Check The Discography: Reks

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I have been a fan of Reks since I first heard the album, Along Came The Chosen.  He’s  a real man, a real emcee, who is creating real music.   There are no smoke and mirrors.  There’s no fancy cars and glamorous women in the videos. There’s no flashing of the cash.  When the game changed, Reks remained true to himself and the foundation of hip hop.  He kept on doing him and making music for those who could appreciate that. He’s worked with some of the most renowned producers and illest emcees.  In return for his great musical contribution, HHD wants to repay the favor and highlight his illustrious career thus far.  This Check The Discography is  for a man who is more than deserving.  So Reks, we salute you, your work, and all the energy you put into it.  As a fan, if you don’t have any of these albums, or mixtapes, make sure you do yourself a favor and cop these.  A couple of things before you start clicking: The majority of these releases are sold in online stores, so please follow the links and support the man.  Secondly,  Happy Holidays was released as a mixtape almost a decade ago and I can find no working links so if you have access, holler at me.  Lastly, the link to the Rekless album is to CD Universe where you can only buy the physical album for approximately $60.00.  I say go for it!

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AWKWORD – World View (2014)

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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.

 

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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 BeforeGoldini Bagwell

2. Rhyme Of The YearNino Bless

3. BelieversMayday

4. Outlive, Outshine Theo3

5.  WarStryfe and Marc Byrd

Continue reading “Top 50 Songs (2013)”

Single You Out: Koncept – My Peace (prod. by Numonics)

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Is Numonics underrated?  Is he underappreciated?  Perhaps the answer is yes elsewhere but his sound is beloved in HHD’s neck of the woods.  And here he is producing the next Koncept project in it’s entirety. Nice.  This cut is off the rocker.  I love the sound, the vibe, and Koncept’s flow.  So write down the date: October 22nd.   That’s when the Numonics x Koncept collaborative EP, Live On drops.

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Single You Out: Koncept – Love Me (ft. Lollybone) (Prod. by Tranzformer)

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Just close your eyes and let Tranzformer’s piano keys and Lollybone’s soulful song just carry you away!   Oh wait a minute, let’s not forget Koncept’s bars, because he’s got bars.    This song is like 1920s flapper meets 1990s boom-bap.  A really nice break from the monotony by offering us a different sound entirely.  Koncept’s Live On EP, produced by Numonics, drops on October 22nd.

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Planet Asia & Ras Kass – Kings (prod. by Numonics) (Video)

Two west coast legends (yes, legends) link up for this video single for the cut Kings.  The production is handled by one of the most consistent beatsmiths currently doing his thing, Numonics.   I love the beat, the lyrics,  and the video concept.  The wooden throne up in the club is very fitting.  Ras Kass kills me with this line:

I cruxcify rappers, give em’ Calvary pain / Like Christ, y’all ni%$as suffer til our salary change

That was vintage Ras Kass.  This cut can be found on J57 and Numonics joint venture, LI FTW, which is slated to drop…not soon enough.

Single You Out: Lyriciss – Vent (Prod. Numonics)

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This is the lead single from J57 and Numonics’ collaborative project, LI FTW, which I had no idea existed until now.  But this has instantly become one of the most anticipated projects this year.   Those two are among the dopest beatsmiths in the here and now.

I also like how Lyriciss is getting the chance to showcase his ability to a wider audience.  He is a very potent emcee and people will start discovering that soon. He rides this beat and does some creative things cadence wise to make it more distinct.  Special shout out for the Quantum Leap line because you truly can’t go back…