While the rapper is the face of the Hip-Hop, the producer remains the behind-the-scenes driving force, the puppet master if you will. DJ Burn One has been a catalyst for not just the songs, but the musical career paths of artists like Freddie Gibbs, Pill, YelaWolf and Gucci Mane. Read the rest of this entry »

Mello Music Group stays winning. Last week, they let Oddisee’s Mental Liberation go out to the masses for free, and now they’re following up with the instrumentals from Diamond District’s excellent In The Ruff. These beats stood out from the crowd back in 2009 and still glow to this day. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s with producers focusing on everything except producing nowadays? Don’t they know they’re the backbone of the Hip-Hop nucleus? Can’t they see that they’re not Kanye? A little more honing your craft and less red carpet posing would go a long way for the greater good of the music but whatever. Kleph Dollaz isn’t one of those guys to break up buds on his MPC. Read the rest of this entry »

Alicia’s on the road to releasing every individual song as a single, but this…yeah, 100% deserved. From the jump, it was a bonafied hit and when Drake was added to the mix, that only sealed it’s popular appeal. But above all, it’s what’s backing Alicia’s strong vocals and Drake’s added inflections that really make the song. With the vocals stripped away, it makes it that much easier to hear what Kerry “Krucial” Brothers & Noah “40″ Shebi’s production. The electric guitars, drum programming and Moog synth create candy for the ears. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve been unapologetically ignoring the countless “Exhibit C” freestyles so just fuhgeddaboudit if you still plan on recording one. But musicianship is always honored around these parts and that’s where Rob Viktum comes in. Read the rest of this entry »

In ’95, DJ Premier managed to capture lightning in a bottle for the release of Livin’ Proof. On the production side, not a weak track can be found and even now it still sounds as fresh as day one. Read the rest of this entry »

In lieu of the instrumentals we’ve been dousing you with comes a truly original piece of history by Kleph Dollaz. Don’t let yet another Back To The Future cover throw you off. There’s methods behind the madness. Read the rest of this entry »

I am not a rapper. Truth be told, I can’t rightly tell you why I amass all of these instrumental versions of albums. Part of it belongs to the idea that these are “my jazz” albums: those soundscapes that don’t require vocals. Most of the ones I’ve thrown up in recent weeks are bonafied musical masterpieces where the lyricism was setup to win. Read the rest of this entry »

…So, I believe. YES!!! © Mighty Mos

Save for “Marvelous Times…,” Mos’ rap career has seen better days since his debut. But no one can deny Black On Both Sides’s title as a certified boho classic. Read the rest of this entry »

For those who don’t know, Sherm is a drunk, angry Twitterer. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey Blu, thanks for dropping off this instrumental tape. I’ve been in a real “okay, I don’t want to hear you rap dudes right now” kind of mood & favoring instrumentation so this works quite well. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, that scratched chorus gets a (||) in ’09.

Every day is Christmas when Suave is your homie. And since you all are our friends as well, we pass the blessings along to you. Read the rest of this entry »

Provide your own rhymes, haiku’s & thoughts over the instrumentals from one of Think Differently’s most well-known, well-received releases. After the break, it’s yours. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo By Robert Adam Mayer

If you find yourself vibin’ to the sounds of U-N-I’s Before There Was Love or the ever popular Viva La Hova, chances are 6th Sense was one of the catalysts. Enclosed are more than reasons why you should use a few of your sensory skills to get accustomed with NYC’s latest double threat. (He’s a capable MC; see below). Read the rest of this entry »

It was only a matter of time before the snow came.

Just a few weeks ago it was damn near 60 degrees and now I barely want to go outside. This morning, I woke up and looked out the window to see a world blanketed with snow. When I was younger, this would have been to perfect time to go outside and get into mischief. Maybe make a few bucks shoveling driveways, go sledding, snowball fights, throwing snowballs (actually, more like iceballs) at cars and whatever else. I’m sure my brethren from the Chi & Canada can relate to this. Read the rest of this entry »