Hi Stakes Presents - Outkast Deep Kuts (Vol. 1 1992-1999)
The homie Hi Stakes put together an extraordinary mixtape that is one every Hip-Hop head needs. comprised of all the B-sides, guest features, and soundtrack spots, Outkast had to offer from 1992-1999. One of the greatest periods of Hip-Hop, is always (deservingly) shadowed by the abundance of quality Hip-Hop from the east coast (NYC). While it's hard to believe, people often forget about the UGK's, Geto Boys, Goodie Mob's and even Outkast's that the south had to offer. For that classic southern slap, you'd be a fool not to download Deep Kuts.
Hit the Jump for Tracklist and Download
Shawn Chrystopher: "Lost In Translation"
<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
I’ve been waiting to hear Shawn Chrys’ go over a harder beat and he kills it on “Lost in Translation”. The beat incorporates a foreign hook and synth that gives the song an exotic feel.
People change. I don’t take “Lost in Translation” to have anything to do with languages but rather how Shawn Chrys’ is “lost” in a transformation from who he used to be into who he is becoming. The self-proclaimed child reject tells us why he's better and how his life is now. He makes this abundantly clear with lines like: “I pop bottles like teen pimples, F### models, Make your s### seem simple.” Check out the song below.
Shawn Chrystopher: "Lost In Translation"
The ILLZ: "Persistence" Video
Shot in the Green (Red) Room at Santos Party House in NYC, this video defines exactly what The ILLZ depicts in his lyrics on "Persistence". On the journey to the top, just a couple weeks back The ILLZ played show at Santos with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Freeway. This is one of those shows that a newcomer will always remember, and I believe this video is one that has plenty of significance beyond the actual clip itself. The In Between Video Series is set to drop August 17th.
Hit The Jump for the Video
Onis - "Black Ice" Freestyle (Video)
Local artist Onis, brings us visuals for his "Black Ice" Freestyle off his mixtape On The Contrary hosted by Jay iLLA dropping tomorrow (Aug. 3rd). Some nice shots of the L and a lovely lady, Onis does his thing over this classic Goodie Mob instrumental.
Hit The Jump for Video.
The Drums: "Down By The Water"
Forget the pop heavy sounding love songs. The Drums do their own thing on “Down by the Water” and it sounds great. The track is off of their self titled debut album that was released on June 7th. The Brooklyn-based band is now releasing the mp3 for download and is also announcing the locations and dates of their upcoming North American tour with Surfer Blood.
The song’s soft percussion, slow and simple bassline, and background voices come together nicely but the spotlight is on Johnny Pierce as he lays it all out there. His voice meshes perfectly with the mellow instrumentals, making the song easy to get lost in. Get the download and check out the tour dates after the jump.
Freddie Gibbs: "Born 2 Roll" Mini Doc
This is a very well-done documentary on Freddie Gibbs via Yours Tru.ly. The focus in Gibbs growing up in a poverty stricken Gary, Indiana, and what impact that had on who he is today. Check it out below. Gibbs' EP, Str8 Killa, hits stores tomorrow.
Chip Tha Ripper: "Whoa" Video
Chip Tha Ripper performed to a packed house last week at The Wild Hare. Continuing the machine, we have "Whoa" a very dope video directed by Mike Carson. Footage comes across state lines as I see pieces of Chicago, Texas, and is that Cleveland? Check out the video below via IllRoots.
Chromeo: Let's Talk Business
On the heels of their third album, Business Casual (9.14.10), nobody is taking Chromeo lightly. The duo of Dave1 and Pee Thug, once slightly mocked or perceived as a gimmick for their resurrection of 80's funk and soul of the Hall & Oates variety, are now taking last laughs as artists big and small scramble to recreate a sound that only a handful achieve with any authenticity. Chromeo's authenticity comes from "a lot of attention paid to detail to make sure we're being faithful to our influences," says Pee Thug, Chromeo's master of the talkbox. "There's definitely a lot of bad stuff out there that comes from trying to be based on the same image, but there's a lot of really good stuff too." Continuing on the theme of "good stuff" I talked to Pee Thug about Chromeo's plan of attack on Business Casual, their upcoming performance at Lollapalooza, as well as his hopes of working with Paul Simon. Get the scoop and bring your button up in the full interview below.