Alice Russell - For A While (Video)

Alice Russell releases a video to accompany her next single, "For A While", from her current album "To Dust". This single will be released on the 27th August.

CZARFACE (Inspectah Deck, 7L & Esoteric) - Hazmat Rap (Video)

A second Wu member dropped a video today. Inspectah Deck, along with 7L & Esoteric release the visuals for the track "Hazmat Rap" under their CZARFACE moniker. The self titled album of the same name is out now.

U-God - Fame & Skyscraper (Videos)

Despite having one of the most memorable verses from "Enter The 36 Chambers" on "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'", Wu-Tang member U-God, is still one of the most overlooked in the group.

Golden Arms recently released his latest solo effort "The Keynote Speaker" and dropped two videos in the same week. Today he dropped the visual for "Fame" which was produced by the UK's own Leaf Dog of High Focus Records but unfortunately has no Styles P appearance unlike the album version.

"Fame" and "Skyscraper" can be seen below.

The Incomparable Shakespeare - Supastar Proceedings (Audio)

BK's The Incomparable Shakespeare drops another track in the lead up to his "By Any Dreams Necessary" project. This time he borrows from The Roots and Group Home, hence the song title.

Find the track below along with a video from earlier this month called "Tried By 12 Brooklyn Kidz".

Aaron LaCrate - Milkcrate Athletics (Mixtape)

The DJ and producer Aaron LaCrate, well known for his Milkcrate apparel, releases his "Milkcrate Athletics" mixtape. Appearances from Raekwon, Cool Kids, Mobb Deep, Rakim and many more.

Download or stream below.

14KT - Crown feat. Black Milk & MED (Free Download)

Michigan producer, 14KT liberates a free single in anticipation of his upcoming instrumental album "Nickel & Dimed". Released on September 3rd through Mello Music Group, it will include a bonus vocal EP including artists such as Blu, Kokane, JMSN and others.

The first single features Detroit's Black Milk and LA's MED, which you can stream or download below for free.

Oddisee on The Process

Peter Rosenberg sits down and talks to one third of Diamond District and fello DC native, Oddisee. The Mello Music Group has a heavyweight line up of talent and Oddisee is scarily good as an emcee and producer. In the video he talks about his start and what his influences were, amongst other things.

 

Nitty Scott, MC - Skippin' Clouds (Video)

Seriously, people need to spend less time checking for anything that happens to feature Nicki Minaj. She definitely has skills but hasn't chosen to use them as of late. One young lady who has been putting in work for a number of years now, is Nitty Scott, MC.

Last year she dropped her first album proper, "The Boombox Diaries Vol.1", after a slew of mixtapes which are all definitely worth getting a hold of. This video, along with "Flower Child" below it, are both taken from the former and need more people's attention. If you enjoy either of the videos, please make sure you spread the word.

Here's the synopsis of "Skippin' Clouds" followed by the video. "Flower Child featuring Kendrick Lamar" can be seen below that.

"In “Skippin’ Clouds”, Nitty Scott, MC takes on the roles of a depressed 50′s house wife, a 70′s socialite who likes to party, and even a grungy heroin addict as the visual explores drug culture in different eras. The song’s airy high provides the perfect backdrop for a walk down trippy lane, deep in a substance-induced trance as she raps about everything from Bob Marley to vicodin and chakras. Whether taking drugs is about escapism, pure indulgence, or a quest to find deeper meaning, the stories show the duality of drug use and how they can lead to both pleasure and pain."

Camp Lo & Pete Rock - 80 Blocks From Tiffany's Part 2 (Mixtape)

Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba reconnect with The Chocolate Boy Wonder, Pete Rock, for the second part to their 80 Blocks From Tiffany's project.

Download at DatPiff or stream it in it's entirety below.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Also look out for Camp Lo on an upcoming episode of Juan Epstein. *Now added*

JT - Take Back The Night (Video)

Here's the video to the song Mr.Timberlake was teasing his new album with. "Take Back The Night" will be on his upcoming album in September.

 

Rizzle Kicks - Lost Generation (Video)

Posting pop music? How dare I? It's pop music because it's popular. Funny how that works.

