Mook Life Music: Top 50 Projects of 2017

Music

So here we are at the beginning of 2018, a perfect time to reflect on all of the music releases that 2017 had to offer. After having such an abundance of amazing projects in 2016 I thought last year started off quite slowly, there was a decent amount of good music but not a whole lot of great albums. Things really picked up around June though and I’ve struggled to keep up with everything.

2017 was an incredible year for underground hip-hop, a year that saw boom bap make a comeback in a fresh, evolved form. There have been a number of artists creating gritty, minimal and soulful hip-hop for the past few years but in 2017 the sound really exploded. With cold blooded raps about crime and street life, and a vibe reminiscent of mid 90s Ghostface but more stripped down. Griselda records have been gaining quite a lot of attention with releases from Westside Gunn, Conway and Benny, but it’s Mach-Hommy and Tha God Fahim who have dominated 2017 musically. The sheer amount of music those two have dropped is incredible but the consistency of it all is what really impressed me.

The king and originator of this minimal, soulful hip-hop, Roc Marciano dropped an almost perfect album this year, packed with cold lines, complex rhymes and lavishly understated instrumentals. Planet Asia also continued to excel at this sound as he teamed up with heavyweight producer Apollo Brown on Anchovies, one of the strongest releases I’ve heard from either of these artists.

Elsewhere on the underground we had one the hardest boom bap albums I’ve ever heard as Fly Anakin, Koncept Jack$on and Tuamie give us ferocious bars on knocking beats with Panama Plus. Milo and Homeboy Sandman both dropped poetic masterpieces with dreamily smooth instrumentals and we got weird with Quelle Chris’ superb Being You Is Great… I Wish I Could Be You More Often. Billy Woods and Elucid combined forces again to bring us an apocalyptic soundscape on their brutal album Rome. Wiki, J.I.D, Nolan The Ninja and Lando Chill all cemented their places as the future of the underground as they refined their sounds and all dropped focussed, cohesive albums. In the later part of the year we were also treated to another colourful album from Open Mike Eagle who continues to deliver insightful, witty and often emotional compositions.

It was a strong year for UK releases with a number acts evolving their sound a breathing new life in to the scene. UK veteran Jehst dropped one of his strongest albums to date with Billy Green Is Dead, creating his signature gloomy vibe but with a fresh set of interesting instrumentals. Melanin 9 went lo fi with Old Pictures and Strange U crafted a bizarre electronic project laced with no nonsense political bars. Nottingham MCs Cappo, Juga-Naut and Vandal Savage combined for a neon phantasmagoria of brilliant poeticism and hip-hop absurdity.

As well as the hip-hop releases out of England there was some fantastic high energy music coming out too. Grime’s popularity stays strong as the legendary Wiley dropped Godfather, gaining him significant recognition overseas. My favourite grime release of 2017 came from Manga Saint Hilare on his Lewi B produced album Outbursts From The Outskirts, delivering back to back bangers. UK drum & Bass was on top form with Kings Of The Rollers members Serum & Voltage putting out an LP of chest rattling tunes while Alix Perez curated a compilation of forwarding thinking D&B flavoured electronic mayhem on 1985 Music’s Edition 1.

Although I didn’t love a lot of 2017s trap releases there were some notable exceptions such as the solid collaboration between 21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin, Future’s self-titled album and Young Thug’s melodic Beautiful Thugger Girls. Rich The Kid, Jay Critch & Famous Dex had one of the catchiest trap mixtapes I’ve ever heard in Rich Forever 3 and Kodak Black got soulful on his laid back Painting Pictures LP.

There was some real experimentation on the bass heavy and electronic side of hip-hop this year. Ethereal released the terrifying Mankind, packed with abrasive beats and slurred raps while Kweku Collins gave us a beautifully off-kilter, R&B laced album. Chicago’s Supa Bwe channelled his inner pop punk fan to create a uniquely energetic melodic hip-hop project and fellow Chicago native Lucki expressed the sadness of an addict on Watch My Back. Pushing the boundaries of hip-hop to their limit was Zelooperz and Shigeto on their challengingly futuristic project A Piece Of The Ghetto that had me hooked for most of the year.

All these releases and many more made 2017 a sublime year for music. Check out my official rankings below and listen to the corresponding episodes of my podcast to get a taste of these projects for yourself.

A track from each release (where available) on an Apple Music playlist here.

A track from each release in the top 50 (where available) in a YouTube playlist here.

50. 21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin – Without Warning

49. Oh No x Tristate – 3 Dimensional

48. Conway – G.O.A.T. (Grimiest of All Time)

47. Future – Future

46. Westside Gunn – Hitler Wears Hermes 5

45. Cdot Honcho – Takeover

44. Lando Chill – The Boy Who Spoke To The Wind

43. Strange U – #LP4080

42. Al Divino – Dump Gawd: Divino Edition 2

41. Serum & Voltage – Strike Back

40. Tha God Fahim – Tha Ineffable Conflict Of Roosevelt Creek

39. Supa Bwe – Finally Dead

38. Malanin 9 – Old Pictures

37. Babylon Dead – 2000 BD

36. 1985 Music – Edition 1

35. Tiron & Ayomari – WET: Wonderful Ego Trip

34. Branko – Branko Presents: Enchufada Na Zona

33. Yung Simmie – Big Smokey

32. Wiley – Godfather

31. Dom Kennedy & Hit Boy – Courtesy Of Half-A-Mil

30. Rich Homie Quan – Back To Basics

29. Kweku Collins – Grey

28. Apollo Brown & Planet Asia – Anchovies

27. Shigeto – The New Monday

26. J.I.D. – The Never Story

25. Nolan The Ninja – YEN

24. Zed Bias – Different Response

23. Young Thug – Beautiful Thugger Girls

22. Homeshake – Fresh Air

21. Tha God Fahim – Tha Dark Shogunn Saga Vol. 2

20. Lojii & Swarvy – Due Rent

19. Ethereal – Mankind

18. Kodak Black – Painting Pictures

17. Jehst – Billy Green Is Dead

16. Famous Dex, Jay Critch & Rich The Kid – Rich Forever 3

15. Mach-Hommy – DUMPMEISTER

14. Open Mike Eagle – Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

13. Wiki – No Mountains In Manhattan

12. Manga Saint Hilare x Lewi B – Outbursts From The Outskirts

11. Homeboy Sandman – Veins

10. Milo – Who Told You To Think

9. Tha God Fahim – Dump Goat

8. Fly Anakin, Koncept Jack$on & Tuamie – Panama Plus

7. Armand Hammer – Rome

6. Mach-Hommy – Dump Gawd: Hommy Edition

5. Lucki – Watch My Back

4. Quelle Chris – Being You Is Great… I Wish I Could Be You More Often

3. VVV – Bozo Boys

2. ZGTO – A Piece Of The Geto

1. Roc Marciano – Rosebudd’s Revenge

Mook Life Radio Episodes 1, 2 and 3

Music, Uncategorized

As you may noticed from the lack of new articles on the site I’ve taken a break from writing but don’t fear, you can discover plenty of new music on my new podcast! I’m playing all types of hip-hop as well some grime, R&B, drum & bass, dubstep, footwork and anything else I think is worth sharing. My first episode is a two hour special and going forward I’ll be doing two episodes at a time, split by the type of music I’ll be playing. Check out the first episode below and head to my Mixcloud page here to check out the next two.

The Best Overlooked Projects Of 2016

Music

2016 is over and although it seemed to many like everything was going to shit it was an incredible year for music. Now that the dust has settled I’ve been looking back over all of the music we’ve been blessed with, but instead of doing the usual “best albums” I thought I’d take the time to shine some light on the releases that didn’t get anywhere near praise they deserved. All of the releases below would are in my favourite 40 of the year but I’ve seen them get little to no praise from blogs, magazines and people in general. So take a look through these releases and hopefully you’ll discover some music that could make it in to your own personal end of year lists.

As with my round up articles I’ve included a link to buy/download each release and a YouTube link to a track from each. You can access a playlist of all the tracks here.

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Black Kray – Soulja Luv Rari World

2016 was the year that “mumble rap” became a common and divisive phrase in the hip-hop scene and although I think it’s usually an inaccurate label, in the case of Black Kray it is quite fitting. This is in no way a criticism though, Black Kray’s unintelligible ramblings give his music a unique feel and although it’s certainly not for everyone I love his style. Combine these odd vocals with some spacey cloud rap beats and you have a catchy, interesting album. Imagine Ol’ Dirty Bastard at his most incoherent, rapping over beats that Yung Lean would use and you’re pretty close to the vibe on this album.

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Cappo – Dramatic Change Of Fortune

I loved a lot of albums from last year but this is undoubtedly my favourite. Cappo’s 2004 release ‘Spaz The World’ is one of my all-time favourite albums so I’m always excited when he puts out new material. I certainly wasn’t disappointed when I heard this latest offering from the Nottingham native, this album is nothing short of a masterpiece, meticulously constructed it is a beautifully cohesive piece of music.

Cappo raps like a heavyweight, every word lands with power and precision, switching up his flows to match the multitude of bizarre rhythms that span this LP. The lyrics on this album are superbly poetic and Cappo uses repetition in a way that I have never heard before in hip-hop. Throughout the whole project there are lines that Cappo keeps coming back to which excellently tie up all the tracks. The line “never in your wildest dreams restore your faith” crops up numerous times which innovatively signifies the end of the song or a beat change.

As good as everything else is on this album, the beats are what really give it an edge. All of these instrumentals are sublime, there is such a richness to the sound and an inventiveness to how they’re put together. Cappo produced all off the tracks himself with some help from Theorist on a few tracks and you can tell that he’s taken influence from his previous collaborators The P Brothers because the drums on here are especially hard and crisp. These almost industrial sounding drums punctuate a large range of samples and some wonderfully deep basslines. What makes these instrumentals stand out even more is how they evolve throughout the tracks, riffs are brought in and out while subtle sounds creep in the background.

From the straight brutality of ‘Ellelle’ to the beauty of ‘North’ this album is close to perfect. I implore you all to stop what you’re doing and listen to this album right now, you won’t regret it.

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Dälek – Asphalt For Eden

Dälek were one of the first acts to be labelled with the term “noise rap”, it was certainly the first time I heard the phrase used and it instantly grabbed my interest. I loved the group’s 2007 album ‘Abandoned Language’ but a few years after that release in 2010, they took a hiatus from making music. Fast forward to 2016 and we get Dälek’s triumphant return with ‘Asphalt For Eden’, a desolate and brutal hip-hop soundscape. The instrumentals used by Dälek are unlike anything else I’ve heard in hip-hop, heavily distorted guitar riffs drone and saturate these tracks creating a wall of sound that is backed with steady, unrelenting drums. MC Dälek completes the intense aesthetic with his distorted raps that burst through the powerful instrumentals.

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Greenova South – Kome Ryde With Us

Pepperboy, Squadda B (of Main Attrakionz) and Young God (of Blue Sky Black Death) revive the cloud rap sound and push it to dreamy new levels on one of the year’s most relaxing albums. This is 10 tracks of pure good vibes, an audio massage to put you in a tranquil state. Young God’s production is simply luxurious, packed with sweeping synths, gentle keys and euphoric pitched up samples all combined into subtly complex compositions. Pepperboy and Squadda B deliver unadulterated positivity via their laid back flows that breeze over those lush beats. This is an LP oozing with love and joy, which is something we all need more of in life.

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Havoc & The Alchemist – The Silent Partner

It’s perplexing that a collaborative LP between one half of Mobb Deep and such a legendary producer as The Alchemist could be included in this article but somehow this release has gone almost completely unnoticed. I absolutely loved The Alchemist’s 2013 album with Prodigy and this project with the other member of Mobb Deep is just as good, if not better. If you’re familiar with these two then you know exactly what you’re getting, but that’s in no way a bad thing. Havoc is the king of dark, street rap and The Alchemist conjures up the perfect understated, gloomy beats to back him up. Throw in some stellar guest verses from Prodigy, Cormega and Method Man (who drops one of the best verses I’ve heard from him in years) and you have an excellent album that fulfils that 90s nostalgia but still brings something fresh to the table.

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Ivy Sole – Eden

There are a lot of amazing independent artists on Bandcamp so it’s became a great place to browse and discover new music. I stumbled across a lot of great albums on the site last year but Ivy Sole’s ‘Eden’ has to be my favourite. Ivy Sole has such an enchanting voice, there’s a sincerity to it that you don’t often hear, like she’s completely putting her true self in to the music without any pretence. Sole’s lyrics also reflect this truthfulness as she reflects on her relationships, goals and the desires in life. The instrumentals on the release are soulful and serene, drifting along as Sole’s vocals freely switch between rapping and singing. ‘Eden’ is a highly personal album with a warmth that I rarely feel, Ivy Sole is definitely a young talent to look out for.

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The Kleenrz – Season 2

The Kleenerz is the duo of underground Los Angeles MC Self Jupiter and Los Angeles producer Kenny Segal. I’m familiar with Kenny Segal from his exceptional work with the likes of Busdriver and Milo but although I’ve often heard the name Self Jupiter, I’ve never actually heard him rap so this album served as a great introduction for me. Self Jupiter’s style is quite unique, he’s very expressive and his delivery often sounds as though he’s reciting poetry in a constant stream that could sound off beat if you weren’t paying attention. This complex flow lends itself to the vivid lyrics as he paints Tarantino-eque imagery, telling tales of Los Angeles’ violent underbelly. Segal’s beats are equally cinematic, building tension and working as a fitting score for Jupiter’s tales. The production style that Segal uses is distinctive, his instrumentals feel almost hand crafted, they’re intricate and always switching up slightly with subtle layers of sound. To end most of the songs on this album Self Jupiter lets the beat ride out, giving Segal a chance to shine as he morphs samples into complex and catchy little interludes. This LP is another example of Kenny Segal’s ability to work with some of the most uniquely creative MCs around and mould his sound to them to make something memorable.

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Mr. Lif – Don’t Look Down

10 years ago Mr. Lif was one of the biggest names on the underground hip-hop scene as one of the heavyweights on seminal record label Def Jux, but having taken a 7 year break from his solo hip-hop career the name Lif had faded in to the background for a lot of people. Even though it’s been a while, Lif hasn’t lost a step and has put together a concise and thoughtful album. Every track on the LP serves a purpose, right from the first two tracks that tell the story of an altercation with a home invader which bring Lif to a dark place, then moving on to the next few tracks which become more uplifting but still introspective. The album continues with some epic imagery on ‘Whizdom’ which is features a legendary beat from Edan (I really hope this means he’s going to be releasing more music soon, he’s been missed). We’re then treated to some flawless back and forth raps with fellow Perceptionist, Akrobatik who as always works very well with Lif, especially over the punchy beat on here. Throughout this project the beats are raw and funky, building tension on the earlier songs then lifting the mood as the album progresses. We’re finally lead to the gargantuan finale of the title track with a leviathan of an instrumental layered with a floating organ sweep, sombre piano and a groaning bass sound bubbling up from underneath as Lif closes the album out. On top of this superb album Lif also released a collaborative EP with L’Orange so it’s looks like he’s definitely back for good, and that’s fantastic news for any hip-hop fan.

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Ocean Wisdom – Chaos 93′

High Focus is one of the biggest record labels on the relatively small UK hip-hop scene and although I’m not a big fan of most of their releases this one really stood out. There are so many people making boom bap at the moment (especially in the UK), all trying to capture the much loved sound of the 90s but often ending up with something dull and unoriginal. However Ocean Wisdom has come with his own version of that golden age vibe that breaks away from the generic formula. Classic boom bap style samples and drums are laced with chest rattling bass, the production provided by Dirty Dike is some of the best I’ve heard from him. Lyrically, Ocean Wisdom drops killer punchlines with a classic British flavour while his rapid fire flow is reminiscent of Das EFX (if he was from London). If you’re feeling nostalgic for the 90s but need something with a bit of an edge then look no further.

