Listen: Dotmatic - "Lullabies for Fall"

Dotmatic just dropped a super chilled out series of instrumentals that make for a nice relaxing backdrop during the madness fo the holiday season. It may cost you some change, but it is worth it for some of the laid back soundscapes that Dotmatic provides on his "seasons" series. Much like Dot himself, I prefer this Fall release to this previous efforts, but the overall vibe of his work always has me checking back for more.

Listen: Elementality - "The Right Direction"

Kind of a throwback here, but in the midst of Rawkus Records last breath, they went on a Rawkus 50 campaign and signed up to release records by many super underground groups at the time (Cy Young, Roddy Rod, Silent Knight, etc.) and some of these albums still got super slept on from the overall fumble of Rawkus marketing. This brings us to the recent re-release on Bandcamp of the Elementality album "The Right Direction".

This was one of the more consistent albums released in that R50 group but hopefully it can get some more shine in 2012 and get the credit that they deserve. Entirely produced by Analogic (of Talib Kweli, Phonte, Masta Ace, Skyzoo fame), it is a decent portrait of a thriving underground in the early 2000's and shows that not everyone is on the techno/house/autotune vibe of most modern radio rap.

DL it here: http://elementality.bandcamp.com/album/the-right-direction

Video: 9th Wonder X Buckshot - "Crazy"

Buckshot and 9th Wonder drop another video for the recent album 'The Solution' (Jamla/Duck Down Music), which reminds me of the Alanis Morissette "Ironic" video from the 90's. Always glad to see Buckshot making music and showing that he can still have fun with it. Check out the new album on Itunes and follow everyone on twitter @9thWonderMusic @Buckshot @DuckDownMusic @JamlaRecords ----Directed by Calvan Fowler of Daydream Filmworks @CalvanDaydreams

Humor: Pizzo, San Quinn, Silkk & Master P - "High Fo Xmas"

Since today is the first official day of the X-mas season, I wanted to share this humorous (because of how laughably lame this concept was) song with the world. In 1994, the year of many hip hop classic albums, Master P was just starting his No Limit empire and thought it would be cool to have a gangsta rap x-mas album starring the little known No Limit roster and west coast mainstays like San Quinn. Everyone around me was buying up every No Limit release like crazy, this one too, but I just was not feeling his movement then (or now). I can look back at the cheesy, thug stereotypes that P sold to the masses at that time and laugh, but this album seemed to be the first of many gimmicks that worked in his favor in the mid-90's. Cash Money soon began to ape his grind and we see where that got us.

Listen: Rapper Big Pooh - Fat Boy Fresh Vol.2

As a follow up to Big Pooh's Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 1, former Little Brother MC Rapper Big Pooh recently dropped Fat Boy Fresh, Vol. Two: Est. 1980. Featuring guest spots from Fashawn, Joe Scudda, King Mez, and Thurz (among others) with production entirely from Astronote ("Cognac," produced by Focus). It is floating around the web as a digital-only release on Bandcamp or itunes but will hopefully see a physical release on Pooh's Members Only label sometime soon. Sample it on itunes and help support a fan favorite from one of the last (now defunct) official hip hop groups of our time.

Listen: Dana Coppafeel X Speakeasy ft. Proph - "One of These Kids"

I am proud to present some recent work by some Midwest homies that always bring a fresh and fun vibe to the underground arena. UniFi Records out of Milwaukee put together Dana Coppafeel, Proph, and Speakeasy for a track called "One of These Kids" over Wisconsin beat battle champion Da Ricanstrukta's instrumental. Playing off the typical braggadocio of MC's, the new single showcases some of the many talented artists on UniFi, so check out there website and roster to get a peek at what some non-thugged out rap from the middle sounds like.

Listen: Quartermaine - Quarter Life Crisis

Quartermaine, half of the super slept on DC-area crew called Critically Acclaimed, recently dropped a solo album called Quarter Life Crisis on ReDef Records. I was a big fan of most of the Low Budget Crew (Cy Young, Kev Brown, CA, etc.) in the early and mid-2000's, so I am glad to see Qaurtermaine being productive on the boards and in the booth. The album features production from Quartermaine himself, plus Kev Brown, Ken Wood, and Joc Max and lyrics strictly from Q himself. Peter Rosenberg reps hard for these guys, so that should tell you the quality of music, even if it flies under the radar. Check it out on itunes and support quality music!

Listen: Murs X 9th Wonder - The Final Adventure

The final installment of the Murs and 9th Wonder collaboration (4 deep) is a refreshing mix of grown man themes and humrous, hip hop tales. Murs hold down the entire album, but leaves room for only one feature, 9th Wonder's and Jamla's female star Rapsody. If you liked any of the previous efforts, this final go-round of the "Cali-lina" sound keeps the spirit alive for future MC's/groups to carry the torch for the underground artists who can work strong separately and as a team. Check out a sample below and grab the album on itunes.