Don’t Throw Rocs.

I feel like I’m steady Stanning with all these Yeezy related posts, but truth be told, ‘Ye’s long-play seems like the only thing on deck with classic potential. That is, unless his other project – that with Forbes Mag cover boy Shawn Carter – actually comes to fruition. I’m not holding my breath, but according to Kanye’s Twitter account, some interesting producers are in the mix for the collaboration EP, tentatively titled Watch the Throne:

Now I’ve always been a little heartbroken by the rumor that Hov turned down some beats that J Dilla had submitted for The Black Album, but I can honestly say I never believed I would hear Jiggaman drop a verse on a Beat Konducta production. Let’s hope that, one way or another, these recording eventually see the light of day.

Meanwhile, Kanye dropped yet another banger for last weeks G.O.O.D. Friday drop. “So Appalled” has been floating around in some unauthorized form or another for over a year now, but before officially releasing it to the public, Kanye recruited Hov (who has MC Hammer all aggy regarding a couple of bars), MC Push-A-Ton, and CyHi Da Prynce to lend verses, as well as Swizzy and The Abbot to lay their interpretation of the hook. This shit is fuckin’ ridic’lis, indeed.

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West f/ Jay-Z, Pusha T, CyHi Da Prynce, Swizz Beatz, and RZA – “So Appalled” [Direct Link]

G.O.O.D. Ass Music.

Yeezy did promise he was coming back on a hip-hop tip, and so far, he’s put his music where his big mouth is. These G.O.O.D. Friday drops continue to impress. Whether rocking with his label fam like last week’s joint (*hands in late pass*) or a backpacker’s wet dream like the release this week, “ye is yet to miss the mark. Along with the new single featuring the newest Grammy Family addition, Pusha T, my anticipation for the new LP continues to escalate. Eight more Fridays until the release will certainly tie me over.

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West f/ Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon, and Charlie Wilson – “Lord, Lord, Lord”

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West f/ Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean, and Charlie Wilson – “Good Friday”

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West f/ Pusha T – “Runaway”

All Aggy.

Unlikely to see much of the above anymore.

Speaking of the G.O.O.D. Music crew, one of Kanye’s proteges has seemingly let some critical acclaim – or perhaps, as Wale suggests, that white girl – get to his head. Scotty has been using interviews to bash the lyrical talents of his fellow XXL Freshmen 10 alum, at the same time claiming he is on a level of his own when it comes to creativity. Seems he is all aggy about a bar in a Wale “freestyle” that referenced his past media blowouts. Boo-fucking-hoo. I’ve long been a fan of both these dudes, but between punching fans, strong-arming random chickenheads, getting his nostrils dusty, coming off as a jaded prick in interviews, and now this, Cudi needs to come through with a dope sophomore effort to save face and regain some of the humbleness that helps make his music so appealing.

The Unot.

Two of Curtis’ former employees drop some knowledge over a surprisingly dope Drumma Boy beat. Slated to be appear on Buck’s Back on My Buck Shit 2 mixtape, “The Blues” features the G-Unit castoffs trading verses over some atypical horns, and both emcees – who I last spotted on milk cartons in your girlfriends refrigerator – come correct. Could this leak be the reason why Fitty wants a sitdown with Buck? Let’s just hope for no more tears. No Ozzy.

DOWNLOAD: Young Buck f/ Game – “The Blues”

Flyer Than the Rest.

Young Mr. Folarin comes through with the latest clip from his More About Nothing mixtape as previously seen rye’chea. Wale on his guerrilla shit. Now if only he could put out an album that matched his mixtape game, dude would be making some surrious noise.

The Fat Lady Sings.

Earlier this week, quintessential Golden Era vinyl retailer/underground record label Fat Beats Records permanently closed the doors on its Big Apple location. The LA branch will shut shit down next Friday. FatBeats.com, however, ain’t going nowhere.

Needless to say, this is a sad day for diggers, not only in NYC and the City of Angels, but worldwide. By eliminating two of the true hip-hop meccas, it seems as though the remaining vinyl enthusiasts are conceding defeat to the Serato/iTunes revolution. Can music survive on wax now that two of the pantheon record shops have been shut down? Besides being heavy and impractical, the immediacy of the interwebs seems to have rendered vinyl useless. Though I’m sure niche purists will always stand by the snap-crackle-pop of the black biscuit, there is no question that this decision stands as far more than just a business decision.

In commemoration of Fat Beats’ contribution to the game, Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg has released a three-piece mix of his favorites from hip-hop’s best years. Peep. And remember: a little dust on the fingers never hurt nobody.

Jewstream Fat Beats Mix 1

Jewstream Fat Beats Mix 2

Jewstream Fat Beats Mix 3

Below, demonstrations and reminiscence from Preem, Just Blaze, and A-Trak.

