Saturday, February 27, 2010

Wakey! Wakey!: Twenty Two ft. Theo Martins












Rapping over indie rock samples seems to be a growing trend in hip hop recently. This track, originally by Brooklyn indie band Wakey! Wakey!, is different. It has more of a balance than a lot of the other ones that I've heard, and I think it works nicely.




Download: Wakey! Wakey! - Twenty Two ft. Theo Martins

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Laws: Flashback



Laws may be one of the most hooked up up rappers you've never heard of. His most recent mixtape, 4:57PM, features production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, 9th Wonder, DJ Khalil, and a co-sign from DJ Drama. Not bad, eh?

One highlight from 4:57PM is 'Flashback', a J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production. 'Flashback' heavily samples Calvin Harris's track of the same title.


Johnny Polygon: Kids Broken Hearted & To You...
















Last week I made a post with some of Johnny Polygon's music, but the tracks that I included in the post were a random selection from his mixtape. Now, after playing through the mixtape multiple times, I decided to post up two of the songs that have really grown on me over the past couple weeks.


Download: Johnny Polygon - Kids Broken Hearted


Download: Johnny Polygon - To You...

If you didn't get the mixtape the last time I posted it, here's another chance to download it:
Johnny Polygon - Rebel Without Applause (full mixtape)

Bonus Video (released today):


Previously: A Few New Artists

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Juelz Santana: The Second Coming (Prod. by Just Blaze)



Motivational lyrics from Juelz Santana, combined with an epic and hard hitting orchestral sample from Just Blaze, make 'The Second Coming' a strong and energizing piece. No wonder it's been all over Nike's commercials.

If you drop, get up and try it again


Friday, February 19, 2010

Ransom




















Buck Buck!

To put it simply, Drake and Lil Wayne demolish this track. The beat is perfect for both of their flows and they don't hold anything back on this one.

Preview:



Download it here: Drake - Ransom ft. Lil Wayne

Thursday, February 18, 2010

United State of Pop 2009




Every year DJ Earmworm composes a mashup of the top 25 songs according to Billboard.
 2009's Top 25 included:

The Black Eyed Peas - BOOM BOOM POW
Lady Gaga - POKER FACE
Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O'Donis - JUST DANCE
The Black Eyed Peas - I GOTTA FEELING
Taylor Swift - LOVE STORY
Flo Rida - RIGHT ROUND
Jason Mraz - I'M YOURS
Beyonce - SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
Kanye West - HEARTLESS
The All-American Rejects - GIVES YOU HELL
Taylor Swift - YOU BELONG WITH ME
T.I. Featuring Justin Timberlake - DEAD AND GONE
The Fray - YOU FOUND ME
Kings Of Leon - USE SOMEBODY
Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - KNOCK YOU DOWN
Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain - BLAME IT
Pitbull - I KNOW YOU WANT ME (CALLE OCHO)
T.I. Featuring Rihanna - LIVE YOUR LIFE
Soulja Boy Tell 'em Featuring Sammie - KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne - DOWN
Miley Cyrus - THE CLIMB
Drake - BEST I EVER HAD
Kelly Clarkson - MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
Beyonce - HALO
Katy Perry - HOT N COLD

United State of Pop 2009



United State of Pop 2008


Every year DJ Earworm composes a mashup of the top 25 songs according to Billboard.
2008s top 25 included:

Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain - Low
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
Alicia Keys - No One
Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major - Lollipop
Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic - Apologize
Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown - No Air
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
Usher Featuring Young Jeezy - Love in This Club
Chris Brown - With You
Chris Brown - Forever
Ray J & Yung Berg - Sexy Can I
Rihanna - Take a Bow
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
T.I. - Whatever You Like
Rihanna - Disturbia
Rihanna - Don't Stop the Music
Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine
Chris Brown Featuring T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
Ne-Yo - Closer
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Mariah Carey - Touch My Body
Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
Pink - So What
Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

United State of Pop 2008




The Gorillaz: Stylo (Chiddy Bang RMX)














The Gorillaz recently released the first single off their new album, and Chiddy Bang was quick to put out a remix.



Download: The Gorillaz - Stylo (Chiddy Bang RMX)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Birdman: Blowin' Money at the Deli Feat. Drake and DeLorean
















I haven't posted in a minute, but 'Blowin' Money at the Deli' is well worth the wait. You'll find the same Drake verse you know and love, the same mediocre Birdshit Birdman garbage, and an enjoyable, funky new take on the beat.

