DJ Eclipse "Rap Is Outta Control"12/27

Back after a week off here's the latest episode of RIOC. Indie pioneers Natural Elements were in the place for our last show of the year. They speak on their album "1999", how they got together and why NE has been quiet for the last decade. Links & playlist below.

Also, tonight (12/28) I'll be live on Beatminerz Radio at 8pm rocking an all vinyl set of mid to late 80's Hip Hop. And I'm not talking about "Eric B is President" either! Gems!!! Log onto www.dabeatminerz.com.

E

DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.zshare.net/audio/704914232bbe9cf9/

FILE NAME: RIOC PT.1 12-27-09.mp3
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DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.zshare.net/audio/70492564894b6baa/
FILE NAME: RIOC PT.2 12-27-09.mp3
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"Rap Is Outta Control" 12/27/09 Playlist (w/Natural Elements)

1. Fes Taylor feat. Solomon Childs, King Just, Paulie Caskets, Castro, Baker Don, Leathafase & Iron Mic "Killa Hill Anthem" prod. by Bloody BL

2. Joell Ortiz feat. Cory Gunz "Line em Up" prod.Frank Dukes

3. Marv Won "Thin Ice" prod. by Mr. Porter

4. Strong Arm Steady feat. Planet Asia & Chace Infinite "Ambassadors" prod. by Madlib

5. Fresh Vetz "I Still Love H.E.R." prod. by DJ Pause

6. Natural Elements "Tell Me Something Good" prod. by Charlemagne

7. Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx "eXXecution Freestyle #1" prod. by Marco Polo

8. Natural Elements "Off Beat Bop" prod. by Sebb

9. Strike Team (Craig G & Mr. Cheeks) "See Me"

10. Copywrite "Born Again" prod. by Surock

11. Black Milk "Keep Going" prod. by Black Milk

12. Blakroc feat. NOE "Done Did It" prod. by Black Keys

13. Sha Stimuli feat. Lydia Caesar "I Believe" prod. by Focus

14. Natural Elements "N.E. Definitely" prod. by Charlemagne

15. Marv Won "The Chase" prod. by D Fresh

16. BURNTmd feat. Reef The Lost Cauze, Copywrite, Phil Da Agony & Reks "Let's Get ILL" prod. by Illmind

17. Heltah Skeltah "Neverending" prod. by Kount Fif

18. Jaysaun "Hustlers Code"

19. DJ K.O. feat. Silent Knight "Living Out A State of Mind Pt. 2" prod. by Analogic

20. Jay Electronica "Exhibit C" prod. by Just Blaze

21. Reflection Eternal feat. Jay Electronica, J Cole & Mos Def "Just Begun" prod. by Hi-Tek

22. Marv Won feat. Bilal "Need To Know" prod. by Mr. Porter

23. Natural Elements "First Of All" prod. by Charlemagne

24. Natural Elements "LIVE FREESTYLE"

--
DJ Eclipse
(La Coka Nostra • Uncle Howie • Fat Beats • Rock Steady Crew)

"The Halftime Show" • 89.1 FM WNYU • Wednesday Nights • 10:30 PM - 1:00 AM

"Rap Is Outta Control" • Sirius XM Radio • Hip Hop Nation Channel • Sunday Nights • 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM

www.myspace.com/itsdjeclipse • www.facebook.com/itsdjeclipse • www.twitter.com/itsdjeclipse

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BC's Top 10, 20 - 2004

Another good year, although not quite as good as '03.

BC's Top 10 LP's of 2004

10) MF DOOM - MM.. FOOD - The main reason this is #10, is the break that DOOM takes in the middle of the LP from his mic duties.

9) Murs & 9th Wonder - Murs 3:16 The 9th Edition - A real nice collaboration and the only big flaw is the short length.

8) Ghostface Killah - The Pretty Toney Album - Here’s one it took a little while for me to get into, but I finally realized how good it was. This might be my favorite Ghostface LP.

7) The Roots - The Tipping Point - I think they keep getting better and better. This LP is another in a long line of great albums from the hip-hop band and Late Night with Jimmy fallon house band. Which, by the way, I’m cool with. You can’t sell out anymore (ask Snoop and his Orbitz gum commercial and, even worse, that one he did w/ Lee Iacocca), so get some exposure and some money y’all.

6) De La Soul - The Grind Date - The great songs on this LP are really great, but there are a few mediocre tracks, which dropped it a little lower on my list.

5) R.A. the Rugged Man - Die, Rugged Man, Die - I didn’t really follow the man’s career at all, but heard good things about this LP and checked it out. I was pleasantly surprised, as this album is great all the way through. I looked up self-deprecating in the dictionary, and while I didn’t find R.A.’s picture, I did learn that, I do indeed know what the term means.

4) Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs - This might be the Beasties’ must hip-hop album ever. I think it’s damn good and I can’t wait for the new one, whenever that will be, since it was delayed due to MCA’s cancer diagnosis this summer.

3) Jean Grae - This Week - Man, I dig this LP. I think there’s one song that I don’t like and Jean Grae is a phenomenally clever MC.

2) Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer - Not quite as good as Disposable Arts, but another great one from the Masta.

1) Madvillain - Madvillainy - Another DOOM and Madlib collaboration album, but this time with DOOM and Madlib. It’s a great album from beginning to end and the best of 2004.

BC's Top 20 Songs of 2004

20) The Dum Dum - Tajai - The beat is Asian influenced and Tajai drops some sold rhymes. A nice song from a decent LP.

19) Bad Man! - Murs and 9th Wonder - This is great beat and a great MC working together.

18) Through the Wire - Kanye West - I love this beat and you have to dig that West drops his verses through a wired jaw from his car crash.



17) The Worst - Jedi Mind Tricks - This wasn’t my favorite JMT LP, but this is the best song from the album in my opinion.



16) The Grind Date - De La Soul - One of 5-6 classic songs from The Grind Date.

15) Good Ol’ Love - Masta Ace - A real nice mellow track from A Long Hot Summer.

14) 3 the Hard Way - Beastie Boys - The hook is ill and the Beasties wreck the beat. Thanks to a stint in toy merchandising, I know that Gnip Gnop is a board game and not just some jibberish from Ad-Rock. I don’t know how many times I have gotten Ad-Rock lyrics years after the song is released (another example, when The taking of the Pelham 123 remake came out, I finally knew what the reference was from Sure Shot, as I was unfamiliar with the original movie).

13) Lessons - R.A. the Rugged Man - This dope song starts off an underrated album from R.A.

12) Potholderz - MF DOOM w/ Count Bass D - Just a nice pairing of two unique MC’s.

11) 3:16 - Murs and 9th Wonder - A short, but great song that kicks off the collabo.

