Rockwell Knuckles – Government Name [Spontaneous Lover].

my man brian put me on rockwell knuckles a while back, but after i got this track in the early AM and let it bang on these KRK monitor speakers, i was sold.

the north st. louis representive brings a different sound than other STL artists that we’re more familiar with (nelly, j-kwon, huey, etc.). i see this guy making some power moves because he’s a crafty hitmaker, as this joints illustrates. for that full effect, make sure you have some speakers that knock. trust me.

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DOWNLOAD: Rockwell Knuckles – Government Name (Spontaneous Lover)

this is the theme song to my night life. ha! if you’re a fan, go get his latest mixtape, the glow (sponsored by the smoking section and trackstar the DJ) here.

LMFAO & Kanye West – Paranoid [Party Rock Remix]

2 things.

1: i need to go to a party with LMFAO

2: you need to download this remix

the guys in miami (bitch) put their spin on kanye’s record, i’d listen to this over the 808’s version any day. big shout out to the boy J.D. (hit him on twitter nation: @hiphopupdate)

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DOWNLOAD: LMFAO & Kanye West – Paranoid [Party Rock Remix]

Donnis – Otha $#!t [feat. Chip Tha Ripper].

let me introduce donnis, a trill ATLien. last time i heard from him, it was like a year or two ago, and he was out in japan i think, either just posted up or doing music stuff. now, he’s back in the states, grinding on tracks with people like chip tha rip, and it seems like he came back from tokyo with gear that nobody has, because that’s essentially what this song is about. i like the beat and stuff, and while they aren’t saying anything new (not like anybody is), it’s still real smooth. they should try and get one more artist on this joint!

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DOWNLOAD: Donnis – Otha $#!t [feat. Chip Tha Ripper]

this joint is off DJ benzi’s “the jetsetters mixtape”, grab it over at dopecouture.

Imagine That: Nas – If Ruled the World, '96 vs. '09.

last night, on j.ben.ok’s funkadelic freestyles radio at George Washington University, Jay Promo discussed his appreciation for nas, and claimed he was a better rapper than jay-z. now is that true? i don’t know. but i do know that nas recently released the ‘09 version of “if i ruled the world”, co-starring floetry’s marsha ambrosius. check it out.

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DOWNLOAD: Nas – If I Ruled the World [feat. Marsha Ambrosius]

but the real question is how does it compare to the original, featuring lauryn hill?

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DOWNLOAD: Nas – If I Ruled the World [feat. Lauryn Hill]

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

don’t gimme an answer until you hear BOTH tracks in their entirety. hit the comment sections and discuss, please.  jay, i expect you to leave a whole lotta words since you tried to school me on him on the radio show last night.

I Call Shotgun – Ride Wit' Me [Nelly Cover].

i didn’t know much about these british alternative rockers at all until my man albert whose studying abroad in europe put me on. and their music all rocks a lot (check it all at their myspace), but this song stood out to me in particular because they took nelly’s “ride wit’ me” and acoustified it to the fullest. imagine if this version dropped first before the hit single?

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DOWNLOAD: I Call Shotgun – Ride Wit’ Me [Nelly Cover]

j. cole working on "the warm up" mixtape.

i feel like you shouldn’t ever really critically judge music until you sit in on a studio session. then you see how much talent and hard work and grind and hustle and elbow grease it takes to be an artist.

as you can see, all that plus a mini bar does the trick for jermaine. i’m looking forward to what this “warm up” mixtape is gonna sound like. i heard it’s crazy, and features some beats from and that song at the end sounded especially vicious, didn’t it? if you need some more j. cole in your life, check the links below, they should hold you over until the mixtape’s released.

PREVIOUSLY: j. cole – i get up [audio]
ALSO: let’s just eat cheese x j. cole [interview]

the carps – all the thugs i know + veronica belmont.

decided to throw you more of the toronto-based rock group, the carps. i really dig these two dudes. how many main singers are also the drummers, too? impressive. their gritty, unfiltered vocals is a plus. it’s like they wanted it to be the rawest $#!t we’ve ever heard. i dig that. i’m throwing out two jams, one from each of their EPs.

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DOWNLOAD: the carps – all the thugs i know

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DOWNLOAD: the carps – veronica belmont

thoughts?

you need to see slumdog millionaire ASAP.

because it’s the movie of the year, no question about it. i even got caught in the theater crying as i subtly attempted to wipe the solitary tear that streamed down my face. no shame over here, though. trust. not sure what it’s about? just watch the trailer below.

i actually never saw a preview for this. i just got the good word from some trustworthy peers that it was a must-see film. that’s the best way to go into movies, honestly. sometimes it can backfire, though. like when my dad told me to come see this movie called independence day with him. i thought it was gonna be all patriotic and stuff. damn. he got me.

i digress. slumdog millionaire is definitely an all-time favorite. everybody came out the theater smiling. i think i’m calling all my homies “slumdogs” from now on, too. oh, and from what i could tell, the soundtrack is crazy. my dude smokeYYY threw me one of the M.I.A. tracks featured in the film, “o…saya”, and i just got the entire soundtrack. can’t throw it all your way, but i got a few samples. download below!

DOWNLOAD: M.I.A. – o…saya
BONUS: M.I.A. – shells

V.A. is for lovers. and hustlers.

and i’m there, baby. well, the university of virginia to be exact. let’s get it. thanksgiving started early for me. to my UVA squadron, catch me out here. dap me up, i’ll be rolling with mr. cones and beautiful ms. goldson, as well as my man palmer and the homegirl christina. let’s get it. commence theme music.

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DL: fam-lay and krumbsnatcha – boston to virginia! didn’t know a song like this existed, did you!? well, it does. norfolk’s fam-lay linked up with beantown’s krumsnatcha to create this anthem. wowzers. perfect timing. i feel like they made this joint for me. for this exact moment. and just for that, i’ma support the VA side of the track and throw some fam-lay tracks and videos out there like frisbees. i’m not even sure if he’s a good rapper, but he has a bunch of songs i really like.
wow. do you see skateboard p stomping in place like that?! in the hood!? do you think anybody else could pull that off!? that’s why he’s the man. goodness. sampler available below. don’t sleep on it, cuz there’s a rack of gems in there.
DL: fam-lay – DCtoBC.com sampler jawn. and speaking of fam-lay…where is he, guys? is he coming out with any more neptunes-laced tracks anytime soon!? somebody let me know.

christian rich – stacks.

they got stacks for days.

christian rich is the future. so when you see the twins all over the globe doing sold out shows and approving multi-million dollar deals from their iPhones, don’t say i didn’t put you on early.

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the talented duo was also featured on my love bomb mixtape i dropped last week. i’m just saying. so if you want more, go get it.