NIO tha Gift: Grateful

Hailing from Richmond, Cali NIO does a great job on this joint from the intro until the end. Coming from a hectic environment and still being grateful? Dope. NIO gives homage to the streets for raising and shaping him to be the person he is today.

Mistah F.A.B.- Been Awhile

Produced by Scram Jones F.A.B. flows to a Staind song? This is actually really dope! I was a fan when Staind came out with "It's Been A While" and to hear it with some kick is def nice! Really surprised with how well Scram and F.A.B. worked together on this one. Consider this my New Years Eve toast.

Battalion Armour Presents: Apple Juice Kid- Louis Armstrong Remixed

Louis Armstrong Remixed is part of a collaboration with Battalion Armour and Apple Juice Kid for the Beautiful Warriors 2 project. Don't expect any rapper to be flowing over Louis Armstrong music or anything though. Just peep.

DOWNLOAD: Apple Juice Kid x Battalion Armour: Louis Armstrong Remixed

The Jacka & Freeway: They Don't Know

From Jacka's "Tear Gas" album. Peep it and let me know if you guys want more of this style....

Macklemore: The Town

This is Mack's newest vid off his "Unplanned Mixtape". Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi. I haven't been digging his newest stuff but I like this one. Zia did a great job directing. P.S. Merry Xmas all!

Grip Grand: Popular Demand Freestyle

Rec-League’s Grip Grand is a rapper and producer from SF/LA, California, whose work has been featured in publications from XLR8R to XXL. He appeared on URB Magazine’s prestigious Next 100 list in 2005, and the East Bay Express named him Best Rapper in their 2007 Best Of…issue. His most recent album, Brokelore (Look Records, 2008)—featuring appearances by Percee P.

Check out this pretty cool "freestyle" from Grip Grand (the term freestyle is so annoying... you know that shit isn't really "freestyle").

The Prime (Luckyiam & Sapient): The MashUp Interview

Bobby James sat down with The Prime. They talk about their latest project, how they came together, their solo projects, Nick Diamond vs. LRG, independent artists vs. major labels and they send out a message to Murs.

Hoodie Allen: Making Waves ep. 1

Here's the premiere episode of Hoodie Allen’s web series “Making Waves”: Episode 1. The Big Show follows the group on stage and behind the scenes at their UPenn concert opening up for the Clipse, Mike Posner and Big Sean. The video features special guest appearances from Malice, Posner and Big Sean.

Eternia: Foul Child

So how come is it that I love ladies but I don't show them love? Times are changing here at RRHH! This chick is actually pretty dope. I thought it was a dude at first because of her deep voice. This is the first leak off Eternia’s upcoming mixtape, Get Caught Up. Look for it to drop on December 15th. Big L loops!

Way Back Wednesdays: RBL Posse- Don't Give Me No Bammer

Hunters Point representing! This joint came out in '91 and still slaps! Sit back and appreciate old school hip hop!

Merry Xmas Paul Reubens

Merry xmas hip hop heads!

Kidz in the Hall: The Professional Leisure Tour (freEP)

This Holiday Season Kidz In The Hall are treating their fans to an early gift in the form of a free album entitled The Professional Leisure Tour presented by L-R-G. The 13 track freEP features all original music from the group which was mostly recorded last month on the road during Kidz In The Hall’s National US Tour. The Professional Leisure Tour is a prelude to Kidz In The Hall’s next studio album, Land Of Make Believe, currently scheduled for a March 9th, 2010 release date. Today, Jukebox, the lead single from Land Of Make Believe, is available at iTunes & all digital retail outlets.

DOWNLOAD: Kidz in the Hall – The Professional Leisure Tour (freEP)

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: J.J. Band- Changing face

Raekwon sampled this for his song "Pyrex Vision" (a video of his I posted a few days back). So nice! The sample comes in around the 1:52 point. Peep.

