Needles » hardcore-rap

Beanie Sigel – I Go Off (f/50 Cent)

needles — Mon, 03 May 2010 04:18:01 +0000

Once again, yours truly is jumping up with old beef. I know the now-well-publicized intra-Roc rivalry is nearly half a year old, but this song knocks so hard, I just couldn’t resist sharing it with you all. Also, I have never posted anything from Beans from before, and I really need to hook him up for a bit. 50 is hanging on tight to any chance he can cause trouble… but this is from the man who wants to make a dance album (Black Magic) next – In da Club 2, anyone? Nevertheless, enjoy the Broad Street Bully in top form:

Beanie Sigel – I Go Off (f/50 Cent) | mixtape

Raekwon – Happy New Years!

needles — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:05:44 +0000

It seems that I keep on having reasons to say “I’m back!” and “Hello again!”. So it is with great pleasure that I say HAPPY NEW YEAR… I’M BACK! Short and simple – OB4CL2 was probably one of the best rap albums of 2009, but definitely a piece of work that was greater as a whole than in parts. Isn’t that what buying an “album” is supposed to be about though? I’ll let Raekwon wish you all a happy new year as well… but before I do that, my brother sent me something interesting earlier today. What do you think: the craziest double-off-beat genius flow ever or some crazy-wack off-beat mess that should have embarrassed PtheG into hiding? Now I’m hungry… feed me Chef:

Raekwon – Happy New Years! | web only
Wu-Massacre – Meth vs. Chef II | bootleg

Wu-Tang Clan – Ill Figures (f/The Revelations, Raekwon, M.O.P., Kool G Rap)

needles — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:46:18 +0000

I took another look at this latest Wu-Tang release the other day and developed a new appreciation for the quality of the project. Here’s the deal: Brooklyn-based group, The Revelations, lays down the grooves, M.O.P.’s Fizzy Womack, also from Brooklyn, produces the tracks, and each track features at least one Wu-member (but not the GZA, the MZA or Masta Killa) and one New York veteran. Each track is also interspersed with a spoken-word joint by RZA. Kung Fu flick samples abound and most of the tracks work really well. The guest artists here make a lot more sense than, for example, The W. You may recognize The Revelations from a previous post I made, and Tre Williams does make an appearance on this album as well. For your listening pleasure, check out this joint from the middle of the album with Raekwon, both members of M.O.P. and Kool G Rap… nice combo!

Wu-Tang Clan – Ill Figures (f/The Revelations, Raekwon, M.O.P., Kool G Rap) | E1

Slaughterhouse – freestyle @ DJ Green Lantern show

needles — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:01:43 +0000

I just heard this today, but it aired a week or so ago. I’m just really feeling Royce and Joell on this – they sound very invigorated, so I thought I might share. Joe sounds a bit exhausted… Crooked I is, well, Crooked I. It’s long, but it’s got a lot of dope lines. I guess part of me is feeling like we really do need more GROUPS in rap music these days to make it more exciting. Folks have been comparing these guys to the Wu in ‘93, so it’s funny how they actually have beef with the Wu now (peep various Inspectah Deck vs. Joe Budden tracks from June and July). Blood…

Slaughterhouse – freestyle @ DJ Green Lantern show

Reef the Lost Cauze – Afghan Green

needles — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:56:04 +0000

I haven’t posted in a few days… still getting used to this after-school life and the new schedule. I’m exhausted tonight, but I wanted to drop this jewel for you before I jet. Reef the Lost Cauze has been damaging mics for a few years now. He first jumped up onto the scene in Philly at the beginning of the decade. A few years back he took the title at EOW in New York. He has dropped a couple of albums, the latest being “The Stress Files”, a collaboration with Stress the White Boy on the boards (do I sense a late ‘00 trend?) The beat is very dope, and the delivery is smooth and clear. It reminds me a bit of early CNN around 1996…

