Been super busy the last couple of days. The launch of 5MC’s hasn’t helped, and going back to work has been a big-time bummer. Here are a few requests that I got around to checking out during the holidays. I’ll be posting some sick discographies in the comin days so be on the lookout fam!
Real fresh mix brought to ya by Skratch Bastid. The skill of scratching really is becoming a lost art which makes me appreciate this mix a lot more. Check it out..
This is the latest mix-cd from the great Canadian DJ Skratch Bastid. This follows up the amazing “Get Up from 2007. This mix features a very wide variety of music all blended perfectly by Bastid for your listening and dancing pleasure.
And we’re back Good to be back as noted on the side, I’ve definitely missed CTR just as much as you’ve missed us. I hope the time off gave you a chance to check out our new project over at 5Mics. It’s hot!
Living Legends is back with another sick compilation of rare and previously unreleased material from their extensive catalogue. Cali stand up!
From the opening track til the last, The Wilderness Crew comes correct with a nice variety of instrument-infused beats mixed with hella smooth lyrics. With a style similar to the 50 Fingers album posted below, Wilderness Crew are definitely doin their thang repping the ever-growing Vancouver hip-hop scene. Their self-titled debut is a truly unique blend that slightly reminds me of Sweatshop Union. If you’re a fan of that type of soulful music definitely check this one out, you will not be disappointed. A blurb from cdbaby:
For seven plus years Brett Mjanes, Eli Dill and Eric Amberg have been developing the sound that is ‘The Wilderness Crew’. Connected through the heart, soul and mind, the three friends formed an unbreakable bond while growing up together on the Sunshine Coast (BC Canada).
With exposure via the international surf community and a healthy local fan base, The Wilderness Crew is reaching more ears everyday. Their first full length independent CD (self titled) has recently been released.
Tracklist after the jump. Make sure to support these cats by grabbing their album here.
Copped this a few days and never really got the chance to look into it (mostly due to the releases that particular grp pres, not usually my style). I started listening to it earlier today and was pleasantly surprised. I went on the hunt for more info on 50 Fingers and eventually found out they’re a new group from the British Columbia part of Canada. If you’re looking for sick beats (produced entirely by Factor) mixed with furiour rap style then you should throughoughly enjoy this. Lemme know what ya think! Here’s a blurb from their MySpace:
So there we were about 40% through our 2006 Western Canada tour, Stuporstars Of Rap. The Gumshoe Strut and I had been trading driving shifts for a number of hours on the way to our next stop, (saska)Toon Town. We had no idea where we were staying. The original intention had been to MAYBE make a song or two, if time permitted and what ended up happening was a night of intoxicated creation only some artists like 2pac and Moka Only can brag about. The first part came right after our show at Amigo’s Cantina, heavily blunted, those who would later be referred to as 50 Fingers, made their way to Factor G’s Studio and banged out six heaters in roughly 12 hours. Written, produced, recorded. The process here was: make/listen to the beat, write the song, record the song, celebrate with a congratulatory blunt (during which time the projects name and title were chosen). The only thing anybody really slowed down for was either a much needed piss break or an occasional slice of Pizza. All kinds of ideas were thrown around. Bunnies. Brothers United. It was clear, 50 Fingers. Maybe it was the BC blunts consumed? The Alcohol?, It had so much meaning but at the same time made you wonder, are you sure we can’t come up with anything better? We had: songs for the workers, strange songs, depressing songs, intro songs, songs with Nolto!, and songs to get your life together to. Clearly more than satisfied, we thanked Factor and his gal for their hospitality and made our way to (winni)Peg Gritty. It was a long drive but time flowed by swiftly mainly due to the buzz we all had from this new music, it was dope. The day after our show while sitting in a Corydon avenue mall food court with gracious host, Yy, we receive a discouraging call from our Red Deer contact saying that the venue we were going to be performing at was shut down due to some liquor license issues and that the show would not be happening. Fuck. What are we going to do with this extra day? Lightbulb. “Uh, hey Graham? What are you up to tomorrow bud? Nothing? Sweet dude, you down to make another six songs??”. All right, now we can probably make an album out of this. Slightly more prepared this time, we stuck with the same formula for the process of creation but the attitude was geared toward less-serious subject matter, more fun-loving and flamboyant. Songs about getting hammered, songs about compromise, songs about us, fast piano songs and unhealthy songs. What you have for the end product is a combination of some of Canada’s most original talent, joining forces to make an impromptu heritage album for the Canadian hip hop blueprint. Two years after it was made.
