[Album Stream] Future - Honest

While Future's sophomore effort Honest doesn't officially release until next week the Freebandz general teamed up with MTV to stream his album for all those who can't wait. If you like what you hear be sure to support when Honest drops April 22nd.

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Rick Ross - Mastermind (Intro & Tracklist)

Revolt TV and Rick Ross decided to liberate the intro to his upcoming LP Mastermind, unfortunately it isn't a track or anything like that. However, if you're interested in hearing what the album might sound like be sure to check out the Jeezy assisted single "War Ready". Lastly, you can check out the tracklist for the album here and also pre-order it, March 4th will show if Ross can recover from 2012's God Forgives, I Don't or if the "untouchable" Maybach will continue to falter. 

[Album Stream] Step Brothers - Lord Steppington

Since joining together to form Step Brothers way back in 2009 Alchemist and Evidence fans have been waiting for the duo to release a project. After being in the works for a few years Lord Steppington is finally available, featuring guests such as Action Bronson, Domo Genesis, Roc Marci, Styles P, The Whooliganz, Fashawn, Rakaa & Blu.

Stream below courtesy of Rhymesayers:

[Album Review] Akoko - CAT•A•RAPS

Way back in February of last year I got hip to Akoko through their excellent collaboration with SIR E.U simply known as "Thee Hipókolypse" featuring some crazy lyricism and great production from Plue Starfox. Akoko comprised of Sugg Savage and Sloane Amelia, is a group based in D.C. and one of the best acts from the area which already features great talent (if you follow this blog, something you'll know). I type this next sentence fully aware of what I'm stating and I stand by it.

Akoko is the female version of Outkast.

Hopefully you haven't exited out of the page and are still reading this, if so thanks if not...well...I guess you really can't see this so...yeah...back to what I said. As I got further and further into CAT•A•RAPS I couldn't help but think this over and over. Sugg and Sloane not only match the legendary ATLiens in terms of chemistry as a duo but also in creativity. If you haven't seen any of their videos I suggest you stop reading and do so. See what I mean? They aren't the typical "I'm a boss ass bitch. My pussy good. 5 Star Chick" that most female rappers seem to be. Just like how Andre and Big Boi aren't typical "My nigga, my nigga. Cars, clothes, bitches" rappers. They're both different but it doesn't come off as forced to stand out it's just natural. 

One of the most overlooked things in Hip-Hop now is track chemistry, in today's Hip-Hop collaborations are rarely about genuine respect for other artist's craft but about a quick cash grab. Even today's music groups are more of collectives, just a bunch of artists behind one brand but not really a music group. Akoko is a group. The ladies flow and trade off each other perfectly, their chemistry is one of the main things that made me initially make the comparison.

With that being said I've already spent too much time on the subject and I want this to be a review of CAT•A•RAPS not them as a group. To get to the project itself, barely released before the New Year, it definitely was one of the sleeper hits of 2013. I had high expectations after hearing them initially and I can say that after hearing the full project they were definitely met and even exceed at times. 

I knew coming in that CAT•A•RAPS was going to be different but I didn't expect what I ended up hearing. To call this a rap album would be incorrect, it's more than that. Combining elements of Neo-Soul, Electronic, Alternative and even some Reggae CAT•A•RAPS transcends the genres to become something truly unique. Sloane and Sugg never sound out of element either, whether clever wordplay, viscous bars, rapid multi syllables flows or even beautiful harmonizing they can do it all and well. 

I don't want to bore you with anymore reading (there is already a lot) I try to keep these short but this review was different. 2013 was a great year of music and finding Akoko and CAT•A•RAPS are among my personal highlights. There isn't much else to say other then listen and hopefully you enjoy CAT•A•RAPS as much as I do.

Standout Tracks: A++, Deadly Venom, Dogma (The Sparrow), No Offer, Royal Flush, The Blair Witch Project & Thee Hipókolypse

FINAL VERDICT

+ Excellent lyricism

+ Great track presence 

+ Multi displays of high level emceeing skill

+ Creativity

- One or two lacking tracks

9/10

[Album Review] Cal Rips - BELIEVE

Every now and then I forget to add a link, word or stream when making a post. When it's really bad I become Loaf God and forget to post entire projects whether due to a busy schedule or just pure laziness. Unfortunately this is one of those times. I found myself listening to BELIEVE today by the great Cal Rips and thought "Damn I forgot how good this was, let me go tweet the link to the post" and much to my dismay there was no post to link. I really don't know how I forgot but I figured better late than never (although some might disagree). 