10) I Try - Talib Kweli w/ Mary J. Blige - I haven’t found a Kweli LP that I would consider a classic, but this song is real nice.

9) Ch-Check It Out - Beastie Boys - Some old school Beastie Boys type stuff. Just the Beasties being their goofy selves and having fun. Real cool appearance on Letterman:



8) Don’t Say Nuthin’ - The Roots - The best song you’ll hear with a jibberish chorus. Nice, I used jibberish again… and again.



7) All Good Things - Haiku d’Etat - A dope mellow song with a real nice chorus.

6) Holla - Ghostface Killah - Ghostface rapping over an old R&B song w/o removing the original vocals. Pretty cool song. I was in Cub Foods today and heard the actual song (I don’t know the original artist) and was trying to figure out why I knew the lyrics. Thank you Ghostface Killah! Oh, and 2 songs later was the song sampled and interpolated in Masta Ace’s Let’s Take a Walk. Thought that was a cool coincidence.



5) All Caps - Madvillain - My second favorite beat from the DOOM/Madlib LP.

4) Supa Luv - Jean Grae - Your typical dope 9th Wonder produced beat. I love this song.



3) H.O.O.D. - Masta Ace - MA kicking some knowledge about the ‘hood. These are the kinds of songs that Ace specializes in and the beat is nice as well.



2) Strange Ways - Madvillain - Like all the songs on Madvillainy, this song is too short, but it’s great. The beat is just amazing.

1) Rock Co. Kane Flow - De La Soul w/ MF DOOM - I think this is a Jake One beat and it’s crazy. Mix Pos and dave with DOOM, and you have a winner.

Honorable Mentions:

He Comes - De La Soul w/ Ghostface Killah
The Writz - Gift of Gab - A crazy piano based track with Gab matching his flow with the beat.
It’s Nothing - The Beatnuts - I was listening to Milk Me again recently and I liked it better than I remembered. This song features one of those crazy Beatnut beats and some “I’ll kick your ass” lyrics.
Spoiled Rotten - J-Zone w/ Celph Titled - J-Zone comes with another great beat. I always liked these 2 paired up together, although I didn’t really get into Bo$$ Hog Barbarian$.
A-Alikes - Jean Grae - Jean Grae comes hard on the first track off of This Week.
Ain’t Changed - Truth Enola - There were a few good tracks from this LP and this was one of the best.
Crazy - Truth Enola - This song survives a lame reggae dude kicking a bar or 2 in the middle of the song.
Oh My God - Masta Ace w/ The Beatnuts and Rahzel
Biscuits - Ghostface Killah w/ Trife
Brawl - R.A. the Rugged Man - The Rugged Man spittin’ over some crazy xelophone loop.
One Beer - MF DOOM

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Bloggerhouse & WYDU Presents The Decade In Review: The Top Tracks of 2000-2002

It's my favorite time of the year. No, not because of the holidays. Those are great and all, and I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a happy and safe New Years. But the reason this is my favorite time of the year is all the year end lists that pop up all over the net and the blogs. This year is even more special with the end of the decade soon approaching us. I just like reading other people's opinions, and maybe pick up on something I may have missed or breezed over the first time through. We here at WYDU are busily working on our year end lists. We should have the year end extravaganza up the week of January 4th. I'm hoping to have a wide variety of people on the WYDU panel this year. If you missed last years, you can peep it. This way, with a bunch of different people weighing in you won't be dominated with just my opinions, which as we all know, can be kind of on the strange end and a bit narrow minded even if I have to say so myself.

I've actually been making tapes/cds of my favorite songs since 1990. I don't have all of them anymore, and I didn't do any from 98-00 for a few different reasons. I recall '93 being a particular great year for singles (duh) but I of course can't find that one anymore.

With the end of the decade, we are going to go through the years and posting up my favorite Albums and tracks. You can already peep my favorite albums for 2000 thru 2002 on Bloggerhouse. Today, we'll cover my favorite tracks for that time period as well as some of the favorites of the hip hop nation. It's a nice mix of popular and my own personal tastes mixed in with it.

Best of 2000
http://usershare.net/m0l3e2rnugwn

1. Reflection Eternal - The Blast
2. M.O.P. - Ante Up
3. Common - The Light
4. De La Soul & Redman - Oooh
5. Refelection Eternal - Move Something
6. OutKast - B.O.B.
7. Jay-Z - I Just Wanna Love U
8. Prodigy - Keep It Thoro
9. Binary Star - Honest Expression
10. Common - Sixth Sense
11. Masta Ace & Buckshot - Brookyn Blocks
12. De La Soul - All Good
13. Mos Def & Pharohoe Monch - Oh No
14. Porn Theater Ushers - Blah Blah Blah
15. Slum Village - Untitled
16. Eminem - The Real Slim Shady
17. Ghostface Killah - Cherchez La Ghost
18. SLum Village - Climax
19. J-Zone - Orphan Babies
20. Masta Ace - Ghetto Like

The year 2000 saw me doubling up on a some artists, such as Common, De La Soul, Slum Village and Masta Ace all had two songs apiece. Common had one of the best albums of the year with "Like Water For Chocolate" and it featured two great songs, "The Light" and "Sixth Sense". De La Soul came in with the Redman assisted "Oooh", a track that got a lot of play from me that year. The second track comes in the form of "All Good", which is a personal favorite of mine from that year, which would become some what of a theme song for me. The problem with the Slum Village album was besides the fact that it was a great overall record, there wasn't a jam that made a ton of noise that year. So we went with two of my personal favorites, although we could have put just about any track in there from that album and I would be okay with it. The two Masta Ace joints aren't even really my favorites out of his catalog, but I like them enough to include them. Another personal favorite that shows up in this collection is "Honest Expression" from Binary Star. It's a song that could very well be the track that speaks to hip hop as a whole for the whole damn decade. Not a truer word has been spoken in a hip hop song for this decade.

