One of the big things I love about the current evolution of the hip-hop industry and business model is the new way tracks are released to the public. In preparation for their albums, both mainstream and underground hip-hop artists leak multiple songs to the blogs and websites. It is a great way to preview an album and to get free music. The tracks below are some of my favorite songs and quotables through June, 2010. Most are available for FREE download, and many have the lyrics posted:
The Roots’ upcoming album “How I Got Over” is probably my most anticipated album of the year. Dear God 2.0 is the second leak from the record, which is scheduled to drop in late June, and features Jim James and Monsters of Folk – serving as a remake of Monsters of Folk’s original Dear God. If you like this, check out the upcoming album’s title track How I Got Over. Click below to listen to The Roots’ Dear God 2.0:
And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download
Talib Kweli’s Papers Please is the third, and undoubtedly the best, hip-hop response to the Arizona immigration bill that I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks. It’s nice to see the hip-hop community getting involved. If you like this, check out Toki Wright’s By the Time I Get to Arizona 2010 and Chuck D’s Tear Down That Wall. Click below to listen to Talib Kweli’s Papers Please:
And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download
Big ups to the cats from Thizzler On The Roof for sending this over. The Doorman Song is a brand new track from Mystik Journeymen (Sunspot Jonz & Luckyiam), off the upcoming retail version of “Return 2 The Love.” The track features fellow Living Legends crew member The Grouch, and is produced by San Francisco-based producer BOAC. Click below to listen to Mystik Journeymen’s The Doorman Song:
And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download
I was taken aback a little by this track, as it demonstrates what I feel is a big evolution in Random’s sound and rhyme style. If this is what we can expect from Big Ran’s upcoming EP with producer EOM, “Language Arts,” then we have a lot to look forward to. You can also download Random’s Pain in my Heart for FREE here.
I was amped to see this new track posted on EL-P’s Facebook page yesterday, as I’ve been waiting for dude to drop new solo material since he dropped “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” back in ‘07. Although it’s unmastered, the shit still hits. Whores: The Movie is a track from EL’s upcoming “WEAREALLGOINGTOBURNINHELLMEGGAMIXXX3″ – which is supposed to drop sometime this summer. Click below to listen to EL-P’s Whores: The Movie:
And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download
I was a little heated when I found out the Reflection Eternal’s new album “Revolutions Per Minute” got pushed back to May from it’s originally-expected April release date. But I’m feeling alright about it now that Kweli and Hi-Tek have leaked yet another one of the album’s tracks. City Playgrounds is another example of the dopeness I have come to expect from the new album. If you like this, check out In This World, Just Begun, and the duo’s FREE EP “The RE:Union.” Click below to listen to Reflection Eternal’s City Playgrounds:
And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download
This track is part spoken word and part hip-hop, so you’ll have to get a minute or so in for the actual rapping to begin. Nevertheless, I picked it as this week’s hip-hop quotable due to the track’s deep lyrical content. Best of Times, which you can download for FREE here, is the second leak from Sage Francis’ upcoming album “Li(f)e” – scheduled for release May 11 on Strange Famous Records. If you like this, check out Sage’s first leak Slow Man. Click below to listen to Sage Francis’ Best of Times:
And be sure to follow along with the lyrics after the break. (more…)
This week’s underground hip-hop quotable of the week is Mama Mia from “Bohemian Rap CD,” which you can still download for FREE here if you haven’t already. Mama Mia features dope verses from NYC underground emcees Jake Lefco, IllSpokinn, Ryan-O’Neil, Kats and Domer – and is part of a compilation CD featuring all five emcees rapping over 6 tracks created from samples of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Click below to listen to Mama Mia:
And be sure to follow along with the lyrics after the break. (more…)
This is a crazy new track by Prometheus Brown aka Geo of Blue Scholars – inspired by that FOX News’ Michelle Malkin. Apparently, Geo was flipping through the channels one day, came across his favorite neo-conservative pundit, and decided to sample Sade’s Feel No Pain to create this track. Click below to listen to Prometheus Brown’s Michelle Malkin:
And click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download
