I’m sure we’ve all been waiting for this one to drop for a minute. 

“The Layover” idea came about while I was on tour with Little Brother last year. It was supposed to be a side project that Khrysis and I were going to do - him on the beats me on the mic, 5 songs, free download. I strayed from the “side project” idea and moved towards making,”The Layover” an Official EP.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s All Souled Out or Ice Cube’s Kill At Will are big inspirations and examples of EP’s that were really quality & served as the perfect vehicle to make me get the next album to drop shortly there after. This is my intention with The Layover EP. It was important to me that even though Khrysis and I didn’t do the whole project together he still be a major part of it, and he gladly accepted.

This is THE FIRST banger off of my upcoming EP - “THE LAYOVER” title track. Khrysis on the boards with the heat, Dj Revolution On the Cut, and me on the mic, painting a picture about my best friend, FREK ONE who I lost in 1993. This is really taking my career WORLDWIDE, and some classic E-V Word Play to get this project kicked off on the right note ! So much more to come…Stay Tuned !”

(Via HipHopGalaxy.com)

Tracklist after the jump. Cop this hotness here.

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As you may or may not know, HHDX has been reviewing an album a day for the last 20 days and will be doing so for the remaining days of November. I saw this a couple of weeks ago and tried to keep up with them, but my stoner ass failed miserably. Anyways, here’s a summary of the reviews they’ve compiled so far. The coloured ones are on CTR already, I’ll post the worthy black n white albums over the coming days.

Day 20 -  Reef The Lost Cauze - A Vicious Cycle
Day 19 -  The Alchemist - Alchemist’s Cookbook EP
Day 18 -  Beyonce - I Am…Sasha Fierce
Day 17 -  Crooked I - The Block Obama II EP
Day 16 -  Jurassic 5 - Delux Reissue
Day 15 -  GMG - Who$ Got Next
Day 14 -  Sadat X - Generation X
Day 13 -  Jedi Mind Tricks - A History Of Violence
Day 12 -  Sweatshop Union - Water Street
Day 11 -  LoDeck and Omega One - Postcards From The Third Rock
Day 10 -  Trick Trick - The Villain
Day 9 -  Above Ave - Mission
Day 8 -  D.I.T.C. - The Movement
Day 7 -  Kurupt and Roscoe - The Frank & Jesse James Story
Day 6 -  DJ Unk - 2econd Season
Day 5 -  T-Pain - Thr33 Rings
Day 4 -  Illa J - Yancey Boys
Day 3 -  Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Day 2 -  Big Shug - Other Side Of The Game
Day 1 -  88-Keys - The Death of Adam

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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I was browsing my boy Kevin Nottingham’s blog the other day (TDot stand up!) and he had a nice piece on Street Famous that got me educated on Seel Fresh and his new project. Here’s what Kevin had to say:

As a former graffiti artist, Seel Fresh, who hails from Chicago, regurgitates hip-hop in true form on his second LP, Street Famous. The album is a storybook of Seel Fresh’s life, acknowledging his past, present and future.

In a beat reminiscent of 80’s hip-hop and exclusive to Chi-town hip-hop, Seel Fresh starts his album by paying tribute to his graffiti past on the title track. He brings awareness to the fame he gained via his numerous tags throughout the streets of Chicago. Revealing this past makes way for “Rock That”, a personal ode to hip-hop. Using a call-and-response tactic in the song, Seel Fresh imitates the style and energy of Naughty By Nature’s “O.P.P.”, but nonetheless, maintains a smooth, clean and well-timed delivery. Fresh further pays homage to artists that have paved the way in hip-hop with “Problems”, which is a copy-cat sample beat of AZ’s same-titled song.

Over a classical piano instrumental produced by the Chicago underground production team Molemen, Seel’s story-telling nature is revealed on “Wrong Destination”. He delivers lyrical content that exposes the struggles and victories of trying to come up correct. The same simplistic piano melody is repeated on “Old Chicago”, Seel Fresh’s subdued and personal lyrical ode to his city. The emcee brings refreshing lyrical content on “I Think She Could Be”, another Chi-town infused beat, expressing ideas of love, but moreover, revealing the softer side of this album. In contrast, “Came a Long Way” could easily be mistaken for a beat off a Hova album because it is as hard-hitting and energized as a Just Blaze production.

“Paid Dues” and “Prosper (H.I.P.H.O.P)” are the most passionate songs about hip-hop on the album. Both exude the elements that hip-hop has grown from. With lyrical content and metaphorical subject matter that speaks of hip-hop’s historical side and culture; they reveal the persistenceSeel Fresh has had (and has) to make it big.

On the 14-track album, it’s overall a good look for Seel Fresh. The melodies of a few songs sound awfully similar and he could’ve done without; “Handling Biz”, “Gotta Get It” and ‘Know About Me”. While his delivery and breath control are, for the most part, on point, his rhyme schemes are often too simplistic and repetitive. Because the songs are rather short in length, Seel’s repetition leads to the feeling of one long song, as opposed to single, developed tracks. Despite the flaws, Street Famous contextualizes another element of hip-hop and it’s refreshing to see graffiti expressed throughout a full album. Seel Fresh has brought the passion of hip-hop culture in it’s entirety to Street Famous, no doubt.

Overall Score: 70/100

(Via KevinNottingham.com)

Tracklist after the jump. Buy the CD here.

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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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Our readers definitely know what’s up when it comes to listening to good music. Here’s Soul Positions first album that was requested by gary. Tracklist after the jump. You can cop this release here.

If you peeped the “Unlimited EP” by Soul Position, then there’s little doubt you were highly anticipating the release of “8 Million Stories.” Few things in life are worthy of a perfect 10 (except perhaps J-Lo’s booty) but Soul Position’s last release achieved that rare mark on the strength of Blueprint’s stellar rhymes and RJD2’s fabulous beats. Both have and are perfectly capable of making a mark in hip-hop on their own, but their union formed a hip-hop superduo of stellar abilities whose sole goal was to achieve even greater musical heights together. While underground rap fans fiended for the follow-up like a junkie does smack, Blueprint and RJD2 labored in the studio like chemists until at last they came up with the perfect hit. Without a doubt, unlike Bill Clinton, Soul Position both wants and ENCOURAGES you to “Inhale”:

“I’m willin to take trips into the dark and unknown
corners of your subconcious where the climate’s cold
Use me, to the foolish it’ll never get old
Forget about her thingies and the things you’ve been told
Some people use me as a courtesy for things bought and sold
Let me be an example of how to break the mold
Use me as an innocent, you need to break the hold
Use me ’til I’m gone, use me ’til I’m gone”

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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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