January 26, 2024

Masta Ace & Marco Polo "Richmond Hill" (Album Stream)


Richmond Hill, the highly anticipated follow up to Masta Ace and Marco Polo's Breukelen Story, is inspired by Marco's childhood in the titular neighborhood, a small town in Ontario, just outside of Toronto. Between interstitials about Marco's passion for hip-hop and cartoons, his struggle with addiction, and the support of his parents, Marco Polo and Masta Ace tackle the issues of the day head-on with clarity, the rapper using his decades-worth of rapping experience to slice through the producer's warm soul samples and crisp percussion. A cinematic journey that explores how the past echoes through the present, the album welcomes guest appearances from notable names from all eras of rap history, including Inspectah Deck, Coast Contra, Blu, Che Noir, Speech of Arrested Development, Masta Ace's longtime collaborators Stricklin and Wordsworth, and many more. The joint 'Below The Clouds' with Blu is an absolute BANGER! Listen to their new album Richmond Hill below...

January 12, 2024

Mista Sinista "ReBorn" (Album Stream)


Mista Sinista officially started DJing in 1986 and joined the X-Men in 1992. They later became the X-ecutioners and released two albums. Mista Sinista toured the world several times with the X-ecutioners and was a tour DJ for Common, Beatnuts, Joe Fatal and Lauryn Hill just to name a few. Some of his album credits include The Beatnuts Street Level LP and Common’s Resurrection LP. His work was also highlighted on Fat Joe’s sophomore release, Jealous One’s Envy. He continues to perform worldwide and is featured on The Rewind with DJ Safire which airs weekly on Beatminerz Radio. Mista Sinista’s debut LP is a mix of well-produced tracks along with live turntablism. The project features emcees Mr. VooDoo, Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz, The One Chadio, U.G. & The former MC Jean Grae to name a few. This album also features Rugged One, Q-Bert, The Cut Lieutenant, Ace & Rob Swift. Production credits on the project include Mista Sinista, Steve Dee, Nick Wiz, Statick, Eitan Noyze, Cee da Cuban & DJ Safire. Listen to Mista Sinista's ReBorn streaming below via Fat Beats...

January 06, 2024

J.Period "Revisionist History" (Mixtape)


J.Period presents Revisionist History [Hip Hop 50: Remixed], a collection of 50 exclusive J.PERIOD remixes paying tribute to iconic MCs - including Nas, Rakim, Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Ms. Lauryn Hill, 2Pac and more - remixed and re-imagined over 50 classic beats from legendary producers including DJ Premier, Jay Dilla, Pete Rock, Mobb Deep, Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest and more! Recorded LIVE in Brooklyn and originally aired on Rock The Bells Radio. Revisionist History arrives in tandem with the release of Dan Lish’s new book, “Ego Strip: Book 1,” which features original illustrations of Hip Hop icons including Kool Herc, Questlove, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, De La Soul and more. Imagining our Hip Hop heroes as characters in otherworldly fantasies, Dan Lish drawings capture the essence of Hip Hop creativity in visual form and have made for perfect the visual accompaniment for J.Period’s Live Mixtapes in recent years. Listen to this fine mixtape below...

December 29, 2023

Westside Gunn & Conway "Hall & Nash II" (Album Stream)


Hall & Nash 2 is the collaborative album by Westside Gunn & Conway The Machine, entirely produced by The Alchemist. "When I first linked with Westside Gunn & Conway, the original plan was to do a Hall & Nash 2 tape. From the first day in the lab, I knew I needed these guys on my beats more than they needed my beats. The shit was coming out crazy, they linked with School Boy Q one day at my spot and made one, we knew we had something good. While we were finishing the project, they signed their deal with Shady. We ended up changing the plan to drop H&N2, and over time used some of the songs for different things, but a handful of songs never came out, & the original version of the album was never released. Now for the first time, the OG version of Hall & Nash 2 will be released on vinyl, cd and tape." Listen to their collaborative album H&N 2 below...

December 19, 2023

Dr. Dre "The Chronic" (30th Ann. Mix by DJ Filthy Rich)


Hard to believe, but it’s been over 30 years since The Chronic reshaped the sound and direction of hip-hop. West Coast G-Funk at its most refined, The Chronic was part sonic revolution, part cultural flashpoint. So when Toronto’s own DJ Filthy Rich dropped his 30th Anniversary Mix, the bar was high. Fortunately, Rich didn’t miss. What you get here isn’t just a greatest-hits run-through or a typical blend tape. Filthy Rich approaches this with the reverence and detail the project deserves—blending original Chronic tracks with rare demo versions, live freestyles, unreleased instrumentals, sample flips, and commentary snippets that provide context for what made Dre’s debut solo project so iconic. In true Filthy Rich fashion, the transitions are clean, the track selection is razor-sharp, and the mix feels less like a nostalgia trip and more like a museum exhibit—curated by someone who knows the culture and respects the art of the mix. If you were around when The Chronic dropped in ‘92, this’ll take you right back to that feeling of hearing it roll out of car trunks and tape decks everywhere. If you weren’t... this is as solid a crash course as you’ll find.

December 01, 2023

Elzhi & Oh No "Heavy Vibrato" (Album Stream)


Known for weaving together complex rhymes with style, Elzhi has been rapping circles around the competition for more than two decades. After years as a member of iconic group Slum Village, Elzhi’s impressive solo career has included projects produced by acclaimed artists like Black Milk, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Khrysis, and Will Sessions. Now, the Detroit emcee is linking with California beat maestro Oh No for the new collaborative album Heavy Vibrato. The project is a thrilling showcase for Elzhi's lyrical wizardry and cinematic storytelling, as Oh No breathes new life into a compelling tapestry of jazz samples, producing the entire collection. "The only thing you need to absorb this experience is an open mind," says Elzhi. With guest appearances by Blu and Guilty Simpson, Heavy Vibrato taps into an undeniable frequency. Stream their album Heavy Vibrato below...

November 23, 2023

Benny The Butcher x Thelonious Coltrane "Machine Gun Chords"


Machine Gun Chords is essentially a remixed album with beats by Thelonious Coltrane from Georgia and ripped AI acapellas from Benny The Butcher. Added to it are vocals from Pusha T, Stove God Cooks, Skyzoo, Jadakiss, 38 Spesh, Westside Gunn, Mayhem Lauren, RJ Payne, Conway The Machine, Diddy, Ransom and more. The fine artwork was handled by Wizard Steez. Bootleg, for sure... but creativity is what birthed hip-hop, so using technological advances to create something new is not going too far against the grain. That said, I do respect ownership so if this project gets taken down, I certainly won't be surprised. In the meantime, enjoy Machine Gun Chords streaming below...

November 17, 2023

Blu "Soul Amazing" (Part 12, Mixed by DJ Jon Doe)


Here's the latest installment in the Soul Amazing feature-mix series by Blu. This time the mix is done by the good homie from the Southern Vangard Radio show, DJ Jon Doe reppin' out of Atlanta. The mix showcases records featuring Blu alongside artists such as Stik Figa, Scienze, Cashus King, L'Orange ("Cafe Lover" is extra DOPE!), The Kickdrums, Kota The Friend, DJ Babu, Dela, Ray West, Breeze Brewin, and a whole lot more. 12 mixes in, you know what to expect and I'll continue to share as they are released. Listen to the mix from Blu and DJ Jon Doe below and hit the tags for more...