Souls Of Mischief on Soulja Boy, Lil Wayne & Jay-Z

"In this mini roundtable discussion, Opio and Phesto discuss the flaws of corporate lists – such as MTV’s – and the variety of factors one should consider when assessing The Greatest Of All Time, and Tajai insists (contrary to Baby’s recent comments, “How can you be the best if you don’t make the most money?”) that innovation is the most important factor. Then he puts it out there – “Name one thing Jay-Z or Lil Wayne brought to Hip Hop that’s new? …They brought nothing new to Hip Hop. Zero.”

I honestly think this is my favorite interview of all time! Oh my! The knowledge that Opio drops is incredible. I'm so happy he said the things he said. Props my man! And after he talks about comparing Lil Wayne vs. LL Cool J at their peaks he drops this hilarious little line, "I probably put hands on Muhammad Ali right know". A "must check" interview. I promise you won't be disappointed if you're a true rap cat. P.S. My fifth grade teacher told me to never start a sentence with "and", sorry Ms. C!

Mike Posner: Drug Dealer Girl

The official video is here. I must say I'm a little disappointed with the quality. Low budget? Anyways I've been bumping Posner non-stop for weeks now so I'm stoked none the less.

Grouch, Exile Mistah F.A.B. & Fashawn D2S Interview

"Distortion 2 Static goes backstage at the ‘How the Grouch Stole Christmas Tour’ in San Francisco and catches up with the artists involved, Mistah F.A.B., Fashawn, Exile, and Grouch himself. Some of the topics touched are How it feels to be working together, Upcoming projects, and much more".

Raekwon: Pyrex Vision

Now I'm not posting this video because there's a bunch of naked chicks running around, let's just get that straight. I'm posting this video because there's a bunch of naked chicks running around cooking coke. For some reason I'm always fascinated by the image of ladies handling drugs like this. You never stop to think that females deal drugs too. Is that sexist of me? Anyways the beat is dope too. Check it.

Way Back Wednesdays: Ghost Town DJ's- My Boo

I don't care what people say, this song is FUN. You can't help but dance to this joint. Released in '96 and still going strong.

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: The Isley Brothers- Footsteps in the Dark

The Ice Cube concert I went to a few days ago was so good! Wow! One of the best concerts I've been to. When he played "It Was a Good Day" he changed up a few of the lines since he was in Northern Cali. "The Raiders beat the Supersonics" and"Plus nobody I know got killed in South Central CA". The line substituting Lakers for Raiders was priceless! Anyways in dedication to Ice Cube, here's a song he sample for "It Was a Good Day".

Maestro & 9th Wonder

"In this episode Maestro kicks off season 3 with his friend 9th Wonder in North Carolina. 9th speaks on Fruity Loops, good music, teaching an upcoming course at Duke University and cooks up a beat for Maestro’s new intro".

Way Back Wednesdays: Luniz- I Got 5 On It

Rewind it back to 1995. "I got 5 On It" is Luniz's biggest hit off their album, Operation Stackola. On of the most classic rap joints period.

Kid Cudi: Pursuit of Happiness Ft. MGMT & Ratatat

New video from Cudi. Self explanatory (spelled "explanatory" right after 3 attempts, thank you spell check!).

Mainstream Mondays: Kidz In the Hall- We Gone

I don't know if Kidz are actually "mainstream" yet but they definitely will be so I'm gonna stick this song here. This is the sound I'm looking for! Some soulful music! Not that "bass heavy kickin" stuff. "I'ma kill it like my last name's Vick, fame like my sex and I don't cum quick". That's it for now. Check it. "We Gone".

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: Dynasty- Adventures in the Land of Music

Camp-Lo sampled this song for "Luchini AKA This Is It". Dopeness. Check it out.

Mike Posner Produces Halo

This video is a little old but I just got around to it. I'm blown away! In this video Posner makes his own version of the "Halo" beat (from his dorm room). I wouldn't even know where to start on attempting this beat (or any other beat for that matter), so I must say I respect it. I definitely let out a few "damn's" while watching. Check it.

Kid Cudi: Cudderisback

Brand spankin' new Cudi track. Check it out as Mr. Cleveland flows over this Vampire Weekend beat.