Anyway, here's the new video for Rizzle Kicks single "Lost Generation" from their upcoming album "Roaring 20's". No doubt this will get stuck in your head like a lot of their songs seem to do.

I'm also a little biased, as it's produced by hip hop's most hip hop, Pete Cannon. If you don't know about him (!?!), have a read of what Enlish had to say on his site. He writes it better than I ever could!

Check the video below.

Talib Kweli on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Talib Kweli sits down with Combat Jack, Dallas Penn, Premium Pete and DJ BenHameen for the latest edition of The Combat Jack Show. In the first episode, he talks about how he got started and what made him choose hip hop as a career over the usual 9 to 5.

Catch part 1 below. Other parts will be added when released.

*Part 3 added*

The Kid Daytona - Picasso Baby Freestyle (Video)

The Bronx own, The Kid Daytona, drops visuals for his latest freestyle. This time he goes in over Hov's "Picasso Baby". Shot in St. Emilion, France, he lets a few of the locals get a little camera time.

See the video below. Also listen to a recent collaboration with France's DJ Cut Killer, who you might remember from his appearance in "La Haine" as he DJ'd from his project window.

Kevin Couliau: The Soul Of Silence

Kevin Couliau, photographer and co-director of "Doin' It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, New York City", put together a small tribute to the city's playgrounds from his time filming there in 2010 and 2011.



This and more of Kevin's work can be seen on his site, KevinCouliau.com

"Doin' It In The Park" is available here. Watch the trailer below.

Prodigy - Gangsta Love feat. Esther Seems (DJ Q Garage Remix) (Audio)

Something a little bit different, especially if you're a Mobb Deep fan.

Last week on Twitter, Prodigy expressed interest in hearing a remix of one of his old songs. UK producer DJ Q obliged and came up with the garage alternative you can hear below. It sounds OK to me. Takes me back to the late 90's/early 00's, so not a bad thing. I expect mixed reviews though.

The remix and original video are beneath.

Tech N9ne - So Dope (They Wanna) feat. Wrekonize, Snow Tha Product & Twisted Insane (Video)

Tech N9ne drops off his new video for "So Dope (They Wanna)" with a little help from Wrekonize, Twisted Insane and Snow Tha Product. Iggy who? Nicki who? Azealia who? Snow Tha Product's next.

The album, "Something Else" is released on the 30th.



Also. Winning.

TLC Movie Teaser Trailer

I'm not too sure how I feel about this one. On first glance, there is an eerie resemblance to TLC and the recreation of the music videos look exactly the same. There's just something about it that doesn't feel right to me.

Anyway, take a look at the teaser trailer for VH1's "CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story".

Throwback Thursday: Wu-Tang Edition

With the Wu-Tang Clan being in Manchester today, it was only right that I start a whole new segment; Throwback Thursday.

In addition to the nine original members (ten with Cappadonna), there are many other affiliates under the Wu umbrella so their back catalogue of music is both awesome and exhaustive. As you can imagine, it's difficult to only pick a handful of videos. To narrow down the pool of music to choose from, I've decided to dig in to the soundtrack and compilations they've featured on that often get overlooked.

Check a selection of videos below and also details of Wu shows happening in Manchester tonight.







 
 This one's from Ghostface's "Supreme Clientele" but I had to include it.




Wu-Tang play at the 02 Apollo, Manchester tonight. Tickets here.

And afterwards, make your way to this...

Will Not Be Televised presents Wu-Tang Aftershow Hosted by Raekwon

Bodega Brovas - Believe In Bodega EP (Free Download)

Bodega Brovas are here with their new EP, "Believe In Bodega"! Travii, HeadKrack and Keynote are back with a little treat for the fans. With appearances by Brown Bag AllStars' Koncept and Disturbing The Peace's 4IZE to name a couple, this is something you need. And there's no excuse not to as it's FREE. Get it downloaded and check the new video for "Getting It" while you're waiting.

Make sure to check the Bodega Brovas website too.

Rap Radar's Elliott Wilson Interviews Jay (Video)

Another week, another Jay-Z interview.