Blowin' Money at the Deli


Download: Blowin' Money at the Deli

Monday, February 15, 2010

Jay Electronica: Exhibit C



Yeah, I took that picture...no big deal. But back when I took it, the man in the picture was in no place to be rocking such a damn fly sceptre.

Let me break it down for you. I was in attendance at a Nas concert in July of 2008 at Toad's Place, a venue known traditionally for having a tough crowd. A packed in audience was growing anxious after having already waited more than two hours for the man they paid to see. When the boisterous opening act Jay Electronica walked in instead, it was pretty much the perfect storm for disaster. Booing ensued relentlessly from all angles of the room. Yet the seemingly overly-confident MC wasn't going to go down without a fight... literally and figuratively. As he worked his set over thrown drinks and loud disapproval, Jay Electronica called out several people in the crowd to "meet [him] after the show." I could've sworn that after such a dysfunctional act, Jay Electronica would never see the light of day again.

While he could've quit and let Nas take over, Jay went through a long and painful set in its entirety. Now, looking back, the persistence that Jay Electronica exhibited at Toad's Place represents the exact qualities that breed excellence in this game.

It isn't all that surprising then that nearly two years later, Jay Electronica is growing exponentially in popularity throughout the underground rap scene, showcasing lyrical talent and wordplay ability to boot. Check an excerpt from the well-crafted track titled Exhibit C to see what I mean:

They Call Me Jay Electronica
Fuck that, call me Jay Elec-Chanukah
Jay Elect-Yarmulke
Jay Elect-Ramadan Muhammad Asalaam-ica
Rasoul Allah Wa ta'ala through your monitor

Dope. It's good to see that what could've been a devastating blow to a young career was averted. Jay Electronica has a lot going for him, and I look forward to witnessing his growth in the years to come.


A Few New Artists












Recently I've been hearing projects from some up-and-coming artists and I figured I would put some of their music up and let you be the judge of their skills. The new artists being introduced in this post are: Machine Gun Kelly, Johnny Polygon, and Childish Gambino.

----------------
Machine Gun Kelly - He has a pretty distinct voice and fast flow. Fun fact: He was the first rapper to ever win Amateur Night at the Apollo.


100 Words and Running


Leave Me Alone ft. Rock City

Also, check out a video of his HERE.
----------------
Johnny Polygon - Johnny is signed to DJ Green Lantern and his Future Green Entertainment label. Fun fact: He started off as a breakdancer/B-Boy before he got into rapping.


The Riot Song


Get Right ft. Amanda Diva
----------------
Childish Gambino - A fellow Usain reader told me about this one, he has a lot of clever wordplay and a very distinct voice. Fun fact: Childish Gambino, real name Donald Glover, is a writer from 30 Rock and Mystery Team as well as a comedian from UCB.


Yes


Starlight ft. DC Pierson and Amber Petty
----------------

If you enjoyed some of the songs posted above, here are the links to their mixtapes. Also, you can click the artists' names above to visit their websites.

Machine Gun Kelly - 100 Words And Running (mixtape)
Johnny Polygon - Rebel Without Applause (mixtape)
Childish Gambino - Poindexter (mixtape)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Bruno Mars: All About You



You may remember Bruno Mars from when he absolutely killed the hook on B.o.B's Nothin' on You

After such a strong display, I felt compelled to hear more. Unfortunately, it seems that at this point, Bruno Mars only has a limited collection of songs floating around the internet. Still, from what I could hear, this dude has some serious potential.

Check both versions of 'All About You' to see what I mean. I'm a big fan of the studio version, and the unplugged version is actually chill-inspiring. It's great to see that there are still some artists that sound just as good, if not better, outside of the studio.

All About You (Unplugged)


Download:

Wheezy Who


Personally, I'm really into this song, and think Em kills it as always. A preview of Tha Carter 4? We shall see.

Wheezy Who

Download Wheezy Who

Monday, February 1, 2010

B.o.B: May 25th (Mixtape)
















B.o.B comes through again with a full mixtape of new songs, and he did not disappoint. The mixtape is titled May 25th, which is supposedly the release date for his debut album. Lots of nice tracks on this one, check out a couple of them and/or download the full mixtape below.

Fool For Love ft. Charles Hamilton


Gladiators ft. J.Cole


Download:
B.o.B - Fool For Love ft. Charles Hamilton
B.o.B - Gladiators ft. J.Cole
B.o.B - May 25th (full mixtape)

Previously: | The Biz | Nothin' On You | B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray (Mixtape) |