Production wise this is definitely Cal's strongest project yet, everything transitions well. This is one of those rare tapes that you can run front to back without skipping a track or two. Cal never lets the album get stale, as soon as you're thinking the project is getting too somber, he picks it back up. Thanks to producers such as Matt McGhee, Day X and rMell who are behind two of my personal favorites "Winning" and "Flashing" and Clayt Da Great who is behind most of the tape's highlight tracks.

I always talk about progression when it comes to Cal but this time around it's different. Cloud X to #Thumbs Up was a slight improvement, Chemical X was a major one. With each tape Cal got better, either with beat selection, lyrically or content wise, on BELIEVE it's more of a matter of being consistent. He's come into his own as a artist he knows what works and what doesn't. This tape is more of a refinement of already shown skills and that isn't a bad thing at all. Cal is a great rapper and if his last project showed promise, this one proves it.

All in all BELIEVE will make you exactly do that, not only in Cal as a rapper but as a true artist.

Standout Tracks: Winning, Flashing, Match 1, AV & Deuce Bigalow

FINAL VERDICT

+ Great production and raps

+ Very cohesive (front to back no skips)

+ Strong content

+ Good guest features

- Sound quality on some tracks

- Not rapping on that jazzy ass intro (lol)

8.5/10  [Recommend Listen & Download]

[Album Review] Denzel Curry - Nostalgic 64

After tracks such as "Live This Shit" and "Threatz" a lot of hype was built up for Denzel Curry's first post Raider Klan project Nostalgic 64, in my opinion at least it definitely lived up to it. Curry has always been a promising artist even when he was with RK he was one of the few to gain a fan base of his own. With N64 he stepped out of SGP's shadow and into his own spotlight. 

The main thing N64 has going for it is Curry's excellent lyrical ability. Over the 13 track project you'll hear plenty of that, from tales of Carol City to the various anime/cartoon and 90s culture references weaved in verses. Only thing I could really criticize him for is his over use of the rapid time flow, I know that's something he is know for but after awhile it gets old. Other than that N64 is a treat for people who are big on lyrics. 

Production wise the album sounds like something between Yeezus and Flockaveli, going from dark and ambient to loud and reckless. It sounds like a drastic contrast but sonically it works well together to create a hybrid sound. Credit to POSHstronaut, Lofty305, Nuri, Rem and  Ronny J for helping put together a very cohesive project everything flowed really well from one track to another.

Along the way Curry switches it up by having a few guest appearances from artists you'd expect such as Raider Klan's Nell, JK The Rapper, Yung Simmie, fellow South Floridian Robb Bank$ and a few unexpected ones such as singer Steven A. Clark, the recently retired Lil' Ugly Mane and Mike G of Odd Future fame. Curry gathered a good supporting cast for Nostalgic 64 all bringing value to the tracks that they were featured on.

Nostalgic 64 is definitely a favorite of mine, quite possibly top 10 of 2013 for me but there is still plenty of more albums to be released this year so we'll see if it holds a spot at the end of the year. However for now it is a great listen. N64 has a little bit of everything something you can ride too, vibe too etc. very versatile and unique sound. If you've been sleeping on Curry to this point I'd highly recommend you'd stop and give this project a spin I can almost guarantee you'll hear a track or two you'll like. Press play and enjoy the nostalgia...

Standout Tracks: Zone 3, Dark & Violent, Mystical Virus 3, Benz & Denny Cascade

FINAL VERDICT

+ Unique and versatile sound

+ Excellent lyrics

+ Loads of references/lines to decipher

+ Cohesive sound

- Over use of the same flow

- Lacking substance outside of a few tracks

8.5/10

[Album Review] Mike of Doom - Rookie of the Year

So often when it comes to following up great projects we see many artists try to capture what made their previous project so good. The follow up ends up becoming a poor man's version of the previous or artists try to hard to deviate from their previous work to make the follow up stand out more. Nine times out of ten that ends up failing and displeasing fans. Take Tyler, The Creator for example, a lot of Bastard/Goblin fans don't like Wolf and vise-versa. What makes Rookie of the Year so great is the fact that it isn't trying to be the The Mane and Mike didn't go away from what made him popular in the first place.

