, a gold cross/
Overalls folded at the ankles with stonewash/
Rza rocking all them beats, Sega with the Altered Beast/
Wasn’t safe to walk the streets with Jordan sneakers on your feet/
Rappers had you thinking white girls had no butt/
And white boys either rocked the mullet or bowl cut/
I’d give a motherfucking million dollars to go back/
To show with the soul clap, King Solo can’t hold back/
Magic admitted he had it/
But he ain’t an addict or faggot/
If you need ‘em I got crazy prophylactics/

[Chorus]
It’s like those days are still so fresh on my mind/
Seems like yesterday when I started writing my rhymes/
And I miss those days when look back over my life/
Though things done changed, I miss those good times/

[Verse 2]
Al Roker was fat, Ben Franklin’s face was small/
To many Florida felons, there came that three strikes law/
When Benz had the round lights, Lexus was the new whip/
Crews were rolling deep in Jeeps smoking on that Thai stick/
That chocolate lamb spread before they perfected hydro/
Five dollar bag gets you that skunk or that Cambo/
Kids bought CDs from Biohazard and Anthrax/
Supersized fast food; what the fuck was a Transfat?/
Pam Anderson, Anna Nicole, Carmen Electra/
Miss my people going off, I miss the G-Funk era/
Early to mid nineties was the greatest of all times/
Pac, Biggie, Big L, Eazy E and Pun were all alive/
It was either flavor or P-H-A-T/
Arsenio, the Wayans and Martin Lawrence was on TV/
These are oldies but goodies/
Difference of OGs and rookies/
Shit was good when Billy Clinton was getting Lewinsky pussy/

[Chorus]
It’s like those days are still so fresh on my mind/
Seems like yesterday when I started writing my rhymes/
And I miss those days when look back over my life/
Though things done changed, I miss those good times/

This week’s hip-hop quotable is I Could Write A Rhyme, a track from Celph Titled & Buckwild’s “Nineteen Ninety Now” – which has been bumping on my iPod all week. While there are several songs I could feature from this week’s album, I picked this track because I have a thing for well done autobiographical songs. I Could Write A Rhyme uses three dope verses to tell the story of Celph Titled’s beginnings in hip-hop, as well as his rise to his current position. Click below to listen to Celph Titled & Buckwild’s I Could Write A Rhyme:

[See post to listen to audio]

And proceed through the break to follow along with the lyrics.

[Verse 1]
Y’all got Celph Titled questions, I got Celph Titled answers/
On how I started, how I represent Tampa/
I know you’re used to hearing me on some wildin’ out shit/
Yelling out the top of my lungs how my nine gon’ spit/
But I got more styles and sick/
And I been doing this for Fahrenheit 813 since ninety-three/
I been making beats and writing rap sheets/
Mischievous teenager/
With a creative outlet to release anger/
Booty shake bass music I was into that/
Poison clan, 2 Live Crew, that’s what got me into rap/
Looping tracks with fast high hats and 808s/
Four track machine with the high speed cassette tape/
Now keep in mind I was a fan/
But as emcees we all are/
And very few of us become stars/
When from blasting Magic Mike to grabbing a mic/
Tried to sound like Spice 1 and not Rapper’s Delight/
From E40 to Ice Cube/
The West Coast had a lot to do with the type of beats I’d write to/
But still the Juice Crew was one of my faves/
Never discriminated whether New York or LA/
And around the mid nineties/
I became fascinated with the Lord Finesse style of slick rhyming/
The Redmans, the Big Ls the Das EFX/
Ras Kass and Chino XL type of records/
So guess what? Celph Titled emerged/
Bowling ball style running through pins author of murderous words/
And I was set to rip every verse I put down/
Seventeen years old and at rapping I’m pretty good now/

