The three things to take away from this post.

1. Protect The Cosign is a new showcase powered by PNC Radio and hosted by Combat Jack, The Company Man and our guy Kid Potential. These are all good men. Read the rest of this entry »

Dream teams aren’t having much success this year. While it often looks good on paper to combine the top talent available in a quest for the elusive championship ring, problems with chemistry, personality conflicts and differences in style are frequent roadblocks to success for these types of arrangements. Thankfully, Brooklyn emcee Torae doesn’t encounter these issues on his latest release, For The Record. Read the rest of this entry »

If your face doesn’t match Torae’s facial expression seen above within 25-30 seconds into this joint then you should probably seek medical attention or at least have your pulse checked. Soul Brother Numero Uno had me going with the involuntary head nod and Torae more than holds up his end of the bargain. Read the rest of this entry »

Your favorite raplord cardiologist of Hip-Hop released this club gem earlier in the year to defibrillate his Heart Failure campaign and now the eye candy is finally here. Torae isn’t Usher, but he’s making love in the club with all the damsels that are out to piss their boyfriends off in their extra tight f*ck’em dress for a night of getback. Read the rest of this entry »

– The Rock returned to the WWE. #Wrasslin’ Love

– Strong Arm Steady spread love the Cali way in their Smoking Session. #Cali Love

– David D. & Talia made the perfect Ghostface Killah Valentine’s cards. #Ghetto Love Read the rest of this entry »

When thumbing through a list of rappers known to juggle the varying degrees of human emotion in their music, few would conclude that Torae was a prominent speaker on the matters. The Big Apple bomber earned his stripes in most fan’s eyes with his tough-as-steel collaboration album with Marco Polo: Double Barrel, a project that chafed the eardrum just from experience. But Torae maintains he’s a multifaceted fellow and this past Valentine’s Day, he released a more lighter affair with DJ Blazita in Heart Failure.

TSS Crew’s TC caught up with Coney Island’s lyricist on the helm of his heartbreaker to factor out the inspiration behind the tape and his career overlay as a whole.

Graphics by Anthoniaa

TSS: So…no one would go out of their way to send blatant shots at Valentine’s Day if there wasn’t some sort of backstory there. So…what did she do?

Torae: [Laughs!!!] Nah…it’s nothing like that! Definitely not aimed at one person. It was a number of things. First and foremost, I always get the questions from my female fans and followers like “we love you” and this that “but when are you going to talk more on our speed?” And I didn’t want to be conceived as a one-trick pony basically. And I kind of saw myself getting put in a box since I did the Double Barrel album, which was real hard. And being associated with Duck Down which is a traditionally underground and raw label for rap. So I wanted to show people that I’m an all-around artist and not what they probably think I am.

Everybody goes through different emotions. Sometimes you want to be in love, sometimes you want fight, play ball, listen to music—you know what I mean? People go through different feelings and I feel like it should be reflected in the music.

TSS: Absolutely. So Heart Failure is more of a personal expression then?

Torae: Yeah, I think it’s a testament to my storytelling abilities which I don’t know if people were able to get from my previous material. So you know, it’s just me kind of conceptually telling a story between me and a female, dating, getting intimate, having different disagreements, breaking up to make up. It tells a story. If you listen to tracks 1-11 straight through, you’ll see the storyline and I think it will come across clearer that way.

TSS: Speaking of Double Barrel, would you see this is the complete opposite?

Torae: Yeah! It’s the polar opposite of Double Barrel—in content. Obviously the effort and ability are the same and I think the conceptualizations of it is the same just like Double Barrel. But I didn’t go soft; I’m still spittin’ and it’s still real rap. I’m still using my same producers like Khryris, Eric G. Vitamin D., you know the usual suspects that people no more. I didn’t stray too far from what people know me for. I just wanted to tell a different story.

TSS: When you were recording the project, did you explicitly tell them that’s where you were going with it?

