Your Old Droog "Transportation" (Album Stream)

Acclaimed Ukrainian-American rapper Your Old Droog recently made waves with the unexpected release of "It Wasn’t Even Close", a brand new album that drew widespread attention after dropping in April with no advance warning. Fresh off this success, your old pal is returning less than two months later with "Transportation." The album features 15 tracks, all of which loosely relate to a method of transportation. “Not everything is literal though,” says the artist, which comes as no surprise considering the man’s penchant for abstract metaphors. "Transportation" finds Your Old Droog returning to the unique remind-you-of-NYC-at-night soundscapes that served as the backdrop to his classic self-titled debut, which was named one of the top 10 albums of 2014 by The New York Times and one of the top 15 rap albums of 2014 by Rolling Stone. Similar to the first project, the bulk of the beats on "Transportation" are handled in-house by eclectic Inwood beat wizard Mono En Stereo. Droog sounds more than at home delivering the audio equivalent of comfort food, with interludes sprinkled around beats and rhymes. Listen to Transportation below...

DJ Self "Let The Lox Go!" (Mixtape, 2000)

"At the time, it seemed like a fatal move. No one in his right mind would leave Bad Boy Records, then an indomitable force in the music industry. But Jayson (Jadakiss) Phillips, David Styles and Sean (Sheek) Jacobs of the hard-core rap group the Lox left and haven't looked back. "We're just happy to be free," says Jacobs. "We weren't the real Lox before, but this time it's us, 100%." ... "We couldn't say what we wanted to say, we couldn't write what we wanted to write" ... "You can't work when you're uncomfortable." Repeated requests to get out of their contract fell on deaf ears. So the group went public with their grievances and launched an unprecedented grass-roots campaign, complete with "Lex the Lox Go" picket signs, posters and T-shirts. Things came to a head in June at Hot 97's "Summer Jam" concert when the group performed in their protest T-shirts. Bad Boy honcho Sean (Puffy) Combs was there, and he was not pleased. He let the lox go in September. "We're the first hip-hop group to go against the powers that be with the power of the people," says Styles. "Too many [bleepers] in the industry don't do what they gotta do. They're too afraid of ending up back in the 'hood - but we ain't." Rhyming together since their high-school days in Yonkers, the Lox (it stands for "Living off experience") are tight enough to finish each other's sentences. Phillips, 24, has a sly grin and the group's most distinctive voice; it sounds gritty, as if he gargles with gravel. Jacobs, 25, is the friendliest in the crew. Not one for youthful shenanigans, he keeps the troops in line. As for Styles - well, the name says it all.... Tattoos that say "hope for the best, but expect the worst" cover his forearms. Honing their skills in local talent shows and on mix tapes, the Lox earned a reputation for delivering rough, true-to-ghetto-life narratives... "We were watered down," admits Jacobs. "Bad Boy's image was flossy. But we've always been - straight underground, straight ghetto." Now, the Lox is ready to prove they're worth the rumored $2.5 million that Interscope paid for their freedom...." - NY Daily News. Listen to DJ Self's "Let the Lox Go" mixtape below, which provides some more to the story, from an audio point of view. 

DJ Precise "Reggae: Old To The New" (Mixtape, 1999)

Taking it to 1999, this is a dancehall mix tape from DJ Precise called "Reggae (Old To The New)." A hefty 50+ tracks, the mix features legends in dancehall like Buju Banton, Cutty Ranks, Shaggy, Dirtsman, Red Foxx, Rayvon, Pliers, Shabba Ranks, Chaku Demus & Pliers, Mega Banton, Singing Sweet, Tiger, Beenie Man, Lady Saw, Tanya Stephens, Bounty Killer, Red Rat, Sean Paul, Spragga Benz, Wayne Wonder, Mr. Vegas, and more! I've posted a handful of dancehall mixes over the years, all offering a different - but similar - flavor. Dig into DJ Precise's take on classic dancehall below...

