Surfing around the net as usual, ran across this cat Real T@lk and his mixtape called Mo Better Mixtape. Mo Better Blues is one of my favorite movies and using it as a theme for a mixtape just bumped it up a few degrees to make it hotter. Mo Better Mixtape kicks it off with Real T@lk showing his lyrical skills acapella track. Following it up with an ill track called Mo Better music produced by Matcy P. that will keep you listening. Real T@lk has got a style that’s hard to compare with others, so it stands out. Authentik Made produced most of the joints with the exception of a few other producers and some borrowed tracks. Download Real T@lk’s The Mo Better Mixtape here. BIG thanks to Real T@lk & Authentik Made for the great tunes.

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Real T@talk – Sleepwalking (prod. by Chris Mathien)

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Real T@talk – Addicted (prod. by Authentik Made)

THIS IS THE EVENT TO BE AT!!!! For reals. Mark September 5th on your calendars now. The main event is going to be kicked off at Fatbeats to rock the compilation Starship 27. There will be featured DJ sets by J1 aka The DEER & Houseshoes. Live beat set by Dibia$e & Snowman Jack (Devonwho hope you can make it), and another DJ set by Teeko & Max Kane. They are giving out free Starship 27 copies to the first 50 people! And of course free beer and lots of Fatbeats merchandise to check out.  It’s going to be a packed house, but the party don’t stop there.

BOOMBOX is hosting the Starship 27 album release party. Boombox usually throws banging events anyways, but they are making this extra special with the lineup they got. Dam Funk, Houseshoes, J1, and hosted by Oddisee! Can you say off the HOOK?! Just check the flyer for the rest of the dope cats. To top it off they are going to have some crazy visuals by my man Moonsatellite. Not much else to  say but GO! September 5th is going down in LA history as the day Starship 27 blasted off, so hop on because it’s going to be a great ride! BIG thanks to GroWeyez for making things happen behind the scene.

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FAT BEATS 6pm – 8pm
7600 Melrose Ave. Ste. J 2nd Flr

Los Angeles, Ca

tel: 323-655-8997

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BOOMBOX - Grand Star 9:30pm – 2am

943 Sun Mun Way (N. Broadway)

Los Angeles, Ca

tel: 213-626-2285

open: 9:30 PM – 2:00 AM, age: 21+

cover: $5  before 10:30PM & $10 after

I have never felt so chill checking out a beat tape. If I throw on some  Thievery Corp. or Zero 7 then I’m gone. The good folks at Tablist shot me an email suggesting I should check out this cat Odetta (aka treehouse). I downloaded this genetically titled beat tape called Beat Tape vol. 1, but what I heard was far from it. Laid back, chill, grooves that takes your stress away. The cover art was a little trippy too.  I really like the jazzy vibe that Odetta has. I also downloaded Cut & Paste Vol. 2 which has a similar groove to it, but a gang more track.  Most of the low down I got was from Tablist, but I’m looking forward to doing some more digging. Download Odetta – Beat Tape vol. 1 and it will truly put you at ease. BIG thanks Tablist for the heads up.

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Odetta/Treehouse – Bug juice

Digging around I finding an artist which lead me to BMORE Original Records. That then lead me/stumbled upon to The Lyricists. Michigan is cranking out hit maker, after hit maker right now. I wasn’t surprised to find some dope folks there, but The Lyricists’ Transmittin’ Live! isn’t the typical MI sound.  They have these dark (but fun) laid back beats with this dope story telling rhyming style. I’m thinking of a group to compare them to, but you’d have to tweak whomever you came up with to get a sound like this. Transmittin’ Live! is dope, so cop it. I’m usually all about free stuff, but this is totally worth the buy.  Buy  Transmittin’ Live! online at CDBaby now. The Lyricists wanted want to throw out a free track, so download Rules of Attraction here. BIG thanks to BMORE Original Records and The Lyricists for making banging music. Check out The Lyricists at MySpace and Twitter.

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The Lyricists – TRANSMITTIN’ LIVE!

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The Lyricists – Rules of Attraction

I don’t know half of the stuff they are talking about on Rookie Season, but it’s dope. FS Green produced all of the tracks and/or remixed them. Rookie Season really shows the range of talent he has as a producer. I first got wind of FS Green when he started making those Mixing Monthly mixes with Full Crate. They would squeeze a beat or 2 in the mixes. And this is true, when I got to one of those tracks I had to check who it was. For reals. When Rookie Season came out I was like I gotta check that. I’ve been playing this album for a while and still don’t understand half the stuff on it. But I still dig rocking it! Personally I think FS Green’s rookie season is over, and is ready to take on U.S. territory. Download Rookie Season here, and check out FS Green on his blog, MySpace, Twitter, and Mixing Monthly. This cat is all over the web! BIG thanks FS Green for keeping the music going.

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Winne – Je Voelt Me (prod. by FS Green)

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Winne – Je Voelt Me (prod. by FS Green)

14KT’s Nowalataz is one of the reasons I don’t sleep. Dope stuff comes out any time of the day. I got an email from the fam at A-Side Worldwide about 9pm, but I went jogging…and didn’t read it until 11pm. If I slept on this a little longer I would have missed the boat.

