Maw-

now playing: Maw- - Day's End

I'm not a huge fan of Finnish hip-hop in general but every now and then there are exceptions. This time, a guy called Maw- surprised me very positively. I think I was just studying my Last.fm neighbours' libraries and bumped up into some one listening to Maw- and, since I had never heard of such an artist, decided to check it out. It turned out that I had been sleeping on some dope instrumentals.

As I did a bit of digging on the artist I found out that Maw-'s music has been played even in Solid Steel radioshow (right inbetween Erykah Badu and Ghostface Killah) by Ruckus Roboticus. That tells you something, doesn't it.

This right here is the first full album that he released.



Please do take a look at his bandcamp. There are four albums, all available for free. And, if you're interested, check out his blog aswell. And most importantly, enjoy nice chillout music.

DJ Renegade's free mix

now playing: Johnson & Jonson - Look

This is for all you dancers. DJ Renegade has been spinning it in probably every major dance event around the world and he's been a dancer himself so he knows exactly what it takes to make your feet do their thing. Free download of his newest mixtape here.

Moe Pope

now playing: Blu - OpenChopShop (MilkMoneysFirstBeat)

It is amazing how many people don't know a thing about Moe Pope because he is dope. And when I say dope, I mean Dope.

MC Moe Pope's career first took off in the early 2000s with Bay Area-based hip-hop band Mission (who later became known as Crown City Rockers). After a series of 12"s, Pope appeared on the group's LP, One, in 2001, before he decided to return to Boston in order to look after his daughter. Back in his hometown, he connected with rapper/producer Insight and his five-man outfit, Electric (aka Electric Company).

Along with members Anonymous and Raheem Jamal, Pope broke off from Electric to form Project Move, issuing their debut album, Love Gone Wrong/Butterfly Theory, in 2006. As each group’s members went off to make solo records, Pope reunited with his former Crown City cohort Headnodic for the 2008 well received collaborative album Megaphone.

2010 finds Moe Pope with a new production partner and a new label for his latest and most mature work to date, Life After God.
Envision the MC/Producer platform of Pete Rock & CL Smooth blended with the abstract prose of Bob Dylan and the pure adrenalin angst of Bad Brains and prepare for your Life After God.

Quote taken from Moe Pope's tumblr.

Life After God is really a great album. If you don't believe me, try reading this review. Depeche Moe, a remixed version of Life After God is pretty good, too, but my personal opinion is that it can't touch the original.

And no, no download links for this one. Go buy it.

B-Ju

now playing: B-JU - Babbel Net (Original)

I don't think I've recommended any house yet even though house music is the love of my life. Well yes, the blog is called hiphop something but hey, good music is always good music and if you aren't into house, just read a little further.

So. B-Ju. An award winning German producer who makes both house/electronic and hiphop/turntablism beats. A very versatile and talented guy, indeed. Dog Day EP is his debut album that was released on Error Broadcast Collective in April 2010. There was a very limited (100 copies) vinyl edition of the EP that had features of 1000names and Herrmutt Lobby and that, not surprisingly, sold out quickly. But, luckily, they went digital, too.



Over here we have B-Ju's podcast, sorry Cloudcast I was supposed to say. And here is his Soundcloud.

Can't wait to hear more from this guy.

Kendrick Lamar

now playing: Kendrick Lamar - Ignorance Is Bliss

No matter what the song name says, ignorance is no bliss this time. I'm not gonna write all about Kendrick Lamar's biography because if some one's interested, they can go to his website, but I am gonna point out that there is a buzz. On the website, there are also free downloads of his mixtapes. If still interested, take a look at this, a blog post that has many of Lamar's less known and unreleased tracks.

Gil Scott-Heron

now playing: Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - I'll Take Care of You

Gilbert Scott-Heron, poet, musician and author. April 1, 1949 - May 27, 2011. Rest in peace.

Belief - Dedication

now playing: Reks - The One

Ok guys, this is the one and only recommendation I'll make today. I can't remember how many clicks it took on Spotify to bump into this album but I'm happy I clicked enough. So, the artist is called Belief. There is also another artist called Belief that makes some kind of synth-pop or Depeche Mode like music, but when it comes to the Belief that I'm now recommending, I know only of this one album. Dedication was released in 2006 and there are actually four rappers featured: Vordul Mega, C-Rayz Walz, Wordsworth and Murs. I found a rewiev of the album that also told more about the artist himself. I also found a download link for the album. Enjoy!

SLik d

now playing: SLik d - Body Braille

This music makes me feel like it was warm and sunny outside and I could go to the beach with my boombox. SLik d's albums are all about good vibes and the albums are named accordingly: High Vibes (2011), SunShine (2010), Midnight Vibes (2010) and Summer Vibes (2009) are available on his bandcamp.

Beats On Deck isn't downloadable but the two-track release is just as nice and chill as the others.

Spaceghostpurrp

now playing: Spaceghostpurrp - Lixk V Strippvh

Ok, the last recommendation for today. This is something different for sure. It's dirty, ugly, a bit revolting, rude and addictive. First I thought I wouldn't like it but I was wrong. I love it.

Underrated rapper from the 90’s. Hails from Miami Florida and was born on April 1st, 1991 (Purrp Day). His influences include Three 6 Mafia, UGK, DJ Paul, Eazy E, and DJ Screw.

That is the biography on Spaceghostpurrp's facebook. Nuff said. Go to datpiff.com and download his NASA the mixtape and Blvcklvnd Rvdix 66.6. Or google it.