Often in my reviews I talk about how the artist was able to top their previous project and show growth. That's because their previous project was easily surpassable, however with Mike, The Mane was his signature tape. Hell it was his signature, he was literally The Mane. Yet somehow he found a way to best that tape and still retain his signature sound while also expanding it. Take "Lets Get This Paper!" which starts out as your typical Mike of Doom "The Mane" sound, loud and braggadocio, the second half however is an introspective look towards the future when he does succeed. It's similar to how Lupe flipped Kick Push. I honestly didn't think Mike was capable of something like that. 

Another thing that makes ROTY one of my favorite tapes to drop in 2013 is the production. This is probably the strongest tape I've heard all year production-wise. Credits to Mike for his ear for good production and to all the producers on the tape. Also the features on here introduced me to a handful of great artists. Cisero, Goldlink, 431 (I knew of) and Quan The Padawan all kill their respective verses, especially Goldlink who brings "Flair" to the next level with his verse. Similar to Chance The Rapper's appearance on Childish Gambino's "They Don't Like Me". 

Mike has never been the "super-lyrical-miracle" type rapper, that doesn't mean he is a slouch on the mic either. Lyrically he is strong as ever. He even impressed me with a few lines over the course of the tape. The most impressive thing about ROTY to me however is the replayability of it. Immediately after listening to it I wanted to run it back. Not too many projects over the last couple of years has had that effect on me. Much to my dismay I can't say "let's get it" without damn near reciting Mike's verse. It's already bad enough that anytime I hear Brad Pitt's name I instantly think of the classic track from The Mane. 

In my personal opinion this is by far one of the most cohesive tapes of the last couple of years. There was only one or two tracks I wasn't feeling but other than that I have nothing negative to say. If you were a Mike of Doom fan before Rookie of the Year, you'll still be one and if you weren't...welcome to the club.

Standout Tracks: Coolington, Lets Get This Paper!, Flair, Zooted, Your All Welcome

FINAL VERDICT

+ Excellent production

+ High replayability

+ Nice features

+ Cohesive sound

+ Excellent features

- One or two lacking tracks

9.5/10

Samsung's Magna Carta Holy Fail and Music's Battle with Exclusivity

On his latest album Magna Carta Holy Grail Jay-Z spits the line "Might crash ya Internet, and I ain't even into that" lyrics from "Somewhereinamerica" that would prove prophetic. Right around midnight on July 3rd, officially the 4th, millions (literally) of Samsung owners took to Twitter to celebrate and gloat at their apparent win over iPhone users. After years of hearing the praises of the iPhone and Apple, Android users finally had their moment in the spotlight thanks to Jay-Z and Samsung's 5 million deal. Well at least that was the idea, soon as many found out, millions of people using the same app to obtain the same album at the same time would prove problematic. Samsung users all over immediately went from ecstatic to disappointed as they stared at a blank screen or an error message as many reported.

While Samsung users were cursing the company all over social networks, iPhone users sat high and mighty on top of the mobile device world once again. As Samsung was sorting out an solution, others fled to Google for streams and leak links for the newly released album. Once learning that Funk Flex of Hot 97 was running a stream of the album, I decided that was the best of a bad situation. When Flex wasn't ranting and dropping Flex bombs (or wind sound effects as they sound to some) I was quite impressed with what I heard. After about an hour I had the album available to listen to sans Flex, while my cousin who is a Samsung owner still was on a blank white screen "patiently" awaiting for his album. That got me thinking what did Samsung exactly accomplish with this deal?

Aside from the publicity from the deal Samsung did nothing to exactly change the perception of the Android vs iPhone debate, if anything it gave fuel to the latter's side. That is how it may seem on the surface but if you really read what came with the MCHG app, Samsung might've made a win out in the long haul. Before accepting the download the permission settings for it pops up to display this and while Mike gets credit for noticing I'm sure millions of others didn't even bother to read that. Now what Samsung will do with those permission settings still remains to be seen but I'd say that would be a nice consolation price to a little public embarrassment over a crashed app.