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Open Mike Eagle & Paul White – Hella Personal Film Festival

Open Mike Eagle gained a lot of critical praise for his stellar 2014 album ‘Dark Comedy’ which gained him a lot of fans and really got his name out there. Unfortunately this buzz seems to have died down because this project with Danny Brown collaborator Paul White has gone mostly unnoticed, and that’s a massive shame. There’s a strange vibe to this album though, I wasn’t sure about it at first but it really clicked with me after a few listens and became one of my favourite albums of the year, so maybe other fans didn’t give it the time it needs to nestle it’s way in to your brain. The project has a very euphoric, psychedelic feel, but there’s something a little unsettling lying beneath, as if you’re having a serene hallucinogenic trip but you’re on the edge of it turning dark.

As with most of Open Mike Eagle’s music the lyrics are often profound, delving in to some serious issues, but at the same time he uses a lot of humour and bizarre imagery. Like on the track ‘Smiling (Quirky Race Doc)’ about the prejudices black people face in public places, it’s a serious topic that Eagle poignantly explores but then goes on to use the line “Grown man avoided like a ghost fart”. This mixture of politicism with joviality makes for a thought provoking and thoroughly entertaining listen.

It’s a real tribute to Paul White’s talent that he produced the entirety of this album and the majority of Danny Brown’s ‘Atrocity Exhibition’ all in one year, because the two sounds could not be more different. While ‘Atrocity Exhibition’ was coarse and abrasive ‘Hella Personal Film Festival’ is flawlessly smooth, using funk and soul samples to construct these floaty, uplifting tunes. There is a richness and depth to the music that you don’t often hear, White is a true musical expert able to create some of the most pleasurable music I have ever heard. Together this pair have made something truly special, an album that is soothing yet sombre, easy listening with a deeper meaning, music that will stay with you long after you’ve heard it.

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Trim – 1-800 Dinosaur Presents: Trim

1-800 Dinosaur is a collective of electronic music producers from the UK, comprised of Foat, James Blake, Airhead, Mr Assister and Klaus. On this project they call upon UK MC Trim to provide vocals for the crew’s vibrant instrumentals. Trim is known for his work on the grime scene but he’s always had a unique flow and has worked with Blake previously, making him a great fit for the unconventional compositions on this release. You could probably slap some silly label like “post grime” on this music but that’s only because you’d struggle to find another way to describe it. The instrumentals here are varied, from stomping, bass heavy tracks to others that with little to no percussion, but despite the range of vibes there is a general aesthetic that links everything together. There are a lot of grime type sounds in the production but the use of space and insane progression takes it outside of that genre. Similarly, Trim uses grime flows at times but his pure poeticness and astute pacing sets him apart. Simply put, this stuff sounds like the future, it’s vibrant, challenging and at times even shocking, a prime example of what forward-thinking music should be.

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Vic Spencer – St. Gregory

Chicago has been an incredible city for music for the last few years with acts like Chance The Rapper, Mick Jenkins, Lucki Eck$, Supa Bwe, Noname and many others putting out great projects, but one of my favourite and also most overlooked artists is Vic Spencer. For years now he’s been putting out his own twisted style of hip-hop with killer bars, jazzy beats and deep bass. This album is one of Spencer’s most refined so far, packed with punchlines and wordplay, also showing his aptitude for storytelling on ‘Gone Fishin’ Pt1,2,3′. With an instantly recognisable voice and unpredictable flow, Spencer brings his A game over off-kilter beats that are almost Madlib-esque but with more bass.

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Yung Simmie – Simmie Season

The first time I head Yung Simmie was on Denzel Curry’s monstrous tune ‘Threatz’ and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. Simmie just has one of those voices I could listen to for days, his cadence is soothing and relaxed yet there’s this underlying violence to it that adds strength to everything he does. His flow shares this type of contradiction in that it’s uniform and laid back but there’s an energy there that gets me hyped. The beats on this tape are beautifully simplistic, facile but effective samples looped over fiercely sharp and punchy 808 drums. Shortly after this release Yung Simmie dropped ‘Simmie Season 2’ which is also well worth checking out, but I give the edge to the first one because of the more varied production sounds and magnificent verse from the mighty Denzel Curry (on ‘Shoot Da 3’).

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Mook Life Music Round Up: Second Half of 2016

Music

2016 is very nearly over and before I put out my top 40 albums of the year, here’s a round up of all the best releases from July-November. Unfortunately I’ve been too busy recently to include descriptions of the releases so you’ll have to check them out yourself.

As always I’ve included a link to buy/download and a link to listen to a track from the release on YouTube. You can get a YouTube playlist of all the tracks here.

$uicideboy$ – Radical $uicide and Eternal Grey

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2 Chainz – Daniel Son – Necklace Don and Hibachi For Lunch

2 Fly – Level Up

21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode

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89 Godzilla – Interplanetary Frequencies

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Araabmuzik – Dream World

Abra – Princess

Ace Hood – Starvation 5

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Acomplex – Songs 4 Friends

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Adrian Younge – The Electronique Void – Black Noise

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Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman – Lice 2: Still Buggin’

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AKTHESAVIOR – Blessings In The Grey 2

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Apollo Brown & Skyzoo – The Easy Truth

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Archibald Slim & Ethereal – Slum Beautiful

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Asaad – Sabbath Trap

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A$AP Mob – Cozy Tapes Vol. 1 Friends

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Ashland Summit – Casper Gulch

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Atmosphere – Fishing Blues

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Audio Push – 90951

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The Avalanches – Wildflower

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Banks & Steelz – Another World

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DJ Base – West XL 16

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Beatking – Gangster Stripper Music 3

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Beenie Man – Unstoppable

Belly – Inzombia

Benny – My First Brick

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Bernz – See You On The Other Side

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Big K.R.I.T. – 12FOR12

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Big Scoob – H.O.G.

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Bishop Lamont – The Reformation G.D.N.I.A.F.T

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Block McCloud – The Book Of Ishmael

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Blu & Fate – Open Your Optics To Optimism

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Blu & Nottz – Titans In The Flesh

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Blu & Union Analogtronics – Cheetah In The City

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Bones – GoodForNothing, paidprogramming2 & SoftwareUpdate1.0

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Bonkaz – Fuck Fame

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Boogie – Thirst 48 pt II

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Boosie Badazz – Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas

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Brian Fresco – Casanova

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Brodinski – The Sour Patch Kid

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BZZY – A Part Of Everything

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BSN Posse – Summer Madness

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Cakes Da Killa – Hedonism

Calez – Baby

Cam Wallace – Cold Summer Playlist

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Cappo – Dramatic Change Of Fortune

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Cassius Jay – Trap Sinatra

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Chase N Cashe – Cashe Rules 2

Chip – Power Up

Chloe x Halle – Sugar Symphony

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Chris Brown OHB x Section Boyz – Attack The Block

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Chris Rivers – Medicated Consumption 2.0 The Refill

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Chris Travis – Shark Boy

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Chuck Inglish – Texturizer

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Chuuwee – Economics

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Cisco Kid – Nostalgia

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Clams Casino – 32 Levels

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clipping. – Splendor & Misery

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Clyde Carson – Time

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Common – Black America Again

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Conway & Prodigy – Hell Still On Earth

Conway – Bullet

Corner Boy P – Clientele

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Cousin Stizz – Monda

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Craig David – Following My Intuition

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Curren$y – Andretti 930, Andretti 1030 & The Carrollton Heist Remixed

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Curtis Williams – Danco SZN

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Czarface – A Fist Full Of Peril

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Dae Dae & London On Da Track – The DefAnition

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Dame D.O.L.L.A. – The Letter O

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Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition

Dave – Six Paths

Dave B & Sango – Tomorrow

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Dave East – Kairi Chanel

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Dawn Richard – Redemption

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Daye Jack – Surf The Web

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De La Soul – And The Anonymous Nobody

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Dem Atlas – MF Dem

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Demrick & Dizzy Wright – Blaze With Us

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Dibiase – Bakers Dozen

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Die Antwoord – Mount Ninji And Da Nice Time Kid

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Digital Trapstars – Screens On Lock 3

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The Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation

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Dillon & Paten Locke – Food Chain

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D.I.T.C. – Sessions

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Divine Council – Council World

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Dizzy Wright – The 702 EP

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Dominique Larue & J. Rawls – Almost There

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Dora & Dolly – Family Ties

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D.R.A.M. – Big Baby D.R.A.M.

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DJ Drama – Quality Street Music 2

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Dreezy – No Hard Feelings

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Ducko McFli – The Lost Beauxs

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Duckwrth – I’M Uugly

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Dumbfoundead – We Might Die

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The Du-Rites – J-Zone & Pablo Martin Are The Du-Rites

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Dyme-A-Duzin – 2 Piece Tape

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Ed O.G., Shabaam Sahdeeq & Fokis – Recognize Your Power

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Eli Sostre – Still Up All Night

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DJ Ends – Last Summer

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Esperanza Spalding – Emily’s D+Evolution

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Ethan Sacii – SaciiWeen

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Fabolous – Summertime Shootout 2

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Famous Dex – Dexter The Robot & Different

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Flip Major – Road Trip

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Flowdan – Disaster Piece

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Frank Ocean – Blonde and Endless

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Fredo Santana – Fredo Mafia

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French Montana – MC4

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Fudge – Lady Parts

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G Herbo – Strictly 4 My Fans

The Game – 1992

The Gaslamp Killer – Instrumentalepathy

Gensu Dean – Raw

Gensu Dean & Denmark Vessey – Whole Food

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Ghostemane – Plagues

Giggs – Landlord

Gonjasufi – Callus

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Greavous – II

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Gucci Mane – Everybody Looking, Guctiggy and Woptober

Gucci Mane & Future – Free Bricks 2 (Zone 6)

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Hardo & Jimmy Wopo – Tranpnese

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Has-Lo – I Am The Has-Lo Version

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H.E.R. – H.E.R. Vol. 1

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Hodgy Beats – Dukkha

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Hoodrich Pablo Juan – Master Sensei

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Horseshoe Gang – 4 Brothers

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Hot Sugar – Seductive Nightmares 3

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Hus Kingpin & SmooVth – HNIC

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Hustle Gang – Hustle Gang Over Errrrythang

Iamsu – 6 Speed

Ibn Inglor – Honegloria

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!llmind – Blond (!llmind Remixes)

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ILoveMakonnen x Danny Wolf – Red Trap Dragon

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Innanet James – Quebec Place

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Invisibl Skratch Piklz – The 13^th Floor

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Isaiah Rashad – The Sun’s Tirade

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IshDarr – Broken Hearts & Bankrolls

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J $tash – No More Distractions

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Jabee – Black Future

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Jae Millz – Savage

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Jamila Woods – HEAVN

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Jarren Benton – Slow Motion 2

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Jay 5 & OG Maco – Dynasty EP

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Jay IDK – Empty Bank

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Jayaire Woods – FREETHEFALL

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Jeezy – Trap Or Die 3

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Jeremih – Late Nights In Europe

JGRXXN – Ra

Joe Snow – I Know You Know Me You

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Johnny Rocket – Trial And Error Day By Day

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JP Moregun – JP Moregun

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JR Writer – Meet Zeus

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J. Stalin – On Behalf Of The Streets 2

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Juice – Until The Post Interview

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Juicy J – Lit In Ceylon and #MUSTBENICE

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K$ubi Kayy – Make It Happen

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Ka – Honor Killed The Samurai

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Kam – Mutual Respect

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Kay The Yacht – Before The Fab

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K-Def & El Da Sensei – The Jersey Connection

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Kelechi – Before The Quarter

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Kemba – Negus

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Kembe X – Talk Back

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Ken Rebel – Indicted Mind

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Kevin Abstract – American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story

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DJ Khaled – Major Key

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Kidd Kidd – Fuk Da Fame 2: American Trapstar

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K. Locke Traxx – Lab Experiments Vol. 3

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Kool A.D. – Official, Peyote Karaoke, Zig Zag Zig and Have A Nice Dream

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Kool Keith – The Preacher (as Tashan Dorrsett) and Feature Magnetic

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K. Roosevelt – Neon Haze

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Krtz – Courtesy

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Kur & Dave East – Born Broke, Die Rich

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Kush Kelz – I Think The Neighbours Know

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KXNG Crooked – Valley Of The KXNGS and Good vs Evil

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La Coka Nostra – To Thine Self Be True

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Lance Skiiiwalker – Introverted Intuition

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Lando Chill – For Mark, Your Son and Madera Canyon EP

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Lantana – More To Go

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Le$ – Olde English

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Like – Songs Made While High

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Liki – Ruckus (Assorted Footwork Trax & Remixes 2014-2016)

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Lil Flip – The Art Of Freestyle

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Lil Uzi Vert – The Perfect Luv Tape

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Lil Uzi Vert & Gucci Mane – 1017 vs. The World

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Lil Yachty – Summer Songs 2

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Lil Twist – Anger Management

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Lloyd Banks – All Or Nothing Live It Up and Halloween Havoc 3: Four Days Of Fury

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Locksmith – The Lock Sessions

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L’Orange & Mr Lif – The Life And Death Of Scenery

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Lord Infamous – Anarchy

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LowRise Sounds – LowRise Sounds Vol. 3

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LucioS – ONE LOVE

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Lucki Eck$ – Freewave 2

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Mac Miller – The Divine Feminine

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Machinedrum – Human Energy

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MadeinTYO – Thank You, Mr. Tokyo

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Marcellus Juvann – The Great Escape

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Marty Baller – Marty G Raw

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Master P – The G Mixtape

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Max Wonders – Hues To Blame

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Maybach Music Group – Priorities 5

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Mayer Hawthorne – Party Of One

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Meek Mill – Dreamchasers 4

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Meltycanon – Old Compilation 3

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Mick Jenkins – The Healing Component

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Mic Righteous – Dreamland

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Mickey Factz & Nottz – The Achievement Circa ’82

Migos – 3 Way

Mike Zombie – Humble Genius

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Mike Zombie & Benzi Ayo – Ea$tside Story

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Mist – M I S To The T

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Mitchy Slick – Lost In The Yay

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Moneybagg Yo x Yo Gotti – 2 Federal

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My Guy Mars – No Days Off

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Mykki Blanco – Mykki

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Nacho Picasso – AntiHero Vol. 1

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NapsNdreds – Bloodclaat!!!

