[Hip-Hop] James Lanning – Until 21 (feat. Michael Christmas)

JAMES LANNING
Until 27 (Feat. Michael Christmas)

James Lanning made his first salvo into the ongoing struggle for notoriety in New York hip-hop with the gutsy single “One” in March, 2016. The music video, filmed by the rapper himself, saw James climbing and teetering on top of Big Apple skyscrapers. Combined with his thick lyricism and daring flow, the audio-visual combination was a feast for the senses. Now the driven and introspective rapper is back in a big way with “Until 27” featuring a witty verse from the talented Michael Christmas. “Until 27” is the first single off Lanning’s upcoming debut album Another Day Wasted out December 16th on Onamazu.

Off the bat, this beat slaps. Producer glocque pairs the lo-fidelity of a classic hip hop beat with low-end bass manipulation from the realms of dubstep or glitch hop. This unique backdrop is well-suited for the unorthodox, rapid-fire lyricism of Lanning. He stays in the pocket, and with this beat there’s some wonderfully spacious room for him to rhyme. “You don’t like me? I don’t like me neither / He might be Eazy or he might be Bieber,” Lanning starts in, alluding to his crossover appeal or perhaps some inner tension. Michael Christmas’s verse is a splendid addition to the track, rounding out the ironic tune with a bit of humor. In a city of almost 9 million people, and probably about 15,000 rappers, Lanning is wisely flexing a fresh and unique sound to distinguish himself.

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The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 16]

It’s no secret now that The Hip-Hop Dojo hasn’t been the most consistent playlist here at TMN, and that’s due to a multitude of different factors. I’m not here to make excuses however, and the lack of hip-hop goodness lately is totally on me. It’s a new year though folks, and my resolution from here on out is to continue providing you with the dopest hip-hop content from across the net on a regular basis.

Let’s get the ball rolling quickly with this first edition of 2014, because it’s definitely one of our strongest playlists to date. Right off the bat you may notice that we’re starting things off with a Christmas anthem. We know the Holidays are over, but that Peanuts sample by producer J1K was way too good to pass up. Since we didn’t have a December edition anyway, just think of BIZ’s “Christmas Time Is Here” as a late present from all of us to you. Speaking of Christmas, we follow our first entry up with a laidback  single from Michael Christmas named after the Quentin Tarantino classic, “Jackie Brown.” Our next few items carry on the chill vibes, with many of them utilizing a throwback sound similar to the one employed by Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era. Of course Joey and his collective are featured here as well, spreading the love on the eclectic “Sol Luna.” While those dudes from Brooklyn keep with the sweet talking, Nemo Achida prefers to take a more “Hands On” approach, teaming up with 88-Keys and BJ The Chicago Kid for a smooth new cut.

Our next selection would’ve been a perfect one to start your day off with, as rapper Chris Morris opens with “Yo it’s like Sunday morning waking up,” over some supremely ill production from Nabeyin. Moving on, we’ve got the return of Dojo veteran and TDE signee, Isaiah Rashad, who brings us a sly tribute to “Brad Jordan,” better known to the rap community as Scarface. You should be familiar with two of our next collaborators, as Waldo and Sango have both been featured on this page multiple times before. This time around, they’re accompanying British femcee Little Simz on the juicy cut, “Mandarin Oranges.” Speaking of familiarity, hip-hop heads should definitely recognize the instrumental on GoldLink‘s “The Heart,” which is the same one used by Kendrick Lamar for “The Heart Pt. 2.” It’s always tough to beat an original from K Dot, but the West Virginia brings his A-game here, with a spastic delivery definitely that gives the track an edge of its own. Meanwhile, Azizi Gibson hops on some bluesy Flying Lotus production to ring in the New Year properly with “Libras Don’t Die.”

Things take a darker turn in our next suite of entries, with the always slick Rapsody leading this group off over some dope, downtempo 9th Wonder drums. Hefna Gwap is certainly not in a celebratory mode on “Happy Birthday (Fuck That)”, while Dillan Ponder brings us another ominous track with his latest single, “Hive.” While Alexander Spit‘s “Bitter Suite Symphony” sounds nothing like The Verve classic, it’s certainly a formidable number all its own. Sa-Roc shows us her “True Mastery”  of the English language on this fierce new cut, while Verbal Kent teams up with Khrysis to give us all a gritty lesson in “Raponomics.” If there ever were an expert in that subject though, it would be Raekwon, who brings along T.I. and the late Doe B to help him out on “I Wanna Know.”  Like most rappers, Truck North is out to prove he’s the number one “Chief Rocka,” hopping on a revamped version of the Lords of the Underground classic. Find out if he does that one any justice.

