Mr. Crooks does it again with Diamonds & Guns.  The title track is a banger.  Diamonds & Guns puts you in an Audrey Hepburn movie with a heist and the villain gets away.  Maybe it was the cover art that made me envision that.  Either way Stevie Crooks kills that track.  Crooklyn is another track that I can’t get outta my head.  This is one artist not to be slept on.  I rocked Stevie Crooks’ CSTC Mixtape for a while, and Diamonds & Guns is the only reason I retired it from my ipod.  Download Stevie Crooks – Diamonds & Guns on BandCamp.  You can also find CSTC Mixtape there too. BIG thanks Stevie Crooks for making the music that keeps heads nodding.

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Stevie Crooks – Diamonds & Guns

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Stevie Crooks – StopLookListen

El Prez is a Los Angeles staple like the Lakers and In-N-Out. It shouldn’t be a surprise that El Prez’s title Animal Style! and cover art have that In-N-Out look. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. What does surprise me is that he can crank out projects, and be everywhere at once! For reals. I’ve seen him at several events, he’s mentioned on every blog (check the interview on LA Stereo), updates his tumblr site, and tweets throughout the day. I’d call him a super emcee. Animal Style! is more then just a top secret item not shown on the In-N-Out menu, but a dope EP. Download El Prez – Animal Style! on BandCamp. BIG thanks El Prez for for keeping it LA.

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El Prez – Phantoms of the Opera

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El Prez – King Kong (I’m Gone) *snippet*

Ok if you haven’t heard of Kooley High, you’re sleeping.  After checking out the documentary One Day and meeting them I’ve been keeping an eye out. Together they’re a banging group, and as individuals they can kill a mic.  For example Tab-One dropped The Tabloids a while back, and I’ve been rocking it ever since.  It was hard to pick a couple of tracks for a preview.  The Tabloids is one album I can wholely say the this is dope.  Download Tab-One – The Tabloids here.  Check out other Kooley High projects and keep an eye out for when they come to your town.  BIG thanks Tab-One for making good music.  I’ll catch you cats when you visit SoCal again.

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Tab-One – Vc Insd My Hd

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Tab-One – Revival

I don’t like to classify or make sub-genres of Hip Hop, but this is on some backpacker blow your mind ish.  Yes that is a good thing.  I started playing Taiyamo Denku’s Articles of Mind and right away it made me feel proud when I rocked a backpack everywhere.  A walkman, sketchbook,and sharpies handy to jot down ideas and bump whatever mixtape I had.  When I say Articles of Mind is backpacker I also want to include the lyrical content.  The lyrics are strong, in your face, blunt statements of the political & social issues, create expression, and the state of Hip hop.  Call it what you want, but Taiyamo Denku stays true to that and more.  Articles of Mind also has dope guest appearances by some heavy hitters.  Buy Taiyamo Denku – Articles of Mind online.  Also check out Taiyamo Denko’s free download Lost Thoughts on BandCamp.  BIG thanks to the folks at Uncommon Records for the heads up.

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Taiyamo Denku – Questions Need Answers ft. Sabac Red (prod. by Dynamo)

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Taiyamo Denku – Lost In Production (prod. by Ayatollah)

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One Truth – Man vs. Woman

The first thing that pops into my mind when people mention “spoken word artists” is political (or whatever topic that’s currently socially conscious) rhythmical rants. One night J1 invited me to Transmissions at Grand Star to check out this cat One Truth. Man, was that an experience. One Truth had a three-piece band called MugPush and a style far removed from other poets I’ve seen. It felt more like a hip hop or jazz show. Point is, One Truth changed my whole perspective of spoken word artists. His album Soundtrack To Life: New Beginnings also reflects that- it’s one you’ll bump in your car. Check out One Truth on MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. Buy One Truth’s Soundtrack To Life: New Beginnings. BIG thanks J1 for the heads up.

