Currensy "Fast Times at Ridgemont Fly"

I suppose a good thing can’t last forever. I would of liked it to last a bit more than one tape though. After the rousing Super Tecmo Bowl that showed me a Currensy I’m familiar with he comes back a month later with Fast Times at Ridgemont Fly - the title and the fact that it’s the second to last had me holding high hopes even before I started this little mission of mine. Unfortunately I was wrong.

Gone almost completely are the smoothed out beats he appropriated on Tecmo Bowl, in their place are an assortment of more intense and at times grating beats. I remember being into “All About the Benjamin's” in middle school, but today the beat sounds terrible. I don’t even know what Spitta was talking about there.

I’m going to take a leap and say that the amount of ladies Currensy was getting with over the course of 2008 went up as his productivity did. Fast Times at Ridgemont Fly is full of songs about random ladies. Meeting them in the club, kicking it at the crib playing video games, girls rolling up planes, and more adventures with the opposite sex dominate the air time here. On a song like “Navigation Pimpin” you can’t be too mad at it but they don’t maintain this level.

As the tape progresses I loose interest. I’m baffled by how this project is letting me down like none of the previous one’s (except for maybe the early two) have. Currensy seems to be a bit distracted, seeing his clever self gone with a stiff unlikeable emcee in his place just reciting run of the mill bars about non sense. If you are gonna rap about this subject matter you gotta make it exciting and not come off as a lame. Here he fails on both counts.

Completest eat your heart out, download here.

Currensy "Super Tecmo Bowl"

Currensy has finally got a tape in his canon I won’t look down on. Fear and Loathing in New Orleans got pretty close, but Super Tecmo Bowl sees the Hot Spitta finding both his voice and the right style of beat for him.

Throughout the bars he spits here there is a confidence I’ve not heard on any of the previous projects. He touched it on Life at 30,000 Feet but his youth and the Cash Money influence are heavy burdens on his earlier tape. Here he is on top of the world. He attacks tracks with a passion. He is five tapes into the monthly mixtape series and it’s starting to pay off, he has captured the attention of the bloggeratti and was probably seeing some doors open via his own work. That has to be an invigorating feeling, this feeling is expressed through his flow.

His rhymes cover a lot. He’s got a lot on his mind. Weed is starting to be talked about more, girls are front and center often, he boasts on one song that he has no game chicks just know his story. His fashion sense is on display as well. While anyone can talk about these things, Currensy delivers his talk in quite clever rhymes that humanize what it is he is talking about.

He isn’t totally caught up in the material world however and on a song like “I Did It Myself” he bounces back and forth between his fly talk and some serious introspection about his career path and the work he has done. This is a reoccurring theme throughout Super Tecmo Bowl, addressed in different scenarios He talks about the blogs, the series, his homies he intends to put on - perhaps this doesn’t sound interesting when read about but the way he rolls all of these things together he shows his fans his life through his rhymes. His life just happens to revolve around his music and clothes.

He talks to the haters on “Top Shelf” and gets as close to his old gangster threats since before the series began with the line about his homies not responding kindly to disparaging remarks and points out while that’s not really his steez, it’s how it’ll go down so just keep them thoughts to your self. He gives us a weed song in “Blaze Something” certain to piss off any club promoter, owner or security staff as the hook incites anyone with chronic in the club to light it up.

A big part of this tapes playing as a whole are the beats he selected. Most I recognize, few I’m able to place which is driving me crazy but you can’t know all. The common theme with most is their more musical than much of what we’ve seen in the past. Many of these feature horns, what sound like live drums or at least live played via the producers machine of choice. While not exactly what Ski is on with his current Karate School sensei’s they mesh well with Currensy’s voice.

Maybe it’s the weed, maybe it’s the success, maybe it’s the good times he is having living life with his crew recording raps, playing video games and going shopping - whatever it is that makes Currensy happy was going on in his life while making this record and he gave that back to his fans.

Download it here.

Currensy "Fear & Loathing in New Orleans"

With tape number four in “Spitta’s Monthly Mixtape Takeover” (his name, not mine) he shouts out his home and a classic book about a wild drug fueled journey. I’m sure Fear & Loathing in New Orleans was fueled by as much chronic smoke as any other tape Currensy has released, but he isn’t one to rep for much else - he even goes so far as to say on the intro he doesn’t “pour anything up.” Regardless of what ingests, he has delivered a pretty good project this time around, maybe the first of his tapes I could see myself going back to as a whole project.