I haven’t really had a chance to peep this joint for myself, and being that he’s a foreign artist I most often times wouldn’t drop this until I’ve had the chance to sample it myself, but this one seems to be popping up everywhere and I’ve only heard people saying positive things about this release. From the few things I’ve heard for myself, although there’s obviously a language difference the production is incredibly beautiful. I wouldn’t call it bluesy, it’s definitely more jazz oriented (blended with hip-hop of course). It’s the type of ish I enjoy smoking to or riding to on lazy weekend mornings. Peep the video, if you like it peep the album and as always buy if you like (and if you can afford those expensive as Japanese imports).
Here’s another submission we got from one of our readers. Shouts to xBriteFuturex for this one (and two other drops). I personally had no clue there was any kind of hip-hop scene in Oregon whatsoever, but BF is bringing it to light for us. Peeped their myspace page, seem straight. Def check this one if you’re looking for something completely new.
First album from the alliance crew. the crew consits of G_Force, Rapsodee P. & DJ Celsius. theyre great unknown nw hiphop artists that reside in my hometown of eugene, so if you like them please buy theyre isht and support some real hiphop.
from thier myspace-
>>>>>>The Alliance Crew is a Northwest Hip-hop group based out of Oregon. Its cofounders, G Force and Rapsodee P., were long time friends before starting the group in 1999. Nine years later and with the addition of DJ Celsius they\’re sound has continued to expand and mature to the embodiment of a solid Hip-hop trio. With G Force\’s professional production and unique flow, DJ Celsius\’s scratching expertise which have gained attention from the likes of such heavy weights as D-styles, and Rapsodee P.\’s wordplay and recognition as veteran lyricist, the trio has begun commanding respect throughout the northwest.
>>>>>>>They have two releases, the most first of which dropped in 2006 entitled: “The Theory of Natural selection.” The album is a combination of all of the elements one might find in Hip-hop music. One\’s never let down with G Force\’s expansive repertoire of laid back melodies, soothing jazz rifts, soulful samples, and bassy head bangers. However, the beats or only the beginning; with DJ Celsius\’s skillful solos and rhythmic manipulation of vocal samples, the precision of their product only becomes more evident. To sum up the rest of the equation Rapsodeep and G Force ride the rhythm with “…no resemblance to new jack emcee(s)”. Their subject matter is all encompassing from content like from political awareness, poetry, raw wordplay, boastful bravados to personal experiences, spanning all sorts of tempos and flows.
>>>>>>>> Their second release dropped in May of 2008 entitled: “Don\’t Know How to Exist.” This new album was created in a matter of weeks. Having started the album in early April, and finishing the material with in less time than expected, the album was officially released on May 24th 2008, at the \’Get Your Ass off the Couch\’ event sponsored by BTM Records. The album was created around G_Force\’s productions, which encompass soulful chops all the way to synth based beats. As usual G_Force and front man Rapsodee P. spit back in forth with stylized wit and seasoned chemistry. Backing the two, as always, the renown Dj Celsius mans the turntables with a distinctly clean and unique style, lacing up synchronized scratch chorus and skillful solos. Also appearing on the album are a couple BTM regulars you might expect, such as Knox and Efekt. But some things the album offers you might not of expected are guest appearances by Rochelle Hunter (of Girl Meets Gravity) on Galaxy Trip, and guest productions by 5th Sequence and Goofru. Check the album out!!! Its AVAILABLE NOW in stores @ Portland and Eugene OR (message us for the list of locations), I Tunes and Cd Baby.com
>>>>>>The first single released from the album is entitled “Paid No Mind” and you can hear on the ALLIANCE CREW\’s official www.myspace.com/thealliancecrew.
>>>>>Alliance has been unyielding in their musical momentum having performed at a variety of venues, college co-ops, cafes and other events. They have opened for the likes of, Tre Hardson, Zion I, Lyrics Born and more. When not being invited to accompany other acts they\’ve sponsored and promoted shows of their own including the Tre Hardson concert. Whether performing with other acts or sponsoring their own events Alliance has turned out crowds anywhere from 200-800 people.
