Halfabrick & Alterbeats – Revolutionary Tactics Vol. 2 (2011)

Artist: Halfabrick & Alterbeats

Album: Revolutionary Tactics Vol. 2

Source:  Absouljah Twitter

Tracklisting:

  1. Intro Bars (ft. DJ Modesty)
  2. Mott Aveness (ft. Spicco and Absouljah)
  3. Rebel G You
  4. Real Connotations (ft. DJ 456)
  5. Addicted
  6. Verses In The City Of Light (Bonus Cut)

Note:

I have a rule of thumb, if someone whose music I currently like, recommends something else that I may not have heard, I check it out.  This is how I find a lot of rare gems and dope tracks.  I monitor my Twitter timeline hoping to find that diamond in the rough.  Well this time that gem comes courtesy of The Absouljah.

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Big J – Almost (ft. Caine and Nico The Beast) (Video)

I know you are thinking, “Who the hell are these guys?”.  I was thinking that initially too.  I do know who Nico The Beast is.   He’s been responsible for a lot of dope audible treats in my headphones so I thought I would give this some shine.  I like the fact that there is some more dope hip hop acts coming out of the midwest with Caine and Big J representing.  Unfortunately I don’t know a thing about them.  I don’t even know if this track is supposed to appear on a particular project.  I will try and find out though.  The production was handled by Avalanche, and I thought it was a pretty nice beat.

JNICS – Road To Riches (prod. by Numonics) (Video)

I am just now getting familiar with JNICS as an artist, listening to his DJ Booth features and what not.  I know he has the talent to make an impact in the game.  Of course, knowing the man is going to put out an album completely produced by Numonics definitely secured my interest.  Numonics has been the epitome of consistency lately, so I knew the beat would be hot.  I was not wrong.  JNICS and Numonics project drops this Tuesday coming up.  The project is entitled Champion Rizla.  I will be checking for it.

Single You Out: T.E.F.L.O.N. – Races ft. Mina Leon, Ancient Mind, And Praverb The Wyze

I saw this single posted on K-Beta’s Twitter account and if K-Beta cosigns you that is good enough for me to take a listen to it.  This is a track that would fall in the deep and meaningful category.  It talks about spirituality in the context of religion.  Producer IDK sets the tone with a very deliberate, slow-paced, yet soulful track allowing the listener to enjoy lyrics from T.E.F.L.O.N., Ancient Mind, and Praverb The Wyze.  The hook is blessed by Mina Leon.  Check the track below!

Passalacqua – Self-Titled (2011)

Artist:  Passalacqua (Mister + Blaksmith)

Album: Self-Titled EP

Source:  Bandcamp

Tracklisting:

  1. Pineapple Faygo
  2. Bad Grammar
  3. Tom & Bootsy
  4. Footprints
  5. Passalacqua
  6. Been A Minute

Note:

This is a release that randomly hit my email the other day.  I always have an assortment of releases to look at and review, but I got this in my inbox and decided at six tracks, the least I can do is give it a spin.  I am glad that I did.  Passalacqua  is a dope record by any set of standards.  They pack a lot of punch into these six tracks.  The EP is the type of jam that you would play on a Sunday morning and relax.  It’s jazzy and very harmonious.

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The Doppelgangaz – Doppelgang Affiliation (Video)

Admittedly this video is a little weird for my taste, but I primarily wanted you to hear the music which I think is quite good.  Dolls like that just kind of scare me. You’ve got to give a shout out to the  Days Inn for the advo in the video haha.

At any rate, enough of my banter.  This track is dope.  I have yet to check The Doppelgangaz new album, Beats For Brothels, Vol. 1. But if the majority of the tracks sound like this, I may just have to scoop it up.  You can check out some older material on their Bandcamp to get a feel for what they are doing. I will keep you posted.

Armageddon – The Journal Vol. 1: Rebirth (2011)

Artist: Armageddon

Album: The Journal Vol.1: Rebirth

Source: SoFloEntertainment

Tracklisting:

1. Imma Get Mine
2. Get Yours
3. Dance With The Devil
4. Rap Therapy
5. Sending My Love

Note:

I listened to this EP before bed last night and literally I couldn’t go to sleep for hours because these five tracks had me so amped.  These cuts from Armageddon are absolutely flawless.  It’s the perfect EP.   If you love that intelligent hip hop over those boom bap beats, you are going to love the return of Armageddon.   I haven’t heard from this artist in what would seem like a decade. Usually when an artist resurfaces it is with mixed results, but Armageddon has bucked that trend with an awe inspiring effort.

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Memphis Reigns – Frog Hill Legend (2010)

Artist:  Memphis Reigns

Album: Frog Hill Legend

Source: ColinLegend

Tracklisting:

  1. Errrrry!!! (prod. by Piloophaz)
  2. Chill Street Blues (prod. by Piloophaz)
  3. Judas (prod. by Keko)
  4. Cloud Kingdom (ft. Pravery The Wyse) (prod by. D-Mitch)
  5. Letter To Sakura (ft. Allison Molgaard) (prod. by D-Mitch)
  6. Facebooks (prod. by Keko)
  7. Last Hello (ft. Ceci Basila) (prod. by Keko)
  8. Preach (prod. by Keko)

Note:

I am not sure what it is about Memphis Reigns’ music that I crave.  I think it initially dealt with the mystique.  When Genelec and Memphis Reigns first released Scorpion Circles in 2002, it was heavily talked about but it was hard to find.  I went about trying to hunt this album down and eventually scored it.   It was worth every penny.   Memphis Reigns then seemingly resigned himself to the shadows.  I would hear a track here and there but there was no consistent wealth of music available.  Then as the age of blogs emerged I suddenly found a slew of rare releases and collaborations.

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Matlock – Brand New Nikes (Video)

I am a little slow on the uptake. I bought Matock’s album, 2707 about two weeks ago.  I really liked it.  I  think it’s his best work to date and as I was perusing the web last night, this video popped up.  It’s from late 2010 but I still think it’s worth the look.  You can see this Chicago emcee has a lot of talent and really takes no shorts with his aggressive rhyme style.   He has not pulled any punches in his career and this album is no different.  Congrats to Matlock on his fine effort!  You can click the appropriate links to visit his Twitter and purchase the album via Itunes.