Picture Perfect- SLik d featuring Decypher

Slik d drops an ill video for "Picture Perfect" assisted by Decypher off the must peep mixtape "Summer Vibes"

Skyzoo - Popularity

The Salvation is one of most underrated albums of the last few years. Support Skyzoo, because his name needs to finally be recognized and if you wont buy, at least educate yourself on his music because his music is definitely an experience, especially during live sets.

Jay-Z – Empire State Of Mind (Ft. Alicia Keys)

Brey Quick - Run This Town

Brey is back with another joint for all to add to the collection. Its a little short but Brey kills it with some dope bars. Definitely a recommended joint.

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Cymarshall Law - No Fear

Cymarshall Law is one the artist on my radar for about a year now. He's got a power to rip some songs up like Lark On My Go Kart, Appreciation as well as a bunch of others. The pace on this beat is a little slow but I still think its not only real but well written so check out the upcoming talent.

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Appreciation Freestyle

Lark On My Go Kart

Brey Quick - From The Heart [Mixtape + Review]

Brey Quick is an up and coming rapper from out of North Carolina. He's had a few works circulating the underground including Brey Season, a much larger project that was constructed in the spring and early summer months. This newest project is a much smaller effort (10 tracks), in which Brey excercises his flows over a bunch of classic beats, with some being much more known than others.

DOWNLOAD: USERSHARE

Originality – 7/10
The originality of Brey’s songs were somewhat different in the sense that they didn’t focus on the typical tired subjects of being hood, being the best, denouncing haters or getting money. But the fact that we’ve heard these beats many times and Brey did not re-invent many choruses as artist often do to add originality to the song, hurts him. Also a mixtape of only 10 tracks gives him much less to work with, which drags brey down to a solid 7.

Lyrics/Delivery – 8.5/10
The lyrics varied from song to song. Sometimes Brey gave me some crazy lyrics like in “Relax Girl” that would prompt me to give him a 9 for its vivid storyline and flawless delivery. However there were songs like “My Way” that gave me lyrics that I would rate at an 8 for its predictability. Overall, Brey’s lyrical skill settles in at a solid 8.5

Concepts – 8.5/10
The real question of this mixtape is did Brey connect with the listeners?, because that seems to be the overall goal for this mixtape. He chose familiar beats to help usher the process and a short tracklist to help maintain everyone's focus. The subjects varied and Brey never strayed from some refreshing self-evaluation. The reminiscence of it all is real and keeps the mixtape feeling a lot more fresh as I cycle through the tracks. I think Brey established a personal connection between his listeners and himself, but there is still room from improvement.

OVERALL – 8.0/10

This is not a milestone of a mixtape, however it is a big step in gaining a more consistent fan base on Brey Quick's part. This mixtape surely shows the potential that Brey has lyrically. Its may very well become a stepping stone for him to create a much more in depth project that will propel him far into the music business as a both original and powerful lyricist.

Classified - "Quit While You're Ahead"

Official video for "Quit While You're Ahead" featuring Choclair, Maestro and Moka Only.
Self Explanatory is in stores now!

Eminem, Mos Def, Black Thought Freestyle Cypher!

Whooaaa...

Skyzoo Interview w/ Straight Spittas DVD

You already know Skyzoo and his new album The Salvation which hit stores September 29th. Skyzoo did a brief interview with Straight Spittas DVD, in which he explains how he got into his current label situation and how he formed his relationship with 9th wonder.

Shad – The Calling

Nique - Framed & Unfocused [Mixtape]

Framed & Unfocused is the new mixtape from Nique. The preparation has been going down for some time and he's giving out the tape for free with hard copies and tee shirts selling for a 15$ package. This looks like a big project for Nique, so if you want to bump something new, grabbing this would be a wise choice.

DOWNLOAD: USERSHARE | Buy: SHIRT/MIXTAPE

Toki Wright – Devil’s Advocate

Why is it every artist signed to Rhymesayers is soooo underrated?
Toki's debut album "A Different Mirror" is out now!

