One reason that I respect and love Curren$y's music so much is because the man is the closest thing to a lab rat in hip-hop today. Shante' (I wonder how many jokes he's gotten about his name?) is set to release 4 albums in the past 2 years. That's more albums than most rappers can even dream of. Muscle Car Chronicles probably isn't going to be a concept album, though it seems like there will be a lot of car talk, as per the usual with a Spitta release. 'Soundbombin' sounds like a bomb of sound. Funk-a-mafied guitars, angry drums and an exceptional bass undertone lace the intro from Muscle Car Chronicles. Check the rhyme, people...
At this point in hip-hop, I'm happy to listen to any record whose title includes a different noun than 'swag'. That it's 'dope' on this new Kidz in the Hall cut doesn't do much more for me, yet such a nice track can do wonders for such a drab title. The Kidz are known more for Double-O's production than Naledge's mic skills, though it's the rapper that supersedes the producer here. Having heavyweights like Spitta and Mickey Halstead on the song doesn't hurt either, though after Curren$y raps, it's a bit of a letdown. Regardless, it's nice to hear from Kidz in the Hall. Been waiting on something new to jam to since 'Fresh Academy' and 'Out to Lunch'. Enjoy the loosie, people...
One of the reasons Curren$y is one of the best out is that he never rests on his laurels. Where a lot of rappers are content to put out music and content (see what I did there?) once a year, Spitta has dropped three works this year, all of which have been good. What's crazier is that he has another on the way. Maybe those Young Money days rubbed off on him and made him a lab-rat like Wayne. We'll never know, but it's nice to see an artist with dedication like that, nor does it hurt to have one of the best flows out. Curren$y keeps holding up to the name Hot Spitta when he raps over different types of beats, and still comes up just as cool. This particular visual is for his cut over Rawse x Kanye's 'Live Fast and Die Young'. Spitta, in a very hairy state, waxes philosophical about his affinity for Chevys. Enjoy...
Well, if it isn't the dynamic duo of dubs, Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa. While Spitta is busy prepping his sequel to the wildy-successful Pilot Talk, Wiz is fresh off an arrest for possession of his favorite plant. That said, it seemed like the two were due for some more hi-jinks in the studio, considering it's been over a year since their collaborative mixtape 'How Fly'. This sample (50 e-points to whoever can name it) sounds like a sunny day and the hazy rhymes from Wiz and Curren$y do what they're meant to: entrance the listener with their tales of highed-up vindication and success. Hopefully, the two get back in the studio for more work in the near future. JETS!!!
Hey people. It's a bit late today, but you know I couldn't leave you on Friday with no freestyles to go into the weekend with. Even so, I'll keep it short and sweet. Today we've got Curren$y the Hot Spitta throwing down some bars and shooting the sh*t with with Selector Online Magazine. The only reason I recognized this was because Spitta was wearing the same fit he had on in his video for Audio Dope II. Yes, that's a bit weird and somewhat meticulous, but I suppose fans of Curren$y have an eye for things of that nature. The second one is by a New York artist by the name of Yonas. To tell you the truth, I've been sleeping on Yonas for the longest. The homie Deadstock Ric has been trying to put people on to Yonas for weeks, but I finally gave this freestyle of his a listen and immediately became a fan. He's got a few funny metaphors and it seems like his presence is larger than life. Can't wait to see what else he's got up his sleeve. Check out both freestyles...
Curren$y needs to be one of your favorite rappers. I don't care what you think of weed raps or sneaker-laced diatribes. Hot Spitta has one of the best track records in hip-hop over the past 3 years, with several mixapes on the circuit and now 3 albums under his belt. You would swear that the New Orleans-born MC was pushing some illegal pharmaceuticals with the way he has his listeners addicted to his slippery flow and easy-going lyrics. That's the concept behind the video for his Pilot Talk track 'Audio Dope'. Spitta clearly is the guy pushing lyrical weight out here, and he's got the addicts and goons under him to prove it in the visual. No one can say the man isn't working hard. A cut off his new album yesterday and a music video from his old album today? JETS is all you need to say at this point...
There are some songs that knock so hard that it doesn't matter what the chorus is. At the same time, there are those songs that are good and are brought down by a head-scratcher of a chorus. Curren$y has officially penned the latter in his first track off the sequel to Pilot Talk. Michael Knight is vintage Spitta, with the hazy delivery and slick punchlines we've gotten used to. But the chorus, an off-beat chant of 'Michael Knight, Michael Knight', made me use the forward button just to get to the actual verse. Spitta, if you're reading this, you might need to get a ghostwriter for your hooks now that you've got a few industry notches under your belt. The track is fire otherwise. Pilot Talk 2 should be another hell of a flight...
