Latest Hip/Hop Posts

[Hip-Hop] A-1 – Sunday Love (feat. Cole) (Music Video)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - June 14, 2015

’A 1 – Sunday Love ft. Cole (Kaytranada’s “Seeu Enni Way” Remix)’

Fresh off the release of a stellar mixtape in Thurlian, San Francisco’s A-1 is keeping the quality content coming with his latest visuals for “Sunday Love,” one of our favorites from the project. Shot fully on a GoPro while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the video perfectly matches the laid-back and radiant energy of the track. If you’re not yet familiar with A-1, this should serve as the perfect introduction to his positive, energetic lyricism as well as the ultimate addition to your Sunday soundtrack. Peep below and check A-1’s upcoming tour dates after the jump.
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[Electronic] SD – Circles (Smoko Ono x Mr Carmack Remix)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - June 12, 2015

Smoko Ono x Mr Carmack x SD
CIRCLES (Official Remix)

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Chitown native SD had a breakout year in 2014 with the release of his hit street single, “Circles.” Today the track finally receives the remix treatment, with a refreshing new update courtesy of fellow Windy City resident Smoko Ono and Soulection’s Mr Carmack. Those three names alone should be enough to convince you to give this one a listen. This reinterpretation preserves much of the essence of the original, but it’s further amplified through an ethereal mix of synths that’ll have your head spinning in, well “Circles”. Stream the hypnotic tune above and be on the lookout for more from these promising producers in the near future.

[Music Video] Rav Mojo – Godzilla

Posted by Tyler Trew - June 11, 2015

If you’re old enough to drink, ask yourself what you were doing at 20. Were you making songs and music videos like the Los Angeles resident Rav Mojo? Probably not. The emerging act has brought forth his first single called “Godzilla” that takes influence from the rapper’s New York origins.

Rav offers up an intriguing visual partner with a hard hip-hop record. A string of experiments coincide with the rapper’s insatiable flow in the video. Any music that has dark undertones is something that sticks out to our ears, which is why the beat, lyrics and video all had us ninjas impressed. Expect more soon as this is the first public project that Rav Mojo has released.

[Hip-Hop] 119 Productions & THE FDC – THE C.S.S. (Chicago Sight N’ Sound)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - June 10, 2015

Chicago Sight N’ Sound is an ambitious endeavor between 119 Productions & The FDC meant to showcase the city’s best and brightest up-and-comers. Plenty of familiar faces are scattered throughout the two-part project, including Mick Jenkins, Lucki Eck$, Saba, The O’My’s, Kami De Chukwu, Jean Deaux, Ibn Inglor, Smoko Ono, Jarred AG, Dally Auston, Martin $ky and many more. The C.S.S. takes advantage of some of these more well established names to introduce listeners to some newer talent they may have never even heard of, which is essentially is the true goal of this undertaking. In fact, some of the project’s best moments come from artists who may have never crossed your radar before.

Along with the mixtapes which make up the “Sound” portion of the project, there’s also a visual aspect which can be found on 119’s official website. After checking out the full scope of The C.S.S, it’s pretty clear that the teams over at 119 Productions and The FDC poured their heart and soul into making this project possible, and it’s not a stretch to say this is one of the most important projects to come out of the Chi all year, if only to show that the city can really unite together as one.

We’ve selected a few of our favorites from both mixtapes below, but we encourage you to check them out in their entirety over at the Chicago Sight N’ Sound SoundCloud page.

Part 1

’SABA PIVOT – SABILLION (Prod. By A Billion Young)’

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’THE O’MY’S X ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN – THE BLUNT (Prod. The O’My’s + C. Lang)’

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’PSALM ONE – TIMELESS (Prod. Benny Nice)’

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’JARRED AG
MUHFUCKA (Prod. Smoko Ono)’

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’DALLY AUSTON – FOOD N’ LIQUOR (Produced By Boathouse)’

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Part 2

’MICK JENKINS – TIME (Prod. OnGaud)’

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’VIA ROSA / theMIND / NETHERFRIENDS – SIGNS (Produced By Netherfriends)’

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’JEAN DEAUX / NOSIDAM – UNCOND. LOVE (Prod. AmbI Lyrics)’

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’鷹SÄGESHINTENDŌ鷹 – UCHIHA SEJI (Prod. 鷹SÄGESHINTENDŌ鷹)’