After last week's great discussion with Zane Lowe , next up is Rap Radar's Elliott Wilson to see what he can get out of Jay-Z. Check the two part video below.


 

Statik Selektah on Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette (Video)

Statik Selektah is the lastest to make an appearance on Mass Appeal's series "Rhythm Roulette". The premise is for a producer to go to a record store, be blindfolded, randomly select three records and then see what can be cooked up in the studio.

Here's Statik's attempt.



Statik Selektah's album "Extended Play" is available now.

Spike Lee Launches Kickstarter Campaign

The current climate for independent filmmakers is tough. Ask Spike Lee. Yes, Spike is an independent filmmaker and he's been doing it for the best part of 30 years. The problem is, being backed and getting the money behind a project isn't that easy. Unless, of course, you're making a superhero sequel.

That being said, Lee has turned to the people to hopefully fund his "Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint". His remake of "Oldboy" is wrapped and will be with us shortly but he already has the next movie planned. Yesterday he launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money needed to produce the next addition to his brilliant catalogue.

Watch his campaign video below and read his letter to the "Faithful" here.  
If you're unfamiliar with Kickstarter, visit their site.

P-Money - The Professional feat. Roc Marciano (Video)

P-Money drops his second video in a month from his current album "Gratitude". This time he's joined by Roc Marciano on the track "The Professional". Look out for Roc's own album, "Marci Beaucoup", coming later in the year.

"Gratitude" is out now on iTunes.

J-Zone Announces New Album (Video)

So J-Zone is actually releasing his latest solo album after a nine year gap. He's still been around doing production here and there, releasing his first book, "Root for The Villain: Rap, Bullshit & A Celebration Of Failure" and on top of this, trying to make a living outside of the music business.

Thankfully he's back and he caught up with Rob from Unkut to speak on the new album, why he's returned and growing old as a hip hop head. Watch the interview below. 



Check out Zone's own website here. 

Garnett, Pierce & Terry to The Brooklyn Nets

Even though this news is three weeks old, I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to the new season.

Press conference short below. 

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2013 Highlights (Video)

Last Saturday (13th July), NYC played host to the annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. This year's headline performances came from G.O.O.D. Music's Pusha T, every rapper's favourite rapper, Redman and 80's pioneers, EPMD.

Mass Appeal were there to capture footage from the event and you can check some highlights of the artists mentioned below. Youtube user paraspider1 managed to upload all of Reggie Noble's set!

Pharoahe Monch on The Process (Video)

Pharoahe Monch is the latest guest to chop it up with Peter Rosenberg for his Complex TV series "The Process". Monch remembers the early work in his career and how he structures and builds a song from writing to beat selection.

Watch the video below and catch other episodes with Raekwon, Ab-Soul and more at Complex.

Souls Of Mischief Interview on Sway In The Morning (Video)

Recently, Souls Of Mischief caught up with Sway Calloway on his Shade 45 show, "Sway In The Morning". They discuss a number of topics including new music, tours, going back to school and also drop a freestyle too.






The Hieroglyphics collective also dropped their new album "The Kitchen" this week.

Stalley - Raise Your Weapons (Download)

Perhaps the most underrated and underexposed artist in Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, Stalley has been putting out quality music for a number of years. I still don't see the role he plays on that label but it certainly hasn't stopped me from checking for this Cleveland native's output.

As many other artists have voiced their opinions on the Trayvon Martin case, it was inevitable that a slew of songs would come out of the woodwork. To be honest, I haven't listened to any of them. This track seems like it was made way before that verdict so I just take it for what it is. Good music. No Yeezy.

Listen/download below. After the track, watch his most recent video for "Swangin" featuring Scarface.

Breaking Bad - The Final 8 Episodes

Not long now until we see the return of Breaking Bad for the final eight episodes of season 5. The penny has dropped for Hank and I can't wait to see what happens next. Walter has dug such a hole for himself and it looks like his time is up.

Anyone who hasn't watched the show before might want to skip watching the video below. It's basically Breaking Bad from the start to where we are now, in 9 minutes. So don't spoil it for yourself if you plan on watching it some day.