Top of 2001
http://usershare.net/kxliedkt3j06

1. Dilated Peoples - Worse Comes To Worse
2. Erick Sermon - Music
3. Nas - Ether
4. Jay-Z - Takeover
5. De La Soul - Baby Phat
6. OutKast - The Whole World
7. Masta Ace - Acknowledge
8. Bubba Sparxx - Ugly
9. Beatnuts - No Escapin This
10. J-Live - The Best Part
11. Jay-Z - Izzo
12. Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
13. Common - Tekzilla
14. J-Zone - Live From Pimp Palace East
15. Redman - Let's Get Dirty
16. Nas - Got Ur Self A Gun
17. Masta Ace - Don't Understand
18. Jakki The Motamouth - The Chosen One
19. Jigmastas feat Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharohoe Monch, Mr. Complex, Shabaam Shadeeq - Lyrical Fluctuation (DJ Spinna Remix)
20. 13 - Slow Burnin

The year 2001 features everything from classic underground hip hop tracks; 13's "Slow Burnin'" from the west coast, Jakki The Motamouth's "The Chosen One" from the heartland of the US and Jigmastas with a conglomerate of who's who from the backpacker era of the time with "Lyrical Fluctuation" (DJ Spinna Remix). It also has two of the most venomous dis tracks from the decade with Jay-Z and Nas going at each other with "Takeover" and "Ether" respectively. A surely somewhat surprising choice in "Ugly" by Bubba Sparxxx also appears. While it did get a lot of play from MTV2, which I did happen to watch a lot of since it was one of the few channels I could get on my TV, my reason was more personal. I'm a sucka for the timbaland beat, the chorus, and even Bubba makes me like the track. It also helps it was my soundtrack for whoppin' fools in Madden that year. The unreleased track, "Tekzilla" from Common appeared sometime in 2001 (or maybe earlier), and it's still one of my favorite Common tracks ever. You also have to mention the Primo produced "The Best Part" by J-Live. I probably played that song a thousand times one month.

The Best of 2002

http://usershare.net/gaxznydgkv8k

1. The Clipse - Grindin'
2. Eminem - Lose Yourself
3. The Roots - The Seed 2.0
4. Blackalicious - Make You Feel That Way
5. J-Live - Satisfied
6. Scarface - My Block
7. Methodman & Redman - How High Pt 2
8. Slum Village - Tainted
9. Ras Kass - Kiss U (Original Version)
10. Jaz-O - It's Ova
11. Royce Da 5'9 - Rock City
12. AZ - Once Again
13. The Roots - Rock You
14. Atmosphere - Godlovesugly
15. Mobb Deep feat Big Noyd - The Learning (Burn)
16. Knoc Turn'al feat Missy Elliot - The Knoc
17. Camron - Oh Boy
18. Krs-One feat Tonedeff - Clear 'Em Out
19. People Under The Stairs - Acid Raindrops
20. Edan - You Suck

The year 2002 saw kind of a weaker crop of songs. Anytime I have Cam'Ron in the mix, you know I wasn't entirely happy with it. "Oh Boy" was still an okay song that I liked a lot more then than I do now. Same goes for "The Knoc" by Knoc Turn'al. I thought Knoc was going to be the next "thing" in hip hop. Not to be I suppose. Mobb Deep had a dude for an album in 2002, but I still have a guilty pleasure for "The Burn". The Roots come with two songs. "The Seed 2.0" was a mainstream success. I didn't care for it much then, but after a friend of mine would sing it constantly at work for a year straight in 2007, the song is actually one of my favorites from that album. "Rock You" was a song that grabbed my attention when I first bought the album. It would then appear on the Madden game for that year and I heard it thousands of times from then on out. Ras Kass brings "Kiss U" a song that is directed toward the Alchemist and Jadakiss, more so Alchemist after he sold the the same beat Ras used on "Home Sweet Home" to 'Kiss for another track.

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BC's Top 10, 20 - 2003

2003 was a much better year than the previous two. I had a hard time coming up with a list of 10/20, as you can see by my list of honorable mentions for songs.

BC's Top 10 LP's of 2003

10) Zion I - Deep Water Slang V2.0 - Another inconsistent LP from Zion I, but the good outweighs the bad enough to crack the top 10.

9) Lexicon - Youth is Yours - I dug this LP and thought it was solid all the way through. It was nice to hear their stuff sprinkled throughout Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.

8) Loius Logic - Sin-A-Matic - This one took a while to grow on me, but when it did, I was glad I gave it multiple listens.

7) Brother Ali - Shadows on the Sun - Brother Ali building his catalog of dope songs. A solid LP.

6) Jedi Mind Tricks - Visions of Gandhi - I really had to go back and listen to this to find out how much I liked it. I really dig Stoupe's production, although, their LP's tend to have some average songs mixed in with the amazing ones. Vinnie can rip the mic in half, but also spits some ignorant crap, so it might not be for everyone.

5) J-Zone - $ick of Being Rich - One of my favorite producers and an underrated MC. There are some classics on this LP.

4) J-Live - Always Will Be - Unskipable EP from one of the best.

3) P.O.S. - Ipecac Neat - Another Minneapolis MC. Maybe I'm a little biased, but every one of his LP's has been something that I've listened to over and over and over again. A great debut.

2) Cunninlynguists - Southernunderground - Another great LP from the fellas from KY. This is the one that cemented them as one of my favorites.

1) Outkast (Big Boi) - Speakerboxxx - Just Big Boi y'all. To me, his album was much better than Andre's, even though Andre got all the press, or most of it. I think most hip-hop heads would agree to this being better, but maybe not. It is to me.

BC's Top 20 Songs of 2003

20) Kicking Knowledge in the Face - P.O.S. - A basic drum beat with a little guitar mixed in. The beat changes up a couple times and P.O.S. changes speeds along with the beat. A nice track overall.

19) Strapped - Jaylib w/ Guilty Simpson - I didn’t get into the album as much as some, but this was the stand out track to me with it’s orchestral loops and the addition of Guilty Simpson.

18) Gimme, Gimme, Gimme - J-Zone w/ Masta Ace - MA coming down to Zone’s level and kicking some lyrics about young, immature ladies. It’s a J-Zone beat, so it’s a dope one, of course.

17) Diablos - Louis Logic w/ Celph Titled - Lou and Celph kicking some hardcore over a string-laced beat.

16) Brokenhearted - Lexicon - Nick and Oak reliving some experiences with the opposite sex. The chorus makes this song a stand out, with the repeated “Love you” from some singer.

15) Always Will Be - J-Live - I think the best song from J-Live’s EP. The entire EP is unskipable and J-Live even has a song by that name on the album. J-Live is always dope.

14) Blah Blah Blah - Brother Ali w/ Slug - I don’t know how to explain the beat, but it’s damn good. Slug and Ali drop some bragging battle rhyme verses and play off each other nicely. Great song.



13) Bowtie - Big Boi w/ Sleepy Brown and Jazze Pha - One of those horn heavy funk tracks off of Big Boi’s superior LP (to Andre that is).

12) Southerunderground - Cunninlynguists - A nice start for CL’s 2nd LP. The beat has a nice piano loop, some scratching, some grunting and an Andre 3000 sample.

11) Cheeba Cheeba - Zion I w/ Aceyalone - Another example of Amp Live creating a near perfect beat. Aceyalone and Zumbi have contrasting voices (which is prone to happen w/ Zumbi, I guess) that work well together.

10) Dos Factotum - Louis Logic - Get your drink on w/ Louis Logic. Louis spitting, possibly vomiting, lyrics about drinking over an acoustic guitar-laced beat.