M-Dot - Backstabbers

Ok so its time to get a little local with M-Dot. Both Dmack and I are from Boston so we've heard about M-Dot for a while. Backstabbers is a real unique joint with a dope vocal sample and a upbeat tone. The sample originates from the Ojay's Backstabbers for those like myself who are into the oldschool. This is the latest single from M-Dot's upcoming album "Musically Driven Over Time". I'm not as familiar with M-Dot as I should be but I can tell from this song M-Dot gets is in, so I expect the album to be something to watch for. Definitely worth the download.

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DJ Benzi Presents The Elitaste CMJ Mixtape

Sound Society Is Celebrating our 500th post right now. We're actually not doing anything special but we do have a cool post here. My homeboy Lawrence tipped me off about this mixtape a few minutes ago. Very good recommendation on his part (I would give him a plug but he actually doesn't blog and doesn't have a site). Elitaste does most of the work on the description.

In celebration of my first CMJ showcase, presented with Puma and NUE Agency, I thought it’d be fitting to have my man DJ Benzi put together a mixtape featuring Elitaste artists (Wale, Mike Posner, Shawn Chrystopher, PRGz, Frontrunner) as well as everyone on the bill for CMJ. Featuring new, old and exclusive tracks from Mike Posner, Wale, Camp Lo, Theophilus London and more, this mixtape will not only get you hype for the showcase, but will carry you through a cold winter. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Mediafire | Drop.IO

Source

Hawdwerk & Jansport J Interview w/ Mercury's Epic Adventures

More High Power Moves material coming through. Hawdwerk and Jansport took some time out of their day to talk to Mercury in The Purple Lounge at The Standard in Downtown LA last month. Mercury just upped the interview to youtube so we have both parts 1 and 2 for all who are interested in learning some more about the men behind HPM.

Hawdwerk & Jansport J - She Smiles (Feat. J7)

I didn't see this new joint coming at all but I'm more than happy to give some info on this new HPM leak.

"Due to a demand via twitter for new music on Music Monday, we dropped this joint off the album for the ladies called "She Smiles" feat. J7."

So there you have it guys, you can actually push for more music from your favorite upcoming artist via twitter. So don't shy away from hitting up Hawdwerk & Jansport J to share your thoughts and support, you might get something. HPM is coming November 10th!

DOWNLOAD/STREAM

Mos Def Talks Possibilities Of A Blackstar Reunion

Masta Ace & Edo G - Little Young

Nefarious! – Players (A Tribute To Dilla)

Nefarious puts down his take on Slum Village's "Players" Produced by the legendary J Dilla. I must say he definitely holds his own on this one.

The RZA on The Colbert Report

For everyone who missed this, RZA went on The Colbert Report this week talking about his book, The Tao of Wu, which speaks on the best possible ways to live life as he perceives it. The book looks real dope and for 15$ via amazon, its worth the value.

Choze & JustNice - Forever (Feat. E.A. & Boss B)

Yall like the graphic above? No? Oh well I made it, so it stays! Anyways, in this newest joint, NB Gang takes on Forever, bringing E.A. and a new name, Boss B along for the ride. Boss B absolutely kills this track with some impressive lyrics. Choze, JustNice & E.A. definitely hold it down with some nice punchlines to start us off. But for a debut to this site, Boss B really came off like an artist that I want to get to know. As usual, this track is well worth the download. Choze & JustNice's Respect Earned Mixtape is due on Christmas.

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Clif Soulo - Forever Be Hip-Hop

I just checked this album and this whole project is some very powerful stuff right here. Clif Soulo is quite frankly, my favorite blogger on the HHU team (Sorry J.D.). Clif Soulo is coming out of Oakland; Blogging; Rapping; Spreading overall wisdom haha. But in his newest project, Clif goes in on a whole set of common classics, sending his own personal messages in each one. This tape leaves little to be desired, but I could see Soulo getting a little more diverse as far as the moods of the tracks go, however considering its a themed album, his focus may have been intentional. But as the first major effort we've seen from Clif Soulo, its definitely worth the download as it delivers a dense yet positive, motivating and optimistic take on the reality we live in.

