The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 14]

After way too many delays, I finally present to you the fourteenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. These playlists keep getting larger and larger, which is really a good sign for the state of hip-hop, as it means there’s way too much quality material for me to even sort through on a weekly basis. Like a trooper though, I’ve powered through to bring you some of the best the game has to offer. We have quite the eclectic group here for you, with a few artists showing off their versatility by making repeat appearances throughout the playlist. Among them are returning veterans like Chance The RapperHit-Boy, Alchemist, Action Bronson, and Domo Genesis as well as newcomer, Sean Dee. Hit-Boy in particular had a strong showing this week, tackling some recent singles from two of his favorite idols. For his first effort, Hit-Boy recruits Rockie Fresh to aid him with a remix of Jay-Z‘s “Somewhere In America.” While Jay’s line about Miley Cyrus had everyone in stitches, I have to say Rockie’s little jab at Amanda Bynes might actually be just as clever. On the second cut, Hit-Boy puts his own stamp on Kanye’s “New Slaves,” flashing his shiny “New Chains” for the whole world to see. It’ll be interesting to see what Hit-Boy has ahead of him now that he’s officially parted ways with G.O.O.D. Music.

Leading off this week’s lineup is one of my absolute favorite groups from the 90’s, Camp Lo, who team up with Pete Rock and Mac Miller for a fun little ode to the always alluring Megan GoodAlchemist came through this week as well, releasing a mini-EP in collaboration with streetwear company SSUR, featuring the likes of Freddie Gibbs, Domo Genesis, Action Bronson, Blu and more. If I had to base my decision on production alone, then the dreamy soundscape on Na$im Williams‘ “61 Lilies” would be a lock for the top honors this week. Luckily, each emcee that touches the record has the bars to match. Devin Miles reminds us of at least one reason why summertime happens to be the most beloved of all seasons through his latest single (hint: it has something to do with “Sundresses”). Bishop Nehru recently dropped off one of the most impressive mixtapes of the year with strictlyFLOWZ. We’ve only provided you with a small bite here, but we’d like to think that at only 16 years old, it’s pretty evident that Nehru has a bright future ahead of him.

With the feverish temperatures escalating throughout the country, it’s only appropriate that Ibn Inglor would come through with a furious “COLD STORM” to help rescue us from this blistering heat. If Cazzie Jetson sounds familiar to you at all, it’s probably because he constitutes 1/3 of TMN favorite, THEBLKHANDS. Cazzie brings that same focus and dedication to quality to his solo effort, “$eminole.” Jarred A.G. and Dally Auston continue to show off why Chicago is one of the preeminent cities for hip-hop at the moment, ruthlessly shredding apart this C-Sick produced number like the “Barbarians” they claim to be. Meanwhile, Da YoungFellaz display why they’ve been a constant staple on these pages over the last few weeks with yet another excellent single in “Presidential Rolex.”

Words cannot describe my excitement when I first discovered Atmosphere‘s new single, “Bob Seger.” While the title may seem odd at first, it has plenty to do with this exchange right here. I guess Slug draws his inspiration from Twitter now. With a rumored seventh studio album in the works, we’re hoping “Bob Seger” is just a taste of what’s to come from one of the most accomplished hip-hop acts of the last fifteen years. Speaking of accomplished underground artists, Tech N9ne surprises us with one of his most personal tracks to date, addressing much of the criticism he’s received towards his art, and how he handles it. It doesn’t hurt that he gets a fiery new verse from Kendrick Lamar too.

If you need any more convincing that MeLo-X is one of the illest emcees doing it right now, look no further than “Natural Vibez,” which is equal parts chill-out anthem and equal parts trunk rattler. In case you missed it, check out MeLo’s terrific GOD: HiFi project; it’s an absolutely must listen. Chance The Rapper isn’t quite done with the acid rap, teaming up with ProbCause to bring us a trippy new ode to “LSD.”  It’s a well known fact that Space Jam is easily one of the greatest films ever made (anyone who tries to argue this just doesn’t understand modern cinema), so when I saw this single from Audio Push appealing to my nostalgia, I just had to press play. Sampling a portion of the classic theme song, the West Coast duo transforms the hyped up tune into a certified dance floor anthem.