9) Battle Me - C-Rayz Walz w/ Natacha Elossaint - C-Rayz doing what C-Rayz does, bragging on the mic with large amounts of humor. The r&b hook actually works for me. “I'm not Santa’s helper, I’m not rapping for free.”



8) Le, Le, Le - Zion I - If you really love your mama say le, le, le! Not sure what that means, but this is a cool song. Video quality is harsh:



7) Duct Tape - P.O.S. - I love this song. What I assume is a somewhat autobiographical song about P.O.S. and his mother struggling with an abusive husband/father.



6) Animal Rap - Jedi Mind Tricks w/ Kool G Rap - I love Stoupe’s production and how he uses a lot of string instruments and orchestral sounds. This one features some horns as well as G Rap guesting on the 1st verse. Vinnie kills his verse and the first bar or two are just fire.

5) Tame Az It Ever Wuz - Tame One - The LP wasn’t consistent, but I just dig this track with the scratching samples over the chorus get you fired up. Lyrically, Tame talks about drugs (big shock), disses El da Sensai and how he’s going to take out other MC’s.

4) Seasons - Cunninlynguists w/ Masta Ace - Kno, Deacon, SOS and Ace rap about hip-hop and use the 4 seasons to weave in metaphors about hip-hop. The beat is, as usual, a nice one.



3) Forest Whitiker - Brother Ali / Whatever You Say - Little Brother - Me being indecisive. BA - Ali’s song about embracing his differences with an organ (?) heavy beat. Dope song. LB - I still need to go back to this LP, I liked it, but didn't get into it as much as a lot of people, but this song stood out to me. A great song.



2) The Way You Move - Big Boi w/ Sleepy Brown - The top 2 songs are Outkast, so you know these for sure. Another funky track from Speakerboxxx.

1) Hey Ya - Andre 3000 - Just a great song. I wasn’t a huge fan of Andre’s The Love Below. Most of the beats were real nice, but Andre’s attempts at singing were interesting to say the least (some was good, some real annoying).



Honorable mentions:

The Fine Print - King Geedorah



Walkman Music - J-Live
Bring Em Out - T.I.
A Storms of Swords - Jedi Mind Tricks w/ Planetary
Eatadiccup - J-Zone w/ Celph Titled
Choir Practice - J-Zone w/ J-Ro and King Tee
Church - Big Boi
Old School - Cunninlynguists
Hellohihey - Lifesavas
Party Party People - Lexicon w/ Dizzy Dustin
Don’t Be Afraid - Lexicon

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BC's Top 10, 20 - 2002

BC's Top 10 LP's of 2002

I have to say that 2002 was like 2001 in retrospect. I didn't find a whole lot that I was psyched to include on this list as far as LP's were concerned. My top songs are heavy on songs that aren't included on a top 10 LP from my list. I guess that's indicative of what the year was like.

10) The Demigodz - The Godz Must Be Crazy - I liked this EP from the Earplug series, although it is pound for pound filled with the most homophobic lyrics this side of an Eminem LP. The beats are all solid.

9) Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly - Atmosphere keeps getting better and better to me. their last 2 are their best and i really didn't think this one was that great until I went back and listened to it. Based on what I listened to in '02, it makes the top 10, but if I keep listening, it could move up (if I were forced to make another list by future BC).

8) Jurassic 5 - Power in Numbers - When they made good songs, man, they made good songs. But, this LP, like the rest of theirs, just had too many adequate songs to make it a top 5 LP.

7) Mr. Lif - I Phantom - This is a pretty good effort from Lif. I can listen to it all the way through, but there are a few songs that just don't demand too much attention. Overall, though, it's worth it.

6) Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow - This LP is like all of their albums, a bit inconsistent. When they make good hip-hop songs, they are right up there with the best, but they always have a few songs that I just don't like.

5) Camp Lo - Let's Do It Again - I really like this album from start to finish, with the exception of 1 really, really bad song (8 Moons Ago).

4) MF Grimm - The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera - I still really like this album and it took me a little while to get into, but when I did, I was playing it on a daily basis for a good month or two.

3) Emanon - Anon & On - This is another EP from the Earplug series. There are a couple amazing songs on here and this is high on the list because I ran those into the ground.

2) The Roots - Phrenology - I like this LP a lot, but i didn't think it would be this high up. But, after looking at what I had in '02, I had to make this high on my list.

1) J- Live - All of the Above - This LP is solid all the way through, like most of J-Live's albums. This guy is one of my all-time favorites now and this album was the one that really got me into J-Live.

BC's Top 20 Songs of 2002

20) Multiply - Xzibit w/ Nate Dogg - A nice commercial song for the masses. The beat is funky and Nate Dogg does his Nate Dogg thang. To me, X to the Z's music just wasn't as good when he had Dr. Dre and other's doing the producing and not the Liks.

19) The CIA is Trying to Kill Me - Non-Phixion - The CIA is trying to kill some paranoid dudes, aka Non-Phixion. This beat is a nice one.

18) Ultimate - Large Professor - I dig this beat and listened to it a lot back in 2002.

17) Whodafuckareyou?!? - C-Rayz Walz - The first time I heard this song, and C-Rayz, I couldn't stand him (that sounds dumb like Outkast breaking up), but then something happened. His flow just grew on me and he became an MC that I always look for.

16) Together - MF Grimm - The beat features a nice piano loop. The lyrics are about snitches basically, and there are some violent lyrics and the chorus gets a little more violent as it progresses.

15) Captivate/Deactivate - The Demigodz - This beat is sick and you just have a couple MC's bragging on the mic. I just dig this song.

14) Modern Man's Hustle - Atmosphere - I think the best track off of God Loves Ugly. Live performance:



13) A Glimpse at the Struggle - Mr. Lif - Mr. Lif as a man that needs some money and robs a store. The last 30 seconds is Fakts-One cutting Cannibal Ox, "Imma live life after this one crime."

12) Rolling With Heat - The Roots w/ Talib Kweli - Mostly some raw drums from Questo on the beat and Kweli and Black Thought wreck the mic on some hardcore.

11) Celly - Extended Famm - This is a track that is destined to be crazy outdated someday, and kind of is now. But, it's a funny song about bad cell service and misunderstandings over a dope track.



10) Bad Babysitter - Princess Superstar - I was curious about Princess Superstar and checked out the LP this song is on. This is a funny song with a horn heavy beat. If Lady Gaga needs an emcee to kick a verse, she should pick the Princess. Whatever, I like this song.



9) It's Going Down - Blackalicious w/ Lateef - The beat is hot and Lateef and Gab work off each other well. Even the R&B chorus is nice.

8) Let's Do It Again - Camp Lo - I feel like this track fits in where they left off on Uptown Saturday Night. If you threw this on there, you wouldn't have any idea that it wasn't part of their classic debut.