Haven’t listened to this one out yet but it looks real interesting. Check out what Theme Magazine had to say about Cosmic Headphones:
Brooklyn’s Eagle Nebula brings to the world her debut album “Cosmic Headphones, a musical collection of high creative tastes produced by Georgia Anne Muldrow and executive produced by Dudley Perkins (of Stones Throw fame). Her throwback delivery and playful lyrics immediately brought back memories of a time when true hip hop was king. Witty and intelligent, Eagle playfully rhymes about living with optimism in “Daily Debut” but can switch gears to the personally contemplative “What I Like” without skipping a beat. Her message is positive and inspirational without coming off as tacky or preachy. “Cosmic Headphones” is a fresh breath of air in a rap game that is currently polluted with ringtone singles and recycled cliches as an excuse for lyrical content. Do yourself a favor and see what the new wave of hip hop sounds like.
Tracklist after the jump. You can buy the CD here.
Some real hot Vinyl drops over the past couple of days. Here’s a summary for ya, didn’t feel like making individual threads; it’s the holidays and I’m definitely lazy.
Been getting a lot of requests for this one. Leaked a few days ago, I was a bit late coming up on it, but here you are to the few of you who haven’t had a chance to peep this one yet. Check the bit of info below.
Since the release of his first full length album, Irreversible, Grieves has been called a breath of fresh air, a breakaway phenomenon, and a lyrical mastermind. Touring constantly, Grieves stunned crowds all over the country with his distinctive voice, lyrical precision, and unparalleled style. Following Grieves’ encouraging reception and a stint on the CMJ Top 20 Hip Hop charts, fans speculated on what would be next for the emergent artist.
88 Keys and Counting is the response. A joint venture with friend and renowned Seattle based producer, Budo, 88 Keys is a matured record with themes that will challenge fans old and new alike. Armed with a distinct and fluid sound that will delight your ears and rouse your cerebrum, Grieves’ second effort is not to be overlooked.
Releasing November 12th on Black Clover Records; Grieves plans to continue touring and expanding on his atypical and engaging live show with label mates Mac Lethal and Soulcrate Music.
Aight, aight so for most of us the holidays are almost officially over, but there’s still a bit of time left to celebrate with ‘09 on the horizon. I promised you all a gift or 2 (or 3). So, here’s 1 and 1/2 of the first 3 (now that I think about it the number might be 4) gifts we’re serving up for you here at CTR. First off, I’m sure a lot of you were wondering what exactly would we choose for the theme of the next installment of WIMBP since we had two themes tied at 73 votes, but instead of flipping a coin the decision was made to drop both. Vol 1.5 aka I Love The 90s is a relatively short work of a few overlooked 90s gems from some well and lesser known names. Juggaknots to Common (Sense), Natural Resource (Jean Grae’s old group) to Black Star, there’s something for every 90s head.
This next announcement (the .5 of your gift) is the most important IMO. I think a lot of cats who visit CTR may have found our links posted on hip-hop forums– hip-hop forums which generally have a single thread (rarely even a sub-forum) dedicated to UGHH (underground hip-hop) which is shame since with the many blogs floating around there’s obviously a demand for the music. Maybe I’m greatly mistaken, but there just doesn’t seem to be any forums out there specifically for sharing UGHH, which is why we’re bringing a new UGHH sharing community to you all seven days from now. In seven days we’ll make the link to the forums public, but until then we’re asking anybody interested in helping moderate any of our many sections or just posting material in general (we don’t care if it’s been previously upped or whatever) to contact us at checktherhimeblog@gmail.com. We’d also greatly appreciate help from other bloggers with promoting this site (we have ad space which we want to promote well put together ughh blogs on, at no cost of course). Anybody experienced in using Vbulletin is also welcome to drop us a line (we could use a bit of technical help). It’s about time we got our own, isn’t it? Stay tuned for more “gifts” in the next week or so.
Very smooth album I recently came across. A must for fans of the ever-growing Jazz-Hop fusion genre. I definitely need to get their other albums, RPIM rocks! A bit of info from cdbaby:
Restoring Poetry in Music offers stylistic elements of funk, jazz, hip-hop, rock and soul. Without resorting to genre classification, RPM’s music provides energetic inspiration to listeners looking to move their body, mind and spirit.
Ever since people began to organize sound into patterns of pitch and rhythm, music has always been a source of energy and inspiration. Restoring Poetry in Music taps into this never-ending sonic source every time they take the stage. Whether you’re looking for intelligent lyrics, hypnotic grooves and textures, or uncharted improvisational journeys, RPM has something to offer every audience member. An RPM set contains stylistic elements of funk, jazz,hip-hop, rock and soul. However, without resorting to genre classification, the bottom line is that Restoring Poetry in Music provides energetic inspiration to a crowd looking to move their body, mind and spirit.
Restoring Poetry in Music consists of six members from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. Will Bobbitt lays down the funky foundation on the drums with Marlon Vann filling in the rhythmic pockets on percussion. Bassist Drew Thomas locks in with the groove and invites the audience into the RPM experience. Aaron Gause(Enron) lends a progressive texture on the keyboards when he’s not taking the spotlight with his jazz influenced trumpet solos. On guitar, Patrick Fritz (P-Fritz) mixes driving funk guitar riffs with dirty blues and a unique approach to effects and timbres. Raw Poetic leads the crowd through his maze-like word play, while Drew Thomas keeps them grounded with catchy and melodic choruses. By the end of the night, the crowd’s mesmerized, the club’s happy, and the band is off to their next on stage event.
Tracklist after the jump. You can buy this one here.
Real fresh mix done up by DJ Format. Do NOT sleep on this…
After 4 highly acclaimed and sold out vinyl releases, DWG takes its first steps into thedigital world with Lungbutters, a 60 minute mix of unadulterated audio pleasure presented in radio show format and hosted by our very own Sureshot La Rock with DJ Format on the wheels of steel. Listen as we take you through an eclectic blend of audio goodness featuring cuts ranging from the obscure and slept on to the much more easily obtained but equally dope, with more than the odd smattering of unreleased gems, guest appearances and certified groin melters thrown in for good measure.
This is an album that caught my eye because of the MC name Elemental Zazen. Listened to it and liked it. Then read a bit about it and theres a unique, fairly remarkable backstory to this album…. so if you don’t read the whole quoted blurb I post, just read this one sentence and cop this album here.
“Recorded during his recovery from brain surgery to remove a malignant tumor, this is boom-bap hip-hop layered with live instrumentation from a revolutionary MC with an aggressive athletic flow, with political and personal lyrics.”
Not familiar with this cat at all. If Murs is backing him up he must have something goin for him. I’ll check this one out when I get in from work for sure. Cop this one here.
Requested by yung phuk. As I was going through my Silent Law albums I realized that I had missed one album on my Cymarshall Law discography. In 2006 Silent Knigh and Cymarshall Law did and album together as Silent Law called Simplexity. I apologise for missing it in the first place but here it is now along with other Silent Knight albums of course.
We dropped one of his older albums earlier on, here’s the lastest offering from Brazilian MC Marcelo D2. Even if you don’t speak Portuguese this is a great album to chill to. The production (especially on the lead single Desafabo) is definently on point and the emotion behind the music never gets lost in translation.
Marcelo D2 has started his career in music about 12 years ago as the leader and singer of the band Planet Hemp. Controversial e ideologically straight to the point, Planet Hemp sold over a half million records on their release album called Usuário (1994). The albums that followed, A invasão do Sagaz Homem Fumaça, Os Cães Ladram e a Caravana não passa and MTV Live Planet Hemp made D2 a multi-platinum artist from the start of his career.
Years later, after he toured with the band in countries such as Japan, USA, France, Netherlands and England, Marcelo D2 has entered a new stage on his career and released his first solo album: Eu Tiro É Onda (1999). This album marked him as the starter of a revolution in Brazillian music. The absolute vanguard of Brazillian music all over the world as many newspapers and artists have said for mixing samba and hip hop in and unique, elegant and absolutely contagious way. Impossible to stand still and not dance.
Next, D2 released the album À Procura da Batida Perfeita (2003) and won all the award he was nominated to during two years, including best lyrics and composer from the Brazillian Writers Academy and five Brazillian MTV Awards. Like the one before, the album was produced by Mario Caldato (Beastie Boys producer) with the symbiotic process of putting together beats and influences of all the diversity of composers of samba and hip hop into the fertile imagination of D2s lyrics. Looking For The Perfect Beat, the translation to English, was released in Asia, USA and Europe and stabilished D2 as the main Brazillian artist in 3 continents. For two years D2 and his band were on tour promoting this album, playing at all the capitals of Brasil and four European tours. He has also participated on many Samba and Hip Hop albums of important artists such as Sergio Mendes. In the US, D2 has been considered the Brazillian Jay-Z by Will.i.am and performed together with names like Steve Wonder, Justin Timberlake and Erykah Badu at the PeaPod Foundation show.