Dress it Up.

I haven’t heard the whole album like Swizzy has, but this is certainly my favorite Kanye track to be leaked recently. Produced by Bink of Rocafella fame, this shit is – to borrow from Hov – so ma’fucking soulful. On top of the fantastic beat, Kanye’s continues lyrical progression is more than evident. Though he entered the game as a producer-slash-rapper, it might be time for us to reverse that, as his pen has arguably become mightier than his MPC.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come in November.

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West – “Devil in a New Dress”

Courtesy: The Man Himself

Like a Drug.

The first two installments of Big Sean’s Finally Famous mixtape series have established young dude as a force to be reckoned with. Will his momentum translate to impressive sales numbers for his G.O.O.D. Music debut slated to drop September 14? Unlikely. But in a last ditch effort to garner some hype for the release, Sean dropped the third and final chapter of his mixtape trilogy last week. The tape boasts an impressive guestlist, including Bun B, Curren$y, and Drake, and certainly shows that Sean can do impressive things with the right beat, as he does with the Luniz classic for “5 Bucks (5 on It)” and particularly with Bangladesh’s “Lemonade” beat (as previously seen on TITS). Sorry, Gooch, but you didn’t do this one justice.

Featuring production from Kanye, No I.D., and The Neptunes, and guest verses from Pusha T, Drizzy, Kid CuDi, Rick Ross, and Eminem (just to name a few), Finally Famous should be well worth the trip to the record store come September 14th.

In the meantime…

DOWNLOAD: Don Cannon Presents Big Sean – Finally Famous Vol. 3 [Direct Link]

Click for Tracklisting

Props: XXL

Single for the Night.

After a brief stint back in Ontario, I’m back on The Rock and ready to get my loyal following back up on thangs, starting with some noteworthy singles from the past couple of weeks.

First off if a single that, based on the line up, lives up to it’s title. With the release of Yeezy’s Good Ass Job Dark Twisted Fantasy pushed back until November, this might be a little early to really build buzz for the album. (Update: This is apparently going to be found on ‘Ye and Hov’s upcoming collaborative LP and not Dark Twisted Fantasy as originally reported.) Still, not a bad way to continue the momentum that was started with “Power.” As a sidenote, I love to see that The Beat Konducta may be in line for some long overdue mainstream shine.

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West f/ Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj – “Monster”

The Kang obviously kept his ear to the street while in the clink and, thus, tapped Ricky for the street single for King Uncaged. Though I thought we were past all this swag nonsense, I certainly can’t complain about the sound of this one, largely thanks to the Justice League’s efforts behind the boards.

DOWNLOAD: T.I. f/ Rick Ross – “Pledge Allegiance to the Swag”

Admittedly, I’ve been one of Nas’ harshest over the past several years, mainly due to a string of lackluster releases and the never-ending decline of his lyrical prowess and hunger. It has been to long since a Nas single blew me away. Pause. Well, his streak of sub-par material seems to be over with his latest street single. I’m not quite sure of the origins of this one, but let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come from the Street’s Disciple.

DOWNLOAD: Nas – “Last Real Nigga Alive Pt. 2”

Bun’s decision to include Drizzy on Pimp C’s posthumous release has legions of UGK traditionalists up-in-arms. I say fuck ’em. Who would have a better reading on dude’s tastes than his former partner of over a decade in the game? Right. No one. Truth be told, all three emcees sound right at home over this Boi-1da track. Be on the lookout for Pimp C’s The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones (pause?) when it hits stores October 5th, and listen for Bun’s shout-out to another fallen great, J Dilla, on this joint.

DOWNLOAD: Pimp C f/ Drake and Bun B – “What Up”

Atlanta’s Big K.R.I.T. isn’t ready to let the buzz from his KRIT Wuz Here mixtape die just yet. After being cosigned by just about everybody in the game (including fellow soulful Southerner 9th Wonder), the fast-rising rapper/producer is plotting his next move, and in the meantime, dropping hot singles like this, which features a mean flip of Marvin Gaye’s track of the same name.

DOWNLOAD: Big K.R.I.T. – “If I Should Die”

Last but certainly lot least, the Taylor Gang’s most famous representative comes correct with his first release in the aftermath of inking a new mega-deal with Atlantic Records. Wiz is really looking like the next to blow (pause) after recently turning down a touring gig and a record deal from two of the games hottest emcees, Drake and Rick Ross, respectively. Let’s just hope that Khalifa fairs better on Atlantic than other underground bred acts have in the past. Taylor Gang or drink acid.

DOWNLOAD: Wiz Khalifa – “Black and Yellow”