Psyched to see that the Th3rdz debut album "This That & Th3rdz" finally has a solid street date attached to it, and will be dropping June 18th via Camobear Records. Seattle's Oldominion collective has got its fair share of criminally slept on rappers, and when I heard that JFK, Candidt and Xperience were working on a project together, I immediately started keeping a careful ear to their bandcamp page in order to download whatever tracks I could get my greedy hands on. These three are some very skilled rappers, both on stage and in the studio, so as expected the leaks from this project (which date as far back as 2011) have been damn great. What I wasn't expecting was how many of those leaks wouldn't make the final cut, which I'm assuming is a good thing since this beast is 19 tracks long and probably loaded with A-sides. JFK, Candidt and XP all have excellent solo projects under their belts, and they compliment one another nicely on guest spots and at shows. This debut of theirs also boasts production from Vitamin D, Smoke, and Kuddie Fresh amongst others, along with guest features from Nacho Picasso, Geologic of Blue Scholars, and Sleep of Oldominion. Bangalangin'. Peep a couple of videos from the album under the tracklisting below:
1. Intro
2. Big Chain (feat. Cadence)
3. Rap Rap (feat. Piece)
4. Hustle Harder (feat. Geologic of Blue Scholars)
5. Fixed & Addicted
6. Settle Down
7. Boobiewho (feat. Sonny Bonoho)
8. Work
9. All Do It
10. Be Yourself
11. Playas Only (feat. Brotha Brown)
12. Go For Broke
13. GNikes (feat. Fatal Lucciano)
14. Pushin' (feat. Nacho Picasso)
15. What You Waiting For
16. Favorite Song
17. Go Off (feat. Sleep of Oldominion)
18. Awaken Your Dreams
19. Goodies
New free EP from Dillon and H20 of Mass Influence, who are touting themselves as "The New Blues Brothers" and who got the funky chops to prove it. Dillon is a rapper who I wasn't immediately sold on when I heard his earlier work, but who's gotten progressively better with each release to the point where he's kinda killin' it on this new EP. Mass Influence also released a hell of a comeback song "Morning Breath Chasers" last year, and it's great to hear some new rawness from H20 on here. The Blues Brothers concept is fun and ties the project together nicely, and the whole thing has the enormous benefit of being produced by one of funkiest hip hop producers on the map, Batsauce. Good stuff, you can download "The New Blues Brothers" for free (or whatever you wanna donate) on Dillon's Bandcamp Page or stream the EP below:
1. 106 Miles to Chicago (Intro)
2. The New Blues Brothers
3. Outlaws
4. Something in the Wind
5. Waddap Y'All (feat. Chop)
6. Get Your Mackin' On
New free EP of quality music from NY-based R&B singer Corina Corina. "Come Again: The Eargasm Extended" is a solid collection of mostly extensions and remixes from Corina's last full length solo album "The Eargasm." It serves as a nice companion piece to that album, but also functions well as an entry point for people who have yet to hear Corina's music. Tracks like the remix of "Express Train" benefit from the inclusion of some great new guest verses, and it's awesome to hear fresh material from Corina with Angi3 on "Walk a Mile," but the EP's crowning achievements are the impressive remixes of the songs "O.D Love" and "Royalty." With "O.D. Love," Connecticut producer Deto-22 transforms a previously mellow number into a dark electronic tour de force that seems constantly on the verge of leaning into drum n' bass territory, with exciting results. Similarly, Willie Green's remix of "Royalty" completely abandons the quiet lounge atmosphere of the original in favor of some strong percussion and funky organ sounds, reworking the song into something entirely new. Great EP all around, accompanied by some very tasteful cover art. You can download "Come Again: The Eargasm Extended" for free over at Corina Corina's Bandcamp Page, or stream it under the tracklisting below:
1. Express Train (Remix) (feat. Roc Doogie)
2. O.D. Love (Deto-22 Remix)
3. Royalty (Willie Green Remix)
4. I'm Free (Francois Merryweather Remix)
5. Cost of Living (Remix) (feat. Julius Jones)
6. Walk a Mile (feat. Angi3)
New album from Saskatoon's shining star Factor, entitled "Woke Up Alone," dropping July 23rd 2013 via Fake Four Inc. Expectations have been shifting into high gear over at My Backpack is Bigger Than Yours HQ ever since this one was announced to the masses. Factor's last full length solo album, "Lawson Graham," was such a high-caliber conceptual body of work that it's hard to think of a producer compilation style album that rivals it in its artistry. "Lawson Graham" offered up a loving ode to Factor's grandfather through the unlikely wedding of hip hop and folk music, delivered in such a perfect way that you'd assume the genres had been married for years instead of being newlyweds. With this new Factor project on the horizon, it's a pleasure to see that he hasn't slowed down on the ambitious conceptual side of things. "Woke Up Alone" supposedly tells the tale of a grieving protagonist (played by rapper Kirby Dominant) who is trying to cope with the death of his wife. This tale is split into 5 scenes meant to represent the different stages of mourning, with guest rappers guesting in roles that range from the protagonist's psychologist to the Devil himself. Judging by the first leaked single off the album, the sound that Factor is aiming for on this album is something more dark and haunting than his usual fair, driven by dreary guitar jabs and creepy keys. Looks like some exciting stuff for sure, check out the leaked single "Alive Tomorrow" featuring Nomad and the album trailer below:
Denial & Isolation (Scene 1)
1. Woke Up Alone
2. The Empire Has Fallen (feat. Paranoid Castle)
3. After the Service
Anger (Scene 2)
4. Raise the Dead (feat. Ceschi)
5. Alive Tomorrow (feat. Nomad)
6. Stone Cold (feat. Open Mike Eagle)
Bargaining (Scene 3)
7. Long Hallways
8. In Sickness & In Health (feat. Onry Ozzborn)
9. Don't Give Up (feat. Paranoid Castle & Jeans Boots)
