It’s hard to deny that BigSean is one of the hardest workers in the game. How else could you explain his steady ascent to the top of the charts over the last few years? Now Sean wants to share in the wealth, allowing a few friends–namely MMG’s Rick Ross and G.O.O.D. Music labelmate Travi$ Scott–to give his latest single a whole new spin. Given the hilarious (or offensive depending on your opinion) nature of the chorus you knew this track was in for a remix treatment. As one of his hardest hitting joints to date, Sean somehow finds a way to improve off the original, with Rozay and Scott sounding right at home over the pounding instrumental. Check out the single above, and make sure to grab yourself a free download. Hall of Fame is in stores now.
The BET Hip-Hop Awards finally aired earlier tonight, and while I personally am not a huge fan of the show, there’s one segment that I eagerly anticipate every year: The Cyphers. The Cyphers are really where the event truly shines, bringing together some of the most talented emcees in the game, underground and mainstream. This year’s lineup is certainly a formidable one, featuring the likes of TDE, A$AP Mob, Slaughterhouse, Action Bronson, Travi$ Scott, Rittz, Jon Connor, and even some jokes courtesy of J.B. Smoove, Kevin Hart, and Nick Cannon. Check out the cyphers below, and let us know who you think went in the hardest (we’re guessing the popular answer will be Kendrick Lamar).
Top Dawg Entertainment (ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick Lamar)
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.)
From making the XXL freshman list to performing at Coachella, young emcee Travi$ Scott has been having a great year. Staying on his grind, he drops the official release for the banger “Upper Echelon”. This single finds the Houston rapper at home as he brings an auto-tuned assisted rhyme over the tough beat. Bringing along ATLien T.I. for a fast-paced verse and 2 Chainz to close out the track, this single is definitely a banger. Take a listen to fresh track and be sure to download his upcoming Owl Pharaoh effort.
Up-and-coming artist and XXL 2013 Freshman class inductee Travi$ Scott keeps off his buzz by dropping a new track titles “Quintana”. Coupled with the announcement … Continue reading »
Pusha T‘s career with G.O.O.D. Music thus far has yielded some pretty awesome results. As he prepares for next year’s release of his debut solo album, My Name Is My Name…, Pusha Ton will be dropping a free project titled Wrath of Caine in the coming weeks. “Blocka,” the first single from the mixtape, features a dope, trapped out beat courtesy of Young Chop over which the G.O.O.D. emcee delivers his unique high energy, dope-dealer flows. Up ‘n comer Travi$ Scott also provides some solid bars and Popcaan brings some of his Jamaican dance hall to the chorus. Enjoy some ratchet-ness below and look out for more new from Pusha this month.
After landing a feature and a couple of production credits on G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer, Houston’s Travi$ Scott has grabbed the attention of many hip-hop fans. Yesterday, he let loose a self-produced single with the Cleveland rapper King Chip, formerly know as Chip tha Ripper.
On “Old English,” Scott develops a heavy, ominous 808-heavy instrumental layered with a deep and haunting chant that induces a sort of trance for listeners. King Chip gives us a more aggressive verse than we’re used to with the confidence that comes with his new name and Travi$ proves his abilities behind the mic anchoring the track. This cut will be featured on Travi$ Scott’s upcoming project Owl Pharaoh, due out soon.