Way Back Wednesdays: 2pac- I'm Gettin' Money

There's so many different reasons why this old school video is dope!
1. How many rappers now a days would you see just posted up on their car rapping and rolling up blunts?
2. The original beat for this song is way better than what they turned it into later.
3. 2pac sounds good live.
4. It's 2pac!

Rail Road Hip Hop Podcast Ep. 2 (Harlems Cash Interview)

For the second episode of this infamous podcast Harlems Cash joined us. "I'll know I made it when I get to see the pyramids". This podcast also features some hot, hot tracks. No talking from me though... I'm on a speech strike!

Podcast Link Below:
http://railroadhiphop.mypodcast.com/2009/12/RAIL_ROAD_HIP_HOP_EP_2-262489.html

Remember When....

Atmosphere had people in the audience doing his songs Karaoke style last year when he was on tour? It was dope! I wish he woulda done it here! I definitely would have done "Woman Tonight". Anyways I was looking at my "favorites" on Youtube and saw this sweet little video (forgot all about it). Oscar was one of those lucky people that got to go on stage and perform. I still get the chills every time I watch this video! It's not because Oscar is overly talented or can spit nice or anything. It's about his passion and emotion he puts behind Slug's words. Top notch stuff. So check out his attempt at "Gods Bathroom Floor".

Souls of Mischief: Proper Aim

Off their newest album, "Montezuma's Revenge" comes this joint. The video is brand spankin' new so check it out before everyone else does and rub it in their face!

Freddie Gibbs: The Labels Tryin' to Kill Me Infomercial

I used that Bill O'rielly soundbite in my first podcast and now Freddie Gibbs is saying "will do it live". He must be tuning in... anyways this "infomercial" is pretty comical. Check it out.

GBC Vs. The Cure: Baby Lullaby

This song is both really dope and really disappointing. It's dope because GBC had the creativity to use The Cure's sample to flow over but I feel like they could have done so much better with their lyrical content. The chorus is god awful but still worth a listen because The Cure is dope! This song is off the mixtape "Uzi Does It" by djCHEAPSHOT.

Mainstream Mondays: Puffy Combs- Angels Ft. Biggie & Dirty Money

This beat is sick and having Biggie on the track makes it worth listening to! But the "singing" is rough. I wish they woulda just had Biggie go coast to coast on this one. Peep.

Common: Strange Fruit Ft. John Legend

Rumored to be produced by Kanye but there's some uncertainty about that. "Strange Fruit" was a song made famous by Billie Holiday. A song that condemned racism in America and the lynching in the South to be particular. I'm diggin' it. Check it out.

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: Humbling Love

I guess it's Slug day! There's no such thing as too many Slug posts. Ant used this sample for the song "Gods Bathroom Floor". Peep.

Felt: Chewed Up+ A Felt Thanksgiving

I was on vacation for the holiday so I'm a little late on this.... anyways check out Felt's newest music video.



I'm definitely late on this one but it's still worth a look. Pretty good humor out of the Felt boys on this one.

Mainstream Mondays: Drake- Money

Originally featured on Drake’s Room for Improvement mixtape. It never made the cut but you still get to hear the cut. Peep

How The Grouch Stole Christmas Tour

Fashawn and Exile speak on it. Also at every tour stop they're hosting a "Toys For Tots" drive. Pretty dope.

Bay Life: Liqour Store

One more random post before I go to bed. I thought about posting this a while back but never did. As I went onto Youtube to find it I see that brand new Bay Life's are up! It's been a year or so since dudes posted anything so I guess that means I felt it's energy in the airwaves? Wow that's way too deep for a post like this. Anyways this is a mini-series about the life and times of "Saul Cohen" aka "Trey" in his thugerish everyday lifestyle. Trust me it's hilarious! Peep.

Yeah Right!

It's Sunday night and not much hip-hop news comes on the weekends. So I've decided to put this video up in hopes it might cure someones boredom (if only for 2 minutes or so). From the film "Yeah Right". Dopeness! Song is "Murderers" by John Frusciante of the RHCP.

