Nickelus F is a seasoned vet in the rap game. Rapping and writing with Canadian native Drake, it is safe to say that he is one of the most underrated talents in the game right now. With his new single “Number 15″, he reunites with the OVOXO leader on this darker Jake One production. Speaking on making it and remaining focus, this bonus track is a nice cut from the Virginia MC’s new mixtape Vices.
Hitting the webs this week is the rising wordsmith, Alexander Spit, dropping a new banger titled “Artesia”. Bringing in a different atmospheric vibe with some vocal samples backed up by drum rips give this track an old school, smooth vibe on this self-produced single. Teaming up with NY emcee Action Bronson, the two deliver some lyrically witty and sick bars about the common elements of weed, women, and women that compliment the feel of the track. The throwback sound of the bars mixed with the psychedelic production make this a solid effort from the LA based emcee. Be sure to check out the track below and listen to more when his first commercial full-length drops January 29th.
San Francisco’s chill electronica artist Blackbird Blackbird takes on How To Dress Well‘s stellar and soulful track “& It Was U”, extracting all the best parts and looping them into a remix full of pulsing warmth, deep sentiment, and lulling ambiance. Check it out below and sink into a tune that’s enthralling, yet so relaxing at the same time.
After releasing the fifth and final single from their debut album, it’s become increasingly clear that THEBLKHANDS are pretty much infallible. With their newest track, the trio has yet another chill-out anthem on their hands. The group’s already proven they have an affinity for those with previous songs like “Smoke Good, Live Good” and “Downtown.” Just as they’ve done with their other tracks, they’ve lined up the perfect collaborators in After The Smoke, who really add the icing atop this cake. For those of you who’ve been following the group’s ascent, make sure to mark March 19th on your calendars, as that’s the release date for their upcoming Serbia LP.
I apologize for the delay with this weeks dojo, but we’re coming at you with so many huge hits this week that i’m sure it will make up for it. Jumping right into it, Team Bayside High takes on the task of remixing a truly classic dance hit, “Make You Sweat” better known as “Everybody Dance Now”. They do all the right things to this remix, with several different trap builds and drops, emphasizing the famous lyrics or their own take on the melody. Next up is the masked man himself, UZ, remixing Birdy Nam Nam. You may have seen this posted earlier this week as part of the Birdy Nam Nam Remix EP. This track is incredibly funky with great drumwork throughout. Butch Clancy continues his Trap Tuesday series with this weeks “Dopeboy”, my favorite trap track of his so far. With huge bass and bells, this is real gangster trap shit to rattle the trunk as you’re driving through the hood. Heroes X Villains, a name who we see far too little of teases us with the full preview of their remix of “Jah No Partial”. Even though they don’t release as frequently as others, every track is fire, and this track proves they are worth the wait. A couple weeks ago, I told you to keep an eye on Snails in 2013, and so far he has lived up to that hype, releasing this massive heavy hitter, as well as a killer dubstep track this week alone. Trap Dojo regular Ookay is back, having just signed to Borgore’s label. “Hey Freak is filled with blazing high synths and some serious footwork set to make you kick up a storm. RaceCarBed just released a new EP this week filled with deep basslines, and oozing with purped out swag. Click the “Buy” link to get the whole EP. Grandtheft, who you probably recognize from his insane collaboration with Diplo kills this remix of “Tuna Melt” that will have you saying “Damn son, where’d you find this sandwich?”. While Dubstep is still not an old genre by any means, there are still a number of tracks that you can consider classics, one of which is “Sweet Shop” by Doctor P. While its always tough to remix a classic, Big Makk keeps it fairly simple, adding some drums to the notoriously high pitched drop, while chopping up the synths only enough to really trap it out, before going really hard in the second half.
A few tracks later, which are all great, but I wont mention because this post is already getting out of hand, comes the cool down section of our dojo training. I never thought I would be putting Justin Beiber on the dojo, but the way this is chopped and screwed into a Future Trill ballad had me playing this one on repeat. Lastly, Huglife seems to have created a subgenre of his own: Indie-Trap. This track shows what i really love about Huglife, whether he’s producing big-room bangers, or remixing indie coffee shop tracks into some chill love trap, its always above par.
Enjoy The Dojo and get the ZIP HERE
As two of the most promising up and coming artists in the game right now, Ab-Soul and JMSN released arguably two of the best albums of 2012, with Control System and ∫Priscilla∫ respectively. When it was announced that they’d be releasing a collaborative project together this year, it’s needless to say that fans were excited. We finally have our first taste of what these two have been cooking up, and boy is it spicy. Despite this being a collaborative album, it’s clear that Ab-Soul dominates throughout this track, with JMSN essentially providing what amounts to some background vocals. Nonetheless, his presence is certainly welcome on this one. The Top Dawg influence is certainly prevalent in the production and tone of the song, causing you to expect Kendrick Lamar or ScHoolboy Q to pop out at any second to drop an ill verse. Hopefully we can get a remix with either of them sometime in the future. As for now, we definitely have a solid foundation for Unit 6, dropping later this year.
Young Inglewood native, Casey Veggies, has been on the hip-hop radar dating back to his features on the early Odd Future mixtapes. Although he has since parted ways with the OF clan, Veggies has certainly shown an ability to hold his own continuing to find cosigns among top-tier emcees. Life Changes, his latest mixtape, may be his breakout project with features and production from the likes of The Futuristiks, DJ Dahi, Dom Kennedy, 1500 or Nothin’ and Harry Fraud. Through out the piece of work we see the 19 year-old spitter emerge with the confidence that comes with your fifth mixtape.
Life Changes is a solid project from start to finish carrying a new age, west coast sound with Veggies exuding ambition, confidence and versatility. While there remains some roughness around the edges, this is certainly a significant step in the right direction for the young emcee. Check out some of our favorite tracks below and grab the whole thing for free here: Casey Veggies - Life Changes.
