Saturday, April 30, 2011

Wu Tang Clan - Bells of War

Another pretty simple beat that gets stuck in my head for hours at a time. RZA is a master producer making sounds you don't hear anywhere else with a style that is distinctly Wu.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Dilated Peoples - Worst Comes to Worst

A nasty guitar sample, and Guru adds a touch of something great. I also like the rhyme that rhymes with whole phrase "worst comes to worst my people come first" - "From the birth to the hearse, the streets, the guns burst"

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Outkast - Roses

I love the energy of the piano at the beginning of this track. The beat drops nice too.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Atmosphere - Sunshine

Nice simple piano. Mellow beat. A great track to listen to as the weather takes a turn for the warm.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Da Grassroots - Eternal feat K-Os and Thrust (With LYRICS)

A really mellow beat, and a track not all K-Os fans know about. It's kinda creepy for a hip-hop beat, but it works well.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Aesop Rock vs Portishead - Babies With Guns / Roads

A sick mix of Portishead's beat and Aes' rap. His vocabulary is waaaaaay bigger than most rappers, and he tends to use about 1/3 of it on any given song... Has hints of Eminem in the occasional quick flow and assonance... One of my favorite Aesop Rock raps is in this song - "There's banana peels in your hamster wheels, hand cannons in your shoebox, please. Mine's got Adidas; rest in peace."

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On

First I think it's a Modest Mouse remix, then a Lil' Wayne track... if instead of 'Just remember when it come up' he said "A creepin' on ah come up" it coulda been so Bone Thug! Of course, it wouldn't have made much sense, but whatever... I love those horns, and that Modest Mouse guitar riff is pretty excellent.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

The hook of this song sounds like at least half a dozen Moby songs. The strong piano and clean beat keep it sounding like Moby throughout as well. She's got a great strong voice and the track is damn catchy.

Friday, April 22, 2011

ghostface killah - josephine - More Fish

Not exactly the happiest of topics for a track, but the beat is so damn good and I'm a sucker for a soulful hook. The guitar really adds a ton to the song.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Portishead - Glory Box (HD Version)

A great use of an already slow beat thanks to Isaac Hayes.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Isaac Hayes - Ike's Rap 2

I'll spare you the original that Isaac Hayes samples, but it sure has gotten a ton of mileage. I love how slow his beats are! The piano is spectacular in this track as well. The full version is a little over 7 minutes and has a song called Help Me Love that it builds into. It's got some great guitar and I'd suggest you find it on rdio or some other music service - it doesn't seem to be on youTube.

Monday, April 18, 2011

ISAAC HAYES LOOK OF LOVE

Can I live.

Couldn't find the Hayes song I was lookin' for, but this is still one hell of a great beat. Everything's so slow-motion with Isaac Hayes. Makes for amazing samples at any number of speeds.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Childish Gambino - Freaks And Geeks (Official Music Video)

Donald Glover does it all. A strange perspective as a rapper, but it's still damn good. He gets into it so much it's hard not to enjoy it.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Eddie Money - Baby Hold On

This song has popped up in my head dozens of times in the past few weeks. I could listen to a loop of the first 18 seconds of that song for hours. I'm surprised I don't know of any songs sampling this song.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Jimmy Smith - Root Down (Part1)

I love how this song creeps up quietly and gets funky. Hammond B3 for the win.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Black Panther - Sad Times (Feat. Archrival)

A NASTY beat! I love the hook sample too. The piano melody is so slow and simple but one of my favorites.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Awnaw - Nappy Roots

April is starting to be a month of good cruising music. Weather is finally nice enough to enjoy driving around. Awesome organ, and a hell of a beat. Oh right, and another southern rapper. Awnaw.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Big K.R.I.T. - Return Of 4eva - R4 Theme Song

Forever? Forever-ever? Forever-ever?

Hell yes.

A favorite quote from Outkast's Ms. Jackson, so the song got my attention immediately. He makes a mean beat too. Another great one to bump in the car. Hollywood is one of my favorite words to hear from southern rappers.

Monday, April 11, 2011

No Matter - Lyricist Lounge

A sick piano loop. His voice reminds me a bit of C-Rayz Walz.
Fuck flavor, I kick real life in your ear.

I've heard that sampled in at least one song. The piano loop I think I've heard in some other newer song. The bass beat reminds me of Walk On By a bit too... Or at least like a beat someone derived from Walk On By samples. Made me think of Wu Tang's Can Bt Be All So Simple

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Big K.R.I.T. - Dreamin | Returnof4eva.com

The beat is great. The low rumble makes it great for ridin' around or turning up the bass in the house.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Big K.R.I.T. - Hometown Hero - Written and Produced by BIG K.R.I.T.

M-Town. Meridian, Mississippi. Cracks me up. 601! Seriously though, he's making the beats and rapping. He does it pretty damn well. Turned out to be a Big K.R.I.T. weekend for me. Rap with a southern drawl is fun to listen to, and his beats are pretty good.

Friday, April 08, 2011

Smif-N-Wessun - Bucktown

Oldschool with an amazing beat and I'd never heard of these guys before. Big up to Henck for pointing me to these guys. Got my weekend music now.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

The Pharcyde - Drop

It's a great beat and is most definitely a classic, but the video made it so far ahead of it's time. Spike Jonze produced a ridiculous video. And yet so simple.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Jay Electronica - Eternal Sunshine

The Eternal Sunshine loop caught my ear and I couldn't get it out of my head for hours. It's a phenomenal little loop, and Jay's fast southern style of spitting goes perfectly with it. Hit up the Youtube page if you want to check the lyrics. I like the assonance in 'fit in..... sit-ins....ed-end.....BidEnz....fredends

I took Eternal Sunshine and I looped it
No drums no hook just new shit

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Beastie Boys - Ricky's Theme

So chill. This is one of my favorite tracks from the Beastie Boys, and none of them say a word. I really appreciate a rap group that can throw some instrumentals into the mix. Ill Communication is a spectacular album that covers a surprising musical range.

Monday, April 04, 2011

Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)

This is how you make 'I Choose You' bounce. Plus, this video is hilarious. Andre 3000 has never worn anything reasonable to any occasion ever. Spectacular.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

MF Doom - Get Er Done

On a Jake One kick... Surprise, another great beat started on the keys to reel me in. MF Doom says some silly shit. I think he said 'pinching a loaf' at one point.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Jake One - R.I.P. (Instrumental)

A chill beat. Willie Hutch's 'I choose you'. It's amazing what happens when you drop some real bass behind this melody, but that doesn't happen on this track.

Friday, April 01, 2011

(The Preface)Elzhi-Hands Up

I'd never really listened to any of Elzhi's music until today, and this song stood out as a fun beat with an interesting story. The chorus fits in nicely as the song progresses, and makes the track stand out to me as very tightly woven.