[Hip-Hop] Hodgy Beats – Dena Tape 2 (Mixtape)

Long-time Odd Future fans may remember Hodgy Beats‘s Dena Tape as one of the strongest projects to come out during the crew’s breakout years. Since that time, aside from a few solo releases, Hodgy has focused mainly on his collaborative MellowHigh and MellowHype projects with consistently solid results. Yesterday, Hodgy returned as a solo act in full force with Dena Tape 2. Keeping the vocal features to a minimum, Beats lets his quick-hitting, gritty delivery and lyrics take front and center over productions from Hit-BoyLeft BrainLakim, Marvel Alexander and more. Hodgy also holds his own over the instrumentals for Kendrick Lamar‘s “Sing About Me, I’m Dying for Thirst” and Outkast‘s “Aquemini.” This project definitely has a more cohesive feel than its predecessor displaying Hodgy’s growth artistically, both from a delivery perspective and content-wise. Give our favorite tracks a listen and, if you like what you hear, you can grab the whole mixtape for free at the link below:

Hodgy Beats – Dena Tape 2

’Hodgy Beats – Cudda Been’
’Hodgy Beats – Wild Boy’
’Hodgy Beats – Miyagi’s Prime’
’Hodgy Beats – New Balance Ft. Domo Genesis’
’Hodgy Beats – FREEALLMYNIGGAS’
Related items:

[Hip-Hop] MellowHigh – Extinguisher

Mellowhigh
Extinguisher

Last month we were introduced to MellowHigh, the newest subgroup within the Odd Future Collective. While the pieces may be familiar, the music has all been incredibly fresh so far. “Extinguisher” seems like an appropriate title for this new heater, because that’s exactly what you’ll need after you hear the fiery verses from Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats on this cut. Both emcees channel their inner M.O.P. as they bring an endless amount of energy to the blaring, boom bap instrumental provided by Left Brain. Check out the single above, while the video for another one of recent tracks, “Yu,” can be found below.  The trio’s self-titled debut is set for release on Halloween.

Related items:

[Hip-Hop] Tyler, The Creator – Look (Feat. Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt)

Tyler, The Creator
Look (Feat. Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt) (Prod. by Nottz)

Just when you thought it was finally safe, Tyler, The Creator and his Odd Future crew decide to swoop in and make sure you’re taking a second “Look” before you try to cross them. Presumably feeling a little left out of the conversation lately, Tyler teams up with three of his finest running mates–Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, and Earl Sweatshirt–to bring us an absolutely nasty banger here . The brand new track features the West Coast emcees trading bars over a dusty Nottz produced instrumental, where each member brings their best cards to the table, making it tough to decide who comes out on top. Instead of debating though, it might just be best to enjoy the single for what it is, and leave the discussion for another day. There’s no indication on where this will end up, but let’s hope that this is the first indication of that EarlWolf album that was hinted at earlier this year.

Related items:

[Hip-Hop] MellowHigh – In The Meantime (Prod. Thelonious Martin)

MellowHigh
In The Meantime (Prod. Thelonious Martin)

It can take some effort to keep track of all the groups within the Odd Future collective, but if there’s one thing you can always be certain of, no matter who’s making the music, it’s guaranteed to be dope. “In The Meantime,” just so who you know we’re dealing with here, I’ll let give you a little background on this group within a group within a group. MellowHigh consists of MellowHype (Hodgy BeatsLeft Brain) and Domo Genesis. While the trio usually relies on Left Brain to produce their material, this time around they reached out to Chitown’s Thelonious Martin to help them develop a polished and mature sound. The atmospheric instrumental is absolutely perfect for Hodgy and Domo to flex their mystifying flows, but the production also falls right in line with the SAVEMONEY beat maker’s signature sound. If this is what MellowHigh has in store for us when their self-titled album drops on October 31st, then we’re in for a real treat.

Related items:

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)’
Related items:

The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 11]

What up ninjas? Today we’re looking to start your June off the right way with a fresh edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. We’ve stacked together one of the largest hauls we’ve ever had, making this quite the exciting week for new music. Given that this week’s playlist boasts a whopping 36 tracks, I won’t be detailing every track on here, but I’ll do my best to sum up the highlights.

We kick things off with the whimsical ode to everyone’s second favorite Peanuts character, “Charlie Brown.” Taking on the perspective of the beloved loner, ScienZe and Blu bring us a charming feel-good single complete with plenty of references to the cartoon. Our next selection focuses on Kel’s favorite subject, as Chicago’s Vic Mensa tells us exactly why he shares that same love for “Orange Soda.” We keep things local to Chitown with the homie Jahzel who hopes to clue us into what the next “Chapter” of his life will entail. One of the most impressive submissions of the week comes from Brooklyn’ King Jul who absolutely shreds apart a familiar sample of Kool & The Gang‘s classic “Summer Madness.”