The wait is over. That's right. The wait is over. All of you underground heads that have been waiting for the Ski Beatz-headed collaborative project '24 Hour Karate School' can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the album is now slated to drop on September 14th. Featuring Curren$y, Mos Def, Jay Electronica, Stalley, Jim Jones, Rugz D. Bewler, Tabi Bonney, Wiz Khalifa, The Cool Kids, Camp Lo, Jean Grae and Terri Walker, this figures to be one of the most hyped-releases of the year. What baffles me is how many of the tracks are already available on the interwebs. Does that take away from the value of the complete work? Not necessarily, though Ski may very well have to pull something crazy out of his dojo to keep all of the students happy. Again, 24 Hour Karate School drops on September 14th, just in time for you to bump it on that 'back to school' playlist. Check out the promo video DD172 and Creative Control released to go with the good news...
Last week, I left you guys high and dry with the Freestyle Friday post. This week, I've got three fresh ciphers for you to sink your teeth (ears) into. The first one is by Curren$y, as an exclusive for HardKnocks TV. I must say, Spitta is on another level right now. His flow and wordplay are entirely too tight, and I know he's surprising a lot of cats out there. Pilot Talk is in stores now, so he's probably still riding high off that. The second one is by AC, who's 'buzztape,' Send the Scouts Out, dropped yesterday (review on the way). It's on Crack Distributors Radio, so you've got to listen closely to drown out the background noise and hear all of the punchlines this guy has got. I think his style is a little corny, but he still has lines for days. The third one is by Laws, who raps over The Pharcyde's "Passing Me By" about his last day of working a 9-5 office job. I couldn't help but sympathize with the brother, though he actually quit his. The story is almost too real to be true. #shoutout to office blues that make everything else seem that much hotter. Whatever your employment status, check all the freestyles and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...
It's a great day in music when, as an artist, you see your wildest dreams come to fruition and your music take on a life of its own. Curren$y, your album 'Pilot Talk' is the fruits of your labor growing into a mysterious garden of fresh rhymes, incredible production, and a strange stench of well-tended herbs. Spitta, you've come a long way. From proclaiming 'Where the Cash At' behind the ego of Lil' Wayne, to destroying a mixtape circuit where few are well-equipped and fewer make it out alive, to becoming the underground's green thumb, you've circled the block so many times, you might as well live there. Pilot Talk, though only your third album (with more on the way), is a culmination of sorts. Rather than digital releases and blog leaks, this work has a much more professional and personal touch to it, right down to the cover (see above). Damon Dash's reincarnation of Roc-A-Fella Records has breathed life into your already vibrant career, and I for one couldn't be more excited.
Around this time last year, I was fresh off listening to your juggernaut of a mixtape with Wiz Khalifa, 'How Fly'. Now, that was damn near a classic (by today's standards; don't get it twisted), but one thing stuck out to me: how juvenile, or better yet, unrefined it sounded. If a person wasn't a fan of you or Wiz, they heard this:
Weed, cars, sneakers, weed, girls, weed, flight metaphors, weed, random video game/sports/movie/music reference, weed, cars, weed, sneakers, girls, weed
That's a lot of marijuana references for someone who, I hope, doesn't wish to be classified as a stoner rapper. You and Wiz reek of excellence, but I doubt you want to be the next Cheech and Chong. You needed to step your game up, in a real way. You needed to show the world that the Hot Spitta is a pro at this, not just a good amateur with connections. In other words you needed to rise above the smoke. Pilot Talk is the work that, when we go back and look at your career, will be recognized as your turning point, or the takeoff point. The album is ridiculously well produced. Every beat sounds masterful, especially Breakfast (probably my favorite song of the past 3 months), whose horns and new guitar melody (it's a much deeper beat than the one I posted a while back) will put the most restless soul at ease. Your lyrics sounded effortless there, with more subliminal wordplay than most would know what to do with. Tracks like Prioritize, Roasted, The Hangover and Address show you haven't lost the edge that got you to this point. When you said you spit vicious, you weren't lying.