[Verse 2]
I’m from a city that don’t have much hip-hop roots/
So I felt compelled to form a hip-hop group/
See I was once on some go against the norm/
Flow fast and write rhymes in complex forms/
It was kinda ill at the time/
‘Cause really the only other choice was Puffy and Mase/
And the Big Willy club joints/
So I got my act together/
And eventually met two other emcees that rapped together/
We was all on that underground vibe/
Cella Dwellas, Kool Keith, Tribe and Organized/
I was kinda out of my mind – a weird guy/
Cut designs in my facial hair, fucked around with beard dye/
It was me, Majik and Dutch and we had a lot of fun/
Thought we was smart, named ourselves Equilibrium/
And had a label called Atomic/
With Walkman and Cramtronics laying down cuts on it/
I stayed poly and twenty-four-seven/
And in 1997 started recording our first record/
Then my phone rang, didn’t know who it was from/
Some guy that called himself Apathy the Alien Tongue/
Heard I had production, and I could rhyme too/
He was from up north, and knew some Jedi Mind dudes/
Plus he had a crew better than any squad/
A couple months later they was calling me a Demigod/
I started shopping my demo aggressively/
Landed on the desk of Buds Distribution NYC/
Next thing you know I got a single on wax/
And an offer for a job in New York, so my bags was packed/

[Verse 3]
Now I’m nineteen and a Floridian in New York/
White Cuban boy that says nigga and eats pork/
So you could call me foul/
But back then I didn’t care/
I would do whatever to catch a listener’s ear/
So I submerged myself in the local scene/
Nuyorican, Wetlands, Tramp, Speed, SOBs/
That guy Apathy, he’s from Connecticut/
So we would link up and write songs to make records with/
The label I was messing with, they was feeling it/
So then we had vinyl distribution at our fingertips/
The Demigodz onslaught was in full motion/
Twenty singles in 2000 with no promotion/
My name was everywhere for beats or for features/
But best believe I had a fuckload of nonbelievers/
Masterminded an underground persona/
Dirty mouth punchline wild animal down to bring the drama/
I made a lot of friends from Boston to Philly/
Never thought this many heads would say they really feeling me/
So you gotta respect that/
And when Vinnie Paz asked me to join the Army I was like, ‘Bet that’/
Then Jimmy Iovine’s assistant insisted/
That me and Apathy make a little visit for business/
The deal fell, but Atlantic picked Ap up/
We expanded the Godz in LA with more rappers/
Then Cage got smacked up/
I remember punching him/
I remember pressing up his diss songs and chumping him/
I remember having him so scared/
Chain smoking in the backroom at his show just cause I was there/
He was drugged up and panicked, couldn’t face me he was frantic/
Snuck behind with a bottle and then he ran quick/
That’s how a little man fights a giant/
Cowardly lion and god strike me down if I’m lying/
But I moved passed that, it’s all gravy/
I was on an album executively produced by Jay-Z/
Tours with Mike Shinoda/
Getting paper with Fort Minor/
My worldwide exposure is a sore reminder/
To those who think I’m gonna disappear/
But it’s pretty obvious that I ain’t going nowhere/
I am a haters worst nightmare that got fans/
And I gain more and more every time I drop jams/

It was very difficult picking out just one featured quotable from Eligh’s “Grey Crow” – as the album was filled with dope lyrical and quotable tracks. But I picked this one because it is a song about future intentions, which I found very creative. When I’m A Dad is a song about things Eligh plans to teach his children when he becomes a father. The track touches on things that happened to Eligh as a child, and how they will influence the type of father he will be. Click below to listen to Eligh’s When I’m A Dad:

[See post to listen to audio]

And proceed through the break to follow along with the lyrics.

[Verse 1]
I could try to say that I was never one to run/
But I was never one to stay/
My daddy never taught me how/
To knock a motherfucker out/
I lay in bed and dred the day/
Ahead, a scrawny kind of kid/
Talking on his back/
I never told my friends that I was tortured by the fact/
That I was in the minority, ’cause where my school was at/
South Central Los Angeles/
Wouldn’t trade it for the world/
Adams and 32nd/
More to this man you mention/
In it’s essence evolved music, so how can I forget that/
In the first grade, I met that, fell in love and made that mine/
I never regret that when I think about the times/
When fat boys wanted to kick my ass for nothing in my mind/
Was stressed daily; now it’s funny, but then/
I learned to pray to god because I couldn’t tell my friends/
That I was bullied on the block, psychologically getting punked/
I never really got once or jacked for my lunch money/
But on the yard like a jailor kept my eyes peeled/
Fifth grade on the battlefield, man that shit was real/
But on the yard like a jailor kept my eyes peeled/
Fifth grade on the battlefield, man that shit was real/