Torae: Yeah, they knew! Because I needed a certain sound with a certain feel. So I let ‘em all know what it was and they were like “Oh word? That’s what we doing this year?” [Laughs] But you know, it’s Valentine’s Day and what better gift to give the world than new music?

TSS: And you have “Outta Here” which is pretty fire. We haven’t seen Mike Shorey’s name in a minute.

Torae: Yeah! I figured if I was going to jump in the Fabolous lane, I was going to go all the way with it!

Both: [Laughs!!!]

TSS: Is that going to be a single with the video treatment?

Torae: Yeah, I plan on it. I think it will have a shock value for people not expecting it but it’s not sappy, it’s not corny and I think it showcases my song-making ability on a different level like “O.K. he doesn’t just do hardcore, boom-bap records. He can do stuff with a broader appeal.”

TSS: It seems like New York has struggled as of late to balance the commercial realm with the lyricism. You think this is an example of what needs to happen more?

Torae: Yeah, I hope so. At the end of the day, I can’t compromise my integrity to make a trendy record. But I love “chick songs,” I love feel-good music. I like to party. Obviously I can’t listen to Freddie The Foxxx and M.O.P. all day. It’s just not logical. Like I brought up Fab a few minutes ago, who gets a lot of flack for making commercially geared records. But don’t get it confused: you put that boy in the booth and he’ll spit. Same with Lloyd Banks. He spits and still makes those records. Or look at Skyzoo’s success with “Speakers On Blast.” We all know Sky as a MC’s MC; he can rap all day.

But sometimes you have to make records to show people it’s bigger than showing you can spit for hours on end. It’s bigger than having the ill bar count. You have to make records. This is a record business and if you want to stay in the business, you have to make records for the record business. [Heart Failure] shows that side of Torae.

In the night, Torae hears ‘em talk the coldest story ever told and the Coney Island champ wants to send all jilted lover’s into cardiac arrest with his new freebie, Heart Failure. More than just another Valentine’s Day playlist, Torae examines all cardiology matters from the hot to cold and lukewarm emotions. Presented by Honey Mag & Flud Watches and mixed by the lovely DJ Blazita, Read the rest of this entry »

For everybody in the club doing the same ‘ol two-step, wishing the girl they were hollering at used her feet to hop in your car, Torae has the anthem for you. When you’re a lyrical giant, crafting an accessible single without comprising your craft can be a slippery slope, but Torae retains his footing on this smoothly operated gem that makes it cool to keep it casual. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s always possible to sense the end of a relationship coming, like the feeling in the air that appears before a thunderstorm. While it’s impossible to predict the exactly when the sky will open, or when the bond between two people will reach it’s breaking point, a certain unmistakable tension fills the atmosphere in those waning days. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since Meka moved to New York, game got real. Our homies over at the (2)Dopehouse show their love and appreciation for the Big Apple rap circuit with their mixtape A (2)Dope Mixtape: Empire State Edition. Read the rest of this entry »

Turnabout is fair play, ain’t that right Joey? Read the rest of this entry »

All I have to do is remark that a song is worth it’s merit and people take notice @ once. Computers start putin, calls get made and voila. Things happen and the track gets a video treatment courtesy of one Court Dunn and Nah Right’s One Shot series. Read the rest of this entry »

Usually, a Shuffle post only features one track. But I had to break the rules and throw both of these up, otherwise it would be a disservice to the community. Read the rest of this entry »

I never imagined Skyzoo as a Zach Morris for obvious reasons, but this was a funny take on the Saved By The Bell series in his new video “Popularity.” Read the rest of this entry »

Bar none, Duck Down has to be one of the most impressive labels left standing from the 90′s. Their uncompromising commitment to releasing quality Hip-Hop deserves a round of applause, along with support from fans, both new & old. Forever keeping their supporters in mind, they put together this free download as a precursor to the label’s upcoming CMJ showcase, aptly titled Download The Right Thing. Read the rest of this entry »