7) High Fidelity - Jurassic 5 - I just love this beat. Jurassic 5 doing what they do best, kicking old-school rhymes.

6) One For the Griot - J-Live - J-Live kicks 3 similar verses with varying outcomes from a one night stand.

5) React - Erick Sermon w/ Redman - I had high hopes when I heard this song. I never really got into the LP, but this song is a good one.

4) Life and Death - MF Grimm - Grimm possibly getting a bit personal about good and evil. Life and Death are women in his life that he goes back and forth with, along with his girl Coma. He talks about Life wanting him to do the right things, but Death is crazy fun to hang out with and just seems to be more fun for whatever reason. I don't know, it's deeper than I am. Can't vouch for the image, but you can listen to the song:



3) Listen - Yaggfu Front w/ Esau the Anti Emcee- I loved Yaggfu's debut in high school and it took years upon years for anything else to be released. This comes from their The Secret Tapes that has mostly older unreleased material and this dope track. The beat is sick and the guest MC, Esau, drops a crazy ass verse about the music industry that includes the line, "That's why Atmosphere ain't selling shit, but Ludacris is." And, that's from 2002. Future Shock from this release is another more than worthy listen.

2) The Seed - The Roots w/ Cody Chestnut - I love this song. Watch/listen:



1) Blind Love - Emanon - This is a song you need to hear if you haven't. Exile produces a crazy beat and Aloe Blacc speaks on trying to get girls. His friends tell him that "...she look good but she ain't all that, her behind is fat, but her mind is wack." You don't hear about a girl's mind all that much in hip-hop.



A couple honorable mentions because I had some extra songs that almost made the cut:

Frontline - El da Sensai w/ Pharoahe Monch, Prince Po, Mike Zoot and F.T.

The Lyricist - J-Live

How U Walkin' - Camp Lo - A crazy tribalish beat and some masochistic lyrics, but a great song.

Home of the Brave - Mr. Lif - Can't say that I always agree with the man's politics, and I'm a liberal ass dude (I'm not the conspiracy theorist that I once was as a teen). This is a scathing track about the Bush administration and 9/11 from Lif's Emergency Rations EP.

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Just wanted to wish all our readers and visitors a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. -Trav & The WYDU Gang

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BC's Top 10, 20 - 2001

I have to preface this list by saying I have no idea what I was listening to in 2001. I think I spent '01 catching up on 1999 and 2000, because there are a couple LP's in here that I really can't believe are a top 10 for me, but when I look at what I was listening to and what I have from '01, this is it. And, I wasn't a Jay-Z guy back in the day, so, no Blueprint. Feel free to stone me.

BC's Top 10 LP's of 2001

10) Wee Bee Foolish - Brighton Beach Memoirs - This LP is a bit inconsistent, but there are some real good songs on here that make this worth your time.

9) Dilated Peoples - Expansion Team - Dilated makes solid all-around hip-hop with 2 MC’s and a DJ. No exception here.

8) Atmosphere - The Lucy Ford EP's - If you’re familiar w/ Atmosphere, then you know there are some classics on this album. Basically it combines earlier EP’s into 1 LP, but since this came out in ‘01 and it’s the first stuff I heard from them, I’m putting it up here.

7) Aceyalone - Accepted Eclectic - A nice LP, if not a little inconsistent, but I played it a ton in ‘01 (that rhymes, y’all).

6) Reks - Along Came the Chosen - I don’t really think there’s a single on here worthy of top 20 status, but I found the album as a whole great.

5) Pep Love - Ascension - I wish Pep Love made more music. This LP was solid and he’s a real nice MC that never really got too many props. If you haven’t heard this, it’s worth your time.

4) Tha Liks - X.O. Experience - I don’t know what other’s think about this LP, but it got constant play all the way through from me in 2001. I found this to be a song without a skipable song.

3) J-Zone - Pimps Don't Pay Taxes - J-Zone at his best, which he really isn’t ever off of. His production is amazing and he is an underrated MC, even if he might claim to not be. He’s not spitting knowledge or anything, but his flow is tight and he sets forth to make you laugh, and succeeds.

2) CunninLynguists - Will Rap For Food - What a great debut LP. This album is solid all the way through and I still listen to this on the regular.

1) Masta Ace - Disposable Arts - Man, it seemed like forever that I waited for this LP to come out. I started checking for Ace again in ‘00 and snatched up a bunch of 12 inches and found www.mastaace.com and started my wait for DA. It didn’t disappoint and this LP got the vast majority of spins the next 6 months after my purchase.

BC's Top 20 Songs of 2001

20) Iron Galaxy - Cannibal Ox - I never really got into this LP, but I dug the hell out of this song. It’s eerie and weird, on some Def Jux type stuff. I think it takes a while to get into El-P and Aesop sometimes, so I might need to revisit this.

19) 5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO - The Coup - Surprise! The Coup aren’t down with rich, white corporate douche bags and on this song, Boots gives you a few ways to get rid of the swine, over a funky track.

18) Rap Beautician - Edan - Some old school sounding stuff from Edan off of the Boston Underground compilation.

17) Best U Can - The Liks - They changed their name, but turned out a nice LP. The name change didn’t really make them stars, as they probably hoped, hence this Neptunes produced track w/ Pharell singing the hook.





16) Da Da Da Da - Tha Liks - Some classic Alkaholiks from an LP that I liked a lot.

15) Worst Comes to Worst - Dilated Peoples - I actually saw this video get played on MTV back in the day and I was shocked. Don’t hold that against it, it’s a dope song and Babu cuts throughout, which DP is usually good for.

14) B-Boy Real McCoy - Aceyalone w/ Ab Rude - I think these 2 mix together well like peanut butter and chocolate, or almonds and joy.

13) Whatcha Need - Wee Bee Foolish - One of the best songs on the LP. Dope beats, nice lyrics and some scratching.



12) Accepted Eclectic - Aceyalone - The beat is weird, yet nice. Acey spit’s a bunch of random lyrics to go.

11) Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz - I loved this LP, but it’s not a hip-hop LP, but this song is in my mind. Del kicks lyrics over a dope beat from Dan the Automater while Damon Albarn sings the chorus.

10) Take a Walk - Masta Ace w/ Apocalypse - Take a walk in the hood with Ace and Apocalypse. Great lyrics and chorus along with a nice beat make this a favorite of mine.

9) Turn It Out - Wee Bee Foolish - Another nice track from WBF. It’s basically just some old-school braggadocios type lyrics with a nice chorus and some DJing.

8) HalfAnimal - Cunninlynguists - Back when it was just Deacon and Kno, they made a song with an Eminem and Nas sample over the hook, and it was fresh.

7) Different - Pep Love - Pep’s smooth ass flow laid over a simple bass line beat. The subject matter speaks on Pep being different and all that jazz. Real simple, dope track.

