Judged by 12 or carried by 6?

Either way, hip hop is still not doing well. Well, maybe I just wanted to an excuse to use that Cube line because I always loved it. And it was the first hip hop lyric off the top of my head that used the number "six" in it. But it is also appropriate because, as the perpetual pessemist in me (well, when it comes to the hip hop industry, at least) will always insist, hip hop music is still slowly dying. But as it stands, here are a few of the lone reeds standing tall amidst the vile cesspool of cliches and consumerism flooding the airwaves per usual. (And now as I finish typing this post, I just realized I only have five tracks, not six. Oh well...)

Royce Da 5'9, "Over" Freestyle

T.I. "I'm Back"

Reflection Eternal, "In This World"

Nas & Damian Marley, "Strong Will Continue"

Young Chris & J. Cole, "Still the Hottest"

Slaughterhouse indeed.

Royce kills the new Drake beat "Over". I've only heard the Drake version once and I'm kind of glad. Because the beat was the best part. And Royce goes homicidal on the Boi-1da beat. How come Royce can't cop more beats like this for his own albums?? I have to say Street Hop did not live up to my expectations. And ever since Royce first came on the scene, I always thought he had the potential to be a classic MC. So far, only "Death Is Certain" has come close to his potential, recording wise.

The new Snoop? Or the next Bishop Lamont??

We all know Dr. Dre's track record when it comes to his "proteges". The long and distinguished includes genre-defining legends such Snoop and Eminem (and to a lesser extent, Game)... but includes even more fallen-by-the-wayside outcasts such as Hittman, Last Emperor, Joell Ortiz, Joe Beast, Brooklyn, Rakim... and most recently Bishop Lamont. So this new cat, Hayes, apparently also has Timbaland's co-sign, who will be joint-producing the debut with Dre. Check him out... what do you think fate has in store for him? Multi platinum plaques? Or just more tax write offs for Iovine?

Also, you can catch up by reading a recent interview with Hayes here.

Bounce Roc, "Rookie Veteran" Release Party in Hollywood!

If you're in the Los Angeles area this weekend (Saturday, November 7th to be exact)... come stop by Cinespace in Hollywood to celebrate the debut release from my homie Bounce Roc... "ROOKIE VETERAN"! Some of the beats on the album were done by yours truly... not to mention all the graphic design done by Rewind Effect!

Also check out the promo video for "Rookie Veteran". The two tracks Bounce spits here are both my beats.

Battle of the Sequels.

And the return of the Purple Tape smashed BP3. A few months ago, I honestly didn't think I'd be saying that. But OB4CL2 made me feel like it's 1996 again. Do yourself a favor and support true hip hop by buying it on September 8th.

But for those American consumers who were unexplainably denied the bonus tracks... here they are in a convenient zip file. "Walk Wit Me" and "The Badlands"...

http://www.zshare.net/download/6518057595addb74/

(I still think "State of Grace" should've made the cut. But who's complaining.)

Return of the Purple Tape!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing more to say. Preview it here.

[UPDATED AGAIN!!!!]

Okay, all the extended 2 minute snippets are out there. Check them out here.

[UPDATED!!!]

"Catalina", "Surgical Gloves", and "10 Bricks" are all over the web by now. Here's a new snippet... "Ason Jones" produced by J. Dilla. This album is only a week from being released. Where is the damn leak already??

You can download this here.

Download the snippets here.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight.

Yeah, hip hop is still in critical condition. Some say damn near terminal. And of course others say, to borrow a phrase that became worn out all too quickly... hip hop is already dead. Being the elitist hip hop snob I am, I will be the first to take advantage of any opportunity to bemoan the pathetic state hip hop has tragically devolved into. But I have to admit, every so often, there's a breeze that blows through the industry, seemingly coming from nowhere, that is refreshing to even a bitter ol' curmudgeon like myself. So with that, I present to you on this Super Sabado, the Five Tracks I Can't Stop Bumpin'...

Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye, "Run This Town".
Most will listen to this track and complain that Jay still can't rhyme no mo'. And that even Kanye (who once rhymed "Michael Jackson" with "Michael Jackson") is murdering him on his own sh*t. I've been complaining about the same thing since "Kingdom Come" (actually, since the first "Blueprint" if you want to know the truth). That Jay is gone. I've accepted that. Now I'll just be happy if he can make a solid hip hop album. With No ID and Kanye handling the bulk of the production, all signs seem to indicate "Blueprint 3" will deliver.


Eminem, "The Warniing".
Okay, Em going after pop stars is now (or maybe has always been) officially corny. But if it brings out this side of Eminem, I'm all for it. How come he couldn't have went in like this on "Relapse"??? This is Em without the gimmicks or stupid accent... it's just an MC focusing all his lyrical rage on one unlucky victim... and hasn't that what hip hop, in its purest form, been all about? Incorporating the vocal samples of Mariah from his voicemail was just the poisonous frosting on top. It almost makes me disappointed that Nick Cannon took the higher road in choosing not to respond negatively but rather with Bible verses. I was looking forward to the next chapter Em promises in this cut. Well, regardless, it goes without saying, I am looking forward to "Relapse 2".


Raekwon ft. Ghostface, Inspectah Deck, & Method Man, "House of Flying Daggers".
Ah man, after one song, I'm all the sudden ready to declare the Wu is back. I had given up on Wu after the underwhelming "8 Diagrams". I thought there was no way "Cuban Linx 2" could live up to the hype. But after hearing this lead off single, I am back on board the Wu bandwagon. Deck's flow, without explanation, is razor sharp again... Ghost & Rae are back like they never left... and when Meth said, "Let's push this music past the point of no return, 'til they crash and burn, down the ashes then placed inside Ol' Dirty Bastard's urn..." I lost it. September 8th, we get OBFCL2, the 11th Blueprint 3... that's gonna be a good month.


Rakim, "Holy Are You".
The God is back. This is the first time since the news was announced that I feel okay about Rakim's deal on Aftermath not working out. I don't care if you think Ra spits the exact same way he did 15 years ago. I could listen to it for the rest of my life. To me, there is a reason he has been held the standard for so many years. His flow, lyricism, voice, and presence on the mic, for my money, is the make up of the quintissential MC. Add that to a borderline-blasphemous sample on a sinister beat... and I'm hooked. I can only hope this is actually the single. Meaning the album is soon to follow.


Lupe Fiasco, "Shining Down".
My three favorite MC's that have emerged in the last five years would undoubtedly be Saigon, Jay Electronica, and Lupe Fiasco. Since the former two do not seem to be dropping their overdue debuts any time soon, I guess I should be grateful that Lupe has had a prolific career as he has in such a short period of time. I loved his first album for being such a great representation of pure, unadulterated hip hop... and I was feeling the direction he was evolving in on his second (which I cannot say for a lot of other rappers... see: Mos Def). "Shining Down" is a great genre-bending, but still truly hip hop, song and it seems the evolution will continue. I wish Lupe could have been the next Jay, dropping an album consistently every year and giving hip hop heads a holiday to look forward to on a yearly basis... but I will patiently wait for his third. And pray he is not serious about retiring.