De La Soul + Nike

This was supposed to be a random bonus song attached to the AmpLive post but I started writing about it and it ended up being too long for that so here she is: De La Soul made an album with Nike last year(?) as part of the Nike+Original Run campaign where Nike got artists including Crystal Castles, Aesop Rock, LCD Soundsystem and A-Trak to make 45 minute albums that people are supposed to work out to. They follow a certain format where the songs have to start calm and get more upbeat/intense, then the end of the album has calm songs again. This is supposed to match the way that your work out goes, warm up, cool down, etc. The full album titled Are You In (get it? R-U-N) is 44 minutes of continuous play, ie its not divided into individual tracks although there are specific songs within the album, you just can't necessarily select between them. Overall the album is pretty cool, I wasn't listening to it while working out though so it did seem a little bit cheese at some points. Still though, its not like its some 90's aerobic work out CD. This is a De La Soul album and sounds like one, they're not talking about nike or getting jacked the whole time. Thanks to technology the album has been cut up into its songs which led to my discovery of one of the 'cool down' songs called Forever, check it out below.

De La Soul - Forever

AmpLive - Video Tapez ft. Del the Funky Homosapien

A little while ago AmpLive, the producer half of MC/DJ duo Zion I made a remix album of Radiohead's seventh album In Rainbows. Unfortunately he neglected to let any of Radiohead's people know about it and they put an end to it when they found out. Eventually the people involved reached an agreement and AmpLive was allowed to release it for free. Featured MC's on the eight track release include Del, Zumbi of Zion I, Chali2na and Too $hort. Props to my big bro for showing me Video Tapez ft. Del the Funky Homosapien which led me to do some research to find out where the song was from. you can download the whole thing here.

AmpLive - Video Tapez ft. Del the Funky Homosapien

Bang Bang Bang... Mark Ronson Feat Q-Tip

DJ/ producer Mark Ronson delivers us a dirty electro beat while Q-Tip blesses the song with his chameleon like flow. Im confident that Q-Tip could rap over any thing, but I especially love it when he spits over some crazy unique beat like Bang Bang Bang. This isn't a new thing though, Tip has been rhyming over unique beats his whole career and is not scared to test the water within electro influences. A while Back I Came across another electro track featuring a Q-Tip verse from Canadian DJ Tor, which simply puts Q-Tips flow on a pedestal. Hearing Tip rap on an electro beat just makes current trends in Hip-Hop more legit and promotes mad genre mixing...enjoy

Bang Bang Bang- Mark Ronson featuring Q-Tip

CN Tower Can Work It Out-Tor

Marky, next to take on bulletproof

Quick post before I head into the madness of the Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival, its more fun than the name sounds and has nothing to do with jazz, at least for anybody under the age of 40. Marky's final mixtape before his album. Stevie D posted Rest Stop 2 when it came out, I'll for sure be posting Rest Stop 3 when it comes out on the 27th, for now check out the second leaked track where Marky is the three millionth person to use La Roux's hit Bulletproof. I kind of wish he's chosen a different La Roux song to sample/rap over because honestly I'm getting pretty sick of Bulletproof ever since it hit the radio but still, he does it pretty sick.

Marky - Bulletproof ft. La Roux

J.Cole keepin us interested with "Premeditated Murder"

in anticipation for J.Cole's CD he has released another track to keep us interested. The Warm Up Mixtape was one of my favorite albums of the year and seeing him rip it on stage with Jigga man himself just creates more excitement for Mr.Cole to release a full CD. With a sick slow jam feel accompanied by Cole's smooth flow "Premeditated Murder" gives us something to bump to on the walk to work.

J.Cole- Premeditated Murder

Future Prospect: Rich Kid Sound System

Rich Kid Sound System are a four piece Indie rap group from Florida. Following current trends, these college kids enter this new genre of indie hip-hop that has emerged over the past couple of years. With a catchy beat and Cudi-ish vocals the kids obviously have mad potential and show it on the track "A Little Bit of Time". A while back i wrote about The Freshmen who simply released a couple to songs to garner attention to themselves; Rich Kid Sound System follows the same trend.

