Happy Born Day, Ice Cube! (Playlist + Promotional Cube)

Ice Cube helped pioneer the gangster rap movement as both a solo artist and a member of seminal hip-hop crew N.W.A. before forging a successful Hollywood career thanks to franchise-spawning hits such as "Friday" (1995), "Barbershop" (2002) and "Ride Along" (2014). Born O'Shea Jackson in the South Central Los Angeles area of Baldwin Hills in 1969, Ice Cube developed a passion for hip-hop at high school where he adopted a stage name inspired by a threat issued by his older brother. After studying architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology, Cube resumed his musical ambitions, forming The C.I.A. with Sir Jinx and collaborating with Dr. Dre on side project Stereo Crew. Dre was so impressed with Cube's talents that he was invited to join MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E and himself in the line-up of N.W.A., the controversial Compton-based crew credited with popularizing the sound of gangster rap. Cube reportedly wrote half of their seminal 1988 sophomore Straight Outta Compton but just a year later left the group following a contract dispute with manager Jerry Heller. Cube proved to be just as uncompromising on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, the 1990 solo debut which drew accusations of racism and misogyny. 1991 sophomore Death Certificate continued to court controversy in the same way before Cube showcased his acting talents for the first time as Crip gang member Doughboy in John Singleton's ground-breaking "Boyz n the Hood" (1991). Spawning his first Top 20 single, "It Was a Good Day," 1992's The Predator topped the Billboard 200 on its way to domestic sales of 3 million. Cont'd after the playlist below...

After joining fellow gangster rapper Ice T in neo-noir "Trespass" (1992), Cube embraced the burgeoning G-funk scene on 1993's Lethal Injection. Over the next five years, Cube put his solo career on hold, teaming up with WC and Mack 10 to form Westside Connection, guiding the careers of Da Lench Mob and Mr. Short Khop and contributing to tracks by Tupac, Del the Funky Homosapien and Kan. He also further established his acting credentials, appearing as a crime suspect in "The Glass Shield" (1994), reuniting with Singleton to play an Afrocentric student in "Higher Learning" (1995) and impressively writing, producing and starring alongside Chris Tucker in stoner classic "Friday" (1995). The promotional cube above (and below) was released in 2001 and also includes shots of Friday and Next Friday. Today marks Ice Cube's 52nd birthday, so give the man his flowers for having one of the most - if not thee most - successful runs of solo releases, ever. Honestly, the playlist up above is kinda phoned in -- I'm tired today -- but it's definitely got some of my favorite Ice Cube joints nonetheless. Check it out and Happy Born Day, Ice Cube! Peace...

Your Old Droog "TIME" (Album Stream)

“This is basically my debut album,” Droog explains. “Some of this material was recorded back in 2017, but I suppose the universe felt it would make more sense if it was released at another point in the future. Hence the name, TIME.” At 15 tracks, the LP features MF DOOM, Aesop Rock, Elzhi, Blu, Mick Jenkins and Wiki, as well as production from Mono En Stereo, Awhlee, Argov, Edan, Budgie, Roper Williams, Quelle Chris and 88 Keys. I was on the fence in the early stages of his career and at times looked away, but he's consistently released quality music that keeps me coming back for more - especially lately. TIME adds another quality release to his ever-expanding catalog. Listen in...

Ali Vegas "Built To Last" (Mix)

France's Built to Last radio show is back with another tribute mix, which consistently pay homage to true school lyricists, producers, groups and/or record labels. Today's mix heads out to Queens, NY with the Prince of New York, Ali Vegas. Ali Vegas was signed to Columbia Records in the early 2000s and was next-up with countless songs, freestyles and features on mixtapes at the time. A coupled failed deals, a beef with Clue and Fabolous and a shelved album called Generation Gap were just some of the setbacks the young MC faced early on his career. Yet in still, the music was always there. That Generation Gap album in 1999 was fire to me! This mix will take you back through those early records and you can dig in the archives for more! Peace to Corrado in France. Listen below...

Skyzoo "All the Brilliant Things" (Album Stream)

Skyzoo continues to master his craft with his fifth solo album and ninth overall, All the Brilliant Things. For this time around, the clever and intricate MC from Brooklyn touches the highs and lows of gentrification on “Bed-Stuy Is Burning” and keeps it strictly in the borough on “St. James Liquor“. Other tracks include “Free Jewelry, “Humble Brag”, “Rich Rhetoric”, and more. Dubbed his first project since last year’s Milestones EP, All The Brilliant Things comes with 14 tracks with guests Aaria, Al Scratch, BJ The Chicago Kid, Raheem DeVaughn, STLN drms, MBtheLight, Karriem Riggins, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Xiolynn and Blakk Soul. - via Rap Radar. Hear Sky's new LP below...

Blu & Sirplus "For Sale" (EP Stream)

Blu teams up with Dirty Science's (Exile's label/crew) newest member, Sirplus for a soulful new EP entitled, For Sale. The 7-track EP is entirely produced by Sirplus with guest appearances from Nolan The Ninja, Johaz, Noveliss, Scienze, PCH, Cashus King, Eloh Kush, Sidewaalk Kal, Damu The Fudgemunk, and ADaD. Blu shares that "Sirplus is my guy... I could tell he had talent and skill. I knew I had to work with him." There's great chemistry on the EP, even with the considerable amount of features. Blu remains one of my favorite MCs, search no longer for his latest gem, listen to it below...

What Had Happened Was "Run The Jewels Part 3" (Podcast)

In 2016, El-P and Killer Mike released their third LP as Run the Jewels. With their impact worldwide and fan base now fully galvanized and the problems of the world beginning to escalate, the duo responds by impressively pouring more of their humanity into the music. And with this vulnerability comes a heightened sense of risk. Hear these stories and lots more on this latest episode of Open Mike Eagle's What Had Happened Was podcast. Dig into the archives for lots more of the podcast!

Ranson "Se7en" (EP Stream)

Ransom has been a fixture in the East Coast underground scene for over a decade. The rapper's maintained a strong pen that, in recent times, gaining even more recognition every time he goes bar-for-bar with equally talented wordsmiths. This weekend, he came through with a brand new project titled, Se7en. The rapper's new EP explores the seven deadly sins with each song title named after each one. Four out of the seven songs include guest appearances. Lloyd Banks returns the favor to Ransom, who appears on COTI, for the single, "Gluttony" while Royce Da 5'9" assists on "Greed." Other features on the project include J. Arrr and IX Wulf. - HNHH. Listen to the EP below...

Lloyd Banks "The Course of the Inevitable" (Album Stream)

The Course of the Inevitable is the fourth studio album from Lloyd Banks. It's the first full-length since 2010 and the first released since his "departure" from G-Unit in 2018. The LP boasts 18 tracks with features from Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, Styles P, Benny The Butcher, Ransom, Sy Ari Da Kid and more. In this current of music, I think there's no better time for the return of the PLK; his music fits in perfectly with the climate and releases coming out of the Griselda camp. This album should widely be considered one of the best mainstream releases when 2021 reaches its conclusion.