He introduces the tape over Kool & The Gang’s “Summer Madness” before jumping into the title track sounding great over a smooth jazzy beat that I swear I’ve heard before but can’t place. He is talking about his home here, he talks about the hood, friends passed, and his first rap that was “full of bullshit and lies” about doing dirt. I can dig this.

The tape kinda falters for a sec after with a couple ho hum joints. “Murda” comes and goes with Spitta talking about how he can take out anyone with his bars while “Movie Writers, Bussiness Men & Gangstas” features a terrible beat with no life for Currensy and Mr. Marcelo to talk about nonsense, and some contrived connection between the three. Well I guess their could be, but they don’t capture it in the slightest.

He and Roddy take “We Major” into “Sky Barz” talking about their typcial Fly Society type shit about just how fly they get and over a Neptunes industry beat he talks about “World Class Bitches” who love him. He sounds good over the Neptunes baby making tune, and he keeps it light and funny throughout, he just wants to get highed up with the fly ass chick who snuck the planes into the club.

Many of the tracks on this tape only feature a verse and a hook. This isn’t a knock against the tape, one of the flaws in the previous ones relates to how they could drag on. That being said, it’s an easier task to write a hot 16 over a hot beat, coming with a complete idea is a whole different task. Of course he has proven today he has no problem being creative, if anything these days the guy is being too inspired... nah, no such thing.

“Lost In Transit” is one of the best Currensy song I’ve heard in my going through the discography. Over an awesomely spacey beat that features very mellow drums just playing in the background, whoever played the synths on this tack wins big in my book, I want more! Currensy gives us some high talk about rappers being parents to kids who’s biological don’t bother, education getting you killed, and of course he has a couple lines about how dope he is.

He raps about being new age technology, tell dudes how to get on in this new Internet driven rap biz. He rocks over Ski’s Camp Lo classic, continually demonstrating the chemistry they have goes deeper than just knowing Dame. He pulls on Ced Hughes for an awesome track in “Calm Down” and reminds me why I interviewed dude, why I hate that I don’t have the audio any longer, and just how dope he is. He has a much more precise flow next to Spitta, but they compliment each other here awesomely well.

Fear & Loathing in New Orleans has some gems. Like most mixtapes it’s not flawless, that’s ok. Like all of these proects it’s free and it’s another notch in Currensy’s belt. He wasn’t dropping these tapes to make people believe he was the dopest on the mic but to prove that he could rap and you should listen to him. What he lacks in lyrical dexterity he makes up for with charisma and a knowledge of rap that only the biggest of heads would put on display. He rocks “Intergalactic” like it was his own. Enough said.

Download the tape here.

Currensy "Welcome to the Winner's Circle"

After five mixtapes it’s nice to say that their is finally one that I really enjoy front to back. Maybe it’s just my love for Seattle’s favorite boutique that Spitta unintentionally shouts out with the title, but Welcome to The Winner’s Circle is 18 tracks of awesomeness. Unlike most of the previous tapes featuring a wide array of industry beats, this one features beats that all fit within a mood. I recognize some but not all, wish that mixtapes came with production credits, ha.

The mood here is comfortable. While the first two tapes in the monthly series didn’t feel like they were projects so much as random songs thrown together, this one plays through like an album. He recruits Nate Dogg for a hook (or maybe that‘s jacked too?) over some subtle drums and muted horns. Currensy does a good job of explaining what makes him him.

I’ve complained about his constant focus on material items through the tapes we’ve looked at so far. This one doesn’t shy away from that like he has as of late, but it does mellow it out. He isn’t bragging any longer, nor is he trying to push a gangster persona. With “Bubble Gum Gangstas” he goes in on the classic Jay beat from “Imaginary Players.” Currensy addresses the fakes who front on record, he’s addressed his own guilt of this on wax already, it’s cause for a chuckle but he makes a good point when he says he’s gonna sit back and enjoy his good guy image.

Kick back and enjoy the good life seems to be what he has done. He lost the overly seriousness, the hard facade, rolled up a few more planes, got down with his homies who were on the same wavelength and started making music for himself. Roddy and Trademark are here in full effect, I can’t hate on either of em, they never appear enough to really judge what they can do, but as far as guest bars go they handle their own all the time. Fiend is still popping up which is awesome, their chemistry is obvious and it has been since the No Limit era.

