Hip-Hop moments always come unexpected and they are, in my view, some of the best feelings in this world. It is my goal, thru the site, to rekindle those moments for you and foster many more.

Small Eyez - From The Sol EP

Sci-Fi Stu - The Will/The Touch

Sci-Fi Stu - The Will

Sci-Fi Stu - The Will/The Touch (sampler)

"Sci-Fi Stu presents The Will + The Touch Digi-12 featuring guest emcees Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox), 4th Place (Ill Poetix)and Jon Wayne and produced by Sci-Fi Stu"

"Growing up in the 1990s, [Scotland-born, Edinburgh-based hip hop producer] Sci-Fi enjoyed the 'golden era' hip hop sound and has taken those classic elements and added his own twist to title track "The Will". The second track on the single is "The Touch" which has been featured on mixtapes and radio shows around the world and its production has been compared to the 1990s Wu-Tang sound."

Get It!

Unholy Terror From The Army of Pharaohs

Jedi Mind Tricks - Army of the Pharaohs: The Unholy TerrorJedi Mind Tricks have rounded up the Army of the Pharoahs for a third full-length. The Unholy Terror is also the first project on JMT's own imprint, Enemy Soil,in conjunction with Babygrande. What to expect is summed up perfectly in the press release:

"Lead by the inimitable [vinnie Paz], AOTP is a reflection of the volatile MC’s staunch belief in the tradition of Hip hop’s most sacred tenets and aesthetics. Individually the styles of the Pharaohs compliment each other, ranging from strictly lyrical to bloodthirsty battle rhymes, all fused within a construct based on energy and sonic power. The Unholy Terror, delivers the same disemboweling brand of hard-core boom-bap and battle rhyming that this veteran crew is known for. "

K-Beta - Come Closer

K-Beta

K-Beta - Come Closer (feat. Mina)
K-Beta - Black Business

A surge of fresh hip-hop is coming out of the DC area and K-Beta will be more than happy to keep the momentum going. His debut album, Inglorious Beta is slated for April: "A clean free version of "Inglorious Beta" will be released on April 1st on exclusively for download on DJBooth.net. The deluxe retail version of "Inglorious Beta" will be available April 12th on iTunes and Amazon with bonus material." Here are teasers: "Come Closer", a mindstate snapshot of a couple on the verge of breaking up, and "Black Business", the album's lead single.

Downloads:

- Black Business
- Come Closer

Get Acquainted: Fly Gypsy

Fly Gypsy

I Want It All (Fly Gypsy Remix feat. Kevin Rudolf & Lil' Wayne)
Pretty Girls (Fly Gypsy Remix feat. Wale)
Sex Therapy (Fly Gypsy Remix feat. Robin Thicke)

One of these days, I hope very soon, I'll have a chance to catch with some of the dope music that came out last year. Releases like the critically-acclaimed Change For A Dollar from Fly Gypsy, a DC hip-hop group reminiscent of the great hip-hop duos from the past: one emcee (Kom), one producer (Alexei). The pair knows they got good stuff on their hands, it's just a matter of keeping their name out there. And what better way than to hit the mixtape circuit. On March 16, Fly Gypsy will release FG*XL:remixtape, a remix project. They've leaked a few cuts to drum up anticipation and support and I'm happy to oblige. Enjoy!

Downloads:

- I Want It All
- Pretty Girls
- Sex Therapy

Laelo Hood - Rolla

Laelo Hood -Rolla

Laelo Hood - Rolla (feat. K-Beta & Frankie D)

Here's a cut off the forthcoming Laelo Hood debut album, The Glue - Book One: Where I Belong. "Rolla" is produced by Rah Mac and features labelmate K-Beta and Frankie D. You might wanna keep tabs on Laelo...

Get It!

Give Nina (and Ky) a Break

Nina BRavenel Records' Nina B, a female emcee from New York, has been grinding on the underground scene and paying dues for some time now. The hustle has not gone unnoticed: Nina B has been selected as one of the two up-and-comers for "Gimme A Break", a segment on Angela Yee's show The Morning After. For 12 weeks, Nina B undergoes "artist boot camp": beside getting a chance at showcasing her talent. she's issued a series of challenges and gets advice/criticism from industry insiders and the show's audience throughout. That will help determine if she's got what it takes to make it in the music industry. Nina's learning experience is chronicled through 12 episodes, courtesy of Scenario. The breakdown after the jump.

Joe Scudda - Not Your Average Joe

Joe Scudda - Not Your Average Joe
:::Download:::

It is...
Not Your Average Joe
It's from...
Joe Scudda
The skinny...
Raleigh, North Carolina stand up! Justus League's Joe Scudda hooks up with Statik Selektah for this mixtape, which came to fruition thanks to the heads at Hall of Justus and The Smoking Section

Rukus - The Hunger Leaks, Part II

Rukus

Rukus - Fear Freestyle
Rukus - The Name's Ruk

Rukus is an obvious favorite here and that has obvious reasons: as evidenced thru the numerous songs we've spotlighted here, he has skill and range. If you do the knowledge and dig deeper, you'll find out that he already has an impressive body of work. Sure, as a fellow African he crafts tunes I can easily identify with or relate to. Still it all comes down to execution, and his deserves praise. He's prepping a new mixtape called The Hunger for the end of March: "The mixtape will be a combination of songs and freestyles representing both hip-hop in America and in Nigeria, and will have plenty of cuts you can bob your head to, dance to, and just vibe to." And here are additional teasers to go along the two rough drafts I posted earlier.

Fear Freestyle
The Name's Rukus

M.I. - Illegal Music

M.I. - Illegal Music
:::Download:::

It is...
Illegal Music
It's from...
M.I.
The skinny...
Nigeria has always been spoiled when it comes to musical talent. Then again, you could say the odds play in it's favor since it's the most populous African nation. It boasts a certain Jude Abaga, most commonly known as M.I.: he sits atop the elite of African emcees and this mixtape shall serve as definite proof. Story goes that shortly after releasing his firebomb debut, Talk About It (2008), the Most Incredible one had enough material for a sequel, but had no means to clear the samples. So it was repackaged into a mixtape for our enjoyment. M.I. is due to release his sophomore effort this year and an Illegal Music 2 is also in the works. Yay!

Rukus - The Hunger Leaks, Part I

Bracket - Least Expected

Bracket - Ada Owerri (Remix feat. J. Martins & Rukus)
Bracket - Yori Yori (Remix feat. Rukus)

French-speaking Africans such as myself are familiar with Bisso Na Bisso, a french rap supergroup that formed at the turn of the new millenium. All members of Bisso Na Bisso claimed roots from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The goal was to blend together hip-hop aesthetics with the rhythms of their motherland, thus creating a bridge with the growing hip-hop fervor (rubished by the old) and the indigeneous compositions (unappreciated by the youth): it worked! There's a similar enterprise in Houston's Rukus' new offerings -- he's of Nigerian descent. Here he remixes two songs from Bracket, a Nigerian duo that stormed into the local limelight last year with their second album, Least Expected. More on Rukus in a bit.

Ada Owerri
Yori Yori
Syndicate content