Guess who’s baaaaaaccckk? Did you miss me? The Hip-Hop Dojo’s finally ready to reopen its doors for business, and I’ve got plenty to share with you today. I’ve traveled far and wide, sailed across the seven seas, climbed the highest peaks, and braved the hottest deserts to hone my craft, learning from the very best, meditating, and planning my return (basically picture the whole training sequence from Batman Begins). In all honesty though, I appreciate your patience over the last few months, and hope I can finally get back on my grind to deliver you the freshest hip-hop product on a consistent basis.
So without further ado, let’s get this party started. This very special fifteenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo features plenty of familiar names, from hip-hop heavyweights like Eminem, BustaRhymes, Q-Tip, Raekwon and KendrickLamar, to Dojo frequenters like KingsDead, MeLo-X,AudioPush, Tito Lopez, andDevineCarama, . We’ve even got a few fresh faces for y’all like MichaelChristmas, DomMcLennon, ALa$ole, GoldLink, and FrescoNerd. Given the sheer size of our comeback playlist (over 45 tracks!), I’ll keep it light on the words this week to conserve your precious time and keep you focused on the music. However, if you like what you hear from any of these artists and want to check out any relevant projects from them, I’ll include a link roll below.
We hope you guys enjoyed our fifteenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did! As always, you can send all submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com and ash@themusicninja.com.
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.)
While last week’s playlist managed to keep things on the lighter side in preparation for the summer, this week’s load is a bit heavier. Featuring a wide array of crafty wordsmiths and lyrical masterminds, the eight edition of the Hip-Hop Dojo is bound to get your head nodding and your mind racing. While I won’t be elaborating on every track this week, please note that we do have quite a bit of diversity in this group. Most of the names on this list should be familiar to you already, but there are a few newcomers this time around too.
First off, we’d like to welcome you to “Get Inspired” by 16 year-old rap phenom, AkonoMiles. Over a soulful sample of JamesBrown‘s “Sunny“, the eager young emcee shows us he knows just how to have fun, while also displaying skills far beyond his years. Another new name to the mix is NikeNando, who lets us know exactly why he’s not one to be messed with. The SAVEMONEY crew makes a return this week as well, providing a brand new song “For The People.” This was definitely a stellar week for Chitown’s TheloniousMartin, who put his production skills to the test on a multitude of different tracks, including Naledge‘s “Arthur Agee Freestyle” and Alex Wiley‘s “Icky Woods.”
The title of this week’s most unique sound might go to WeekendMoney, as Ne$$ tries to exorcise his inner “Demons” over some creepy, lurching production courtesy of Baghdaddy. A-1 might have the strongest track in this week’s lineup though, with “Summertime Sadness.” Spitting over the RyanHemsworth remix to the LanaDelRey single of the same name, A-1 takes the song’s title to heart, highlighting the spike in violence that occurs in Oakland as a result of the scorching heat of the summer. On “Ol’ Skool Pontiac,” Jeremih tries his hand at the rap game, opting for a more chopped and screwed, Houston sound alongside BigSean and PaulWall. We’ve got a few more bangers right beside that one as well with A.J. Crew‘s “Don’t Ask Me (Crafty)” and “Hate Me On The Low” from ToryLanez. 2Chainz and WizKhalifa bring us the theme song for Fast & Furious 6, with “We Own It,” a song that seems more appropriate for Eminem and 50Cent circa 2005. Finally, we end things off with Yonas, who invites us to “Feel The Love” over a sample of Rudimental‘s single of the same name.
We hope you guys enjoyed our eight edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did. As always, send all submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com.
Legendary emcee Styles P has been taken an indie approach to the game these days. From working with rising internet stars like Azealia Banks on “Nathan” to dope lyricist Action Bronson, SP the ghost is beginning to appeal to a new rap generation. With the release of the AraabMuzik produced single “Araab Styles” off his new LP The World’s Most Hardest MC Project, Philly indie/hip-hop artist Lushlife remixed and renamed it “Lush Styles”. Adding a hazy and atmospheric new beat while keeping P’s dope verses, the mix is sick. Be sure to check it out below.
As promised, and right in time for Halloween, Curren$y drops off his latest project. While many highly anticipate his upcoming mixtape with Wiz Khalifa, this along with Cabin Fever 2 should help hold fans over. Priest Andretti continues Spitta’s experimentation with different types of beats and flows. The at times ominous production seems fitting for its release date and the NOLA based artist demonstrates his always entertaining and creative delivery. Check out a few of our favorite tracks below and grab the whole thing free here: Curren$y – Priest Andretti.
Hardly a month after his album release, Curren$y teams up with the emerging producer Harry Fraud for a free, five track project . Once again, I find myself amazed at Spitta’s ability to release quality music at such an impressive pace. Harry Fraud, with his smooth, epic sound, has proven himself one of the most exciting young producers in hip-hop. Look out for his name over the next couple months and in the meantime enjoy some free music from the Jets first thing in the morning. Stream the tracks below and download the whole EP for free here.
Hot sensation Azealia Banks is back with yet another new track, and like her previous releases, ‘Nathan’ is a belter. Drums Of Death provide jittery electro beats, allowing Ms Banks to unleash her slick flow and drive up the pace of the track. The legendary Styles P guests, making ‘Nathan’ one of Azealia’s most exciting tracks to date. Stay tuned for more from the Harlem dance-rap queen.