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’PIVOT GANG – FUZZY SLIPPERS (Prod. By Saba)’

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The Hip-Hop Dojo: May 2015 (Artist Spotlight: Mayo)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - June 8, 2015

Welcome back to the Hip-Hop Dojo, everyone. By now we assume you all know the protocol, but in case you need a refresher, the Hip-Hop Dojo is a monthly feature split it up into three distinct components: the artist spotlight, our monthly playlist and our mixtape roundup. May was a busy month for hip-hop, there’s no denying that. Our latest edition of the Hip-Hop Dojo is a little lighter on the playlist side, but it’s definitely not lacking in quality tracks. Meanwhile, our mixtape section is loaded, with about 20 different projects we believe you absolutely need to check out.

The selection process for our monthly spotlight is never easy, and there’s often an internal struggle as we narrow down the list of names we’d like to approach about the opportunity. When we found out that Mayo had re-emerged onto the scene recently though, we couldn’t think of a better choice to be our Spotlight Artist for the month of May. The LA via Chicago transplant recently ended an eight month hiatus with the release of his latest song, “My Girl”, the first in a revolutionary series of singles that will comprise his Summer Story. You may or may not have heard of Mayo, and one look at his SoundCloud will let you know that the man likes to keep his releases tight and his lips even tighter. We had a chance to sit down and chat with Mayo and he opened up to us about everything from long distance relationships to dropping out of college and his breast cancer awareness campaign. After hearing from the man himself, we promise you’ll never forget the name.

Read on to find out what Mayo had to say, and afterwards click over to the next page to listen to this month’s playlist. On our final page you’ll find reviews of all of our favorite projects to drop during the month of May.

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[NEW] Goldlink – Dance on Me (prod. Milo Mills & Hasta)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - June 8, 2015

GoldLink
Dance On Me

Soundcloud

Since his rapid rise in 2014, Goldlink has hit the road playing festivals along with solo dates around the country. His unique brand of quick-hitting raps over dance-influenced production translates amazingly to live performance as we recently experienced at Sasquatch Music Festival in Washington where he had the crowd moving his entire set. Today, we get some much-anticipated new material from the DMV-bred, Rick Rubin-approved artist and it, once again, reasserts the fact that he’s in a lane all his own.

On “Dance on Me,” producers Milo Mills and Hasta craft a soulful intro that’s quickly transformed and chopped to create the perfect uptempo, future bounce backdrop for Goldlink. As agile as ever on the mic, Goldlink creates his own version of a feel-good, summer-fling anthem without losing the punch packed in his cadence. A little past the one-minute mark, the production flawlessly transitions into a slowed-down, breezy vibe over which Link takes a break from his rapid delivery in favor of layered vocals. That interlude adds to the sunny feel of the song all the while displaying Goldlink’s versatility before he rips into his second verse.

“Dance on Me,” which we’re pretty sure we actually heard during his Sasquatch set, seems like the perfect fit for his current tour so look to hear it out at his shows–check his upcoming dates below the jump. We’re always hopeful of new music from Goldlink but, every time he releases something, it proves well worth the wait and this one’s no different. Peep above. Continue reading →

[TMN Premiere] 50 Cent – Magic Stick (LifeAlert Remix)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - June 3, 2015

Lil Kim & 50 Cent
Magic Stick (LifeAlert Remix)

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There’s been a recent movement in electronic music towards organic, tribal percussion across sub-genres whether it be in the glittering, melodious tunes of ODESZA or Big Wild; or the bass-powered G-House of Kill Frenzy or Shiba San. Anonymous production duo, LifeAlert, who appeared in our inbox with a new remix a couple days ago, seem to have emerged at just the right time.

Utilizing vocals from 50 Cent and Lil Kim’s “Magic Stick,” LifeAlert inject a hypnotizing tribal backdrop that makes it pretty much impossible not to nod your head. It’s instrumentally minimalistic, yet simultaneously musically intricate, largely due to the crisp and dynamic percussive composition. With occasional chops of the vocals and injections of bass, LifeAlert transform “Magic Stick” into a hybrid that combines hip-hop influenced electronic music with primal percussion.

The subtleties of this one would pulsate through a dance floor and are a great way for these two animated characters to introduce their sound. Get a nice mid-week energy-booster above.