US Hip Hop 464 Items

After over 15 years of releasing countless solo
projects & 2 group projects (ST. Da Squad, Pages
from the Pavement Ep), New England Hip-Hop
super group ST. Da Squad (consisting of
Termanology, Reks, Ea$y Money, SuperSTah Snuk,
Artisin, Hectic, Clip, Machete & DJ Deadeye) have
released their highly anticipated debut album "Self
Titled"!
The album is packed with 17 Tracks & features
production from Statik Selektah, Baby Paul, Vinny
Idol, Deli, Shawneci, Billy Loman, Shortfyuz &
more. The first single "It's The ST. 2.0 (Let em'
Know)" is a reintroduction to the entire group
backed by signature production from Statik
Selektah. The second single "Gun Clap" is an ode to
vintage Hip Hop with a smooth boom bap & jazz
soundscape. With "Self Titled" the group is back to
give the fans what they've been asking for, that
authentic Hip-Hop music! #SelfTitledST

Produced entirely by Harry Fraud (who produced French Montana's "Shot Caller"), Smoke DZA's upcoming LP will feature appearances from the likes of Action Bronson, Domo Genesis, and his Jet Life labelmate Curren$y, among others. Harlem's own Smoke DZA has seen his career skyrocket lately, as acclaimed projects like George Kush Da Button and Rolling Stoned have introduced the public to Smoke's irresitible laid-back flow. DZA has also been collaborating with a who's who of young hip-hop stars (Asher Roth, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, Cory Gunz, Mickey Factz, Dom Kennedy, and more), firmly establishing himself as a leader of the next generation of rhyme spitters. The proud stoner is now joining forces with High Times for Rugby Thompson, a brand new album produced entirely by Harry Fraud. With Fraud's pounding drums providing the backdrop and appearances from Action Bronson, Curren$y, Sean Price, Schoolboy Q, and Domo Genesis of Odd Future, Rugby Thompson is among DZA's most impressive work to date.

In celebration of the five year anniversary of Ghostface Killah’s widely acclaimed 2018 LP, The Lost Tapes — produced entirely by Big Ghost LTD — Coalmine Records is pleased to announce their partnership with Holy Toledo Productions for a deluxe edition reissue that includes both the main and instrumental passes. Despite what the title may suggest, The Lost Tapes is not a collection of rare or unreleased tracks, but rather an album recorded with the intention of summoning an incarnation of an early Tony Starks, akin to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Ironman, and Supreme Clientele. And this is achieved largely by the production value that Big Ghost LTD brings to the table, whose rise to fame first came by way of Twitter with his spot-on Pretty Toney parody. Armed with a cache of raw beats, Big Ghost tastefully weaves soulful samples to create a satisfying cocktail of distinctively up-to-date boom bap. This especially holds true on tracks like “Majestic Accolades” and “Watch Em’ Holla.” The former of which is among the album’s highlights, as Starky Love raps one of the more memorable hooks, talking about his experiences with girls, hustling, and life in general. Narrated by Michael Rapaport, the ’90s hip-hop aficionado, actor and comedian helps keep the pace for Ghost Deini’s 10th solo LP by reminding us that we’re in the presence of greatness. But it’s the chemistry of emcee and producer that elevates The Lost Tapes to one of the more stand-out solo releases in Wu-Tang’s discography of recent memory. Entrenched in the classic Wu sound, the 12 track LP slaps like a ‘90s record without sounding like a strained attempt to recapture lightning in a bottle. To boot, The Lost Tapes are also abound with features from hip-hop luminaries such as Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, E-40, Killah Priest, Kxng Crooked, Cappadonna, Big Daddy Kane, Ras Kass and more. All in all, The Lost Tapes is a victory lap, and one who’s purpose is to not only to create nostalgia, but to formulate a group of songs that represent who Ghostface was as a person back then, and where he stands now as one of the most exemplary emcees of all time.

An unexpected but surprisingly effective combination straight out of hip-hop fans' fantasies.

Now the vinyl for Danny Watts' "Black Boy Meets World" on Jonwayne’s imprint Authors Recording Company. Beats were supplied in full by Jonwayne, creating the environments that mesh to Danny Watts’ introspective lyricism and soulful cadences on the mic. The Houston based rapper has created a body of work that details his life experiences with an honest and uncompromising lens, jumping out of the Authors Recording Company gates as the first release after the critically acclaimed Rap Album Two.

