It’s a Christmas miracle!

It’s been a few years since Blu & Exile released what would have been a 5 Cigger if we’d had our ratings system up and running. Blu’s been releasing music since but it’s been experimental and nowhere near the cohesive brilliance of Below The Heavens. Read the rest of this entry »

Only a talented troupe of rappers could become stronger after losing a few members. Even though they’re down two from their original three, Tanya Morgan is still very much a rap group and they’re welcoming all challengers on their You And What Army EP. Taking it back to where shell toes, a turntable and a mic was the only uniform to make you star, YAWA is a lyric-driven freshfest constructed in the lower Eastside of Brooklynati. Read the rest of this entry »

“Face In Disguise” first graced ears across the country as “Build Jewelz,” off Has-Lo’s debut, In Case I Don’t Make It. It was, and is, a reflective track, as Has-Lo questions his faith, his desire to rap, and, in the end, his path in life. Instead of the soft, somber string-laced beat from “Build Jewelz,” however, “Face In Disguise” features something fresh from Exile. Read the rest of this entry »

Adapting with the times is not always the easiest thing to do. For Exile, the lure of ease that new technology brings into his studio has to sound a bit suffocating, which is probably why he stuck with analog recording on his upcoming 4TRK MIND album. For Blu, Ex’s Below The Heavens counterpart, the challenge in change lies in finding a groove that is both marketable and non-conforming. Read the rest of this entry »

So the word on the e-streets is Blu was out at the Cali leg of Rock The Bells and was passing out his upcoming album, NoYork! for nothing but minutes on the hour. And being that this is the day of the Internet, he took the next step to spread the word. We’ve seen this movie before, Lil B. Read the rest of this entry »

Co$$’s video for “Pot Ash” is minimalist, black-and-white. The camera walks us through the Los Angeles streets, and shows the man delivering his rhymes in front of a solid background, with a few guests coming past to grace the camera’s eye. Read the rest of this entry »

An arduous grind, numerous mixtape releases, a BET cypher and G.O.O.D. Music over everything is what lead Sean Anderson to this point where he can kick his feet up and enjoy the fruits of his labor with his debut studio effort, Finally Famous: The Album. Read the rest of this entry »

The cliché rapper line has always been “my life is a movie,” but most who choose to rap don’t star in the film day-to-day. Aside from being a part-time writer, I’m also an aspiring emcee and employee for the man, one of many “Blu Colla Workers.” Read the rest of this entry »

MED’s “This Is Your Life” is one of those tracks where everything melds together perfectly. Press play, and over a minute of one of Exile’s trademark chopped soul collages flows past, all thumping drums and liquid instrumentation. MED comes in and kicks some strong, declarative rhymes, only reiterating the fact that his skills have grown by leaps and bounds over his career. As a perfect contrast to that forceful style, Blu steps to the mic next to let loose a few of his trademark musings, smoothly and confidently navigating the pockets of the beat. To draw the cut to a conclusion, Exile takes it home with a bit of plucked harp that serves as the final smooth touch on a soulful whole. Not a note, scratch, or rhyme out of place.

MED’s Bang Ya Head 3 will be dropping on April 26th via Fat Beats distribution.

MED Feat. Blu – “This Is Your Life” (Prod. By Exile)

Via NR

The “Blu, O brother where art thou?” references will no longer be needed now that our favorite Lost Angelean is on the go. Carefully plotting his next maneuvers on the hush, the untapped prodigy in Blu recently tested out some new material for a crowd out close to Nikeville at The Fix. Originally produced by the ying to his yang, Exile, his live support—The NoYork Band seemingly does “EaseYourMind” justice as it is the liquid Hip-Hop his fans have grown accustomed to. Read the rest of this entry »

With Evidence continuing to further his solo career and no Dilated Peoples album on the horizon, Rakaa Iriscience appeared content to rest on his laurels. But an internal spark seemingly risen the “son of a preacher man” from his self-imposed hiatus, as he debuts his long player Crown Of Thorns. Weaving politically tinged rhymes over head nod-inducing beats, Rakaa shows he’s not taking a back seat to anyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, J.Kim pitched this freebie to me but I wasn’t around to share it.

“As promised, today we are dropping Exile’s Radio Bonus album for free download. About a week ago, we starting things off with DJ Rhettmatic’s remix of “It’s Coming Down” and today we are releasing the entire BONUS album for free download. Read the rest of this entry »

Near the end of August, Exile will be releasing AM/FM, which will essentially be him and all his friends remixing the producer’s Radio. While pulling together recordings for radio, Exile compiled enough good material that couldn’t just be left to waste. So he’s doing what every enterprising individual would do — he’s adding them to a bonus album. Read the rest of this entry »

Hearing a new MC’s album being compared to Illmatic is not a daily occurrence; especially in the digital era where most fans treat albums as disposable as a club flyer . Fashawn’s 2009 album Boy Meets World, however, is one of the few that have been bestowed with this honor from a couple different outlets. My first reaction to this idea was that it was just hype to draw in listeners that might have overlooked his Exile-produced gem so I kept it moving.

That was until yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »

J.Kim with the inbox assist of this footage of Exile and Teeko jammin’ on the one.

“I shot this video while in SF with Exile at sound check for his gig at the Elbo Room in San Francisco this past week. As I came into the venue, I peeped Exile and Teeko jamming out on their respective equipment, and I was impressed to say the least. Teeko has been making some noise with his group F.A.M.E. as well as recently working with Mark Ronson in NY for his upcoming album, and it was great to see them come together, and create some amazing music together.”