OCDC!- Burning

I got a sneak preview from my man Sean a while back and never got around to putting it up. Anyways this is a dope song from him. Peep.

TiRon: For Your Smile

I've been diggin TiRon ever since I heard him on the DJ Lever 2008 mixtape. Here's some footage of him performing a brand new song off his upcoming project titled "Mustard" (which drops in February).

"I decided to perform a new joint from Mustard called For Your Smile just to gauge the audience response. Didn't really expect em to go crazy and get rowdy....but some of the reactions on the faces meant they at least listened to the words of the record. Plenty smiles." - TIRON

Kidz In The Hall: The Grizzly Man

Here is the first leak off the new Kidz In The Hall, Professional Leisure Tour free EP, dropping December 8th, sponsored by LRG. The project will showcase 13 new tracks. It's music's equivalent of an NBA shoot around before the game. The groups third studio album "Land Of Make Believe" is set to drop in March.

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: The ARC Choir- Walk With Me

In my first official Podcast I played a clip from a Kanye interview. "Do you even know who I sampled for Jesus Walks?" exclaims Kanye. Yes. Yes I do. How he found this sample I have no idea but you gotta give him respect for it. Peep.

Kendrick Lamar: Compton State of Mind

I posted this song last week or so. Now it's visual time as KL hits us with a music video for "Compton State of Mind".

Brother Ali: Fresh Air Tour Blog 3

Brother Ali shouts out to my hometowns venue in this one! I still can't believe I didn't go! At least I goit to meet Ant outside the club. Check it.

XXL Interview with Pac Div

"We keep it real, if you wanna say that? If that's still a phrase?" Haha. Pac Div sits down with XXL and has a pretty cool little interview. "How am I gonna live my dream out? I don't wanna do anything I don't feel like doing. I wanna do what I wanna do".

Chachi Carvalho: One For Chach

This joint just kind of fell into my lap. I don't know much about anyone on this sampler but I'm liking what I hear so far. If anyone wants to enlighten me, feel free.

"Rhode Island gets a lot of flak, even from those of us who call the state home. But, as this project’s cover indicates, there is plenty to celebrate. We have some of the nicest beaches in New England. We only need to drive for about 40 minutes maximum to get from one end of the state to the other, traffic (and speeding) permitting, of course. We might not have a professional sports team, but hey, the URI and PC basketball teams tend to just fine sometimes. And, if you somehow haven’t heard, my home also has a damn fine hip-hop scene. No one has blown up to a mainstream level, unless you count Blu Cantrell, but we have made a significant impact on the underground. And here are several artists off Potholes In My Blog’s Ocean State Sampler who can prove that statement’s validity". The sampler is set to drop in early December.

Way Back Wednesdays: Snoop Dogg- Gin and Juice

This "Way Back Wednesday" is dedicated to the Snoop concert I went to last night. He was so dope! Definitely better than I expected. He played a couple Tupac songs and semi-rapped over them while the crowd handled the rest. He also performed House of Pain's "Jump Around" and did he's take to Drake's "Best I Ever Had" (which was actually nicely done). He was a great performer and had the whole place going nuts! "Gin and Juice" is off of snoop's 1994 debut album titled "Doggystyle". The song was produced by Dr. Dre. Dre and David Ruffin Jr. co-wrote the hook. Snoop's Penguins jersey and afro are so clean! Peep.

Rail Road Hip Hop Podcast Ep.1 (Grieves Interview)

RRHH's first official podcast is finally here! I'm gonna be posting a new episode every Tuesday featuring underground hip-hop and interviews. This weeks interview features Grieves. Peep!

http://railroadhiphop.mypodcast.com/index.html

Pac Div: Whiplash

I posted about this song and the "Church League Champions" mixtape a while back and now Pac Div has released visuals. "Remember back in high school i never cussed in songs, till I got cheated on, thank god she's fu**in gone".

