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

I started checking out Full Crate & FS Green with their monthly podcast. I  first heard of Versis when he did Love produced by fLako. Not that long ago I got an email from this cat Versis with the track Make Me Laugh that he did with Full Crate.  Versis breaks out with smooth lyrics and a raspy voice, I had a Tone Loc flashback for a minute. It was tight. I hit up Versis to ask what else he has in the works, because I was in the middle of writing a post. He told me that I might want to wait a bit for Synergy the EP (produced by Lucid) to drop. Man, good thing I did. It dropped on July 11th and I rocked Synergy for a couple of days. Versis has more projects in the works, but hopefully this will hold you until then. Download Synergy and Make Me Laugh here. Versis has a few other tracks with some top producers, so check for them. Get the info on Versis and Full Crate on their sites. Keep your ears open and your eyes peeled for Versis. He’ll be making big waves soon. BIG thanks Versis for the heads up.

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Full Crate ft. Versis – Make Me Laugh

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Versis – Fresh

J1 is puttin in work! I mean this brotha’s crankin it out like crazy. James Brown (R.I.P.) ain’t got nothing on this cat. Just to give you an idea of what I’m talking about; J1 DJ’s at a few spots around LA, is in 2 bands, took time to crank out a podcast for Beats+Crates, few days later plays at the Natural History Museum with Dam Funk, and cranked out YouTube. And that’s just the stuff I know about. I feel like I ran a 5K in a minute givin you the run down. The cool thing is, this is quality stuff J1 is crankin out. YouTube has got a jazzy, hip hop, with a twist of funk to it. I dig it as much as the Attack of the Deer. Check fo yo-self. Download YouTube here and check J1 on MySpace. BIG thanks to the fam J1 & HVW8.

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J1 – UTube

I’ve been rockin “Forever Yung” for a few days trying to think who Draft sounds like, or someone to compare him to. No luck because this cat is in a class of his own. The closest person I can compare him to is Bill Withers with his real story telling and rhythmic flows. J-Haze brings some bangin beats and classic samples like on “Let’s Roll.” The combo of Draft and J-Haze makes “Forever Yung” a banger. Download this dope EP here and check out Draft and J-Haze on MySpace.

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Draft – Early and Late

If Flying Lotus and Digable Planets did a collabo it would sound like this. No joke. fLako and Noir team up to bring you a a funky soulful, electro, sound with “Pearls.” This is only an EP and if they’re working on more, I can’t wait. Rock Pearls fo yo-self and you’ll see what I mean…it’s a banger. Download Pearls here while you still can.  Check out Noir and fLako on MySpace.  BIG thanks to the fam at Yes Yes Yall for this dope post. This one’s headed to my heavy rotation playlist fo-sho.

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fLako x Noir – wOoop

I know I say dope a lot, but this is. Have you ever gotten an EP that has recorded cyphas with the artist busting it out?! Not done like this. Noa James cranks out rough and raw tracks and flexed some lyrical muscles in cyphas that have been added on to the ends of some tracks. Don’t take my word for it. Check it out. Download the EP and hear fo-yo-self. BIG thanks to Jay (from the UHH!) for keeping me in the know. To my I.E.  people, keep bringin it….to be continued!

Check out Noa James on MySpace

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Noa James – Noa’s Lesson (Skit)

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Noa James – Sweet Dreamin’

Call it an EP or a short mixtape this dynamic duo is cranking out “Beautiful Music.” Smooth lyrics from M.C. Luck-One and beat maker Dekk on deck makes instant classics. I played Beautiful Music on repeat and lost track of the beginning and the end. Like it should be on all the time. If you’re looking for an insant classic, Beautiful Music is for you. I can’t wait to hear what’s on the LP. BIG thanks to Dekk for posting it on your Blog. Download the EP here. Check out Luck-One and Dekk on MySpace.

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Luck-One & Dekk – Prince Wit’ a 1000

I am still blown away by the number of folks who don’t know The Are. From Houston, Texas he’s made this hot EP called Still Climbing. I Think I listen to it at least ones a day. I’ve heard a few of mixes he’s done, but the EP…it’s that dope. And it’s FREE. Head over to The Are at Myspace to see if it’s still up.  BIG up’s to the beat maker, and keep crank’em out.

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The Are at  Myspace