10 Songs I'm Listening To

Here is a quick post about 10 of the songs I listen to most right now:
(In no particular order)

1. Drake - Best I Ever Had
2. Wale - Word Play Feat. Curren$y and Tre of UCB
3. Black Thought - Reality Check (Produced by J. Dilla)
4. Wes Blaze - Get at me
5. Asher Roth - Lion's Roar Feat. Busta Rhymes
6. MIMS - Move (if you wanna)
7. Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Common, Lady Gaga - I Poke Her Face
8. Elzhi - Deep
9. Mos Def - Quiet Dog
10. Move - CunninLynguists

First Quarter Hip-Hop Awards

We are a little over a quarter of the way through 2009 and already there has been an influx of hip-hop music flooding the internet and record stores. I have decided to pass out awards for my favorite mixtapes and albums so far in 2009. Let's begin.

Best Mixtape: Drake-So Far Gone
How this kid did not grace the cover of XXL's Freshmen of 2009 issue is beyond me. Ace Hood was on there but not Drake? Really? Anyway, Drake is one of the most unique artists to step into the hip-hop game. The Toronto native mixes deft wordplay with smooth vocals, and whether he is crooning to the thousands of women that will soon be in love with him or spitting some hard shit for the fellas, Drake remains one of the most talented artists I have ever heard. So Far Gone finds him bodying Lil' Wayne on a few tracks and singing right along with guests such as Omarion and Lloyd. Now in the studio working with Jay-Z and Jus Blaze, his debut album is sure to be one to remember.

Runners Up: Big Sean-UKnowBigSean, J.Period-J. Period Presents The (Abstract) Best, The Kickdrums-Smash The System

Best Album: Joe Budden-Padded Room
I think Joe Budden shocked a lot of people with how lyrically sick and deep his 2009 album, "Padded Room," was. From speaking about a girl that torments him every day and night to taking a serious look at his life, Jumpoff really goes in and lyrically is miles ahead of the majority of MCs spitting right now. Now the whole word cannot wait for the SlaughterHouse album coming this summer, as Joey has compiled four of the illest MCs into one group.

Runners up: K'naan-Troubadour, Curren$y-This Ain't No Mixtape, Saigon-All In A Day's Work

Most Slept On (Tie): MIMS-Guilt, Cunninlyguists-Strange Journey Vol. 1, Curren$y-This Ain't No Mixtape
I think MIMS definitely wins here just because of his mainstream appeal. People do not really know about Curren$y or Cunninlyguists yet because they are still very underground, even though they have both been around for years. But MIMS put out a quality album in "Guilt," and while every track may not be unbelievable, and his is definitely not the best lyricist, the CD has a lot of really good tracks on it. MIMS talks about how much his mother means to him and how he feels guilty about being a fake on his first CD, realness we don't see from mainstream rappers ever these days. Curren$y's new CD is a gem, and although he does talking about smoking weed a ton (because he does it a lot) he is another guy spitting about real life. And if you do not have "Strange Journey Vol. 1" then you are missing out on a collection of amazing beats and dope lyrics. Don't sleep on these CDs!

Most Disappointing: Asher Roth-Asleep In The Bread Aisle
Now, this award does not mean it was a bad CD. In fact, I like Asleep in the Bread Aisle. But it could have been so much better. Musically, the CD is amazing. As I stated before in my review, Oren Yoel's production on Asher's debut is top notch. But lyrically, Asher does not consistently bring it, and if he was spitting like he was on his mixtape, "Asleep In The Bread Aisle," may be one of the best hip-hop debuts to come out. Knowing the lyrical talent of Asher, his performance on his freshman CD is quite underwhelming.
Runner Up: Common-Universal Mind Control

These awards are based on music I downloaded and have listened to, if there are CDs I have missed (like Jadakiss' "Last Kiss") then please let me know!

Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2009

2009 is shaping up to be a great year for hip-hop music. There are so many good CDs dropping this year, from Eminem to Wale, that I have decided to preview two or three of these highly anticipated CDs each day. Whether you download these albums for free or decided to support the artist by purchasing them, these albums are a must have this year for hip-hop heads. Let us begin!

