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)’
It’s only been a few days since the release of Janelle Monáe‘s sophomore album, The Electric Lady, but now we already have a remix to the album’s title track. Included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition available only at Target, this juiced up remake features some familiar faces like BigBoi, CeeLoGreen, and of course Solange, who was also on the original. The ATLiens lay down some pretty impressive bars alongside the ArchAndroid, making this a power anthem that’s guaranteed to last you through the weekend. If you dig this single, make sure to check out our album review before purchasing a copy for yourself.
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.)
T.I. comes through with his latest single, featuring The Voice‘s very own Cee Lo Green, and legendary production duo, The Neptunes. “Hello” seems to represent a new chapter in T.I.’s life, as visualized in the artwork for the track. The smooth track is all about looking forward towards the future and the road ahead, with a hook that instructs us to “Just keep going and don’t look back/And look forward from where you’re at/There’s some jealousy in your rearview/Hello, hello, hello.” It’s as though The King is ready to turn over a new leaf and move past some of his old Rubberband Man ways, while proving he’s still no stranger to hustling for his dough. TIP’s eight studio album, Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Heart, drops next Tuesday, December 18th.
In 2008, four well known and talented emcees banded together and decided to deliver some dope music that the rap game has been missing since the days of The Black Sheep or Leaders of the New School. Members Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Crooked I, and Royce da 5’9″ formed the group Slaughterhouse and recently have been dropping a mixture of singles and mixtapes that have kept their buzz heavy in the industry. With their newly-inked Shady/Interscope record’s deal, the rap supergroup step out into mainstream success on their debut album Welcome to: OUR HOUSE.
From the beginning, the album starts on that dark, crazy tone that is signature of Royce da 5’9″ and Em’s recent style with added hooks from the macabre Skylar Grey and the high-energy Busta Rhymes featured track “Coffin”. Quickly shifting from chainsaw and horror-movie themed tracks to the stripper-party inspired single “Throw That” ft. Eminem, OUR HOUSE fluctuates from raw underground vibe, real rap, and some commercial tracks but still manages to give each member their shine. While delivering well timed puns, in-verse rhymes, and metaphors, the lyrical content throughout the OUR HOUSE is top-notch.
Coupling dope lyrics with A-list production, it is clear that Slaughter House wanted to do the fans justice while elevating beyond just underground success. With a darker, drum-heavy AraabMuzik-produced beat on the street single “Hammerdance,” snare drum rhythms on the No I.D.-produced “Get Up,” and the radio-friendly Street Runner single “My Life” featuring Cee-Lo, to the intimate Boi-1da-produced single “Goodbye,” OUR HOUSE showcases a variety of content without sacrificing the group’s personal style of delivering real rap. Interestingly, during the album’s promotion, fans were even treated to exclusive releases on platforms like instantcasino.com, blending the worlds of music and online entertainment. While this album may not be the rap game’s “savior” LP, it is undeniably a strong return to the days of focusing on clever lyrics—regardless of content—paired with top-notch production, offering a refreshing take in an increasingly stagnant music industry.
Not many mashups make it to The Music Ninja but when DJ Earworm drops his massive yearly mashups, we just sit here in awe of his work. We hate mashups because many people can put two songs that song alike together, yet the amount of work gone into these United State of Pop must be a lot more than we can ever imagine. Yes all POP music might sound the same, and as much as we have bashed and continued to bash, at the end of the day it is still music and in some special way, it does make the world a better place.
Tracklist:
Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”
Adele – “Someone Like You”
Black Eyed Peas – “Just Can’t Get Enough”
Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song”
Britney Spears – “Till The World Ends”
Cee Lo Green – “Fuck You”
Enrique Iglesias – “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)”
Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
Jennifer Lopez – “On The Floor”
Jeremih feat. 50 Cent – “Down On Me”
Katy Perry – “Firework”
Katy Perry – “E.T.”
Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”
LMFAO – “Party Rock Anthem”
LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
Lupe Fiasco – “The Show Goes On”
Maroon 5 – “Moves Like Jagger”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
OneRepublic – “Good Life”
Pink – “Raise Your Glass”
Pitbull – “Give Me Everything”
Rihanna – “S&M”
Rihanna – “We Found Love”
No, I wont force you to listen to one of those overly saturated “electro” version of Cee-lo’s Fuck you mash ups that just doesn’t make sense. Not every single song needs to have an upbeat crazy bassline in order to shine at the dancefloor. This is where Le Castle Vania comes in. DJ Dylan Eiland aka Le Castle Vania just dropped a sexy disco funk dress that comfortably wraps around the tracks original curves, producing a much provocative remix ready to experience the nightlife.
