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.

Solo albums:

Cymarshall_Law-In_The_Flesh-2007-F*D
Cymarshall_Law_And_Mr_Joeker-Hip-Hop_In_The_Soul-2008-WH*A

Collaborative albums:

Pumpkinhead_and_Marshal_Law-Power_Man_and_Iron_Fist-(Retail)-2004-S*N_EAC
Everliven_Sound-Freedom-2008-F*D
Silent_Law-Simplexity-2006-F*D_INT

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Another dope request. Got into Illogic only recently with the release of his new EP, dude is real nice. High praise for this one all around the net so I really hope it’s as good as they claim.

One of the, um, endearing little quirks of CMG is that, on occasion, we get horrifically meta and first person. This is going to be one of those occasions, so hold on to your Vonneguts. Herein, I’m razing my old review for what I swear to be a neo-classic of hip-hop, last year’s and Illogic’s Celestial Clockwork. NY-based Raptivism now peddles Weightless wares, hopefully ensuring much better distribution of the small Columbus label’s quality releases; as a sort of dowry, Weightless presently offers a reissue of their (to date) watermark album, Illogic’s personal opus and third LP. This reissue features a shiny new remix and bonus track, so I can’t think of a better excuse to jump aboard my private/lonely hype wagon and lavish more praise on an album that I admire to a rather pathetic degree. In my jumping and admiring, I eradicate and redux my old review, a bulky and awkward beast that lumbers about with a track-by-track approach mired in choppy lyrical examples and overdone metaphors… oh, and long sentences, naturally. Looking at other reviews from my early CMG days (see Cryptic One and Cee-Lo Green), it’s surprising that Scott and Amir didn’t stage an intervention and send me into some sort of writing detox program. Judging by this paragraph, it may already be too late for me.

It’s almost diabolically fitting that the whole Celestial Clockwork reissue should come about with my self-conscious revisionism in tow, for one of the major themes of the album is the idea of time passing and the inevitable changes it brings, how the very process of change is the only medium in which life and growth can take place. If you don’t believe that that’s a big theme in an album belonging to a genre often possessed of short-sighted materialism, well, you can check the fantastic title track and the lyrics to the songs “The Only Constant” and “Stand,” both of which feature Illogic positing that “change is the only constant.” So, uh, booyah.

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I wasn’t sure what to think of BHV’s request of “College Registration” so I played it safe. I really do love both these CDs, is that Kanye gone for good? I sure hope not, it’s not promising though. 

Yes, Kanye West’s debut album The College Dropoutis proof that you can be one of hip-hop’s hottest producers and still be proficient at writing and delivering rhymes, that not all producers sink a track when they get on the mic. Yes, The College Dropoutis an example of a much-hyped, long-delayed, heavily bootlegged album that is worth every second of the wait, that is just as good as you expected it to be. Yes, the track that so much of that attention has been focused on — “Through the Wire”, Kanye’s confessional rap about his horrific car accident, capably rhymed while his jaw was still wired shut — is as riveting and moving as everyone says it is. Yes, the beats on this album are at least as hot as those he’s grown famous for. And yes, as a link between Jay-Z and Talib Kweli (or the “first nigga with a Benz and a backpack”, as he puts it on one song) he is likely to win over hip-hop fans of all stripes; when critics refer to him as “hip-hop’s savior”, you understand what they’re getting at, even as you think “Does hip-hop need to be saved?” But all of that is only half the story. That’s just the beginning of what The College Dropout is all about, only the first in the long list of reasons why the album is so unique, and so powerful.

A college dropout himself, West uses the cover art and a serious of skits to frame the album as a commentary on the educational system, a criticism of what people expect to gain from school and of the tenuous connection which that often has to what is taught and learned. That idea holds the album together as an extended look at the choices people make in life, and the reasons behind them. On song after song he uses his own life to rap about growing up and trying to survive in a harsh world, about the things we do just to get by. “Through the Wire” may be the album’s most startling personal horror story (though it’s also a song of hope and gratitude), but many of the other songs use autobiography in a more fluid and casual way. It’s like you’re listening to one of your neighbors tell you about his life — not because Kanye’s talents as an MC are pedestrian (by no means), but because he crosses subjects and contradicts himself in a very real way. His style of rapping is both self-boosting and self-deprecating; he expresses from-the-heart feelings about the world and where it’s gone wrong, then makes fun of himself for feeling like he has any right to judge others. He rhymes with conviction, and then steps back and laughs at himself… but instead of cutting against what he’s saying, that style makes the songs feel more honest. Kanye’s a Whitmanesque everyman figure who stands out in a genre where even the most “complicated” MCs — the sensitive gangstas — still all too often feel like they’ve built themselves personas to sell. On The College Dropout, Kanye West feels not like a persona but a person, and one who’s remarkably gifted at putting his worldview into a song, even when it’s messy and contradictory.

The more you listen to The College Dropout the harder Kanye becomes to define. In one moment he’s a street journalist who dissects the low expectations America has for young black teenagers and who understands the mechanics behind crime and the criminal justice system all too well; on the first track “We Don’t Care” he offers this wry chorus as a graduation anthem, and gets a kid’s choir to joyously sing it: “All you people that’s drug dealing just to get by/ Stack your money till it gets sky high/ We wasn’t supposed to make it past 25/ Jokes on you we still alive.” Then in another moment all he cares about is shiny car and women’s bra sizes. But lest you think that scholar/player is the only dichotomy here, check out the variety of ideas and complexities displayed across even just three of the album’s tracks:

On “All Falls Down” he criticizes consumerism as an expression of self-hatred rooted in history (”We shine because they hate us/ Floss cause they degrade us/ We tryin to buy back our 40 acres”), and then implicates himself in the same process.

The gospel hymn “I’ll Fly Away” leads into “Spaceship”, a low-key funk track about wishing you could get away from the working world via a spaceship; with help from GLC and Consequence, Kanye effectively links the legacy of slavery to modern-day corporate enslavement, while using the spaceship image to make evident the often invisible line between the “free us from the burdens of this world” theme of gospel music and the Afro-futurism of Sun Ra and P-Funk. Take into account the doo-wop style in which “I’ll Fly Away” is sung, and the Marvin Gaye sample the song uses, and you have a rich study of themes in the history of black music as well as a working man’s anthem.

On “Jesus Walks” Kanye proclaims his devotion to Jesus as seriously as the most devotional hymn singer would, while illustrating the way he falls in and out of what he perceives as the good path to follow. “I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid cause we aint spoke in so long,” he confesses, but then he goes ahead and asks us all to join him in that conversation, to push the song onto radio and push the divine into the heart of public dialogue. Extra dimensions are added to the song by the intense, cinematic presence it has, with all of the drama of a gangster film’s climactic scenes, and by a Curtis Mayfield drop that makes the song ripe for a study of intertextuality.Add to those the over-the-top “New Workout Plan”, both a hilarious parody of an aerobics routine and a platform for Kanye to wrap his words around weird shifts in tempo and style; “Never Let Me Down”, where Jay-Z rhymes about attaining status and power, Kanye one-ups him with a show-stopping attack on racism and meditation on death, and J Ivy offers words of spiritual upliftment; “Slow Jamz”, both an ode to quiet-storm R&B and a goof on it; “Two Words”, a deafening mix of social critique and bragging with Mos Def, Freeway and the Harlem Boys Choir; “Family Business”, a sweet, soulful tribute to family; and a few tracks with him boasting and goofing over slamming funk-n-soul tracks, and you have an album that’s complicated in exactly the right ways.Call The College Dropout over-ambitious, if you will, but every single one of these songs comes off like a genuine extension of Kanye’s personality and experiences. And all of them are musically engaging — an instrumental version of this album would rock the house. The album’s focus on old-school soul, gospel and funk sounds, with classic R&B hooks often processed and looped at a song’s center, fits thematically with the album’s look at survival, struggle, and community. Kanye uses samples and beats in a highly emotional way that feels entirely authentic even in the album’s most heart-on-sleeve moments, like “Family Business”. Here what would be hokey in another musician’s hands makes you feel real shivers, maybe even cry real tears. That level of “realness”, the way that the songs ring true whether he’s bragging or self-criticizing, joking or praying, is what makesThe College Dropout more than worthy of all of the attention that it’s getting. Even the 12-minute autobiographical monologue that closes the album is off-the-cuff and honest, against the odds.(Via PopMatters.com)

Tracklist and Late Registration after the jump. Cop them here.