There's a supreme cockiness that I can hear in your voice, yet you rap about having your head on straight, investing your money wisely and being a workaholic. I guess Dame Dash has rubbed off on you, and his DD172 collective have done you well. There's tenable growth that people who haven't been listening might not see. Curren$y, there weren't any moments during the album that made me want to press skip. It was simply a good listen. The features were a highlight too. Mikey Rocks ripped his verse, Big KRIT and Smoke DZA surprised me again on Skybourne, and Devin the Dude played the perfect sidekick to your only truly weed-inspired song, Chilled Coughee. Spitta, I'm genuinely impressed and happy with this release. Blog rappers don't usually make albums that translate well outside of those blogs. Good to see something going right. Keep flying, Spitta.
#dopetracks:
Address
Prioritize
Breakfast
Example
Audio Dope
Besides a few paltry mixtape reviews, my music intake has decreased dramatically... And I finally realized why! 90% of rappers are BORING. No, that's not to take away from the music, lyrics and hard work of the artists I listen to. Yet, I'm not sure if I'd have fun conversing with a lot of these cats outside of the context of music. Curren$y provides an excellent example of a rapper who's mantra is the minutiae of everyday life. Spitta is preparing to release the album Pilot Talk (FINALLY), and rather than leak songs every day and do random, boring interviews answering the same questions, he's decided to go another route with his marketing. The New Orleans MC, and BlackRoc signee tapped Ferris Beuller's Day Off to delineate what the album is going to feel like. And if this trailer is any indication of his inclinations, Pilot Talk should be a piff sandwich with a hefty side of dope sauce. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have Creative Control in his corner, but you have to admit, Curren$y is a hilarious dude. I can't wait to hear Pilot Talk, which drops on the 13th. Check out the trailer and experience the constant musical high that is the Hot Spitta...
Group albums are a rarity these days in hip-hop. Child Rebel Soldiers with Lupe, Kanye & Pharrell was supposed to be out 3 years ago, we're waiting on another Wu-Tang collab and the rest of the rap world is content throwing out wack solo albums. That said, it's nice to see some of my favorites jump on a track together. Curren$y's 'Pilot Talk' is set to drop on June 30th, and I, for one, could not be more excited. Spitta's really grown as an artist as of late, refining everything from his metaphors and wordplay to his flow. I guess it doesn't hurt to have Dame Dash, Jay Elec and Mos Def in your corner for inspiration when those plane and weed references get old. Even so, I don't think he'll need a lot of help. The track is soooooo jazzy in the beat department, thanks to Ski Beatz, and reeks of blaxploitation films and great drums. I really hope Ski comes out of the woodwork with some of these unfinished projects. Regardless, check out one of the tracks off 'Pilot Talk'. Spitta lives!!!
It's a great feeling predicting or making a calculated guess at something and then that thing coming true. I posted a freestyle last week from the homie Curren$y, where the man was spotted sporting the Roc-a-Fella chain, and driving a Chevy Camaro with the BlackRoc imprint on it. Now, for those of you in the know, BlackRoc is Damon Dash's new musical endeavor, and as seen in the above video, the Hot Spitta himself will be one of the headliners. His new album 'Pilot Talk' drops on May 18th, most likely with a pressing & distribution deal with Roc-a-Fella, much like the deal Drake has with Young Money. Honestly, I've been waiting for news like this for a minute. Curren$y is one of the best up-and-comers in the game right now. Hopefully this new venture will 'bring listeners underground like quicksand,' just like Spitta and Dame Dash are plotting...
If it's Friday, you know we've got freestyles. Both of these freestyles show that there's a changing of the guards going on in hip-hop. The first one is from Vado, and it's official: Vado is legit! That's by Jadakiss's standards though. The Harlem MC stopped by DJ Green Lantern's Sirius radio show with Cam'ron and got the chance to spit some freestyle bars in front of Mr. Al-Queada. By the time the beat was done, Vado had one of the meanest co-signs in hip-hop. The second freestyle is from Curren$y. The premise here is simple. He rolls in in the flyest of whips, lets his bass bump and drops off a verse that sounds like it was off the dome. The craziest part of the freestyle was the fact that Spitta was rocking the Roc-a-Fella chain and the Camaro he was riding had the BlackRoc (Dame Dash's new initiative) imprint on it. Dame x Spitta might damn well equal FIRE, especially with Curren$y's new album 'Pilot Talk' dropping soon. Whatever the case, check out both freestyles and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...
