[Hip-Hop] brandUn DeShay – Had Em All

brandUn DeShay
Had Em All [Prod. brandUn DeShay]

As the producer behind many of our favorite tracks from the likes of Chance The Rapper, Mac Miller, Danny Brown and Sir Michael Rocks, there’s no question that brandUn DeShay has talents behind the boards, but how many of you out there knew he had bars too?

Currently kicking it in Japan, the Chitown native has immersed himself in the culture, releasing a brand new single to celebrate the beginning of Golden Week. Following a short absence from the game, the multi-talented emcee has emerged from his hyperbolic time chamber Goku style to create some of his most potent material to date. On “Had Em All” we find the hyper confident lyricist waxing poetic over a dizzying instrumental that can be described as nothing less than super fly. Stay tuned for more from the self-anointed “goldUn Child,” as chances are this isn’t the last we’ll be hearing from him.

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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. 9]

Now, I’m no meteorologist, but based on this week’s Hip-Hop Dojo, it seems fair to say that we have a scorching hot summer ahead of us. The ninth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo is jam packed with promising young talent primed to take over the game. The beginning of summer also indicates the start of mixtape season, which is what really makes this week’s selection truly special. Just about every track collected here was specifically chosen from a stellar project that recently dropped. While we can only share one gem from each artist, definitely make an effort to check out the rest of their material.

We start things off with the trunk rattling “Tangerine” by former Cool KidChuck Inglish. Reviving many of the same production values we came to appreciate from his singles with Sir Michael Rocks years ago, “Tangerine” is a guaranteed banger that’ll be a mainstay in your playlist as you cruise around in your whip this summer. Next up, we’d like to give a warm welcome to 16 year-old hip-hop phenom, Jalen Jenkins. While we don’t know much about the New York native, we do know he’s incredibly talented. Take one listen to “Shroomies” and you’ll be immediately enthralled with the fledgling artist. If you’re still not convinced however, check out Jalen’s full Bipolar project to get a further grasp of his abilities. We bridge the age gap as we cross over to our third selection, Prodigy‘s “Dough Pildin.” Produced by The Alchemist, “Pildin,” is presumably all about the Mobb Deep member’s desire to stack his cash up ala The Joker in The Dark Knight (though he might not end up burning up his funds quite so literally).

Chicago is the location of our next two tracks. While Alex Wiley and Freddie Gibbs “creep” around the city hatching schemes for taking over the world (actually I might be confusing them with Pinky & The Brain), Tokyo Shawn leaves us all wondering when the SAVEMONEY crew will finally get the recognition they deserve. We then shift our attention over to the West Coast where Casey Veggies focuses on counting his days, and his paper, all while weaving slick rhymes over a sample of Usher‘s “What Happened To U.” Up next, we’ve got New Yorkers, Da YoungFellaz with their single, “Fuck Rap.” For two guys who apparently have beef with the art, they’re awfully good at it.

Next on the queue we’ve got another youngster, 17 year-old Jon Waltz. The Memphis native is already drawing comparisons to Drake, and it’s easy to see why. Waltz is able to strike a careful balance between witty lyricism and an effortlessly catchy chorus on “Bang.” If you’re interested in hearing more from Jon, make sure to check out his Airways Blvd. EP. Following that up is the emotionally heavy “Clarissa (I Used To Love Her)” by Houston’s Anti-Lilly. Although the name might lead you to this to be an ode to the Common classic, Lilly’s “Clarissa” is actually a heart-wrenching tale of a love-struck drug dealer. While Anti-Lilly is left patching up a broken heart, Emilio Rojas is out breaking some more as he struggles with women who can get too attached after just one encounter.

KasFlow leads off our next section, providing us with one of the more impressive lyrical ditties of the week with his track, “Frozen Food Section.” For a guy born in 1994, KasFlow really understands how to capture the essence of the era through his music. Check out some more dope material from him on his Schema mixtape. Somebody contact Rhymesayers Entertainment and alert them about this dude named Dust. On “TEL AVIV III” the Portland rapper pieces together a laidback number with voice inflection that sounds like a cross somewhere between Slug and Brother Ali. Dust’s new project, Dust vs. The Operator is available for free on his Bandcamp page right now. Cam Meekins and Brandun DeShay bring us the cure for the common headache with their mellow collaboration, “Advil.”  We haven’t heard from either of them in quite awhile, so this one was a nice “2 for 1” special. Mike Stud tries to overcome a few “Bad Habits” alongside Kinetics and One Love with this euphoric new piece from his album, Relief.  Toronto emcee Coleman Hell invites you to chill with him while he counts his “Beer Cans.” I have no idea how he plans to amass a fortune from them, so I’ll leave the explanations up to him. Check out Coleman’s excellent Stark Raving as well. A frequent visitor to The Hip-Hop Dojo, M.i recently dropped his new mixtape Pushing Keyes. The project features stand out tracks we’ve highlighted before like “Church West Texas” and “Nothing You Can Do” as well as this new tune, the chilled-out “Hi.” It’s a nice change of pace from what we’ve heard from the Houston native, and should be one that’ll be a fixture in our rotation for months to come.