The Weeknd

now playing: The Weeknd - High For This

Today's second recommendation is The Weeknd. Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd is a Toronto based r&b singer who released his first mixtape in March 2011. House of Balloons was followed by We Are The Noise and Thursday and Echoes of Silence will be released later.

Like it says on The Weeknd's Last.fm page, he sometimes raps, sometimes sings and it's all about ugly things in a pretty voice. I guess that's the new thing in r&b because people don't want to hear the same old stories over and over again.

House of Balloons is available on his website.

7even Sun

now playing: Frank Ocean - Songs for Women

Good morning! Today's first recommendation is this French producer called 7even Sun. I fell in love with the groove in his music. The newest release that I'm linking here is dope, with out a doubt worth the 7 dollars it costs. The older ones are available for free. Enjoy.

Frank Ocean

now playing: Frank Ocean - Nature Feels

This is new. Or not really. Or yes it is. It's r&b with a little twist. Or that's how I'd put it. At first I wasn't really sure what to think about Frank Ocean but having listened to the entire Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape I think it is  justified to say that we're talking about one of the best r&b albums in 2011. You're not going to hear the typical oh-baby-how-much-I-love-you / my-heart-is-broken-because-my-baby-left-me kind of lyrics. There are love stories but he sings of, for example, lovecrimes and divorces. Very refreshing to me. Smart remixes, strong lyrics and a good voice make a nice package. I read somewhere that Nostalgia, Ultra could do the same thing to Frank Ocean as can't remember which album did to Drake. I hope Ocean will get the recognition he deserves but let's not hope he'll start doing Drake-like music (no offense). So, check it out. Free download here.

Castle

now playing: Castle - First Ship Outta Here

Today I got an email from Mello Music Group saying:

Okay, we don't normally do this, but I caught myself listening to this project from Castle that he just released on his Bandcamp page and felt like I ought to tell some people about it.  This isn't an MMG album, simply something we were listneing to that was dope. Ditch Effort is not a project of bangers, it is a project with a lot of introspective joints for laid back relaxation.  So, if you're into checking out new independent artists, this one's worth your time.

So I checked it out and you should too. A big thank you for MMG for the recommendation.

Cloud

now playing: Cloud - News

It's easy to tell that school's over for this spring. I spend hours a day listening to music that my friends have recommended or that I've found out some other way. And I can't help posting at least some of them here.

The latest recommendation by a friend from Chicago is Cloud. Once again, I had never even heard about the artist but I guess he is just one of those producers/artists that you must bump into at some point. (I have a theory that all great music makes its way to the right listeners..) I began to listen to his albums in reversed order, starting off with the newest release, and by the 12th track I was deep in it. I heard that graffiti plays a big influence in his music and, well, I do agree with my friend in that there is some graffiti in the soundscape.





Hang+Bang is his newest release. You can download most of the older ones for free if you wish. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Before Taxes by yU

now playing: Bugseed - Mind Bender

Another free digital release from Mello Music Group. If you haven't heard of yU before, I highly recommend you to take some time to listen to this album. Don't sleep on it.

Flipping Formats Beattape by Bugseed

now playing: Bugseed - Mad Dogg

Something I just bumped into and liked a lot.

Cool Classic Jazzstrumentals by Funky DL

now playing: Funky DL - You Really Love That (Instrumental)

For all you who love jazz and hip-hop fusions like I do. Funky DL is definitely one of the artists who are able to bring the best out of both music genres and blend them into smooth and groovy delicacies. Take a listen and let the music take you to places.

Electric Farmer

Some nice electronic/tech/instrumental hip-hop vibes for chill-out nights. All the tracks seem to be downloadable.


Latest tracks by Electric Farmer

Kemizt

now playing: Kemizt - Tea Leaf Breakdancers

Look what I found, look what I found! Kemizt is a new acquaintance for me and I listened to his album The Vigil for the first time today and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can download the album for free here.

So, a little more about the artist. Jordan Hartley aka Kemizt is an upcoming Long Island based rapper. Known formerly as one half of the rap duo ReKon, rave music reviews and talk of a contract ended abruptly when Kemizt’s father, the duo’s manager, was killed in 2005. Kemizt started working independently just over a year ago after several mixtape releases with partner Ayindé. His first solo project, The Vigil, was released in 2010 and it promises to bring activity back on the radar for NY artists positioning the island as the new stomping ground for east coast Hip-Hop and to re-introduce Kemizt to the industry—and to himself.

Kemizt was featured on Dela's Translation Lost. I Will is a fine song on a fine album and in his own words: "dude (Dela) has been one of my favorite producers for years, so it’s an honor to be able to work with him. i’m working on a full project with him too, so look out for that". He has also worked with Co$$ and the new Sleepwalker mixtape includes a track called The Sky with Kemizt on it. (Download the Sleepwalker Mixtape here.) To keep updated on what Kemizt is up to, have a look at his website and tumblr.

There are some new tracks on the tumblr site that will be on the unreleased and upcoming FUCKthe14th mixtape. Can't wait for that one to drop.

Sugoisounds

Now playing: Sugoisounds - Green & White

Online pleasure for your ears. Enjoy!

Latest tracks by sugoisounds

Everything Changed Nothing by Trek Life

Mello Music Group keeps giving out free downloads of full albums. This week's download is Everything Changed Nothing by Trek Life which is produced by Oddisee. Highly recommended!

Blu - Untaped