Real nice mixtape I recently came across from 2007. Make sure to cop this goodness here.

Indy powerhouse Shaman Works has compressed some notable hits into one convenient release. Rare tracks from MF Doom, Wale Oyejide, J Dilla, 9th Wonder, Sol Uprising, and CL Smooth are available on this dual-disc set.

Tracklist (dope!) after the jump. 

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I first heard Braille on the Cunninlynguists’ track, Missing Children, but I never really researched much in to him. He’s a spiritual rapper, but doesn’t overdose on the ‘God’ aspect of it. I thought I’d throw this album up in case anybody else was interested in checking him out. The album includes production from Kno & 9th Wonder. Must listens in my opinion are Nobody & Right This Moment. Hit the jump.

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Edgar Allen Floe (of the Justus League) hailing out of North Carolina. His old CD has been collecting dust in my archives so I can’t comment on what I haven’t heard. I’ll give his new one a couple of spins and see how that turns out, maybe I’ll post his older stuff if he’s worthy. Anyways, check the LP and let me know. A bit of info from cdbaby:

Justus League member Edgar Allen Floe releases the long awaited album “The Streetwise LP” October 2008. The album is the second release from Floe’s own imprint, MCEO Records, LLC. Floe started rhyming at age 14, initially wanting to be a DJ. Growing up, Floe would freestyle and recite LL Cool J rhymes in school for Show and Tell. His mother let him listen to LL Cool J’s “Radio” album, and from then on, Floe has loved the art of the rhyme to the fullest. At a young age of 6 years old, Floe lived in Atlantic City, NJ, where he would break dance and perform at annual festivals in the area.

Floe began writing rhymes at age 14, and eventually would be involved in freestyle sessions at lunch time in high school. He met his partner in rhyme, Mal Demolish, in 1994, and they eventually formed the group The Undefined in 1996.

Upon attending North Carolina State University, Floe met 9th Wonder in 1997 at the school’s gymnasium while playing basketball. They naturally bonded through similar tastes in music. In 1999, Floe also linked up with other artists such as Median and Cesar Comanche, and eventually The Justus League was formed in that same year.

The first track ever recorded by Floe and 9th Wonder was “The Righteous Way To Go” in July 2001. This track continues to be one of the most enjoyable tracks in the Justus League catalog, introducing the world to the 9th Wonder sound.

The Justus League built their following from the ground up, performing at local clubs in the Triangle area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC). In 2003, the crew started to gain popularity with the release on their “NC State of Mind Mixtape” (with the assistance of online sites such as hiphopsite.com), as well as the release of “The Listening” album from underground sensation, Little Brother.

Floe has been featured in magazines such as The Source and XXL Magazine, as well as online sites hiphogame.com, ballerstatus.com, allhiphop.com, and featured in the “Next 1000″ by Urb Magazine.

Floe continued to stay on the grind and released his first EP, “True Links” in 2005. Tracks such as “Faith In Love” (produced by 9th Wonder) and “Timelife” were highlights from the project and helped him gain critical acclaim.

In 2006, Floe linked up with independent label, Shaman Work Recordings, and released his second disc, “Floe Almighty”. This mixtape styled release displayed Floe as an emcee as well as a producer (under the alias Slicemysta), further building his reputation as a top notch, next level artist. Tracks like “The Torch” and “Skyward” are considered the top rated jewels from the “Floe Almighty” project.

In 2007, after leaving Shaman Work Recordings, Floe decided to move forward by establishing his own label, MCEO Records, LLC. In hopes to maintain his buzz, Floe re-released his last CD, calling it “Floe Almighty: The Remixture”. This release was full of exclusive remixes and bonus tracks of the original “Floe Almighty” project. “Floe Almighty: The Remixture” was praised by the critics, with a 4 out of 5 stellar review on hiphopsite.com.

Now in 2008, Floe is ready to release his official debut album, “The Streetwise LP”. The album features guest appearances from fellow Justus League members Median (Halftooth Records), L.E.G.A.C.Y. and Sean Boog of The Away Team (Hall of Justus). Producers include 9th Wonder who produced 3 tracks (including the noteworthy “Shine”), Khrysis (producing “Exposure”, a track which gives an interesting breakdown of the undercover hate surrounding North Carolina’s local rap scene), and Blunt (producing the closing track “Won’t Change”, which delivers a vivid image of Floe’s struggles during his childhood).

Tracklist after the jump. You can buy the cd here.

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Requested by my boy Ant, here low on the official mixtape series for the critically acclaimed anime series, Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks. Anybody who’s seen a few episodes of the show has probably caught onto many of the social undertones and themes of the show (many which have carried over from McGruder’s comic strip by the same title), and his same anti-mainstream society motif shows up in the majority of the musical features on the tapes. Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, Tanya Morgan, Pacific Division, Jean Grae, Mos Def, Little Brother, Blu, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Tribe, Cunninlynguists, AZ, Rakim, Quasimoto, Bishop Lamonot and so many more. Do yourself a favor and at least peep one of these.

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This is easily my favourite free release of 2008. The album is so good, it may even be my favourite free download ever.  For the unfortunate ones who have yet to hear about Inverse, it consists of two emcees outta Cali by the names of Toby and Tunji. They’re getting support from some underground heavy weights  (Kno of CunninLynguists and Little Brother to name a couple) so you better believe they bringing that straight fire. Since these are all original beats, Inverse preferes to call this project a street album rather than a mixtape. Peep this, you’ll be wanting more. Beats from M-Phazes, Kno (of CunninLynguists)/APOS Music, 9th Wonder,  DecapBeats,  Cook Classics,  Styalz Fuego and more. Some additional info from their bio:

Inverse is as real as it gets. Through songs that are upbeat, emotional, bracing and oftentimes lighthearted accounts of their true life experiences, the two California-bred rappers share distinct similarities and differences that form the basis and balance for their music. Rapping under their given names, emcees Toby and Tunji appear extremely different on the surface - one white, one black; one from a Jewish household, the other raised Muslim; one raised in Los Angeles, the other in the bay area by Nigerian parents. What they share is a passion for music that transcends any labels. With their honest brand of soulful, straightforward hip hop, the group is part of a newly emerging generation of artists born in the ’80s, raised by hip hop in the ’90s, and poised to help revitalize the culture in the 2000s.