"I created this album called Forever Be Hip Hop. It's my own take on instrumentals from Commons' album's Finding Forever and Be. I tried and hopefully was successful in creating a new album introducing myself to the world as "Clif Soulo", but also paying homage and showing respect to Common. If you get some time, download it, listen, let me know what you think."

DOWNLOAD | ALT LINK (ZSHARE) | ALT LINK (USERSHARE)

Royce da 5'9" - Count For Nothing

STREET HOP 10/20!!

Nique - Leftover Food

I told people to look out for Nique because he definitely has more in him than what we saw with his previous track "Purple." Although it wasn't the lyrical display we're used to here, I could tell that Nique had potential and we would see it in the near future. This track right here is a testimate to all the potential this guy has. Leftover food is a bonus track off Framed and Unfocused which is set for a digital release October 23rd (as well as a hard copy available October 25th)

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Hollywood Floss Interview/Freestyle

The Houston native Hollywood Floss stays killin with a quick 16 after finishing up a post show interview. Be on the lookout for this kid.

E.A. - Where Do We Go (Feat. Jane Damear)

This track should have been posted Friday but, due to some weekend festivities as well my birthday, it went unposted. E.A. is yet another artist that Choze has brought to our attention. Out of Houston Texas, dude delivers a real upbeat and catch joint. I can dig it. Its light, its chill, reminds me of something you might see on an E.A. games soundtrack, no pun intended. More things to coming from E.A. in the near future.

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Cunninglynguists feat. E-40 and Evidence - "Running Wild"

Strange Journey Vol. 2 Coming November 3rd
DOWNLOAD/STREAM

Must Be Life: an Interview with Jabee

So I did an interview with the homie Jabee over at AboveGround Magazine. The interview came out great and I loved how it turned out. Catch a glimpse of it below and if you wanna read the whole thing (which you should), you can do that here. Excerpt here:

Word, word. I noticed in one of your songs, called Don’t Forget About Me, you say “I came from the same gun that killed my bro/grew up with same folks that killed him though”. Can you explain that song and more specifically that bar?

As far as the idea behind it, I just wanted to cover as many angles as possible without losing who I am as an artist, and be as clean as possible. Also not try and be like any other tapes that came out around when mine came out. I just wanted straight RAPS and traditional hip hop. I came from the same gun that killed my bro – it has a few meanings. First meaning someone putting a gun to my brothers head and blowing his head off is evil – so I came from the same gun meaning I’m no good either, we are all born sinners I came from the same thing, until I was born again. Also, it was a kid who originally had the gun, I have been that kid in some way at some point. The 2nd line: grew up with the same folks who killed him though – everybody on that block that night was somebody that I grew up with, the kid who had the gun at first had sisters that I sat behind in class , I used to try and holla at one … {laughs} nah mean? So I knew all the people out there. We all grew up together.

Ill Fingas - EP (2009)

So my dude One Sun over at Sampler Book shot this to my email the other day, and its a dope instrumental project. One of the best that I have heard in a mean minute. Dont want to take my word for it, that the project is 100% quality? Well here is a stream of the whole thing:


Tracklist:
1. Lowers
2. Royall Flush
3. You
4. Air Magic
5. Dirty Diggin
6. Gone
7. UFO
8. Out of Ship
9. Note Me Love
10. 70 years of October
11. H2H
12. JFU

Download Here

Jabee – Must Be Nice ReUP

A new, well kinda new, Jabee mxiatpe. This is version 2 of the mixtape featuring tracks you never heard before, including remixes and bonus tracks. Check it out.