Kid Capri "52 Beats" (Mixtape, 1992)

Born in Brooklyn, raised in the Bronx, Kid Capri was born to be creative and ambitious. As a young child scaling his family’s old Zenith stereo system in the attempt to scratch records before he was even ten years old. Kid first inched his way onto the hip-hop scene with the grass-roots approach of club gigs and creating mixtapes. Kid is the original guru of mixtapes, as he saw their profit potential early in his career, he paved the way and other DJ’s followed. His 52 Beats mix tape set the benchmark for live mixes, and while DJs have the advantage of new technology and his blueprint to work from, 52 Beats is still one of the best mix tapes to come from my generation. This is one of those mixes that I'd recommend listening to on its original cassette, but at least it's the Kid's link...

Che' Noir "The Thrill Of The Hunt 2" (Album Stream)

The Thrill Of The Hunt 2 is the latest teaser-project from Buffalo, NY's Che' Noir. It's the first project (I've heard) with original production, which is properly handled by 38 Spesh. I got into The Thrill Of The Hunt last year and hearing Che Noir spit over classic instrumentals was cool... but it didn't give me enough to sway me one way or another. This project is a step forward with Che's bars being more focused and her delivery sharper, but the tracks still clock in under 2 minutes. The movement in upstate NY is strong and with heavy cosigns coming her way, I expect big things and a lot more content is on the way. Peep her latest; it's all bars and beats, "NO HOOKS", dig in below...

Nems "Gorilla Monsoon" (Album Stream)

Born and raised in the infamous Coney Island section of Brooklyn, Nems started writing at the age of 15, when he hit the gas and never slowed down, winning almost every notable freestyle battle and performance based competition in NYC. At age 17 Nems participated in the MTV series “Fight Klub”, during which Nems battled fellow MCs to a 20-3 record and became a stand-out on the show, garnering him attention from Def Jam, Shady Records and countless labels of all sizes. Nems inked a deal with Psycho+Logical / Koch Records and began touring throughout the United States, dropping his first album in 2010, the critically acclaimed Prezident’s Day. Since dropping Prezident’s Day, Nems has released numerous albums and mixtapes (including Coney Soprano, the Skinny Nems series and Planet of the Apes series) and has collaborated with legends and up-and-comers in the rap game alike, including Ghostface Killah, Kool G Rap and Benny the Butcher. Nems’ hard work over the years has paid off, amassing a cult like following with no major-label backing or support. Now, in 2019, fans of Nems can get their fix with GORILLA MONSOON, his new 13 track LP ft Conway, Spit Gemz and more, and entirely produced by Jazzsoon. Been a minute since I seen Nems, this project is tough...

Rest In Peace, Bushwick Bill

It shouldn't be lost on the hip-hop community that Bushwick Bill was one of our beloved stars. His role with the Geto Boys wasn't necessarily the stand-out MC or writer, but his flavor was felt on the tracks he touched and his delivery + presence brought tracks like "My Minds Playin Tricks" to life for fans like me who saw the visuals and that's what catapulted that record to be a worldwide hit. His legacy carried beyond that and while his antics may have overshadowed much of his career, I gotta salute him and say that I hope Scarface and Willie D are able to honor him and the bond they had through music, however damaged it may have been in later years. Rest in Peace, Bushwick Bill.

DJ 7L "Saucony 1994 Aya Mix" (Mixtape)

My apologies to DJ 7L, an incredible artist and DJ, who put this mixtape together, because I didn't use the original artwork. I've never been the biggest Saucony fan, so while I'm glad that the Saucony Aya release coincided with a lot of phenomenal music in 1994 to inspire this tribute mix, I didn't wanna get caught up on that and instead go straight to the music. You can expect joints from Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Black Moon, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, the Fugees, Keith Murray, Lady of Rage, Craig Mack (R.I.P.), The Notorious B.I.G. (R.I.P.), Ill Al Skratch and more. Listen below...