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. 4]

It’s hard to believe we’re already a month into this process as we present to you the fourth volume of The Hip-Hop Dojo. We’re really excited to bring you possibly our most unique lineup to date. We start things off with three talented femcees whose names should be familiar to loyal listeners out there, B Mac The QueenRapsody, and Nitty Scott MC. Last time we heard from B Mac, she was doing her thing alongside names like Rick RossRaekwon and Redman for HS87’s “Cypher.” Now she’s out to prove that she can hold a song down on her own, with her harrowing new single, “Always Knew.” Meanwhile, Jamla representative, Rapsody, hopes to make an “Everlasting” impression over some smooth Khrysis production. Nitty Scott wraps things up for the trio, demonstrating her flair for the “Language Arts,” over some whistling flutes (shout out to Kendrick).

We step into some old school territory with our next few tracks. Chicago’s Jarred A.G. proves he can rap circles around everyone else on “VerbalCursive,” just one standout from his recent Luxury Tax EP. Next, we move on to underground veterans, Massinfluence, who bring us the self-titled single, “Massinfluential.” Produced by Circa 94, the track actually feels like it was pulled straight out of that era, save for a few tweaks that give it a more modern flair. On “Live From Kissena Blvd,” Action “Bam Bam” Bronson lays down some lick bars over some blaring, boom bap grooves, courtesy of Statik Selektah.

Our next group features a few stories that really tug at your heartstrings. Two of the most powerful tracks deal with the theme of death. Emilio Rojas reflects on the untimely passing of his dear friend and hip-hop visionary, Chris Lighty. The most impactful song of them all, comes in the form of Mike Stud‘s “Past Gone” which deals with his relationship with a fan on the brink of suicide. It’s a truly touching story that reveals how Mike was able to help save her life, and recover from her insecurities. You’ll have to watch the video to get the full effect. Lorenzo Asher‘s “The Color of Ignorance” discusses the challenges of maintaining an interracial relationship, especially when coming from two very different cultures. It definitely does a much better job of approaching race relations than that LL Cool J and Brad Paisley track that dropped earlier this week. Rounding things out, we have “Long Day” from Phil The Thrill. Utilizing an appropriate sample of Maroon 5‘s “Sad,” Phil sheds light on some of the stresses involved with being an independent rapper.

The last batch of tracks doesn’t really have a recurring theme, but they feature a talented group of young emcees flaunting their skills. “24K” features rap duo Square Off, sons of rap legend Doug E. Fresh, spitting some dope bars alongside A$AP Rocky over a chopped up sample of MGMT‘s “Electric Feel.” Neako’s “Hot Boys 3000” will have you nodding your head from start to finish, with the pauses in the beat really emphasizing each and every lyric. Finally, the most unique track comes in the form of Smokey Robotic‘s rim shattering “Gandhi.” We’re not sure the legendary leader would ever approve of the track, but we’d love to see his reaction to this bizarre dedication.

We hope you guys enjoyed our fourth 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

’B Mac The Queen – Always Knew’
’Rapsody – Everlasting (Produced by Khrysis)’
’Nitty Scott MC  – Language Arts (Produced by Good Reverend Dr.)’
’Jarred A.G. – VerbalCursive (prod. Samiyam)’
’Mass Influence – Massinfluential’
’Action Bronson – Live From Kissena Blvd (Prod. Statik Selektah)’
’Corner Boy P – 1997 (feat. Curren$y)’
’GrandeMarshall – Mugga Man (Feat Mugga Mar the 1st Lady of The Petty Boyz)’
’Rittz
Switch Lanes feat. Mike Posner’
’Zilla Rocca & The Shadowboxers – Stormy Monday (feat. The Kid Daytona & Has Lo)’
Emilio Rojas – Can’t Sleep’
’Lorenzo Asher – The Color Of Ignorance feat. XV’
’Mike Stud – Past Gone (prod. by Judge & Swedes)’
’Phil The Thrill – Long Day’
’Square Off – 24K (Feat. A$AP Rocky)’
’Von P – Address’
’Marcè Reazon
Rain (feat. Euro League)’
’Airline Jay – Let Her Choose (feat. Dao Jones) (Prod. Kyle Powis)’
’Neako – Hot Boys 3000 ft. Nasa & Fresh Moss’
’Smokey Robotic – Gandhi’
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