Dear Common,

Once upon a time you were our success story. The Chosen One.

We as Hip-Hop fans crowned you the under-appreciated king who was too real for the mainstream. We loved you. And it was good.

It seems like forever ago that Jay mentioned you on The Black Album, shining light on someone who some of the listeners had never even heard of. At the time, most thought of this as a short-term boost in a career that would be critically acclaimed but widely under-appreciated.

Then we watched you hop on the unstoppable Yeezy train and take your career from the South Side Of Chi-town to the national stage. The best part about it was the fact that you stayed true to your music. You’ve been the poster child for “real” Hip-Hop that could survive & thrive it in a commercial world.

Then the movies came. Read the rest of this entry »

Mistah F.A.B, Zumbi (of Zion I), Kosha Dillz, & Others – Freestyle Video from MZ on Vimeo.

Probably the nicest thing about SXSW is that artists are just walking around the street and are completely approachable. With so many people around and endless networking opportunities, they’ll practically give anyone a few minutes of face time. Read the rest of this entry »

Previously Posted – Roc-A-Fella “Oochie Wally/Dead Wrong” Freestyles On Funkmaster Flex Part 5

In the comments yesterday, Benny Blanco said:

I hear TSS talkin about all the dudes on the xxl cover but never Asher Roth I wanna know yall opinion on homie I personally just dunno about him yet I havent jumped on the band wagon quite yet gotta listen to more songs I guess

Well, here’s Asher’s XXL freestyle. It’s self-explanatory like an IKEA manual. He pales in comparison to his classmates. In undergrad we called this “biffing,” i.e. falling flat on your ass or face.

I don’t question whether or not Asher Roth has talent — the dude can rap. But knowing how to rap and needing to be a rapper are two totally different things. He fits neatly into a SubZero refrigerator box I’ve labeled “Too Many Rappers, Not Enough Fans.” (More on that later…)

I don’t know, Benny, we’ll see. I’ll probably be wrong about Asher Roth’s lack of necessity or impact on the game. He’ll probably be wildly successful and I might even own an Asher Roth LP this time net year. But to continue with our XXL Basketball Analogy… Read the rest of this entry »

In the studio with Really Doe, yeah he next up… Read the rest of this entry »

I guess it’s time for me to lay my claim.

When it comes to these quote, unquote “Top Of The Class,” next-gen MCs, I strongly believe that Mickey Factz is easily the front runner of the herd. While his approach to the “Top” has been similar to the rest of his classmates, his content is not. To put it bluntly: conceptually he’s ready drop a 4 Cig debut (at the least). In regards to David and LC’s picks, if this was high school basketball, Corey Gunz would be dude who mastered the And1 moves but lacked in the fundamentals of running plays, and Blu would be the guy coaches begged to tryout but he would do his own thing instead.

Mickey’s that guy who makes the team because of his skills but never sees playing time. Read the rest of this entry »

I was just telling K1ng yesterday, Blu is fast becoming one of my favorite MCs. I’m talking of All Time, not just on some Right Now stuff. The man came out with three albums in a year; each sonically left of the last, all packed with flawless verses. Whether he’s new on the scene or not, you can’t deny Read the rest of this entry »

A fast favorite MC + A timeless, ageless legend + Hollywood’s best block of commercial real estate = Fresh As F*ck. Obviously.

Peeped at Nah Right.

The homie John Public shot me this one. Read the rest of this entry »

Guess he found time to make a new track. 50 over Raawwss’ beat with the usual trash talk @ the end of the song (best part of his songs these days), proposing that he be allowed to buy the projects.

50 Cent – Here I Am Freestyle

Props to Young Legend.

Another Sunday, another Massacre.

This week, Mike holds fort over Scarface’s “Never,” as he does an ode to the Judas in men.

Killer Mike’s Sunday Morning Massacre – “Never”

All respect due to Mike & UNN for another week’s work.

Previously Posted — Killer Mike’s Sunday Morning Massacre – “10th Commandment” | Killer Mike’s Sunday Morning Massacre Week 1 – “Dope Boyz (Remix)”

EDIT — A little extra footage with Mike discussing the Ozone Awards & why he chose “Jockin’ Jay-Z.”

Instead of Sunday Morning Massacre, he should prolly call these “Mass” because he’s taken fools to church with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Update: Mike tells us what Sunday Morning Masscre will now be about.

Shout out to UNN

Mike was a little tardy this time around and rightfully so.  If you’re bumping this shit on your way to church, it’s probably the reason you’re going lol.

Still, Killer Kill goes in as he’s known to do. Explicit, but no mention of ‘Twan.

Yet.

Killer Mike – Sunday Morning Massacre (Dope Boys Rmx)

Props to M. Garland

Previously Posted – “It Must Be Two Sides…” | Killer Mike Speaks On Identity, Credibility, & Rick Ross | Notable Quotable – Killer Mike On “God In The Building

Pound for pound, line for line, nobody’s effin’ with Mouse.

Too many quotables but easily one of the most accurate songs this year. Read the rest of this entry »