Listen: Javi - "Loops, Circles, and Revolutions Vol. 1"

Brooklyn's own Javi Santiago recently dropped his debut album "Loops, Circles, and Revolutions Vol. 1" to showcase his bouncy, jazzy, instrumental skills and introduce himself to the world. He is hoping to professionally mix and master his album through an indiegogo campaign HERE, so if you are liking the vibe of his music, and I am now a fan, then support the quality music by throwing some pocket change his way.

Showing his dedication to the beat head traditions, he offers some reprised versions of classic gems like  Bahamadia’s “Uknowhowedu”, A Tribe Called Quest‘s “1nce Again” and caps off the album with a tribute to Dilla to show where his head is at. Check it out here and support some of your fellow instrumentalists.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://javi2.bandcamp.com/album/loops-circles-and-revolutions-vol-1

Listen: Devine Carama - "Stars"

Kentucky MC and true schooler Devine Carama recently dropped a new single "Stars" from his upcoming new EP entitled "No Child Left Behind". Describing the new project as “something with substance but not too heavy.”, Devine always brings a nice mix of honest lyrics, soul samples, and well-crafted songs that share the story of an artist making a name for himself in a slept-on location on the hip hop map. Check out the new single here, produced by DJ Well Blended, and support quality hip hop music.


ALT DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/devinecarama/stars-produced-by-dj-well

Throwback: A.L. - "Lyrics"

A.L. was a featured MC on the Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 compilation from the Rawkus Records heyday. Among many stand out tracks, A.L. really impressed me with the honesty in his verses about the loss of content in the rap game. An impressive outing for an artist that seems to have fallen into obscurity but still gets rocked on my ipod years later. Rawkus had so many dope artists and the crew at Lyricist Lounge played a large part in the true school movement of the 90's, only to see corporate radio bypass them in favor of the Cash Money and No Limit southern rap labels. If only the purists still got the same kind of promotion that they did in the 90's, maybe rap radio wouldn't be so over-gangsta'd and running low on lyrics, but we'll never know. Check it out and listen to the soundtrack of a movement and a moment in time for some of hip hop's dedicated craftsmen.