2008 sounds about right in my head for when the streetwear culture had hit it’s boiling point and Currensy is embracing it fully here. He’s always been about gear, but shouts out to Neako, BAPE, the Hundreds, Rocksmith, and others throughout the tape is a new reach. It could be his excitement of looking at these companies as peers given he had just inked a clothing deal for Fly Society at the time of recording this. Wonder where those clothes ended up?

Welcome to The Winner’s Circle is a mixtape from a rapper who has learned some things from time spent in the industry. While it’s not his first tape to be wholly listenable it is his first one that is wholly him. Gone are the leftover tracks, gone is the confusion of how to approach a project that you have sole control over. The best moments of all his previous work and what’s carrying him today is his ability to make people connect with him. He’s found this quality here and experimenting in all the right ways over beats that connect sonically.

Download the tape here.

Currensy "Higher Than 30,000 Feet"

Tape two in Currensy’s 2008 monthly mixtape series was done in two days in the LBC section of Los Angeles. Some of the project holds a laid back west coast vibe, but thanks in large part to Spitta’s choice of beats Higher Than 30,000 Feet plays like a vintage east coast project. He even comes off on a couple of these tracks like he was raised around the block from where the track might have been made.

Currensy’s fluidity on the mic is something I’ve heard discussed about the kid before. While he hails from New Orleans, and certainly possess a southern drawl, when he raps he can fit any style. If you’ve been following the tapes so far you’ve already heard “Hear It & Fear It” over the Roots jam “The Next Movement.” I can’t dig on his reusing of a song, but he dispatches the beat with ease telling us a story about a dog Katrina claimed.

Elsewhere he hops on “Hate Me Now” and “Shook Ones.” He sounds good on the later, flows like Hav and P were right there with him. His remake of the former is lackluster to say the least. He spends too much of this tape caught up in the material ideas that flooded rap in the late 90s, I don’t care if your crew is called Fly Society.

His new team’s ideals permeate the entire tape. Lots of talk about cars, girls, fly gear and the planes. He raps on “Grindin” and it’s one of the few times when you actually miss the original emcees. While he can’t work with the Neptunes minimal sounds, he handles “Feelin It” like a pro and should Jay hear it, if he hates that’s all it is.

Throughout all these projects Mr. Marcello has remained a presence. Today he is no where to be found, but at one point this was Spitta’s go to guy I think. He raps decent enough, on “Do What It Do” his deep voice sounds perfectly grimey for the bouncy beat. He also gets his own bonus track at the end of the project, dropping a 16 that’s forgettable.

Being out West for the recording of the project, how could he not link with his West coast counterpart to the Jets, aptly named F.S. West. Ha. Sometimes rappers lack any originality what so ever. These guys sound like hangers on and whats worse when Currensy joins the posse cuts he only stands out for his voice.

The Hot Spitta has gone up and down throughout the five tapes I’ve reviewed so far. At his best he can convey a genuine, stoned out, skater kid that spits raps about his life and how fly he is. At his worst he sounds like an arrogant fool who happens to have some flow and nothing to say. Higher than 30,000 Feet is more of the later unfortunately.

Download the tape here.

What's all the hype about, who is J. Cole?

That's who J. Cole is. If you didn't watch it, you should. I haven't been sold on dude, still not but he is slightly captivating and I'm intrigued. He's coming to town on the 23rd to rock Neumos. While it's his first headlining appearance in town, he was here last October with his boss - Jay-Z.

I didn't catch that set, my roommate at the time did and wasn't impressed. He was the one who told me to listen to The Warm Up but I never did. Until this past week. Today I went back to it again while writing something about him for a friend. He has an interesting story that is unlike many of his peers.

He graduated college in 2007 and quickly put together his first tape. This cat isn't only a college grad, he finished magna cum laude. Since then he has become the first artist signed with Jigga's new Roc Nation label and released one more mixtape, with another scheduled to drop in a couple days although the hype has been minimal and his album has already seen delays.



Regardless of what's happening with his projects, what is out shows an emcee that's talented and smart. He obviously isn't just a book smart kid, and his rhymes reflect both sides of his education. He makes beats and pulls on heavy drums and dusty samples like so many NYC legends, his samples and overall vibe of his music can't escape his heritage in the south however and you hear southern soul seeping out of many of his cuts. He owns the industry beats he takes as well. I guess I do like J. Cole.

