The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 11]

What up ninjas? Today we’re looking to start your June off the right way with a fresh edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. We’ve stacked together one of the largest hauls we’ve ever had, making this quite the exciting week for new music. Given that this week’s playlist boasts a whopping 36 tracks, I won’t be detailing every track on here, but I’ll do my best to sum up the highlights.

We kick things off with the whimsical ode to everyone’s second favorite Peanuts character, “Charlie Brown.” Taking on the perspective of the beloved loner, ScienZe and Blu bring us a charming feel-good single complete with plenty of references to the cartoon. Our next selection focuses on Kel’s favorite subject, as Chicago’s Vic Mensa tells us exactly why he shares that same love for “Orange Soda.” We keep things local to Chitown with the homie Jahzel who hopes to clue us into what the next “Chapter” of his life will entail. One of the most impressive submissions of the week comes from Brooklyn’ King Jul who absolutely shreds apart a familiar sample of Kool & The Gang‘s classic “Summer Madness.”

Moving on, we welcome the return of Jadakiss with his brand new single, “Big Boy Dialogue” alongside The-Dream. While Kiss hasn’t had a hit in quite awhile unfortunately, he’s still out to prove that he’s Top 5, Dead or Alive, which happens to be the name of his upcoming album. Meanwhile, we bring back Al-Fatir for his second appearance in The Hip-Hop Dojo, this time to discuss his dream of finally making it big. Tito Lopez and Jon Connor are two other veterans of the Dojo who are really just “Tryna Get On” with their lives as they continue on their endless hustle. Joey Bada$$ upholds that “Word Is Bond” with the first single from his upcoming Summer Knights project, set to drop on June 12th.

KRBL Rebel Radio reduce all other emcees to “Dust” when they step up to the mic. Need more proof? Check out their self-titled debut album here. One of this week’s most intelligent tracks comes in the form of “80-D” from St. Louis beat maestro Mvstermind. In case you missed the worldplay in the song’s title, “80-D” really stands for A.D.D. which also happens to be the title of Mvstermind’s latest project, A.D.D. (Artistically Day Dreaming); check it out here. If you’re in need of a relaxing number to start off your weekends this summer, look no further than Witty Rock‘s “Morning Breath,” one of many standout tracks from his recently released EP of the same name. One of this week’s most original pieces comes to us from indie rock outfit, The Neighbourhood. “West Coast” serves as a stark contrast to anything heard on the band’s much lauded debut, I Love You, yet it still fits perfectly within the realm of their musical sound. The laidback number hearkens back to West Coast hip-hop influences of the 90’s like The Pharcyde and Dr. Dre, with lead singer Jesse Rutherford trying his hand on the mic as an emcee.

Another artist making his second mark on The Hip-Hop Dojo this week is wordsmith Martin $ky with two exceptional new joints, “TRACK O1” and “critiCALI.” Both cuts serve as a reminder that Martin is clearly one of the top young emcees in the game. With his latest single, Odd Future’s Hodgy Beats invites us to take a crucial step back and envision where our lives will be “Years” from now. Given that today is the first of June, who better to help us ring in the start of the month than a man who derives his moniker from the name of the month itself? June brings us his latest joint straight from the “Gutta,” alongside his talented brother Teddy Walton who handles the production duties. Over the last few weeks we’ve been impressed with the output from J. Cole‘s Dreamvillain imprint, most notably from NYC’s Bas. Now Omen is primed to display his talents over the guitar-driven “Medusa.” If there’s one thing you take away from this song it’s that “Death to the duckface” should be an actual movement.

It’s not very often that you hear about emcees from Seattle, but once in awhile a special one will emerge from the underground depths of the Pacific Northwest. With his raspy, guttural voice and exasperating flow Raz Simone falls somewhere between Macklemore and Gorilla Zoe, though making such easy comparisons may seem a little lazy. “These Kids Throw Rocks” takes a little while to grow on you, but after a few listens, you’ll realize this one easily shines among the collection of singles we have today. We’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Hayk, a 22 year old emcee hailing from Watertown, MA. An Armenian refugee, Hayks’ first two singles here serve as his comeback  to the rap game after being assaulted while promoting his mixtape in Boston three years ago. It’s a sad story that resulted in the young rapper having to get a metal plate inserted into his jaw, and he details his experiences in both “A Sad Song” and “Fly Away.”