Breaking Bad returns August 11th on AMC in the US. It should follow shortly after in the UK.


Check out the "Epic Refresher" below.

Event: In The Loop & STANdbYStudios present Gimme The Loop

If you're out and about in Manchester this Friday night, you should get yourself down to The Roadhouse for In The Loop's monthly party. However, this is a special one. Read below:

"IN THE LOOP as standard but a cypher special to celebrate partnering up with STANdbYStudios!!

plus it's Wes Standby and Agent J's birthday celebrations .PLUS. DJ A-UP's graduation flex!

So we're in a giving mood - - -- £50 cash prize on the cypher - that means THE singer or rapper judged to have entertained the crowd the most. Judged by Loop crew, judges decision is final, there will be no favouritism etc etc. Good times - positive vibes.

£1 ENTRY BEFORE 12 // £3 AFTER // NO GUESTLIST IT'S £1

DJ A-UP / AGENT J SPINNING HIP HOP & SOUL WITH BEDOS ON THE MIC"

Get on down.

Uptown XO (of Diamond District) - Finding My Way (Video)

Uptown XO, one third of Washington DC's Diamond District, unveils the new video for "Finding My Way" from his album "Colour de Grey". Hopefully we'll be seeing a new Diamond District album with Oddisee and yU in the near future.

Find XO's album on Mello Music Group along with a host of other great artists.

Drums Of Death - True featuring Yasmin (Video)

Drums Of Death releases the video to his track "True" which was out early last month. Guest vocalist is the lovely Yasmin who also appears in the video clip. Another track that will no doubt be heard throughout the summer. The tune is available on iTunes.

Watch the video below.

Mystro - Keep Doin It (Video)

MysDiggi is back with a new track produced by Strange Neighbour. "Keep Doin It" is from a AA Side 7" Vinyl being released on Revorg Records. The other track features Cappo. It can be ordered here and it drops on August 2nd.

Check the video.



Mystro's album Mystrogen is also available on Bandcamp.

Happy Birthday Guru

Happy Birthday to Guru, on what would have been his 52nd birthday. Not really much else I can say about the man that hasn't already been said before.

Rest In Power.

Robin Thicke - Ain't No Hat 4 That (Audio)

Surely everyone knows about Robin Thicke by now. His worldwide hit "Blurred Lines" finally made him a household name despite the fact he's been writing, performing and producing for a very long time.

In the lead up to his new album, also named "Blurred Lines", Robin has been previewing songs from it and the couple I've heard haven't impressed. The EDM influence is just too much, even with Timbaland on the boards for one of those tracks. The latest track to be unveiled is in more familiar territory and doesn't disappoint. Co-written with his father Alan Thicke (he wrote this theme tune), it definitely stands out as a pre-album favourite.

Listen to the stream below. The album drops July 30th.

Tech N9ne - Fragile feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! & Kendall Morgan (Single)

Kansas City's Tech N9ne releases a new single in anticipation of his album, "Something Else", dropping on the 25th of July through Strange Music.. This collab includes a verse from Kendrick Lamar, which was bound to happen sooner or later. The kid's in demand so Tech's probably been waiting a while.

*The two have collaborated previously on a track named "I Love Music". Thanks for the correction Phil!*

Listen to the track below.

Mack Wilds - Own It (Single/Lyric Video)

After my post of Typesun's "The PL", I thought another summer tune couldn't hurt. This time it comes from Mack Wilds. You'll probably recognise him as Tristan Wilds from The Wire and 90210 fame. The track, written and produced by Salaam Remi and Ne-Yo, is bound to be something you'll be hearing a lot of. The "Eric B. Is President" drums are a nice touch too!

Watch the lyric video below and it's available for purchase on iTunes.

Dilated Peoples European Tour 2013

After a long time away from the UK as a whole unit, Dilated Peoples finally make their return to our shores as part of their European tour starting in November. The group, featuring members DJ Babu, Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence, are set to release their fifth album together on the Rhymesayers Entertainment label. The album, "Directors Of Photography", will hopefully be released in time for the upcoming tour.

Check the tour dates below. Also see video of their Rhymesayers announcement from March.