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Nature – Queens Classics

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Navie D – Music For Rap Vol. 1

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Nef The Pharaoh – Fresh Outta Space 3

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Nicolas Jaar – Sirens

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Nick Hook – Relationships

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Nipsey Hussle – Slauson Boy 2 and Famous Lies & Untold Truth

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No Panty – Westside Highway Story

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Noho Fidel – Telegraph

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Nolan The Ninja – He(art)

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Noname – Telefone

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NxWorries – Yes Lawd

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Nxstalgic – Motorola

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Ocean Wisdom – Chaos ’93

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Odd Couple – Liberation

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OG Maco – Breathe 2 Episode 1 (Unite), Blvk Phil Collins and For Scott

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The Other Guys – Life In Analog

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OT Genasis – Coke ‘N’ Butter

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The Outfit TX – Green Lights Everything Goin’

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P Money – Live & Direct

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PARTYNEXTDOOR – PARTYNEXTDOOR 3

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DJ Paul – Mafia 4 Life, Year Of The Six Pt. 1 and 2

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Paul Wall – Houston Oiler

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Peanut Da Don – Back On Simpson 2

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Peewee Longway – Longway Sinatra

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Perfect Game – HYPE REALITY OF RANDOM PIECES

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Phonte & Eric Roberson – Tigallerro

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Phora – With Love

PJ – Rare

Planet Asia – Asiatic Prince

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PnB Rock & Fetty Wap – Money, Hoes & Flows

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Pollari – Lil Llari World

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Polyester The Saint – American Muscle

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Post Wolfey – Come Down

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Prodigy – Untitled EP

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Project Pat – Street God 3 and 4

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Prophets Of Rage – The Party’s Over

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Psycho Les – Dank God Vol. 1

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Que – The Dogfather

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Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife 2

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The Range – Potential

Rapsody – Crown

Ras Beats – Control Your Own

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Ras Kass – Intellectual Property SOI2

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Red Pill – Instinctive Drowning

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Reks – The Greatest X

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Remi – Divas And Demons

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RetcH – Lean & Neck

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Rich Forever Music – Rich Forever 2

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Rich The Kid – Keep Flexin’

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Richie Wess & Metro Boomin – Richie Boomin EP

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Riff Raff – Balloween

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Riz MC – Englistan

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/r/ Making Hip-Hop – MHH Mixtape 2016

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Rob Stone – I’m Almost Ready

Robb Bank$ – C2

Robert Glasper Experiment – ArtScience

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Route 1 Audio – Free Compilation 2016

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DJ Rude One – ONEderful

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Saba – Bucket List Project

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Sarboza – Fountain Of Youth

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SauceLord Rich – Know Me (King Wolf)

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ScHoolboy Q – Blank Face LP

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Sean Brown – Life Of A Dreamer

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Sho Baraka – The Narrative

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Show Banga – Show Time 2

Sir – HER

Skeme – One Night Only Vol. 1

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Ski Mask The Slump God – Drown In Designer and Slaps For My Drop Top Minivan

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Skippa Da Flippa – I’m Tellin’ Ya

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Skizz – Cruise Control

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Slim Thug – Hogg Life, Vol. 4: American King

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Slipmat Brothers & Penpal – Made For The Underground

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SmooVth – SS96J Smoothest Since ’96 J

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Slug Christ – The Demiurge

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Solange – A Seat At The Table

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Sonny Digital – GOAT

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Soulja Boy & Bow Wow – Ignorant Shit

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Spuf Don – Element Of Surprise

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Starlito – Red Dot Free

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Stephen Marley – Revelation Pt. II The Fruit Of Life

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Sterling Hayes – Antidepressant

Stwo – DTSNT

Supa Bwe – Dead Again 3

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Supreme Ace – Something I Put Together

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Swet Shop Boys – Cashmere

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T.I. – Us Or Else

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Taku & Waifu – Median

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Tall Black Guy – Lets Take A Trip

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Talley Of 300 – Thanksgiving

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Tanya Morgan – Abandoned Theme Park

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Tasha The Amazon – Die Every Day

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Taylor Gang – TGOD Volume 1

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Termanology – More Politics

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Thane – Topia

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Tinashe – Nightride

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Tink – Winters Diary 4

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Topaz Jones – Arcade

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Toro Y Moi – Live From Trona

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Tory Lanez – I Told You

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Towkio – Community Service 2

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Tragedy Khadafi – The AuraPort

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Trapo – Shade Trees

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Travis Scott – Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight

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Tree – I.B. Tree

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A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service

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A Tribe Called Red – We Are The Hallucination

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Trim – 1-800 Dinosaur Present Trim

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Trizz – Leatherface 2 and Lost Recordings

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Troy Ave – Roland Collins

Tsu Surf – 2am

Tunji Ige – Prince Of July

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Ty Dolla $ign – Campaign

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Usher – Hard II Love

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Vast Aire – The Heir Vast

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Vic Spencer – St Gregory

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Villa – Fluorescent

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Vince Staples – Prima Donna

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Vinnie Paz – The Cornerstone Of The Corner Store

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Waka Flocka & Sizzle – Lebron Flocka James 4

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Waldo – Be Ever Wonderful

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Wdng Crshrs – CrshrsGotWings

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Well$ – The Way I’m Living Makes My Mother Nervous

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Westside Gunn – There’s A God And There’s A Flygod, Praise Both and Hitler Wears Hermes 4

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Willie Green – Doc Savage

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Wordsworth & JSOUL – Blame It On The Music

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Ye Ali – Private Suite

YG – Red Friday

Young Buck – 10 Bodies

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Young Chop – Album 2

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Young Dolph – Rich Crack Baby

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Young Greatness – I Tried To Tell Em 2

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Young Thug – Jeffery

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Yung Simmie – Simmie Season and Simmie Season 2

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Zoey Dollaz – Port Au Prince and October

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Z-Ro – Drankin’ & Drivin’ and Legendary

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Zuse & Nard & B – Trench Zuse

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Mook Life Music Round Up: Quarter 2 2016

Music

2016 got off to a great start and the onslaught of fantastic releases hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Here I’ll be looking at all of the releases from April-June 2016 (and a few that I’d missed from the months prior) that I think are worth checking out.

I know this round up is ridiculously late, it was nearly finished in July but then I moved house and our internet provider took over a month to get everything sorted. There were too many releases that deserve to be mentioned so I felt I still had to put this article up.

As always I’ve listed the albums with a short description, a link to buy/download and a link to listen on YouTube where possible.

You can listen to all the tracks on a YouTube playlist here.

3^rd Eye Magic – Abracadabra

Charles Hamilton temporarily puts down the mic and gets behind the boards to produce a mixtape for MC C.Young. I really enjoy Hamilton’s beats here, they’re soulful but lo fi and rugged while C.Young has an entertaining style with some clever lyrics.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

6Blocc – Deadly Dubs 4

Seriously heavy dub / jungle / footwork madness from a masterful producer.

Download For Free

600breezy – Breezo George Gervin (Iceman Edition)

Pure trap music with some great bangers.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

9^th Wonder – Zion

Super producer 9^th Wonder continues to bring the soul with this beat tape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

A.CHAL – Welcome To GAZI

Moody, electronic hip-hop with strong trap and R&B influences.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

AD & Sorry Jaynari – By The Way

West Coast gangsta that really slaps.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid

The golden child of backpack rap brings his super lyrical style to great effect.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Alex Wiley – Tangerine Dream

I haven’t been a massive of Alex Wiley previously but I was very impressed with this release. He has a great flow that switches from rapid fire to smooth and uplifting.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Aloe Blacc & Rhettmatic – Blaccmatic

We all know Aloe Blacc now for his fantastic singing voice and catchy soul songs but it seems he had this little gem hidden away the whole time. Recorded around 2004 with producer / DJ Rhettmetic, Aloe Blacc shows his versatility as he raps and sings over some great soulful, funky beats.

Name Your Price Download

Antwon – Double Ecstasy

It’s hard to know what you’re going to get with a new Antwon release but it’s always a treat. On this EP he creates this twisted, down beat, club infused sound with unsettling synth sounds and bumping percussion.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Apathy – Handshakes With Snakes

Underground hip-hop with thoughtful lyrics and boom bap beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

A$AP Ferg – Always Strive And Prosper

A$AP Mob’s second biggest player take his music in a different direction with his second album. Ferg seems to be going for a more accessible sound on this release, losing a lot of the darkness of his first album and bringing more party vibes. I’m not enjoying this as much as ‘Trap Lord’ but there are some superb bangers in here.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Audio Push – The Stone Junction

Audio Push have been one of the most exciting young acts in hip-hop over the last couple of years and they proceed to improve on this EP. The vibe here is a lot heavier than their work from last year but it really suits them. The duo sound extremely hungry over these dark, bass heavy beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

AyOh – III EP

This is the second beat tape I’ve heard from this guy and I’m loving it. Dreamy, soulful instrumentals with more complexities than many other producers on the scene.

Name Your Price Download

Azizi Gibson – A New Life

Spaced out and macabre trap infused hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

BADBADNOTGOOD – IV

Young jazz fusion band who strike a spot on balance between accomplished musicianship and funky grooves.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Bankroll Mafia – Bankroll Mafia

Atlanta super crew mixtape featuring T.I., Young Thug, Shad Da God, Peewee Longway and MPA Duke. A sublime example of the current Atlanta scene with plenty of high energy tunes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Beatking – Club God 5

Trap mixtape with some top notch beats.

Buy

Birdman & Jacquees – Lost At Sea

Rich Gang members with a nice EP of smooth, bass heavy tap.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Bishop Nehru – Magic 19

Bishop Nehru takes a step away from the boom bap beats he usually raps on and rides some interesting trap style beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Black Milk & Nat Turner – The Rebellion Sessions

Producer / rapper extraordinaire Black Milk teams up with Nat Turner to create a pleasing instrumental album of raw funk and jazz vibes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Blended Babies – 6

Gritty blend of hip-hop, funk and rock.

Buy

Blood Orange – Freetown Sound

Spaced out and retro elctro soul.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Blueprint – Vigilante Genesis

Underground MC Blueprint puts fellow back packer veteran Aesop Rock behind the boards to produce this solid EP. The two work together excellently delivering eloquent raps and dark instrumentals.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Bodega BAMZ – All Eyez Off Me

Grimey New York style hip-hop.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Bones – Useless

Genre defying rapper Bones continues to progress with another inspired mixtape. The usual melancholy trap and cloud rap vibes are here but there’s some real aggression present here as well that make this tape stand out.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Boosie Badazz – Bleek Mode (Thug In Peace Lil Bleek)

Solid trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Brockhampton – All American Trash

Young collective with a variety of styles spanning boom bap, trap and R&B.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

BSN Posse – #UOAI EP

Frantic European footwork.

Buy

Bugzy Malone – Facing Time

UK MC Bugzy drops a great EP that’s equal parts grime and hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Burberry Perry – Burberry Perry EP

Burberry Perry put in a lot of work on Lil Yachty’s catchy but very divisive mixtape Lil’ Boat. Now he’s stepping out with his own EP while keeping the same vibe going. A lot of people are hating this new movement in hip-hop but I’m loving it because this EP is pure fun, catchy autotune hooks, childlike riffs and crisp percussion.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

C.Robin – Goofy Tunes

Booming 808 bass and warped auto tune vocals with a bit of a Sad Boys vibe going on.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Casey Veggies – Customized Greatly 4: The Return Of The Boy

Solid mixtape from young MC Casey Veggies. This guy is definitely showing some progression and the use of some interesting beats make this an enjoyable listen.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Chance The Rapper – Colouring Book

It’s been a long wait since Chance’s very popular second mixtape Acid Rap and although I don’t think Colouring Book is quite on the same level it’s still a fantastic collection of tracks. This tape oozes positivity and gets you hooked straight away with how infectious a lot of the songs are, the perfect soundtrack for summer.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Chevy Woods – The Freemix

Nice trap tape with some savage beats and killer flows.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Chiedu Oraka – Not Ya Average Spitting 1.5

My home town Hull, U.K. has never had the biggest or best hip-hop scene. There has been some talent but more often than not they’ve concentrated too much on emulating the U.S. style and taken a lot of influence from 90s hip-hop. This is why Chiedu Oraka is refreshing, his Hull accent comes through strong and he’s looking to the future with more complex flows and high energy. This mixtape is a good introduction to Oraka as he’s starting to truly refine his flow and proves this over some classic beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Chris Crack – Troll Till They Fold

Chicago MC affiliated with MC Tree and the soul trap movement delivers some hard bars over beautifully simple soul beats.

Buy

Chuck Inglish & Blended Babies – Ev Zepplin

Ex Cool Kids member Chuck Inglish teams up with producers Blended Babies on this lush release mixing classic West Coast hip-hop with psychedelic rock vibes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Clipping – Wriggle

Noise rap group bringing more of their abrasive, wall of sound hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Conway – 50 Round Drum

Grimey East Coast underground rap tape.

Download For Free

Curren$y – Bourbon Street Secrets (with Purps), Revolver (with Sledgren), The Legend Of Harvard Blue and Stoned On Ocean

Curren$y has been unstoppable this year putting out a constant stream of releases. He’s been working with a number of producers, all bringing their own vibe in to the mix while Curren$y keeps it smooth as always.

Download Bourbon Street Secrets For Free

Download Revolver For Free

Download The Legend Of Harvard Blue For Free

Download Stoned On Ocean For Free

Listen On Youtube

D.I.T.C. – D.I.T.C. Studios

East Coast legends prove they’ve still got it on this sturdy boom bap album.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Dälek – Asphalt For Eden

Before the days of Death Grips and Clipping, before the term noise rap was even coined, there was Dälek. I remember hearing the group for the first time in 2007 and being mesmerised by the use of droning tones, the type I was more used to hearing in experimental rock music. The group went on a hiatus but are back and as good as ever with this storming barrage of intense instrumentals and vivid raps.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Dawn Richards – Infrared

Deep and intricate neo soul.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

De La Soul – For Your Pain & Suffering

Hip-hop legends give us a little taster to tide us over until their long awaited album which was released in the last month.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Deante Hitchcock – GOOD

Hip-hop with electronic beats and some smooth flows.

Download For Free

Death Grips – Bottomless Pit

Hectic and aggressive experimental hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Deniro Farrar – Mind Of A Gemini

Some time has passed since I’d heard anything from Deniro Farrar and it’s great to have a batch of fresh music from him. This release has a shift in vibes from his previous work and sounds sublime. Farrar raps with a confidence and wisdom that is unusual for someone as young as him and the new chilled out, jazzy beats that he’s using make for a superb set of tracks.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Desiigner – New English

The guy who got huge off one track finally gives us a taste of what else he has to offer. This release feels a bit incomplete but there are some very high energy tracks to get you hyped.

Stream On Tidal

Listen On Youtube

Die Antwoord – Suck On This

The bizarre South Africans return with a collection of tracks more listenable than their usual material. They’re still insane but there are a few bangers in here.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Doctor Flake – Six

Progressive and atmospheric instrumental hip-hop.

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

dom.o.b – 3 Years Late

A wonderful selection of jazz and soul beats are a great back drop for dom.o.b’s smooth flows. This guy deserves to get a lot more attention, I’ve heard a lot of unknown rappers on Bandcamp but dom.o.b has to be one of my favourites, his soothing raps put me straight in to a good mood.

Download For Free

Don Mykel – GOD Mykel The Last Martyr

Underground hip-hip featuring some hard beats and well-thought out raps.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Drake – Views

I’m sure most people know about this album by now, far from his strongest work but still has some decent commercial tunes.

Buy

The Egyptian Lover – 1983 – 1988

Stones Throw reissue a collection of classic tracks from the electro pioneer.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Elucid – Save Yourself

Lyrically dense and poetic underground hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

DJ Esco – Project E.T. (Esco Terrestrial)

This might as well be a Future mixtape as he’s featuring on the majority of the tracks. It’s more of the same from Future but this is far from a bad thing as I’m a big fan of his sound. I don’t think this is quite on the level of Monster or 56 Nights but it has enough bangers to put it on the same level as Evol and Purple Reign which were released earlier this year.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Ethereal – Look At Me

Ethereal of the Awful Records crew gives us an unsettling and macabre EP with lo fi beats and monotone, rambling flows.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Faces Of Def – Hustle Grind Hard

Solid boom bap release.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Famous Dex – Heartbreak Kid

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Fat Jon – Tephlon Funk The Free Tape

Beautiful soul based instrumental hip-hop.

Download For Free

Fat Nick – When The Lean Runs Out

New age trap with off kilter beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Fat Trel – SDMG 2

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Fifty Grand – Summoning Key

Eery, 808 laced instrumental hip-hop.

Name Your Price Download

Fki 1^st – First Time For Everything Pt. 1

Producer who’s worked with the likes of Ilovemakonnen and Post Malone drops his own EP of wonky R&B.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Flume – Skin

Electronica full of chunky synths and some stellar guest appearences.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Frank Nitt – Asphalt Runways

Detroit MC best known for his work with J Dilla brings the funk on his latest hip-hop release.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Freeway – Free Will

The name Freeway doesn’t come up anywhere near as much as it used to but he still has that intense, high energy flow.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

DJ Fresh & Mistah FAB – The Tonite Show Pt.3

Another solid edition of ‘The Tonite Show’ with Bay Area MC Mistah FAB.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Frisco – System Killer

While Skepta has been making waves all over the world with ‘Konnichiwa’ his label mate Frisco dropped my favourite UK release of the year so far. I’m really loving the Swindle produced tracks on here, those funky beats mixed with Frisco’s grime bars is an amazing combination. The whole album is very consistent and feels a lot more coherent than many other grime releases that feel more like some tracks thrown together rather than proper albums.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Fusion – Rough Kutz & Abstractions, Brave New World, Summer Series V.2 and Pumped EP

Independent label putting out more quality footwork tunes.