Moving on, we welcome the return of Jadakiss with his brand new single, “Big Boy Dialogue” alongside The-Dream. While Kiss hasn’t had a hit in quite awhile unfortunately, he’s still out to prove that he’s Top 5, Dead or Alive, which happens to be the name of his upcoming album. Meanwhile, we bring back Al-Fatir for his second appearance in The Hip-Hop Dojo, this time to discuss his dream of finally making it big. Tito Lopez and Jon Connor are two other veterans of the Dojo who are really just “Tryna Get On” with their lives as they continue on their endless hustle. Joey Bada$$ upholds that “Word Is Bond” with the first single from his upcoming Summer Knights project, set to drop on June 12th.

KRBL Rebel Radio reduce all other emcees to “Dust” when they step up to the mic. Need more proof? Check out their self-titled debut album here. One of this week’s most intelligent tracks comes in the form of “80-D” from St. Louis beat maestro Mvstermind. In case you missed the worldplay in the song’s title, “80-D” really stands for A.D.D. which also happens to be the title of Mvstermind’s latest project, A.D.D. (Artistically Day Dreaming); check it out here. If you’re in need of a relaxing number to start off your weekends this summer, look no further than Witty Rock‘s “Morning Breath,” one of many standout tracks from his recently released EP of the same name. One of this week’s most original pieces comes to us from indie rock outfit, The Neighbourhood. “West Coast” serves as a stark contrast to anything heard on the band’s much lauded debut, I Love You, yet it still fits perfectly within the realm of their musical sound. The laidback number hearkens back to West Coast hip-hop influences of the 90’s like The Pharcyde and Dr. Dre, with lead singer Jesse Rutherford trying his hand on the mic as an emcee.

Another artist making his second mark on The Hip-Hop Dojo this week is wordsmith Martin $ky with two exceptional new joints, “TRACK O1” and “critiCALI.” Both cuts serve as a reminder that Martin is clearly one of the top young emcees in the game. With his latest single, Odd Future’s Hodgy Beats invites us to take a crucial step back and envision where our lives will be “Years” from now. Given that today is the first of June, who better to help us ring in the start of the month than a man who derives his moniker from the name of the month itself? June brings us his latest joint straight from the “Gutta,” alongside his talented brother Teddy Walton who handles the production duties. Over the last few weeks we’ve been impressed with the output from J. Cole‘s Dreamvillain imprint, most notably from NYC’s Bas. Now Omen is primed to display his talents over the guitar-driven “Medusa.” If there’s one thing you take away from this song it’s that “Death to the duckface” should be an actual movement.

It’s not very often that you hear about emcees from Seattle, but once in awhile a special one will emerge from the underground depths of the Pacific Northwest. With his raspy, guttural voice and exasperating flow Raz Simone falls somewhere between Macklemore and Gorilla Zoe, though making such easy comparisons may seem a little lazy. “These Kids Throw Rocks” takes a little while to grow on you, but after a few listens, you’ll realize this one easily shines among the collection of singles we have today. We’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Hayk, a 22 year old emcee hailing from Watertown, MA. An Armenian refugee, Hayks’ first two singles here serve as his comeback  to the rap game after being assaulted while promoting his mixtape in Boston three years ago. It’s a sad story that resulted in the young rapper having to get a metal plate inserted into his jaw, and he details his experiences in both “A Sad Song” and “Fly Away.”

Childish Major is proving to be one of the most gifted young producers out there, and he puts his raw talents on display once again with Nemo Achida‘s “Slave To The Wave.” Nemo is no slouch either, blessing the instrumental with his infectious, head-bopping flow. Last week we alluded to the possibility of Da YoungFellaz stretching their run in The Hip-Hop Dojo to three weeks straight. Well the duo heeded our calls by dropping “Welcome To NYC Part II,” which serves as a makeshift sequel to the Hov and Killa Cam classic. It would be fair to say they far exceeded our expectations with this one. With their latest collaboration, Sir Michael Rocks and Mac Miller look to introduce us to the “Madness” that accompanies life in the fast lane. Speaking of madness, Mac’s new single with Diplo is just about as crazy as it gets, as he spits over some blaring horns sampled from the song, “Bulgarian Chicks.” Diplo never ceases to amaze and perplex us. Our next piece comes from hard-hitting twosome Run The Jewels. Maybe it’s from all the Arrested Development I’ve been watching lately, but for some reason the title “Banana Clipper” instantly reminded me of this scene right here. THURZ provides a little fuel to all the Illuminati conspiracy buffs as he bodies the otherworldly beat on “ThirdEye.”

