With just one day remaining before the debut performance of Outkast‘s highly anticipated 40-stop reunion festival tour, we ninjas can not contain our excitement. To keep ourselves occupied as we impatiently wait for Coachella to kick off, we spent the last week putting together our dream setlist from the legendary hip-hop duo. For anyonewho will be in attendance during Andre 3000 and Big Boi‘s marathon of a tour, this playlist should certainly prepare you for what promises to be an incredible string of shows. If you won’t be able to make it, we hope that this will be the next best thing.
We’ve also put these tracks in a SpottieOttiefy Playlist (we mean Spotify, in case you didn’t get our sly ninja joke) for those “ATLiens’ out there who want to listen to “GhettoMusick” when they “Git Up, Git Out” and explore “The Whole World.”
’UGK – International Players Anthem (Feat. Outkast)’
We’re less than a week away from a Mobb Deep reunion album, as the “Legendary” rap duo prepare to bring things full circle with the release of The Infamous Mobb Deep. After touring together last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut project, Juvenile Hell, the pair took to the studio to record their first full studio album in nearly a decade. This one pays tribute to another hip-hop classic, The Infamous, and it’s separated into 2 discs: one full of 17 fresh new tunes, and one that includes 14 unreleased songs from their 1994 recording sessions.
“Legendary” happens to be one of those newer tracks, and features contributions from Bun B and Juicy J, legends in their own right respectively. The single is as triumphant as they come, as the two team up with Prodigy and Havoc to look back in retrospect on their careers and reflect on their successes over some supreme production supplied by Havoc, The Maven Boys, and Boi-1da. It’s a relatively simple track overall, but it comes packed with plenty of advice and lessons learned for the younger generation to follow.
Also be sure to check out Mobb Deep’s recent collaboration with TMN favorite Kaytranada below, which proves that the old heads aren’t afraid to give the young guys a chance to shine too. If you’re feeling both tracks, feel free to head over to iTunes to pre-order The Infamous Mobb Deep before it drops on April 1st.
This week hasn’t been very kind to me folks. From nagging injuries to a nasty lingering cold, I’ve spent most of my week resigned indoors as I try to recover. Despite all of those hurdles though, I’ve managed to push through to bring you all the tenth edition of the Hip-Hop Dojo. Last week was all about introducing you guys to new artists, and while we do have a few fresh names around here again, you should be familiar with a majority of the lot. I won’t be able to elaborate on every track today, but I would like to point out some of the standout material from this week’s collection. We just hope this playlist can serve as a nice break from the Arrested Development marathon we all know you’re currently having.
We start things of with New Jersey native MoRuf, a recent college graduate who decided to celebrate by crafting a song about it. Looking forward to the road ahead, Mo hopes to dodge some stormy weather as he seeks the clear path towards success. Next up to the plate is DevineCarama who hopes to enlighten his listeners through his lyrics and his flow. Da YoungFellaz hope to take us on a trip to “New Rich City” with their latest effort. This marks the second straight week that the duo has been featured in the Dojo, and we hope that streak continues going forward. Our fourth selection reminds us of a lesson Bay Area emcee A-1 taught us a few weeks back. On “Funeral Season” Statik and crew provide us with a few more details about the spike in violence that occurs during the hot summer months. BunB and Hit-Boy in particular come through with some surprisingly stellar verses.
A good chunk of this week’s compilation comes to us from Chicago. In fact, two of the best works lyrically are featured back to back: the first one being F.Stokes‘ “1954” and the second being Psalm One‘s “Queen Until.” We also can’t ignore our newest piece from the SAVEMONEY clique. The ensemble provides us with bars for days as they absolutely tear through the seven minute remix of Giftz’s “Nino.” Another phenomenal number comes to us from Waldo who “Finally” makes his Hip-Hop Dojo premiere. The Michigan emcee certainly impresses on the mic as he spits over a lush, atmospheric instrumental from Sango. Our final offering from Chitown comes courtesy of Julian Malone, who preps us for the release of his upcoming Diff.Rnt mixtape with the first single, “Tokyo.”
Tate Tucker‘s “Fire” wins the title of smoothest track of the week, but Bas‘ “Lit” might be a close second. Featuring a sample of Miguel‘s “Do You” and an excellent guest verse from J. Cole, “Lit” definitely stands out as one of the top tracks to drop this week (seriously, I can’t emphasize enough how clutch that Cole feature is). Interpolating the chorus of the Fresh Princeclassic, Blu wants to remind us exactly what time it is (even if it might not feel that way in certain parts of the country) on “Summer Time.”
Now I don’t normally feature freestyles on here, but there’s something about Drake‘s “5 AM In Toronto” that brings the best out of every emcee that touches it. A few weeks ago we shared JoellOrtiz‘s rendition of “5 AM In Brooklyn,” and today we bring you Voli‘s “5 AM.” The Jersey representative definitely brings his A-game as he steps up to the mic on this one. When you first press play on Lecrae‘s “Round of Applause” it might sound like your average trap banger, but if you pay close attention to the lyrics, you’ll realize the true message behind the song. The track is all about emerging from the stereotypes that many of these rappers fall victim to, and proving that it’s possible to be successful through hard work and education. That provides a perfect segue to our next selection, as Goodie Mob attempts to provide us with “Special Education” of their own. Featuring the vocal stylings of Janelle Monáe, the newest single from the legendary quartet is sure to make your headphones explode with its whirring, hard-hitting instrumental. The track also proves that Cee Lo can still rap his ass off, as he completely demolishes the beat with his tremendous wordplay.
Snow Tha Product is the only artist to be featured twice this week, and for good reason. If you don’t know about Snow yet, it’s still not too late to jump on her bandwagon. The Mexican-American emcee absolutely bodies tracks with her rapid-fire flow, proving she can hold her own on both “On. Now” featuring Trae Tha Truth and “Cali Luv,” a record produced by The Cataracs that includes a sample of Tupac‘s classic “California Love.” The next selection I’d like to highlight is from Travi$ Scott. Kanye’s latest protégé recently released his Owl Pharoahmixtape, and this particular track was too good to pass up. “Dance on the Moon” has a very KidCudi-esque vibe to it, mostly thanks to TheophilusLondon‘s vocals on the chorus. The final track on our playlist might be the most upbeat (and the most random) of them all. Featuring the unlikely pairing of 2 Chainz and Macklemore, Clinton Sparks brings us an energetic number all about chasing paper and having a generally good time.All in all, it’s a perfect way to wrap things up.
We hope you guys enjoyed our tenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did! As always, you can send all of your submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com.
(As a bonus, I wanted to direction your attention to a fun little video I’ve included below. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will always have a special place in the hearts of all hip-hop fans, so I feel it’s my duty to alert you of any mini-reunions of the show’s cast.)
Out to claim his Southern rap throne, Mississippi emcee Big K.R.I.T. drops his long awaited mixtape, King Remembered in Time this week. Seizing creative control, the 17 track album is mostly produced and penned by the underground phenom, and is completely free. He teams with mega-producer 9th Wonder on “Life is a Gamble,” and collabs with rap veteran Bun B, along with fellow newcomers Wiz Khalifa, Trinidad Jame$, Future, and BJ the Chicago Kid.
K.R.I.T. definitely delivers on this mixtape and shows off his unique talent of mixing the ratchet, trunk popping tunes with intellectually witty rhymes. Be sure to download the free tape here and grab your tickets to his upcoming West Coast tour, starting this May.
’Big K.R.I.T. – Shine On Feat. Bun B (Prod. By Big K.R.I.T.)’
Mississippi’s Big K.R.I.T. has played an enormous role in both evolving the sound of southern hip-hop and bringing it back to center stage for fans around the world. On his latest single, he enlists one of the south’s most celebrated veterans in Bun B for a smooth, soulful sound. K.R.I.T., who also produced the track, flaunts his southern accent and vernacular on this one shining right aside a living legend. The steadily rising emcee manages to stay true to his roots, while creating music that is palatable to people of all generations and backgrounds.
“Shine On” is the first single off of Big K.R.I.T.’s upcoming album, King Remembered In Time (the acronym that makes up his name), and truly captures what makes him a unique artist. Enjoy and grab a free download below.
’Big K.R.I.T. – Shine On feat. Bun B (Prod. By Big K.R.I.T.)’
Dizzee Rascal and Bun B throwing down for “H Town”. This is off Dizzee’s new mixtape titled “Dirtee TV Vol. 2” up for free download by clicking here. This track is produced by the one our of favorites A-Trak, who is also accompanied by Oligee. No need to say anymore, just enjoy. Cheers.
’Dizzee Rascal & Bun B – H Town (Prod by A Trak & Oligee)’
As he gears up to release his debut album later this year, the veteran DJ Scream released this gem today featuring a trio of southern representatives over production from the rapidly rising Harry Fraud. On “Cassette Deck,” everything, from the smooth, jazzy instrumental to verses from Rick Ross, Underground King Bun B and southern mainstay Slim Thug, pays tribute to the legendary and deeply influential Pimp C. While references to the late, lean-sipping legend can at times come off as cheap and insincere, Scream recruits a prefect squad to create a genuine and tastefully done cut.
“Cassette Deck” literally screams trill ensuring we never forget Chad Butler’s legacy. Stream this single below and look out for DJ Scream’s album set to drop on November 20th on MMG/Warner Bros. Records.
’DJ Scream – Cassette Deck ft. Rick Ross, Bun B & Slim Thug’