Name Your Price Download

The Game – Streets Of Compton

West Coast hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Genius & Felipe – A Eastside Story

Trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Gold Panda – Good Luck And Do Your Best

Beautiful electronica with an East Asian vibe. The slow progression and build up in these tracks makes them really stand out, just when you think the track has climaxed it takes it up another level.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Grafh – Pain Killers Reloaded

Hip-hop mixtape with some great beats and hard tracks.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Grand Puba – Black From The Future

Rap veteran of Brand Nubian fame returns with a strong collection of tracks. Puba has taken the best of his old style and updated it to make something that still sounds fresh.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Green Ova South – Kome Ryde With Us

Main Attrakionz MC Squadda B teams up with Pepperboy and Young God (from production team Black Sky Blue Death) to make an amazingly soulful and spacey album. The lush, mellow beats are the perfect back drop for the Squadda B and Pepperboy’s laid back vocals.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

GxFR (Westside Gunn, Conway & Mach-Hommy) – Don’t Get Scared Now

Atmospheric EP packed with vivid raps telling stories of organised crime and druglords over some stripped back Wu-Tang-esque instrumentals.

Stream On Soundcloud

Hak – June

Ex-member of Ratking with his first solo release. More synth lead and less hectic than his previous work the aforementioned group but still with some of that experimental vibe.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Havoc & The Alchemist – The Silent Partner

Prodigy’s album with Alchemist was one of my favourite releases of 2013 so I was really hyped to hear that Havov, the other half of Mobb Deep, was working on his own album with the expert producer. As expected this is a superb LP packed with luscious, cinematic beats and that trademark New York flow.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Homeboy Sandman – Kindness For Weakness

I’d put Homeboy Sandman in the top 10 MCs in the world right now. He has many different flows that he performs flawlessly over any beat he chooses, his lyrics range from profound to hilarious and he has a personality that shines through on any track. The beats on here are funky and soulful with some strange rhythms that let Homeboy show off his rapping ability.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Hoodrich Pablo Juan – Designer Drugz 2

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Horseshoe Gang – Anti-Trap Music

Hardcore underground hip-hop. These guys have amazing flows and really bring it on these tracks.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Ill Bill – Septagram

Underground hip-hop veteran and former member of Non Phixion returns with what I think is his strongest release since “What’s Wrong With Bill?”.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Illa Ghee – Illa Matic

Mixtape from one of New York’s lesser known MCs. Illa Ghee has a heavy rap style and makes some classic East Coast hip-hop.

Buy

Ivy Sole – Eden

One of the freshest sounding albums of 2016 so far. Super smooth, soulful instrumentals backed with crisp percussion. Ivy Sole has a hypnotising delivery, her voice is so soothing, this LP is simply a joy to listen to.

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

J $tash – Hood Rich

Fun trap mixtape with some real bangers.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

J Dilla – The Diary

A collection of solid tracks from the J Dilla vaults.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Jam Tidy – Jam Tidy EP

High energy band from Birmingham UK who fuse hip-hop, reggae, ska and gypsy music in to one fluid style. It sounds like a strange bunch of influences but it really works and makes for serious party music.

Name Your Price Download

James Blake – The Colour In Anything

Ambient and melancholy album from an expert in electronic music.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Jeremiah Jetpack – Rip Wasabi

Colourful and fun hip-hop mixtape.

Download For Free

Jerreau – Never How You Plan

Fly Union member drops a strong mixtape featuring fantastic production. The melodic and bass heavy beats brought me to this release but Jerreau’s stellar raps kept me listening.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Jigmastas – Resurgence

Boom bap album.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Jim Jones – The Kitchen

New York gangsta rap.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Jody Breeze – No Promo

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Joey Purp – iiiDrops

Deep and fluid hip-hop from the young Chicago MC.

Download For Free

John Robinson – Water The Plants EP

Instrumental boom bap EP.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

J SOUL – Jane 2 Miami

Catchy trap R&B EP.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

J-Zone – Fish-N-Grits

J-Zone may be the most underrated artist in hip-hop and that is no exaggeration. This guy’s earlier releases were the soundtrack to much of my teenage years and it makes me so happy to have him back making music. Fish-N-Grits sees J-Zone evolve even further as his subject matter matures and he covers a variety of subjects from the modern rap scene to hipsters in New York. I’m loving the beats on this album, he has really perfected the live drums he’s started using and incorporated his signature complexity that made albums like “$ick Of Bein’ Rich” so superb.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

K.A.A.N. – Uncommon Knowledge

This was the first I’ve heard from K.A.A.N. and I’m already hooked. His flow reminds me of guys like Fu Schnickens and Daz EFX, it’s fast as hell but fluid at the time and mixed with the chilled, jazzy beats this is a great EP.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Kaytranada – 99.9%

Colourful electronic music with a good cast of guest appearances.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Kevlaar 7 – A Beautiful Soul

Sturdy boom bap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Key – Before I Scream

Atlanta trap rapper with an interesting edge.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Key Nyata – Dad Of The Year

Spaced out trap mixtape.

Buy

Khary – Intern Aquarium

New school boom bap album.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Killer Bee – Alone

Vibrant instrumental hip-hop.

Buy

King Harris – Nightmare On Wolff St

Dope hip-hop album delivers a variety of vibes, from trap style bangers to more soulful, mellow tunes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

The Kleenrz – Season Two

Underground MC Self Jupiter collaborates with forward thinking producer Kenny Segal. The raps are complex and at times verge on spoken word style while the beats are intricate but groovy. Featuring guest verses from the likes of Myka 9 and Busdriver, if you like those two you’ll love this album.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Kojaque – Sunday Roast

I don’t know of many Irish rappers and I know of even fewer who rap with a proper Irish accent. It’s a shame because Kojaque shows just how good that Irish voice sounds over moody boom bap beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Kokane – Kokane King Of G-Funk

G-Funk legend Kokane delivers are collection of catchy G-Funk tunes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Kool A.D. – All Love and Kool A.D. Is Dead

Kool A.D. has really been pumping out a lot of music recently and he shows no signs of stopping. ‘All Love’ sees Kool A.D. trying out some auto tune over big trap beats. It’s ‘Kool A.D. Is Dead’ that really interests me though as there isn’t much rapping on here, instead we have psychedelic instrumentals and weird vocal tracks, I’d like to hear more of this style from the ex-member of Das Racist.

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

Kweku Collins – Nat Love

R&B / hip-hop blend with complex beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

LA The Darkman – La Luminati

Hip-hop mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Lady Leshurr – Queen’s Speech EP

Grime MC Lady Leshurr has gone viral with music videos for her ‘Queen’s Speech’ series, this EP collects all of those catchy punchline filled tracks.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Larry June – Larry

Trap mixtape

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Le$ – Techno Violet

Jet Life member with an interesting mixtape with really long, progressive tracks and influences varying from 80s electro pop to chilled out soul.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Lil Duke – Uber

Infectious trap mixtape from Young Thug affiliate.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Lil Uzi Vert – Lil Uzi vs The World

One of this year’s XXL Freshman with a solid mixtape of moody trap with some heavy beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Lil West – Indigo 2

Dark trap EP.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Lotto Savage – Don Slaughter

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Lucki Eck$ – Son Of Sam

Chicago is home to some really exciting, boundary pushing hip-hop right now and Lucki Eck$ is a big part of that. ‘Son Of Sam’ is even darker and more drugged up than Lucki’s previous releases and I’m loving it.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Luu Breeze – Something In The Shade

Solid hip-hop mixtape with trap and R&B vibes.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Madeintyo – You Are Forgiven EP

Madeintyo came out of nowhere with his track ‘Uber Everywhere’ which gained a lot of popularity very quickly. This two part EP continues in the same vibe of fun, catchy trap tunes.

Download Part 1 For Free

Download Part 2 For Free

Listen On Youtube

Mark Battles – Before The Deal

Indiana MC who often collaborates with Dizzy Wright drops a well rounded album with well thought out lyrics and a great collection of beats that fit the range of vibes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Masta Ace – The Falling Season

Hip-hop legend and expert storyteller returns with another superb concept album. This time Ace relives his high school years while giving us some brilliant boom bap littered with cinematic skits that tie everything together.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Maxo Kream – The Persona Tape

Maxo got a lot of people talking last year when he dropped his ‘Maxo 187’ tape and although I liked it I thought the beats let him down a little bit. That is definitely not a problem here, the beats are heavy and full sounding, tracks like ‘Choppers’ and ‘Big Worm’ are so evil they’re almost scary. Maxo has improved on the mic too with some crazy flows that fit the nasty beats perfectly.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Mayer Hawthorne – Man About Town

Mayer Hawthorne brings us the summer vibes as he mixes funk, soul, R&B and even a little bit of reggae. You can’t help but smile when you listen to this album.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

MED – Bang Ya Head 4

West Coast veteran delivers a sturdy hip-hop EP.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

The Mekanix – Under The Hood

Classic Bay Area vibes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Meyhem Lauren – Piatto D’Oro

Pure filthy New York hip-hop with features from Roc Marciano and Action Bronson.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Michael Christmas – Baggy Eyes EP

Michael Christmas got me intrigued with his album ‘What A Weird Day’ but I’m really loving this EP even more. The beats have my head nodding and Michael’s flow seems effortless but he goes hard at times to keep things interesting.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Miles Davis & Robert Glasper – Everything’s Beautiful

Jazz pianist re-works and samples some classic Miles Davis while a cast of excellent vocalists add their own melodies on this soundtrack to the biopic released earlier this year.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

theMind – Summer Camp

Forward thinking R&B with interesting beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Mistah F.A.B. – Son Of A Pimp Pt. 2

Bay Area hip-hop album.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Montana Of 300 – Fire In The Church

Great trap mixtape with a stellar selection of beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Mr Lif – Don’t Look Down

Underground hip-hop leviathan Mr Lif has been on a bit of a hiatus in recent years but returned with everything we would want from him. This album is classic Lif but still sounds fresh and futuristic. It’s also great to have an Edan beat on the track ‘Whizdom’, it’s been years since I’ve heard new material from that guy and I’ve definitely missed him.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Neroche – Roadside Oddities

Eery instrumental hip-hop with sublime use of obscure percussion sounds.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Nessly – Still Finessin’

New wave trap mixtape with bass heavy beats and good use of auto tune.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Night Lovell – Red Teenage Melody

Melodic trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Noveliss – Mic Swordz

Clear Soul Forces member with an excellent boom bap EP.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Oddisee – The Odd Tape

Producer/rapper Oddisee drops an instrumental tape packed with intricate, jazzy beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

OG Maco – 7FRVR and OG Maco 2 Episode 1 The Duke Of Summer

OG Maco isn’t quitting his constant stream of releases and although I don’t think he’s quite hit the heights of the OG Maco EP again, there are definitely a lot of great tracks here. I especially enjoy ‘The Duke Of Summer’ which has a raw vibe and some wonky beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Onry Ozzborn – Duo

Underground MC releases a fascinating album where he brings in a different guest on every track. The features on here are very varied, from Homeboy Sandman to Kimya Dawson, but there’s a dark atmosphere that ties it all together.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

P Money – Thank You EP

One of my favourite grime MCs with a nice little free EP.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

The Palmer Squares – Planet Of The Shapes

Vibrant hip-hop album from Chicago.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Paul Wall & Baby Bash – The Legalizers: Legalize or Die Vol.1

Stoned out Texas hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Peewee Longway – Money, Pounds Ammunition 3

Trap mixtapes.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Planet Asia & DJ Concept – Seventy Nine

Mellow and soulful West Coast hip-hop

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Planet Jane – Serial Experiments Jane

Spacey hip-hop beats with some unique drum patterns and solid guest vocals.

Download For Free

Polish Juke – Polish Juke Split Series Vol. 2

Heavy bass and chaotic drums in this EP from the Polish juke scene.

Name Your Price Download

Pollari – Sonya and Hi, Kevin!

I’m really loving this new style of playful trap that Lil Yachty recently popularised and Pollari has been making some great music in a similar, but slightly more understated way. Pollari uses a lot of auto-tune effectively, creating catchy melodies without going too over the top. The beats are what make this music stand out, intricate and uplifting, these are great tunes to vibe too.

Buy

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Pouya – Underground Underdog

Abrasive and hard hitting underground hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Problem – Hotels 2 The Lobby & Hotels 2 The Master Suite

West Coast gangsta rap.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Progress – Back To Reality

Solid hip-hop mixtape with strong, fresh sounding production and high energy raps.

Download For Free

DJ Quik & Problem – Rosecrans EP

West Coast legend DJ Quik teams up with fellow California artist Problem for some superb West Coast gangsta rap.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Ralo & Young Scooter – Dream Team

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Ransom – History Of Violence

New York gangsta rap featuring soulful beats and hard raps.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

DJ Rashad – Afterlife

Compilation of unreleased collaborative tracks between the late DJ Rashad and other members of the Teklife crew.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Ras Kass – Refresher Course

West Coast veteran puts out a mixtape of previously released tracks that work as a great catch up for anyone wanting to get in to one of hip-hop’s underrated lyricists.

Name Your Price Download

Reese LAFLARE – Before The Universe

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Revivolution – Kotas ‘n’ Caviar

South African hip-hop with fantastic, unique sounding beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Rexx Life Raj – Father Figure

Trappy R&B.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Rich The Kid – Rich Forever Music & Trap Talk

Rich The Kid drops a solid mixtape and a collection of trap bangers from the Rich Forever Music crew.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Riff Raff – Peach Panther

Fun, trap music that doesn’t take itself seriously.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

River Tiber – Indigo

Spacey R&B vibes making use of some futuristic beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Rocko – Wordplay 2

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Royce Da 5’9” – Trust The Shooter & Layers

An album for the hip-hop purist. Complex rhymes, accomplished flows and strong lyrics.

Download For Free

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Sathia Sai Baba – The Misadventures Of A Druggy

Very short but good EP of trippy hip-hop.

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

Sauce Walka – Holy Sauce

High energy trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

SBTRKT – Save Yourself

Mellow electronica.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Scotty ATL – Home Sick

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Shad Da God – Free The Goat

Trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

DJ Shadow – The Mountain Will Fall

The legendary DJ Shadow gets dark and complex on this synth heavy album.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

ShaqIsDope – Black Frames

Gloomy and understated beats that compliment the excellent raps from ShaqIsDope.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Sir Michael Rocks – Part 2

Sir Michael Rocks continues to progress, dropping unique and charismatic flows over some funky, futuristic beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Skepta – Konnichiwa

The biggest name in grime since Dizzee Rascal drops his long awaited album. Plenty of classic grime tunes on here but also the sound of Skepta moving in to other styles of rap.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Skippa Da Flippa – I’m Havin’ 2

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Skizzy Mars – Alone Together

Infectious R&B.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Smoke DZA – Ringside 4 and George Kush Da Button (Don’t Pass Trump The Blunt)

Smoke DZA is putting out a lot of high quality music this year. ‘George Kush Da Button (Don’t Pass Trump The Blunt)’ is almost definitely the best mixtape name of the year and is particularly good musically too, packed full of fresh sounding, uncut boom bap.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Snak The Ripper – From The Dirt

Heavy underground rap from Vancouver.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Snoop Dogg – Coolaid

Hip-hop legend taking it back to his roots with some brilliant G-Funk vibes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Soulja Boy – Better Late Than Never

Trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Spark Master Tape – Silhouette Of A Sunkken City

Pitched down vocals and progressive beats with trap vibes.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Spliff – 989

Instrumental hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Suff Daddy – Birdsongs

Soulful and jazzy instrumental hip-hop.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Sylvan LaCue – Far From Familiar

MC formerly known as QuESt drops a well rounded album with dramatic beats and solid vocals that switch between rapping and singing.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Taso – Cold Heat Vol. 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8

Latest releases in the Cold Heat series from Teklife footwork producer Taso.

Buy

Tate Kobang – Since We’re Here

Young rapper signed to 300 with a decent trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

TEAMSESH – youarealltoblame

Bones and his crew give us a large collection of tracks to show us what they’re all capable of. Many of the tracks on this are instrumentals with deep bass and gloomy riffs, interesting enough to carry themselves without the need for vocals.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Tellem Hawk – What A Rush!!!

Combining footwork and jungle for a frantic but catchy set of tunes.

