Don’t mistake the Songs By Me, Stalley series as just a handful of b-sides and leftovers. As “Cash and My Cutty” proves, Stalley’s unreleased songs are still grade-A material. Over a slow-churning Ski Beatz backdrop, the soulful beat and looping hook are definitely reminiscent of Intelligent Trunk Music Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to keep rappers trained in the martial arts of his musical mastery, Ski Beatz is keeping the lights on at his dojo well through 2012 with 24 Hour Karate School Presents: Twilight, his third LP in three years. With DD172 footing the bill, regular pupils in $pitta, Smoke DZA and Stalley are returning for extra assurance in the project’s quality. Read the rest of this entry »

Stalley has a tangible rapport with producer Ski Beatz that turns heads every time a new collaboration track drops. After releasing the Sensei Beatz-crafted gem, “Gentleman’s Quarterly,” earlier this week, Stalley reached into his archives to drop “Harsh Ave,” a track previously heard only in video. Read the rest of this entry »

Stalley’s main strength isn’t how he raps but what he raps about. On the Ski Beatz-produced number “Gentlemen’s Quarterly,” Stalley uses the “Tastemaker for the tastemakers…” chorus to capture his boldness while simultaneously referencing himself as “a revolutionary that loves the dough, America’s nightmare in the wicker chair.” Read the rest of this entry »

“Illegal” was definitely my favorite record off of Ski Beatz’s otherwise mediocre 24 Hour Karate School II. As one of the album’s standout cuts, it showcases how great Ski can be at times, as well as how easily Freddie Gibbs can make raw content sound so listenable. Read the rest of this entry »

If you were to say that Murs’ “‘67 Cutlass” needed a video, it probably wouldn’t fall in the most accurate of statements. The four-minute narrative holds up the tradition of vivid storytelling Hip-Hop is renown for and allows listeners to paint the scenery for themselves with each rhyming bar filling in the “then what happened next?” Read the rest of this entry »

From the metropolitan concrete universe of the East Coast to the utopia battlegrounds of the West Coast to the integrated cities boasted by the South, there’s plenty of love spread throughout the Hip-Hop community these days. Two denizens who aren’t strangers to sharing their respective spotlights – Murs and Ski Beatz – take their matters of the heart seriously on their first full length pairing, Love And Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation. Read the rest of this entry »

Bottling up the sounds of the most popular season to create a hit with emeritus status is probably on the bucket list for nearly every artist doing it. For tabi Bonney, the D.C. mainstay with dreams of seeing his artisnal value grow with every public appearance, he takes 12 stabs at it with The Summer Years, a digestible but otherwise inchoate project owed to tabi’s inability to match his lyricism with the broad instrumentation on hand. Read the rest of this entry »

I know the melodrama that you speak of, Murs. This past summer, I had some asshole ex-girlfriend call me out of the clear blue to invite me out for some ice cream and when I responded back hours later to ask what the hell was that all about, she threatened to call the cops if I texted her again. (Yeah, I texted – not called – her back, f*ck her lol.) Read the rest of this entry »

So what if it’s currently autumn masking itself as winter? tabi Bonney is aiming to be an artist for the only season everybody can agree on with The Summer Years. Backed by exclusive production from his sensei, Ski Beatz, tabi has girls galore flocking to his video shoots and it’s plain to see that he’s about that life where shorts, sun and roller skates collide. Read the rest of this entry »

Lyricism may not have been the Bay Area’s calling card for in the last few years, but Richmond’s Locksmith is doing his best to restore that reputation. He’s never been one to bite his tongue and just as you’d expect from such an emcee, no record label will touch him and the controversies that accompany his music. Read the rest of this entry »

Although some left their second session at Ski Beatz 24 Hour Karate School still rough around the edges, Stalley’s brief but boisterous verbal homage to the best Caucasian Boston Celtic of all time carried some kick. Read the rest of this entry »

While not 100% versed in Murs catalog, I’m always impressed by it. Most rappers typically stick to their script and hold down one specific style of song, but this LA staple never refrains from genre jumping and makes sure to keep any instrumental he chooses lively as possibly. That same theory holds up on “Let’s Go!,” Read the rest of this entry »

Atlanta-to-Philadelphia poet-turned pimp-turned super-emcee extraordinaire STS decided to go the extra mile and drop a deluxe version of his latest free album The Illustrious. As if the original 13 tracks, including production from The Alchemist, The Knux and Emile, weren’t enough, The Money Making Jam Boy adds three more ingredients to the pot to ensure a satisfying experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Many times in entertainment, a sequel can be viewed as career suicide; especially if the original is lauded as a groundbreaking piece of work. Known for his intricate and unique instrumentals, Ski Beatz bypassed any ill-conceived thought of choosing a different title for his new album. Read the rest of this entry »