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DOWNLOAD: Blitz The Ambassador - Breathe (feat. Rob Murat)
"Breathe" is the new single from Ghanian-born, Brooklyn-based MC Blitz The Ambassador, a song crammed with big, braggy horns, and some seriously ill fret-burning in the background, like on a Battles tip if you listen carefully. The jam comes from his new album Stereotype, due for release soon in '09 and featuring guest spots from the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, J. Ivy, and longtime collaborator Optiks. It promises more of the hefty, confident stuff you're hearing in "Breathe," so this'll likely be one of the sleeper breakthroughs of the year, especially if (like us) you're tired of hearing about the same seven "rappers to watch in '09."
Sounds like: Mos Def, Notes To Self, Talib Kweli
DOWNLOAD: Orgasmic - The Sixpack Anthem (Orgasmic Lay Low Remix feat. E.Mackey)
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The always-killing-it dudes at Institubes have dropped their first heater of the year upon us, a "Lay Low" remix of Orgasmic and Tekitek's "The Sixpack Anthem" featuring Tallahassee "pop-hop" dude E.Mackey. Originally written as a tribute to the Sixpack clothing brand, Orgasmic's new mix basically sounds like Flo-Rida's "Low" if it'd been done by some Miami Bass dudes with a Franco-synth jones. We could try and explain how and why the song came together, but the Institubes guys (as usual) have done a much better job of that over at their RCRD LBL Blog, so head over there for the truth and some incredible gravity-defying promo snaps.
Sounds like: Flo Rida, DJ Craze, Michna
Orgasmic - The Sixpack Anthem (Orgasmic Lay Low Remix feat. E.Mackey)
DOWNLOAD: Pase Rock - Get Money Kids (Nacho Lovers Walk Remix)
Back in November we premiered "Get Money Kids," Pase Rock's new single for Dim Mak that re-asserted his stake amongst the club-rap cognoscenti. Little did we know that up in Toronto, Fool's Gold signees Nacho Lovers were splicing together their own dub of the tune, forgoing the vocal and cutting up Eli Escobar's production into something that drifts between fidget house and electro over its six-minute length. The propellant timbale phrases are really what make this thing pop, so stick around till they get all crazy at the end and make sure to turn up the bass if you can, we're assured that this one is "mixed for the club."
Sounds like: Jesse Rose, Switch, Spank Rock
Pase Rock - Get Money Kids (Nacho Lovers Walk Remix)
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EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Notes To Self - Throw Your (Hands Up)
Notes To Self sold us on this beat because it rocks the same throbby single-note guitar steez that Kanye cooked up for "Jockin' Jay-Z" earlier this fall. Producers: please use guitars more. 2008 is almost over and it is time to ditch the synth vamps and bring back the six-strings. The four-strong Toronto collective includes emcees Swamp Donkey (reminds us of Snot Boogie, from the first ever scene in The Wire) and Roshin, producer/rapper Bronze One, and world renowned DJ/turntablist DJ Dopey, who won the 2003 World DMC Championship. They have a record coming out through BBE next spring called A Shot In The Dark, preceded by an EP in February entitled Warning Shots. Expect more of this horn-heavy, catty rap stuff from them on those records, and until then bump this exclusive straight into 2009. (Hopefully) the year of more guitar.
Sounds like: PRGz, Mos Def, Evidence
DOWNLOAD: Amp Fiddler/Sly & Robbie - Drama Inside
Musical dream teams often suffer from a bit of frayed nerves on account of aspiring stars trying desperately to impress their idols. So it's nice to find a well-matched pairing -- in this case the legendary reggae/roots duo Sly & Robbie and Detroit funkster Amp Fiddler -- that seems undaunted by the situation and ready to play music. Together, the threesome crafted the Inspiration Information double LP which ensnares funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, reggae and pop in its 11 tracks. "Drama Inside" offers a look inside, its syncopated percussion and bass licks forming a funky vehicle for the Fiddler's crushed velvet pipes to lament the state of his love. Luckily for listeners, the "drama" is limited to themes, not the making of the music.