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

Terrace Martin – Velvet Portraits

Producer Terrace Martin has worked with some big names including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes. Here he gives us some amazing funk, soul and jazz vibes.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Tim Gent – Rumor Has It

Tim Gent has been increasingly impressive the last couple of years with his smooth style and impeccable beat selection. Following on from the fantastic ‘For The Love EP’ released earlier this year the Tennessee rapper joins with producer RMUR for a soulful and bass heavy collection of tracks.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Trae Tha Truth – Another 48 Hours

Texas hip-hop mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Trapo – She

Floaty grooves from this funky MC.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Trouble – Skoobzilla

Serious trap mixtape packed with heavy beats and hard raps.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Truck North – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead

Boom bap mixtape to get your head nodding.

Download For Free

True Masterz & Da Shogunz – Rap Buddhaz

90s vibes a plenty from this Dutch boom bap crew,

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

Tunji Ige – Missed Calls

Synth driven, plodding beats make the perfect accompaniment for Tunji’s melodic vocals and meandering flows.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Ty Money – Cinco De Money 2

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Ugly Heroes – Everything In Between

MCs Verbal Kent and Red Pill team up with producer Apollo Brown once again for some heavy boom bap. Well-thought out raps and great story telling are matched by Brown’s signature knock out soul beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

The Underachievers – It Happened In Flatbush

The Underachievers get angry and intense on this mixtape and I’m digging it. I’ve always enjoyed these guys but thought they needed to pick up the energy a bit and they’ve definitely done that on these tracks.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Various Artists – Smoke Till I’m Dead

Treejay and DJ Clockwork drop another smoked out mixtape for 420 featuring Mac Miller and Dave East amongst other lesser known MCs.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Various Artists – JUKEしようや　Barren Illusion ~ Remember Hiroki Yamamura ~ Vol.1

Japanese musicians do footwork and juke very well, it’s a frantic, futuristic genre and these guys know exactly how to make the best of it. Give this a listen to get a feel for what these producers have to offer then go and discover more.

Name Your Price Download

Verbal Kent & !llMind – Weight Of Your World

MC Verbal Kent collaborates with producer !llMind for a nice, free boom bap EP.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Vic Mensa – There’s A Lot Going On

Young Chicago MC is hungry on this EP with vivid lyrics and dark, electronic beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Vybz Kartel – King Of The Dancehall

Dancehall legend Vybz Kartel doing a Gucci Mane and dropping more heat from behind bars.

Buy

Watercolor Werewolf – AM Nights & LA Fear

Funky, lo-fi electro beats.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Wifisfuneral – Black Heart Revenge

New age trap with boom bap vibes coming in at times.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

YC The Cynic – The Farewell Tape

A compilation of previously released tracks to mark the event of YC changing his name to Kemba.

Name Your Price Download

Listen On Youtube

YG – Still Brazy

The best West Coast gangsta album of recent years. Chunky, synth heavy beats and strong lyrics make this a must hear for any fans of that Compton sound.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Yoni & Geti – Testarossa

Experimental rapper Serengeti teams up with WHY?’s Yoni Wolf to bring us a dazzling album that drifts between hip-hop and acoustic indie rock.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Young Chop – King Chop

Trap mixtape.

Buy

Listen On Youtube

Young Dolph – Bosses & Shooters

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Young Roc – 717

Short mixtape with some great stripped back soulful trap beats.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Young Scooter – Street Lottery 3

Trap mixtape.

Download For Free

Listen On Youtube

Mook Life Music Round Up: Quarter 4 2015 and Quarter 1 2016

Music

It’s been quite a while since I’ve put one of these round ups out. Unfortunately I’ve had some laptop troubles and life often gets in the way of things you really want to do. I haven’t had time to go in to depth with this article but I just couldn’t let these releases go by without at least giving them a mention. Going forward I should be back to my usual format of giving all the releases a small review.

I told myself at the beginning of the year that I would slow down with music, try to just focus on the things I really wanted to listen to and give them more time. That has been thrown straight out the window because there has been so much good music coming out this year, I cant help myself.

So take a look through this article and catch up on all the music you may have missed. As always I’ve included a link to listen on YouTube (where possible) and a link to buy or download. You can also access all the YouTube tracks on a playlist here and here.

21 Savage – Slaughter King

Trap Mixtape.

Listen On YouTube

Download For Free

6Blocc – Dark Side Of The Boom

Dubstepy, hip-hopy remix of the famous Pink Floyd album.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Abra – Rose

Synth pop vibes from the Awful Music camp.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Acre – Better Strangers

Noisy and experimental dance music.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Add-2 – Prey For The Poor

Soulful hip-hop.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman – Lice

Two of the best lyricists in hip-hop come together for a free EP.

Download For Free

Amine – Calling Brio

Hip-hop with some heavy beats and tribal vibes.

Download For Free

Apollo Brown – Grandeur

Hip-hop producer calls in a plethora of guest MCs to rap over his signature soulful beats.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Azizi Gibson – Prehistoric Till Death

Synth heavy hip-hop.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Bad Lucc – Breathe

Soulful hip-hop from the Jamla crew.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Big K.R.I.T. – It’s Better This Way

Southern hip-hop.

Download For Free

Blackalicious – Imani Vol. 1

Funky hip-hop from the West Coast legends.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Blended Babies – The Anderson .Paak EP

Somewhere between hip-hop and soul with some great beats.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Bones – Banshee, Frayed and HermitOfEastGrandRiver

Hip-hop / trap / grunge / indie genre hopper Bones hits us with more melancholy vibes.

Listen On YouTube

Download Banshee For Free

Download Frayed For Free

Download HermitOfEastGrandRiver For Free

Botany – Dimming Awe The Light Is Raw

Interesting instrumental hip-hop.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Break – Simpler Times

Tech drum & bass.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Busdriver – Thumbs

Bizarre underground MC Busdriver taking things in a slightly less jovial direction.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Casey Veggies – Live & Grow

Hip-hop.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Cavalier – Lemonade

Off kilter jazzy hip-hop.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Cavanaugh – Time & Materials

Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti collaborate for a beautifully moody hip-hop album.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

CGB – Think

Hip-hop with jazzy, golden age vibes.

Listen On YouTube

Name Your Price Download

Chase & Status – London Bars

Heavy weight D&B producers call in some big names from the grime scene.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Chinese Man & Tumi – The Journey

Bass heavy and fun hip-hop.

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Chris Travis – Art Of Destruction

Dark, melancholy trap vibes.

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Chuck Inglish – Everybody’s Big Brother

Hip-hop with a strong 80s gangsta vibe.

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Constrobuz – Raw Dinner

Hip-hop instrumentals.

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Curren$y – Canal Street Confidential

More smoothness from one of the most consistent and prolific hip-hop artists.

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Current Value – Rocket Science

Heavy tech D&B.

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Dam-Funk – Invite The Light

P-Funk.

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Darkstar – Foam Island

Floaty electronica.

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Da$h – 17 More Minutes and Skrewface

Hard hitting hip-hop.

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Delorean – Perfect Black

Southern hip-hop.

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Diddy – MMM

Club friendly hip-hop from the veteran.

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Dirty Dike – Sucking On Prawns In The Moonlight

UK hip-hop from the High Focus crew.

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The Doppelgangaz – Beats For Brothels Vol. 3

Boom bap.

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Doug Hream Blunt – My Name Is Doug Hream Blunt

Funk.

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D.R.A.M. – Gahdamn!

Spacey hip-hop / R&B vibes.

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Drew Lustman – The Crystal Cowboy

Amen break heavy electronica.

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EarthGang – Strays With Rabies

Soulful Southern hip-hop with some lush beats.

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Electric Wire Hustle – Aeons EP

Hip-hop infused electronic music.

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Eric Dingus – Is There In Truth No Beauty?

Sparse and ambient hip-hop remixes.

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Erick Sermon – E.S.P. Erick Sermon’s Perception

Hip-hop veteran back at it.

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Ethereal – Final Fantasy and I Think I’m On Fire 1 & 2

Deep and drugged up hip-hop from the Awful Records camp.

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Falls – You Have Been Keeping

Dark and ambient instrumentals.

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Father – Papicodone

EP of minimal hip-hop bangers from the Awful Music figurehead.

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Finale – Odds & Ends

Detroit Boom Bap with an edge produced by Oddisee.

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Fis – The Blue Quicksand Is Going Now

Atmospheric electronic noise.

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FKA Twigs – M3LL155X

Experimental electronic R&B flavours.

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FloFilz – Speakthru

Chilled instrumental hip-hop with a few guest MCs.

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The Foreign Exchange – Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey

Beautiful neo soul from Phonte and Nicolay. Taking the sound in some new directions.

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Frank Nitt – Frankie Rothstein

Detroit hip-hop.

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Freddie Gibbs – Shadow Of A Doubt

Freddie Gibbs back to his gangsta rap vibes.

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Frenic – Monomyth: Separation

Intricate hip-hop instrumentals.

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Friendzone – While You Wait EP

Instrumental cloud rap vibes.

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Future & Drake – What A Time To Be Alive

Two of the biggest names in hip-hop give us an album full of bangers.

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The Game – The Documentary 2

The Game’s big return delivers so great moments.

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Gerald Jacobs – The Loudest Quiet

UK hip-hop.

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Gillie Da Kid – Welcome 2 Gilladelphia

Hip-hop.

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GOD – The Gospel

Crazy flows and some great trap beats.

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Goldlink – And After That We Didn’t Talk

Forward thinking hip-hop.

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goreshit – nrrv4

Heavy dance music with a serious hardcore influence.

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Guilty Simpson – Detroit’s Son

Gritty Detroit hip-hop.

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Hubert Davis – Framework

Chilled out instrumental hip-hop.

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Hurt Everybody – 2K47

Futuristic hip-hop from Chicago.

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Hyroglifics – No Drama EP

Tech D&B.

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Iberian Juke – Iberian Juke & Friends

Great compilation of footwork and juke from around the world.

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Illa J – Illa J

Somewhere between soul and hip-hop.

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iLoveMakonnen – iLoveMakonnen 2

Bizarre R&B and trap vibes.

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J-Live – How Much Is Water

Undergound hip-hop.

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Jadakiss – Top 5 Dead Or Alive

Hip-hop.

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Jakes – Deep In The Trench

Dubstep.

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Jay 305 – Inner City Hero

West Coast gangsta vibes.

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Jay Rock – 90059

Hip-hop.

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Jeremih – Late Nights

R&B.

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JGivens – Fly Exam

Jazzy underground hip-hop.

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Jlin – Dark Energy

Intense footwork.

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Joanna Newsom – Divers

Incredible return from the incredibly talented singer songwriter.

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Joe Budden – All Love Lost

Hip-hop.

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John Givez – Soul Rebel

Soulful mixture of R&B and hip-hop.

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Jonwayne – Here You Go Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

High quality instumental hip-hop.

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Junglepussy – Pregnant With Success

Hip-hop.

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Kardinal Offishall – Kardi Gras Vol. 1 The Clash

Dancehall legend back with a more hip-hop heavy album.

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Key – Screaming Dreams Prelude

Hip-hop.

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Kirk Knight – Late Knight Special

Boom bap hip-hop fromt he Pro Era gang.

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Kelela – Hallucinogen

Complex electronic R&B.

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Knxwledge – H.S.PRT8.8, H.S.PRT9, WT.PRT9 & WrapTaypes

New instalments for two of the experimental producer’s album series and a compilation of some of his best reworks.

Kode9 – Nothing

Experimental electronic music with strong footwork influences.

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Kool A.D. – O.K.

Huge underground hip-hop mixtape.

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Kool Keith & Kurious – Don’t Know Why

Underground hip-hop.

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L-Wiz – The Orange Tree

Funky down tempo dubstep.

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LE1F – Riot Boi

Interesting album from the gay rap scene.

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LHF – For The Thrown

Mellow house music.

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G Herbo – Ballin’ Like I’m Kobe

Trap mixtape.

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Lil Ugly Mane – Oblivion Access

Underground hip-hop.

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Little Simz – A Curious Tale Of Trials & Persons

UK hip-hop.

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Lofty305 x F1lthy – Elise

Bizarre and floaty 808 heavy hip-hop.

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Lucki Ecks$ – Freewave

Drugged out hip-hop.

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Luv NY – Luv NY (Deluxe Edition)

Compilation of underground New York hip-hop.

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Lymbyc Systym – Split Stones

Uplifting electronica.

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Marc Renton – Out There

Tech D&B.

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Marcus D & LA – The Golden Gun EP

Boom Bap.

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Maxo Kream – MAXO 187

Trap.

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Mbongwana Star – From Kinshasa

Tribal world music.

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MED, Blu & Madlib – Bad Neighbour

Underground collaboration album.

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Method Man – The Meth Lab

Wu-Tang legend back with another solid album.

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Mick Jenkins – Wave[s]

Intricate and forward thinking hip-hop.

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Mickey Factz – Y-3

Hip-hop mixtape.

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Michael Christmas – What A Weird Day

Hip-hop.

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Mindscape – Phantoms

Heavy D&B.

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Milo – So The Flies Don’t Come

Poetic underground hip-hop.

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Moresebya – Free Instrumentals 2015 Pt. 1 & 2 and ясновидение

Down beat hip-hop instrumentals from Russia.

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Moss – Marching To The Sound Of My Own Drum

Hip-hop producer brings in a large cast of guest MCfor a boom bap style album.

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Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – Live Forever

Underground hip-hop.

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Murlo – Odyssey

Complex instrumental bangers with a strong grime influence.

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Mykki Blanco – C-ORE

Compilation curated by one of gay rap’s biggest names.

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Naibu – Case Study

Liquid D&B.

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Navie D – OPRA EP

Instrumental hip-hop.

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Nef The Pharaoh – Nef The Pharaoh EP

Catchy Bay Area hip-hop.

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Neroche – Elixir

Dark and moody instrumental hip-hop.

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Nickelus F – Triflin

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Nolan The Ninja – Fuck The Hype

Underground hip-hop.

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NxWorries – Link Up And Suede

Knxwledge and Anderson .Paak team up for a soulful and jazzy EP.

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Ohbliv – Raw Spirit Jewels

Instrumental hip-hop.

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OG Boobie Black – The Boobie Trapp

Trap mixtape.

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Opio And Free The Robots – Sempervirens

Jazzy hip-hop.

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Pastor Troy – War In ATL

Trap mixtape.

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Paul Wall – Slab God

Southern hip-hop.

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DJ Paypal – Sold Out

Footwork with some real depth.

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PeeWee Longway – Pounds Money Ammunition 2

Trap mixtape.

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Pell – LIMBO

Hip-hop and R&B.

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People Under The Stairs – The Gettin’ Off Stage Step 1

Boom bap hip-hop.

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Potatohead People – Big Luxury

Synth heavy, funky instrumentals.

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Prof – Liability

Underground hip-hop.

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Pusha-T – King Push – Darkest Before The Dawn: The Prelude

Hip-hop.

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Rabit – Communion

Ambient electronic noise.

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Rapper Big Pooh & Nottz – Home Sweet Home

Soulful hip-hop.

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Raury – All We Need

R&B and hip-hop.

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Ray West & Kool Keith – A Couple Of Slices

Minimal soulful hip-hop.

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Redman – Mudface

Hip-hop legend with a solid album.

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Rich The Kid – Dabbin’ Fever

Trap mixtape.

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Rich The Kid & iLoveMakonnen – Whip It Mixtape

Collaborative trap mixtape.

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Rick Ross – Black Market

Hip-hop album with trap vibes.

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Robb Banks – Year Of The Savage

Dark, 808 driven hip-hop.

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Roots Manuva – Bleeds

UK hip-hop legend returns with an interesting album.

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RP Boo – Fingers, Bank Pads and Shoe Prints

Frantic footwork.

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RTKAL – Skunk Rock

UK hip-hop with ragga vibes.

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Rustie – EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE

Rustie gets back to the sound of his early work with this album of bangers.

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Sandpeople – Old Fruits

Jazzy instrumental hip-hop.

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Scarface – Deeply Rooted

Hip-hop from the Southern legend.

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SD – Just The Beginning

Trap.

