Nas and Damian Marley have decided to a do whole album together (titled Distant Relatives), and I have to admit I’m kind of excited for it.  I wasn’t entirely sure how this would turn out because of the potential for it to come off as gimmicky, but I’m pretty pleased.  Check out the first official video for As We Enter.

Not bad!  Pitchfork’s been all over this album for quite some time now, and the hype has been building.  Part of what grabbed my attention is that these two decided to …

On this track, Gil Scott-Heron and Nas drop what Pitchfork calls “Basically the opposite of "Empire State of Mind"".  Now, keep in mind that this is a remix that Nas did of Gil’s track, but the result is something that has a strong juxtaposition.  Scott-Heron’s gravely tone sounds pained and laboured, really convincingly sounding like he’s feeling burned out. 
“Oh the doctor don’t know, but New York is Killing me”. – Gil Scott-Heron

Nas’ verses are intriguing.  He focuses mainly on the fast-pace of NYC and the fact that the ladies …

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 …

If you’re on the hunt for free music, look no further than Datpiff.com.  The self-described ‘authority’ in free mixtapes, Datpiff offers a ludicrous amount of underground, unreleased, and sometimes unpolished music for your listening pleasure.
Although quite a few of the tapes are marginal at best, there’s enough quality beats and rhymes on the site to make it worth your while.  The Game’s You Know What It is Vol. 4, for example, is classic material - “Hustlers” feat. Nas is straight fire – as is Lupe Fiasco’s Revenge of the Nerds and, given the controversy its received, …

As our loyal readers are no doubt aware, Nas recently released his newest album, “Untitled.”  Originally named after a racial epithet beginning with the letter N,  the Queensbridge emcee retitled the album after intense pressure from his label, who in turn were under the gun from major retailers like Wal-Mart. 
Anyways, despite the controversy (or perhaps because of it), the record is set to debut at number one on the Billboard charts.  And this has academics and journalists licking their lips  After all, it permits them to sail headlong into the treacherous waters of race relations; it’s an opportunity for them to offer their thoughts …

Scroll down for some new heat by Nas. Produced by Green Lantern, the track – called ‘Black President’ – is a meditation on Barack Obama. Although Nas’s rhymes are undeniably dope (“America, surprise us/Let a black man guide us”) it’s the Tupac sample Green Later flips for the hook that steals the show: “and although it seems heaven sent/We ain’t ready, to see a black president.”
Nas – Black President (2008, ?)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Omer Saar (of universoulproductions fame) has cobbled together the Green Album, a collection of Al Green tracks mixed with acapellas from various rappers.
You’ll hear some Jay-Z, MF Doom, Common,  the Fugees, Pharycde, and others on this record.  So definitely a pretty dope tracklisting.
Check it all out at his blog here.
Now I know it seems suspiciously similar to the AlMatic post we did earlier, but it’s definitely not.  The Green Album is about 6 times as dope and definitely worth your time to download.
And it’s free.  I don’t know how long …

For those who have been claiming that hip hop is dead or dying, I think this last month alone should be enough to give you some cause for hope. Let me quickly reiterate

A Tribe Called Quest reunites
The Pharcyde Reunites
Rock the Bells will bring the best hip hop ever all over North America
Hip hop for political purposes
Big Boi announces a solo album

And now Nas has announced his solo album. It was, originally, titled something incredibly controversial. That’s right, he was going to title his album Nigger. Pretty …

DJ Swindle has put out entire albums of mashup goodness.  Tackling everything from mixing Eminem with Michael Jackson, 50 Cent with 80’s music and even (as you can listen to below) Snoop Dogg with Curtis Mayfield.  Here is Snooperfly – Fuck That.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
One of the ones that caught my eye was his mashup of Nas and Al Green, titled “ALmatic”.  Most of the links on Swindle’s webpage are broken, but with some creative googling I managed to find a copy of ALmatic online.  So download …

The beats on Nas’ Illmatic surely rank among the most analyzed in hip-hop. Check out the video below for an audio tour of the samples used to create one of hip-hop’s greatest albums.

WPvideo 1.10