J. Cole - Villematic

J. Cole - Villematic

Cole has never been one to mince words on a track. