Yanase Productions brings us this great japanese jazz hop instrumental album by Kondor. Peace of Mind is a definite must for fans of the Japanese jazz hop movement. The production is reminiscent of Nujabes, Uyama Hiroto, Nomak, and Himuki. The beats are all nice jazzy soulful numbers with plenty of piano, strings, and that boom bap we all love. Make sure to support the artists and purchase this record here.

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Been waiting for this one to drop ever since reading numerous reviews around the net. Haven’t had a chance to listen to it myself, you can do so by coping it yourself here. Below is what HHDX had to say. I absolutely love album covers like this one!

Something great about the current state of Hip Hop is that there are many brands of rap. The variety in form adds versatility to the culture and a facet of intrigue to the blending fusions that take place within genres, cultures and artists. For many, this has been exercised and portrayed by the concoction of LoDeck and Omega One, an emcee/deejay duo that consists of a New York based vocalist and a psychedelic-inspired mixmaster.

Their chemistry is apparent. Omega One’s production, a backdrop of gloom, mellow, melodic tones meshes well with LoDeck’s hardened vocals as grit meets the atmospheric sounds. They bring a varied tenor, which leads to unpredictable switches within songs and a decidedly funky, impressive beat backdrop. The samples are on point and add a different element to the puzzle as well, considering songs like “Understand U” and “A Day in the Triangle.” Front to back, it’s difficult to discredit the beat maker for an album well done in terms of production. It’s free enough to be different from most of what’s out but it’s not too wild to sound contrived or tired.

LoDeck brings his usual grit, flow, humor and grimey voice to accompany the soothing sounds Omega One has created. As is expected, Deck’s rhymes become complex and can be a bit too much, depending on who is asked. The aesthetic is closer towards that of Aesop Rock [click to read] or MF DOOM. Deck’s rhymes are a cross between said artists and some of the lyrics can be confusing or can go over heads. His flow can also become monotonous after some time and that doesn’t lend well to such a surprising and well balanced beat selection. Still, for those who want to dive into obscure and unclear vague lyrics to dissect the poetry behind it, this album’s complex rhyme style may befit you.

That leads us to the negative aspect of having so many brands of rap. Sometimes, there is a clear line between these brands. That, in turn, leads to separation amongst rap styles that’s hard to cross. Postcards from the Third Rock does not beg for many new listeners. Still, it is a conceptual piece and should be applauded or even obtained by those who love the duo, but there are drawbacks, as well. Instead of hearing what LoDeck is saying, some may get lost in a monotonous flow and/or the vague diction. While there are times LoDeck shines with one liners and/or clever song writing, there are also times where LoDeck loses connection with his rhyme style and the inspired beats Omega One chose to back him with. There are also times when the references to the moons and stars ring true to underground “nerd rap” clichés. So, while some have pegged this album as one of the best indie releases of the year, the overall outcome leaves much to be desired as it is an acquired taste that some may never acquire. This is definitely a different brand of rap from what many are used to today and that unique approach is commendable but Postcards from the Third Rock doesn’t quite live up to the hype.

(Via HipHopDX)

Tracklist after the jump. 

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Dope album by Double A.B. Here’s a review from okayplayer.com:

After grinding as a battle rapper for years, New York emcee Double A.B. is putting less emphasis on scathing punchlines and drawing more from personal material. Diesel is a cohesive and vivid Gotham City auditory memoir where just the appearance of certain guest rappers—Cormega, Nature, Vast Aire, among others—invoke grit and restlessness.After grinding as a battle rapper for years, New York emcee Double A.B. is putting less emphasis on scathing punchlines and drawing more from personal material. Diesel is a cohesive and vivid Gotham City auditory memoir where just the appearance of certain guest rappers—Cormega, Nature, Vast Aire, among others—invoke grit and restlessness.
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Luda’s highly anticipated new album. From the looks of it it should be dope.

░       ARTiST…….: ludacris                                      ▀▀▀▓▓████
░       ALBUM……..: theater of the mind                           ▀ ▄  ▀▓▓█
░       GENRE……..: rap           TRACKS…: 14                     ▐▓▄ ▐▓▓
░▄▀     RELEASE DATE.: 11/19/2008    SiZE…..: 81,7 MB                ▓▓▓▌ █▓
▒▌▄▄    YEAR………: 2008          SOURCE…: cdda                 ▄▓▓▓▀  ▓█
▓▓▀     LABEL……..: Def Jam       QUALiTY..: lame3.97 V2     ▄▄▄▓▓▀▀     ▒▓
▓▌      PLAYTIME…..: 60:20 min                             ▄▓▓▓▀▀▄▄ ▀     ▒█
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I’ve been expecting this to drop ever since I saw The Lost Tapes floating around last week. Lots of rare and previously unreleased material are included. AZ’s been on his grind for like 15 years, pay the man his dues and cop this here.