[Chorus]
I will never run again and when I am a dad/
Put my kids on everything that I could never grab/
Teach them how to fight because the world is going mad/
Teach then how to love because that’s all we really have/
Love is number one to give my kids when I’m a dad/
Music number two because that’s what I’m all about/
I kiss them on the forehead when they sit there looking sad/
Shout out loud I will be there on the bow/

I will never run again and when I am a dad/
Put my kids on everything that I could never grab/
Teach them how to fight because the world is going mad/
Teach then how to love because that’s all we really have/
Love is number one to give my kids when I’m a dad/
Music number two because that’s what I’m all about/
I kiss them on the forehead when they sit there looking sad/
Shout out loud I will be there on the bow/

[Verse 2]
The children are the future always have and always will be/
Mine will be protected til the ending if it kills me/
They will know that daddy loved them with a passion/
And put nothing above them even when the world was crashing/
Around us in the end and some would say that’s coming closer/
I put my daughter on my shoulders, lover her til it’s over/
A change in consciousness could be the end of what we know now/
Not earthquakes, tidal waves, and nuclear meltdowns/
Try to be positive in the way I live to generate light/
So if I bring that life into this world to witness daylight/
The love will carry over from killing off all my selfish acts/
Help one other human being a day to get my bass out of hell/
Well runs dry daily, gotta reimburse/
Good beats come first/
I’m crazy in love with my unborn child/
Teach them to care then let them run wild/

[Chorus]
I will never run again and when I am a dad/
Put my kids on everything that I could never grab/
Teach them how to fight because the world is going mad/
Teach then how to love because that’s all we really have/
Love is number one to give my kids when I’m a dad/
Music number two because that’s what I’m all about/
I kiss them on the forehead when they sit there looking sad/
Shout out loud I will be there on the bow/

I will never run again and when I am a dad/
Put my kids on everything that I could never grab/
Teach them how to fight because the world is going mad/
Teach then how to love because that’s all we really have/
Love is number one to give my kids when I’m a dad/
Music number two because that’s what I’m all about/
I kiss them on the forehead when they sit there looking sad/
Shout out loud I will be there on the bow/

This week’s underground hip-hop track of the week is Eligh’s Love Ov My Life, one of my favorite tracks from his new album “Grey Crow.” While it’s a little cliche these days to talk about hip-hop as a woman you’re in love with, this track really hits for me both musically and lyrically – and is one of many relaxing tracks on the new album. Love Ov My Life features verses by fellow Living Legend Luckyiam, and vocals by Paris Hayes. Click below to listen to Eligh’s Love Ov My Life:

[See post to listen to audio]

I started cracking up the minute I heard this, because I agree with pretty much everything Esoteric says on I Hate Flying. The song, which features a hilarious story about a bad airplane experience, stands out as one of the best tracks on 7L & Esoteric’s “1212.” 7L’s chorus samples lyrics from Jay-Z’s Ignorant Shit, a track from his “American Gangster” album, while Esoteric’s three verses manage to cover everything we all hate about flying. Click below to listen to 7L & Esoteric’s I Hate Flying:

[See post to listen to audio]

And proceed through the break to follow along with the lyrics.

[Verse 1:]
You want me to relax on a plane?/
Man, that’s practically insane/
Every time I fly, I’m convinced we going down in flames/
See I pass security and dealt with all the rubbish/
Like taking my belt and kicks off, and paying eighty bucks for luggage/
Pick up my carry-on, I’m ready to fly/
Like a bird, get my Larry on, I’m stepping inside/
People always in the way, they gotta move to the left/
There’s a captain with the booze on his breath/
I greet the stewardess next/
Who’s kinda hot, but she isn’t my style/
Just my luck I have the seat between the window and aisle/
Stuck between two people, I’m a prisoner now/
And behind us is this Ritalin child, shit is wild/
The woman next to me is Betty, perfume heavy/
Southern accent mixed with cranking on already/
The dude on my left, death breath, I suppose/
A redneck named Ed if I’m judging by his clothes/
And yo, you think I’d like that/
‘Cause I don’t pay attention to the flight attendant/
When she demonstrate the life vest/
Or the oxygen mask, ’cause if we’re gonna crash/
We all dying, that’s why I hate flying/