Although one of the main things that was pushed was the exclusivity of the deal and the fact that Samsung users would be the only ones with MCHG until it was released for the rest of the world on July 7th. That too got me thinking about exclusivity when it comes to music in general. We live in a day and age where albums hit the Internet faster than they hit the retail shelves, sometimes days or weeks and in rare cases months before expected release dates. While some artists choose to ignore when their album leaks others take notice, such as when Wayne decided to create a project from the leaked material off the Tha Carter 3 into a EP appropriately entitled The Leak. Some even take to their respective social media accountants to address the leak and ask fans to still support the album if they enjoyed the leak.

Now while record labels and artists still haven't found a solution to this particular problem, digital release is widely seen as the next step in the way music is released. If Samsung and Jay-Z taught us anything with their deal it's that digital release is not the solution that some have been labeling it as and if anything it comes with its own problems. Sure the album didn't technically leak as it reached its intended digital release date but it also didn't go as smooth as I'm sure Samsung thought. Many couldn't access the album and in some cases such as mine, non Samsung owners had the album before actual Samsung owners. Imagine if those same people would've paid $10.99 for that album only to not be able to access it while others who illegally downloaded it listened. While I don't think we'll ever solve the exclusivity issue in music, at least not as long as technology evolves the way it does, I do think that if done right digital release can at least quell the issue of leaks. Exclusivity on the other hand is another issue entirely on its own...and something that even a major company and Jay-Z can't solve.

[Album] Matt McGhee - AWARD

AWARD (Always Working At Reaching Destiny) by Matt McGhee dropped back in February and while I loafed on a review for it, I definitely did listen and I suggest you do so also. I won't write an entire review for it (sorry Matt) but I will share Dave Caldwell's of Back2Pluto excellent review. Dave pretty much sums up my exact sentiments on the album with his review and does it more well than I possibly could've. While I won't be writing a review, I do however want to share this album with you. It is one of the best, if not the best, indie projects to drop this year and it deserves all the shine and praise it gets. Without further ado AWARD...

[Album Review] Gary Samurai - Lemuria.

Atlanta standout rapper Gary Samurai recently released his latest album Lemuria., which after doing some research I learned is the name of a "lost" land that resided somewhere between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Many theories are out there about whether or not Lemuria actually existed, similar to the lost city of Atlantis. I suggest you read a bit about Lemuria itself, as it will help you further understand the theme of the album and Gary's vision. With that little background info out the way, lets get to the actual Lemuria that exists.

[Album Review] rMell - NEOGEO

Although it has been more than a week since the release of rMell's NEOGEO the support for it hasn't stopped. The young artist even trended on Twitter in the Washington area for more than a day and the feedback has been amazing. One of the main reasons I held off on reviewing it or even posting it was because I felt I needed more than just a day or two to critique an album that has been in the works for two years. I didn't want to give a stereotypical "Yo this album is dope be sure to download" type of review. So after listening to it multiple times and contemplating what to say about it, I finally feel confident in my ability to deliver the best review possible for NEOGEO.

[Album] Surp - for the LOVE of SOUND

Just as with the actual cover to the project, the artist known as Surp is shrouded in mystery. All I know about him is that he has a habit of dropping songs/projects seemingly out of nowhere, he is the SoundCloud God, he raps very well, he is from New York and is in a group called Backwards Society. Surp's for the LOVE of SOUND originally had a release date of October 31st, however it was delayed for whatever reason and than Surp decided to drop it randomly with no warning on November 21st. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least and immediately downloaded the project and listened.

Right off the album starts off in a weird way with "Start ." an instrumental that seems like it would sound more at home on his Blunted Renditions series, needless to say I just chalked it up to typical Surp-ism (new word) and left it at that. What happens over the next 15 tracks is superb lyricism and other worldly metaphors. Aside from "Hello ." which is essentially "Start .", I won't pretend to know why Surp started and ended the album with such odd instrumentation but I won't knock it either. Surp is what underground Hip-Hop is at it's finest. The project features no hooks, and yet you don't seem to notice or mind. Curren$y is another artist, who can do this and still have me invested in the track oddly enough. 

Although every track is dope and for the most part I enjoyed the majority of for the LOVE of SOUND, there are a few tracks which stood out from the rest and I want to give a little shine to those. First off "Prawllum", the track that caught my attention and made me a fan of Surp in the first place. Also, a perfect example of why I think so highly of his lyricism, just a flat out verbal assault of lyricism in the best form. Next is "Bad Character ." which features Surp spitting over a Madlib joint and effortlessly dropping bars, almost as if was freestyled. "MellSURP" is the collaboration between rMell and Surp and stands out due mainly to the former's production and the later laces it and doesn't let the beat outshine him."Hot Hawaiian Punch ." and "Bullshit" both stand out for the same reasons. Lastly, "This is for you ." which is amazing for the simple fact that Surp states his parents were arguing while he was recording it. Now that may not seem like much but for the song to have such a peaceful vibe and for it to have be recorded while something opposite of that was happening and for Surp to be able to maintain the vibe throughout the song made it stand out to me.

