The 20th anniversary of Black on Both Sides has been getting a lot of attention on social media. And it’s clear why: the album is a legit classic. When it dropped in 1999, Black on Both Sides was heralded as a rallying cry for intelligent hip-hop, a strike back against the genre’s capitulation to profit […]
Kid Abstrakt and Emapea – Jazz & Coffee Pt. 4
Saturday morning vibes on this new track by Kid Abstrakt and Emapea, which captures the warm, laid back feel of East Coast 90s jazz rap without feeling dated. Just head nodding dopeness that you can spin on repeat. If you’re feeling this jam, you can check out previous editions of Kid Abstrakt’s Jazz & Coffee […]
Fly Anakin and Big Kahuna OG – Holly Water
Fly Anakin and Big Kahuna OG are members of Richmond, Virginia’s Mutant Academy crew. On Holly Water, their first album, the two emcees trade verses over downtempo, pensive samples and crunchy drums, their raps dense with observations about their lived experiences. As Big Kahuna says on “Shaky on the Phone,”: “I don’t rap for the […]
Robert Glasper – “Fuck Yo Feelings” (Mixtape)
Pianist and producer Robert Glasper has released a new mixtape, “Fuck Yo Feelings” to mark the start of his new residency at the Blue Note night club. The tape is a sprawling blend of styles, featuring an impressive list of guest artists including Yasiin Bey, Rapsody, YBN Cordae and the jazz legend Herbie Hancock. There’s […]
Medhane – “Voyager” feat. Deem Spencer
Medhane and Deem Spencer complement each other nicely on this new track, “Voyager,” which is built on fuzzy, reverberating synths and thumping kicks, the whole effect dream-like and meditative. You can listen on Youtube but there’s a higher quality version on Spotify. Photo credit: Ade Sayeed
Gang Starr – “Family and Loyalty” feat. J. Cole
It’s been a minute since I’ve contributed to this site, so it seems fitting that my first post in over year is about the new Gang Starr track, “Family and Loyalty,” featuring J. Cole. The group’s first new music since 2003’s The Ownerz, the song was dropped as a surprise after DJ Premier teased the […]
Paranom & Purpose – Dayz Go By
Current jam. Just stumbled across Paranom, but incredibly jazzy track with a solid and listenable (on repeat) kind of flow.
Missy Elliott – WTF
For all of you who’ve grown tired of talking about Drake, you’ll be relieved to know that Missy is back. Check out WTF below, and find out that you’ve always wanted to see a marionette version of Pharrell Williams.
The hip hop musical you didn’t know you needed
NPR has a full cast recording of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. It’s a fantastic hip hop musical of the life and times of Alexander Hamilton. You’d never have known you needed this in your life. But you do. So listen.
Witness – Fingers on a Violin
Dope hip hop from a skinny white guy.