Tracklist:
1.A blessing (Produced by Joe Sway)
2. LITTLEearth ft. L.E.G.A.C.Y and OBone (Produced by Kadence)
3.Go Tell em (Produced by Hannibal King)
4. Dumb Musica ft. Black Spade (Produced by Black Spade)
5. Money ft. EL Prez (Produced by Savio is Dead)
6.Thats Good ft. Oddisee & Jumakae (Produced by Rob Viktum)
7. Don’t Forget about me (Produced by D/Will)
8. Car pool ft. Jumakae (Produced by Ronnie Harris)
9.I am (Produced by Darkness)
10. Funky She (Produced by Moral one)
11. Sunny Day ft. Picnic Tyme (Produced by Picnic Tyme)
12.1983 ft. Chris McCain (produced by scootbeatz)
13. Virtues ft. Theory Hazit & aDDLib (Prod. by Theory Hazit)
14. Big Bad Wolf ft. Johnny Polygon (Prod. by DJ Green Lantern)
15. Anywhere ft. LMNO & Dawg Wonder (Prod. by Darkness)
16. Triumph Hanni fresh remix ft. Blu (Prod. by Hannibal King)
17. Taxi Ride ft. Chris McCain (prod. by Scootbeatz)
18. Laced to the heart (Prod. by Sabastian OH!)
19. Boombox (Prod. by DJ alibi)
20. Live Like a dream ft. Mac Lethal (Prod by Rob Viktum)
21. Hip Hop Prayer ft. Chuy (prod. by Darkness)
22.Vip in heaven ft. XV (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
23. One
24. Evaporation (Prod. Mes the Jive Turkey)
Bonus: Story II tell (Produced by DJ SemaJ)

DOWNLOAD HERE

What i Have Been Bumping (Vol. 1)

I have been bumping this like crazy lately. This is such a smooth album full of soul, and definitely a great release from the people over a Stones Throw. You get smooth, old school samples, and...nevermind Im going to stop talking and let the music speak for itself.




Ill shit isnt it? Go Support it.

Rakim – Walk These Streets (feat. Maino)

Whoa. Never thought I would see this coming. A Rakim and Maino collabo? Hmmmm. I like the track and will be copping the album that you thought your grandkids would see on shelves long awaited Seventh Seal on Nov. 17th.

Download/Stream Here

The Foreign Exchange - "I Wanna Know"

Q-Tip - Life Is Better (feat. Norah Jones)

Video is fire! I'm about to go bump my cop of The Renaissance and Kamaal The Abstract now. Go buy those immediately!

Hawdwerk & Jansport J - That Spliff (Feat. Poetik Force & El Prez)

Jansport J continues to take a new approach to producing with this kind of new age style. Usually I'd hesitate to co-sign the change in style. However! Given the fact that Jansport is hitting these joints out the park, you would be a fool not to support the movement. Hawdwerk is working hard as usual, I'd say his verse was the strongest of the bunch. Poetik Force, who's been seen working with the Cali based Blakface, and El Prez join in on the fun to make this a heavy west coast joint. HPM is coming November 10th! Dont Sleep!!

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KevinNottingham.com Presents… Beat It: A Musical Tribute to Michael Jackson [Mixed by DJ Grain]

Soooooo major late pass on this jawn right here. When the tragic passing of Michael Jackson happened Nottingham called in the best producers to compose a dedication to one othe greatest to ever do it. I must of been living under a rock not to see this drop until last night, check it out...its fire, and I know if you like Michael Jackson (and even if you dont) you will love it.

"June 25, 2009 was a sad day for a lot of us. Michael Jackson had passed at the age of 50, just two months shy of his birthday. There were a ton of tributes going around for the King of Pop and everywhere you went, you heard Michael Jackson music playing in the street, in the clubs, or in the car next to you at the stop light.

To help ease the pain suffered from members here on the site, we held a beat contest. Producers came from everywhere to sample their favorite MJ song and to help pay tribute.

Today we celebrate the birth of Michael Jackson; he would have been 51. Out of the hundreds of beats that were submitted, we narrowed it down to the best 25. Then I let me man DJ Grain go to town, mix them and put his spin on it. Grab the mix after the cut. As a bonus, I’ve included a download of all the winning beats, unmixed."

Tracklist:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine, Maria [prod by Cehashi]
2. Brought Back Ben [prod by Isbjerg]
3. Earth Song [prod by M. Will]
4. Got To Be There [prod by T.A.T.E.]
5. Human Nature [prod by M. Will]
6. I’m Glad It Rained [prod by Lakim]
7. In The Closet [prod by Hotbox]
8. Lady In My Life [prod by M. Will]
9. Maria [prod by Dkelloway]
10. Never Say Goodbye [prod by Iceman Beats]
11. One Day In Your Life [prod by Phurcat]
12. She’s Out Of My Life [prod by Fun-Kee J.]
13. With A Child’s Heart [prod by Stevie Shorey]
14. Baby Be Mine [prod by Jon Baylor]
15. Can’t Help It [prod by Mass Appeal]
16. Caribbean Girl [prod by Bidimridim]
17. Dear Michael [prod by Young K]
18. Beat Matrixx – Euphoria
19. Give It Up [prod by G.C.]
20. I Want You Back [prod by DJ ReMike]
21. Lookin Through The Windows [prod by S.2]
22. Ready Or Not (Here I Come) [prod by Mastam!nd]
23. Rockin Robin [prod by Rodloos]
24. Take Me Back [prod by Glitch]
25. I Am Love [prod by Clarkwork]

Download The Mixed Version Here

Download The (Un)mixed Version Here

Scrabble – Things To Listen To When You’re High Vol 1

My boy Nefarious! put me on to this. I uhhhhh...was around when these beats were being "tested" and they definitely serve their purpose. Especially "La" with a good bass system...best thing you ever heard. But thats, just me guessing haha. Naw, but seriously check it out whether your sober or not (not that you should be non-sober EVER) Scrabble doesn’t give a shit about what ’sounds hip-hop’ and just makes what he feels like making and that’s why it is so dope. Just check it out and hear for yourself.

Preview A Track here


Download Here

J.Cole - Dreams (Feat.Brandon Hines) [Cover]

Tell me this shit aint dope. I dare you.

UNDRCRWN's Mos Def Collection

UNDRCRWN's got that something pretty interesting right here. Since last week when this project launched, they've been selling a few items in honor of Mos Def. Check it out, there's a lot of dope stuff.

Brass Monki

Dope Sneakers right? Yeah, I know. These sneakers are made by the homie Daniel founder of Brass Monki, he has made and customized sneakers making them unique and undeniably incredible. Personally, to me, these sneakers on a scale of 1-10 are probably about a 15. You can check out all of his sneakers that are for sale on his site. And you can tell him how much you love them over at his blog.

Browse/Buy Sneakers Here
Tell Him How much you Love The Sneakers Here

Joell Ortiz - Call Me Ft. Novel

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D-Sisive - Why Ft. Heidi Happy

"All it took was one listen and I was instantly in love with 'Why'. The lyrics are so harsh, yet delivered so beautifully. I had to do something with it. I'm known to get personal with my music, but have never had the opportunity to write about relationships. This was the perfect opportunity," - D-Sisive

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Novel – Momma Said (Bitch U Ain’t Shit) Ft. Paranoid

“This is a record that didnt make the album cause of lyrical content. In no way is this a disrespect to all women just a way to express myself. Real music to me reflects a certain time in point in your life. Lets just say that moment ….was a very bad time for me.” – Novel

DOWNLOAD/STREAM

Sound Society Supports: Skyzoo - The Salvation x 2

Dmack and I both bought our albums from The UGHH Store in Boston this week. Then Skyzoo came through Wednesday night and tore it down, preforming a bunch of cuts off the album. After Sky finished his set, Dmack & I both got our albums autographed by the man himself, the one above is mine. We'll get a shot of Dmack's later in the day.

Sound Society Supports: DOOM - Born Like This

What can I say.. Its never too late to support good music.