Reef the Lost Cauze – Afghan Green | Creep

Jay Electronica – Exhibit A (Transformations)

needles — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:27:59 +0000

It’s been nearly 5 months since this track came out. Just Blaze blessed the boards with some nice film score-sounding work, but it was a Guitar Center compilation only release. I would have expected that after showcasing himself on the last Nas album, duke would have released an official single or something. According to his Twitter (slow your roll, homie), he has been recording with Puff Daddy, which would make for an interesting (or uninteresting) combination, depending on your affection for the shiny suit man. This is the track that made me open an ear and check for him, so since it seems like he is only a few months from hitting the scene in a major way, thought I’d share…

Jay Electronica – Exhibit A (Transformations) | mixtape

Statik Selektah – All 2gether Now (f/State Property)

needles — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:34:11 +0000

Hailing from Lawrence, Massachusetts, this very hard-working DJ has been dropping mixtapes since 2000. With “Stick 2 the Script”, his second LP, he clearly demonstrates the maturity of his production skills. Here he has amassed an impressive foundation of beats for a number of well-known artists. This track stands out for me because of the interplay between the three State Prop MCs. When was the last time you heard MCs actually sound like they recorded their verses in the same studio? The beat is banging and representative of Statik’s talent. He did a one-day album with Saigon a few weeks ago, and it is better than more than a few major label releases I have heard this year…

Statik Selektah – All 2gether Now (f/State Property (Young Chris, Peedi Crakk, Freeway)) | Showoff / Brick

GZA/Genius in Boston TONIGHT!

needles — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:00:13 +0000

I’m pretty excited GZA is going to be playing in Boston Thursday, April 9 at Harper’s Ferry. I haven’t seen him perform since I was at the Wu show in Ann Arbor in 1994. He is definitely one of the most lyrically versatile of the Clan, but tending more towards the metaphysical than fellow-wordmaster, Ghostface Killah. I have attached what I consider to be one of the best tracks off his debut album. Enjoy, and try to catch GZA on his tour. [If you caught Cormega in New York last night, let me know how the show went.]

GZA/Genius – Shadowboxin’ (f/Method Man) | Geffen

Heavy Rotation – 2008 September

needles — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:47:36 +0000

This is the first of my monthly posts on some of the stuff I think is worth checkin’ out (Prodigy, Jadakiss, DJ Cam and more). Some of the tracks are notable for lyrics, some have great beats, while others are just treats from artists we haven’t heard in a while, from New York to Los Angeles… even Boston! This month there is a lot of rap, but also some neo-soul and r&b. I’ll be posting a new month’s worth of tracks every week until I catch up with the current month.

[click to listen, files will be available for six months]

DJ Babu – Dearly Departed (f/M.O.P.) | Stones Throw

Heltah Skeltah – D.I.R.T. (Another Boot Camp Clik Yeah Song) | Duck Down

Q-Tip – Gettin’ Up | Motown / Universal

The Foreign Exchange – Daykeeper (f/Muhsinah Abdul-Karim) | Nicolay Music

T.I. – Let My Beat Pound | unreleased

Terrance Martin – The Martin & Blake Jam Session | unreleased

DJ Babu – For Whatever It’s Worth (f/Evidence) | Stones Throw

John Legend – Green Light (f/Andre 3000) (Diplo Dade County 1988 Mix) | independent

DJ Revolution – King of the Decks (f/Sean Price, Tash) | Duck Down

Statik Selektah – Mr. Popularity (f/Consequence) | Showoff / Brick

Prodigy – Stop Stressin’ | Dirt Class

Fusion Unltd. – The Sun (f/Little Brother, Nickelus F, Hall of Fame, Mad Skillz) | Grind Date / ABB

The Game – State of Emergency (f/Ice Cube) | Geffen / Interscope

Jadakiss – By My Side (f/Ne-Yo) | Roc-a-Fella / Island Def Jam / Universal

Johnson & Johnson (Blu, Mainframe) – Wow | Tres

DJ Cam – For Minnie Riperton (f/InLove) | Inflammable

Ne-Yo – Closer | Island Def Jam / Universal