With his latest mixtape, Feature PREZentation II, Inglewood native El Prez is treating his fans to one more project before his full-length, Leadersh!t drops next year (which isn’t really as far away as it sounds). As has everything in 2011, the tape’s cover is fully 3D ready, so strap on your red-and-blues for optimal viewing. Read the rest of this entry »

Black Spade and Coultrain separately have the respect of music lovers worldwide on their own merits for pushin’ their brand of future funk and progressive soul. But together as the Hawthorne Headhunters, they push their individual visions into a whole new level. Read the rest of this entry »

You can miss the St. Louis Force with generic ramblings of country grammar to piggyback off some stereotype. Instead, they’re out to give the world their own unfiltered brand of raw rap and it continues tonight in their Midwest sister city of Columbus, OH. Read the rest of this entry »

Nato delivers a visual for “REVEL,” the tune Track spoke on for final entry of The 30 Day Song Challenge. Yeah, the vid’s arrival seems a little late but it’s right on time considering how stale most music is at the moment. Read the rest of this entry »

I spent a whole morning examining my iTunes catalog and mixtape playlists, trying to figure out just what my favorite song was at this time of last year. When no clear-cut champion emerged, I had the bright idea to search my Gmail to see if I did any excessive ranting and raving that could help determine the right choice, and found this in a chat log: Read the rest of this entry »

St. Louis has been clean out of control in Twenty Eleven, earning more highlights for WSHH fiascoes than on the real rap scene. That simply won’t do and Tech Supreme — the multifaceted producer slash rapper slasher artist extraordinaire — has rounded up some of the finest talent in Missouri’s should be capital to reign a true Supremacy on the game. Read the rest of this entry »

By now we all know Wafeek is one of the most multifaceted and capable emcees, so I’ll spare you the fancy intros and get right into it. Fresh off of releasing the TSS x 2DBz x IMKING-stamped Monster: The Mixtape, he’s continuing his assault by following it up with a new track called “Let Your Love Show.” Read the rest of this entry »

Humans enjoy the chase more than anything else on the planet. It’s why scientists spend countless hours trying to understand our vast universe. It’s why heroin addicts still scrounge up dollar bills to try and feel that feeling they first felt when needle hit vein. It’s why Black Spade’s success is always building and also why his latest video catches the St. Louis native in some sweatpants following the one thing we chase the most Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past few years, the collective talent and consistent production of the St. Louis underground has become an unstoppable force in the Midwest. Leading the march on Atlanta are Black Spade, Vandalyzm and Gotta Be Karim, three MCs who share the scene’s dedication to musical purity. All three capitalize on The Lou’s status as a transit city, mixing the best of sounds from the Chi, to the Dirty South to coasts East and West. And all three focus on winning hearts and minds with their lyrical chops—no gimmicks here.

Despite these shared principles of artistry, each artist maintains a definitive style that sets them apart. Spade acts the part of the older wiser sage, equally adept snapping off a casual verse or crooning a soulful chorus. Vandalyzm’s cockiness and confidence on the mic obscure that he’s one of the hardest working artists around. And Karim’s sunny but street personality shines through on every track he makes.

The tracks selected here show both these MC’s collective talents and unique skills. Revolutionary Bullshit” features Karim and Spade swapping stories over a head boppin’ beat. “Get Dough,” finds Vandalyzm behind the mic and the boards, and the result is pure hustle music. Enjoy, and come see them at more at A3C.

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Download — Black Spade Feat. Gotta Be Karim – “Revolutionary Bullshit”

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Download — Vandalyzm – “Get Dough” (Prod. by Flying Lotus)

Download — Union LA, Trackstar The DJ & TSS Present Black Spade – Build & Destroy Mixtape

Download — Cobblestone Rock Music & The Smoking Section Present Gotta Be Karim – Bullets & Books

Download — Vandalyzm – Megatron Majorz Redux

Another week brings more dopeness from the shores of the Mississippi, as TSS proudly presents to you Gotta Be Karim’s full-length album Bullets & Books. The aptly-titled record features the expected combination of brawn and brain. Featured tracks such as “Hello St. Louis” and “Early” epitomize Kareem’s mentality, a man capable of intimidating bravado and thoughtful subtlety behind the microphone. Read the rest of this entry »

It just didn’t seem right to interject with this yesterday while everyone was having so much fun in the “Hip-Hop Is For The Kids” post. Instead, let’s slide in last week’s happenings right here where there’s plenty of room.

– Eli Porter is set to release a documentary. Prepare yourself.

– Black Spade’s Build & Destroy should be on everyone’s summer listening list.

– 368 Music Group is indeed killing’em. Read the rest of this entry »

Although he’s released more than his fair share of material either as a solo artist and with Hawthorne Headhunters, Black Spade has never dropped a mixtape, unlike most artists in today’s landscape. I should know because I’ve been buggin’ him for years to be the ones to push one if he ever decided to. And that time has finally come. Along with Union LA and Trackstar, we’re proud to present Black Spade’s newest audio offering, Build & Destroy.

For his first, Stoney Rock did it right by offering completely fresh material. Featuring friends and frequent collaborators like Coultrain, Adad, Rockwell Knuckles, Corey Black, Vic Mensah and Wafeek, Build & Destroy packs enough punch to hold fans over for weeks and months to come.

Download – Union LA, Trackstar The DJ & The Smoking Section Present Black Spade – Build & Destroy Mixtape

Keep updated on Stoney Rock by following him at Twitter.com/BlackSpade

Photo: Made Monarchs

One of the negative things that the internet has caused over the last couple years in Hip-Hop is the depletion of sampling. Thankfully, with the rise in popularity of original mixtapes on the national scene, we have begun to see a re-emergence of the sounds of old.

Black Spade, the St. Louis jack of all trades who makes your favorite rapper’s skill set pale in comparison, recaptures this sound in his song “I Heart,” Read the rest of this entry »

This one has been a long time coming. Not only will Build And Destroy be Black Spade’s first solo project since 2008′s critically acclaimed To Serve With Love, it’s also one I’ve been waiting to be a part of. Spade’s a remarkable talent who’s able to produce, sing and rap and do all with equal skill. I fell so far in love with To Serve…, it’s almost my chosen duty to let as many people know about this brother’s music. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s tough starting the morning with this unreleased Black Spade track because it’ll have you searching for the pillow and laying back with arms crossed behind your head. “Relax Mode” comes unreleased from the 2000 era, when Stoney Rock was part of a crew called Soul Tyde (also including other Force members Nato, Tef, Karim and others). Read the rest of this entry »