Formed in early 2001, the group cut early demos and songs with Swedish producers Soul Supreme (KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock) and K-Laz while still in their teens, leading to internet acclaim and video airplay on MTV Europe (for “The Reason,” chosen as the single from K-Laz’s album The Soulsnatcher). The group spent the next few years playing shows all over California and forming alliances with rising hip hop artists QN5 Music (Tonedeff, CunninLynguists, Pack FM, Extended Famm, etc.), Brother Ali, Little Brother and Trek Life. Choosing to hone their mic and songwriting skills before officially releasing any music, the group recorded and shelved several songs before preparing their first project So Far, a collection of old and new songs and collaborations with close friends that introduces Tunji and Toby to the world. Not to be confused with their forthcoming debut album, the group describes So Far as “a look at who we are, what we’re about, and what we’ve been working on - 14 original songs, some old, some new, all Inverse.”

Readying their debut album Long Day’s Journey for a 2008 release, Inverse draws on influences as far-reaching as OutKast, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Atmosphere and The Beatles, but most importantly from themselves and the world around them. Executive produced by A Piece Of Strange Music (the production duo of Deacon The Villain and Kno), the album will feature collaborations with Brother Ali, CunninLynguists, 9th Wonder, M-Phazes and more. The music is refreshingly honest, soulful and raw, anchored by poignant, personal rhymes and catchy melodies. Tunji and Toby rap truthfully about happiness, pain and everything in between, sounding only like themselves. Though only just getting started, Inverse stands poised to help usher in the next phase of hip hop music – just make sure you remember the name.

Tracklist:

1. So Far [Produced by Yoel]
2. Remember The Name [Produced by Cook Classics]
3. Everything Is Beautiful [Produced by Cook Classics]
4. Spotlight feat. Just Will [Produced by Decap]
5. Til The End (C.A.L.I.) feat. Trek Life & Deacon The Villain [Produced by Kno]
6. Constellation feat. A-Dub & Nieve [Produced by M-Phazes]
7. I Believe [Produced by Decap]
8. We Can Fly feat. MUD [Produced by Cook Classics]
9. HipHopSoul feat. Noah King [Produced by M-Phazes]
10. Wanna Groove feat. Tatyana Ali [Produced by MATTER]
11. Sunnycalifornia [Produced by Cook Classics]
12. Look Around [Produced by Kno]
13. All My Tomorrows [Produced by Decap]
14. One Step [Produced by Styalz Fuego]

Free Download

I know zshare has been givin people problems over the last few days. I’m currently at work so I can’t test if it’s not working at the moment, please let me know in the comments and I can upload it from my computer at home when I get there.

So I’ve been talking about the release of this compilation for sometime now and it’s finally here along with two new members of the CTR team. As those who frequent the site know I did a search for somebody to help with the site since the original members (all of who are still affiliated with the site) have become rather busy with… well, life. Based on responses to several questions we sent out to everyone who showed interest in contributing, the two who’ve been chosen (as of right now) are LedD and Thedude… not familiar names now, but you’ll become accquainted with them in during the next few days, weeks, months and maybe years (If you were not chosen, but opted to participate in the new blog we’re planning on starting, you’ll recieve an email in the next few days… thanks to everyone else). Welcome them here and check the mixtape (pass it around if you like). Tracklist after the jump…

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Hosted by 9th Wonder

Here we have Edgar Allen Floe of the Justus League’s (aka the nigga with the coolest name besides Lupe Fiasco) latest release. In preparation for Floe’s first solo LP (Streetwise) he created this mixtape (which I hear is pretty nice) to get people familiar with him since 2006’s Floe Almighty was dropped a while ago. Fans of The Away Team, Khrysis, L.E.G.A.C.Y., and Little Brother must check.

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Went digging in my old files for something to post and came up with this. Dope shit, recorded in only 3 days. I know record sales hardly mean anything but ol’ boy got certified gold from the underground (who does that shit besides Atmosphere?). For fans of Little Brother, Jay-Z, and Joell Ortiz. Buy it here if you like it.

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Here’s the new 9th Wonder & Murs mixtape. It’s only 10 tracks, but I have a feeling that this won’t let you down. I still haven’t listened to it yet, I just copped this about 3 minutes ago from MixFiend.

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Heard there was a bit of controversy about the release of JG’s video… anybody heard about that?  Also can’t wait for that new Skillz album, The Million Dollar Backpack…

(p.s. I know D posted JG’s album, but if you like what you’re hearing you really need to go out and get it. Just like gimmeadollr I already pre-ordered this joint and if you downloaded it you already know it’s crazy. We waited four long ass years to get a new album out of Jean and I don’t want to wait until 2012 for another so support the artists. That’s the point of the blog, so you can explore new artists and find some dope MCs who you are feeling to a point that you don’t mind dropping 10 dollars in order to support them. Seriously, there’s far to few legit female emcees in the game to make Ms. Grae leave it don’t be a douche and buy it here for 10 dollars. If you only buy one CD a year and you like this one, do cop it).

Jean Grae & 9th Wonder - Love Thirst

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUbxa8vxKgk]

Skillz ft. Talib Kweli - So Far So Good

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02ZML_xPqdg]