KLIM Beats "Dusty Buttons" (Instrumental Album)

"Dusty Buttons," is the latest instrumental album from the very talented producer & composer from Kiev (Ukraine), Klim Beats! A blend of hard-hitting beats, with a bit more punchier feel to it this time. Hamburg's DJ C.S.P. is featured on the tracks, providing really sharp and precise scratching, which makes the project all the more fine-tuned. I caught a beat tape from Klim Beats some years back when I was in between projects with my artists, so there wasn't much I could do except enjoy listening to it, but I've been following and supporting his music ever since. Much respect to the international producers out there. Stream the project below & click through for more beats.

The Rub "Love Raps" (Valentine's Day Mix)

A special Valentine's mix via The Rub, "Love Raps." Don't be fooled, there are JOINTS! on this mix. For example, tracks by Meth & Mary J, Lost Boyz, Jay-Z, Outkast, Mos Def, Eve, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Ed O.G., Eric B & Rakim, plus lots more. Their blurb: "Recorded live at House of Wax in Downtown Brooklyn, Love Rap is over two and a half hours of hip-hop love songs. From LL Cool J “I Need Love” (1987) to SZA and Travis Scott “Love Galore” (2017), this is the very best of rap romance and sexual braggadocio." I'm likely to skip over some of the more commercial, new records, but I fault them none for including them to celebrate their diverse taste in music (and audience)! Listen below...

Kurious "A Constipated Monkey" Press Kit/Bio

Staring down hip-hop's tiresome faddishness, Pete Nice's Hoppoh Records & Bobbito Garcia's Hit U Off Management offer up the perfect antidote: a new kinda rapper who calls himself Kurious. With "A Constipated Monkey" -- his 12 song debut album -- Kurious embarks on an illuminated journey into the center of his schizoid universe all set to a soundtrack of dope beats and fluid musical snippets courtesy of fellow Latin hip-hop artists, The Beatnuts & Stimulated Dummies. As inquisitive as his cartoon namesake, Kurious trades in reality -- not hardcore gangsta caricatures -- and finds a bizarre universe hidden in the tiny details and humorous mishaps that make up everyday life. His down-to-earth lyrics and slicing rhyming skills have earned Kurious the most precious of rap commodities: respect from the New York hip-hop community from which he sprang. "The key to my whole deal," says Kurious, "is that it's natural, I'm not trying to prove any point. I never brag about having money 'cause I don't have any." But never mind the disclaimer, the main weapon in the Kurious arsenal is his razor-sharp wit. - via Kurious' Hoppah Records promotional press kit. Unappreciated!

Recommended Reading: "Go Ahead In The Rain"

This is the 3rd book by Hanif Abdurraqib. It is a love letter to a group, a sound, and an era. It is called "Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest." To be 100% honest, at the time of this post, I have not yet read this book. However, it is #1 on my Amazon shopping list and I've heard nothing short of amazing reviews by people I respect and thus, I absolutely consider this recommended reading. In Chapter 2, "Once Upon a Time In Queens," Abdurraqib says "...the first bits of hip-hop were born out of DJs breaking apart funk and disco beats and relegating every other sound to a graveyard until all that was left was the percussion, cut up into small, danceable portions for the people in the audience to sweat to." And so it goes... help me find my way. You can and should order the book HERE! If you've read it, drop a comment or hit me with YOUR feedback.

Sean Price x Small Professor "86 Witness" (Album Stream)

Several years in the making, the highly anticipated collaborative project from the late Sean Price (Rest In Peace) and producer Small Professor, '86 Witness,’ is here. The album features Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Guilty Simpson, Your Old Droog, AG Da Coroner, Illa Ghee, Reef the Lost Cauze, Curly Castro, Zilla Rocca, Rob Kelly, Quelle Chris, Elucid, Castle, and scratches by DJ Revolution throughout. Man, Hip-Hop as a whole misses the presence of Sean Price. R.I.P. Listen to it below...

STLNDRMS "Dig'Em Smacks" (Instrumental Album)

STLNDRMS (pronounced Stolen Drums) is a sample junkie, beat geek, crate digger and lots more from Atlanta, GA. This is his latest release, "Dig'em Smacks," an 11-track beat tape filled with tight chops, hard drums and plenty of headnod. My brother Supa put me up on STLNDRMS last year, even played me one joint that was flames! (I hope he recorded to it!). I've been tuned in since, and hope to post more, but for now, listen to "Dig'em Smacks" from this extremely talented producer.

People Under The Stairs "Sincerely, The P" (Album Stream)

After more than 20 years of hip-hop DIY, the People Under The Stairs have pulled into their last stop. It's a rare and bittersweet moment when a group can call the shots surrounding the end of their career. Thes One and Double K, the duo who make up People Under the Stairs, have been doing things on their own terms since their formation in '96. Maintaining a DIY work ethic, they produce, mix, handle booking and touring, market and promotion all by themselves. Despite the lack of mainstream or chart success throughout the two decades, PUTS have achieved and maintained praise and notoriety throughout their career, regularly selling out shows and maintaining a steady stream of top-tier releases. From their debut album The Next Step, PUTS has put in the blood, sweat, and tears that'll ensure their artistic legacy lasts for a long time. With Sincerely, the P, the duo stick to their tried-and-true strengths. Quick witted, cool-out lyrics blend seamlessly over the head-nodding tracks, with various callbacks to the group's previous albums. 15 tracks in all, released on Thes One's own label Piecelock 70. The end of a hip-hop era. Listen to their final LP below...

Ghostface Killah "Supreme Clientele" (Feb 8, 2000)

Championing the cause of Wu dominance, Supreme Clientele exemplifies Ghost's lyrical dexterity. While his thunderous light-speed delivery hasn't changed much, his jagged wordplay is at its zenith. One minute, he breaks down street survival tactics on "We Made It" (I ain't tryin' to waste my career on y'all / Even scuffle with you, waste gear on y'all / But if I got to go out / You know I'ma show out), then he takes you on a rough ride down memory lane as he reminisces about adolescent crushes on "Child's Play" (Pretty little Sally sat up by the tree trunk / She had an ass like Deborah Cox / Face like Lauryn / Waist like a coke bottle scorin'). Then there are those Ghostface-isms we love. Like on the muddy treat "One," where he brags about his "rhymes made of garlic" ... So will the Ironman & his clan ever decline? Ghost says it best: "You think I fell off the ledge / The legendary Ghost Dhini might be dead / Never!" - Vibe (April, 2000). 19 years later, and still a gem of an album!