Check them out here http://richkidss.com/blog/

Rich Kid Sound System- A Little Bit Of TIme

New song off Legend of Mr. Rager - Erase Me ft. Kanye West

Lived the savage life this weekend, passing out in my friend's laundry room and such. Came back to civilization to find that Kid Cudi has released a song off his upcoming album Man on the Moon II - The Legend of Mr. Rager over the weekend. It features Kanye West and is called Erase Me. Also, if you missed it, Converse released a collaboration track featuring Kid Cudi, Rostam Batmanglij and Bethany Contentino. I had no idea who the other two people were before this song, Batman (I'm probably the first one to call him that) is the lead singer for Vampire Weekend which is pretty cool. Apparently he wrote the song. Contentino is from the band Best Coast which I'd never heard of before, I listened to a bit of their stuff, not a fan but whatever... the collab is a cool song.
I'm not sure about Erase Me, it seems like Kanye is back on his game after his 808's and Heartbreaks trip. I like it more when Cudi raps rather than sings but songs like this one tend to grow on me.

Kid Cudi, Rostam Batmanglij & Bethany Contentino - All Summer


Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West - Erase Me

SonReal - Light Year Mixtape

A few months ago I posted a teaser video to Vernon, BC MC SonReal's Light Year Mixtape which dropped this past Friday for free download, just a day after Canada's 143rd birthday. In my opinion SonReal is one of the best hip hop acts in Canada. He has sick flow, can carry a solid melody, has great taste in production and covers a variety of topics lyrically. After giving the Light Year Mixtape my first listen the thought that keeps coming into my head is that if this thing wasn't free and it didn't use a few pre-existing beats, it could be an album. The pre-used beats that he uses include David Guetta and Cudi's Memories, B.o.B.'s Nothin on You and Snoop Dog's Imagine, all of which he tears up. So much quality material from start to end is not something you usually find in a free release. SonReal described it as a gift to his fans... generous guy. How do we get these good Canadian acts some exposure? I don't even want to say that radio should pick it up because I don't know of a station in Toronto that his music would fit in with, nobody is playing hip hop. Anyways, try out the songs below, if you like what you hear download the mixtape here

SonReal - Here We Are ft. Jaykin

SonReal - Mr. Nothing

SonReal - Victim Teen

Sooner or Later Footage

Chiddy Bang is opening up some eyes by adding a heavy video to their song Sooner or Later. The video and the song address the issues of poverty in Nigeria, a country ridden with corruption and unemployment problems. What makes this video interesting is that they are not just talking about a random issue, they are really connected to this. All the footage in the video is from the viewpoint of the MC from Chiddy Bang, Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege, in his family's village of Umuaro in Nigeria during his last visit. Full of gangs and child soldiers Chiddy knows just how lucky he is to be out of that village and living the life he is,

"Yes I'm guilty of being privileged, just while I'm in the booth my cousin is in the village"

Chiddy Bang is Legit.

XV, Vizzy, or The Kid With The Green Backpack

Credit to chode in the dropbox for talkin about XV, a rising hiphop artist who just narrowly missed the XXL freshmen 10 list this year. This kids been everywhere lately, with Chiddy, with Nicklus F on a track with a mean pink floyd sample, with Big Sean and more. His newest mixtape, vizzy vizzy vizzy, was supposed to come out in march but it's been getting pushed back further and further.I originally heard of XV in a couple of collabs but haven't gave him a full listen till now. I'm glad i did because i've been mad impressed by his music and the judge and I haven't been able stop talkin about him. This kids looking to be dope, and he takes on some nice beats. Listen below and wait for that mixtape to drop.

T.A.L.K - XV

Fall Out The Sky - XV

Never - Chiddy Bang (Feat XV & Killa Mike)

Shine On - Nickelus F (Feat XV)