The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 7]

What up ninjas? We’re really excited to be bringing you the seventh edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. This week’s collection leans a little towards the younger side, with a terrific assortment of raw, up and coming artists and burgeoning underground acts. We start things off on a rather mellow note, as Dally Auston and Joey Purp “do their thang” on the compulsory SAVEMONEY track of the week. The Chicago collective is constantly working to provide us with quality material week after week, and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with their product. We then slide on over to Tennessee native, Isaiah Rashad’s “Part III,” presumably a reference to Jay-Z‘s classic, “Dead Presidents II.” Those are huge shoes to fill, but Rashad definitely holds his own over the instrumental. Next up, we have Locksmith standing his ground over some stellar 9th Wonder production. It’s nearly impossible to hate anything 9th is involved in, and Locksmith does his part by providing some ill bars. Over some swinging production, Joey Bada$$ and Action Bronson prove “Beyond A Reasonable Doubt” that they deserve to be mentioned alongside the brightest young names in hip-hop.

With summer right around the corner, we decided to dedicate a portion of this playlist to our favorite season of the year. Kicking things off with the breezy vibes are Kool A.D. (of Das Racist fame) and Kassa Overall who make up the tag team duo of Kool & Kass. On “Pleasance,” the two emcees detail some of the thoughts that might circle through your brain during one of those late summer afternoons. One thing everybody looks for during this time of the year is summer love. N’Vante Santos describes his ideal specimen with the fun and hilarious single, “Hipster Girl.” By now you must have pictured the scorching sun beating down on you from above, so why not cool off with a delicious, refreshing beverage? NatNaiel proves that nothing beats the quintessential tall glass of “Lemon-Aid.” Before you know it, you’ll find yourself at the beach, ready to “Take Off” for a dip in the ocean. Let the waves wash over as you relax to UK native, Cynikal‘s ambient, relaxing new single. Once you’re out of the water, it might be time to kick “your shoes” off (if would be weird if you haven’t already) and start a party alongside ATL’s Scotty. Things have progressed pretty fast thus far, and the clock’s now hit “6:10 PM.” What better things do you have to do than toking up a bit and cruising down the coast in your whip (as long as you’re not the driver of course)? We’re pretty sure Chitown’s A.J. Crew would agree nothing. Finally, after that busy day of yours, why not unwind with a few videogames? Maybe you could even dust off that Pokemon cartridge to play on your old “Gameboi.” On “Insert Coin,” Gameboi and his crew of Clear Soul Forces and Illingsworth lace an 8-bit backdrop with some incredibly ill verses.

Things definitely take a turn for the darker side with our next three tracks. Chuck Inglish, crafts together a slinky, trunk rattling new single with bass-heavy “Drops.” The track definitely harkens back to the sound Inglish first established during his early days with The Cool Kids.  Next up, we have a haunting new Harry Fraud single, which brings to our attention the little known issue of “Yacht Lash,” something that occurs when the wealthy among us happent to crash their yachts. Earl Sweatshirt sounds right at home over the brooding instrumental, while Riff Raff seems to serve as little more than comedic relief. We then move on to Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, who details his desire to forever be “Draped In Gold.”

Our next segment is dedicated to some heavy hitting bangers that are bound to get you amped up and out of your seats. Opening things up is Run The Jewels, a hip-hop duo comprised of Killer Mike and El-P. The two have proven they have chemistry in the past, which is what makes this collaboration seem effortless as the two trade bars over some manic production. Our second offering comes from P-Money, with his new song, “The Hardest.” The track definitely lives up to its name, thanks in no small part to M.O.P., who are literally the kings of hyped-up music. Closing things up in this section is R.A. The Rugged Man, who’s been bringing us quality material all month from his new album, Legends Never Die, which is definitely worth picking up.

