Just Ice- Hardhead

The Desolate One is Just Ice's most eclectic album in terms of production and the wide-ranging sound. The man they called hip hop's original gangster rapper was open to all sorts of turntabling applied to his instrumentals. Unworldly drum loops, crazy samples, scratches with inopportune timing, and all sorts of other kooky methods that make The Desolate One hard to listen to.
Hardhead is the most orthodox hip hop jawn to be found on the whole album. Shit bangs something proper too.





http://www.mediafire.com/?jznxjtwygez
http://sharebee.com/035a1899

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John Coltrane- Psalm

My physical copy of A Love Supreme has grown ragged over the last week. John Coltrane was truly speaking to the gods when he was recording that album. And although A Love Supreme is an incredibly cohesive album (it better be with only four songs), Psalm has stood out to me as the superior jawn. The raw energy and the sound is undeniable.





http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nmmt1zuny0h
http://sharebee.com/c84d7f32

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Andre Nickatina feat. Equipto: Y-U-Smilin

Quick self-plug, if you haven't copped that Ghost Of Fillmoe, you're missing out.
Y-U-Smilin' is off the well-esteemed Nicky and 'Quip' Horns & Halos series. Some unmatched Bay Area dopeness for those that don't know. As always, the beat knocks something major, but the rhymes are more than enough to keep your attention for 3 minutes. Bay Area slang is one thing, but Nicky and Equipto are truly redefining our language one collab at a time.





http://www.mediafire.com/?gnivwm2uxdz
http://sharebee.com/f3771759

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AZ- The Come Up

What's funny is that Primo never produced any early solo AZ shits, yet produced two of his best post-Doe Or Die jawns. For my money, The Come Up and The Format are among select company. Anytime these two collaborate it seems like Premo digs just a little bit deeper, AZ's metaphors are a little wittier, the flow is a little crisper, and the lyrics make you think a little harder.






http://www.mediafire.com/?vdydmmhdird
http://sharebee.com/c4bfda7b

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MF Grimm feat. Kool G Rap, Akinyele, C.J. Moore and Big Chuck- AIDS

Remember MF Grimm shortly after his shooting? When he was less of an enigma, and more of a raw lyricist involved in the gulliest of collabs? Well, Scars & Memories is a great time capsule for those that may not have all the goodies or those that may be unaware of Grimm's earlier achievements.
AIDS is a posse cut featuring two unknown's, Kool G Rap, and Akinyele. The Dr. Butcher instrumental sounds a little spacey with a refined boom-bap clap that provides a great soundscape for all to spit some piff. The hook for this one is downright awful, but thankfully you only have to hear it twice and both times it's fairly brief. Other than that, it's straight heat rocks from '96.





http://www.mediafire.com/?mmzmwxyy3nt
http://sharebee.com/c83709e5

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House Of Pain- Jump Around

I'm almost positive everyone's already got this classic party joint, but few people know what happened to the members of House Of Pain once they disbanded in '96. Danny Boy (the lesser-known of all the members) got out the rap game, DJ Lethal got with Limp Bizkit, and still did some production on the side. Everlast (probably the reason they split in the first place) laid down a few solo albums and achieved a moderate amount of success.
But they came together once again in '06 to form La Coka Nostra alongside Ill Bill, Slaine, and Big Left. The music has more of a horrorcore sound to it, and I say that acknowledging House Of Pain wasn't a very soft album.
It's safe to say Jump Around came before all the shamrocks & shenanigans.





http://www.mediafire.com/?m4olafkj2vz
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Prince Ali- I Miss 1994

I've been meaning to do this write-up for a good two months now, in fact I Miss 1994 was supposed to be the first induction for our bucket list. Not that it matters to anyone.
Anyway, this is an album by a Toronto based artist named Prince Ali. Someone I was completely unaware about until I heard a little ditty called Righteous Scrolls which featured Tragedy Khadafi. If you haven't yet heard it, click that link, it's one of the finest jazz-rap productions that will ever bless your ears. So, off the brute strength of that one record, I was compelled to dig further and see what type of other goodies Prince Ali might have recorded earlier in his career. And the most heralded was an jazzy ode to 1994, which was a must-cop and a free download from my understanding.
The most impressive part of this tape was the interludes. Instead of skits or talking about this and that, Ali takes an interlude as an opportunity to play some mellow jazz and lead right into the next jawn.
And when Prince Ali does handle the mic, he rips it to shreds in an old school manner. In the process, he sets an undeniable vibe that has been so far gone in years past. If you miss '94, you need this in your life. Trust.

