Mac Miller’s Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit (K.I.D.S.) may be the best mixtape I’ve heard all year, fo reals.  Miller, an 18-year old Pittsburgh native who just signed with Rostrum Records, home of fellow up-and-comer Wiz Khalifa and the 1988 Top Shelf catalogue, has a seriously proficient flow and a knack for complex wordplay.  On “Knock Knock,” for example, Miller raps “I feel like a million bucks/but my money don’t really feel like I do”, and later, “In deeper than the water Michael Phelps was in.”  The beats are hot, too, …

In a rambling speech yesterday, Bun B, formerly one half of UGK, accepted the 5 Mic award from The Source for his new album, Trill OG.  While dude seems like a nice guy – his speech is a humble tribute to other emcees – is his new disc really in the same league as other five mic recipients like Illmatic, Life After Death, and The Low End Theory?  I haven’t listened to the whole thing, so I can’t say for certain.  To give you a taste so you can judge …

A couple of weeks ago we posted about Erykah Badu’s new album and linked to her newest video.  The video, for a track called Window Seat was a teeny bit more controversial than I expected.
In the video, Badu walks through downtown Dallas and strips her clothes off in slow motion.  Now, most people would figure that this was either a) Fake and done on a soundstage somewhere or b) Staffed with extras and cleared with the locals.  It was neither.
Badu just guerilla filmed this video, strolling through Dallas while stripping …

A little over a month ago, we reported that Guru had slipped into a coma.  This awful news was followed up positively when AllHipHop claimed they had a source saying that Guru had successful surgery and was expected to make a full recovery.
Unfortunately that was not true.  Apparently, Guru had been suffering from cancer for some time, and never made it out of the hospital.  After two months, he passed away.
This is an unimaginable loss for hip hop.  Guru was an inspiration to many and made some of the most …

Our girl Erykah is back with a new album.  This album, titled New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh, is shaping up to be something quite promising.  I’ve got my hesitations, mainly due to the fact that she has a collabo with Lil’ Wayne (called “Jump Up in the Air and Stay There”).  Oddly enough, The Guardian says that the Lil Wayne track is absent from the album.  Either there was a last minute change, or the UK version of the disc is somehow different than the North American.  …

I know this is a bit of a dated post, being that the earthquake happened some time ago, but I thought I would take the opportunity to highlight some of the work being done, hype up some fundraising opportunities, and talk about the tight connection between hip hop and Haiti.
I’m sure most of you have heard about Yele Haiti, the charity started by Wyclef Jean.  He is probably one of the most prominent hip hop artists with direct Haiti ties, but certainly not the least.  And yes, there has been …

by Angie B. Fresh
[Ed: Angie B. Fresh is the host of 'The Corner' on CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria, B.C.  She's also the newest contributor to 4080 Records!  Read on for her inaugural post: a passionate, articulate survey of the last decade's best hip-hop.  And if you know what's good for you, tune in to her show every Friday from 5-6 p.m.]
Being a child of the late 80’s, this past decade has been the first I can remember from start to finish.  And while I can’t speak for my generational …

Yes, even the venerable writers over here at 4080Records aren’t immune to holiday gluttony and laziness.  So to apologize, here’s a mega post with a bunch of stuff that we failed to post over the holidays that you may find interesting.
Guess who loves 2Pac?
It is literally the last person you would think of (besides the youngest Jonas brother).  Apparently 2Pac’s Changes is so popular that even the Vatican chose it to be on its official MySpace playlist.  I’ll hold off on the snarky comments about the Vatican having a MySpace …

In what has to be one of the better things I heard over this Christmas break, Introducing is a 9-piece live band that goes around and performs the entire Endtroducing album.
I’m assuming most of you are familiar with Endtroducing, which just so happens to be one of the greatest albums of the last 20 years.  You’ll hear deejays and emcees talking about this album all over the place, saying it’s one of their biggest inspirations or just that they feel it’s dope.  And I must agree.  That album is part …

Holy dopeness.  This is one new hip hop album I’m truly excited about.  Souls of Mischief have just dropped their newest album titled Montezuma’s Revenge.
The album is shaping up to be great Tour Stories is one of the best tracks I’ve heard.  Not even just this year.  It’s an unbelievable effort from some aging hip hop legends.  I’m not even going to bother giving you a hip hop history lesson for the Souls of Mischief, because if you don’t know who they are then you and I may just …