6) No Regrets - Aesop Rock - This might be my favorite Aesop Rock track. In 3 verses, Aesop paints a picture of his character, Lucy, from her youth to her death. “…Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I’d rather live it, because dreamers always chase, but never live it.”

5) Lynguistics - Cunninlynguists - One of those songs that’s real short, and you wish had another minute tacked on. An orchestral loop and a quick verse each from Kno and Deacon make a dope, dope song.

4) No Escapin’ This - The Beatnuts feat. Greg Nice - One of those catchy ass Beatnuts beats and this is one of the best.



3) The Fight Club - Pep Love - I think Pep is a hugely underrated MC and he spits some crazy flows over this track.

2) Acknowledge - Masta Ace - Ace’s diss track for The High and Mighty and Boogieman. It turned out the High and Mighty thing was a misunderstanding involving a freestyle Cage kicked and Boogieman was getting smacked back for Just You Wait, a track where BM claims Ace stole his concept about commenting on the ghetto (Ace‘s Ghetto Like, BM‘s Who-knows-what).



1) Don’t Understand - Masta Ace feat. Greg Nice - The first single from DA and a great party jam with Greg Nice on the chorus. I just love this song.

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BC's Top 10, 20 - 2000

We kick off our Decade Review for the next week or so in conjunction with Bloggerhouse. BC will be helping me by providing his input and I'll posting up my favorite albums and songs of the decade on both Wake Your Daughter Up and Bloggerhouse, with my cohorts Dart Adams and Eric.

Today, you can head over to Bloggerhouse to peak my favorite albums from 2000-2003. Tomorrow, you can check out my favorite songs of the same time period. Read, comment, agree, disagree, provide your own list, that's what these end of decade/years are all about. - Trav

BC's Top 10 LP's of 2000

10) Various - Game Over - I dug the hell out of this LP in ‘00. There are a lot of people on here you haven’t heard of, but there’s some great production throughout.

9) Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele - 2000 is full of LP’s that it took a while for me to get into. This was one of them, but I was glad I went back to it and gave it another listen or 200.

8) Quasimoto - The Unseen - This is some of the weirdest stuff you’ll ever hear. It is quite possible that Madlib may do some drugs, just maybe. It took me a while to get into, but I obtained a job out of college and was able to sit at a desk and just listen to music (and work, so to speak) and I really got into this odd, odd album.

7) De La Soul - AOI: Mosaic Thump - Here’s another LP it took a while to get into. I was in a transitional phase of my life and a lot of stuff got lost along the way and I had to go back to it. It’s a solid album throughout.

6) Black Label: Hip Hop 101 - A compilation LP executively produced by Del La featuring Masta Ace, Del La, Camp Lo, Talib Kweli, Royce Da 5’9”, Medina Green, Self Scientific and more. For me, this helped usher in the ‘00’s and introduce some newer aritists, along with some established greats.

5) A-Team - Who Framed the A-Team? - I bought this LP on a whim and didn’t stop listening to it for months.

4) Deltron 3030 - One of those crazy futuristic concept albums featuring Del the Funkee Homosapien, Dan the Automater and DJ Q-Bert.

3) Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design - This is still my favorite JMT album. I listened to this over and over and they haven’t quite had an LP since that I have thought was so consistent. I love the Stoupe produced tracks and the angry lyrics/flows.

2) Binary Star - Masters of the Universe - I liked this when it came out, or when I got it, but really started appreciating it over the last 6 years or so. I’ve been listening to this a lot over the last year as well. It’s a great LP.

1) Outkast - Stankonia - Outkast on top of their game (of which they never really dropped off of). This LP is solid all the way through and what better group than Outkast to ring in the new century?

BC's Top 20 Songs or 2000

20) Super Brooklyn (BQ Mix) - Cocoa Brovaz w/ Mista Cheeks - Can you really go wrong sampling Super Mario Bros.? Not really.

19) Reality Check - Binary Star - I dig the melodic beat and One Man Army (One.Be.Lo) and Senim Silla kick some nice flows. “Got everyone riding on my wagon, like the Amish.”

18) A.B. Baracus - The A-Team - Both the name songs on The A-Team LP are what some people would call, fresh.

17) Let Me Hear It - Jigmastas - This song is on the Hip Hop 101 compilation and it shows how nice DJ Spinna can be. He can be hit or miss with me, but when he hits, he hits hard. I think Kriminal is a pretty nice MC as well, although some may not agree.




16) So Fresh, So Clean - Outkast - Another classic from Outkast.

15) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Binary Star - One Man Army talks about his stint in jail and it’s nice to see that there are learning experiences that can happen to those that have made mistakes. The beat has a dope piano loop and it’s another melodic song.




14) Silly Puddy - Zion I w/ The Grouch - Zion I was always a bit inconsistent with their LP’s, until this year, but they always made 6-8 real dope tracks per album. This song is one of those from Mind Over Matter and The Grouch, in particular, really shines here.

13) Crash the Boards - Cali Agents - Rasco and Planet Asia. I always liked these guys and they have a nice contrast in flows that works. The beat is tight and there’s some nice DJ work on the track.

12) Trinity - JedI Mind Tricks w/ L-Fudge and Loius Logic - Stoupe always has those orchestral type beats and this is one of my favorites from Violent By Design.

11) Home Sweet Home - M.O.P. w/ Lord Have Mercy - This is a great song and I have always liked Lord Have Mercy since the first Lyricist Lounge LP. I wish he was still around and maybe he is, but I haven’t heard much from him this decade. Mix LHM with M.O.P. and you got some heat.

10) Cherchez La Ghost - Ghostface Killah feat. U-God - This samples some song from the 70’s I believe, or at least features an interpolation of said song. It’s a short song, but crazy catchy. Just try not to dig this song.

I had no idea they made a video for this track. I must have stopped watching MTV at this point.




9) Acey the Faceman - The A-Team - I just think this beat is… what is it Serch? “Nice. Ni a a a a iiiice!!!!”

8) Critical - Zion I w/ Planet Asia - Zumbi and Asia throw down over a superior Amp Live beat. We got a little scratching over the hook, which always is a plus with me.




7) 3030 - Deltron 3030 - The perfect eerie track to start the Deltron 3030 album (not including the intro).

6) Ms. Jackson - Outkast - This was a huge hit and I remember getting sick of it when it was all over the place, but there’s no mistaking how good this song is, and will be forever, forever ever, forever ever.

5) Whitey - Everlast - I am a huge Everlast fan and his Eat at Whitey’s was easily a top 10 LP for me in 2000. However, I would say it’s not a hip-hop album, so I didn’t include it in my top 10 LP’s. That being said, this is a quick little hardcore song that opens Whitey’s. It features a nice cello sample (?) and I always like to mix string instruments with my hip-hop.