There are few times when an overt weed reference can bring Twitter down to it's avian knees. One of those times is the eventual day when it's legalized (it's much closer than people think). The other time is when a Curren$y or Wiz Khalifa mixtape happens to hit the interwebs. The latter happened this morning, with Taylor Gang general Wiz Khalifa aka MR. EZ-Wider dropping his highly anticipated 'Kush & Orange Juice' this morning. Wiz does exactly what you think he would do with this mixtape: talk about beautiful women, bomb herb, sneakers and his journey to the top. He also puts together a valiant musical effort with this one. The production is album-esque, which is what I expect at this point. Hell, he samples a track from the end of the movie 'Garden State,' and 'One Beer' from MF DOOM's 'MM..Food,' and rips both!! If I were to choose a perfect time to listen to Mr. Khalifa, it would be a sunny day, preferably a Saturday, with a group of good friends. It's only right. Wiz is unlike any other rappers (besides Curren$y and Devin the Dude) who can populate an entire tape with weed references and party music, and still keep it fresh and easy to listen to. I'll be honest. I think Wiz's lyrics took a small step back in terms of how much he fits in his bars. Because the tape is so long, there are points in it that I wanted to skip, but because it sounded so good, I refrained. I guess that's what weed does to the listening experience. Wiz makes the mixtape more than just lyrics and beats. Sonically, the tape is exactly what the title implies: an audio high and a refreshing glass of OJ to wash it down with. You won't regret this download, even if you don't smoke. Check out the download, tracklist/back cover, #dopetracks, loosies and videos...
#dopetracks:
The Statement
Spotlight
In the Cut
Visions
Pedal to the Medal
Glass House
I'll just come right out and say it: Creative Control makes the BEST music videos. What makes them so dope is the fact that none of the videos are ever large scale productions with conspicuous consumption or big-booty hoes. Creative Control keeps their videos organic, to say the least. They're always quick snippets into the mind of the artists and give us short mental vacations. This offering is no different. Spitta and his homeboy Nesby Phipps give a big shoutout to the heads who pay for sneakers and clothes before their beeper bills, complete with great cinematography and some freshly rolled good-good...
Creative Control needs to be on your radar these days with all of the dope visuals they've been putting out lately. They teamed up with Curren$y again and brought along Stalley for the song Address. The video is filmed in Kingston, Jamaica (876 LIGHTERS UP!!!) and shows both uptown and downtown Kingston. The video fits the song perfectly, in that, for both of the artists and for Creative Control, nothing has changed but the address. Check the visuals....
Remember the Kicks, Chicks & Porno Flicks mixtape I posted about a month ago? Well, in that post I spoke about togetherness in hip-hop and a new wave of collaborations coming our way. This is one of them. Producer Ski Beatz, along with Dame Dash brought together the likes of Mos Def, Jim Jones, Curren$y, The Cool Kids, Stalley, Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Camp Lo, Wiz Khalifa and Tabi Bonney to create the album '24 Hour Karate School'. Clearly most of these MC's aren't well versed (pun; get it?) in karate, so they did the next best thing, and rapped. The tape doesn't come out until March 30th, so I guess you'll have to practice centering your chi until then. Check out the trailer and some snippets from the tape...
I waited up all night for this one, not only because I wanted to post it, but also because Curren$y is a favorite of mine. His grind (hate that word) is something to be reckoned with. Whereas other rappers (coughcoughMickeyFactzcoughcough) take year-long breaks and tweet too much, Spitta seems to always have one foot in the studio, honing his craft. This time he jumped in the lab with the best cosign in the game, Don Cannon, to toss out another solo mixtape, Smokee Robinson. This is vintage Curren$y, to say the least. Spitta has his trademark relaxed flow, random pop culture references, and the Fly Society lifestyle that's put him on a pedestal lately. One thing about the mixtape is that Curren$y does sound old for once. It's not that he's lost a step. It's that as an avid listener, I can't help but wonder what's next for Curren$y. 2010 is still pretty young, so I guess all we can do is wait. Bumping Smokee Robinson should help pass the time just fine. Check the link, back cover and tracklist, my #dopetracks, loosies and videos...
#dopetracks:
Smash on O'Leary
Fat Raps
Yet Another Story...
Monte Carlo Mussic
Count My Money
Stay Up
I love videos and media that deal with the fantastical, whether it be realistic fantasies or blue aliens doing Richard Pryor jokes while driving a car backwards underwater. Curren$y has a knack for getting those visualizations down pat. The video for 'Breakfast' (who can tell me what tape/album/compilation the track came off??) is no different, with the Hot Spitta waking up in a paradise of palm trees, beautiful women, and good herb. Check the visuals and look out for 'Smokee Robinson' dropping on Super Bowl Sunday...