Mos Def-The Ecstatic (June 2009): After putting out a the classic "Black On Both Sides" in 1999, Mos went on a bit of a lyrical hiatus. The CDs that proceeded his masterpiece never quite lived up to the hype, while Mos focused more on his band, Black Jack Johnson, and his acting career. While neither one of these endeavors proved to be negative (Mos is actually a pretty good actor), it is always a joy to see him back in the booth. Nahright.com posted a few snippets from his upcoming album, and Mos is spitting like he was in 1999. I cannot wait to hear Mos back on the mic, and this CD is shaping up to be another masterpiece. Here is Mos spitting over Jay-Z's "Brooklyn Go Hard" and frankly, he murders it. Just a preview of what is to come.


Curren$y-This Ain't No Mixtape (April 21, 2009)-I recently posted a blog giving you a little spotlight on the man from New Orleans. Having recently discovered him, the more I listen to Spitta, the more I like him. Curren$y has put out a few mixtapes, all which are dope, and now in April he brings you his first full length album. He has that southern drawl in his voice but is far from a typical southern rapper. "Spitta is chillin, the planes in the building, the girls like us cause they say we different." Check out this video in which he previews a song from his upcoming album. The beat is absolutely nuts as Curren$y flows right along with it. Just another up and comer in 2009...get hip to Curren$y!



Cunninlyguists-Strange Journey Vol. 1 (April 24, 2009)-April continues to be a great month for new music with the Kentucky based group Cunninlyguists dropping the first part of their follow up to "Dirty Acres." Formerly an MC in the group, Kno now strictly produces, and does an amazing job. From his upbeat jam that goes along with "Never Come Down (The Brownie Song)" to his much deeper and darker beats that accompany the rest of the album, Kno provides MCs Deacon and Natti with all they need as the duo come correct with the lyrics as they have done their entire career. Volume 2 drops in September, so make sure you pick that up as well. Here is the video for their single about being waaaaay too high.



Three more albums tomorrow folks!

Pre-Order CunninLynguists

I was searchin through some hiphop blogs and came across one that mentioned there were only a few days left to pre-order the CunninLynguists Strange Journey Volume One, the first of two upcoming albums for the southern rap group. Since I had not done this yet, I clicked on it and pre-ordered my copy. There have been two singles let off the album: "Never Come Down (The Brownie Song)" and "Don't Leave" and they have both been tight tracks, so I look forward to the album very much. If you order the album up until the 23rd of March, you can get the album way before it is released in stores (ships on March 24th when the album is set to come out in stores on May 26th). Also, the copy will be signed + instrumentals + a sticker. This is all for about 12 bucks, which already includes the shipping. I think that is pretty damn resonable. Go to the site and get it, that way you can have it before all your friends. By the way, Strange Journey Volume Two is set to be realeased on 9.08.09 and will include artists such as Sean Price, Poison Pen, J-Zone, Blue Sky Black Death, Bronze Nazareth.

http://qn5.com/cl/strange_journey/

Opening Statements

Here are a few things that are on my mind...

1. If you haven't picked up K'naan's new album, you probably should. Its got quite a few good songs on it and its somethin new with a raggae style added to hip-hop. (Not raggaeton) Its a good summer album.

2. Look for Saigon's release Tuesday. He is putting out an album with Amalgam Digital that is produced by Statik Selektah. They worked on it, produced it, and finished it all in 24 hours so that adds a cool element to the music. I have already heard "The Rules" and "So Cruel" and "My Crew" out of the 11 track playlist and they were all hot. Be sure to check that out tomorrow.

3. Don't ever watch For the love of Ray-J on MTV or VH1 whatever it is. He may have put out a couple good songs for the ladies but thats it. He is a manwhore and this show is crap.

4. CunninLynguists just put out a song "Don't Leave" called featuring Slug of Atmosphere and its fire. The song will be off of their upcoming Album Strange Journey Volume 1. They also have already put out the song "Never Come Down" and realeased the video. This song has a bunch of great one-liners and from what I've heard its a great song to get high too, which would make sense since it is all about that in the first place.

5. Also, Don't forget about Wale releasing the title of his album tonight I believe at 5 o'clock. If you want to make sure you see it first..check out his twitter...follow him at Waledc