Things You May Have Missed 2014 Part 3

Music

Click here for part 1, part 2, part 4, part 5 and part 6.

Curren$y – Drive-In Theatre

Curren$y is one of my favourite rappers, which is strange because Pilot Talk 2 is his only album that I would label a classic. The thing that makes him one of my favourites is because he is so unbelievably consistent. There is nothing all that new or original about his music, it’s just straight up hip-hop, but it’s done very well and the amount of music he makes is unbelievable. Drive-In Theatre is just another example of how damn good Curren$y is.

Free download here

Damu The Fudgemunk – Public Assembly

Buttery smooth beats.

DaVinci x Sweet Valley – Ghetto Cuisine

Sweet Valley have been impressing me for a while, having dropped some mad instrumental projects, so when I heard they’d teamed with a rapper to make a tape I was extremely excited. Lyrically DaVinci isn’t anything special but he as a perfect delivery for Sweet Valley’s space age trap beats making this one of my favourite projects of the year.

Deniro Farrar – Rebirth

Not as good as Deniro’s sublime The Patriarch I and II but this EP is still a nice hard hitting collection of tracks that left me wanting more.

Dibiase – Schematiks

Meandering jazzy instrumentals.

The Doppelgangaz – Peace Kehd

2014 has been another excellent year for Mello Music Group and this Dopplegangaz release has added to that. Much like many of the MMG releases Peace Kehd has that golden age vibe but with enough of a modern twist to make it interesting.

G-Side – GzIIGodz

Full of 808s and heavy bass lines but not to be mistaken for your average trap release. Every track fits together perfectly, flowing throughout the album and making you feel like there is a story being told, even if you don’t know what it is.

Gangstagrass – Broken Hearts and Stolen Money

A mixture of hip-hop and blue grass. Sounds ridiculous but it works, just trust me.

Gillie Da Kid – King Of Philly 3

Decent hard hitting mixtape.

Free download here

Grems – Buffy

I’ve never been a fan of most French rap. Apart from the odd track I always found the rapping lacked flow and the beats were very mediocre. This EP from Grems couldn’t be further from that. The beats on here are just incredible; strange, twisting instrumentals with a future beats vibe. Grems’ raps are also really on point, obviously I have no idea what he is talking about, but my gosh does it sound beautiful.

Proceed to part 4.

Things You May Have Missed 2014 Part 2

Music

Click here for part 1, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6.

Blanco and The Jacka and Messy Marv – One Hunnid EP

Smooth West Coast gangsta rap. I don’t understand the relevance of the presidential sound bites but the tracks really bump.

Blitz The Ambassador – Afropolitan Dreams

Funky stylings from African MC Blitz.

Blu – Good to be Home

A lot of people have been disappointed with Blu since Below The Heavens which has played a big part in him falling out of the limelight. Those who haven’t been feeling his recent releases wont like this much either as the sound is really rough and lo-fi, but that is obviously what Blu is going for here. I love the rawness of this album with the crackly soul samples and relentless raps, it’s not for everyone but there is a real beauty to this kind of hip-hop.

Blueprint – Respect The Architect

Intelligent and very lyrical, Blueprint’s latest album provides some tunes for the thinking man.

Buckshot and P-Money – Back Pack Travels

Pretty much what we’ve come to expect from Buckshot. Dope album that does what it says on the tin.

Bugseed and Pigeondust – 7^th Wonder

Bugseed has been making some beautiful jazzy beats for the last few years and he continues with this new release.

Cakes Da Killa – Hunger Pangs

Le1f seems to be getting all the attention on the gay rap scene this year but Cakes Da Killa deserves some of that light with his new project. More consistent than his first release and catchy as hell.

Free download here

The Celestics – Supreme Laziness

Montreal hip-hop duo bring the funk.

Name your price download here

Chavis Chandler – Dark Skin Jermaine and The Legend Of The Leather Britches

Former member of Bruiser Brigade Chavis Chandler really brought his A game on this mixtape with an impressive flow and some smooth vocals. The mixture of golden age and trap style vibes throughout the tape are balanced greatly. It’s a shame he’s no longer a part of Bruiser Brigade because he complimented the rest of the crew so well.

Free download here

Cities Aviv – Come to Life

I’ve been obsessed with Cities Aviv since Black Pleasure and he’s been honing his style ever since. The tracks on this album sound fuller than ever, the abrasiveness is still there but it’s so much richer sounding now. Some of the most interesting and forward thinking hip-hop of the last few years.

Proceed to part 3.

Things You May Have Missed 2014 – Part 1

Music

With 2014 now behind us, it’s time to reflect on the year. Everyone has been putting together their top 10s and arguing over who has been the best but I’m not going to do that. You all know about the releases from Freddie Gibbs, Run The Jewels, Travi$ Scott, Young Thug etc. but what about all the people that got overlooked this year? That’s what this article is all about, shining a light on all the amazing music that hasn’t been fully appreciated.

I’ve included a Youtube link for each release (where possible) and I’ve put them all in to a playlist that you can access here.

I originally split this article in 2 but the site was loading way too slow so I’ve had to split it up in to 15 parts. Click here for part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6. The other 9 parts will be coming soon.

100s – Ivry

Holy mother of funk this is the god damn funkiest album I’ve heard in a very long time. Bringing P funk in to the future, 100s somehow manages to make music that is intensely nostalgic but forward thinking at the same time.

Free download here

9th Wonder – 9th Wonder Presents Jamla Is the Squad

A real treat for all you fans of soulful hip-hop with beats from 9^th Wonder and Khrysis and raps from underground mainstays like Rapsody, Phonte and Masta Killa.

Akrobatik – Built to Last

After some serious health issues Ak is back and as fierce as ever with one of his most consistent projects yet.

Antwon – Heavy Hearted In Doldrums

Antwon blew my mind with his 2013 album In Dark Denim and this new project doesn’t disappoint. An eclectic mix of sounds and exciting production make this a really interesting listen.

Free download here

Apollo Brown – Thirty Eight

Apollo Brown further cements himself as one of the best beat makers in the game with this selection of intensely chunky, soul infused beats.

Apollo Brown and Planet Asia – Abrasions Stitched Up

These two have worked well in the past and continue that trend on this tasty little EP.

Ashli Orion – King of Nothing

Complex electronic beats on this great free mixtape.

Free download here

Ayatollah – Be Real Black For Me

Old school legend with a nice bunch of instrumentals and stellar guest vocals from the likes of Inspectah Deck and Anthony Hamilton.

Blackbear – The Afterglow

Syrupy sweet RnB with a dark after taste.

Black Milk – Glitches in the Break

After such a long wait between AOTY and No Poison No Paradise it seemed likely we wouldn’t get anything new from Black Milk for a while but then he surprised us with this fantastic EP. As much as I loved his last LP this new offering is even better, the beats are sublime and the raps compliment it perfectly. With another full length release dropping later in the year Black Milk seems to be back in the swing of things, and that makes me a very happy man.

Proceed to part 2.