AZ is a career rapper. That doesn’t seem like much of a compliment; however, when you think back to his historic, career-making, big-break verse alongside his Queens compatriot, Nas, on “Life’s a Bitch” from the latter’s 1994’s groundbreaking Illmatic, then you can put into perspective a longstanding career that continues to enjoy success some decade and a half later. So much has changed since that watermark release and in that time, other verbalists have come and gone yet AZ remains and has carved out a body of work worthy of deeper examination. Anthology: B-Sides & Unreleased is that deeper examination. In addition to collecting B-sides from AZ’s prodigious output of unreleased material such as “Knowledge Is Freedom,” Anthology: B-Sides & Unreleased features an impressive round-up of guest appearances from Hip Hop’s finest including Nas, Cassidy, M.O.P., Twista, and Consequence. But don’t get it twisted, this is all about AZ and his collective body of work and Anthology: B Sides & Unreleased runs the gamut from “Sit ‘Em Back Slow,” a single from The Format that features M.O.P., to the remix of “Problems” and includes unreleased songs like “Baby Come Home” and “No Strings attached.” Anthology: B-Sides & Unreleased - It’s AZ from A to Z.

Tracklist after the jump.

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Dope album by Lowkey from the UK. Peep his myspace here.

artist:      Lowkey
title:       Dear Listener
label:       SO Empire
type:        Album
genre:       Rap
source:      CDDA
grabber:     EAC
encoder:     lame-3.97-final
year:        2008
tracks:      12
time:        42:32
size:        51,5 MB
bitrate:     avg. 167kbps
mode:        Joint-Stereo
url:         www.myspace.com/lowkeyuk
rip date:    18-Nov-2008
street date: 00-000-0000
location:    UK, LDN

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Hello everybody. I am a new contributer, and I’ll be posting under the pseudonym Esperanza.

This is Surreal’s excellent latest album Pardon My Dust, released October 14th, 2008. Be sure to support the artist and pick up your own copy here.

In the year 2006, Surreal released two records within three months of each other. One with long time friend DJ Balance titled, “Future Classic”, released on the Hip Hop is Music label, owned and operated by Braille of Lightheaded. Future Classic spent five weeks at the number one spot on the College Music Journal Hip Hop charts. The other record was with a group Surreal had been a long time fan of, The Sound Providers. The True Indeed album was a landmark for Surreal. “Finding out the SP’s wanted to do a whole record with me was a day I won’t soon forget.” The Sound Providers have been around since 1998 and have a stellar track record. They are very particular with who they work with. “Surreal’s a natural, we’re cut from the same cloth. He makes it look so easy. In my opinion he’s one of the better songwriters of his generation,” says Soulo from the Sound Providers. “True Indeed” is one of those records that will age like fine wine.

In May of 2007, Jeremy began a career in film making. He and his family now live in Los Angeles, where he directs music videos, films, and specializes in motion graphics. “Pardon my Dust” is Surreal’s fifth studio album. Japanese label, Subcontact will release this Japan exclusive at the end of 2008. “Pardon my Dust is a record I’m really excited about. I was in school for a year and didn’t really have the time to make a new album, but now I do and can’t wait to release it.” The record will feature production by Ohmega Watts, Dirty Hairy, Dela, and many others.

WHAT’S NEXT?

In the near future Surreal has three records set to drop. Another with the Sound Providers, another on Hip Is Music, and a collaboration with Los Angeles producer Dert and Norwegian songstress Carolyn Furoyen. It’s been a long road for Surreal, he’s rocked the stage with some of his heroes, recorded with some of his favorite artists, traveled to over 30 countries, and released five records
“With this thing we call Art, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. We don’t actually create anything, we’re just uncovering what was already there. I guess what I’m good at is dusting off the sounds and things we’ve let get buried in time, so if we shake hands or bump elbows, pardon my dust.”

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Another nice CD drop outta the D. Really feelin this one, especially the joint with Royce Da 5′9″ and Guilty Simpson. For those unfamiliar with Quest M.C.O.D.Y, here’s an interview he did back in July:

Produced by Yung Viz, Quest M.C.O.D.Y.’s ambitious first proper studio effort “The Light Project” is an addictively funky dose of hip-hop soul that isn’t common ground from the usual suspects terrorizing the raw and grimy Detroit rap community stage. And that’s all good. Quest is old school in his approach and message: He’s all about being true to himself.

“The message on the album is you can be a regular person; you don’t have to be a super rapper or a super person or a super whatever,” says M.C.O.D.Y, whose real name is Kimani Graham. “I wanted to show people, ‘Yo, I’m just like you.’”

