Nice remix project from DJ Mick and Davy Dave (Pilskills)  coming to ya all the way from Germany.

Davy Dave teams up with DJ Mick but this time mash-ups are not on the table… Well, not explicitly at least. What you get on this lushly packaged cd is 21 remixes (essentially) of hip hop classics - some obvious some a bit more obscure, all of them great though! Mixed into one flowing piece of music!

Tracklist after the jump. 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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Real unique sounding hip-hop / reggae artist outta Sweden. His debut album from 2003 as well as his new one from earlier this year are both fresh to death. As always, don’t sleep people. Sample song for those doubters. A bit of info from his lastfm:

He has already worked with many acts within Swedish hiphop, and been on an almost constant tour throughout Sweden and Europe for the past two years. Swedish MC Chords has made himself quite an impressive reputation among Swedish hiphopers, with his strong punchlines and flowing rhymes.

Chords, or Jens Resch, which is his real name, was born in 1978 in Sweden. He grew up in the realtively small town called Lund, where music became a growing interest at an early age. Being only 14 years old, he started to write his own lyrics as he listened to beats and came up with rhymes to match them. He socialized with people like the wellknown Swedish producer Måns Asplund (Breakmecanix) and by the age of 16, Chords recorded his first songs in the studio.

He was only ten years old then, but was already being influenced and inspired by hiphopers like Run-D.M.C.. Nowdays, you’ll most likely hear old soul classics, hiphop and reagge coming out of his stereo. His passion for music has always been present, although he has both worked and studied other things along the way. He even worked extra at Juju Records, the record label he’s now signed to.

Formely with the duo Chords & Scissors, Chords is now working solo, with guestperformers from wellknown Swedish hiphop artists like Timbuktu and Looptroops Promoe. Chords 12” single, “Idiot Savant” was the first single from his debut album that came out in 2003, and the first release since being signed with Juju Records in 2001.

Tracklists after the jump. Some sick features on his first album, and I might like the second even better.

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From start to finish, this really is an awesome album. I’m always a big fan of producer-driven albums, their natural ear makes them an obvious choice when it comes to putting together a nice LP. HMD is no different. Thanks to a couple of hip-hop veterans, One Pursuit comes together as one of the smoothest albums to come out in a while. The good folks over at hiphoplinguistics.com with a review:

Before listeners plunge into HMD’s highly anticipated debut album, “One Pursuit,” they are given an unmistakable warning in the opening track: “We go get these old records … because you can’t copy these on the keyboard … we want those sounds.” Indeed this is one pursuit that HMD accomplishes triumphantly. His album showcases a stunning juxtaposition of instruments rarely rivaled by mainstream producers.

The colorful range of beats on the album makes for a truly interactive listening experience. The opening track, for instance, features an electronica flutter and a unique synthesized loop that swells with the crisp snares. It is bold and vibrant, flowing with that ethereal spirit of optimism epitomized by HMD. But the next track, a frenetic adaptation of a classical violin piece reminiscent of 7L and Esoteric’s Murder-Death-Kill, quickly jolts listeners out of their complacency. While critics may point this out as HMD’s lack of sensibility for blending, it is actually effective in simulating a stream-of-consciousness rap, one close to the heart.

It is difficult to overplay HMD’s ear for sweet melodies. The One is cool and jazzy with an old-school feel, and the mysteriously titled Interlude Beat One features an intricate layering technique in which an electric guitar is accompanied by drums, snares, and cymbals - in that order.

“One Pursuit” features several works with celebrated guest stars like Reef the Lost Cause and Masta Ace, but Catastrofiks steals the show with “No Time.” Rapping over three different beats throughout the track — including a euphoric keyboard loop with a perfectly balanced drum exhibition in the back — the song talks of staying with your vision despite troubles in life.

HMD, for all his production genius, however, does not make the mistake of sacrificing substance for pizzazz. “One Pursuit” is a lyrical masterpiece that not only shares the artist’s own struggles, but also resonates with that universal theme of discovering a passion and living it. Hitting a string beat with Middle Eastern flavor in full stride, HMD engages listeners in a passionate storytelling:

Heart of a lion, it’s where I’ve been trying to keep my cool/
Teach my little niggas that the money is in the school/
But it’s cool if you travel your own route, I did it/
Do something with your life with mine I chose to spit it/

With steady production of witty one-liners (“Slaughtered the fakest across the coast/ for balling like the Lakers/ campaigned for green like Ralph Nader”) and even flashes of turntablism brilliance, HMD ensures his debut album will be talked about for quite a while.

Preview tracks along with the tracklist after the jump. Buy the full album here.

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The dudes over at sphere of hiphop damn near gave this album a classic rating and looking at Theo’s past efforts I can certainly believe the hype. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet for myself but from what I know Theo (who’s a member of Scribbling Idiots… Braille, Omegha Watts, MotionPlus, Kaboose etc.) is capable of and from what works I’ve heard from producer Vintage, we might be calling this one of 08’s top 10 (for fans of Pharoahe Monch, Masta Ace, & Cunninlynguists). Check the review, d/l the album and if you like it, buy it here.

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Got asked for some Qn5 a while back so I present you with Asterisk 4 (2007), Baby Blue For Pink EP (2008), & Extended F@mm’sHappy Fuck You Songs (2002). Even better, no RapidShare links this time (that’s Extended F@mm in the pic for the curious).

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I guess I’ve been on a little bit of a Masta Ace binge lately. I had forgotten about how dope this dude was. Check out these two compilations from him. Volume 1 are a bunch of tracks from 1996-2000 and there are a couple B-sides thrown in as well. Volume 2 is different and features collaborations and mixtape tracks with the man himself. If you’re interested, click ahead

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This album was majorly slept on when it originally dropped in 1994 and is still being slept on ’til this day. Of course 1994 was the year for classic hip-hop albums, so if you’re feeling that entire time period (especially for NY cats) this album is going to blow you away. I’ve posted 2 of my favorite tracks from the album, but you should def peep the grouprip I’ve posted as well. For fans of Black Moon, Masta Ace, D.I.T.C., and Kool G Rap. Word…life.

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1. Intro (2:54)
2. The I.N.C Ride (4:10)
3. Eastbound (5:22)
4. What’s Going On! (4:52)
5. The B-Side (4:14)
6. Sittin’ On Chrome (4:09)
7. People In My Hood (5:37)
8. Turn It Up (5:15)
9. U Can’t Find Me (4:13)
10. Ain’t NO Game (4:55)
11. Freestyle? (3:29)
12. Terror (5:19)
13. Da Answer (4:57)
14. 4 Da Mind (Ft The Cella Dwella (4:46)
15. Born To Roll (4:14)
16. The Phat Kat Ride (4:05)

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I’m gonna begin by posting one of my favorite albums from last year. Statik Selektah presents Spell My Name Right (The Album) suprised me to say the least. I didn’t know what to expect when I first listened to the album last November. I didn’t really know anything about Statik Selektah besides the mixtapes I had of his. I knew he worked with Premier, but besides that I didn’t know much. After listening to the album, he instantly became one of my favorite producers. The production from Statik Selektah is amazing, and the guest list is just as good. Continue reading for more albums (Senim Silla & Masta Ace) and the download links of course.

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