 Alexander Dreamer employs his “Freedom of Speech” on this dope tune that samples the intro to Coldplay‘s “Charlie Brown.” Julian Malone keeps things rather abrupt on the hard hitting “Bitche$,” but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a mean punch. Bodega Bamz brings us a real banger on the Electric Bodega remix of his single, “Don Francisco,” featuring French Montana. Next in our lineup, we’ve got a few well known commodities, as Audio Push strive to prove they’re better than all these other “Juveniles,” hooking up with Logic and Jill Scott over a spectacular beat provided by Hit-Boy. Miami emcee Eskeerdo is out to fight the “Devil’s Work,” hopping on a sample of Miike Snow‘s single of the same name. Meanwhile, Topaz Jones questions whether he’s “Living A Lie,” on his recent introspective single. K.B. Starr is ready to plead his case for why he thinks “New England Girls” are the best over some incredibly fresh production from SevnthWonder. Our final pair of tracks comes in the form of two upbeat remixes, first with Yonas putting his own stamp on Lorde‘s “Team,” and then Zak Downtown closing things out with the addicting “City’s Ours,” which flips another remix, the Flume revision of Hermitude‘s “HyperParadise.”

We hope you guys enjoyed our sixteenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did! As always, you can send all submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com and ash@themusicninja.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS (ALT. LINK)

’BIZ
Christmas Time Is Here (Produced by J1K)’
’Michael Christmas – Jackie Brown ft. Manu Manzo (prod. Jasper Sheff)’
’SK The Greatest – Ounces (featuring Mad One, D.O.S. & Poppadop)’
’Dessy Hinds – Mo’Wetter Blues (Prod. 6thBoro)’
’Mike Melinoe – Steady Vibe (Pro. By Stereo Symphony)’
’A$hton – Knighty Knight’
’Termanology – Set It Off (Feat. Ransom)’
’Chris Faust – Black Manta Featuring Donwill (prod. Hannibal King)’
’Chox Mak And Henny Tha Brain – 40 Ounces (Prod. By Bunty Beats)’
’PRO ERA – SOL LUNA (Feat. Joey Bada$$, Dyemond Lewis & A La $ole) (Prod. Navie D.)’
’Nemo Achida – Hands On ft. BJ The Chicago Kid (Prod. 88 Keys)’
’Chris Morris
Morning Dew (Prod. Nabeyin)’
’Yo Dot – Never Shines (Produced By Regular Joe Productions)’
’Isaiah Rashad – Brad Jordan feat. Michael Da Vinci’
’Little Simz & Waldo – Mandarin Oranges (Prod. Sango)’
’GoldLink – The Heart’
’Azizi Gibson – Libras Dont Die (prod. Flying Lotus)’
’Rapsody – Illuminaughty (Chinchilla) Prod. by 9th Wonder’
’Hefna Gwap – Happy Birthday (FUCK THAT)’
’Dillan Ponders – Hive (p. DMNDBK)’
’Alexander Spit – Bitter Suite Symphony’
’SA ROC – True Mastery’
’Verbal Kent  – Raponomics (prod. Khrysis)’
’Raekwon – I Wanna Know (Feat. Doe B & T.I.)’
’Dag Savage (Johaz & Exile) – God Body ft. CO$$, Gonja Sufi & Blu’
’Truck North – The Man’
’P.Genz – Grandslam!’
’Lashaun Ellis – Whatever You Want’
’Alexander Dreamer – Freedom Of Speech (Soundcloud Bonus)’
’Julian Malone – Bitche$’
’Jourdan Jackson – Triple Crowned Ft. Marion Write & TR@bb (prod. by Bliss)’
’Bodega Bamz – Don Francisco (Remix) Feat. French Montana’
’Raz Fresco – Slang Rap (Prod. By Raz Fresco)’
’Audio Push – Juveniles ft. Logic & Jill Scott (prod. Hit Boy & Rey Reel)’
’Eskeerdo – Devils Work (feat. Miike Snow)’
’Topaz Jones – Livin’ A Lie’
’K.B. Starr – New England Girls (Prod. By SevnthWonder X Rilla Force)’
’Jered Sanders – Boys On the Radio’
’YONAS – Team (Lorde Remix) prod. sean ross’
’Zak Downtown – City’s Ours’
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The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 15]

Guess who’s baaaaaaccckk? Did you miss me? The Hip-Hop Dojo’s finally ready to reopen its doors for business, and I’ve got plenty to share with you today. I’ve traveled far and wide, sailed across the seven seas, climbed the highest peaks, and braved the hottest deserts to hone my craft, learning from the very best, meditating, and planning my return (basically picture the whole training sequence from Batman Begins). In all honesty though, I appreciate your patience over the last few months, and hope I can finally get back on my grind to deliver you the freshest hip-hop product on a consistent basis.

So without further ado, let’s get this party started. This very special fifteenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo features plenty of familiar names, from hip-hop heavyweights like Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Raekwon and Kendrick Lamar, to Dojo frequenters like Kings Dead, MeLo-X, Audio PushTito Lopez, and Devine Carama. We’ve even got a few fresh faces for y’all like Michael Christmas, Dom McLennon, A La $ole, GoldLink, and Fresco Nerd. Given the sheer size of our comeback playlist (over 45 tracks!), I’ll keep it light on the words this week to conserve your precious time and keep you focused on the music. However, if you like what you hear from any of these artists and want to check out any relevant projects from them, I’ll include a link roll below.