Mainstream Mondays: Lil Wayne Carter Documentary

This is the premiere (the first ten minutes) of Lil Wayne's documentary. The Carter Documentary is directed by Adam Lough and is in stores now. The first ten minutes are nothing too exciting but enough to make me wanna see the rest. Peep.

Hell Rell: By Your Side

This is the first time I've heard of dude and I'm somewhat impressed? The beat is nice and I'm diggin' the angelic voice singing "by your side". The only problem I have with this song is that the song's concept has been done before ( Tupac "Me And My Girlfriend & Nas' "I gave You Power"). Never the less it's worth a look.

AmpLive: Gary is a Robot Ft. Trackademicks & Mr. Micro

AmpLive for the Zion-I crew is going solo. This is Amp's first video off his upcoming album "Murder At the Discotek", which is set to drop sometime next year. The video is one of the dopest I've seen in a while. Gary the Robot is looking fly driving around in that Escalade! I'm really diggin' the songs concept. A song about "mainstream" rappers these days and how auto-tune is not a productive medium for music. "Gary is a masterpiece to the ladies but his tendency to bite the swag of others rubs dudes the wrong way. This tendency to jock others’ style is to be his downfall".

Nando- Amsterdam

So I did a post about this song a while back and now Nando has officially released the music video for it! Nike Nando sampled the song "Amsterdam" by Peter Bjorn and John. Dopeness.

Harlem's Cash: Ground Level

Harlem’s Cash gives it his all on Drake’s beat "Fear". We get a glimpse of what to expect from Cash's first leak for the upcoming mixtape CASHifornication (album drops November 17th). His flow is sick and his lyrics are on a whole other level. "This hard work 'gon pay off for our kids, and there kids and there's too, Lookin' forward with no need for a rear-view". Peep.

Felt: Chewed Up

Another sneak preview into the minds of three dope MC's. The countdown is officially on for Felt's newest album to drop. If you're hungry, help yourself to some "Chewed Up" appetizers (the main course is on the way).



Download (Right click and "save as" to download)

Way Back Wednesdays: Skee-Lo- I wish

Hello? I never realized how short Skee-Lo actually is! I was 11 when he came out with this joint and I guess he must have seemed tall to me. "I Wish" came out in '95 and was nominated for a Grammy in '96, The song samples "Spinnin'" by Bernard Wright. If you listen to the lyrics, Skee-Lo was actually right on point. The songs main focus is to point out how people try to acquire material items or status symbols in hopes for happiness. The moral of the song is that people should learn to appreciate what they have.

O'Neill Cold Water Classic: Final Day

In my mind surfing, skating and hip-hop all go hand in hand. Therefore it makes me feel justified in doing this post. Plus you gotta rep the home town right? Yes sir. As usual Santa Cruz was packed for this event. Which made for an even better environment and some nice visuals. The waves were record setting this year. Congrats Nate Yeomans for taking home the trophy. Yeah brah! The footy is sweet. Check it.

Felt: She Sonnet

Here's the latest leak from Felt's new album "a tribute to Rosie Perez". RSE Radio premiered the whole CD last week and I can't wait to get my hands on it. 8 more days! Peep.

Mainstream Mondays: Jimmey Kimmel Live w/ Lamar & Khloe Odom Pt. 2

I couldn't find any worthy mainstream music so I had to resort to Kimmel. In Part 2 of the interview Jimmy asks the newlyweds questions about each other. Khloe Odom (aka "Kardashiodom") tries her best to figure out who the Lakers beat in the finals last year and also talks about being "wasted" after the wedding. I can't wait to see how many lbs. Khloe puts on once she finds Lamar's candy stash!

Kendrick Lamar: Compton State of Mind

Nothing too exciting here from K Dot but it's worth a listen. He takes Hov and Alicia's New York anthem and gets westy on it. Peep.
EDIT: Like a fungus, the song is growing on me.

U2 & Jay-Z: Sunday Bloody Sunday Live

I'm gonna have to be honest, I was expecting way more from Jay when I read that he performed with U2 at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Bono and Jay had no chemistry at all! I'm not gonna lie, it was awkward. Good idea, bad product. See for yourself.

