I am not sure what project this will be on. I will try to find out. It has been a long time since I have heard some new Awar music and I am anxious to hear a new album. This cut doesn’t help me with anticipation. This track and video fall in the beyond real category. The story to this track is definitely something for folks to feel. The track is produced by the venerable M-Phazes. Stay tuned for more music from Awar.
Single You Out: Kyle Hubbard – Around The Way
I posted on Kyle Hubbard’s release, Tomorrow In Retrospect, a couple of months ago. I was encouraged to hear some great hip hop coming out of H-Town. I thought Kyle was a lyrical breath of fresh air for Texas. He sent me an email with his latest effort, Around The Way, produced by Djay Cas.
Now even though, I liked Kyle’s last release, I am still dubious of most things that hit my inbox. I only post things on the blog that I absolutely love, regardless of past efforts. Well, I should stop being so cynical. Kyle puts together a terrific ‘Ode To Houston’, and he does so inclass. Kyle, in every track I have heard, never dumbs his music down. He has that unique blend of being able to keep his sound close to the streets but with an elevated mind. Check it!
Download
Single You Out: Mic Write x Blaksmith – H.A.W.K.
Ummm…yeah this track definitely qualifies as some serious heat. This is just a great song. Dr. B is on the beat. Mic Write and Blaksmith from Cold Men Young are on the mic. The chorus on this track is perfect. I love the hook. You can add this to a short list of 2011 favorites right now. The acronym stands for (Heal Apathy With Knowledge). This track is everything that is good with the art right now. Great rhymes, content, production, and chorus. Couldn’t make a better song if you tried!
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Godilla – Hand Signs ft. Adlib and Nine (Video)
Here’s a cut that should appear off of Godilla’s next album, entitled Battle Beast. This track goes pretty hard and bodes well for how the album should sound. Be sure to check for that album!
Single You Out: Memphis Reigns – Agnes In Wonderland Remix (ft. Marlon D x Sesy Basila)
Memphis said he was going to leak me a track from his forthcoming album, Bittersweet. And when I downloaded, let me tell you I was just blown away. The content alone really moved me. The way each emcee addresses the topic of addiction is thought provoking stuff. I am really proud to be able to bring you the Agnes In Wonderland Remix ft. Marlon D and Sesy Basila. The production is done by Remshot and sounds impervious to criticism to me. Check it out, download it, and pass it onto all your friends. Surely they want some good music!
Download
Single You Out: Ed E. Ruger – Dummy Disease (ft. DJ Phillie Phresh)
Ed E. Ruger shot me over his album a few weeks ago. I gave it a full listen and think it’s solid. There are quite a few bangers on the album. I haven’t had a chance to review it completely but yesterday, Ruger broadcasted the track, Dummy Disease, over Twitter. It is one of the standout tracks from the album and thought you all might want to hear it. You can cop his new album on Itunes, Ziplocked and Loaded.
Amadeus The Stampede – Scars Of Life (Video)
Amadeus The Stampede has been on a prolific run so far for 2011. He has re-released all of his previous work for FREE via Twitter. He released Universal Language in January. He has released two projects in March. The Mad House Music EP and The Devil Made Me Do It. The latter is where this single was lifted for the visuals. If you enjoy this then you will really enjoy his previous work. The man is very talented. I am going to try and post his discography soon, although a lot of it comes without cover art.
Single You Out: Swollen Members – Do Or Die
I spotted this over at 2DopeBoyz. I know the Dagger Mouth album is just a couple of weeks a way and I just wanted to give props where they are do. I love it when these guys are in a dark place and drop lyrics from the dungeons of their minds. I will admit that I am pretty bias. I have always enjoyed their music. Balance is a classic album in my opinion and I credit these guys with giving me dope music when I too was in a pretty dark place. The production on Do or Die I will assume is by Rob The Viking and he does a great job creating that eerie feel with the music.
Ripynt – On Second Thought Vol. 1 (2011)
Artist: Ripynt
Album: On Second Thought Vol. 1
Source: Twitter
Tracklisting:
- Looky Looky
- In My Dreams
- Best Of Me
- Get Addicted
- One Of These Nights
- I’m Back
- Hindsight (ft. Latin Rose)
Note:
These are the kinds of releases that make my day. Short. Intense. Dope. Ripynt is an artist that has dropped consistently dope material in the past and I have kept my ears peeled for some new material. He dropped A Mid-Summer’s Day Drive with Sinic in 2009 for free, in addition his first full length album, Re-Inventing Poetics, also dropped. Both of those releases have great replay value.
On Second Thought Vol. 1 is really a continuation from Ripynt’s previous releases. He delivers loads of clever lines and dope verses, but also the production, especially on a couple of tracks in particular, is impressive. This is the type of EP that takes no shorts. You don’t get a lot of music but what you do get is concentrated hip hop.
From the jump you know Ripynt is going to bring you a high energy release with the track Looky Looky. The piano riff and beat really make the head nod. It’s apparent that the premise of this track was inspired by Nas’, I Made You Look, as it is nuanced in both the lyrics and the beat, but the rhymes and production on the whole are entirely fresh and inspiring. Looky Looky forces the listener to pay attention. Ripynt dares you to disregard him with this track.
One of the more emotionally charged tracks is, In My Dreams. This tracks details the story of a boy who grows to a man by the name of Joe. Joe encounters numerous instances of loss around him. Close family members and friends die throughout the track. But more than just a depressing story that focuses on negativity, Ripynt leads the character to overcoming these obstacles and succeeding. The production takes a back seat as Ripynt tells this story until the sample croons “Hold me…In my dreams”. It’s all together very powerful music.
The joint, Best Of Me, is lyrically the strongest of the bunch. On this track you get the sense that Ripynt is pulling from somewhere deeply personal. He has got some thoughts to get off of his chest and convey to the listener. I thought his first few bars were very noteworthy of sharing so I thought I would jot them down for you:
It feels like the dark’s always above me / No sunlight, no heart to ever love me / I love Him but my God sometimes disgusts me / And still has the nerve to ask me to blindly trust He / He who doesn’t have a face / He who doesn’t show a trace / Of caring whether or note we get erased / But it’s He who gave me air in the first place / And it’s He who gave me the opportunity to be great…
Lyrically brilliant.
Ripynt embodies everything that is right about hip hop. He practices his craft not only with precision and skill but with heart and feeling. He is able to deliver rhymes that will shatter the competition but also embraces the opportunity to move the hearts and minds of his listeners. On Second Thought Vol. 1 does in seven tracks what 22-Track mixtapes often fail to do, none of which more important than impress.
Hip Hop Dependency 