4) Brooklyn Blocks - Masta Ace and Buckshot - Ace was putting out a lot of 12 inches in 1999 and 2000 and this is a crazy dope song with Buckshot, produced by MA himself.

3) Oooh - De La Soul w/ Redman - You have to love a song where the group disses their label in the lead single. This song in ill and Redman adds to the illness of the track, as he is prone to do. This video must have cost a pretty penny:




2) Ghetto Like… - Masta Ace - Produced by Saukrates, MA spits about, you guessed it, the ghetto.

1) B.O.B. - Outkast - One of the craziest songs ever. Just a phenomenal song. Check out the crazy video:

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MyGrane McNastee & DJ Ynot Mixtape

Mygrane McNastee is a rappers rapper, a complete emcee. Able to capture listeners with universal vibes, an outstanding voice and electric charisma. The name MyGrane means one who follows his own grains (ways and means of life). McNastee simply means MC Nasty! Having opened up for numerous established artist including KRS-one, C-Rayz Walz, Clipse, Lady Luck, Cormega, Wu-Tang Clan, has prepared him for what it takes to perform on any stage in the world. MyGrane has also been interviewed on the World Famous Wake up Show by Sway and King Tech on the same mic your favorite emcee has probably been on. Enter his world of Hip Hop, Lyricism, politics, and a spaced out sense of humor for multiple Brain-gasms. Bringing forth originality with content in conjunction with everything under the sun, Mygrane McNastee captures the crowd like no other Rap artist. Now available for free download is the new mixtape from Mygrane McNastee & DJ YNOT!!

Tracklisting & Guests Appearances:


Free Download: MyGrane McNastee & DJ Ynot Mixtape

For more info, check out: MygraneHipHop.com

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Artist Spotlight: 2 Hungry Bros

That twitter is a weird thing. I turn it on sometimes at night when I'm working on things. It can be distracting, but sometimes it can be fun and you can run into something into something interesting people. It's actually there that I ran into Deep from 2 Hungry Bros, a NYC production group that has been doing their thing for the past couple month. I was already familiar with the duo after hearing their "Table Manners" and "My Crew is All Thinner" projects that dropped last year and this year respectively. I was a fan of the crews production, so we got to talking. That of course led to this spotlight....

1. 8thw1 – Walk Tall
2. Substantial – King Strut
3. Mickey Factz – Move On Up
4. Fresh Daily & $trictlyBusine$$ – Bed-Stuy Bullet Dodge
5. Senor Kaos – Wandering Soul
6. 8thw1 – The Expose’
7. Critical – Holy Are You
8. Reef the Lost Cauze – Ripped By Loud Metal Explosions
9. 8thw1 – Executive Lounge
10. P.CASSO – Second Wind
11. Little Vic – Black Night
12. 8thw1 – Harlem Hindu
13. Daniel Joseph – Holy Thursday
14. Nikkobya Bisou – Le Machete’
15. Gary Bartz – Celestial Blues
16. 8thw1 – Small Crib
17. Von Pea – Foodstamps
18. K Gaines – Rum Raisin
19. 8thw1 & Leon Haywood – I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You
20. Mazzi – SOUL Propulsion
21. Homeboy Sandman – Parallel Perpendicular
22. 10 Wheel Drive – Ain’t Gonna Happen
23. Willie Colon – Te Conozco

DOWNLOAD: 2 Hungry Bros. – My Crew’s All Thinner (Mixtape)

WYDU: What's good man? So let's just jump right into it, how was it producing a classic jam for an album such as Illmatic??.....nah, just kidding (inside joke)....Who exactly are the 2 Hungry Brothers and how did y'all come together?

2 Hungry Bros: Well here are 2 answers for those 3 questions. I think it’s good to have your friend from childhood (since 5) as your production & business partner and best friend. We grew up across the street, in the same school, and Church in the L.E.S. The 2 Hungry Bros are Deep & Ben Boogz. We’re even two different personality types with only a few things in common, love for food and music. We’ve also have always been class clowns.

W: The two of you rep the AOK collective. For those out there not familiar with the crew, who is in it and what is the purpose of rolling as a large collective?

2HB: We represent good timeless music and the appreciation of it. Lots of fads come and go so musically we feel its our responsibility musically to maintain that timeless aspect. The lyrics are the mc’s responsibility and I roll with the collective because as long as they stay true to themselves, the message will be universal. Isn’t that a paradox? How a personal experience and perspective can touch millions.

The 2 Hungry Bros have been working with some great artists in the last decade. Each have been wonderful experiences. In this stage in our lives God has found it appropriate to provide the soundtrack to the experiences Homeboy Sandman, P.So, Fresh Daily, Nola Darling, and 8thw1 share.



W: Did you guys do the production the latest Fresh Daily project? That was pretty dope for sure....

2HB: Fresh Daily’s album, Gorgeous Killa, was a triumph for everyone who knows him personally. We would’ve loved to produce that whole album, but variety is the spice of life in the sense that a lot of great producers got together to make sure the album took off. We originally had 2 beats on the album. The first was “Assassination Tango”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlxTYj45dQA

We’re happy to be the masterminds behind the beat for Fresh Daily’s definitive song, “Superspectacular”.

W: Deep, I know you do some DJing on the side as well, how is being a good DJ help being a good producer? How do they go hand in hand?

2HB: Deep started spinning out in 7th grade for his classmates parties. We decided to appreciate our parents’ record collections. Our fathers would identify samples to songs. We decided to do more research and find our own samples. Deep would make loops with a pause button and play break records over them with a Gemini mixer and then record that. Music appreciation has made us better producers and djs.

W: What joint is that "life saver", a joint that will rock any party?

2HB: Slick Rick’s "Mona Lisa" or “Hot Music” by Soho.

W: How did y'all get into producing? How long you been going at it?

2HB: We’ve been making beats together since 2003. We’ve been machine hopping since 1999 till we got our own setup. Finding out that the beats to our favorite hip Hop songs were sampled was a revelation.

W: I gotta ask this of all the producers I talk to, what's your weapons of choice? Do you make a beat with an artist in mind?

2HB: Our first official machine was the mpc2000. Then we both met two lovely ladies. One bought ben boogz his mpc2500 and the other bought Deep the mpc4000 (she is now his wife). We don’t make beats with mcees in mind. We make beats whenever we’re inspired. We make beats when we are happy, mad, frustrated, bored. If an Mcee relates to that beat, he picks it. It’s similar to the way an artist paints a picture except we’re making more of a collage with our style. We’ve also recently as of last Christmas incorporated the Mini Korg.

W: Another often asked question, what's your take on the software vs. hardware debate for producing?