We hope you guys enjoyed our fifteenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did! As always, you can send all submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com and ash@themusicninja.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS (ALT. LINK)

Roc Marciano – The Pimpire Strikes Back

Jabee – Deliver Us From Evil

MED & Blu – The Buzz EP

Waldo – NSDE/OUTSDE

MoRuf – Shades.Of.Moo

Alexander Spit – Dillinger

Eddie B & Harry Fraud – Paper, Piff & Polo

Lecrae – Church Clothes Vol. 2

Fresco Nerd – Unexpected Expectations

Village of Pharaohs – Pharaodysseus (1996 A.D.)

Fly.Union – Loose Releases

OverDoz – Boom

MeLo-X – GOD: Pièce de Résistance

Tyrone Briggs – Scattered Thoughts

’Eminem – Don’t Front (feat. Buckshot)’
’Busta Rhymes – Thank You ft. Q Tip’
’Raekwon – It’s My Thing’
’A La $ole – Been Swank (Prod. Hames)’
’Devine Carama – 16 Bars In A Clip (produced by J
Ideas)’
’Devin Miles – Show You The Cool {Prod. Air Kalo} Ft. Scolla’
’Audio Push – So Far To Go (Freestyle)’
’Hollywood FLOSS ft. Like of Pac Div – Underdog Remix’
’Roc Marciano – Sincerely Antique Ft. Action Bronson & Willie The Kid (prod. Alchemist)’
’Styles P. – All I Got (feat. Action Bronson & Easy Money) (Produced By Statik Selektah)’
’ELMNT – Tesla’s Son (Prod. Cam)’
’Jabee – PLVYVHVT3 ft. Kool AD’
’Stik Figa – Untitled +1 ft. Add 2′
’MED & Blu – The Buzz feat. Mayer Hawthorne (prod. Madlib)’
’ShowYouSuck – 80’s Boobs (prod by J. Arthur)’
’Waldo – Kobe’s Room (Truth Be Told) (Prod. by Sango)’
’MoRuf – Homie.Lover.Friend ft Jesse Boykins III’
’Isaiah Rashad – Ronnie Drake feat. SZA (Prod. by The Antydote)’
’Casey Veggies – Faces Remix (Ft. Dom Kennedy)(prod. Rob Holladay)’
’Casey Veggies – Life$tyle Remix (Ft. Curren$y)’
’Smoke DZA
Legends In The Making (Ashtray Pt.2) (Ft. Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y) Prod. By Harry Fraud’
’PrezSport – Same King (prod by Jansport J)’
’GoldLink – Creep’
’Blended Babies – See The World Ft. Asher Roth & Chuck Inglish’
’Alexander Spit – 94 Logo Blur feat. Chuck Inglish’
’Eddie B – The Warning ft. Sean Price & Termanology (Prod. By Harry Fraud)’
’Sean Price, Billy Danze & Maffew Ragazino (feat. DJ Babu) – Land of the Crooks (prod. by M Phazes)’
’Kuniva (of D12) – Michiganish ft. Jon Connor, Boldy James, Guilty Simpson’
’Lecrae – Was It Worth It (feat. Derek Minor & Crystal Nicole)’
’Shelton Harris & Tyler Dopps – No Gods’
’MoRuf – Fallen (prod. MeLo X)’
’Fresco Nerd – Real (Feat. A.J. Crew) (Prod. By ToneBeatz)’
’Brian Fresco – CIRCUMSTANCES ft. CRich’
’Dom McLennon – UNTLTD FLX’
’Jon Waltz – LNIA (Last Night In Atlanta)’
’Jon Waltz – Magic City (FNIA)
’Ryan Hemsworth & Starlito – “Can’t Get Over You”‘
’Fredo Santana – Jealous (Ft. Kendrick Lamar)’
’Kid Ink – My Own Lane (Prod by Ned Cameron)’
’Village of Pharaohs – Back to Cairolina (MMA & IV League) (Prod. by Ski Beatz)’
’Fly.Union – I’m There’
’OverDoz – These Niggas Ft Nipsey Hussle (Prod by. THC)’
’Kings Dead – Don’t Need Much’
’Tito Lopez – #BUSSIN (Prod. By Lone Lez)’
’Michael Christmas – Kunishi (Prod. Jasper Sheff)’
’MeLo X – Remember Remember (Feat. Cheri Coke)’
’Rockie Fresh (Feat. Lunice) – HEADQUARTERS Freestyle’
’Phive – Blowing Up! (feat The Graduates)’
’Tyrone Briggs – LOSER (Prod. by Mike Cash)’
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