The Grouch: My Chick Ft. Luckyiam

So I stumbled across a free ticket to go see Mickey Avalon last night. Why not go? I was expecting madness and insanity from his performance, but of course expectations are a Motherf'er! The best part about his performance wasn't even him, it was his introduction. Mick came out to "Hey Mickey your so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey". The only mind blown at the concert was his. He only sang half the songs, had the CD on the whole time and looked like a train wreck (as usual). I couldn't help feel bad for the dude. With live performances like that I'll give him another year or two before he goes Antoine Walker on us. The benefit of him coming through town was that he bought $800 worth of Dildos from my friends sex shop! The Legends did their own interpretation on "My Dick" and it's far superior in my mind! "My chick looks good when she wakes up, your chick, looks like a dude with no make-up".

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr- You Can't Blame Me

Are you kidding me with that group name?? That's awesome. If you haven't checked out Wiz Khalifa's newest mixtape you need to (rewind a few days and you'll find the post)! It's actually pretty dope. He samples Beyonce for his song "If I Were a Lame" which is pretty funny, he also samples Camp-Lo's song "Luchini". For Wiz kid's song "When U Find" he samples this song right here by the infamous foursome. Dopeness of a sample. Check.

Freddie Gibbs: Womb 2 The Tomb Ft. Pill

With all this new material from Freddie you know he's just waiting to touch down and it seems inevitable. This is his most recent music video and in my eyes it's the way a video should be done. There's no extra curricular stuff going on. Just Gibbs and his raps. If I wanted to see all that other stuff that they put in music videos these days I'd be searching for a different kind of video. DO NOT sleep on this guy!

Way Back Wednesdays: Biggie Smalls- Everyday Struggle

Damn! I'm really off my game lately. A day late on this post but you know the deal. Busy yesterday with the Immortal Tech concert! Dopeness! Besides "Juicy" this is my favorite Biggie track. Puffy is on his A game with his back-up vocals on this one. "Right", "What'd they say?", "Yeah yeah", "Uh-huh", "C'mon", "What?", and my favorite, "That's right". I guess this is one of my favorite Biggie songs because of my obsession with Puffy's back-up vocals.

Haji P: Good Grief

Pretty tight new song from P! I'm diggin' the Akinyele "Put It In Your Mouth" sample. Haji sent me the following info: "Haji P., of North Carolinian duo Brown Co. (and San Francisco crew Rec League), sets up for the release of his first solo project, Neighborhood Kid. A follow up to Brown Co.'s 2007 LP, Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The lead single, "Good Grief" (produced by DJ MF Shalem) offers a brief autobiography of the rapper; spanning his childhood in Hawaii & Jersey City, his coming of age in the south, and his most recent move to California's bay area. Dope, right? The entire life of one mildly remarkable entertainer, summarized into four minutes of melodious rap song. How could you not love that? And if by some horrible mistake you decide you don't love it...give it a second listen and correct that mistake. Peace. -Haji P"

KRS-One & Buckshot Interview

So I did a phone interview at least a month ago with these talented MC's. It was supposed to be for this one magazine (I won't mention names) and for one reason or another I don't think they're planning on using it. So I'm gonna put this insightful interview to good use! KRS touches on everything from MC battles to Soulja Boy while Buckshot gives us insight on his fondest Pac memory and what he thinks of auto-tune.

In 2008 you were given an award from BET, mainly for your “Stop The Violence Movement”. Can you explain this movement?

KRS-One: In 1989 a guy got stabbed for his gold chain and died at one of the concerts that I was at. It was the last concert of a tour called “The Dope Jam Tour”. The head of A & R, a women named Anne Carley, was there and was so moved by the incident she ran over to me and said “we have got to do something, it is getting out of control”. She went and got Nelson George. Nelson George, Anne Carley and myself then formed the “Stop The Violence Movement”. Then we went out and solicited the help of D-Nice as the producer, Doug E. Fresh came up with the chorus, called everybody and the people that came are the one’s who appeared on the record “Self Destruction”. “Self Destruction” raised $600,000 for the National Urban League for there literacy programs because we realized that the two major courses of violence is illiteracy, meaning if you can’t read you’re more likely to express yourself in a physical way because you can’t express yourself in words and then also poverty.