This next ensemble of tracks keeps things on a more conscious tip. We begin with two fresh tracks from Eddy B, a name that should be familiar from previous editions of The Hip-Hop Dojo. The North Carolina spitter just dropped his Hopeless Act mixtape, and both “Paper” and “Trouble” are standouts from the project. While the first track describes the daily struggles involved in the quest for paper, the second describes many of the other problems on Eddy’s block. While Eddy recounts his experiences locally, King Wojack decides to tackle some prominent issues ailing this country as a whole in regards to politics and the media. Finally, A.Jay.D. and Maffew Ragazino take us down a trip through “Ghost Lane Drive,” a lonely road that I’m sure many of us have traveled on before.

Rounding out this playlist are three of my favorite tracks from the bunch. All three of them utilize some pretty recognizable samples. In fact, I’ll let you see if you can guess them before I move on. The first one should be relatively easy, as it shares its name with the original Purity Ring single. Angel Haze absolutely murders the lush, cascading backdrop, allowing us to view the song in a whole new light. Next, we shift our attention over to Donwill (1/2 of Tanya Morgan) who eviscerates a keen sample of James Blake‘s “Retrograde.” Ending out our playlist is one of the funnier and more intelligent pieces we have here. MeLo-X produces a nice little ode to Rihanna that serves as a remix of Drake‘s latest single, while also interpolating elements from “Pour It Up” and “Diamonds.” The track isn’t all gimmicks however, as MeLo is able to showcase both his talents as a rhymer and as a producer.

We hope you guys enjoyed our seventh edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did. As always, send all submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS

’Dally Auston x Joey Purp
Do Ya’ Thang’
’Isaiah Rashad – Part III (Prod. The Antydote)’
’Locksmith – Stand It feat. Anesha (prod. 9th Wonder)’
’Joey Bada$$ – Beyond A Reasonable Doubt Feat. Action Bronson’
’Kool & Kass – Pleasance (WDGAF) (Prod. Carlos Overall)’
’N’Vante Santos
Hipster Girl’
’NatNaiel – Lemon Aid’
’Cynikal – Take Off’
’A.J. Crew – 6:10pm’
’Scotty – My Shoes ft. Starlito & Killa Kyleon (Produced by DJ Burn One)’
’Gameboi – Insert Coin ft. Clear Soul Forces & Illingsworth’
’Chuck Inglish – Drops’
’Harry Fraud – Yacht Lash (Ft. Earl Sweatshirt & Riff Raff)’
’Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – Draped in Gold (prod. by Bowery Beats)’
’Run The Jewels – Get It’
’P.Money – The Hardest ft. M.O.P.’
’R.A. The Rugged Man – Sam Peckinpah (ft. Vinnie Paz & Sadat X)’
’Eddy B – Paper’
’Eddy B – Trouble’
’King Wojack – Freedom Is Not Free in America’
’A.Jay.D – Ghost Lane Drive feat. Maffew Ragazino’
’Angel Haze – Lofticries’
’Donwill – Miserable (Prod. By seventyMHz)’
’MeLo X – Girls Love Rihanna’
Related items:

The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 2]

Welcome back to the Hip-Hop Dojo! It seems just like yesterday we put up the first edition of this humble playlist, but we have all this awesome music to remind of us the time that’s passed. This week’s lineup features some true lyrical wordsmiths, from veterans like Talib Kweli and Ras Kass, to youngsters like Kendrick Lamar and Joey Purp. Although we’re only in our second week, a few artists are already making reappearances like the aforementioned Joey Purp, as well as STSSahtyre, King Chip, and Termanology. Since last week’s post ran a little lengthy, we’ve tried to shorten things by highlighting some of the standout material.

We start things off this week with a more conscious vibe. While up-and-comer Eddy B sheds light on some of his harsh realities growing up, Talib and R.A. The Rugged Man take us for a tour around the globe, exploring atrocities many of us may not have been aware of. Meanwhile, ¡Mayday! frontman Wrekonize also provides us with some insight to personal struggles of his own, and the reasons for his “Anxiety Attacks.”