To wrap this up, and I promise this isn't a review (Surp don't be mad) just an analyzation. for the LOVE of SOUND is one of the illest projects this year and for some strange reason I feel like Surp wasn't even trying to accomplish that. From my perspective he seems to genuinely enjoy making music and doesn't to much care for the attention that comes with it, as talented as he is. "I could be wrong, even though I maybe be right" (kudos if you know where that's from) but oh well. Nothing else to say other than listen and be sure to keep Surp on your radar for the next couple of years. I think homie is gonna do some big things. 

Stream below or download. 

The Evolution of rMell

For the last two years that I've known the man, rMell has been working on this huge project. Even though it went under different names and forms it eventually became to be known as NEOGEO. I'll admit there were times when I didn't think this project was coming out but the day for NEOGEO and rMell has finally come. As I write this, less than one hour away from the release of NEOGEO, I couldn't help but think throughout the day about all of rMell's music in general. So I decided to gather some of his work for those who need a reminder or even for those who haven't heard of him yet. 

From the first time I heard him and E.U on Tumblr and their Yuck Feah Fridays series I was a fan. rMell has continually improved with each release and always impresses me with the progression he makes. With his EP Hipsters & Hypebeasts he showed that he could do it solo after dropping Yuck Feah and Kazuya Chronicles with E.U and Avion respectively. FRECKLES was a improvement on the formula that he displayed on H&H. Even though limited, rMell's Grammy Family material is some of his best and at least in my opinion, when his rap skills started to finally reach and even outshine at times his producing skills. He became a true artist. From the few tracks that I've heard from NEOGEO, I can honestly say there isn't a genre I could put it in or anything I could compare it too. It's in a league of it's own. I'm sure NEOGEO will be worth the wait and the best project rMell has made to this date. I look forward to hearing it and seeing what rMell does in the future. 

One question though. Now that we finally got NEOGEO, where's WolfMell?

Yuck Feah Fridays

Hipsters & Hypebeasts EP

FRECKLES

Grammy Family

NEOGEO

[Album Review] Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city

Me and the blog homies Yoh (TheTapeDeck), Dave and Mark II (Back2Pluto) got together and collectively shared our thoughts on Kendrick Lamar's highly anticipated album good kid, m.A.A.d city and created a honest and unbiased review for your reading pleasure. S/O to Felix for hosting the review over at Kidz 'R Evil. Without further ado, I present to you good kid, m.A.A.d city the review.

[Video] Lupe Fiasco Discusses Food & Liquor II Cover & More

Lupe Fiasco recently sat down with MusicFeed.TV while in Australia and discussed his decision to name the album Food & Liquor II, the cover art (troll) and elaborates more on the Great American aspect of the album. Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album due for release September 25th.

[Video] Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor II Trailer

Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, September 25th.

Nomad - Nocebo (Cover Art & Tracklist)

Nomad decided to tweet the tracklist for his upcoming project Nocebo, which Digital Drop will be proudly hosting. Look for the latest track "The Drive" from Nocebo to drop later on today and be sure to support the project when it drops September 20th. Props to Dave on the artwork. 

Pusha T, Raekwon & Joell Ortiz - Tick Tock

RZA serves up that raw street sound with the next single "Tick Tock" from the upcoming The Man With Iron First OST Pusha, Chef and Ortiz come together and add their own street flavor to the track. 

Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt.1 (Cover Art & Tracklist)

What you see above is the cover art for Lupe Fiasco's F&L 2. Yup. That's it. Anyway the tracklist is definitely more interesting. Still waiting for Form Follows Function, Lupe said "ain't no rapper fucking with that" and I believe him. Until then just patiently await Food & Liquor II's September 25th release date. Tracklist after the jump.

[Album] SpaceGhostPurrp - Mysterious Phonk: The Instrumentals

With his 4AD debut album Mysterious Phonk released, SGP decides to release the instrumentals featured on the album for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.