Download the Warm Up here.

Listening this morning and learning a bit more about him has made me a bit more a fan, I'm still curious as to where exactly he is going and I'm not convinced he is always really talking about anything. Critiques with answers in time. Right now I'm gonna let "Last Call" replay once again. Check out his tapes and catch him at Neumos on the 23rd.

Currensy "Independence Day"

The sweet smell of freedom. After many years tied to two of the biggest labels of their time, and with nothing more than three mixtapes to show for it, Currensy goes independent and emerges two years after Life At 30,000 Feet with Independence Day. It was, as he said, the first of a seven month long series seeing him drop a tape a month.

The first thing to know about Independence Day is that while the music is better than any of the previous tapes, it lacks a cohesive feel that he had started to touch with Life at 30,000 Feet. It’s not surprising being that this is his first project in two years, I’m sure these songs are pulled from sessions years apart. Sometimes the quality tells you, sometimes the mixing does and sometimes Spitta does.

The great thing about it is that he is doing him for the first time. I've made a point of the fact he wasn’t talking about weed overly on his previous ones, it’s still not as big trend but it is building it’s place in his persona. The beat selections are very blunted beats, or they are club bangers you’ve probably heard a different rapper on. Perhaps none of these are original?

You begin to hear the carefree side of the man. He makes a song about dealing with his cell phone that’s hilarious, honest, and relateable to no end. For anyone who has been stuck on a girl for no apparent reason, you have to listen to “She’s on My Mind.” Another hilarious couple verses from Currensy and he takes the prize for the first rapper I’ve ever heard use the word ribbing. I thought it was clever.

Elsewhere he and his homies rock, Roddy makes some appearances and pretty much sounds the same which might bug some but I won’t complain about listening to Roddy spit. He completely outshines Joey Queans on “Passport Sports.” A familiar face from the first project, Mr. Marcelo shows up and he still doesn’t stand out to me.

As the record plays out it’s choppiness starts to wear, it looses interest from time to time and when dealing with pot heads you know you gotta keep em captivated. His braggadocios lyrics are still occupying too much time. As is talk of money and it’s accompanying perks.

My opinion of this tape is as varied as the 23 songs present. He raps over hella different selections. I think this is one reason I like Spitta, he is a Hip Hop head to the bone. He has lived and breathed this culture for ever. I don’t feel that from every rapper. Doesn’t mean they haven’t but does mean he can personify better than many. That’s a valuable asset.

For a project that is re-announcing you to a scene you had begun to break the ice with Independence Day is decent enough. Perhaps that is why he made it sporadic. Here is all of me. It’s all an evolution and who are we to complain at the end of the day? It’s not like he’s asking us to pay anything. Download it here.

Currensy "Life At 30,000 Feet"

On Currensy’s third outing he finally proves himself a rapper worth hearing. The mixtape game at one point was all about development. I doubt you would ever hear an emcee coming out with something as rough as what we’ve already seen from the Hot Spitta. Life at 30,000 Feet is Currensy’s second mixtape with Cash Money and this time he is rocking with the family and fitting a role to a T.

Gone are the “freestyle” tags from these tracks. Sometimes he rocks over an industry beat and sometimes he has something original to hit you with. Guests vary throughout the tape but for a 27 track tape I’m not mad at the mixture of solo material with appearances from some different faces. Wayne comes through twice, Mack Maine, Top Gunz, Roddy, some guys named Joey and Daryl are also here along with a few others.

Wayne’s first verse comes over the classic Ski beat that Jay-Z owned - “Dead Presidents.” While it can never be touched, these two do not let anyone down with their writtens. Currensy spends time throughout all of his tapes rocking to many Ski beats, this is an awesome foreshadowing that we as fans should eat up.

Where the first two tapes held nothing that made me want to come back to them, this one has much that I enjoy. It’s more in line with what he is doing today, still less the regular weed talk. That is starting to creep in more and more though, don’t doubt it. He gives you “Smoke-N-Maintain” an awesome weed track, along with “Coastin’ Through The City” featuring this guy Top Gunz, who spits an awesome 16 to open the track discussing how he get’s highed up while riding through the city looking for “money and bitches.”