We hope you guys enjoyed our fourteenth 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

’Camp Lo & Pete Rock – Megan Good Ft.Mac Miller’
’Alchemist – Camp Registration feat Step Brothers, Action Bronson, Blu & Domo Genesis’
’Alchemist – Tesla feat Domo Genesis, Freddie Gibbs & Hodgy Beats’
’Na$im Williams – 61 Lilies feat. Scheme, Doc, & Sulaiman’
’ANTHM – I Remember’
’Rapsody – Dark Knights featuring Wale’
’Devin Miles – Sundress’
’Bishop Nehru – Mobb Dizzle’
’Joey Bada$$ – Norwegian Breakfast’
’Sean Dee – LiT.’
’Kami de Chukwu – Won’t Not.’
’Mickalas Cage – Cross Roads ft. Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa’
’Martin $ky
PEARL GAWD’
’Ibn Inglor – COLD STORM (prod. Mhone Glor)’
’Ken Rebel – Rebel Life (Remix) Feat. Brandun DeShay’
’Cazzie Jetson – $EMINOLE’
’Snoop Dogg – Passenger Seat (Prod. Cardo)’
’Curren$y – I Can’t Stop’
’Dom Kennedy – Erica Part 1 (Prod. by Lord Quest)’
’Jarred A.G. – BARBARIANS ft. Dally Auston (Prod. C Sick)’
’Willie The Kid – Medusa feat. Action Bronson & Roc Marciano’
’The Procussions – Fall to Fly’
’True 2 Life Music – We Go’
’Da YoungFellaz – Presidential Rolex (feat. Kepstar & DeVo D)’
’The Underachievers – The Proclamation’
’Blame One & J57 – B.L.A.M.E.57 (featuring DJ Rhettmatic)’
”Ezko – Wake Up Feat. Andy Gruhin, Scolla & THURZ’
’Hit Boy – SomeWhereInAmerica (Remix) Feat. Rockie Fresh’
’Atmosphere – Bob Seger’
’Archie Bang – Blasphemy (prod. By 12 Keyz)’
’Tech N9ne – Fragile feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! and Kendall Morgan’
’Doley Bernays – Till We Fall’
’Hayk x dFresh – Elevate (prod. Mike C)’
’Kings Dead – Honest Abe’
’MeLo X – Natural Vibez (Prod. Tom Richman)’
’ProbCause – LSD ft. Chance The Rapper’
’Sean Dee – Bow and Arrows (Feat. Anna Yvette)’
’Audio Push – Space Jam ft. Lil Wayne’
’Chuckie – Makin’ Papers ft. Lupe Fiasco, Snow Da Product & Too $hort’
’DJ Katch feat. Izza Kizza – Let Me In’
’E40 – All My N*ggas featuring Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q’
’Hit Boy – New Chains (James Sommerset)’
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The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 12]

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 Don’t 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 – Don’t 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 – Tomorrow’s 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 – I’m Good (Feat. Busta Rhymes)’

’Rizzle Kicks – That’s Classic’

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[Hip/Hop] Blame One – It’s A Stick Up

I love this song.

Rihanna doesn’t sing the hook. In fact there isn’t a hook at all. There are very few variations on the initial beat and the sample (an amazing Disney-esque aria) just loops the entire song. The result is astounding. I’ve listened to other Blame One tracks before this one, and they don’t quite nail it like “It’s A Stick-Up” does. This track lives entirely on its great flow and stellar sample by producer Tranformerz.

The track pays tribute to a lot of hip hop icons without trivializing them. It is a grimy, un-quantized track that is made even more perfect by it’s imperfections… did I say I liked the song?

Blame One’s album “Endurance” came out on October 19th and is available on iTunes.

Blame One – It’s A Stick Up

’Blame One – Its A Stick Up’
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