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Sean Price – Songs In The Key Of Price

Great underground hip-hop EP from one of the greats (RIP).

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Semi Hendrix (Ras Kass & Jack Splash) – Breakfast At Banksy’s

Incredibly funky album from an unexpected duo.

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Serial Killers (B-Real, Xzibit & Demrick) – The Murder Show

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Sheek Louch – Silverback Gorilla 2

Hip-hop.

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Sir Michael Rocks – Populair

Fantastisc futuristic hip-hop.

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Slim Thug – Hogg Life Vol. 3 Hustler Of The Year

Southern hip-hop.

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Smino – BLKJUPTR and S!ick S!ck S!ck

Innovative hip-hop EPs.

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DJ Smokey – Evil Wayz Vol. 3

Psychedelic trap instrumentals.

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Soul Chef – Good Vibes LP

Soulful instrumentals with some strong guest MCs.

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Styles P – A Wise Guy And A Wise Guy

Hip-hop.

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$uicideboy$ – Black $uicide Side C, $outh $ide $uicide, My Liver Will Handle What My Heart Can’t

Dark cloud rap vibes.

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Supreme Ace – Trill Influence

Soulful hip-hop mixtape.

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Talib Kweli – Fuck The Money

Free album from the underground hip-hop legend.

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Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder – Indie 500

Underground hip-hop.

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Termanology – Term Brady EP

Underground hip-hop.

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Thelem – We Ain’t The Same EP

Dubstep.

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Tim Jones – Everyday

Gangsta R&B vibes.

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Tom Misch – Beat Tape 2

Instrumental hip-hop.

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Toro Y Moi – Samantha

Interesting mixtape of instrumentals from the chill wave artist.

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Tsu Surf – Newark

Hip-hop.

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Twista – Livin’ Legend

Hip-hop EP from the fastest rapper alive.

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The Underachievers – Evermore The Art Of Duality

Underground hip-hop.

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Vanilla – Origin

Instrumental hip-hop.

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VDon – The Opiate

Underground hip-hop.

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Vibes Only Crew (v.o.c) – v.o.c EP2 vol.1

Footwork.

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Wave Racer – Flash Drive

Synth heavy dance beats.

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The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness

R&B.

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Wiki – Lil Me

Underground hip-hop from the Ratking MC.

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YG, Blanco and DB Tha General – California Livin’

West Coast hip-hop mixtape.

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Yo Gotti – The Return

Trap.

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Young Thug – Slime Season 1 & 2

Mixtapes packed with bangers.

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Yung Simmie – Basement Music 3

Laidback trap vibes.

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Zero T – Golden Section

Drum & Bass.

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2016

2 Chainz & Lil Wayne – Collegrove

Hip-hop.

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AG Da Coroner – Sip The Nectar

Underground hip-hop.

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Allan Kingdom – Northern Lights

Synth driven hip-hop / R&B.

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Anderson .Paak – Malibu

R&B / soul packed with sunshine vibes.

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Audio Push – Inside The Vibe

Hip-hop.

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Average Rap Band – El Sol

Bizarre hip-hop from Australia.

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AyOh – MillennialComicBook

Instrumental hip-hop.

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Baby Killa – Baby Killa

Instrumental trap.

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Bas – Too High To Riot

Hip-hop.

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Black Kray – Soulja Luv Rari World

Cloud rap.

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Blu & Ray West – Crenshaw Jezebel

Mellow and jazzy hip-hop.

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Boosie Badazz – Thug Talk

Trap.

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Chris Travis – The Ruined

Cloud rap / trap.

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Chuuwee & Trizz – The Smoke Out & Amerikka’s Most Blunted 2

Hip-hop.

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Count Bass D – Dwight Around Your Lips & Instantly New

Hip-hop.

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Cozz – Nothin’ Personal

Hip-hop.

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Crimewave – fvckcrimewave

Heavy and dark hip-hop.

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Curren$y – The Owner’s Manual & Weed & Instrumentals

Mellow hip-hop.

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Curren$y & Alchemist – The Carrollton Heist

Hip-hop and producer dream team with a great mixtape.

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D-JaySremm – Trail Mix

Hip-hop.

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David Banner – Before The Box

Hip-hop.

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Daz -N- Snoop – Cuzznz

West Coast legends bring the funk.

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Denzel Curry – Imperial

One of hip-hop’s most promising young MCs with another great release. Brutal bars and fantastic production.

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Domo Genesis – Genesis

Mellow hip-hop.

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Dream Junkies – Good Religion

Hip-hop.

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Elzhi – Lead Poison

Long awaited return from the Slum Village MC.

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Father – I’m A Piece Of Shit

Minimal and dark hip-hop.

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Flatbush Zombies – 3001 A Laced Odyssey

Hip-hop.

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French Montana – Wave Gods

Hip-hop.

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Future – Evol & Purple Reign

Trap.

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Hernän – Passing Levels EP

Footwork.

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The Hip-Hop House – Mixtape Vol. 1

Scottish hip-hop mixtape.

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Hodgy – They Watchin’ Lofi Series 1

Hip-hop.

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Hus Kingpin – #HOKTRE (House Of Kingpin – The Revamp Edition)

Underground hip-hop.

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Iamsu – Kilt 3

hip-hop.

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iLoveMakonnen – Drink More Water 6

Bizarre trap and R&B vibes.

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Iman Shumpert – Shumpman The M.D.

Hip-hop.

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Ital Tek – Hollowed

Dark electronic music.

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Ivan Ave – Helping Hands

Jazzy hip-hop.

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Jace – Jace Tape

Hip-hop.

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Jacquees – Mood

Smooth R&B.

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Jahlil Beats & CRMC – New Levels New Devils

Hip-hop.

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Jake One – PrayerHandsEmoji

Instrumental hip-hop.

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Jazz Cartier – Hotel Paranoia

Hip-hop.

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Joell Ortiz – That’s Hip-Hop

Hip-hop.

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J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League – J.U.S.T.I.C.E. For All

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Kamaiyah – A Good Night In The Ghetto

Hip-hop.

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Kanye West – The Life Of Pablo

Highly anticipated album from one of hip-hops biggest names. I’m sure everyone has their opinions on this by now.

Kano – Made In The Manor

UK hip-hop / grime

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Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered

Collection of unreleased tracks from hip-hop’s golden boy.

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Killa Kyleon – Blessed To Raise Hell

Hip-hop.

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Kilo Kish – Reflections In Real Time

Not sure how to classify this, some hip-hop vibes, bit of spoken wide style vocals, some singing, kind of alternative indie pop stuff. Whatever it is it’s a fun listen.

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Knxwledge – HEX.9.8

Twisted jazzy reworks of classic R&B and hip-hop.

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Koi Child – Koi Child

Funky hip-hop with a live backing band.

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Kool Keith – Total Orgasm

Underground hip-hop.

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THE KXNNEDYS – Any Last Requests

Hip-hop.

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Kyo Itachi & Ruste Juxx – Meteorite

Underground New York hip-hop.

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Lecrae – Church Clothes 3

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Le$ – Dreamcast

Hip-hop.

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Levelz – Lvl 11

UK hip-hop with big influences from grime and D&B.

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Lex Luger – Lex Luger Experience: The Tour Vol. 1

Instrumental trap.

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Lil Yachty – Lil Boat

Bizarre, synthy trap style hip-hop. You’ll either love it or hate it.

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Lofty305 – Ice Cream World

Psychedelic cloud rap vibes.

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Lord Sizzle – The Numerous Aromas Of Lord Sizzle

Cloud rap.

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Lucki Eck$ – Son Of Sam

Dark and drugged out hip-hop.

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Migos – YRN 2 (Young Rich Niggas 2)

Trap.

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Mix Master Mike – Magma Chamber

Legendary turntablist with a great mix.

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Nature – Target Practice

Underground hip-hop.

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NEDLOG ERA – SGLP

Hip-hop.

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Nef The Pharaoh – Neffy Got Wings

Bay Area hip-hop.

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Nick Grant – ’88

Hip-hop.

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N.O.R.E – Drunk Uncle

Hip-hop.

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Nyck Caution – Disguise The Limit

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Oddisee – Alwasta

Hip-hop.

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OG Maco – The Lord Of Rage

High energy hip-hop.

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One Be Lo – The Original Born Ones

Hip-hop.

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Open Mike Eagle & Paul White – Hella Personal Film Festival

Creative underground MC and UK super producer team up for some lush funky vibes.

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P.E.A.C.E. – The Green Mile

Hip-hop.

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Peewee Longway – Mr Blue Benjamin

Trap.

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Planet Asia & DJ Concept – Seventy Nine

Hip-hop.

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Prodigy – RIP 1, 2 & 3

Free bundles of unreleased tracks from the Mobb Deep legend.

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Quelle Chris – Lullabies For The Broken Brain

Strange and melancholy instrumental hip-hop.

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Raz Simone – Trap Spirituals

Hip-hop.

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RJD2 – Dame Fortune

Hip-hop producer with an interesting, genre defying album.

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Rome Fortune – Jerome Raheem Fortune

Electronic hip-hop / R&B

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Rubble Kings

Hip-hop soundtrack to the documentary on New York gangs.

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Samiyam – Animals Have Feelings

Instrumental hip-hop.

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Saul Williams – MartyrLoserKing

Rapper / poet with more innovative music that’s hard to define.

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SBTRKT – Save Yourself

Smooth electronica.

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Skeme – Before 4eva

Hip-hop.

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Smoke DZA – He Has Risen

Hip-hop.

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Soundz – Sheets EP

Smooth R&B.

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Stalley – Saving Yusuf

Hip-hop.

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Statik KXNG (Statik Selektah & KXNG Crooked) – Statik KXNG

Boom bap hip-hop.

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Taso – Cold Heat Vol. 1 & 2

Footwork.

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Tim Gent – For The Love EP

Hip-hop.

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TM88 – 88 World

Trap.

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Torae – Entitled

Hip-hop.

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Tre Capital – I Can’t Die Yet

Hip-hop.

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Trapo – She EP

Hip-hop.

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Vampsterdam – PTSD

Dark and twisted trap vibes.

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Vic Spencer & Chris Crack – Who The Fuck Is Chris Spencer?

Chicago MC duo with some interesting soulful hip-hop.

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Westside Gunn – Flygod

Underground hip-hop.

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Buy

Yo Gotti – The Art Of Hustle

Trap.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Young Dolph – King Of Memphis

Trap.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Young Thug – I’m Up & Slime Season 3

Two new albums / mixtapes from the divisive but brilliant trap innovator.

Listen On YouTube

Buy I’m Up

Buy Slime Season 3

Yung Lean – Warlord

Cloud rap.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Zelooperz – Bothic

Strange, high energy hip-hop from Bruiser Brigade.

Listen On YouTube

Buy

Mooklife Music’s Top 40 Releases Of 2015

Music

I think most people can agree that 2015 was a really great year for music and especially for hip-hop. I’ve read through many top albums of 2015 and while I’ve enjoyed a lot of the choices others have made I’ve noticed that many of my favourite releases have gone mostly unmentioned. Because of this I really wanted to put together my own top releases of 2015 (and chose 40 because I spent my youth watching Top Of The Pops) to give some of those overlooked artists some appreciation.

If you’ve been following my posts over the last year you’ll know just how much music I’ve been listening to which has made it very hard to narrow this list down. I’ve never done a ranked list like this before because it’s always so hard and usually just makes people angry when they don’t agree, but I’m sure this list will get people riled up anyway so I’m going for it.

It’s always been hard to pin down Bilal, he’s often been labelled neo soul but has worked in and around other genres. “In Another Life” is hard to pin down too, it’s oozing with funk, his vocals are soothingly soulful and there are some heavy psychedelic rock vibes in there too. The drums on the album really stand out, slightly distorted and played to perfection, driving the tracks forward. Bilal’s voice is so serene which makes it even more shocking when he suddenly strays from his soft tones. This album not like anything else I’ve heard from Bilal, it’s not quite like anything I’ve heard from anyone but it is magnificent.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

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Being as obsessed with hip-hop and other electronic music as I am it takes something really special outside of that to truly interest me. “The Fun Rises, The Fun Sets” had me mesmerized from the first time I heard it, taking so many influences from sounds I’m familiar with but combining them in to something completely unique and immensely creative. If I had to pigeon hole the album I’d say it was soul or neo soul but it’s so much more than that. The funk influences are very strong here as well as R&B, psych rock, indie rock, jazz and even a bit of Bowie-esque glam rock, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Van Hunt’s voice is spectacular, it’s soothing and pure whether he’s making you dance with a funky number or seducing you with his bizarre love songs. The lyrics on the album are often nonsensical but have a certain beauty to them, I’m not certain what he’s getting at when he sings “If I want to dance with you, I have to use my remote control” but there is something strangely poetic about. From the funky opening track to the grand, euphoric title track ender (which I’m pretty sure is about your lover being on her period, it’s odd) this album is exceptional.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

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3. MED, Blu & Madlib – Bad Neighbor

Hip-hop is one of the only genres were you get so much collaboration and it’s one of the things I love about it. It’s not that rare in hip-hop that you get to hear a number of your favourite musicians together on the same track, it is rarer though to hear them make a full album, and one that sounds as good as this. Madlib is well known for putting out amazing albums and brining out the best in people, his ear for samples is second to none and he’s responsible for a number of classic albums. Blu has been putting out fantastic underground hip-hop albums for years now, spanning a number of different styles but always keeping it creative. Signed to Stones Throw record label, M.E.D. has been releasing solid work for over ten years and has one of those steady flows that works on almost any beat. Put these three guys together and you have one hell of an album. As is expected from Madlib, the instrumentals on this album are really superb but what makes them so special is the variation of sounds he gives us. Recently Madlib has been sticking more to his dusty, soulful, jazzy beats and as good as he is at that I’ve been wanting to hear him break away from that style a bit. Way back in 2004 Madlib produced De La Soul’s “Shopping Bags” and that beat blew my mind, it sounded like a raw and twisted Neptunes beat, but since then we haven’t heard much of that sound from him. It seems Madlib has answered my prayers because on this album we get more of these synth driven tracks that I’ve been craving, one of which is the obscenely good “The Stroll” which has a beat so off the wall people won’t truly get their head around it for years. Later on in the album we do hear more of the soulfulness we expect from Madlib so we really do get the best of both worlds here. Although to an extant it is the beats that make this LP so outstanding the raps are from average. MED and Blu both drop a lot of great verses. Blu has a very recognisable voice and there’s something about his delivery that I find comforting, he just has a very enjoyable voice to listen to. I know a lot of people will hate me for saying this but I think “Bad Neighor” is the best Madlib collaboration album since “Madvillainy” and although it’s not getting that much attention now, just like his legendary album with DOOM this will be one that will grow in popularity as people start to understand it.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Young-Thug-Barter-62

2. Young Thug – Barter 6

As is often the case with great musicians, Young Thug was one if the most polarising rappers of 2015. Dismissed by many because of his strange delivery and obscene lyrics but loved by others for the same reasons, Young Thug definitely stands out from the crowd. After a string of decent mixtapes in 2014 Thug had been making steady improvements and this came to a peak with the phenomenal Barter 6. Few MCs have a voice as recognisable as Young Thug’s, he has a very strange cadence which can be shrill one moment but smooth the next and his delivery is incredible with his many different flows which he switches between to suit whatever beat he is on. The instrumentals on this album are mostly quite understated, off key synths dance on top of deep sub bass and crisp 808 drums, building up and dropping out as the tracks progress, creating the perfect obstacles for Thug to manoeuvre along. Lyrically you’re not going to find anything profound on this album but that doesn’t matter, the most important aspect of music is that it sounds good and Barter 6 sounds glorious!