On that note, the influence of a conglomerate like Cash Money weighs heavy on Currensy still. It’s obvious here that he is aiming for a change, yet he knows the line he must walk to please those who hold the keys. Towards the end of the tape, he goes in on an assortment of early 90s native tongue beats and he sounds great. None of his posturing for the streets, just riding beats and flexing the art of gab that he can do with ease.

On “Galaxy Rap” he address some of the hate that has come his way and comes off honest and open. He nonchalantly dismisses the haters while continuing to push the image of being a young baller with cash, cars and girls. It’s hard to argue with. Currensy does a lot to prove himself on this record. His choice of beats to rock over and his fine walking of a line between his more gangster label mates and his laid back stoned demeanor is great.

While the first two mixtapes held tracks only the most die hard of Currensy fans need to hear, this tape features some gems for a much larger audience. You have Wayne in the Carter era here and Currensy opening up his mind to idea’s bigger than the block. His ear for a good beat is the deal breaker as you won’t be disappointed upon any track change. Roll one while this tape downloads and spark it as you press play.

Currensy "Welcome Back"

Listening to Currensy as a younger emcee is interesting. He is a great example of someone who needed the mixtape game to perfect his craft. Sports Center Vol. 1 held my attention only in so far as an example of growth for one of my current favorites. Welcome Back does about the same. He sounds a little better, but this is a much shorter affair with only nine real songs.

In the course of one year Currensy switched camps and on Welcome Back hears him repping hard for the Young Money/Cash Money conglomerate. Their are no guests from the crew present but some of the beats sound as though they may be Mannie Fresh throw aways. Some hold the “Armz” stamp which leads me to believe he got them off the long running instrumental mixtape series done by J. Armz.

His content still revolves around money, go figure with the new alliance, and he is still attempting to carry the gangster image. On “Ambitions Az A Ridah Freestyle” he spits next to a chick I think named Diamond, his bars about killing someone hold nothing menacing behind them. Diamond comes on and has a vicious tone that next to Spitta tells me one thing: he doesn’t believe what he’s saying.

On “Change Clothes” he sounds terrific and it’s more of the same discussing moving grams and holding “so many guns in his trunk he ran out of room for his speakers.” He rides Jay-Z beats incredibly well and makes me wonder how long Dame has been watching him. He still isn’t discussing the sticky green all that much, and does rely on talking about how dope he is a bit too much.

Confidence is great though and it could be the exact reason that we know who Currensy is today and their are countless others who were rapping in 2004 who we don’t. At 23 Currensy was not the artist his partner Wiz Khalifa is, but his strong suits peak out from time to time on these early tapes and it awesome to see how he has identified and developed them.

Download here.

Currensy "Sports Center Vol. 1"

I’ve been patiently waiting for Currensy to come out to our lovely town. The date is set for December 2nd. Over the course of the next month I’ll be reviewing all of his old work. It starts today with, according to Wikipedia, his first mixtape Sports Center Vol. 1.

Released in 2004, this tape is a No Limit affair - the only project I’ve discovered of dudes that bears his first labels stamp. This copy is not the best quality, but everything is listenable and will let you hear the hot spitta as a young emcee just starting to develop.

While he has recently paired with his fellow No Limit refuge Fiend, they are not gettin busy together on this record. Mr. Marcello makes several appearances. C-Murder spits a few bars. Master P, Lil Romeo and a chick - that I’m thinking could be Rom’s sister, get down on a track next to Currensy as well.

I was never buying No Limit releases growing up, but what I know about the label seems to be represented here. Gone is all of the weed talk Currensy is known for today. In it’s place is a fair amount of gangster shit, stereotypical nonsense that shows me probably why I was never checking for him for so long. Elsewhere he talks about money, girls, etc. I’m intrigued to learn about Currensy’s youth, because if this is at all serious I think he may have grown up in the No Limit camp much like Lil Wayne with the Cash Money crew.

Like most mixtapes of this era most of the beats heard are jacked from the hits of the day. A few originals slip in and they are pretty bad. Cheap synths and lackluster 808s barely hitting anything do not make for good rhyming. Over the wide array of selections Currensy and the guests rock over no one ever really sounds great. Currensy was not the smooth rapping cat he is today six years ago.

While he pulls off a decent cadence on “Crush On You” he sounds way to soft for a track like “Gangster Music.” Listening to him struggle on some tunes, show hints of what’s to come on others is the only reason I can say you should download this tape. I love seeing the growth and advancement. Currensy has done a lot of that on many different levels. Sports Center Vol. 1 is essential only for the completests.