2HB: We like to bang out beats. We’ve seen Pso and Fresh Daily make beats on their computers with their programs. It looks like playing computer games. We like our hands on approach rather then laying drums or sounds on a meter count. It doesn’t look as fun. In the end it’s what you as the artist bring to the table rather than the tools you use.

W: You've had two projects in the past two years, My Crew Is All Thinner and Table Manners. What is each of those about? How did you hook up with cats like Reef?

2HB: Table Manners was our little baby! It’s a compilation we made to show AOK Collective’s talent could roll with the best of them such as C Rayz Walz, Vastare, Pumpkinhead, Skyzoo, John Robinson, Substantial, Reef, etc. My Crew’s All Thinner was a continuation to the AOK COLLECTIVE Mixtape we put out called My Crew’s All Winners, since we were the portliest of the squad at the time. Instead of sampling and making beats, we used the actual grooves the way Mcees jack instrumentals. It was a nod to our compilations and groove mixtapes from when we spun at the Nuyorican. Reef’s a great dude and an incredible rapper. Cat’s like Reef? There is no other like Reef. Also as producers, we try to set a standard for ourselves to work with a certain quality artist.



W: Any artist out there you want to work with and haven't yet? What do you look for in an MC for potentially working for?

2HB: Well in the future, we’d like to work with artists who don’t suffer from insecurities and have their $hit together in life. This way we don’t have to deal with any extra emotional baggage that comes with a project. There’s already the creative process, where we brainstorm with the artist. At the same time life has it’s foul ups and those define us as artists. How we deal with them end up refining ourselves. Soooooo having said that ….we’d love to work with Lady Gaga after we complete a developing Reef the Lost Cauze project and we released the 2 Hungry Bros presents 8thw1 in No Room For dessert (which is completed).

W: What does the future hold for the 2 Hungry Bros?

2HB: Before we release No Room For Dessert, there’s another mix cd like My Crew’s All Thinner coming. Homeboy Sandman’s new album is coming out next year and it’s called the GOOD SUN. It’s got some treats from yours truly. We’re also working with P.so and Nola Darling on their upcoming magic. We are also working with this incredible vocalist named Janelle Renee on her project, Equilibrium. We’ve got some hits coming. Also ben Sure to look out for us on Ciph Diggy of the Sleepwalkas solo album, "UNTITLED WAVE"

W: Any last words for the fan club out there?

2HB: We appreciate all the “Hey we heard about you guys!” “Wow you are the bros, we know you!”s! We appreciate the love. Keep an ear out and an eye out for all the gigs we’re spinning at. Look for us http://twitter.com/2hungrybros for special announcements, excluseez, freebeez, and new mixes! For some fun mixes by Deep of the 2 Hungry bros go to http://soundcloud.com/2hungrybros.

W: Thanks man!

2HB: No doubt. Thanks for the love bro!

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Routine Fly Presents: Richie Cunning - Late Night Special

What’s that? You still haven’t heard of Richie Cunning? You still aren’t a fan? WELL, let’s review here and see if we can’t turn you into a believer. Richie Cunning’s self-produced debut album Night Train is scheduled for release on Jan 15th 2010. In anticipation of this release, Richie has put together a collection of rare tracks, along with a bevy of brand new material, to get you, the listener and critic, more excited about his debut release.

You have hopefully already heard the four songs already released, Hear My Train A Comin’, City Boy, I Got People and Takin’ A Train. (If you’ve been under a rock, check the links below) The mixtape includes his early radio appearances on the world famous radio show The Drum KZSU, hosted by Kevvy Kev, (the longest running hip hop radio show of all time) The mixtape includes his track with Fashawn & U-N-I, Keys To The City, which was used to promote the Imeem.com concert series of the same name. You can also hear Richie’s track from the Zion I Mixtape, The Search & The Seizure, produced by Amp Live and co-starring Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples as well as collaborations with fellow Rec-League artists, Grip Grand, QM, and more. Richie shines not only with his rhymes, but also with his production, having produced a handful of the original songs on this mixtape himself.

Richie Cunning is an emerging artist with a refreshing sound and a rock hard grasp of what it takes to catch the listeners ear. This mixtape is another step in his growing career. URB Magazine has described him as having “surprising grit, undeniable swagger & perfectly ill flow”. His song The City (off the upcoming album, Night Train) has been played numerous times to hype the crowd at Oracle Arena during Golden State Warriors games. He was infamously banned from Canada in 2007 while en route to headline his first international show. More and more people are starting to take notice as Richie, “The Son of the City”, continues to spread his own special brand of rugged yet polished rap music. While we’ll leave the final decision up to you, if you choose to agree, we won’t be mad at you.

Richie Cunning – Late Night Special Mixtape

http://www.routinefly.com/Richie_Cunning_-_Late_Night_Special.zip

Previously:
Richie Cunning – Hear My Train A Comin’
http://www.routinefly.com/2009/11/richie-cunning-hear-my-train-a-comin/

Richie Cunning – City Boy
http://www.routinefly.com/2009/11/richie-cunning-city-boy/

Richie Cunning – I Got People
http://www.routinefly.com/2009/11/richie-cunning-i-got-people/

Richie Cunning – Takin’ A Train’
http://www.routinefly.com/2009/11/richie-cunning-takin-a-train/

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UGHH Interviews Mayer Hawthorne

The Mayer Hawthorne album is one of my favorites of the year, in any genre. Comprised of soulful melodies and that old school soul, it's one of those albums that you have to have on vinyl and jam on the turntable to get the true essence. My boys at UGHH sent this over to me, so here it is.....


Mayer Hawthorne - Interview Pt. 1 (Outside Of Great Scott's - Allston, MA - 9/29/09)




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Video Summary:

"I think Mayer is the only artist in the history of the label that I've signed after hearing only two songs, sometimes, you just know it's the right thing to do." - Peanut Butter Wolf. While the name Mayer Hawthorne rings bells only recently, Hawthorne has established himself as a well known producer and DJ in the underground hip hop scene since the mid-90s as part of the seminal rap group Athletic Mic League and soul trio Now On. Hawthorne takes time out to sit down with UGHH.com and discuss the origins of his first solo masterpiece, "A Strange Arrangement." The content of the album can be most simply be classified as retro-soul, and was released on Stones Throw Records earlier this year.

Mayer Hawthorne - Interview Pt. 2 (Outside Of Great Scott's - Allston, MA - 9/29/09)




Video Summary:

Well-known for producing and DJing as one-seventh of the Ann Arbor rap collective Athletic Mic League, and one-third of the soul outfit Now On, Haircut talks about his metamorphosis into being a front man and selling out shows across the country as Mayer Hawthorne on the Lonely Hearts Club Tour. Hawthorne, whom brought his entire rap cassette collection on the road, recalls some of his favorite hip-hop tapes along with the origin of the name Haircut.

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