Choice Cuts:

Drift


Incistroduction


Movements


Rap Author


Where to Cop From:
1
2
3
4
5

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Hiroller- I'm Back

I've got no clue who Hiroller is, but his (mixtape?) album Second To None was somehow in my music libary, and upon giving it a listen, I found one gem. On a tape of 25 jawns if not more.
I'm Back is most likely not original production, but I've got not an inkling about who's instrumental this is, so I'll keep mum. Compared to the rest of the album, Hiroller does quite well on this jawn, not falling back on the soft rhymes, and riding the beat something proper.



http://www.mediafire.com/?wnzjoow2ndy
http://sharebee.com/c65cda40

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Hyenas In The Desert- Other Side Of The Midnight

The album cover makes Hyenas In The Desert look like ICP meets Slipknot, but much to my comfort the Die Laughing EP is just some twisted mid 90's horrorcore rap. In fact, these dudes are fairly tame when compared to the likes of Big L, Brotha Lynch Hung, Necro, and the Gravediggaz among others.
As for the jawn, it admittedly sounds like some wack electronica-fused hip hop at first, but wait till the beat kicks in. You'll be in store for some unprecedented illness.





http://www.mediafire.com/?ywen3vgyd2y
http://massmirror.com/c321a6c0592350b85ae442c901479f61.html

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The Game- Dreams

This was one of Game's original name-dropping masterpieces. It's no Big Dreams, at least not in terms of sheer energy, but it compensates with raw penmanship and clever metaphors whilst paying tribute to those who laid the road for young Jayceon Taylor to succeed. Like Yetunde Price, I suppose.
By the way, did you know that 'Ye produced this jawn? Game did mention it a few times, but just on the off chance you didn't hear the hook...





http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?m3mtoxeznzw
http://sharebee.com/d56fd638

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Large Professor- Secret Agent

Large Pro has long been in my top 5 for producers, but I've found it remarkably hard to listen to his solo efforts. Make no mistakes, 1st Class, The LP, and Main Source are dope projects, but nowhere near the level of excellence of Xtra P's earlier work.
That said, Beatz Vol.1 was a step in the right direction, but it was less of an Large Professor instrumental album, and more of a collection of leftover's. Still, Secret Agent is a soft-spoken instrumental that nonetheless knocks something proper.





http://www.mediafire.com/?ygdjmgv0ltk
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Ice Cube- You Know How We Do It

One of my all-time favorites.





http://www.mediafire.com/?zuohaxwjztl
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The Best Of Nardwuar Part 1

Blame it on Aaron at HHIR who posted a video clip of this guy interviewing Nas and got me hella interested. This guy's shtick is that he dresses really strange, has no reservations in asking questions, and always ends interviews by asking his subjects to sing along to Doot Doola Doot Doo....
It's deeper than that though. He has an incredibly thorough knowledge of hip hop (among other genres) and he digs deep by asking uncanny questions. Think Robbie meets Borat.
So in an effort to humanity, here are the essentials in the Nardwuar discog (sans all other musical genres).

Meets Nas
If you've ever needed to watch something in your life, this is it. All the way through, trust.


Meets K'Naan
The Djibouti pun wears thin pretty quick, but K'Naan proves to be a cool enough dude.


Meets T-Pain
Teddy's a fucking fool, but this interview definitely has it's moments.


Meets Young MC
He proves his worth with an digging performance worthy of an archaeologist or Madlib.