Download it here.

Conmen: The Complete Series

Us here at MO are huge vinyl nerds. We also happen to love pretty much anything funky. Give us that swing and we won't deny it. Good music is what we love and Seattle always accommodates, be it via our huge array of talent across genres or the ever so deep crates our area record stores house just waiting for us to get our hands dusty looking for the right sound.

Two locals who have never ceased in their digging game and will always be held in high regard by vinyl connoisseurs worldwide are Jake One and Mr. Supreme. Supreme's history is long in this town, partnering with Sub Pop almost 20 years ago for Conception records. The run was short lived but through that he met a young kid named Jake One. They united as one for the Conmen starting in 1997 with their first tape Smooth Criminal Beat Breaks full of old records, some you've heard sampled years ago, some people still ain't hip to.

The songs don't stop though and the Conmen kept coming with it dropping a tape a year through 2001. Five volumes in all full of the funkiest breaks, smoothest grooves, and rarest of tunes. Don't even sample this!








So the covers aren't all the same size, the funk is all heavy and that's what matters! Download all the Conmen tapes now.

Vol. 1 - Smooth Criminal Beat Breaks
Vol. 2 - The Masters
Vol. 3 - Jelaous Toys Die
Vol. 4 - Veteranos
Vol. 5 - Don't Even Sample This

Wizdom "The Washington Wizard"

I've never been too hip to Wizdom, what I'd heard was never anything that captured me. Swerve has always repped for dude and with the release of their tape The Washington Wizard I decided to sit down and really pay attention. It's good. He can be funny, he's always honest and he flows next to some of the towns best throughout the project. Download it here!

Eighty4 Fly "1st Class in Fly World"

Eighty4 Fly isn't slowing down. As the Eighty4 Fly Project just starts to cool off, he comes back this time with a "mixtape" hosted by DJ B Mello. 1st Class in Fly World is for all intents an purposes a debut album that's mixed by a Northwest legend, can't be mad at that (maybe slightly mad at the drops, just sayin...).

This project continues what we saw with the EP, that is a voice from Seattle aiming squarely for the attention of the masses. His beats beg to be played in the club, his lyrics lack much substance - but believe they are delievered in excellent style and he is never short a clever couplet.

What emcee do you know is going to do an entire song with his vocals screwed? Eighty4 Fly does it on "Break Lights to great results. Over a beat that is subtley hypnotic he tells a story about late night partying. This is a common topic. That and weed smoking. Ladies are mentioned more than a few times too. Overall Eigthy4 Fly shows he is about having a good time and if you can't get with that get out of his way.

Spac3man shows up on "The Fly" and continues to hold the crown of best guest emcee in the town. While I'm tempted to give his tape a listen off the strength of the new video I'm not quite there, this might be the incentive i need. Anyway he does his thing here, but Fly isn't to be forgotten as he sounds pretty clean over this sparse beat.

Elsewhere we hear beat selections from Eighty4 that show he has a precise sound he is looking for. A sound influenced as much by the tradition of Hip Hop as it is his own desire for something a little spacely. Some tracks have a full sound with lots of instruments, some are bare. Most are cause for celebration and smiles, a few might make your flight just a bit more elevated.

After years of listening to Seattle hip hop that always felt distinctly Seattle it's exciting to hear artists from the town making tracks that just scream "play me." The EP worked at showing some diversity from Eigthy4 Fly, the tape is more one minded but we all need something to spark up too thats knocking.

Download 1st Class in Fly World here!

He couldn't hold onto this jam! "Like Planes" finally has a home with the release of this album, why not bring the video back.

Starlito Loves You

In March I got hip to a guy named Starlito aka All Star, I wrote about his then new tape at the time - read it here. Renaissance Gangster will not be forgotten anytime soon, it's certain to be on my top 10 list for the year. But right now I'm here to drop another tape on you from the man. If you have been able to lay off the Peanut Butter crack or it wasn't your cup of tea here's a nice alternative. It too can prove to be good atmospherics for your weekend, if your days off consist of smoking the finest of ganja's and rolling it in tobacco leaves. Haha. I'm just playing, Startlito is much more accessible than that!