Many believe that you and MC Shan were the first to verbally attack one another during a battle. What are your thoughts about this notion?

KRS-One: Rap battles have been going on since the beginning. There’s a gentlemen named H. Rap Brown, he has a book called “Die Nigger Die!”, book came out in 1969. And in that book he talks about a concept called the “Dozens”. Basically black kids in the hood would get together all across the United States and diss each other with words. The point was we’re not gonna hit each other, we’re not gonna beat, shoot, rob, steal, kill, mane one another. Now that’s been going on since 1959, there’s a documentation that’s why I go to H. Rap Brown’s book. 1969 he writes that he was in Baton Rouge Louisiana battling cats on the corner in 1959. He said he had to battle girls because girls were the best freestylers and the best battles.

This one's for Buckshot. You were working on an unreleased album titled “One Nation” with Tupac. What are some of your memories of him?

Buckshot: The Outlawz and I were talking about him at the house and they said that Pac told them to “make sure you listen to Buckshot”. When they said that to me it was mind blowing. That was one of my most illest experiences.

What was the process like in making this album?

KRS-One: This album to record it, to produce it, to do it, it was the hardest project in my career to do and the simplest. Buck is the president, Buck is running his company, there’s no other person to go to. There’s no where to hide. That’s something that’s really refreshing.

The song “Robot” talks about the auto-tune craze. Do you think auto-tune is coming to an end?

Buckshot: Of course it’s gonna come to a medium and then a minimum. There a lot of people out there that are so far behind because you still believe that making a auto-tune record is gonna get you on. The only person who got on with it really was T-Pain. People like Puffy and people like Kanye and everybody else that used it, they got on without using it and then they used it to add style and musical technique. But I don’t think no one from this point will ever get what T-Pain got.

With up and coming artists like Soulja Boy, do you think rap will ever reach a point where it goes back to it’s roots?

KRS-One: Real talk, “Rappers Delight” was just as stupid as Soulja Boy’s music. We was lovin’ that shit, “I got a coupe DeVille with the diamond ring”, and all that shit we was with it. But our parents? They was like wait a minute, that’s not music, turn that noise off. I would say to everyone, force yourself to like Soulja Boy. Because the one thing Soulja Boy will keep you is young.

Being an artist, do you ever get to the point where you get sick of music?

Buckshot: Nah, hell no. Never. Are you crazy? You can take everything away from me but you can’t take music and consciousness. Cuz with those two things I can rebuild everything. Without consciousness I can’t accept my music and without music I can’t build anything. Everything I build is harmony, everything I do is a flow.

Mainstream Mondays: Wiz Khalifa- Burn After Rolling Mixtape

The Wiz joins up with DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar for this one. I've only heard a few songs off it so far but "The Thrill" is def my fav so far. Peep.

Felt Interview Pt. 3

For the third installment of "Ray Shemersy Tonight" we have the Felt boys talking about "Do The Right Thing", singing STP songs in the shower, and of course, Rosie Perez. Always entertaining stuff from these guys.

Who'd They Sample? Saturdays: Bread- Aubrey

Ok so it's Sunday. Halloween weekend was semi-hectic and I didn't get around to posting this yesterday. So here it is, better late than never. This song was sampled by the Hieroglyphics for their song titled "Step To My Girl".

Agustus thElefant: Abuse

This song is the reason why I have this blog! To pass along quality music that you might not have heard before. Dude is dope! If you like meaningful lyrics and chill beats this one is definitely for you! I'm not gonna say anything else. Just check it for yourself and enjoy!