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

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1. Denzel Curry – 32 Zel / Planet Shrooms

Denzel Curry grabbed a lot of people’s attention with his 2013 album “Nostolgic 64” which has some amazing tracks like the violence inducing “Threatz” and the luxuriously smooth “Denny Cascade”. Although that album was very good, it felt a little bit disjointed at times and Curry was definitely still finding his feet musically. “32 Zel / Planet Shrooms” was released as a “double EP” and shows a lot of progression from the young Florida rapper as he’s created an incredibly fluid and visceral collection of tracks. The first EP “32 Zel” has a spacey feel to it, the beats are quite heavy with beeps and blips bouncing to the groove. This sci-fi journey quickly goes in to overdrive on the release’s 4th track “Ultimate” which along with being my favourite song of 2015 is one of the most aggressive songs I’ve heard. Throughout the album Denzel’s flow is relentless but he really goes berserk on “Ultimate” as he rapidly shouts his bars with an energy that is more familiar to hardcore punk than hip-hop. The first half of the release continues to flow along with the same futuristic vibe, often ending tracks with intricate little beat interludes that really tie everything together. Although this double EP is very fresh and unique there are some strong Outkast influences in there, initially showing up strongly on “Delusional Shone” which has a very “B.O.B.” style guitar solo / scratching breaking down and later the Outkast sound is also noticeable on “Past The Wudz Intro” and “Planet Shrooms”. The vibe really switches up when “Planet Shrooms” kicks in, bringing that psychedelic sound. As the name suggests “Planet Shrooms” feels like a trip, starting out with a chilled out, organic vibe which quickly gets vibrant on the excellently floaty “Captain Sea Fonk”. Things continue in this dreamy manner until the title track takes you to a darker place with its cascading synths and intense snare drums before the EP is rounded off nicely with the more settling tones of “Void”. Overall this release sounds like a lot of thought has gone in to it, the tracks follow on naturally from each other, the beats are magnificently composed and even Curry’s voice is distorted in a number of different ways to fit whatever song he is on. The hip-hop scene is full of innovators right now but Denzel Curry is leading the pack with his abrasive, high energy style that has me desperate to hear his next release.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Mook Life Style: Pawn Future Kings

Everything Else

This isn’t something I’d usually write about here but I really wanted to give these guys some support because they deserve it. Growing up in Hull I often visited a clothing shop called Space. I’ve always been a massive hip-hop head and Space was one of the only shops in the area where you could get your hands on urban clothing labels and hip-hop mixtapes. Unfortunately the shop is no longer open but the owner has since established a fantastic new streetwear brand called Pawn Future Kings.

Pawn Future Kings describe themselves as being inspired by music, sport, surf culture and positive vibes, which is very evident when you look at their Autumn 2015 collection. From striking branded sweatshirts to vibrant patterned t-shirts, the new line is incredibly stylish and very high quality. With so many big names out there it can be hard to stand out from the crowd with fashionable and unique clothing but Pawn Future Kings will have you looking your best without turning you in to a high street clone.

There is a real classic, 80’s/90’s American streetwear influence in Pawn Future Kings’ designs, the bold fonts and powerful chess piece logo give the clothes a real iconic look. With a free snapback on offer when you buy 2 t-shirts, now is the time to head over to the website and get yourself looking fresh for autumn.

Check out the website to place an order and find out more.

Music Round Up – August 2015

Music

Another few months have passed since my last round up and there are even more fantastic releases coming out every week. This year has been great for hip-hop and we’ve had an abundance of sublime funk and soul releases in the last few months on top of that. Once again I’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to, open your ears and get a load of these. As usual most of these releases came out in the last 3 months but some came out longer ago and I was late listening to them.

Youtube playlist with a track off each release here

21 Savage – The Slaughter Tape

Very solid trap mixtape packed with bangers featuring production from Metro Boomin’ and Zaytoven.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

2econd Class Citizen – A Hall Of Mirrors

Mainly instrumental trip hop style compositions with accomplished use of drum samples. Reminiscent of DJ Shadow.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

6Blocc – Trapped In My Mind EP

Bleak, sub heavy dubstep.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

88 Ultra & No Merci – Para Bellum

Swirling, 808 heavy melodies laced with bewitching vocals.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

The Alchemist – Israeli Salad

The Alchemist never really makes a misstep with his music and this release is no different. Built entirely of samples from Israeli music this collection of beats has that signature Alchemist sound that will keep your head nodding.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

The Alchemist – Retarded Alligator Beats

Another lovely collection of boom bap instrumentals from The Alchemist.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

All Caps – Independent Variable

Bandcamp has become such a massive gold mine for hip-hop. I have found so much great music on there by randomly clicking on albums. This is one of my favourite recent finds. The beats on this release are catchy yet obscure and complex using a mixture of samples and synths. The intricate flows from All Caps are a real joy to listen to as he rides the beats perfectly.

Name your price download here

All These Finger – Offerings

A huge collection of dope beats created over the last 7 years from an incredible up and coming producer. This guy needs more exposure because he has a real talent for making beats. Jazzy and spaced out with just the right amount of bounce.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price download here

Allen Halloween – Hibrido

Portuguese rapper with an interesting album containing a satisfying mixture of vibes. I have never heard rapping in Portuguese before but Allen Halloween makes it sound incredible with a guttural cadence to his voice and a slurred flow.

Listen on Youtube here

I’m struggling to find a place to buy/download because all of the sites are in Portuguese but I’m sure you can find somewhere if you try hard enough.

A$AP Rocky – At Long Last A$AP

This album seems to have fans fairly divided, many want more of the old Rocky and other are happy to see the evolution of him as an artist. I’m really enjoying this album, I think Rocky still hasn’t reached his full potential but ALLA is definitely a step in the right direction. The LP flows amazingly from track to track, taking things slow then getting hyped again just at the right moment and with an overarching tone that ties it all together. Lyrically there isn’t anything particularly impressive but Rocky’s flow is on point as always and he rides every beat with confidence, from bangers like ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2’ to spaced out tracks like ‘West Side Highway’.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Audio Push – My Turn II

Audio Push have been steadily making a name for themselves recently with a stream of solid releases. This is a nice little EP that shows what the duo can do on the mic over some established beats like ‘Fuck Up Some Commas’ and ‘Shook Ones’.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Bilal – In Another Life

Bilal has been at the forefront of neo soul for years now and his latest album ‘In Another Life’ is the work of a truly accomplished musician. The instrumentation on the album has a raw funk to it but carries a certain complexity that makes it stand out. Bilal has a charisma in his voice that few vocalists do and when you hear it you know you’re listening to a star.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Blanco – Molly Amber

An interesting and catchy EP that will have you singing along in no time.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Bones & Drip-133 – HateToBreakItToYou

Bones has been putting in even more work and reaching almost Gucci Mane levels of prolific this year. The amazing thing is that it’s nearly all of a very high quality. This short release is rather mellow compared to a lot of his previous work with Bones doing a fair bit of singing over some soothing beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Bosco – Boy

Enchantingly beautiful R’n’B vocals over smooth trap beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Cashy – Holographic Art

Fun trap EP with some interesting synth heavy beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price download here

Chris Travis – See You There

Chris Travis is further refining his signature melancholy trap sound. If this guy continues improving at this rate he is going to be very popular in a few years.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Chevy Woods – The 48 Hunnid Project

Nice little EP of stomping trap tunes.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Cousin Stizz – Suffolk County

Sturdy trap tape with some fantastic wonky sounding beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Curren$y – Cathedral

Curren$y consistent as always delivers yet another marvelous release brimming with his usual laidback vibes.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Czarface – Every Hero Needs A Villain

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first album from this underground rap super group but this second outing is a very enjoyable listen. Gritty beats packed with guitar samples and hard raps is a match made in heaven.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Dam-Funk – STFU

Modern P-funk icon releases a futuristic instrumental EP to keep us happy while we wait for his album.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Daye Jack – Soul Glitch

As the album title suggests this album is packed with soulful yet glitchy beats composed of soothing samples and bubbling synths. Daye Jack’s style fits flawlessly with the instrumentals as he switches between rhythmic spitting and smooth singing, reminiscent of Chance The Rapper.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Declaime – Southside Story

Declaime is one of those rappers whose character shines through when he raps and you almost feel a personal connection to him, as if he’s speaking to you directly. On Southside Story we see Declaime at his finest, kicking his spiritual raps over some plodding jazzy beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Deniro Farrar & Young God Of BSBD – Cliff Of Death II

Deniro Ferrar has a certain sadness in his voice which fits perfectly with Young God’s dark trappy beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Denzel Curry – 32 Zel / Planet Shrooms

I really enjoyed Denzel Curry’s last album Nostalgic 64, but it felt like he was still finding his feet musically and a few of the tracks just didn’t quite hit the spot. Denzel has definitely come in to his own on this release and created a fresh, exciting sound. This release was labeled a “double EP” which at first seemed strange to me but after listening I completely understood as the two halves of the release have distinct sounds. ’32 Zel’ features almost 8 bit sounding synths, rapid 808s and some seriously aggressive raps. As you can imagine, ‘Planet Shrooms’ is more psychedelic and laid back, floating along over sweeping synths Denzel rocks a smoother flow. Overall this is one of my favourite releases so far this year, everything sounds so well thought out, from the beats to the distortion on the vocals, it’s simply magnificent.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Dizzy Wright – The Growing Process

Smooth, radio friendly vibes, I expect Dizzy Wright to be big in not time at all.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf

There was a lot of confusion surrounding this album as some people thought it was Chance’s solo album but turns out it’s actually by one of his friends and only features Chance. This was a let down for a lot of people and although I’m not in love with the release it definitely has its moments. Bursting with jazz vibes and good times, this album is a fun listen although a little directionless at times.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Dom Kennedy – By Dom Kennedy

Dom Kennedy continues to keep West Coast gangsta alive, his raps are slow and fluid while he flows on chunky G-funk-esque beats. Sometimes keeping things simple works so well and this is a great example of that.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Don S. – Live Or Exist

Fresh and soulful boom bap.

Buy here

The Doppelgangaz – Parts Unknown

New York duo back with a sweet little EP that really bumps.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Dr Dre – Compton

You’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard about this album and you’ve probably already made up your mind about it. Half the people I’ve spoken to are disappointed and the other half think it’s a superb return for Dre. I’m personally a bit disappointed, it’s a good album but it pales in comparison to Dre’s previous releases.

Buy here

Dub Pistols – Return Of The Pistoleros

Legends on the British electronic music scene for years, Dub Pistols return triumphantly with a sublime mix of dub, reggae and jungle. Pure good vibes.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Durrty Goodz – Vintage 3000 Vol.2

UK MC showing his versatility over a varied selection of beats, some familiar and some fresh (or at least I have never heard them before). From straight up hip-hop to garage to grime, Durrty Goods kills it.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price download here

Edwin Briscoe – Edwin vs Briscoe

Jazz musician releases his debut album, bringing in other musicians and vocalists to put together some beautiful soul, funk and jazz.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Eska – ESKA

It’s hard to describe Eska because her music is so unique. It sounds like a mixture of Roy Harper, Cat Stevens and Joanna Newsom but with a hell of a lot more soul thrown in. Absolutely stunning stuff.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Father – Who’s Gonna Get Fucked First

Explicit lyrics, slurred raps and minimal electronic beats. The future is here, the future is Father.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

FreshtillDef – Delirium EP

Frantic and crisp footwork.

Name your price download here

Future – DS2

Future has been on an incredible roll recently, consistently putting out high quality music. It’s more of the same here for Future but that’s far from a bad thing. The production here is sublime, most of the beats are made by Metro Boomin and Southside and their combination of complex riffs that dance over deep basslines is a treat to listen to. Future’s signature leaned out style continues to be enjoyable as he rambles on about women, money and drugs but often in a self aware and introspective manner.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Gangrene – You Disgust Me

The MC / producer dream team of Oh No and The Alchemist return with another filthy masterpiece. Both are more than capable on the mic but it’s the beats that really shine on here, they’re gritty and intricate with skillful sample use.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Ghostface & Adrian Younge – Twelve Reasons To Die II

Ghostface continues his run of decent albums as he collaborates with Adrian Younge for a second time. Ghostface certainly isn’t as hungry as he used to be but he can still put together a consistent album.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Greavous – Greavous EP

A fresh selection of beats from a new and interesting beat maker. Drawing samples from a number of different genres and lacing them with intricate rhythms.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Gucci Mane – Trapology

I have no idea how Gucci is still releasing so many mixtapes while he’s incarcerated but I’m glad he is. This is one of his more consistent tapes, featuring guest appearances from Riff Raff, Jadakiss and Father.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Gunplay – Living Legend

Gunplay goes hard on this album. Plenty of trap bangers and a few smoother tracks to let you catch your breath.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Handbook – Thank You

Glorious jazz and soul beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price download here

Hemlock Ernst & Madlib – Trouble Knows Me

When I heard Madlib was secretly working with an MC on a new release all sorts of ideas ran through my head for who I wanted it to be. It turned out to be a guy from an indie synth pop band called Future Islands, which was certainly unexpected and although I was disappointed in a way it’s cool to hear someone new. Madlib does his thing as always and Hemlock Ernst is more than capable of doing those beats justice.

Buy here

Hezekiah – Dreams Don’t Chase Themselves

Uplifting, soulful hip-hop.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

The Internet – Ego Death

Chilled out and funky in all the right ways. This is the kind of album you want to relax to on a summer night.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Jamie XX – In Colour

Jamie XX releases his second album and proves how versatile he is as a producer. The album is a beautiful mix of dance genres, taking you on a journey through a variety of musical landscapes, all put together impeccably.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Jazz Cartier – Marauding In Paradise

Canadian MC Jazz Cartier delivers an entertaining mixtape that jumps between high energy trap and some deeper, more melodic tracks. Jazz Cartier has a fantastic style, going from a buttery smooth flow to maniacally yelling.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Jean Grae – iSweatergawd

One of the best MCs in the world, Jean Grae always brings something interesting to the table. This album sees Jean dropping her precise and complex rhymes over some off-kilter beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Jeremiah Jae – The Decline Of Black Anakin

Beautifully monotonous soul beats under Jeremiah’s hazy flow, perfect as always.

Buy and listen here

JME – 48 Hour Mixtape

Grime legend puts together a mixtape in 48 hours. Rough around the edges but well worth a listen.

Listen on Youtube here

Stream the mixtape in full here

John Milk – Treat Me Right

The funkiest of funk music with a great vocalist hitting those high notes. There’s something mesmerising about this album.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

King Los – God Money War

Solid hip-hop album with a nice selection of beats and some thoughtful lyrics. Good easy listening.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Large Pro – Re:Living

East Coast legend doing what he does best. There’s no pushing of boundaries here but there’s no need to, a solid boom bap album.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Lil B x Chance The Rapper – Free (BASED FREESTYLE MIXTAPE)

They said it was coming and nobody believed them but here it is. It’s funny that after all this waiting for some new chance and a lot of people disappointed with his work on Surf we get a mixtape from him and Lil B of all people. Anyway, it’s a great listen with some nice, lo-fi, soulful beats that are perfect for the meandering freestyles that Lil B and Chance drop on this tape.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Lil Wayne – Free Weezy Album

One of the best releases from Lil Wayne in the last few years. Nothing new style wise but a decent album nonetheless.

The album is available exclusively as a stream on Tidal.

Limewax – Always & Never

Limewax gives us a huge collection of tracks showcasing his abilities as a producer. Track after track of absolute filth gets a bit much but there is a nice variation in style here from more traditional jungle to dark tech step. Put this on loud and scare your neighbours.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Locksmith – Lofty Goals

Mellow hip-hop album with some intriguing beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

L’Orange & Kool Keith – Time? Astonishing!

L’Orange has been on an absolute roll for the last few years, putting out an abundance of superb beats and working with some amazing rappers. Here we see him step a little outside of his usual style as he works with eccentric rap legend legend Kool Keith. I haven’t heard Kool Keith sound this good in quite a few years, his unique flow works perfectly over these dusty sample based beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Lucki Eck$ – X

One of the most interesting young MCs active right now, Lucki Eck$ makes intensely dark and personal music. His delivery sounds extremely lazy and stoned out, oozing with despair, which when put on these menacingly basic beats creates an unsettling atmosphere.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Lynx – I Am Lynx

Marvelous tech DnB. Grinding basslines and clicky drums, immensely satisfying music.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

M. Stacks – Broad Based Audience

Wonderfully soulful beat tape.

Free download here

Mac Mall – Legal Business?