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Been meaning to post this one for a while, Breezila did a nice job of reminding me. I’ll post their other release (Kontains Jazz Tones) when I get home from work. Cop the album here

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For fans of the Roots & LA Symphony.
You might remember Rashaan Ahmad dropped his critically acclaimed (yet silently released) album The Push (Om) earlier this year and after a four year hiatus it seems as if the Oakland live hip-hop band is returning as new tracks keep popping up all over the place. Haven’t heard either of their two EPs before, but Earthtones is a boom bap classic and One is a solid debut effort. Get familiar and cop their new joint when it drops.

Comprised of the Cali bred MC Raashan Ahmad, producer Woodstock, the Berklee trained keyboardist Kat Ouano, bassist/producer Headnodic, and drummer Max MacVeety, Crown City Rockers formed in Beantown’s Roxbury section during the late nineties.

Raashan, who’d moved from Pasadena at the time to pursue his dreams of emceeing ran into the Berklee contingent at various open-mic and freestyle sessions aroung the city (Kat hails originally from Wichita, Kansas, Headnodic from Wisconsin, and Max is from Massachusetts). Everyone clicked, sharing an interest in organic hip-hop and live instrumentation, bonding musically as well as personally.

“We did some shows in Boston trying to get our name out,” recounts Raashan. “And then we decided to move out to Cali to record an album.”

And so, the group, then known as Mission: which at that time included Moe Pope (check Project Move), set out West. The trip to Cali proved to be an adventure in itself. An 18-wheeler totaled all of the group’s instruments and the car they were driving. Once the group finally made it out west, they used the insurance money from the accident to put out a self-titled EP to get their name out.

Soon after came their first full-length, called One. The album quickly established the group as subterranean scene stalwarts in the Bay Area hip hop community, where they were now located. After that, the group, who in 2003 changed their name to Crown City Rockers after The Mission, (a British goth dance rock band) asked them to switch monikers, hit the studio hard recording countless songs, eventually placing 19 on their 2004 debut, Earthtones.

More info after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

This was requested by roncon. Some dope Hip-Hop from AUS.

This includes the following releases:

bliss_n_esoterikizm-the_arrival-2002 (Non-Grouprip)
bliss_n_eso-flowers_in_the_pavement-2004-j*e
bliss_n_eso-day_of_the_dog-(limited_edition)-2cd-2006-**st
Bliss_N_Eso-Flying_Colours-2CD-2008-C*

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We back! Here’s the discography for one of the best in the game right now!

This post includes the following Royce releases:
[Demo Tape 2000]
[Royce Da 5'9 - The Revival-2008]
[Royce_Da_59-Build_And_Destroy_Euro_Retail_2CD-2003-F*D]
[Royce_Da_59-Death_Is_Certain-2004-T*M_INT]
[Royce_Da_59-Hit_Em_Bw_Ding-RERIP-Vinyl-2007-U*P]
[Royce_Da_59-Independents_Day-(Real_Retail)-2005-C*]
[Royce_Da_59-Lost_And_Found-WEB-2008-B*H]
[Royce_Da_59-M.I.C_(Retail)-2004-O*N]
[Royce_Da_59-Rock_City_V2.5_(Special_Edition)-2002-H*R]
[Royce_Da_59-Rock_City_Version_3.0_(The_Definitive_Edition)-WEB-2008-B*H]
[Royce_Da_59-Rock_City-2002-EAC]
[Royce_Da_59-The_Bar_Exam_2-_READ_NFO_-_Bootleg_-2008-ROY****59]
[Royce_Da_59-The_Bar_Exam-2007-EAC]

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We back! Here’s the discography for one of the best in the game right now!

This post includes the following Royce releases:
[Demo Tape 2000]
[Royce Da 5'9 - The Revival-2008]
[Royce_Da_59-Build_And_Destroy_Euro_Retail_2CD-2003-F*D]
[Royce_Da_59-Death_Is_Certain-2004-T*M_INT]
[Royce_Da_59-Hit_Em_Bw_Ding-RERIP-Vinyl-2007-U*P]
[Royce_Da_59-Independents_Day-(Real_Retail)-2005-C*]
[Royce_Da_59-Lost_And_Found-WEB-2008-B*H]
[Royce_Da_59-M.I.C_(Retail)-2004-O*N]
[Royce_Da_59-Rock_City_V2.5_(Special_Edition)-2002-H*R]
[Royce_Da_59-Rock_City_Version_3.0_(The_Definitive_Edition)-WEB-2008-B*H]
[Royce_Da_59-Rock_City-2002-EAC]
[Royce_Da_59-The_Bar_Exam_2-_READ_NFO_-_Bootleg_-2008-ROY****59]
[Royce_Da_59-The_Bar_Exam-2007-EAC]

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K-Os is one of my favorite Canadian artists. His music is a mix of many genres with the main tone being on Hip-Hop. He has released three great album to date. This album is my favorite of the three. Don’t go into this album expecting a typical Hip-Hop album and you’ll love it.

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A while ago Breeze posted two album by Raks One AKA Emilio Rojas. In 2004 he (at the time know as Sycorax One) teamed up with producer Muneshine, formed Phocus with him and released this amazing album. Enjoy!

Title [A Vision And A Plan (Japan Exclusive) ] ░██▓
Artist [Phocus ] ██▒
Label [n/a ] Genre [Hip-Hop ] ██░
Quality/Size [44.1 @192 76,7 MB] Ripped [12-05-2004 ] ▒██
Grabbed from [CDDA ] Enc [Lame ] ▓██
Website [n/a ] ▒██
░██
░██
Track Time Title ██
®–÷¬ ®– ®– -÷- -“ ¾¬ - ¬ ██
██
01 04:27 Aint That Some ██
02 04:01 Homecoming (Bring It Back) ██
03 03:09 Body Language ██
04 04:39 The Weigh In ██
05 04:33 Its Alright (Ft Lexicon And Dminor) ██
06 04:28 Heroshima ██
07 00:54 45 Seconds Of Fame (Interlude) ██
08 04:21 Moodswings (Ft Supastition) ██
09 04:16 Cutains Close ██
10 04:08 Go Ahead (Ft Hassaan) ██
11 03:54 Crazy Buckwild (Ft Ash) ██
12 04:38 Memories ██
13 01:31 Outro ██
14 03:33 Body Language (Illmind Remix) (Bonus) ██
15 03:12 Aint That Some (Dminor Remix) ██
Totals ██
15 55:44 min ██

DOWNLOAD!

Here’s the fill for another request sent via last.fm (if you’ve got it, hit me up. username: SwingBlades). Here’s the instruementals for MF Doom & Madlib’s masterpiece of a 2004 album. I would post the orignal album, but if you haven’t heard it by now, there’s just no hope for you.

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1. The Future (3:50)
2. Verbal Clap (3:16)
3. Much More (4:05)
4. Shopping Bags (She Got From You) (3:57)
5. The Grind Date (3:22)
6. Church (5:33)
7. It’s Like That (4:37)
8. He Comes (3:44)
9. Days of Our Lives (3:51)
10. Come On Down (5:01)
11. No (4:34)
12. Rock Co.kane Flow (3:05)

Total Playing Time: 49:01 (min:sec)

Download here

————-
1. Intro (0:33)
2. Layover (2:41)
3. Break Bread (4:39)
4. Step It Up Or Wrap It Up (3:15)
5. Zigga Zigga (3:04)
6. Traditional Slick Talk (feat. Opio and A-Plus Of Souls Of Mischief) (4:32)
7. The Schizm (feat. Nathan Thomas) (3:42)
8. My Way Home (feat. Dj Topspin) (5:32)
9. Real Talk (feat. Ladybug Mecca) (4:19)
10. Chocolat Popcorn (feat. Archee) (4:23)
11. Essentially Yours (3:12)
12. City Livin’ (feat. Pep Love) (5:29)
13. Faithful (feat. Nathan Thomas) (3:52)
14. Too Easy (Layover Outro) (3:00)

Download here