DJ 31 Degreez has obtained all the unreleased material from Nas’ last album, including this gem “The Fear Of Mandingo” b.k.a. as “Fear Of The Black Man’s D!ck.” Pause. They kinda do look scared don’t they?

I remember there was speculation if this track even existed, given the fact the nameless album seemed to lighten up on the incendiaries it first promised to have.

DJ 31 Degreez & Nas – Fear Of Mandigo (Produced By DJ Green Lantern)

EDIT

Go HERE for No DJ version

But if that doesn’t satisfy your cravings for new Nas…Pause. Read the rest of this entry »

Another day, and yet another Curtis track. The ante is upped this time, as Premo provides a burst of energy causing Fif to shake the sluggish sound that’s plagued the other recent tracks.

In an aside, I’d like to offer the following tidbits of advice to Interscope, Shady & Aftermath… Read the rest of this entry »

…and the exclusive use of two video clips.

Ed Reed could be right. The Ravens could very well be nobody wants to face right now. And even though Ray Lewis’ hit on Ahmand Hall made me “wooooooh!” with each replay, let us not forget that the Steelers invented “smash mouth football.” Read the rest of this entry »

As a consumer, three of my favorite things are…

1. The fresh smell of opening a new pair of Nike’s.

2. Poppin’ a tag off of a ‘Lo shirt.

3. Picking up vinyl in all of it’s oversized, colorful glory.

Don’t get it twisted. I still like buying some CDs but vinyl is a different experience, especially the purchasing of it. I try to stay away from buying online, preferring the to go into the store, quiet as libraries & full of like minded music lovers engaging in the elbow-to-elbow art of digging. “Spelunkers of sound” as I like to call my fellow diggers.

My love affair with vinyl has been off and on but always life long. It started as a kid, always diggin’ thru my dad’s sparse collection as well as all of the crates my uncle had as a DJ. In the mid 90′s when my grandad closed his nightclub, JM & I put together a few dollars, bought my uncle’s Technics…and a garage half-full of records, spanning genres, sizes and decades. Love affair reborn. Until I left those motherfuckers in JM’s care while I was away for a while & the collection seemingly grew legs. Love lost.

Until the past year or so.

Currently, I don’t even have a turntable to play my records on. But by my logic, I consider all of these purchases as if I were courting Alicia Keys. I save up so that once or so a month, I can take an excursion to one of the few vinyl haunts in town, our “date” of sorts. I wine & dine with her, splurging lovely. She hasn’t given me any yet, as in I haven’t bought a turntable. But soon I will and with all of these records sitting here with me, it will be a heavenly experience. I will unwrap & play record after record…and then play another record.

Yesterday, I made one of those dates by killing some time before an appointment. It was planned. I had set aside allotted spending money for whatever I might find & let my fingers do the rest. Below you will find pics of my bounty. No real rhyme or reason to what I bought. I don’t pretend to be a connoisseur; my pics are indiscriminate & instinctive. I saw it, I checked the price first, then the condition. If I wanted it, I grabbed it. Done deal.

Juan had ALL of these on vinyl when we were kids.

I have no intentions of deejaying a party so I rarely by 12″ singles. But this, this was a small piece of history. At .99¢, I’ll take it. Read the rest of this entry »

While he keeps fans impatiently waiting for his Dr.Dre-inspired mixtape, Kush 2009, Ya Boy has been making some of the best songs of his career. Call it leeway.

On this new heat rock, The Rockstar rounds up the troops for his own Cali conglomerate.

Ya Boy Feat. E-40, Kurupt, & Glasses Malone – Superstars

Loosies

El Prez – Hammerman

Raheem DeVaughn – Mr. Right

G.Dep Feat. Gemstones & Remo Da Rapstar – Work That

Tab One – That Glow Flow (Prod. by Jake One)

Crooked I – A cappella

Tekneek Feat. Havoc, Kurupt & Roscoe – Money In Tha Air

Chamillionaire Feat. Crooked I – Everything

Esinchill Feat. Dave Hollister – Soul Of The City

Kid CuDi – Sky High

50 Cent – Play This On The Radio

Ya Boy Feat. E-40, Kurupt & Glasses Malone – Superstars

Young Chris Feat. Wale – Searching

Raheem DeVaughn – Mr. Right

Loosies

Respect Our Fresh!