Bay Area veteran pays homage to his debut album ‘Illegal Business?’. 808s and chunky synths, classic Bay Area vibes.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Main Attrakionz – 808s And Dark Grapes III

The popularity of cloud rap was short lived it seems but this album might be the one to bring the movement back. Such a lusciously space age album; vocally twisting between rapid fire raps and slurred mumbling. Friend Zone hold down the production for the album, concocting unbelievably euphoric beats that take you to another world.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Meek Mill – Dreams Worth More Than Money

He may have been defeated by Drake in this recent beef but Meek Mill’s latest album has a lot of great moments. Meek is better when he’s going hard and he definitely brings it on some of these tracks.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Miguel – Wildheart

Dreamy RnB which at times really pushes the genre in some different directions. Miguel shows how inventive he can be.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Mishka NYC – W3NDCH3LL – Slap, Space and Soul

Urban clothing label Mishka NYC has been putting out some stellar instrumental compilations lately and this new series is one of the best yet. Showcasing talented producers from Chicago, these three mixtapes give us a magnificent ensemble of instrumental hip-hop. Mostly chilled out vibes here with lots of seductive horn riffs and syrupy synths.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price downloads here, here and here

Mr Cheeks – Raised

Lost Boys member returns after a ten year hiatus and gives a solid hip-hop album with some fun tracks.

Buy here

Mr Key & Greenwood Sharps – Yesterday’s Futures

This album brings some much needed originality to the UK hip-hop scene. Everyone loves a good boom bap beat but the UK scene has been flooded with the same old standard flows over slightly jazzy head knod beats. That’s what makes this album so refreshing, the instrumentals here are stunning; complex percussion layered with textured synths, reminiscent of the tunes coming out of the ‘future garage’ scene a few years ago. Mr Key gives us the kind of depressingly honest lyrics that only British MCs can and really makes this one of my favourite hip-hop albums of recent years.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Mr Lif, The Polish Ambassador and Ayla Nereo – Terra Bella

Underground rap legend Mr Lif gets together with producer The Polish Ambassador and vocalist Ayla Nereo to put together a joyfully melodic and uplifting album.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price download here

Myka 9 & Factor – Famous Future Time Travel

Myka 9 is one of the most underrated rappers on the West Coast, his gentle and fluid voice is instantly recognisable and he has one of the fastest flows in the game. Here we see Myka 9 teaming up again with producer Factor to give us an album full of buttery smooth and funky hip-hop.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Nacho Picasso – Blunt Raps 2

One of my favourite releases to date from Nacho. A bit more up beat than a lot of his work, Blunt Raps 2 sees Nacho at his best, spitting in that charismatic drawl he’s known for over some bass heavy and often euphoric beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Nicolay – City Lights Volume 3 : Soweto

Dutch producer of Foreign Exchange fame hits us with a silky smooth and synth filled album with tasty South African vibes.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

OG Maco – Tax Free EP

OG Maco back yet again, this time teaming with producer Pablo Dylan (Bob Dylan’s son) who provides some hard trap beats.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Om Unit – Torchlight vol. 1

Om Unit has a real knack for making dangerously heavy tunes that don’t really fit in to a specific genre. Somewhere between dubstep and footwork this EP packs a punch with some crazy tribal vibes.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

Omen – Elephant Eyes

Magnificently mellow hip-hop featuring guest appearances from Bas and J. Cole. Omen has a liquid flow and some interesting lyrics.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

P Money – Money over Everyone 2

While everyone is going crazy over Skepta, Wiley and JME, P Money put out this savage mixtape. Saying this is hard is an understatement. Almost back to back bangers, this is what grime is all about.

Listen on Youtube here

Buy here

The Palmer Squares – In Context

A nice complex mix of beats and some sick flows.

Listen on Youtube here

Name your price download here

Papoose – You Can’t Stop Destiny

Back in the mid 2000s Papoose was set to be the next big thing, I’m not sure what went on but that never happened and he almost faded in to obscurity. He’s not quite as hungry as he sounded back then but this is a solid New York hip hop album with some quality beats and Papoose still goes in at times.

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Pete Rock – Petestrumentals 2

A solid selection of boom bap instrumentals from the master.

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Plies – Ain’t No Mixtape Bih

Decent trap mixtape with some heavy tunes.

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Download for free here

Quelle Chris – Innocent Country

This album is perfect underground hip-hop, mainly dark beats with a twisted boom bap style. Quelle Chris always brings it on the mic, his flow is intricate and precise but he goes wild when he needs to.

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Raider Klan – Raider Klan The Mixtape 2.75

The Raider Klan crew come together and make some dark trap tunes.

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Ras G – Raw Fruit Vol.4

Otherworldly beats that bump just right, crafted from some crazy samples.

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Retchy P – Finesse The World

An intensely bleak album that sees Retchy P spit with anger on ominous beats driven by crisp drums.

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Download for free here

Rich Boy – Featuring

A solid hip-hop album with commercial appeal and star studded list of features.

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Saga & The Alchemist – Saga Ghanoush

Saga drops some sturdy raps over The Alchemist’s fantastic ‘Israeli Salad’ instrumentals.

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Download for free here

Shahmen – All In The Circle

Shahmen’s guttural verses blend perfectly with these lusciously melancholy instrumentals. A very complete sounding album of no nonsense hip-hop.

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Skyzoo – Music For My Friends

In my opinion Skyzoo is one of the most technically proficient MCs active right now. His flows are buttery smooth but he can go hard when he needs to. His lyrics are varied and eloquent but still heavily emotive. New York needs more of this back to basics hip-hop. It’s not pushing boundaries, but not everything has to, sometimes it’s great to listen to someone who just does straight up hip-hop, and does it flawlessly.

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ST 2 Lettaz – Good Day In The Ghetto

Menacing trap album that oozes sub bass.

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Free download here

Statik Selektah – Lucky 7

Keeping the golden age alive, Statik Selektah crafts magnificently soulful boom bap beats that hark back to the 90s but still sound incredibly fresh. Statik always brings in the best guest MCs and this album is no different, featuring Rapsody, Sean Price (RIP one of the greatest ever), Ab Soul and Skyzoo.

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Stevie Stone – Malta Bend

Heavy and gritty hip-hop that would bang in the club.

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StewRat – Break

StewRat takes stunningly soulful samples and flips them in a really fresh way. The live sounding drums really drive these tracks.

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StewRat – SunRise

On this release we see the up and coming producer take to the synths to create some cinematic soundscapes loaded with 808s and eery sounds.

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$uicideboy$ – YUNGDEATHLILLIFE

Lo-fi dark hip-hop vibes with some amazing 808 led beats.

Listen on Youtube here

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Sway – Deliverance

Sway is one of those guys who should have blown up a long time ago but never quite broke through. Hopefully this will get him a little closer. Radio friendly UK hip-hop that keeps its integrity and intelligence.

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Ta-Ku – Songs To Make Up To

Following on from the sublime ‘Songs To Break Up To’ this EP is velvety smooth from start to finish.

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Tim Gent – Clarksville Nights

A soothing mixtape that sees Tim Gent rap and sing with finesse over beautiful beats.

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Download for free here

Tim Rogers & The Bamboos – The Rules Of Attraction

Catchy funk tunes bringing the party vibes.

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TM88 – Sacii Lyfe

Producer TM88 of 808 Mafia drops one of my favourite trap mixtapes of the year. TM88’s drum sounds are dark and industrial sounding, which combined with his grinding sub bass creates some really savage tunes.

Listen on Youtube here

Download for free here

Tory Lanez & WeDidIt – Cruel Intentions

Rapper / singer Tory Lane collaborates with super producer collective WeDidIt on this smooth and intricate sounding EP.

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Tree & Vic Spencer – VicTree

Tree holds down the production on this superb release. The @MCTREEG EP is one of my favourite releases of recent years and although I enjoyed Trap Genius I was really craving more of that soul trap sound. Fortunately we get that on this EP with the erratic and raw Vic Spencer on the mic. This release is stunning and gritty at the same time, you can here that Chicago footwork sound in the way the beats are put together and it really works.

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A Tribe Called Red – Suplex

Funky electro vibes to get the party jumping.

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TUT – Preacher’s Son

Jazzy and mellow mixtape from a promising young MC.

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Download for free here

Two Fingers – Six Rhythms

Heavy hitting dance music dwelling somewhere in the middle of trap, dubstep and electro.

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DJ Vadim And Sena – Grow Slow

Good vibes on this electronic, reggae, soul style album.

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Van Hunt – The Fun Rises, The Fun Sets.

Every now and then I hear an album that just blows my mind with it’s ingenuity, that takes me out of my usual listening experience and brings me somewhere completely new. This is one of those times. Although I can hear a large array of influences on the album (from straight up funk to Bowie-esque glam rock) the finished product is highly unusual and unlike anything I’ve heard before. Do yourself a favour and get this album in to your life.

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Vince Staples – Summertime ’06

I’m not as impressed with this album as many people seem to be but it definitely has its moments. The album would benefit from being shorter as being two discs long there is some filler in there. Still, the high points on here featuring some magnificent production from Clams Casino make it worth the listen.

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Warren G – Regulate… G Funk Era Part II

It was weird to see releases from Dre and Warren G in 2015 but it definitely makes me happy. Whereas I was expecting a lot from Dre and was disappointed I wasn’t sure what to expect from Warren G but was pleasantly surprised. The G Funk is certainly alive on this release and it really hits the spot.

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Yap – Airtight

Listening to this EP it’s strange to think that Yap was once the lead singer of nu metal band One Minute Silence. There is a lot of acoustic folk music out there but there is a certain clarity to Yap’s voice that makes this release stand out. Breathtakingly soothing music.

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Mook Life Music 1

Music

After some deliberation I decided to scrap the TV, comics and wrestling categories on here and push them all in to section simply named “Everything Else”. I felt that people were more interested in my music writing and it’s what I’m the most passionate about. I will still be writing about other stuff, just not enough to warrant it having separate sections.

With that decision made I wanted to up the music content on here and what better way to do that than a bi-weekly top ten? Now this isn’t you’re regular top ten, it’s just 10 tracks that have been on my mind throughout the last couple of weeks and want to share with the world. These top 10s will include music old and new, from all genres (but you know me, it’s always going to be mostly hip-hop) and will be put in to YouTube playlists for ease of listening.

So without further ado, here’s the first edition of Mook Life Music. Enjoy.

YouTube playlist here.

Ghostface feat. Trife Da God – Biscuits

After checking out Ghostface’s latest album ’12 Reasons To Die II’ and feeling a little bit disappointed I was compelled to go back and listen to some of his earlier releases. Now where most people would go straight to Supreme Clientele, or maybe even Fish Scale, I have a real soft spot for ‘The Pretty Toney Album’. It might be because it brings back good memories (I bought it as a teenager, the week it came out and played it every morning for weeks when I did my paper round) but I love this album, to me it’s a classic; soulful but gritty beats and an intense, emotional Ghostface. This track exemplifies that greatness and features a very hungry Trife Da God with a savage verse. I’ve no idea what happened to Ghostface’s short lived crew ‘Theodore Unit’ but it’s a shame that we never got to hear Trife reach his full potential.

Listen here

Taken from ‘The Pretty Toney Album’ available here

Van Hunt – Rub My Feet (Suddenly)

I stumbled across this wonderful album a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been playing this track on repeat since. I don’t know anything about Van Hunt but his latest album ‘The Fun Rises, The Fun Sets.’ is an incredible piece of neo soul with a variety of vibes. ‘Rub My Feet (Suddenly)’ is a beautiful and haunting track with a pitched up vocal sample, deep bass and plucked strings as a backing to Hunt’s soothing voice. Lyrically I’m not sure what the meaning is but it sounds poetic and adds to the slightly unsettling vibe.

Listen here

Taken from the album ‘The Fun Rises, The Fun Set.’ available here

Gray Matter – I Am The Walrus

Seeing Glastonbury all over the TV and my Facebook feed I found myself in an increasingly rare mood where I actually want to listen to some kind of rock music. My first stop on the trip down memory lane was the post-hardcore band Gray Matter and their rawkus double LP ‘Food For Thought / Take It Back’. There are so many amazing tracks on the album but ‘I Am The Walrus’ really sticks out to me because it’s such a sublime cover. They took The Beatles original and made something completely new, full of raw energy but with the same infectious riffs of the original. Skateboarders reading this will probably recognise the song from seminal skate video ‘Sorry’.

Taken from the album ‘Food For Thought / Take It Back’ available here

Listen Here

ILoveMakonnen feat. Rome Fortune & Rich The Kid – No Ma’am

I’ve been very interested in ILoveMakonnen for a while now; he makes strange music and it took me a while to figure out if I actually liked it or not. After hearing this track I’ve come to the conclusion that I definitely do like it, very much so. From 808 filled party vibes to bizarre low fi crooners, Makonnen is one of the people really pushing boundaries in hip-hop right now. This track is absolute fire and has had me dancing in the sun (when it actually shows its face) for the last few weeks. The beats on a lot of Makonnen’s tracks have this child like feel to them that really suits his voice and never fails to put a smile on my face.

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Taken from ‘Drink More Water 5’ available for free here

Black Mountain – Set Us Free

While watching the latest season of True Detective (which I’m really enjoying, all the haters just need more patience) I got a massive blast of nostalgia when this song started playing in the background. At first I had no idea what the song was, but after a good half hour of concentration (because looking online is cheating) I remembered this wonderful band. Perfectly fitting for True Detective, these guys make epicly melancholy music, the kind Led Zeppelin would have played if they got really sad.

Listen here

Taken from their self titled album available here

Sunchase – Ultimate Survival

For me this is the archetypal tech drum ‘n’ bass track. Punchy drums, heavy sub bass and just the right amount of melody in the form of an enchanting high pitched synth. I first heard this tune on Loxy’s CX1 podcast (which is still one of my favourite DnB mixes ever, go find it if you can) and it just blew my mind, it became one of those songs that me and my housemate would skip through the mix just to hear. Make sure you have some decent speakers/headphones when you play this, you need it to appreciate the utter brilliance of this track.

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P Money feat. Desperado – Banditt Riddem

The grime movement is back in full swing and is showing no signs of letting up any time soon. While many people have been raving about JME’s latest release and getting hyped for Skepta’s forthcoming album, P Money’s ‘Money Over Everyone 2’ has passed most by, which is a shame because this tape goes too hard. This new mixtape is almost wall to wall bangers and Banditt Riddem is one of the best. The beat is ridiculously hype with some classic grime sounds in there while both P Money and Desperado both drop killer verses.

Listen Here

Taken from ‘Money Over Everyone 2’ available here

213 – So Fly

It’s late July and here in the UK we still haven’t had much of a summer, but that wont stop me listening to summer classics as soon as the sun does come out. ‘So Fly’ is the last track on the ridiculously underrated ‘The Hard Way’ album from 213 and has one of the most luxuriously smooth and sun filled beats ever made. The light violin riffs and triumphant brass bursts make you feel like you’re basking in the heat, even when the clouds are over head. Snoop, Warren G and Nate Dogg do the beat justice with their trademark gangsta vibes. A perfect track.

Listen here

Taken from ‘The Hard Way’ available here

Denzel Curry – 6 Billion Dollar Nigga

Soon after dropping the fantastically psychedelic and abrasive double EP ’32 Zel / Planet Shrooms’ Denzel delivers some insane visuals to a brutal short track that deserves to be on a proper release. Denzel is creating a few different but equally unique sounds and this is one of my favourites. Spacey yet aggressive beats with loud, distorted vocals, this track is filled with so much raw energy and anger it’s taking hip-hop in a fresh direction.

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Skyzoo feat. Westside Gunn – Luxury

Skyzoo has been making consistently dope music for years now and is slowly but steadily cementing himself as one of the New York greats. There is a certain clarity to Skyzoo’s raps that really shines through, his flow is precise but not over complicated and his lyrics are well thought out, usually following a theme throughout his albums. His latest album is so New York and it is so good, this is East Coast rap at its best. ‘Luxury’ features some accomplished rapping from Skyzoo over a boom bap style beat that shares a sample with Quest’s classic ‘8 Million Stories’.

Listen here

Taken from ‘Music For My Friends’ available here