Listen: Raekwon - "Keep It Politics" (Man Mantis Remix)

Always down to support my fellow beatmakers and bloggers, I was glad to see an alumni of The Double Truth get some shine on the latest Potholes In My Blog mix entitled "Potholes in My Session". Man Mantis dropped a fitting remix to a track by Raekwon among the features on the album. Another bright spot, for me anyway, is the Action Bronson track which flips a sample I have used in the past, but with much less acclaim. Either way, check out the free EP and take a listen to some of hip hops under-rated producers a they put their spin on some neglected tracks from raps internet heroes like Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs and more.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://potholesmusic.bandcamp.com/track/raekwon-keep-it-politics-man-mantis-remix

Fine Art Friday: Brooklyn Icon Series

idBrooklyn Project Launch from imagenhb on Vimeo.

Even though this id Brooklyn project is now complete (in terms of the kickstarter campaign), I wanted to share the video to help illustrate why it is an interesting idea for all the creative folks in the NYC area and Brooklyn especially. Though there are much more important things to worry about in this world then a functional signage system for Brooklyn, the concept of a communal gathering to develop the icons seems appealing.The video explains the purpose and focus and behind-the-scenes aspects of doing this work and I posted some of the icons below to show what some of the folks came up with. MAybe this will lead to more legible signage in America, but I doubt it.

CHECK OUT MORE ICONS HERE
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Brooklyn-Icons/8131323

Listen: Concept - "The Proof" ft. Tableek

There was a time when I thought Maspyke (Tableek and Hanif Jamiyl) were gonna be the leaders of a new ATCQ movement in hip hop, then they went their separate ways and life got in the way of their potential success. Tableek always had a unique whispery but smart flow that seemed well suited for jazzy tracks, so I was glad to see his name pop up on a collaboration with Concept. The track titled "The Proof" and apparently unreleased officially showcases the exact reason Tableek is still checked for by the hip hop faithful. It would be great to hear Tableek rock an entire album or joints like this and hopefully one day it will happen. Check it out and research one of the most slept-on dudes in the game.


DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/conceptbeats/the-proof-ft-tableek

Listen: Evidence - "Green Tape" Instrumentals

To keep it short and sweet, I wanted to jibber jab about two of my favorite things; A new album from Evidence (of Dilated Peoples) and some new instrumentals to zone out to on my way to work on the train, both from the same dude. Evidence and Joey Chavez were huge inspirations for me starting out, as they constantly dropped simple but hypnotic piano beats with hard drums that made we want to rap, though I do not. For the casual DP fan, you may not realize that Ev holds down a considerable portion of the beats on each project and handles even the artwork side of things with his excellent photographers eye. He is always productive and I am always glad to see him drop some new instrumentals as a way of feeding the Stans in between projects.

The Green Tape Instrumentals is a collection of music mostly written and released from 2006 to 2010 along with a few unreleased tracks and follows the similarly-named Yellow Tape Instrumentals, Purple Tape Instrumentals, and his 2007 Red Tape Instrumentals. This installment features 20 cuts of thunderous drums and deft sample chops that showcase Ev’s beat-making skills that should make you jealous that you probably can't rap or produce as a one man team. Check it out and support one of hip hops most slept-on producers (and lyricists.)

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://shop.deconrecords.com/products/evidence-green-tape-instrumentals-deluxe-bundle

Listen: Public Enemy – "Planet Earth" Collection

To honor their achievement in making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Public Enemy released a collection of their hits entitled "Planet Earth: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Greatest Rap Hits" as a look back at their career. Though PE has released hits collections before and their impact on the rap game has been poured over for years, this collection marks the rare occasion that a rap group was voted into the mostly white Rock and Roll hall of fame. For all the Kanye stans who think that songs like "New Slaves" is somehow revolutionary, you should check the catalog of PE. They modeled their entire career around bringing attention to race issues, politics and other forms of activism that many groups have been influenced by and has been ignored by rap radio for almost 20 years.Check out the collection and see why people fuss over this group and what they meant to a generation of hip hop fans and why they are sorely missed these days.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Earth-Rock-Roll-Greatest/dp/B00BEMV0AC

Mirage512 X Side Effect - "Sunday Afternoon + Change"

Mirage512 and Side Effect, a rap duo from Austin, Texas, recently dropped the official video(s) for the track "Sunday Afternoon" with a small snippet of another track "Change" tacked on to the end. With a mix of soul and boom bap-ish tracks, they look to use the interest from this video and The Undergrind Mixtape as a springboard to tour and spread the word about true schol hip hop in Texas. They use the term "Undergrind" to describe the uphill battle of being a hip hop artist and the struggle to share their music with the world. Check it out and support some honest cats from a lesser known Hip Hop spot on the map.

SUPPORT THE UNDERGRIND TOUR
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-undergrind-tour?browse_v=old_no_dropdown

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://sideeffectmusic.com/album/the-undergrind-mixtape