Childish Major is proving to be one of the most gifted young producers out there, and he puts his raw talents on display once again with Nemo Achida‘s “Slave To The Wave.” Nemo is no slouch either, blessing the instrumental with his infectious, head-bopping flow. Last week we alluded to the possibility of Da YoungFellaz stretching their run in The Hip-Hop Dojo to three weeks straight. Well the duo heeded our calls by dropping “Welcome To NYC Part II,” which serves as a makeshift sequel to the Hov and Killa Cam classic. It would be fair to say they far exceeded our expectations with this one. With their latest collaboration, Sir Michael Rocks and Mac Miller look to introduce us to the “Madness” that accompanies life in the fast lane. Speaking of madness, Mac’s new single with Diplo is just about as crazy as it gets, as he spits over some blaring horns sampled from the song, “Bulgarian Chicks.” Diplo never ceases to amaze and perplex us. Our next piece comes from hard-hitting twosome Run The Jewels. Maybe it’s from all the Arrested Development I’ve been watching lately, but for some reason the title “Banana Clipper” instantly reminded me of this scene right here. THURZ provides a little fuel to all the Illuminati conspiracy buffs as he bodies the otherworldly beat on “ThirdEye.”

When Windy City representative Wonda says “Please Don’t Listen To This Song,” he’s being serious; he’d rather have you watch the music video instead. This certified banger’s visuals might be the most random you’ll witness all year, but that’s exactly why they add to the charm of the song, which doesn’t really take things too seriously. It’s almost freaky just how talented Wrekonize and Tech N9ne are as they absolutely eviscerate every instrumental they touch, this one included. We then take things over to The Kings Dead who seem to be settling in nicely to their new moniker bringing  us the cinematic cut, “Over Dinner.” Finally, we wrap things up with ScHoolboy who gets us ready for the party of a lifetime with “Hell Of A Night.” ScHoolboy’s upcoming major label debut, Oxymoron, is easily one of our most anticipated of the year.

We hope you guys enjoyed our eleventh 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

’ScienZe – Charlie Brown feat. Blu (prod. EOM)’
’Vic Mensa – Orange Soda’
’Jahzel – Chapters’
’Kahali Oden – 80 Proof Diaries (prod. by Willie Staxx)’
’King Jul – Whatever’
’Jadakiss – Big Boy Dialogue ft. The Dream’
’Al Fatir – One Man’s Dream’
’Tito Lopez – Tryna Get On (feat. Jon Connor)’
’Joey Bada$$ – Word Is Bond (Prod. Statik Selektah)’
’KRBL Rebel Radio – Dust’
’Mvstermind – 80D (Ft AtM,Lyrique, Ciej, Sixella Yoccum)’
’Witty Rock – Morning Breath’
’The Neighbourhood – West Coast’
’Martin $ky – TRACK 01 (Prod. by Knxledge)’
’Martin $ky – critiCALI (Prod. by Mndsgn)’
’Hodgy Beats – Years’
’June – Gutta (Prod. Teddy Walton)’
’Omen – Medusa’
’Raz Simone – These Kids Throw Rocks’
’Notes To Self – Recoil (Crimson)’
’Hayk x dFresh – A Sad Song (prod. EVO Productions)’
’Hayk – Fly Away (prod. EVO Productions)’
’Nemo Achida – Slave To The Wave (Intro)’
’Calliko – High Life (prod. by Luxury)’
’Tory Lanez – Fourteen & 40’s (Prod. The Mekanics x Tory Lanez)’
’Da YoungFellaz – Welcome To NYC Part II (feat. Crome)’
’Sir Michael Rocks – Madness Feat. Mac Miller (Prod Syk Sense)’
’Mac Miller x Diplo – Goosebumps’
’Run The Jewels – Banana Clipper feat Big Boi’
’THURZ  – ThirdEye (prod. by KHAN)’
’Olu – Nwanko’
’Wonda – Please Don’t Listen To This Song’
’Doley Bernays – Blessed’
’Wrekonize – Freak (Feat. Tech N9ne)’
’The Kings Dead – Over Dinner’
’ScHoolboy Q – Hell Of A Night (Prod. By DJ Dahi)’
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The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 3]

What up y’all? The Hip-Hop Dojo is back for round 3 and ready to bring you an onslaught of new hip-hop music. This week was dominated by Harry Fraud and Peter Rosenberg. With Rosenberg dropping his New York Renaissance mixtape today, we were provided with a slew of great releases from some of The Big Apple’s best and brightest young emcees. The intro to the tape, is also the first collaboration between Joey Bada$$ and Harry Fraud. “Day In The Life” showcases that throwback flow that Joey and his Pro Era crew have been perfecting since they first entered the game. On the next track from the compilation, Queens collective, World’s Fair, revive the gritty spirit of the ’96 Knicks, harkening back to the heated rivalry between two of the NBA’s toughest squads of the late 90’s. The last single from the tape is Action Bronson‘s “Compliments 2 The Chef” where he spits a few bars about his favorite subject: exquisite food. Anyone else think a remix with Raekwon is in order for this one?