Cause: Save The Game

If you're listening to this song while doing something and it's just background music (which I do 60% of the time) then you won't be that impressed. The beat isn't overwhelming and Cause's flow is decent. But his lyrics? Dope indeed. He covers everything from Puff being happy that Shyne's locked up to Obama and how he feels about the job he's done so far. Def worth a close listen. "Mr. Obama I was really 'bout to thank ya, then you went and hired a crew of investment bankers". Wow!! Diggin' it!

LuGuz: Drunk Driver

Damn! The sample in this song is ridiculous! Rob Dougan "I’m Not Driving Anymore". LuGuz is nice on the track too. Check it.

Sean Price Is Right

Damn I guess I'm too late. I had this idea about a year ago! Following rappers around while they go through everyday situations like this is brilliant! Sean P goes to the grocery store and talks about heavy duty vs. super strength aluminum foil, being fooled by Glade scented candles, and more. "You got Heavy D the rapper but if he was Super D... I guess he would be better than Heavy D, at least by name".

Ashkon: Hot Tubbin'

In anticipation of the NBA season and the Warriors opener tonight versus the Rockets.... what better way to kick of the season than a little "hot tubbin on the late night"? Even if it has nothing to do with the Warriors really....

Way Back Wednesdays- Eazy-E: Real Mothaph**kin G's

"Real Mothaph**kin G's" is off Eazy's 1993 album titled "It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa". This diss song (which was original titled "Real Compton City G's") was directed towards former N.W.A. band mate Dr. Dre and his protégé Snoop Dogg. The song was in retaliation to Dre's song titled "F**k Wit' Dre Day", a diss song aimed at Eazy.

Some of the best lines from "Real Mothaph**kin G's":

"Muthaf**k Dre, muthaf**k Snoop, muthaf**k Death Row, yo and here comes my left blow."

"Ya like a kid ya found pup and you're dapper, but tell me where the f**k you found an anorexic rapper".

All in all some great stuff from both sides! The funny thing is that Eazy had a contract with Dre to be his exclusive producer, so when the two went separate ways and Dre made the diss song "F**k Wit Dre Day", Eazy still got paid off of it. Anyways enjoy the classic.

Brother Ali Live From Paris

I'm so bummed I missed the Brother Ali concert when he was local a couple weeks ago. Luckily Grandcrew.com is here to the rescue! Def make sure to check out that website. Concerts in full equals dopeness!

Wale: Letter Ft. John Mayer

I guess this was supposed to be on Wale's upcoming album titled, "Attention:Deficit", but for what ever reason it didn't make the cut. Wale writes a "Letter" to Obama and Tupac in this one. Overall the songs pretty clean.

The Incomparable Shakespeare: Wonderwall

When I first saw the title of the song, "Wonderwall", obviously I immediately thought of Oasis. With that being said it was a "must check out" for me. To my surprise the song was dope! Not often do you go into something hoping for a good outcome and get rewarded. This time was the exception. In Oasis' song, an imaginary friend comes out of nowhere to save Noel Gallagher. In Incomparable's version it's hip-hop that "saves" him. Check it!

Shad: The Calling Ft. Jermiside & Destruments

All I can say is wow! I posted a Shad joint ("I Heard You Had A Voice Like An Angel") a while back and this new track is definitely a sign that Shad is still fueling the fire! Off the EP titled "Introducing" produced by Danny Diggs (a producer from Ireland). The video is beautiful! All the movement goes amazingly perfect with the tempo of the song. Anyways be sure to check this song out. No letdowns here!

Felt Interview Pt. 2

Ray Shemersy is back at it with his "hard-hitting" technique and the Felt boys are left to answer his questions. Check it out.

Mainstream Mondays: The Clipse- Popular Demand (Popeye's) Ft. Cam'ron & Pharrell

Here's the newest leak from the Clipse's upcoming album titled "Till the Casket Drops". Honestly I think these guys are the most overrated hip-hop group out there. I've been trying to understand why and I still can't come up with a conclusion. Not to say that Clipse's bad or anything, I just think they're way overhyped. Anyways check it out for yourself.