I haven’t been very inspired by music in the last couple of weeks, but this track from Blame One with Chill ill on the boards, brought me back. It’s that jazzy, laid back, melodic, yet lyrical flavor that I really needed for a reset. This joint is dope from both a lyrical and visual perspective. A vibe in the truest sense of the word. And having Aloe Blacc do a sixteen alongside Blame is the right choice. That’s the DEFINITION of smooth.
Single You Out: Blame One – Bounce & Nod (Video)
Blame One has been a mic master for a long time, but also an artist who has been relatively quiet over the years. But legend has it, that he is back and has an EP coming out soon, appropriately called: Long Awaited. Bounce and Nod is the first single I have personally heard and is produced by Chill-Ill. It’s very laid back and jazzy, a really nice change of pace in today’s music. Horns, Keys, and dope rhymes! So lay in the cut and don’t miss!
Single You Out: Blame One & Preed One – Walk With Me
I missed out earlier this month when the single Walk With Me from Blame One and Preed One came out, and it’s time for some atonement because this song is so good. Blame One’s bars hit clearly and cleverly over some really smooth and soulful production from Preed and DJ TMB (a renowned turntabalist) puts the finishing touches on the song. This song is a beautiful presentation of what hip hop is capable of.
Automatic like an uzi going rapid fire / I struck / And now you know you suck / Like a pacifier
Single You Out: Blame One – Frontin’ Foes
Here’s some new music from Blame One produced by Veks entitled Frontin’ Foes. The joint’s got a smooth vibe, and Blame One flows so effortlessly over the production. It’s laid back goodness, with nuggets of wisdom, and keen insight, mingled throughout.
I have always really liked Blame One. His art speaks to me and thankfully a new album is seemingly on the way soon.
Big Block Silvers – Crime in the City (Video)
You want to know what the best EP of the year is thus far? Look no further than the project, Bold, from Blame One, Harry Apollo, and JonJ, also known as Big Block Silvers. This is some of the most beautiful hip hop I have heard as of late. There are six tracks, all of which are incredibly impressive. You can hear the amalgamation of dope on this track, Crime in the City, where boom bap, sound, and lyricism collide. You can not help but be impressed here. Cop this project. It is worth every penny.
AWKWORD – World View (2014)
Artist: AWKWORD
Album: World View
Tracklisting:
1. Gas Land (Frack Off) ft. Chaundon [prod. by Numonics] | World View Intro 04:31
2. Throw Away The Key [prod. by L.Ment (Canada)] 05:44
3. Bars & Hooks ft. Sean Price, The Kid Daytona & The Incomparable Shakespeare [prod. by Harry Fraud] 04:48
4. Penny [prod. by Dismas (Romania)] 02:55
5. The People’s Champions ft. Shabaam Sahdeeq, Punchline & Beretta 9 (of Killarmy) [prod. by Harry Fraud] 04:55
6. Got Class? [prod. by Fresh Nerd] 02:16
7. Notorious ft. Wordsmith, Jasiri X, Jus Daze & Capital X [prod. by Amin PaYnE (Australia)] 05:18
8. Doctor Doctor ft. GuessWho? [prod. by MajoR R.E. (Malaysia)] 04:34
9. Requiem ft. SoulStice, Ess Vee & CuzOH! Black [prod. by ATG] [add. vox by Jay Daniels (Australia) & Mark Deez] 04:40
10. Melting Pot (Made In America) ft. Chaundon [prod. by Numonics] 03:57
11. Rape [prod. by Fafu] 02:53
12. Rap Genius ft. Perseverance & Chino XL [prod. by The White Shadow (Norway)] 03:51
13. It’s Not Possible [prod. by Recluse Crew (Finland)] 01:42
14. #AaronSwartz ft. L*A*W [prod. by Steel Tipped Dove] 03:28
15. The World Is Yours ft. Sha Stimuli & Viro The Virus [prod. by Dominant1 (Malawi)] 03:53
16. Imperialism ft. C-Rayz Walz & Reks [prod. by Jonny Lupo (Moldova)] 04:08
17. Radio 2.0 ft. KRS-One, Dug Infinite, Brimstone127 & Mista Lawnge (of Black Sheep) [prod. by Vice Souletric] 04:51
18. Metal Music ft. El Gant, ILL BILL, Tenacity & Blame One [prod. by Tranzformer] 05:09
19. Go! ft. Joell Ortiz, Slug (of Atmosphere) & Maya Azucena [prod. by Domingo] 03:25
Note:
This review for AWKWORD’s World View has been a long time coming. It’s a long time coming for two reasons: 1) AWKWORD has been working on his magnum opus for well over three years 2) I took another two months to digest the project in between other releases. But here we are at the moment of reckoning to determine what makes World View special, or if it’s indeed special at all.
Top 50 Songs (2013)
Disclaimer: It is hard and challenging to pick 50 tracks from the thousands upon thousands that dropped this year. It is merely an attempt to list my favorite cuts of 2012. Click the links to listen to the song! I think it’s a great list. There were a lot of great songs crafted this year and I know I left off some good ones. I listened to 5,000+ tracks from 2012 alone this year, so as an artist, if you made this list you know you are on the forefront of my iTunes!
1. Said Before – Goldini Bagwell
2. Rhyme Of The Year – Nino Bless
4. Outlive, Outshine – Theo3
Single You Out: Blame One & J57 – How Much Time’s Left (ft. Akie Bermiss)
This is the third single from the Blame One and J57 collaborative album, Walk In The Sun. It continues in the tradition of soulful and introspective music. Blame One reflects back on what is important in his life, He’s a family man who rocks the mic and not the vice versa. The man has his priorities in the right order. Akie Bermiss, does what he has done numerous times…he gives a track a touch of class and refinement. Dope music. Can’t wait for the album.
Blame One & J57 – They Don’t Know (ft. Akie Bermiss)
Beautiful music. What can I say that the music isn’t already preaching (no pun intended)? J57 shows us once again that he is a master of his craft. This arrangement is perfection. Akie Bermiss lends a chorus that just takes you on a trip in between Blame One’s bars. And speaking of those bars: Blame One has always spoken on spirituality and his beliefs. If you listen to his past music you will pick up on that. His message is one of acceptance and blessing. It isn’t preachy…it’s human.
Walk In The Sun drops on August 27th which seems eons away. But you can preorder it now.
Single You Out: DJ Limegreen – Rewind That (ft. Styliztik Jones, OtherWize, and Blame One)
Here’s a dope joint that I think has been overlooked in the blogging community. If I see a Blame One feature, I immediately take notice. And this joint was worth taking a look. It’s a pure hip hop joint that relies on great lyricism on one end and some classic horns and drums on the other. This track is featured on DJ Limegreen’s new album, The Green Room.
Hip Hop Dependency 