Hailing from Nashville, this one time Cash Money signee raps with a distinct southern drawl spitting slow and precise. He is very clever, often making me laugh. Just as often he provokes some deep thought. He disguises intelligence under a veil of gangster swagger. This isn't to say he hasn't been influenced by his surroundings. On the contrary it seems that he is taking the Nas route a step further having participated in some things and now advising those like him how to avoid the trap.

I was gonna write some more, but it's Star's music I'm trying to convince you on. I let him tell you how it is:

I'm a bad muthafucka by design
And by the dollar sign I will go Columbine
I apologize no cause I'm not a mime
A lot of times my rhymes make me seem out my mind
I gotta get out and get it that's right I gotta grind
Gotta problem with you must don't got a problem damn
I'm such a gangsta that I don't do dirt in front of people
So like my bitch when your alone I might just come to see you
I fill my tank with unleaded and my lungs with diesel
Eleven times out of ten I'm doin something illegal
Wake up to breakfast and a blunt and for lunch that's equal
I follow Kingdom Come I used to bump the prelude
Niggas beats is bangin but their lyrics still don't do it
Stuck on stupid we're stuck on singing
Is that artistic or audio autism what world do yall live in
The music I vibe to isn't all rhythm
Isn't it all sing and dance
I'm sorry children
Yall keep buying into it yall trippin
I got so cold from being left in the cold i'm frostbitten
Luckily I ball space jam Jordans like I'm takin some time off pippen
Pissing you off faster than a over active bladder
I'm just a hustler turned over active rapper
We decided to say fuck you when you thought you mattered
So I went back to pitchin 8 balls like I walked two batters
I caught you thought this all for rappers
Recycling my shit in such awkward patterns
please stop it... I beg of you...
you know you get kicked out of school for plagarism

Yeah. He makes it sound effortless. Download the damn tape, Live From the Back of the Class!

Avatar Young Blaze "Russian Revolution"

Seattle artists don’t hustle. We got some cats that work hard, rock shows, kill it and stay promoting themselves but you don’t see dudes in the lab dropping multiple projects a year. Not even tracks daily. Not to say the scene isn’t fruitful. Avatar Young Blaze has taken a page out of the book of trappers turned rappers and stayed making music at a higher volume than anyone else in his town.

With his latest project Russian Revolution hitting twitter earlier this week I’ve been sitting with it pretty much on repeat trying to get a feel for where the young man is taking us. Having listened to a couple other projects, watched the videos and talked with him in the last month I feel like I’ve started to see behind the mask.

To be honest this tape shows more depth than anything else he has done to date. Sure he still has the street shit. He rocks “BMF” and does a pretty good job with it, I’d love to hear what some national critics think of his rendition. He seems to take the same route talking in code about a bunch of shit most of us probably aren’t privy too. But his flow is rocks and you can’t deny his presence.

Elsewhere we see him do the weed song over some beautiful piano and guitar chords that certainly have you forgetting about that “Zone Out” video. “Wishing On A Dream” features Isabella Du Graf doing her thing over a beautiful beat with knocking drums, some ill strings and horns - a composition perfect for Av to talk about life of today and tomorrow.

At times in the past I have thought Avatar’s voice and flow were a bit awkward, gone is any of the clunkyness to his spit here. He is 100 percent on point throughout the tape, carrying it pretty much all by himself with only his homie Ackrite the Butcher and Eighty4 Fly making guest verse appearances. Ackrite and Avatar work really well together, we’ve already heard their chemistry and I’m anxious to hear a full project from the Butcher.

“Extraterrestrial” is another turn for Young Blaze, featuring a spacey beat with sparkling synths it sounds much more up the alley of it’s guest Eighty4 Fly. They do their thing, and I guess I’m gonna have to stop doubting Fly, he always holds his own.

The production throughout this tape is great. I don’t have an actual list of creidts but he shouts out Jake One on “The Quattroporte” and it sounds pretty trademark White Van Music with awesome drums, a hard bassline, and that crispness Seattle needs to be known for. Elsewhere Avatar selects records to suit his needs. He gets the synthed out club records, the hard gangsta shit and he even takes it back flipping the 808 for “Posse on Jackson.” It’s a bold move that no one should be mad at.

Listening to Russian Revolution you shouldn’t find much to be mad at. While Avatar projects of the past have shown us a young kid from the streets ready to spit venom at those just like he was still out on the block scoping a chain to snatch, this one shows a more mature Avatar. He is rounding himself out. And it makes for a listening experience that does not tire.

