Last weekend, the first track from Common’s upcoming album The Dreamer, The Believer was leaked. Called “Ghetto Dreams”, it’s produced by No I.D. and features Nas. For me, this track really hinges on its beat, which seriously bangs; the thumping kicks and staccato piano stabs (which are basically ideal for rap music) serve as the perfect palette […]
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 […]
Tennille Captains Nas and MF Doom Remix Project
I don’t know a whole lot about this project, but apparently it’s been in the works for a while. Called 10illematic/10FDOOM, the ten-track mixtape uses five Nas beats and five MF Doom beats. It’s not clear why those two emcees were picked, but the result is surprisingly good. Tennille has a silky smooth voice, and […]
Nas and Damian Marley join forces
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 […]
New York is Killing Me
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 […]
Songs that defined the decade!
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 […]
Mixtapes are yes at Datpiff.com
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 […]
The Best Reactions To “Untitled”
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 […]
Nas Raps Political
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 […]
The Green Album
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 […]