[Hip-Hop] Jez Dior – Scarle†† Sage

Scarle†† Sage

You know, it’s kind of strange to have an album release on a Wednesday, considering industry protocol has always been Tuesday. But why follow convention when your music doesn’t do so? Over the last few months the team here at TMN have steadily fallen in love with Jez Dior‘s music one by one, and that’s mainly because he’s consistently been able to differentiate himself from your average rapper. One of the many endearing qualities about Jez is his versatility. Sampling artists like Lana Del Rey, Daughter, and even Eiffel 65, Jez draws influences from a wide range of genres from dub to alternative rock, which allows him–alongside producer Danny Score–to construct a sound unlike anything else out there. Maybe that has something to do with his upbringing, as being the son of rocker Steve Dior, he’s stated he’s looked to idols like Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Kanye West for inspiration.

At only 21 (wish him a Happy Birthday), Jez Dior displays confidence well beyond his years. He brings with him a fiery intensity that shines through on bangers like “Blue” and “Move On” as well as more emotional numbers like “Love Me To Death” and “Tough To Talk To.” It’s the authentic approach to his music that’s noticeable in every one of his verses. Jez Dior strives to make real music, with true feelings regarding subjects of love, death and drug abuse, making it all easily relatable. Normally we only feature a few selections from every album we review on here, but we felt it wouldn’t be fair to just share a handful of tracks when every one of them is so special. At a length of only 10 tracks anyway, Jez Dior takes the “less is more” approach with Scarle†† Sage, providing us with a high quality experience from start to finish.

Check out a full stream of the album below, and make sure to grab yourself a free copy of the project as well.

DOWNLOAD: Jez Dior - Scarle†† Sage

Jez Dior
Candles
Jez Dior
Nice Day (ft. Anabel Englund)
Jez Dior
West Coast
Jez Dior
Blue
Jez Dior
Move On
Jez Dior
Hide
Jez Dior
Tough To Talk To (ft. Wes Period)
Jez Dior
Love Me To Death
Jez Dior
Dreamcatcher (ft. MDNT)
Jez Dior
Downfall
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The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 12]

TMN Hip Hop Dojo 2

Things are running a bit off schedule this week with The Hip-Hop Dojo, so I want to apologize. However, I assure you that the extra wait will certainly be worth it. Given the long wait, I want to cut the clutter down as much as possible so you can get right to the music.

We start things off with Blame One who explores some existential themes, even delving into potential philosophical and religious differences between him and the outside world. Things liven up a bit as we switch over to IAMSU! who dedicates this title to all the “Hipster Girls” obsessed with their Instagram feeds and Tumblr pages. F.Stokes is quickly becoming one of my favorite emcees out of the Chi, as he seizes the beat on “Carpe Diem.” Kanye West has undoubtably had an immense influence on the young minds of Chicago hip-hop, so what better way to pay homage than by crafting a sequel to one of his absolute classics?” Alex Wiley and Chance The Rapper attempt to capture the essence of the original with their rendition of “Spaceship II,” even snagging a feature from GLC who appears on both versions. Bird‘s new single, “Still Shine” features the first sighting of Little Brother we’ve seen in quite awhile. Before you get ahead of yourselves about a potential reunion however, be careful to note that the verses were actually recorded a few years back. Nevertheless, some new Phonte is always welcome in the Dojo. In preparation for his upcoming album, Watching Movies With The Sound Off on June 18th, Mac Miller decided to share two of the album’s most anticipated tracks, neither of which disappoint. C’mon, new Jay Electronica is still good for something right?

For some reason, this week featured a vast array of songs that incorporated incredibly dark tones and heavy content. Guys like Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Danny Brown, Flatbush Zombies, Ibn Inglor, Denzel Curry, Sir Michael Rocks, and A$AP Rocky all got in on the action, but there’s one artist I’d like to focus on in particular: Dillan Ponders. While little is known about the young Toronto native, one thing is clear: he has an extremely unique sound–so unique in fact, that I just had to share two of his singles with you all this week. If you’re feeling the material we’ve posted so far, I highly suggest checking out his full Overdose project as soon as possible. Additionally, I’d like to highlight another artist who coincidentally also hails from Toronto, P. Reign, who seems to have big plans for 2013 with his Dear America mixtape, set to drop later this year with features from the likes of Drake, French Montana, and Waka Flocka Flame. As he nears the one year anniversary of his signing with MMG, Rockie Fresh praises God for all the blessings  he’s received since.