The title of “Most Charming Song of The Week” easily goes to Rally for his feel-good single, “Maybe That’s Why.” Featuring a keen sample of Norah Jones‘ “Don’t Know Why,” the pleasant melody is one that promises to instantly melt all your troubles away and keep a smile plastered on your face for the rest of the day. Coming in with a short little number is Tallahassee collective After The Smoke. While the song is light on the rap, it’s just as addicting as their previous hits. Our next summer “Groov” comes courtesy of Brothers From Another and Asher Roth. Grooving out is exactly what you’ll be doing as you jam out to this awesome tune. Our next track comes from fun-loving California trio Drop City Yacht Club. Formerly known as The Freshmen, the group decided it was time to grow up and graduate from their previous moniker as they pursue a life of lavish luxury on the open sea (at least that’s what we assume a newly formed yacht club would do). For fans worried about the change though, don’t be, as they’re still up to their previous antics as they ride the “Pipeline” with THURZ (of U-N-I fame). We keeps thing in California (Coachella to be precise) with Connor Evans and Shawn Chrystopher as they try to score with some “Hipsters and PrimaDonnas.” What is it with rappers using James Blake samples? Despite the recent trend becoming a little too rampant for our tastes, it’s impossible for us to resist the inherent charm behind each song. Adrian Lau’s “All A Game” might exhibit the unique use of Blake’s “Retrograde” to date, and we’re certainly thankful for it.

We hand the keys over to two of the game’s most talented wordsmiths, Jon Connor and Talib Kweli, who implore you to “Rise Up” to your feet as they spit vicious bars on their recent collaboration. Following that performance up is the hardworking Syler who proves it’s worth sacrificing a little sleep if it helps accomplish your goals (we hope making The Hip-Hop Dojo was one of them.) Up next, we have our pump-up anthem of the week in “Bet They See Me Now” by Kwame Darko (I wonder if he’s aware he’s named after two of the biggest busts in NBA history). We hope Kwame experiences more success in the rap game than either of those aforementioned individuals ever did playing basketball. We begin to wrap things  up with “Make It Home” a new collaboration between Hoodie Allen and Kina Grannis. Conceived and recorded in a 24 hour span, “Make It Home” is possibly the strongest material we’ve heard from the former Google employee in a long time. Maybe he should start using that method for all of his recordings? Last but not least, we have “Chasing Rainbows” from Marc Goone. Goone recently dropped his I Am Not A Lobster OK mixtape, which compiles all the music Marc’s released since last year’s Halfway to Nowhere, which had an exceedingly better name.

We hope you guys enjoyed our ninth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did. We’d like to take the time out to thank all the talented artists who sent in their submissions for this week’s playlist. As always, you can send all of your submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS

’Chuck Inglish – Tangerine (Feat. Aston Matthews & Kashflow)’
’Jalen Jenkins – Shroomies (Prod. By Mr. Carmack)’
’Prodigy – Dough Pildin (Produced by Alchemist)’
’Alex Wiley – Creepin featuring Freddie Gibbs’
’Tokyo Shawn – Wonder (prod. M&C)’
’Casey Veggies – Money Don’t Buy Time’
’Da YoungFellaz – F*ck Rap (feat. Rich iCoast)’
’Jon Waltz – Bang (Left My Home) (Prod. Zayd)’
’Anti Lilly – Clarissa (I Used To Love Her)’
’Emilio Rojas – Did It Again’
’KasFlow – Frozen Food Section (Feat. M. Wise) (Prod. By DJ DailyBread)’
’dust – TEL AVIV III’
’Cam Meekins – Advil (feat. Brandun Deshay)’
’Mike Stud – Bad Habits (Ft. Kinetics & One Love)”
’Coleman Hell – Beer Cans’
’M.i – Hi (ft Porche Harris)’
’Rally & Don Cruso – Maybe That’s Why (ft. ADOMS)’
’After The Smoke – Come and Leave’
’Brothers From Another – Groov Feat. Asher Roth’
’Drop City Yacht Club – Pipeline ft. THURZ’
’Connor Evans – Hipsters & PrimaDonnas (ft. Shawn Chrystopher)’
’Adrian Lau – All A Game’
’Jon Connor – Rise Up Feat. Talib Kweli’
’Syler – Dusk Till Dawn (feat. DJ JS1 & Nitty Scott, MC)’
’Kwame Darko – Bet They See Me Now’
’Hoodie Allen – Make It Home (feat. Kina Grannis)’
’Marc Goone – Chasing Rainbows ft. Gloria Kim’
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[Hip-Hop] Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap

As we’ve touched on before, Chicago has been a mecca for extraordinary young talent in hip-hop recently. While Chitown has always has always had representation from some of the hottest lyricists in the game, the city’s been yearning for its next big star. We may have found the answer in Chance The Rapper. After months of anticipation, we finally have our hands on Acid Rap, the follow-up to last year’s debut mixtape, 10 Day. It’s remarkable to see how far Chance has come in just one year. His flow is still whimsical and melodic, and his rhymes are as witty as ever, yet it’s evident through his music that Chance has definitely matured. He’s also accrued a couple of nice cosigns since we last heard from him, including the likes of Action Bronson, Childish Gambino, Ab-Soul and Twista. Take this “chance” to check out a few of the standout tracks below, and make sure to give your blessing by downloading the tape here.

’Chance The Rapper – Juice’
’Chance The Rapper
NaNa (ft. Action Bronson)’
’Chance The Rapper
Favorite Song (ft. Childish Gambino)’
’Chance The Rapper
Cocoa Butter Kisses (ft. Vic Mensa & Twista)’
’Chance The Rapper
Smoke Again (ft. Ab Soul)’
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