This mixtape by North Carolina rapper Rapsody is getting mad love on Twitter. With production by 9th Wonder and Khrysis (among others), and blazing guest appearances by Phonte, Mac Miller, Jean Grae, MURS and Raekwon (!), Thank H.E.R. Now may be one of the finest free albums I’ve heard in a long time. Rapsody, a […]
Elzhi – Elmatic Mixtape (2011)
Elzhi, formerly of Slum Village, has released Elmatic, a mixtape reinterpretation of the legendary Nas album Illmatic. Produced entirely by Will Sessions, it also features Royce da 5’9” on an updated version of “Life’s A Bitch” and an appearance by Pete Rock (who produced the original “The World Is Yours“). The project is ambitious, to […]
Reflection Eternal album got slept on
Apparently we here at 4080 got a little too wrapped up in ourselves an missed a big album drop this past year. Reflection Eternal, the hip hop team made up of Taliban Kweli and Hi-Tek have been consistently making solid hip hop that dwarfs any of their solo stuff. Pitchfork’s review of their latest album […]
Download This Mixtape: Mac Miller – K.I.D.S.
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 […]
Bun B Picks Up First 5-Mic Album Since 2005
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 […]
Stream the new Reflection Eternal Album
As we mentioned previously, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek have reunited as Reflection Eternal and released a new album titled Revolutions Per Minute. I’ve been pretty critical of Kweli over the last couple of years, and that’s not exactly the fairest journalism around. It’s likely I’m too tainted by the greatness from the Black Star or […]
Pitchfork’s Guide to Upcoming Releases has some gems
Pitchfork released a guide to upcoming releases that has some gems. The list is worth looking at in general, but I’ve picked out a few ones that would catch your attention. 04-13 Murs & 9th Wonder: ForNever [SMC] 04-20 Little Brother: LeftBack [Hall of Justus] Ozomatli: Fire Away [Mercer Street/Downtown] 05-18 Nas and Damian Marley: […]
T.Shirt & Darvin Silva – The Tan Face Children EP
Free mixtapes and EPs are usually unpolished and gritty. Slapped together on tight schedules and low budgets, they’re a way for rappers and producers to generate noise without much expense (and, sometimes, effort). The prevalence of mixtapes and EPs in hip-hop is probably due to a combination of several things, including the culture’s DIY aesthetic, […]
New Souls of Mischief Album out
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 […]
Wale releases “Attention Deficit”
Wale, the widely-acclaimed D.C. rapper, has finally dropped his debut album, Attention Deficit. The darling of the indie hip-hop crowd (are they still called backpackers?), Wale has spent the past two or three years meticulously engineering a reputation as a talented lyricist and astute pop culture scrutineer. From “doing justice to Justice,” to dropping a […]