When Windy City representative Wonda says “Please Don’t Listen To This Song,” he’s being serious; he’d rather have you watch the music video instead. This certified banger’s visuals might be the most random you’ll witness all year, but that’s exactly why they add to the charm of the song, which doesn’t really take things too seriously. It’s almost freaky just how talented Wrekonize and Tech N9ne are as they absolutely eviscerate every instrumental they touch, this one included. We then take things over to The Kings Dead who seem to be settling in nicely to their new moniker bringing  us the cinematic cut, “Over Dinner.” Finally, we wrap things up with ScHoolboy who gets us ready for the party of a lifetime with “Hell Of A Night.” ScHoolboy’s upcoming major label debut, Oxymoron, is easily one of our most anticipated of the year.

We hope you guys enjoyed our eleventh 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

’ScienZe – Charlie Brown feat. Blu (prod. EOM)’
’Vic Mensa – Orange Soda’
’Jahzel – Chapters’
’Kahali Oden – 80 Proof Diaries (prod. by Willie Staxx)’
’King Jul – Whatever’
’Jadakiss – Big Boy Dialogue ft. The Dream’
’Al Fatir – One Man’s Dream’
’Tito Lopez – Tryna Get On (feat. Jon Connor)’
’Joey Bada$$ – Word Is Bond (Prod. Statik Selektah)’
’KRBL Rebel Radio – Dust’
’Mvstermind – 80D (Ft AtM,Lyrique, Ciej, Sixella Yoccum)’
’Witty Rock – Morning Breath’
’The Neighbourhood – West Coast’
’Martin $ky – TRACK 01 (Prod. by Knxledge)’
’Martin $ky – critiCALI (Prod. by Mndsgn)’
’Hodgy Beats – Years’
’June – Gutta (Prod. Teddy Walton)’
’Omen – Medusa’
’Raz Simone – These Kids Throw Rocks’
’Notes To Self – Recoil (Crimson)’
’Hayk x dFresh – A Sad Song (prod. EVO Productions)’
’Hayk – Fly Away (prod. EVO Productions)’
’Nemo Achida – Slave To The Wave (Intro)’
’Calliko – High Life (prod. by Luxury)’
’Tory Lanez – Fourteen & 40’s (Prod. The Mekanics x Tory Lanez)’
’Da YoungFellaz – Welcome To NYC Part II (feat. Crome)’
’Sir Michael Rocks – Madness Feat. Mac Miller (Prod Syk Sense)’
’Mac Miller x Diplo – Goosebumps’
’Run The Jewels – Banana Clipper feat Big Boi’
’THURZ  – ThirdEye (prod. by KHAN)’
’Olu – Nwanko’
’Wonda – Please Don’t Listen To This Song’
’Doley Bernays – Blessed’
’Wrekonize – Freak (Feat. Tech N9ne)’
’The Kings Dead – Over Dinner’
’ScHoolboy Q – Hell Of A Night (Prod. By DJ Dahi)’
Related items:

[Video] Tyler, The Creator – IFHY (Feat. Pharrell)

’Tyler, The Creator – IFHY ft. Pharrell’
’Tyler, The Creator – Jamba ft. Hodgy Beats’

Whenever we get new Odd Future material like this, it makes us pause and wonder what exactly goes through Tyler, The Creator‘s mind. It seems like we say this about almost every new video from the Wolf Gang leader, but this is definitely his most unique piece to date. The visuals for “IFHY” takes place in what could be described as a twisted and demented version of Barbie’s dollhouse. It’s kind of like what you’d expect from Sid from Toy Story, but without all the deformed toy parts.

During the video, we find an emotionally distraught Tyler struggling with his emotions as he chases a clearly distant girlfriend around the house. Before things can finally change for the troubled couple though, a human hand intervenes and ends things on a very sour note. It doesn’t take long for you to get over the momentary depression, as Tyler quickly shifts the mood over with the more upbeat “Jamba” featuring running mate Hodgy Beats. With these 2 releases it looks like Wolf is shaping up to be an impressive sophomore effort. But why wait to find out? You can catch the FULL STREAM of the album on SoundCloud before it hits stores on April 2nd.

Related items: