City Haze: "Keep on Winnin"
Brooklyn's City Haze made a winner in this one, showcasing his abilities over a killer beat produced by Philly Blunts. This is what he had to say about how he incorporated beatboxing into the track:
"Yeah, thats beatboxing in the track from Beatsmyth of Hippo Funk, i put it together, some FX (EQ, COMP, AUTOPAN), and for the scratching, i took his voice, ran it thru an autofilter and a stupid strong sidechain compressor to get that pumping sound, and all guitars and bass in this song was played live and fucked with in Ableton Live."
Cop the track below.
J. Cole: "It Won't Be Long"
The boy out of NC doesn't rap about where he's at but rather where he's from on the most recent material from his upcoming album. The song's got a mild bassline and if you listen a little closer, it's got some beautiful but faint guitar that shines brighter in the absence of J. Cole's touching lyrics. If this is any sign of what is to come, it says J. Cole's upcoming album is going to be nothing short of amazing. Cop the track below.
Shad: "Yaa I Get It" (Oddissee Remix)
If you sit back and truly listen to the lyrics of this song, it seems much longer than 3:46. Shad's lyric come at you nonstop as he spews line after line, leaving listeners wondering when he is going to hit pause on his rhymes and get some air. Surprise, that moment never comes. I really liked the original, my only complaint is that the beat was a bit too much and that it was became easy to miss the lyrics but this remix makes it a little easier (not much) to catch Shad and reel in what he's spitting. It takes a few listens to take in all of the lyrics. Download the jazzy smooth remix below. Enjoy
Outasight's Never Say Never Mixtape Streaming Today
Christmas hasn't come early but August 17th has...kind of. You can listen to Outasight's Never Say Never mixtape today thanks to Vibe. The mixtape will be up for download here starting tomorrow with some more info and insight on Never Say Never.
Aleon Craft's The Stargazing Soundtrack
Aleon Craft has dropped an impressive mixtape. It's hosted by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban. Aleon also teamed up with a handful of other artists to make the mixtape including fellow ATLiens such as Hollyweerd, Playboy Tre, and Grip Plyaz. There are also features from Nappy Roots, Jarren Benton, and others. Aleon raps about his life and direct influences on himself throughout the mixtape as well as some less tangible material. As his name would lead you to expect, a lot of the tracks have a futuristic/space-like sound but remain very distinct from one another. That being said, Aleon definitely showcases his versatility on the tape. Oh, and all of the tracks sound pretty dope, too. The download link and the track listing can be found below.
A (2)Dope Mixtape: Empire State Edition
The homies over at 2DopeBoyz put out their second official mixtape over the weekend. The tape has got a bunch of solid artists on board such as ESSO, Torae, K. Sparks, Brown Bag All-Stars and more. Cop the mixtape and check out the track listing after the jump. Definitely digging the Training Day quote on the back cover.
Kanye West and Perajok Present G.O.O.D. Ass Mixtape
Just dropped. As I'm sure many of you already knew, the mixtape has got a ton of big name artists such as Kid Cudi, John Legend, Mr. Hudson, Rick Ross, and of course Yeezy. Check out the track listing and download 30 G.O.O.D. tracks below via Perajok.
Bun B: "The Pope"
Here's a track that didn't make the cut for Trill OG but it is on DJ Haze's Still Countin' Money mixtape. Trill OG is definitely some of Bun's best material to date so the fact that this song didn't make the LP doesn't phase me. Check out the track below.