Meets Common
I'm telling you, his knowledge is deep. Casper's Groovy Ghost, come on!


Meets Afrika Bambaataa
This is the one interview where he really didn't have to do much. Just lets Bambaataa's crazy ass go on about universal love, Zulu Nation, and what have you.


And that's just part 1. Stay tuned.

There's more, click here.

Meyhem Lauren feat. Roc Marciano - Animal Science

I know next to nothing about Meyhem, but a Roc Marciano feature holds clout. So when I saw DP throw this jawn up something casual in reference to a performance in Brooklyn, I wasn't exactly surprised that the shit banged harder than a Sonny Liston punch to the jaw. The instrumental knocks and the lyrical vicissitude is something to be observed.



http://www.mediafire.com/?jykmyd04wnk
http://sharebee.com/e0e2992a

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Saïan Supa Crew-X raisons

This is the second foreign hip hop post I've done, and both jawns are in French. Sadly, I have a few gigs of dope Russian hip hop, but haven't had the time to dig deep and find some gems.
Saïan Supa Crew is a collective made up of three groups, like the Boot Camp Clik, and they have a pretty diverse sound that I normally wouldn't mess with, but X raisons is some raw dopeness.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBU7pMXApG0

http://www.mediafire.com/?noiz2j0wmyj
http://sharebee.com/e4028b4c

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Boot Camp Clik-And So

If nothing else you have to love these NYC super-groups for the fact that their albums typically consist of nothing more than straight posse cuts. Except the posse comes from their very own crew (or Clik).
This jawn is of BCC's The Chosen Few. And it stands out pretty eloquently with the highly recognizable 'and so' vocal sample. Is it any surprise that Curt Cazal (production guru for JVC Force and QNC) produced it?





http://www.mediafire.com/?gy0ztnjkizm
http://sharebee.com/b71968d3

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Nighthawks- N.R.A.

Although I don't care for Def Jux nor Cage or Camu Tao, I picked up Nighthawks (self-titled) on the strength of the far-out concept. It's no Deltron, but Cage and Camu Tao are NYC police officers who are trying to stop a terrorist in whatever capacity possible.
And they somehow pull off the musical syndication of a crime drama. It doesn't sound too bad, and N.R.A. is proof of that, especially that scratched police siren for the hook.
On a sidenote, Camu Tao died last year, so R.I.P. to him.





http://www.mediafire.com/?tz5ozjwqymb
http://sharebee.com/b5b0c96d

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Mobb Deep- The Start Of Your Ending (41st Side)

It took me something like 60 minutes to remember just how much of a fuggin beast Havoc was behind the boards. Although most people remember Shook Ones Pt.II of The Infamous, no instrumental is fuckin' with The Start Of Your Ending. Too bad Prodigy & Havoc don't approach this jawn with their typical lyrical ferocity. You can believe if I had the instrumental, you'd have the instrumental.





http://www.mediafire.com/?yuwquzkizm2
http://sharebee.com/8363d587

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Kool G Rap- Risin' Up

This jawn comes off of Kool G Rap's latest effort called Half A Klip. Remarkably mediocre when compared to the rest of KGR's body of work, but still worthy of a listen. Worth noting is how On The Rise Again (track #9) is produced by DJ Premier and features Haylie Duff (her vocal sample). Yeah, that Haylie Duff. Actually a pretty ill jawn too for what it's worth.
Anyway, Risin' Up is produced by Domingo, and is successful where most the other songs on Half A Klip aren't (production-wise). The instrumental is top notch, and G Rap deliver just like we know him to.





http://www.mediafire.com/?cwzwkgf2woy
http://sharebee.com/1dcd2dca

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Kanser- You Can't Relate

Kanser is a group from Minneapolis that have been in the rap game for over 10 years now, but are still pretty low-key. I'm an inhabitant of Murderapolis, and I wouldn't have even known about these guys if it wasn't for their stellar performance at SoundSet a few years back.
You can't relate comes off a demo tape called Network. I strongly emphasize the word demo because the quality for this tape is pretty poor. Still, how can you not fucks with a group where one member wears flip-flop's, the other wears New Balances, and only the last one is rockin' some Nike's.



http://www.mediafire.com/?2tmmo2mwtzm
http://sharebee.com/8ddc96a7

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Kev Brown feat. Kenn Starr & Quartermaine- Say Sumthin

Off Kev Brown's blog-acclaimed Do What I Do, a jazzy DMV memento that more or less established the Low Budget Crew.
Truth be told, I fucks with Kev Brown production something heavy, but he can deliver on the mic too. That said, Kenn Starr makes an appearance on this jawn and spits that phlegm on this beat, an immaculate lyrical performance.





http://www.mediafire.com/?wk5jzwyzatd
http://sharebee.com/b42d4641

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Lord Finesse- Hip 2 Da Game Instrumental

Sadly enough, Lord Finesse is often forgotten when mentioning the most influential or talented producers of the 90's. His role as boss man for the D.I.T.C. can not be over-emphasized, nor the illness of Funky Technician and Return Of The Funky Man. And how about his production in the '90's not related to the Diggin' In The Crates crew? Biggie, Akinyele, KRS, MC Lyte, Large Pro, Dr. Dre, Capone-N-Noreage and the list goes on.
This jawn comes off of The Awakening, and is splendid when it comes to rhymes but also comes equipped with an god-awful hook that partly ruins the whole listening experience. So for that reason, here's the instrumental:





http://www.mediafire.com/?qmmtiymmctl
http://sharebee.com/f6a613a3

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Mad Skillz- All In It

Chances are you know Skillz best from his year-end rap up's where he summarizes the year's hip hop happenings in a few minutes time.
A novelty act? Certainly. But don't dismiss Skillz (formerly Mad Skillz) just yet. Way back in the day, '96 to be exact, he dropped From Where??? on Big Beat Records. Although Skillz is from Virginia, From Where??? is a complete east coast boom-bap record.
All In It is the crown jewel of Skillz' debut record. An majestic instrumental, a Guru sample for the hook and battle raps from heaven.





http://www.mediafire.com/?ylho2zzmzmj
http://sharebee.com/bbf94448

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Visual Spotlight: PDubl

My dude DJ Crate Scienz got me privy to this graphic designer named PDubl via the album art for his mixtape called The Listening Session. You can check it here. Crate Scienz directed me towards PDubl's MySpace page which hosted all or most or at least some of dude's previous work.
At first glance, I was blown away. Not so much by the eccentricity and the use of eclectic colors, but moreso by the intricacies that exist in every picture.
He seamlessly blends pop-art with ill graphics and numerous off-kilter figures. Most importantly, he creates visuals that take time to fully absorb and comprehend, allowing you to reach your own conclusions while achieving a subtle social message throughout.
*Click on the pictures to enlarge*

There's more, click here.

JVC Force- Strong Island

For whatever reason, there seems to be a really heavy Run-DMC influence on the production for this jawn. Not necessarily a bad thing, as AJ Rok & B-Luv exchange some pretty dope rhymes, but the sound is a bit unlike the rest of Doin' Damage. And to be brutally honest, Doin' Damage as a whole, is a pretty outdated album, at least in terms of production.
Force Field not so much, as Curt Cazal drops all sorts of illness on the sophomore effort, but the debut is hard to adjust to.
Still, Strong Island is a classic anthem and a brave move for JVC Force, being released amidst a flurry of cats who were all 'supposedly' from BK, Bronx, or Harlem. No such fuckery here.





http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?cjlwntg4thm
http://sharebee.com/a572b83e

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Artists Over Industry- Back In The Day

This used to be my shit back in the day, the perfect jawn to reclaim just a touch of what we had back in the 90's albeit on an independent rap tip. I try not to sound like one of those old heads who always pisses and moans about 'back in the day', but it's hard not to take a deep sigh after hearing this heart-felt memento.






http://www.mediafire.com/?nmh4zwmotun
http://sharebee.com/1a144d36

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East Flatbush Project- Can't Hold It Back

I'm not too knowledgable about The East Flatbush Project, aside from the man's prowess with production and his extremely limited discography.
His wiki page shows that he's released six singles in 15 years time. But I have the deluxe version of First Born, and there are at least 10 jawns with original production by The East Flatbush Project.
Still though, 10 songs in 15 years? You'll understand why once you hear Can't Hold It Back.






http://www.mediafire.com/?zj1unidagly
http://sharebee.com/3047a856

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2Pac- Old School

When reminiscing on Pac's legacy, don't forget that this was a man who rocked a nose ring with no questions about his masculinity and certainly no doubts about his sexuality. Right?
Old School ranks up there alongside Ghetto Gospel or Dear Mama. Think about it, 2Pac made it cool to love your mom, he made it cool to do a song with Elton John. And on Old School, he professes his love for East-Coast hip hop. Namedropping the likes of Rakim, LL Cool J, Grandmaster Caz, Stetsasonic, Kurtis Blow, Doug E. Fresh, and Slick Rick. Dude was thorough with his knowledge of hip hop's pioneers.
And what could be more east-coast than Grand Puba sampled for the hook?




http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mknyigomtjk
http://sharebee.com/486d13c0

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Akinyele- Yo

This is a joint recorded sometime during the Live At The Barbecue era, before Akinyele dropped Vagina Diner and was wrongly regarded as a one-dimensional sex rap god.
His lyrical skills were not to be fucked with, his appearance on the classic Live at The Barbeque posse cut should warrant that at the minimum. Cuts like Yo are not to be ignored either.





http://www.mediafire.com/?yxm2zzt10mz
http://sharebee.com/f18c6208

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Goodie Mob- I Didn't Ask To Come

Soul Food is an easy classic, blending dope, east-coast flavored instrumentals with the eclectic stylings of Khujo, Cee-Lo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. Goodie Mob is dope enough by themselves, but the Organized Noise production boosts Soul Food to a new plateau of classic.
Goodie Mob was the south's Public Enemy. In more ways than one.





http://www.mediafire.com/?fmmz5tinm0m
http://sharebee.com/c6a3c6c1

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Paul Wall feat. Big Pokey- Sittin' Sideways

Sadly my introduction to Paul Wall was via the SSX snowboarding series (for the OG Xbox). After listening to lots of dude's solo records, I've come to the realization that Paul Wall does his best work when he is featuring on someone else's song.
As I remember this was Paul Wall's major hit off The People's Champ (you know, before he started doing collabs with Brooke Hogan), and that instrumental still sounds just as good as it did back in '05.





http://www.mediafire.com/?e2wgqmijjjj
http://sharebee.com/0ff9fcb4

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La The Darkman- I Want It All

It's saddening that one of the most promising Wu Tang affiliates back in '98 is now better-known for the platonic DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz series. He went from collabs with Raekwon and Havoc to Willie The Kid and countless other mediocre emcees.
Heist Of The Century is one of the better Wu-tinged albums ever released. Maybe not top 10, but easily on the border. If not for LA's storytelling, then for Carlos Broady's production which (despite the occasional mediocrity) is fairly ill.





http://www.mediafire.com/?gdnnxyzigun
http://sharebee.com/ee4fdfb8

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GRAV-World Domination

I've had this album in the crates for a second, but just bothered to give it a listen. From my admittedly limited knowledge of GRAV, it seems like Down To Earth was released in '96 and featured production by an young kid named Kanye West. Name sounds familiar, right?
That explains the dope production, but this guy GRAV has crazy allusions in his lyrics, like a poor man's Ras Kass circa '96. 'Ye knew how to pick 'em back in the day.





http://www.mediafire.com/?y5j00gmgjnm
http://sharebee.com/8a1eadc5

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Guru- Loungin'

I've never understood how it's possible that such a medicore lyricist as Guru got blessed with the dopest production of the 90's.
I'm willing to argue that the production for the Jazzmatazz series is nearly equivalent to Primo on a bad day. The live instrumentation is beyond dope, and listening to it still gives me the chills. Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers among others contributed their musical prowess in a way hip hop had never seen before. Jazzmatazz was great, and Loungin' is a great example.





http://www.mediafire.com/?m2okigd02r4
http://sharebee.com/4c23f9da

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Kid Capri feat. Nine, M.O.P. & Ill Al Skratch - Dr. Feelgood

I wasn't even aware of this jawn until someone requested it, and upon giving it a listen I was really feelin' it.
Apparently it comes off of the Nice & Smooth EP called Funky Funky Rhymes. I tried to find that EP, but to no avail. Still, Dr. Feelgood is some dopeness you need in your life.





http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zhmd2ojjghm
http://sharebee.com/bf2972ec

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George Carlin- Harley Davidson

My favorite Carlin persona is the one where he gets real worked up about something and drops an off-kilter statement that ruins whatever he had going for him. In this clip, he goes off on the weekend motorcycling enthusiasts who have started to build Harley Davidson theme restaurants.

"You ain't cool, you're fucking chili"

http://www.mediafire.com/?royjz0kgtww
http://sharebee.com/f59d0acb

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Jay-Z: Dead Presidents II

Aside from being Jigga's all-time greatest jawn, this song has history aplenty behind it.
For a long time, I was confused when I would listen to The World Is Yours and never hear the sample that Ski used for DP2, but after a little bit of digging, it turns out that Ski used the vocal from a Q-Tip remix of The World Is Yours. That explains a lot.
Equally interesting is the roots of the Jigga-Nas feud allegedly beginning because Nasir didn't want to re-record his chorus. He also didn't appear in the video upon request. Then they traded words, and Jay spit venom about how Nas was using his own voice wrong and 'tec on the dresser' and blahzay blah.
Despite all that, this is a top 10 jawn.





http://www.mediafire.com/?dn4mjzjwzjg
http://sharebee.com/f3dc2775

Bonus: Ski Beatz talks on the creation of the instrumental.

There's more, click here.

R.I.P. Ted Kennedy

I'm remarkably late on this one, but I just found out that Ted Kennedy (not the senator) died on the 14th. After spending 5 years of my childhood in Toronto, I can appreciate the importance of this man. He was an icon for the Leafs, he won 5 Stanley Cups, made the Hall Of Fame, and all sorts of numerous other accolades. May he rest in peace.

There's more, click here.

Crust and Grimes- Pokemon Tape #1

Speaking for myself, I was a huge Pokemon stan back in the day. I would sneak my Gameboy into class and play when the teacher wasn't looking. I also set up a little hustle where I would trade cards during lunch, and eventually I had all sorts of gems in my collection.
For a while that was a forgotten chapter in my life, until my dukes Crust & Grimes created a Pokemon beat tape. The concept is creating instrumentals that describe the essence of a certain Pokemon through sound. C&G dig deep on this one too, none of that Pikachu and Charzard bullshit, they spotlight dopeness like Geodude, Electrode, Magmar, Spearow, and Vileplume among countless others.
Trust me, this is a beat tape like none you have heard before. Aside from the ill concept, the instrumentals are top-notch. MPC heaven. Choice cuts and the dl link below.

Vileplume


Spearow


Tailwhip!


http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?53nbmjxnzng
C&G

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NWA- Fuck Tha Police

For the last half-hour, I've been trying to find the author of the above image. To no avail.
When I listen to NWA, it feels dated kind of like Public Enemy but to a higher degree. See, Chuck & Flav had a timeless message of not succumbing to 'the powers that be', whereas Cube, Dre, Eazy, and Ren have a more nihilistic message that is often times misinterpreted. Not on Fuck Tha Police though, that message is pretty brazen.





http://www.mediafire.com/?cwjgxqjrutm
http://sharebee.com/782cb449

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