[Chorus (Jay-Z sample)]
I can touch down and take off the same night/
Only thing change, the tail number on the flight/

[Verse 2]
I guess we getting in at midnight, show me/
A nine hour flight with one in-flight movie/
It’s some chick flick, sisterhood traveling pants shit/
I can’t sit still, can’t go to bed/
Can’t grab my headphones, they’re in the overhead/
Unless I climb over Ed/
Yo I think I’ll wait for a soda instead/
Yeah I’ll have a Pepsi – the whole can, not a cup of ice/
Man I’m feeling like I suck at life/
And when the turbulence kicks in my nervous system/
Makes every little sound sound sickening/
Sometimes I feel planes are the worst invention/
Birds and engines don’t mix/
Shit mechanics don’t fix/
Betty’s sleeping and I’m frozen like a mannequin/
I take a look around the cabin and nobody’s panicking/
And that’s good, but whether we’re safe/
Can usually be told by the look on the flight attendant’s face/
That’s when I hear a crazy sound and she hits the ground/
The redneck looks at me and says, ‘I think we’re going down’/
And now there’s women screaming, babies crying/
I’m afraid of dying, I hate flying/

[Chorus (Jay-Z sample)]
I can touch down and take off the same night/
Only thing change, the tail number on the flight/

[Verse 3]
I think Ed is right, shit we going down/
I hope the landing gear is intact/
I’m prepared for impact/
I feel my limbs crack/
Pull my head to my knees/
Got my ears covered up/
What the fuck is going on?/
I’m holding on/
We supposed to sail right across/
Not go out like the Oceanic flight from Lost/
Yeah we dive through clouds/
As beams of sweat dive through my eyebrows/
I’m thinking, ‘Why now?’/
My whole body tenses up, fist clenches up/
Hell or Heaven, tell me where will I be ending up?/
My seat’s buckled, head’s buried, eyes shut/
The captain comes on but everyone’s like, “What?’/
‘Cause you can’t understand, never can/
And I think we passed the point of looking for a place to land/
This is certain death, I won’t even need a coffin/
I won’t bleed a drop and/
Somebody better tell Saint Peter I’ll be knocking/
Can’t believe this is it, the only option/
We gonna blow up, incinerate and no one’s watching/
Altitude dropping/
There’s no stopping this plane/
My ears popping it’s insane/
My fear I can’t conceal it/
It’s sad won’t feel it/
I’m thinking of my life/
My son, my dog, my wife/
No, no, no! Nobody’s talking/
This is it we’re gonna die! ‘Welcome to Boston’/

Never heard of this cat before, but somebody emailed me this song and I was feeling it. The Future is a track by Orlando-based emcee Self from his new mixtape “Fight or Flight” – which you can download for FREE here. Click below to listen to Self’s The Future:

[See post to listen to audio]

And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Never heard of this emcee before, but I liked the track when it hit my inbox. Disappear is a collaboration between Chicago-based hip-hop artists Davis Jackson, of a group called the 80′s Babies, and Thaione Davis – who caught my eye earlier this year with his videos for Quality Control and Everybody Got A Say So. Thaione Davis and Dee Jackson are currently working on a full length project featuring a handful of Chicago producers. Click below to listen to Davis Jackson’s Disappear:

[See post to listen to audio]

And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

This is a nice little freebie that found it’s way into my inbox this weekend. Sleeping Giant is a track from Epsilon Project’s “Audacity,” and this is a remix of that track done by Preme. The track features Dopamine Rush, and the remix can be found on the “Audacity Limited Edition Package.” If you like this track, check out the group’s video for Inspiration. Click below to listen to Epsilon Project’s Sleeping Giant Remix:

[See post to listen to audio]

And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download