Peebs The Prophet "Ills of the Earth" (EP Stream)

Peebs The Prophet dropped his gem of an EP, 'Ills of the Earth,' in early 2015 with production by Bluntone, who I've covered twice on the site, as well as the ever-talented, Phoniks. It's a short project, only 6 tracks, but it packs considerable content and sharp production. Unfortunately, by now the limited edition vinyl has sold out, but you can still order the CD, which includes instrumentals and/or download a copy of the digital EP with the 'name your price' option on Bandcamp. Does Phoniks do the dope artwork for the label, too? My favorite track on the EP is 'All Day,' but the entire EP is highly recommended, so give it a listen below. What's next, Peebs?

"Hip-Hop Evolution" Now on Netflix (Trailer)

Hip-Hop Evolution traces hip-hop from its humble beginnings to modern day mania. Comprised of two major parts, a documentary series and content website and a custom trailer experience that traces the lineage from modern-day moguls of hip-hop to the pioneers of yesteryear. Hip-Hop Evolution is hosted by the good homie, Canadian MC Shadrach Kabango a.k.a Shad who interviews and explores the history of hip-hop with Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Caz, Kurtis Blow, Big Daddy Kane, and lots more ... It is now available to stream on Netflix. Enjoy the official trailer below...

The Hip-Hop Evolution website houses information of the series as well as daily content from writers across North America posting new relevant Hip-Hop content as the web series is published and beyond. Along with Andy Garcia, a team worked to publish some great designs and content for the site. An example of that can be seen below, check the website for lots more content. (Updated).

DJ Ill Digitz "The Midnight Snack" (Mix)

DJ Ill Digitz, 1/5 of North Carolina's Kooley High, slides through with a diverse mix of tracks on "The Midnight Snack." The mix blends the old with the new and even crosses genres with tracks from Da Grassroots, Anderson .Paak, Mobb Deep, Da Youngsta's, The Roots, Erick Sermon, Oddisee, Marvin Gaye, Kaytranada, G-Depp, Westside Gunn, Ivan Ave, D'Angelo, Robert Glasper, Curtis Mayfield, Planet Asia, Nolan The Ninja, Raekwon & El Michaels Affair and lots more. Listen to the mix below.

J-Live "Braggin' Writes" (The Source, 12/96)

"I was speaking to an acquaintance recently about the so-called state of hip-hop. Personally, I get tired of heads sayin' that it's dying, that its best days are gone, and that there are is no more originality or creativity. Yo, if you're an upcoming lyricist, then no matter what, stick to your guns and be unique. If you are a consumer and you're complaining, well hey, don't buy the damn record! The powers that be will quickly realize that we are no longer interested in color Xeroxes. But J-Live is an original. Last year, he independently dropped "Braggin' Writes," a highly charge, lyrical communique for heads to absorb. It returns on the B-Side of this single, remixed and enhanced with new lyrics. The original was a classic that he didn't have to touch, but he went there anyhow and still manages to surprise you, bringing back that creative, experimental innocence that rap was founded on. J-Live is straight-up and true to honoring the unspoken hip-hop credo: you take from the past, but add your own flavor. A lot of heads keep hip-hop stagnant, but J-Live ... brings it back to what it was and what it should be." - A.L. Dre, Sure Shot Singles, The Source (12/96). My favorite version of "Braggin' Writes" is the "Dome Cracker" (DJ Spinna & Joc Max) Remix, check it out below.

If you'd rather read it directly from the source, or save a copy, check it out below.

DJ Clue "The Great Ones" (Mixtape, 2000)

The Great Ones ended up being a 3-part series of mix tapes from DJ Clue, but this here is the 1st part, which was released in 2000 on cassette and CD. The mix includes freestyles from Jay-Z (2), Fabolous, Capone-N-Noreaga, and Canibus, as well as tracks from Beanie Sigel, Drag-On, Nature, Big Pun, Nas, Ghostface Killah, The LOX, Mya & Jadakiss, and more. Bootleggers had the CD everywhere! Even now, the talking over the music is just too much, but those were the times, lol.

JuJu Rogers & Bluestaeb "Lost In Translation" (Album Stream)

"This record is dedicated to the wretched of the earth. The weak and poor. To the people all around the world less privileged than us who are forced to live under even worse circumstances. The criminalized, racialized and marginalized people of this planet."

LIT is a snapshot of Bluestaeb and JuJu Rogers' musical endeavors in Fall 2016. Both had a successful 2015 & 2016 with highly acclaimed albums and a European support tour for Oddisee. JuJu's content on the project deals with the important questions of our time. The trend word 'lit' becomes 'LIT,' an abbreviation for "Lost In Translation" and a metaphor for the disconnection from trends of our society in general and hip-hop especially. Racism, police brutality, gangsta rapper turned activists while still following a pattern of hate and destruction. Bluestaeb’s productions fluctuates from soulful and smooth to raw and gritty without ever sounding redundant. Dig into it...

Mobb Deep "G.O.D. Part III" (The Source, 10/96)

"Winter just wouldn't be the same without Mobb Deep. And as the cold weather draws upon us, all hoodie-wearing, bubble-goose loving, boots-having heads can rejoice: the QB kids are back with another soundtrack for hardcore shuffling. "G.O.D. Father Part III" is the first shot from Mobb's upcoming sophomore project. Wanna know what it's about? Prodigy puts things quite directly: "...slice that cat / you get splashed from back of ya head to ass crack / You searching for signs of the end? Well I am that / Will bring apocalypse to this game called rap / Not a game but quite serious and yo in fact / You be runnin' for dear life so far you might fall off the map ..." No matter how much the critic's side of me may grumble about n!ggas talking hard-core shit to overdose levels, the chilling nature of Mobb Deep's stark poetics always drives the relevance back home and leaves me hungry for more." Check out the dope visuals for the track and continue reading below.

"The duo also continue to do their thing behind the boards, flipping the beat last heard beneath the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" into a string-clad, bass driven menace. Indeed, while the greater majority of hip-hop's so called hard-rocks run around like the caricatures they've become, Havoc and P have elevated their formula and maintained the integrity that keeps the hard-core sh!t true. The Mobb still got it locked - nine seven to the year two-g." - The Source (October, 1996).

Raiza Biza 'Day & Night' EP (Album Stream)

'Day & Night' is the latest project from New Zealand eMCee, Raiza Biza. The EP is full of chill vibes and smooth flows. Production is handled by Shask, Crime Heat, Villette, and Tito Fiasco, but credit the clarity of Raiza Biza's vision that all four producers come with similar production, making this a very cohesive listen. I've been unable to find a bio of any kind on any of his social media pages or website, so I can't offer much background info, except to say that Raiza has a handful of releases in his catalog and has a solid reputation in his hometown. It does say, this is 'True to life hip hop with soul. Uncompromising.' I guess he lets the music speak for itself, I'm not mad at that. Check out the album streaming below and available using the 'name your price' option on Bandcamp. If you have more information, leave it in the comments for me and enjoy the different vibes with this one.