Toning things down in the next section, we’ve assembled a nice collection of songs to share with your other half. One of the most notable items is “Natural Spring Water” from 2AM Club, who flaunt their roots in multiple genres alongside Wichita native, XV. We also have a few recognizable faces in here too. With Tyga & Chris Brown‘s “Fuck For The Road” comes a story of redemption and renewal, while The World Famous Tony Williams and his (arguably more famous) crew of Kanye WestKing Chip, and Freddie Gibbs, assemble together for a remix of his ode to that special someone. Lastly, we have a new cut from some TMN favorites, THEBLKHANDS, who utilize a brilliant sample of The xx‘s “Angels” to introduce us to the darker side of love.

The next section just features some good old-fashioned trash talking, a language that’s clearly spoken worldwide as evidenced by our inclusion of London-based ItsNate on the remix of his hit record, “WSLTA” which stands for “Where She Learnt That At.” We also get some outstanding verses from the likes of Joey Purp, GQ, Rapsody, Rocki Evans, Blu, and Smoke DZA along with his new R.F.C. crew. Old-fashioned wasn’t just a figure of speech either, as just about all of these tracks have some ill, old-school vibes to them.

As always, we also have a few cuts ideal for listening between 4:19 and 4:21. B.I.C.‘s spaced-out “DOPM” is definitely a standout in that category. Credit is definitely due to Chuk Le Garcon, who creates a trippy, ethereal beat for the boys to spit on. We can’t forget to give props to Ras Kass for coming up with the possible line of the week on Termanology’s “We Stay High,” spitting, “I’ll put a rapper in a wheelchair like Degrassi.” Sahtyre‘s got a real banger for the second week in a row, with his powerful new single, “Gettin High.”

Speaking of bangers, we’ve got a real treat for you with our next two songs, both featuring prominent samples. While STS definitely does his thing over Kavinsky‘s “Odd Look,” Zak Downtown and Murda Mook absolutely tear apart TNGHT‘s “Higher Ground.” Finally, we decided we’d wrap things up with some uplifting music. “Jordan vs Bird” is a triumphant song from Puck, a unique rapper, who proves he won’t let being resigned to a wheelchair prevent him from taking the court.

I hope you guys enjoyed our second edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. As always, if you have any suggestions or submissions, feel free to send them over to baseer@themusicninja.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS

’Eddy B – Hope’
’Gee Watts – Watts R.I.O.T. Ft. Kendrick Lamar (Prod. by Sounwave)’
’R.A. The Rugged Man – Learn Truth (ft. Talib Kweli)’
’Wrekonize – Anxiety Attacks’
’2AM Club – Natural Spring Water feat. XV’
’Tyga – Fuck For The Road ft. Chris Brown’
’Tony Williams – Another You (Remix) ft. Kanye West, King Chip & Freddie Gibbs’
’THEBLKHANDS – In Love (Feat. Kembe X)’
’Joey Purp – Don’t Stop (Prod. Thelonious Martin)’
’GQ – I Know Feat. Rapsody & Rocki Evans (Produced by Khrysis)’
’Smoke DZA – Ghost Of Dipset (Prod. Thelonious Martin)’
’R.F.C. (NYMLo, Den10 & Smoke DZA) – Slave To The Wave (Prod. By 183rd)’
’ItsNate – WSLTA (Remix) Feat. G FrSH, Catch’Em x Phaze One’
’Blu & Bombay – Dre Day’
’Termanology – We Stay High (Feat. Ras Kass & Wais P) (Prod. Statik Selektah)’
’B.I.C. – DOPM (Prod. By Chuk Le Garcon)’
’Sahtyre – Gettin’ High’
’Zak Downtown – Don’t Blow My High ft. Murda Mook’
’STS – Odd Look’
’Puck – Jordan Vs Bird’
Related items: