i won’t lie. i don’t know much about this guy, but he’s nice. nobody ever e-mailed me his stuff except my homie major from goadome talk, and i don’t even know why. he’s a nigerian-american like myself, and he’s from maryland, like myself. so i already support the man. ha. R&B crooner raheem devaughn has recently signed him to his boutique label, 368 music group, and that this mixtape dropped sometime last week.

my hunch is that there will be comparisons to wale, because they are both nigerian and from the area, and their flows are somewhat similar. but i think his flow and subject matter distinguishes him enough for the chit chatter to cease. i wish i had more info about the guy; i don’t have a bio for you because i didn’t do thorough research. sometimes it’s better like that, and i can be pleasantly surprised like i am now. i’ll make sure i’ll keep an eye out for his future projects. jam a couple samples, and get the mixtape below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: Phil Ade – Starting On JV [Mixtape]

let me know how you feel about the project via the comment section. if you caught the post i did on sneakerpimps DC, the flyer tells me that he’ll be performing alongside clipse, wale, kingpin slim, and other area artists this upcoming weekend. i heard his stage presence is pretty vicious, so catch him there and be your own judge.

pro’verb, lyriciss, lord vada (EQuinox Professionals), and hallway jay (illRoots.com) head out to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD for the DC leg of the Rock The Bells Tour as pro’verb opens up for the show. ppearances from Alchemist, Fashawn, Mickey Factz, Jabari (IAmJabari.com), Phil Ade, Rayne (WPGC 95.5 FM), and more.

i’ve never posted an AP the prince track on the blog, but i’ve heard a few joints, from freestyle videos to loosies on other sites and his myspace page, and his confidence and dare i say swagger is what won me over. he’s also not afraid to take risks, or rather, cross over genres. this joint is like an electro / hip-hop fusion, but don’t think he goes soft on it. the rock ‘n’ roll influence actually makes the track harder than most. off th new album entitled bella loona love. call me crazy, but i can hear chamillionaire on the remix of this with no problems. slightly reminds me of his collabo w/ weezy, “rock star”,  which you can hear below as well and tell me if you co-sign or disagree wholeheartedly. whatever. enjoy both.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: AP The Prince – Bonafide

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: Chamillionaire & Lil Wayne – Rock Star

also, AP is one of the top breakout artists on this MTV contest thing, so if you liked the song, please support him by voting here.

DC / chicago duo the paxtons come with some heat on this one! their latest mixtape, work, is co-signed by The Smoking Section, UBIQ & atmos. featuring collabos with RA the MC, AP the Prince, Britney Packnett, and TeLuv, and some trill production. i feel like they make their own beats, but i’m not sure! i like the fact that they rep two areas, you can hear the distinct sound of each in their rhymes, whether it be locations they talk about, or that fast midwest flow they occasionally hit you with. anyway, check the awesome samples, and download below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: The Paxtons – Work [Mixtape]

In The Ruff is the highly anticipated debut album from new DC hip hop group The Diamond District, created by state veterans Oddisee, X.O. (yes, the same man from studio 43. he’s working overtime.) & YU. it’s the answer for any lover of hip hop who asks the question – “Where did that grimy east coast sound go?”

the group was founded by rapper/ producer oddisee (right), who has a long list of production & collaboration credits with the likes of Freeway, Talib Kweli, Siagon, Little Brother, Trek Life, Charles Hamilton, Jazzy Jeff, Buck Shot, Royce the 5′9”, Nikki jean, Muhsinah, J-live, Lil Fame of MOP, Skyzoo and many more. Oddisee’s soulful, haunting samples over bass-heavy beat breaks create the perfect instrumentals for him, X.O. (middle) & YU to match with their street savvy, politically conscious lyrics.

that raw mid-90’s Boom-Bap themed album for the DC state of mind, destined to appeal to all lovers of hip hop’s golden era, managing to travel back in time and push the boundaries of DC Hip-Hop simultaneously.

now who says i don’t post great hip hop? legendary status for this mixtape, should have got more love by the e-masses for sure.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

if you want the dirty version, gotta buy it! how’s that for aggressive marketing? and nah, i’m not late. i posted some of their work in march. after the drop, get the download, AS WELL AS a the tracklisting and short documentary.

DOWNLOAD: Diamond District – In The Ruff

after hitting one of lunchbox theory‘s trill 1st-of-the-month afrobeat parties, i have a newfound appreciation for this genre i’m just getting familiar with. why would i tell you what it is when wikipedia can do a more thorough job!?

Afrobeat is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularized in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti who used it to revolutionise musical structure as well as the political context in his native Nigeria. It was Kuti who coined the term “afrobeat” upon his return from a U.S. tour with his group Nigeria 70 (formerly Koola Lobitos).

yep, pioneered with my nigerian kinfolk, of course. so DJ underdog and the beautiful girls of lunchbox theory decided to promote this awesome party with a monthly mixtape series consisting of the illest afrobeat sounds. perhaps the greatest part about this mix is that it was all done live, on vinyl as opposed to serato, so you can hear those authentic clicks and pops that i have no idea about cuz i’m from the new millennium.

it’s been in constant rotation in my household (meaning my mother has it in her possession too) since the lunchbox theory vegan / BYOE bbq last weekend, which was the highlight of the summer. who woulda thought i’d survive with no burgers!? anyway, enjoy the sample, and download below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: Africa Plays On [Mixtape]

1. Fela Kuti – Ako (K Civ Edit) 12″
2. MAW Fea Wunmi – Ekabo
3. Toure Kunda – Saf Sap
4. Carl Craig – Kilode Remix
5. Erykah Badu & Ziggy Marley – In Love With You (Tony Allen Remix)
6. Tidjani Kone – Djanka Magni
7. Yosaku – Mirandolina
8. Yosaku – Atoa Atoa
9. George Benson – The Ghetto (Brasil RMX)
10. Black President – K Civ
11. Nigerian Stepn Octet – Give Thanks
12. Chin Chin – The Section
13. Osibisa – Music For Gong Gong
14. Goapele & Lagos United – Michael Joseph Jackson Gulla Mix

shout out to every other area blog that put this up, from upset the setup to DC mambo sauce to DC rap, and whoever else did. respect. also, underdog has a trill health blog that my man over from upset the set up put me on to! check it out here.

this joint was my favorite joint from nando besides sickkk!, which got some WPGC play thanks to my man quinn. produced by azizi gibson, who i heard on it originally. enjoy this trippy ass video in trill technicolor, produced by the great white production company. more from nike nando coming real soon. thanks for my twitter family for keeping me in the loop.

who said i didn’t listen to R&B!? my girl amber mims, perhaps better known in the music world as mz. mimz, just put out a trill mixtape a few weeks ago. finally got to jam it and i can only speak highly about it. if you’re a fan of jazzy soul music, this 6-track EP will satisfy you. oh, and if you didn’t already know, amber is the twin sister of my man and fellow DC to BC (he is from DC, and he graduated from BC) alum jamel, whose been studying in china for the past year on a fullbright. isn’t the world so small? anyway, check out the sample, and download below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: Mz. Mimz – Thoughts While Getting Dressed [Mixtape]

[]she looks familiar, right? maybe it’s because she has a duo with rapper RA the MC. or maybe it’s because she was the star of that flying lotus video my man sean mattison shot last summer that i posted. check that here, it’s tight, and i’m in it to at like :38 seconds! ha. tracklisting for the EP after the drop.

(more…)

you know i’ve been keeping you guys tuned to all X.O.‘s latest and greatest moves. since i posted about him last time, he’s signed with kenny burns brainchild, studio 43. there’s always doubters out there, and i heard them chit chattin’ about if the move was a good one. i think it was a great one. 10,000+ downloads already in like a week? come on man, that’s solid. not only that, but the city knows his name, as do those across the country. great work, 43.

now to the music. more of the same, hot $#!t he’s been making, except over some more futuristic beats on this tape. that’s because A.B. the producer executively produced the entire joint. say no more. download link below after the sample, which is a more uptempo joint compared to what you’ve heard in the past.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: X.O. – Monumental

tracklisting and bonus footage after the drop.

(more…)

wow.

judah never holds his tongue when it comes to speaking about his city.  the eyes and ears of the city, musically speaking and otherwise. the track is, as the title hints, a progress report on how the DMV has done since the ’09 began. everything is tackled, from politics (marion barry gets a scolding, along w/ mayor fenty) to the oversaturated music game (“the number of rappers increased by 5, beatmakers by 10 / only to get in the game and never see ‘em again“) to the recent red line metro tragedy. i respect this guy for being so outspoken. this is a must-hear it you’re from this area. listen  to it all, he gives the city an actual grade, like your teacher did on your report card. coolest record out of the city in a minute. enjoy.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: Judah – The Progress Report