Sounds like: Recloose, Sly & the Family Stone, Moodymann
DOWNLOAD: M Pour Montreal - Colin Munroe - Last Cause + Sunday Bloody Sunday
In the final post about the M Pour Montreal fest, RCRD LBL delivers 2 more tunes from Colin Munroe's excellent mixtape, Colin Munroe Is the Unsung Hero. I had heard Colin long before I saw him opening up the final afternoon show with his sole band-mate Ben - his delicate banjo/strings/angelic vocal cover of "Sunday Bloody Sunday," has been a staple at my local coffee shop for a while. Reading the credentials of those featured on his mixtape, viewing the slew of videos on his MySpace page and realizing that he is signed to Universal Motown is strangely dichotomic to watching Colin perform in his earnestly enthusiastic way and seeing that he writes on his MySpace "I'm always on MSN so stop by and gimme a shout." There is the unwavering feeling about Colin that you are witnessing a young dude about to become a lot "bigger" than playing afternoon stages at festivals.
Sounds Like: Phosphorescent, Robin Thicke, Greg Laswell
DOWNLOAD: Claire Hux - Down On The Floor + Dance All Night + Get Flossy
As evidenced by the above photo, Baltimore collective Claire Hux are glam-minded party rockers who've been blowing roofs off venues lately with their weird and highly enjoyable take on Bmore club. Stuffing their tracks with gratuitous bass blasts, Prince melodies, gun shot samples, sirens, raunchy dancefloor commands, and enough high-energy breaks to move even the most sedentary of club goers, these kids are killing it if only for making a genre that we've seen appropriated by pretty much everyone in the game become entirely new and fun on its own again. They're currently signed to Unruly Records, the imprint run by legendary Bmore DJ Scottie B., who also mixed the Hux's new mixtape, Jammin On The One. All three of these tunes make appearances on there, so check them out here, and if you're digging it head on over to their website to cop the whole thing for free.ninety.nine.
Sounds like: Ninjasonik, Pase Rock, Spank Rock
Claire Hux - Down On The Floor
Claire Hux - Dance All Night (feat. Demetrius)
Download The Jammin On The One Mixtape (mixed by Scottie B.)
VIDEO/CONTEST: Wale - Nike Boots
Shot around his hometown of D.C. by veteran director Chris Robinson, Wale's new video for "Nike Boots" made us really siked for tomorrow's New York show at Highline Ballroom with Kid Cudi, Colin Monroe, Nick Catchdubs, and Mark Ronson. If we have half the fun as these cats I think we'll go home with smiles. You could be there too--we're giving away a pair of tix--so watch the video, enter the contest, and ponder with us why dude's The Mixtape About Nothing isn't showing up on more year-end Best Ofs.
DOWNLOAD: Jay-Z - Brooklyn (Go Hard) (feat. Santogold)
So this is like the next logical step from "Swagger Like Us?" Honestly, we think you one-upped yourself here Kanye. And us. Jay even let Santi hop on at the tail end of this one (due to come out on the upcoming Notorious soundtrack) so make sure to go grab this one over at The FADER and get an exclusive Switch remix of the sample source right here.
Download: Jay-Z - Brooklyn (Go Hard) (feat. Santogold) (via TheFADER.com via Nah Right)
Santogold - Shove It (Switch Remix)
DOWNLOAD: PRGz - 100 + Bama Gettin' Money
Off the grid from the usual hotspots of Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, and Memphis, Huntsvlle, Alabama--and more specifically the crew surrounding Paper Route Recordz--is arguably the undiscovered goldmine of Southern rap. While the large Paper Route family have been quietly self-releasing and promoting their own tracks through local and, more recently, online networks for a minute, Diplo, DJ Benzi, and the guys over at Mad Decent just put them on blast with Fear And Loathing In Huntsvegas, a pay-what-you-want mixtape of essential cuts from the label's extensive but scattered discography sandwiched between some exclusive Diplo remixes. You can get the whole thing over at the Mad Decent site, but we've got two jams you can grab and preview below. For a more in-depth look into the scene down in Huntsville, read Sam Hockley-Smith's feature on Paper Route for The FADER right here.
Sounds like: Rich Boy, Outkast's Aquemini, Kid Cudi
PRGz - Bama Gettin' Money (Original Mix) (feat. Kristmas, Mali Boi & Big P.O.P.E.)
PRGz - 100 (X.O. feat Mali Boi & CeeCee)
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