While Royce Da 5’9”, Guilty Simpson,D12, and Black Milk may make most of the Detroit-related rap headlines since Eminem went into hibernation after Proof’s untimely death, Quest has been grinding it out across the country for years, paying his dues while earning a reputation in label-head’s ears via his no-holds-barred open mic battles which culminated at the end of 2007 where he was recognized as one of VIBE Magazine’s “best unsigned rappers.” Read the rest of this entry »

Definitely in an ol’ skool mood today people. I also love this drop because of the cover, weren’t they wack before people got good at Photoshop? Definitely miss those days. Check out this remastered mixtape if you’re a true OG, lots of memories in there!

Backcover after the jump. Buy this from P.F. Cuttin directly here.

VA - P.F. Cuttin Presents Hip Hop 38 Halloween Havoc (1996)

Label.........................: n/a
Genre.........................: Hip-Hop
StoreDate.....................: Nov-00-2008
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.97 V2 VBR Joint-Stereo
CD1 Size .....................: 64,2 MB
CD2 Size......................: 57,3 MB
Total Playing Time............: 129:32

Release Notes:

would be nice to see some more "classic" mixtapes to be
mastered onto a cd like this one, that were only available on
cassette tape, till now, thanks cuttin'....

says "mastered from the original mixtape" on back

u can buy your own copy from cuttin's myspace site.....
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=66468394&blogID=445248860

gotta love them old school 90min mixtapes, priceless....

Tracklisting

CD1 (Side A)

01. P.F. Cuttin - Intro
02. Jeru - One Day
03. Busta Rhymes - Live 2 Regret
04. Lil' Kim - Queen Bitch
05. M.O.P. - Brownsville
06. Shaq & Rakim - Game Of Death
07. Cella Dwellas - Cranium
08. Keith Murray - Your Flow Sounds Used
(feat. Coco Bros. & Busta Rhymes)
09. O.G.C. - The Storm
10. KRS-One - Da M.C.
11. Ghostface Killah - Camay (feat. Raekwon, Cappadonna)
12. Keith Murray - Can't Control The Rhyme
13. The Roots & Common Sense - Universal War
14. Jeru - Playing Yaself
15. Meanor - Real Rap Song

CD2 (Side B)

01. Chuck D - No! (P.F. Remix)
(feat. Charlie Brown, Hienas, and more.)
02. M.O.P. & Kool G. Rap - Stick To Your Guns
03. Xzibit - Eyes May Shine Remix (feat. Mobb Deep)
04. O.G.C. - No Fear
05. Blahzay - Don't Let This Rap Shit Fool You
06. P.R.T. & KRS-One - Concious Style
07. Nas - Da Firm Remix (feat. Foxy Brown, AZ, Cormega)
08. Mobb Deep - Hell On Earth
09. Jeru - Da Bullshit
10. Smooth Da Hustler - Broken Language Pt. 2
11. Eric Sermon - Yeah
(feat. Busta Rhymes, Keith Murray, Redman)
12. Ghostface - Exclusive
13. Method Man - Da Monstars (feat. LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes)

Support The Artists, Buy Their Music.... 

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Ben The Ace and DJ Kiyo are back at it with two more dope mixes coming at ya from Japan. It’s real refreshing seeing some of these names on the two tracklists. Cop this by clicking the cover!

Title [DJ Kiyo-Underground Railroad 4 ]
Artist [VA ]
Label [SouthpawChop Japan ] Genre [Hip-Hop ]
Quality/Size [44.1 @VBR 98,8 MB] Ripped [11-12-2008 ]
Grabbed from [CDDA ] Enc [Lame 3.97 ]
Website [http://www.ticro.com/search/D10003399/no_sub/detail/ ]

Track Time Title
©--öª ©-- ©-- -ö- -ò óª - ª

DJ Kiyo-Underground Railroad 4

01 Krs-One - Walking Away
02 Lord Sear - Alcoholic Vibes
03 MHZ - Absotively Posolutely
04 Jeru The Damaja - East New York Stalks
05 Ill Al Skratch - Dr Feelgood
06 Walking Large - From Around (Instrumental)
07 DJ Spooky - Murder Syntax Ft. Organized Konfusion
08 Ghetto Pros - The Range
09 Bobbito The Barber - The Cucumber
10 Kool Keith - Wanna Be A Star
11 Mr Supreme - Any Last Words Ft. 3D
12 Siah & Yeshua Dapoed - Gravity
13 Group Home - So Called Friends
14 K Fanat - Zoo York
15 Consequence - Queens Get The Money Ft. Mobb Deep
16 Mutty Ranks - Ya Heard Me
17 Godfather Don - Cus Mania
18 Finsta Bundy - Bizm
19 Nine - Famaldayde (Instrumental)
20 Tame One - Torture Chamber
21 DJ Eli & Shan Boogs - Lay Puzzled
22 Scientifik - Jungle Of The East
23 Big Red & Diamond D - How They Want It

Totals
01 67:16 min

Release Notes:

dope mix of some indie joints.

if you want split tracks buy the cd. 

Hit the covers for a link to buy this. Tracklist for Spellbound 96 after the jump. Don’t sleep!

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