I know we don’t normally post new Ne-Yo, but this one is worth mentioning.

Not because the melodramatic synths could have me falling for any ol’ girl walking down the street. Not because the boomer bass drum compliments it perfectly. Not even because Ne-Yo’s pitch-perfect voice makes me comfortable listening to love songs by myself on a Sunday afternoon.

Nope, none of those reasons.

The sole reason this track is getting upped is because the featured rapper goes by would could potentially be the worst rap name I’ve ever heard. Read the rest of this entry »

Golden era enthusiasts would lead you to believe every single song, album & artist from the time was great.the grass was greener, the sounds & messages more pure, etc.

Noncipher.

For every Biggie, there was a one-hit having Lil Shawn putting “Hickies On Your Chest.” For every Jay, there was a Father MC, eeking out a few songs worthy of remembrance. Their “legacies” have only been given to personal histories, almost to this size of myth.

Enter a Wiz Khalifa into today’s time capsule. Read the rest of this entry »

Now all you hypocrites, witness they injustice…

Whether you innocent or did the crime…

22-year-old Adolph Grimes III  was killed early last Thursday in New Orleans in a police shootout was wounded 14 times, with 12 of the bullets hitting him in the back of his body, New Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard said. The family’s lawyer Robert Jenkins also said that 48 bullet casings were found at the shooting scene.

Nine police officers were reassigned afterward, but New Orleans police aren’t commenting on the case. The police also declined to release the names of the officers and the shooting report, saying the investigation is ongoing, both internally and with the FBI. – CNN

Read the rest of this entry »

Words By Jason Hortillas

Here’s a new EP by Tunji & Toby, collectively known as Inverse, called So True. Perhaps the best way to describe the vibe is primarily on the smooth tip; thug aficionados Read the rest of this entry »

As expected, a host of rappers have already begun to speak their minds on the unfortunate and unjustified slaying of Oakland resident Oscar Grant by BART police. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, it was Dro & La. Today, the two other torchbearers for Grand Hustle – Killer Mike & B.o.B. – share some camera time. Mark my ballot early for releases to watch for in 2009.

…aww, fuck it. The pic is bad enough by itself, much less trying to add some disparaging title.

Stray Shots

Crooked I – Young Boss Vol. 2 (No DJ) – 2006

DJ_31_Degreez_And_Nas-El_Dorado_Black_Project-2009

DJ_Lil_Bee-20_Years_Later_(Hosted_By_Big_Daddy_Kane)-2009

Grandmaster Flash – The Bridge

VA-Ticketmaster_Tapes_&_Young_Jeezy-Back_2_The_Blow-2009

The Gwop Boyz – Aaliyah Hits & Unreleased-2009

VA-J._Armz-How_To_Be_An_MC_56

Willie_The_Kid-Best_Of_Features-Bootleg-2009

DJ Fletch & Gucci Mane – Looney Tunes

Clipse – Play Cloths Presents Road Til The Casket Drops

DJ Ill Will, DJ Rockstar, DJ Rampage Present Drake – Heartbreak Drake

VA-DJ_Finesse-Xclusive_Randb_5.5-(Bootleg)-2009

VA-The_Streets_Is_Watching_OST-1998

Stray Shots

I make the assumption that most of you will skip right past this joint and that’s cool with me. I’ll grab it on the strength of “Still Sellin Drugs,” the “Greenlight” joint and a few other choices. Tracklisting & link after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

Still in it’s infancy, 2009 hasn’t lacked for excitement as we knock the cobwebs out our brains while recovering from our holiday stupor.  So take a look back as we recap the past week and either reflect or catch up.

On Sunday we caught the newest Fat Albert short and found out Superman had a thing for sistas.  We paid our final respects to a Jazz legend and visited a graveyard of another sort.  Tales of Biggie Smalls started off Monday as we drew a line in the sand on Notorious.  We prepped for Lil’ Wayne’s appearance on First Take, which turned into discussion on critique vs. hate.  50 Cent must have forgot it was 1st Quarter as he dropped a new song.  Kanye stayed on the design tip, while Lily Allen showed hers.

Tuesday unveiled the results of The Hip-Hop Blog World Cup.  We may not have won Read the rest of this entry »

This post is truly about nothing. Nothing more than Read the rest of this entry »