Speaking of New York, we’ve included a nice little project from Jay Shell that all you hip-hop heads will definitely enjoy. Taking quotes from various rap songs about specific spots in NYC, Jay Shell then posted those quotes as signs around the city in the exact locations mentioned. It’s a pretty neat idea that really connects you with the artists and the meaning behind their lyrics. Check out the video after the playlist.

Before we even get to New York though, we have to travel through Chicago. While Martin $ky tries to capture his memories in the form of a “Polaroid,” SaveMoney‘s Sterling Hayes recruits D2G and Kembe X to reflect on some of their own. We then take a brief detour to the Southwest, to visit a “Church” in “West Texas” as Austin native M.I and Blu reveal their struggles with faith. Next up, we have a great new track from California’s Audio Push, who sample the most badass quote of all time, from the greatest show on television, Breaking Bad.

Our next two tracks may have the illest beats to be featured on here this week. The first of these comes in the form of Smith‘s “Don Sh*t”. Smith, who may want to consider using with a more distinctive moniker, absolutely murders the Woodro Skillson (now that’s an awesome name) produced cut alongside Maffew Ragazino. Following that up, we have a dope, chilled-out track from Al-Fatir , where he describes to us the life of a “Man From The Sky.” We also have “Bubble Gum Blues,” a Mac Miller produced cut that features Top Dawg’s Ab-Soul trading bars with Young Money’s Short Dawg. Making his third appearance in the Dojo, is King Chip, with the grimy new track, “Heinous.” At this point, we might as well just give him a key to the building. We’ll have to see if he keeps his streak going next week.

As we approach the home stretch, we decided to take a turn a more “fun” approach towards the remainder of our selections. Wale‘s freestyle over the group’s “Sight of the Sun” definitely fits the bill, and is a refreshing break from the MMG dynamic we’ve been hearing from the DMV native lately. Sol‘s “Dope” is a light and airy track that definitely lives up to its name. Next up, we have Outasight‘s “Remember Me” which is a smooth leftover from his debut album, Nights Like These. Finally, we wrap things up with a two-for-one with Honors English‘s “Insanity Plea Pt. 1 & 2.” Honors English describes life as an artist with integrity and consequently, an outsider looking in. What originally sold me on the track is the incredible lyrics video, which is definitely a must watch.

I hope you guys enjoyed the third edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. As always, send all submissions and suggestions over to baseer@themusicninja.com.

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS

’Martin $ky – Polaroid’

’Sterling Hayes – Retrospect ft. D2G x Kembe X (prod. Antydote)’
’Joey Bada$$ – “Day In The Life” (Prod. By Harry Fraud)’
’World’s Fair – ’96 Knicks !!’
’M.I – Church West Texas (ft. Blu)’
’Audio Push – Red Wine Remedies (Feat. Kent M$ney)’
’Eddie B feat. AG Da Coroner & Meyhem Lauren – “Michael Landon” (Prod. By Harry Fraud)’
’Action Bronson – Compliments 2 The Chef feat. Lauriana Mae (Prod. by Harry Fraud)’
’ScienZe – The Answer (prod. Lord Quest)’
’Young Roddy – Life Ft Curren$y’
’Rome Cee x Greenspan – The Harvest (prod. August Flight Gordon)’
’OnCue – Live Forever (feat. Skizzy Mars) (prod. by Mike Kuz)’
’Smith – Don Sh*t (feat. Maffew Ragazino) (Prod. Woodro Skillson)’
’Al Fatir – Man From The Sky’
’Ab Soul & Short Dawg – Bubble Gum Blues (prod. Larry Fisherman)’
’King Chip – Heinous ft. Tezo’
’Sol – Dope (Prod. by The Zillas)’
’fun. – Sight of the Sun Freestyle Ft. Wale’
’Outasight – Remember Me’
’Honors English
Insanity Plea ft. Joe Budden Part 1 and 2 (The Complete Saga)’

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