I’M NOT PLAYING…BUY THIS SH*T NOW! Ok, I’d heard the buzz about Strong Arm Steady’s (Krondon, Phil Da Agony, & Mitchy Slick) In Search Of Stoney Jackson, but it was the midnight release and in-store performance at Fat Beats that pushed me over the edge. (If you haven’t seen it, google that sh*t. I would have paid for that show.) Earlier that day a Strong Arm Steady podcast mixed by House Shoes and J. Rocc was dropped with all the extras. I bought the album that night and bumped it all the way home. Even took the long way. I can’t say anything bad about In Search Of Stoney Jackson; every track is a banger. Funky beats by Madlib, hard-hitting lyricism by Strong Arm Steady, and guest appearances by Phonte, Planet Asia, Tri-State, Fashawn, Talib Kweli, Oh On, Evidence, & more mean there’s no way this could be a bad album. Stop what you’re doing and go buy In Search Of Stoney Jackson! I got mine at Fat Beats. BIG thanks to Strong Arm Steady and Madlib for making great music. You cats set the bar high.

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Strong Arm Steady – New Love ft. Planet Asia & Tri-State

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Strong Arm Steady – Two Pistols ft. Mitchy Slick

I was at Fat Beats talking to House Shoes, and he pulls a record off the rack and says “You should get this”.  It was Dynas – The Apartment and at first I was like ” who’s this cat?”  House Shoes put it on the turntable and started going through the tracks.  ”And this is why you should check it out”.  I mean with tracks like The Future featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and Family Jewels with Slick Rick you can’t go wrong.  Dynas The Apartment is in heavy heavy rotation on the ipod.  To sum it up when House Shoes talks music…TAKE NOTES. Go buy Dynas – The Apartment at Fat Beats, Amoeba Music, or ask for it at your local record store.  BIG thanks House Shoes for the heads up.

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Dynas – Crown Royal

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Dynas – The Apartment

DON’T SLEEP on the I.E.!  That’s real talk people.  Black Cloud Records has got a gang of artists that are putting the I.E. on the map.  Yasin is one cat you may have heard of or caught a track he’s been featured on. Sound Of A Monster, Black Friday Tape, and now War Iza Reality are just a few projects Yasin has be involved with.  War Iza Reality is a banger.  On Murder Cops (ft. Jynxx), Yasin doesn’t hold back on expressing how he feels about (some) cops, and the Oakland tragedy.  Overall this is a head nodding Hip Hop album.  Download Yasin – War Iza Reality here. BIG thanks to Noa for the heads up.

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Yasin – Deff March

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Yasin – Sorrow (feat Antahlyzah)

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Yasin – Choppin’ Heads (feat Art Barz, Curtiss King & Noa James)

The first time I heard the track Please Tip Your Driver, I played it over and over.  Shortly after, I hit up Red Pill and wanted to get the low down on the track.  It’s the first single from his album with the same title.  At the time when I first heard it, the album Please Tip Your Driver, didn’t have a release date, and a few months later it is here!  I have to tell you Please Tip Your Driver is a MUST have. Dead End Road, I Understand, YouCanMakeLifeCanMakeYou every track is like a short story that you can relate to.  I don’t know what else Red Pill’s got in the works, but he’s one to look for. Download Red Pill – Please Tip Your Driver from his site.  BIG thanks to Red Pill for making real hip hop. Keep doing you.

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Red Pill – Worry About It Later

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Red Pill – Please Tip Your Driver

DON’T SLEEP!  Right off the bat this is DOPE!  Blame One recently dropped Mr. Science Presents Leaks & Gemz and since then I have played the whole thing every day (sometimes more than once). If that’s not heavy rotation then I don’t know what is.  From the jump,  Mr. Science had me cranking up the volume and nodding my head.  I got to Move Forward featuring Trek Life & Sene and had to replay it… a couple of times.  Leaks & Gemz had me in a Hip Hop zone.  Take note people, this is what Hip Hop sounds like.  Download Blame One – Leaks & Gemz here.  Check out what Blame One is up to on Twitter.  BIG thanks Blame One for showing the folks what hip hop is all  about.

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Blame One – Mr Science

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Blame One – I Keep Tell You!