Download Russian Revolution here!

Andre Benjamin Is...

What more can really be said about Andre Benjamin? Everyone has sung his praise the man he is one of the best and still relevant emcees and he hasn't dropped an album in four years. But every track that has come has been ridiculous.

So while his slick talking, pimp walking partner gets his much deserved shine I'm just gonna slide this little gem into the mix.

Produced by DJ Ideal (the website included in the comments is no longer active and I can't find any info on DJideal.com to make me think it's the same person? Someone solve this mystery!) this 42 track mixtape features a laundry list of classic Outkast jawns from their entire discography along with mixed in snippets of interviews Andre has conducted, giving you a peak into the man just a little more.

On top of the awesome mix here you also get these dope pictures produced I'm assuming for the album. By whom I once again can't confirm.

Download the mixtape and images here!

206 Summer Heat Mix by DJ Daps1

Summertime in Seattle is a special season. We don't see the sun but for a few months so when it hits it's time to live it up and have good time. Cracking brews on the beach, smoking blunts in the park, being out with the homies and generally just living life and causing a ruckus. If this sounds about right for you and yours download this funky Sea-Hop mix courtesy of DJ Daps1 and get a soundtrack for your antics.

Keeping things mellow this tape features a good variety of raps from the town. He includes one of my all time favorite summer jams in "Summertime" from Grynch and Geologic - me and my girl Caroline kept that in constant rotation when My Second Wind dropped. I had forgotten about The Physics and Khingz joining the Scholars for that "Town Talk" and how about the awesome "Summer's Here" featuring Ab Creole, Krispy & Nam - is this an early Hi-Life demo?

Daps keeps the mixing succinct and shows off his love for the 6, he pulls from all eras of Seattle Hip Hop proving that this towns current renaissance is no fluke.

Download DJ Daps1 206 Summer Heat Mix here!

Khingz - Pho99

Khingz has always been one of my favorite emcees in the town, and we are proud to say that we are welcoming him into the M.O. fold with his next full length release with B Flat and Crispy, Hi-Life Soundsystem.

That said, here is a little something to whet your appetite...the title alone makes me hungry. It's his newest mixtape Pho99 - available for FREE on his bandcamp - and as usual, it's filled with clever wordplay, his signature polar bear toenail delivery and calm confidence that we expect from such a seasoned local vet.

Can't wait to hear more from him...ahem.

Best of Quantic

If I were to stop my current stint of creative A.D.D. and focus soley on music production, I would want to emulate Quantic. He epitomizes everything I love about fusing genres, blurring the lines between vintage/retro and contemporary and incorporating live instrumentation...helping me discover a zen-like space between my ears that often washes away any stress or day to day nonsense. His music is theraputic and mellow on the surface, yet intricate and somewhat complex in terms of composition.

Here is a perfect example of Quantic's amazing work for your listening pleasure... A 'Best of' mix compiled and mixed by Jeremy Sole to prepare you for his latest release 'Flowering Inferno.'


Lo Mejor y Sabor de Quantic (by Jeremy Sole) by Tru Thoughts


Via: Wax Poetics

Dam-Funk: Future Sound of Modern Funk Mix

Dam-Funk put together a 45 minute mix last week while on tour in Croatia called the Future Sound of Modern Funk. I don't suppose I need to tell you what it covers, and how good it is. Well...it's funky...and it's awesome.

Download the 45-minute Dam-Funk mix:
The Future of Modern Funk (MP3)

Tracklist:
J1 – LiftOff [intro]
Devonwho – Slapshot
Reggie B – Khemitian Temple [Instrumental Version]
Teeko X. – BustAMOVE!GO!OFF
Chesca & Elliot York – Twilight Fades
B. Bravo – Two 2 Tango
AD Bourke – Cosmic Connection feat. Amalia
Distant Starr – Here We Go
Odidisee – Curl
Pudge – Jungle Funk [Jus Dance]
Subtitle x DâM-FunK – Experts
AD Bourke – One For Me
Grooveman Spot – Affection feat. Ahu
Teeko / Dibia$e / Devonwho – Young Funklords
Electric Wire Hustle – Unknown Instrumental aka Track 8
Computer Jay – Slipping!!
Fatima – Warm Eyes
Dam-Funk – The Funk Is 4 U/Outro [Unreleased]

Via: Stones Throw