On May 8th, D2 released his third solo album, Meu Samba É Assim, with special guests from both Samba and Hip Hop universes, such as Charli Tuna and Zeca Pagodinho. On June 2nd, D2 starts a long waited European Summer Tour of two months playing on the biggest festivals and arenas in Europe, including many of the World Cup Events. He is also going to perform big shows together with the Black Eyed Peas and Sergio Mendes. Marcelo D2 has certainly stabilished himself as one of the most significative artists in Brazillian music.
Artist.......: Killah Priest
Title........: The Best Of Killah Priest And A Prelude To The
Label........: Da Grind Entertainment
Release.Type.: Album
Genre........: rap
Source.......: CDDA
Encoder......: LAME v3.97 -V 2 --vbr-new
Quality......: 152 kbps avg
Street.Date..: 2008-00-00
Rip.Date.....: 2008-12-19
Year.........: 2008
Tracks.......: 28
Playtime.....: 1h 29min Total
Size.........: 97.96 MB
URL..........: http://www.killahpriest.com www.myspace.com/killahpriest
UPDATE: Added Silent_Law-Simplexity-2006-F*D_INT (missing NFO and SFW)
I have been a huge Cymarshall Law fan since I heard his Hip-Hop In The Flesh album. Everything the man drops is just dope! If you havent checked these out before I highly recommend to do it now. Also this post includes the Grouprip of Hip-Hop In The Soul which we somehow missed.
Amadou & Mariam are a blind married couple from Bamako, Mali, who have been catapulted into the heights of the world music scene following their Manu Chao produced album Dimanche a Bamako from 2005. This release had to be excellent to follow their previous album and it certainly delivered in my opinion, and also showed the duo showcasing some interesting collaborations while sticking to their roots on other tracks. Damon Albarn (of Gorillaz and Blur) produced several songs which was a surprise to me. The hipsters over at Pitchfork Media placed the Albarn produced track “Sabali” at #15 in the Top 100 Tracks of ‘08. All in all, this is a fantastic and diverse record from Amadou and Mariam, and certainly one that should not be missed. One of my favorite releases of the year. Look out for a guest appearance from Somalian MC K’naan, and many other artists. Purchase Welcome to Mali here.
Jakki The Motamouth is a fairly unique MC. He’s not always my favourite type of cat to listen to, but I can definitely appreciate most of the shit he spits. The MHz (Camu Tao, Copywrite, Jakki Da Motamouth, Ramble Krohn, Tage Proto, RJD2 on the beats) album is actually fairly slept on, very top notch work. I haven’t listened to the Weathermen (Cage, Camu Tao, Yak Ballz, Copywrite, Vast aire, Tame One, Breeze Brewin, El-P, Jakki Da Motamouth) album, but it involves a buncha flame throwers so it should be more than solid.
Jacki The Motamouth LP’s:
MHz-Table_Scraps-2001-C*S
Weathermen-The_Conspiracy-(Retail)-2003-C*S
Jakki_The_Motamouth-God_Vs._Satan-2005-C*S
Jakki_Da_Motamouth-Psycho_Circus-CDR-2008-Xpl*de
Jacki The Motamouth VLS’s:
Jakki_Da_Motamouth-Im_Tryin_Bw_Stage_Fright-VLS-2003-J*E
New Jakki Da Motamouth. God Vs. Satan was a solid album, dude can spit some fire that’s for sure. From the man himself:
i’m a hiphop artist well trained in the art of battle and trash talk however i am capable of more than that. i’m a very gifted story teller. i look at everyday like it is my last day. i am also a cocky rhymer so noone can see me in my eye’s. however i also recognize talent when i see it and dont mind helping out the next man. i also do real estate in my spare time which is one of my favorite hobbies. i am currently workin wit copy,odot and company on projects. also i am working on my next album for babygrande title “psychocircus. most of my real fans reside on my fan site jakkidamotamouth.r8.org i converse with them regularly on that site so hit a nigga up. i have a 6 year old named brianna and a 9 year old named arriana and a nigga takes care of his
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Good to be back as noted on the side, I’ve definitely missed CTR just as much as you’ve missed us. I hope the time off gave you a chance to check out our new project over at 5Mics. It’s hot!
Not familiar with this cat at all. If Murs is backing him up he must have something goin for him. I’ll check this one out when I get in from work for sure. Cop this one 