Danny Watts and Jonwayne recently captured Black Boy Meets World in the span of only a week, recording the 11-track LP at the Los Angeles recording facility Cosmic Zoo. Danny also wrote all of the lyrics to the album in this same window, finishing up to three songs per day as the Cosmic Zoo sessions occurred in an intense yet efficient form. Mixing and mastering was completed by Low End Theory’s Daddy Kev and artwork was supplied by Authors’ creative director Shane Sakanoi. With executive oversight and production on every track supplied by Jonwayne, guest contributions and features include Ray Wright of Warm Brew, DIBIA$E, Leaving Records’ Kiefer, Dr. Octagon collaborator Juan Alderete de la Pena, Zeroh, and many others. The overall effect presents the ethos of hip-hop’s many forms, pulled into the weight of classic sounding kicks, snares, hi-hats, basslines, keys, synths, and horns.

2nd full album by Anderson .Paak with features by Schoolboy Q, Talib Kweli, The Game, BJ The Chicago Kid and more.

With the first song of his 2014 masterpiece, Dark Comedy, Open Mike Eagle reintroduced himself by defining his style: “I’m bad at sarcasm so I work in absurdity.” On that album, Mike deconstructed our overstimulated and over-surveilled society with ease and caustic wit. But what do you do when the world warps and bends into a shape so absurd that it can no longer be exaggerated?

Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is a searingly political record for systolic political times. It chronicles the life cycle of the Robert Taylor Homes, a housing project on the South side of Chicago that was demolished completely ten years ago. Families that had lived under the same roof for three generations were forced to scatter, condemned by bureaucrats and faceless cranes and public indifference. Mike Eagle brings the Robert Taylor Homes back to life--literally, with arms and eyes and a head like the dome of a stadium--and fights until the last brick is made to crumble.

As always, Mike slips in and out of various grey areas; on the opener “legendary iron hood,” he raps, “you think it's all good, but it's really a gradient.” The nostalgia (“95 radios”) is a little bit painful, the triumph (“hymnal”) comes through painstaking, incremental work. Everything needs to be earned, even the radio signals that are picked up through tinfoil wrapped on children's hands.

The thesis becomes fully formed on “brick body complex,” where the hook is a towering statement of identity: “Don't call me ‘nigga,’ or ‘rapper,’ my motherfucking name is Michael Eagle.” But this is not a departure from the man-as-building conceit--the flesh and blood and brick and mortar are inextricable.

In case there was any ambiguity about the political and cultural forces that lead to the Robert Taylor Homes’ eventual destruction, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream ends with perhaps the most powerful song of Mike Eagle’s catalog to date. “my auntie’s building” is a tour de force. “They say America fights fair,” he raps. “But they won't demolish your timeshare.” This is the point: the decay and eventual destruction of public housing--and of the physical lives of Black Americans generally--has been normalized in a way that should be grotesquely absurd. “They blew up my auntie’s building / Put out her great-grandchildren / Who else in America deserves to have that feeling? / Where else in America will they blow up your village?”

Production comes courtesy of Exile, Toy Light, Andrew Broder, Illingsworth, DJ Nobody, Kenny Segal, Caleb Stone, Lo-Phi, Elos, and Has-Lo, who produces and guests on “95 radios.” “hymnal” also features a superb turn from Sammus, who maintains the same rhyme scheme throughout her defiant verse.

As grave as the album’s stakes are, it's still anchored by Mike Eagle’s irrepressible sense of humor. (His live comedy show, The New Negroes, is upcoming via Comedy Central.) “no selling” is a hilarious take on practiced indifference, and “TLDR” bridges the economic gap with withering wit: “If you was rich and ‘bout to be broke, I can coach you / ‘Cause I can show you how to kill a roach with a boat shoe.”

Eagle has earned rave reviews in Pitchfork, the LA Weekly, and wherever brilliant, avant-garde rap is appreciated. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is his most overtly political work to date, and puts to use all the dazzling technical skills he's perfected over more than a decade at the forefront of rap’s underground. In chaotic and increasingly fractured times, it has a few crucial things to bring to your attention.

How do you define the music of Mantronix? Is it Hip Hop? Electro? Funk? House? Maybe the answer is all of the above (or is it none of the above?). It is true that Mantronix will be remembered for their multi-faceted sound as well as their ability to bend and blend genres flawlessly into a cohesive musical tapestry, but also most importantly they will be remembered as musical innovators and sub-genre pioneers.

PRhyme 2 is the second official full-length collaboration from two of HipHop’s most respected artists. PRhyme marks the first time that DJ Premier has been part of a group since being ½ of the legendary Gang Starr. The PRhyme 2 album exclusively samples the work of composer and producer AntMan Wonder, produced by the legendary DJ Premier. Featuring Dave East, Yelawolf, CeeLo Green, 2 Chainz, Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y, and Rapsody.