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New look, same ol' CTR. Trying something new for financial reasons, so bear with us for the love of hip-hop.
Anybody have input on this joint?
So, assuming you all have heard Blu & Exile’s 2007 masterpiece, Below The Heavens, then you’re as excited about this drop as I am. As good of an album as BTH was, people lack to realize Exile was puttin’ in work before his tour de force dropped. For years DJ Exiled worked with cali crooner/MC Aloe Blacc under the name Emanon releasing a handful of solid projects (most notably Imaginary Friends & The Waiting Room) and dropping the well crafted Dirty Science in 2006 all the while producing joints for other artists on the side. I honestly haven’t had a chance to peep this joint myself ’cause it’s 6:18am and I don’t have the ability to focus right now, but his work ethic and the finesse of his previous joints are at all telling this album is most plausibly solid if not excellent.
More info after the jump. Continue reading »
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. More info after the jump. Continue reading »
I really don’t think this cat needs any introduction so I’ll get down to the music. Blu’s debut album with SoCal producer Exile dropped in 2007 and was instantly hailed a classic by man heads (and yours truly). The album includes is critically acclaimed for Exile’s usage of obscure late 60s to early 70s samples as well as his twisting of more well known 90s & early 2ks hip-hop tracks into completely different, yet incredibly beautiful new tracks. It is on this first full length LP that we are introduced to a extremely introspective kind of griot in Blu who fully delivers over Exile’s production with his own brand of average nigga type storytelling which paints panoramic visions in the unworldliest of minds. Onto C.R.A.C. Knuckles. The Piece Talk is Blu’s second full length album released under the moniker C.R.A.C. Knuckles with Detroit native Ta’Raach. A lot of cats were feeling 50/50 on this one, but I personally think it was quite good. If you listen to a lot of hip-hop acts like Arrested Development, The Pharcyde, Gnarls Barkley and PM Dawn or acts of other genres (particular Afrobeat like Fela Kuti or Brazilian Samba/Funk like Azymuth) then you’ll love it. On this album you’ll catch a more expiramental spontaneous Blu. The production isn’t completely hip-hop and the music isn’t either, but you’ll find a nice mesh of several different genres in here (no electric circus). As far as full length releases go, the Johnson&Jonson joint is Blu’s last full length joint (thus far). Again Blu revisits his Bridgetown stomping grounds to find a producer for this work in the little known Mainframe. A lot of people don’t realize it, but this Johnson&Jonson joint was actually put together before Below the Heavens and thus considering he was probably on a different wavelength at the time and the album has a different producer we get another completely original sound from Blu which is by no means a bad thing. When I initially heard this album (I got it in late ‘07 ’cause I got it like dat =D) I wasn’t a fan and I let it sit in my unsorted downloads folder for ages. Finally, about three months later I listened to it again ’cause I lost most of my music and it was one of the only things I still had left and I was more than a little impressed. Word, it’s not like Below the Heavens, but it’s almost just as good. The way Blu proved to be an amazing storyteller on BTH is the way he proves to be an amazing wordsmith on J&J. This album is packed with crazy punchlines, wordplay and metaphors and unlike his major label counterparts, his shit also makes sense… no random punchlines here and there (ahm, weezy). BTH or J&J… which album is better? Too close to call… This drop also includes The Lifted EP, an EP released before BTH, The BeSene EP released earlier this year by Blu & Sene under the moniker Patch Adams (predecessor to an upcoming full length to be titled A Day Late & A Dollar Short), The Narrow Path & Buy Me Lunch VLSs (the only two current VLS avaiable to my knowledge). Purchase information available on Blu’s myspace page (all are worth buying… support the trueschool) and keep looking out for Blu’s upcoming debut Solo album.
Blu LPs Blu EPs Blu VLSs *BeSene EP isn’t a scenerip. More info after the jump. Continue reading »
Looked and looked and looked some more, but I haven’t been able to find this anywhere on the internet since it dropped earlier this year (outside of iTunes and Boomkat stores) so I bought it. Info after the jump, but it here. BTW if you don’t know who either Blu or Sene are GTFO! Can’t wait for the full length Patch Adams LP. You best check it while it’s here ’cause like I said I can’t find it anywhere else, fuck my life if I’m lying. Bonus: Sene ft. Blu – KingMe.mp3
Looked and looked and looked some more, but I haven’t been able to find this anywhere on the internet since it dropped earlier this year (outside of iTunes and Boomkat stores) so I bought it. Info after the jump, but it here. BTW if you don’t know who either Blu or Sene are GTFO! Can’t wait for the full length Patch Adams LP. You best check it while it’s here ’cause like I said I can’t find it anywhere else, fuck my life if I’m lying. Bonus: Sene ft. Blu – KingMe.mp3
Hot new track off Evidence’s upcoming Layover EP. Shouts to 1Liefde over at MuzikSupremacy for this one.
Download: For Whom The Bell Tolls.mp3
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…
I’ve had the leak of this album since December ‘07, but I can’t wait for the legit release. Will def be copping that shit. Check the video (and look up the other Johnson&Jonson music video on here or on youtube). Blu murked that shit. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP3_zKa7XXo]
So I posted one joint by this cat a minute a good minute ago (Pavement Special) and expressed my amazement about how such a young cat could release such a dope album, but now it gets crazier as dude has release 3 more works… all just as crazy as the first. I know it’s a lot to listen to, so if you don’t know where to start peep his first work (link given above) or if picking out of the 3 new joints check on The Beautifully Ugly EP (2008), after which either of the other two albums Anywhere But Here (2007) and Elevator Music: A Collection of Rejected Excellence (2008) is a dope follow up. For fans of Raks One, Blu (of Blu & Exile), Buff 1 & Now On… fuck just do yourself and whoever you are, give dude a listen. (Question: I know Elevetaor Music: A Collection of Rejected Excellence is being given away for free on Sene’s myspace page, and Pavement Special was a Japan only release, but does anybody know where the others can be copped legit as physical copies)?
Like Cool Kids? Like Blu? Like Sene, Kidz in the Hall, Wale, The Knux, and Hollywood Holt? Def check these guys out. Hot shit coming out of Cali. Shouts to HHB.
For those who are still craving more material from ’07s top indie beat conductor… Cali on the come up. Full of dope guest appearances, cop it here if you like it.
One of undergroundhiphop.com and accesshiphop.com’s current best selling albums, this is a must have for true heads. On this 3rd full LP, Presto reaffirms his position as a well-rounded producer as well as a masterful DJ. This album (which might I add is crazy) includes guest spots by Blu, CL Smooth, Fatlip (of Pharcyde), Trek Life, O.C., Sadat X, Large Professor and more. Presto provides listeners with just the type of jazzy, soulful, and sometimes painfully beautiful tracks that many cats crave. Download this one, and after you listen to it and decide you like it (and you will) cop it by clicking one of the previous links.
Here’s Blu’s first studio work (as far as I know). Originally released in 2006 before Below the Heavens it includes 2 tracks off the album as well as 3 other tracks (if you were up on the advance release of BTH then you’ve got Party of Two already). There’s also a video to go along with the track (Mainframe produced) ”Another Day”. It’s been floating around for a minute, so if you haven’t seen it check that out as well. C’mon now… Blu’s your girl’s favorite color and should be yours too.
The cool kids track has been floating around for all of a week, the Blu track not as long. Peep them. The Cool Kids bring the noise as usual (in a good way of course) and Blu continues to spit like there’s no tomorrow. Fresh to def.
The Cool Kids – Oscar: Download
Blu – GloryUs: Download links fixed. |
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