I read the title Nowalataz, and it gave me flashbacks of that hard ass candy that could take your tooth out if you chewed it wrong. Nowalataz is nothing like that. 14KT drops some sweet tracks on your ears. Now these are Donut inspired tracks from 2006, and you know how sweet that was. Just like Donuts, Nowalataz is going straight into heavy rotation on the ipod. Take the time to read how these beats came about. It will inspire you. Download 14KT – NOWALATAZ (2nd option link here) while you still can. It will only be up for a week! Check out what 14KT is up to on MySpace or Twitter. BIG thanks to Stephanie for the heads up.

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14KT – The Name Game

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14KT – Black N Gold

I have no idea where Thelonious comes up with these titles, but I’m sure he’s got a good reason for it. I can’t say much about the first track, Big Wheels, except bangin. I don’t know how many times I played it before I got to the rest of the tracks. Big Wheels & Gold Teeth shows Thelonious’ growth and exploration of sounds. In some beats, he drops in movie samples that compliment the tracks giving them a big cinematic feel. Over all Big Wheels & Gold Teeth is another well done beat tape you gotta check out. Download Big Wheels & Gold Teeth here. If you’re not up on Fear of Flight check it out too. Get the latest info on Thelonious and his upcoming projects on his blog. If you’re wanting to hear some flow over some dope Thelonious beats…just wait its coming. B+C plug: Check the cover art front and back.

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Thelonious – BIG Wheels

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Thelonious – 4th Grade Highlight Tape

If you’re looking to take off and experience another planet, Starship 27 is for you. This compilation of beats has heavy hitters on it, and J1 aka The DEER is the master mind behind this outta space journey. With his co-pilot Weyez and trusty navigator (the man on the 1’s & 2’s) DJ Seano aka The Wolverine cranked out a banging album. Yes not just a mix of tracks that existed, but each producer made a track for Starship 27. In addition to the compilation check out the mini videos they leaked for the promo, they are outta this world fo-reals (links below). Download Animal Kingdom x HVW8 Presents Starship 27 here. BIG thanks to J1 aka The DEER, Weyez, DJ Seano, and Moonsatellite for taking us on a trip. BIG shout to HVW8 Records, & Mary’s Treehouse. DJ Friendly version with bonus tracks download here.

Video 1 Dam Funk

Video 2 Ras G

Video 3 Moonsatellite

Video 4 DevonWho

Video 5 A-Live

For more info on the videos check out Moonsatellite at Culture King.

The fam Infinite Cycle had this crazy idea and ran with it. He kicked it around with some A 1 cats, J Buziness & DJ Gade Real and they were down from the word go. Now understand Infinite Cycle is in Sacramento, J Buziness & DJ Gade Real in the I.E., so face time ain’t the easiest. They managed the whole project through phone calls, Twitter, emails, and file sharing host. You gotta love technology.

“From something that started out as a discussion about not having enough unity in music to having a mixtape out in about a month shows how much a small idea can be brought into fruition by a little dedication and hard work. After all of the scrambling and deadlines, the Cali Co-op Vol. 1 mixtape was formed and what we have here is only some of California’s finest talent in one package, mixed by DJ Gabe Real.” –Infinite Cycle

Download Cali Co-op Vol. 1 here. All the artist featured on this mix are making BIG waves, so keep your ears open. BIG thanks to Infinite Cycle, J Buziness, DJ Gade Real, all the artist, and everyone that made this project happen.

Tracklist:

1. NOE ft. Oddio – 11, 12 (Prod. by Ro Tone)
2. Noa James – My Bars, My Life
3. Speak – Persian Disco
4. Skeem Price – Star Struck (prod. by J.bizness)
5. Jynxx – J.Y.N.X.X (My Story Chapter II)
6. Prophit PAN, Craze, B Boy – I Ain’t Hearin It (prod. by J.Bizness)
7. Tomorrow,Yesterday – Ladies Say
8. Lagos vs. New York (The Garfield Adams Suite remix)
9. Pheo – Turn It Up (prod. by AFTA-1)
10. Prophit PAN, Craze, B Boy – 15 Minutes (prod. by J.Bizness)
11. Trek Life & Oddisee – Enjoy Yourself
12. Reverb, Trek Life, Dvooa – Get This Money
13. ELzhi, Willam S., FOCus – My City (prod. by Rick Hughes)
14. Magnificent Ruffians & Eno – Krazy (prod. by DJ Gabe Real)
15. Gritty Bop (DeanLemm Remix)- Percee P.

Nero is that rap where you said, “where was I…sleeping?” I can’t remember where I found Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment, but it is killer. I had it for 2 days and finally threw it on when I was in the car. I was rock’n out to stuff I was reviewing, and some heavy rotations. When it got to Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment. I picked up my ipod and was like “wow, who’s this?” Nero’s sound is classic, but truly stands out on his own. Rugged & Raw sets it off, and lets you know this cat can killa mic. The track that takes you back is Flava In Ya Ear (NBA Jam Edition) ft. Truck North, Chip Tha Ripper, The Kid Daytona & El Prez. Yeah you remember Craig Mac. Nero is the cat that’s making big waves, so keep your ears open & your eyes peeled. Download Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment here. Check out Nero on MySpace and on Twitter. BIG thanks to Nero for making banging music.

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Nero – Alive & Vibrant