The Hip-Hop Dojo [Vol. 3]

What up y’all? The Hip-Hop Dojo is back for round 3 and ready to bring you an onslaught of new hip-hop music. This week was dominated by Harry Fraud and Peter Rosenberg. With Rosenberg dropping his New York Renaissance mixtape today, we were provided with a slew of great releases from some of The Big Apple’s best and brightest young emcees. The intro to the tape, is also the first collaboration between Joey Bada$$ and Harry Fraud. “Day In The Life” showcases that throwback flow that Joey and his Pro Era crew have been perfecting since they first entered the game. On the next track from the compilation, Queens collective, World’s Fair, revive the gritty spirit of the ’96 Knicks, harkening back to the heated rivalry between two of the NBA’s toughest squads of the late 90’s. The last single from the tape is Action Bronson‘s “Compliments 2 The Chef” where he spits a few bars about his favorite subject: exquisite food. Anyone else think a remix with Raekwon is in order for this one?

Speaking of New York, we’ve included a nice little project from Jay Shell that all you hip-hop heads will definitely enjoy. Taking quotes from various rap songs about specific spots in NYC, Jay Shell then posted those quotes as signs around the city in the exact locations mentioned. It’s a pretty neat idea that really connects you with the artists and the meaning behind their lyrics. Check out the video after the playlist.

Before we even get to New York though, we have to travel through Chicago. While Martin $ky tries to capture his memories in the form of a “Polaroid,” SaveMoney‘s Sterling Hayes recruits D2G and Kembe X to reflect on some of their own. We then take a brief detour to the Southwest, to visit a “Church” in “West Texas” as Austin native M.I and Blu reveal their struggles with faith. Next up, we have a great new track from California’s Audio Push, who sample the most badass quote of all time, from the greatest show on television, Breaking Bad.

Our next two tracks may have the illest beats to be featured on here this week. The first of these comes in the form of Smith‘s “Don Sh*t”. Smith, who may want to consider using with a more distinctive moniker, absolutely murders the Woodro Skillson (now that’s an awesome name) produced cut alongside Maffew Ragazino. Following that up, we have a dope, chilled-out track from Al-Fatir , where he describes to us the life of a “Man From The Sky.” We also have “Bubble Gum Blues,” a Mac Miller produced cut that features Top Dawg’s Ab-Soul trading bars with Young Money’s Short Dawg. Making his third appearance in the Dojo, is King Chip, with the grimy new track, “Heinous.” At this point, we might as well just give him a key to the building. We’ll have to see if he keeps his streak going next week.

As we approach the home stretch, we decided to take a turn a more “fun” approach towards the remainder of our selections. Wale‘s freestyle over the group’s “Sight of the Sun” definitely fits the bill, and is a refreshing break from the MMG dynamic we’ve been hearing from the DMV native lately. Sol‘s “Dope” is a light and airy track that definitely lives up to its name. Next up, we have Outasight‘s “Remember Me” which is a smooth leftover from his debut album, Nights Like These. Finally, we wrap things up with a two-for-one with Honors English‘s “Insanity Plea Pt. 1 & 2.” Honors English describes life as an artist with integrity and consequently, an outsider looking in. What originally sold me on the track is the incredible lyrics video, which is definitely a must watch.

I hope you guys enjoyed the third edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo. As always, send all submissions and suggestions over to baseer@themusicninja.com.

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE FREE TRACKS

’Martin $ky – Polaroid’

’Sterling Hayes – Retrospect ft. D2G x Kembe X (prod. Antydote)’
’Joey Bada$$ – “Day In The Life” (Prod. By Harry Fraud)’
’World’s Fair – ’96 Knicks !!’
’M.I – Church West Texas (ft. Blu)’
’Audio Push – Red Wine Remedies (Feat. Kent M$ney)’
’Eddie B feat. AG Da Coroner & Meyhem Lauren – “Michael Landon” (Prod. By Harry Fraud)’
’Action Bronson – Compliments 2 The Chef feat. Lauriana Mae (Prod. by Harry Fraud)’
’ScienZe – The Answer (prod. Lord Quest)’
’Young Roddy – Life Ft Curren$y’
’Rome Cee x Greenspan – The Harvest (prod. August Flight Gordon)’
’OnCue – Live Forever (feat. Skizzy Mars) (prod. by Mike Kuz)’
’Smith – Don Sh*t (feat. Maffew Ragazino) (Prod. Woodro Skillson)’
’Al Fatir – Man From The Sky’
’Ab Soul & Short Dawg – Bubble Gum Blues (prod. Larry Fisherman)’
’King Chip – Heinous ft. Tezo’
’Sol – Dope (Prod. by The Zillas)’
’fun. – Sight of the Sun Freestyle Ft. Wale’
’Outasight – Remember Me’
’Honors English
Insanity Plea ft. Joe Budden Part 1 and 2 (The Complete Saga)’

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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’
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