If there’s one thing you take away from Action Bronson‘s “Strictly 4 My Jeeps” remix, it’s that LL Cool J can still rip beats with the best of them. Seriously, why can’t hear verses like this from him more often? It’s definitely a major upgrade over “Accidental Racist.” Smoke DZA and Harry Fraud prove they’re still winning as they bring us a triumphant anthem that sounds unlike anything we’ve heard from either of them before. With three straight hits under his belt now, I’m convinced that Hayk truly represents the “The Future” of hip-hop. Check out his latest track which features a fiery hot dubbed out sample of Boy Crisis‘ “Dressed To Digress.” Following in the same vein is West Coaster Jez Dior, who rips apart another dubbed out sample, this time Lana Del Rey’s Dark Paradise.” We’re really excited about what we’ve heard from Jez Dior this year, and are eager to hear what he has in store for us when his new project, Scarlett Sage, drops tomorrow. Make sure to check out the the trippy visuals for “Move On” as well. Angel Haze might be the hottest female emcee in the game right now. She’s murdered just about every instrumental she’s stepped on during the last few months, which now include the phenomenal remix to WoodkidsI Love You” and her latest single, “No Bueno.” Finally, we wrap things up with two Brits, who bring us a few feel good singles to jam out to all summer. The first of the pair features Amplify Dot (sounds like the name of a Kendrick song) flexing her skills alongside well-known veteran Busta Rhymes on “I’m Good.” Meanwhile, Londoners Rizzle Kicks attempt to resurrect the classic sound of the Roaring 20s on their upcoming album, which is available for pre-order now.

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

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS

Blame One & J57
They Dont Know (feat. Akie Bermiss)
IAMSU!
Hipster Girls
Warm Brew
Congregate ft. OxyXMoron
Chase N. Cashe
Me & Mine (feat. Casey Veggies)
F.Stokes
Carpe Diem
Frank Leone
Dont Fight The Rain (Produced by Pigeon DO)
J.Nolan
For You (prod. zuCYDE)
Alex Wiley
Spaceship II feat. Chance The Rapper & GLC
Bird
Still Shine (Feat. Little Brother & Notes To Self)
Nipsey Hussle
All Get Right ft. J Stone
Mac Miller
Suplexes Inside Of Complexes And Duplexes (feat. Jay Electronica)
Mac Miller
Geez (feat. Schoolboy Q) (Prod. Chuck Inglish)
Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire
Tomorrows Gone ft. Danny Brown, Nacho Picasso & Flatbush Zombies (prod. by DJ SicksentZ)
Ibn Inglor
Track 6
Dillan Ponders
Empty Pool (p. Portishead)
Dillan Ponders
Just Drive
Denzel Curry x Nell
Shepherd ft. Sir Michael Rocks
P. Reign
We Them Niggas ft. A$AP Rocky (Prod. Pro Logic)
The KickDrums & OnCue
Machines
Rockie Fresh
God Is Great
Action Bronson
Strictly 4 My Jeeps (Remix) f. LL Cool J x Lloyd Banks
Winners Circle
Runner Up ft. Nipsey Hussle (produced by DJ Pain1)
Harry Fraud & Smoke DZA
Win
Irv Da Phenom
Y.B.W. REMIX (ft Dizzy Wright & Jarren Benton)
Hayk
The Future (prod. EVO Productions)
Jez Dior
Move On
Woodkid
I Love You feat. Angel Haze
Angel Haze
No Bueno
Amplify Dot
Im Good (Feat. Busta Rhymes)

Rizzle Kicks
Thats Classic

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[Hip-Hop] Kings Dead – Revenge Of The Beast

Revenge Of The Beast

Here it is folks, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (at least you should’ve been). Today is the day that Kings Dead brings us the first album under their new moniker, Revenge Of The Beast. After steadily building a large following under the name The Dean’s List, the group faced a large amount of criticism and backlash when they decided to undergo their recent rebranding. While a full explanation can be found on their updated Facebook page, it’s through their music that you can truly witness this transformation take place. One of the most decisive events of the past year was when band member Sonny Shotz was unexpectedly assaulted in Spain, leaving him with a broken jaw that needed to be wired shut for twelve weeks. It’s the type of experience that could alter anyone’s perspective on life, and possibly the catalyst behind the shift in the group’s sonic identity.

Revenge Of The Beast signifies the group removing the shackles of expectations, and taking a step forward in an entirely new direction. However, fans of The Dean’s List needn’t fear as the group doesn’t completely shed the remnants of their old sound; they just take a natural progression forward. Lead singles “94″ and “Over Dinner” for instance demonstrate a more elaborate and cinematic musicality to them, while tunes like “Simple Times” and “Proud Of Me” seem more in line with what we’ve previously heard. Another admirable quality about Kings Dead is that they tackle their controversy head on in the intro track, “Beauty & The Beast,” where they highlight many of the questions they’ve faced over the past few months. The most appropriate summation of their evolution may come from the band themselves who state,“We haven’t changed, only grown.” The truth of the matter is The Dean’s List has graduated, and we couldn’t be prouder of who they’ve become.

Check out a few of our favorites from the album below, and support the group by either downloading the mixtape for free, or purchasing a copy through iTunes. You can also catch a full stream of the project on their official SoundCloud page.

DOWNLOAD: Kings Dead - Revenge Of The Beast

Kings Dead
Beauty & The Beast (Intro)
Kings Dead
My New Shit (ft. Alexus Lee)

Kings Dead
94

Kings Dead
Over Dinner
Kings Dead
Shooting Star Ft. Alexus Lee

Kings Dead
Good Rebels (ft. Moonflwr)

Kings Dead
The Reunion (ft. Sebastian Mikael)
Kings Dead
Not A Worry
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[NEW] ScHoolboy Q – Collard Greens (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

Collard Greens
ScHoolboy Q
Collard Greens feat. Kendrick Lamar

While many of you out there might be comfortably tucked into your beds and drifting off to dreamland, ScHoolboy Q is prepping for the release of his major label debut, Oxymoron. Almost out of nowhere, Q decided to drop his third single from the project featuring running mate Kendrick Lamar. If you base your expectations off those two names alone, then you already know you’re in for a real treat. Backed by a reverberant, whistling instrumental, this particular collaboration sounds like nothing either of them have produced before. This might also mark the first time we’ve ever heard Kendrick spit a few bars in Spanish. I’d like to say he did a pretty good job, but I might have to brush up on the language first to be sure. Although there’s no release date currently set for Oxymoron, it does seem safe to say we should expect it sooner rather than later.

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[Hip-Hop] Action Bronson – The Rockers (Feat. Wiz Khalifa) (Prod. Harry Fraud)

SAAAB STORIES
Action Bronson
The Rockers ft. Wiz Khalifa

With the release of Action Bronson‘s SAAAB Stories EP right around the corner, he decides to liberate one of the album’s more anticipated singles, “The Rockers” featuring Wiz Khalifa. Just as the title suggests, this laidback tune features Wiz and Bronsolino rocking over some incredibly dope Harry Fraud production. If this track hasn’t convinced you to grab a copy of SAAAB Stories, I don’t know what will. Make sure to pre-order the EP on iTunes before it drop this Tuesday, June 11th.

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[Hip-Hop/R&B] Tory Lanez – Up (Fell In Love)

Tory Lanez - Up
Tory Lanez
Up (Fell In Love) (Prod. The Mekanics)

After hitting us up with street-wise singles like “Hate Me On The Low” and “Fourteen & 40′sTory Lanez slows things down with his latest cut, “Up (Fell In Love). Following in the vein of fellow Canadian Drake, Lanez constantly shifts talents between both rapping and singing throughout the entire emotionally charged track. This brand new bedroom anthem might be the best leak from Tory’s new project so far, and we’re definitely looking forward to what else the Toronto representative has in store for us when Conflicts Of My Soul drops on August 8th.

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[NEW] J. Cole – Forbidden Fruit (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

j-cole-born-sinner-deluxe-edition1
J. Cole
Forbidden Fruit (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

With J. Cole holding some high-tech listening sessions for Born Sinner across the nation earlier tonight, you had to figure that a few songs would leak shortly afterwards. Tonight we get the most anticipated collaboration off the album, as Kendrick Lamar links up with Cole to bring us “Forbidden Fruit.” While Kendrick is only present to help out on hook duties, “Forbidden Fruit” still makes for a smooth number, utilizing a familiar sample of Ronnie Foster‘s “Mystic Brew,” which you may recognize from the A Tribe Called Quest classic, “Electric Relaxation.” Listening to the lyrics, it seems like this track may have been a late addition to the project, as Cole makes reference to dropping his album the same day as Kanye West. Speaking of which, make sure to grab a copy of Born Sinner when it hits shelves on June 18th.

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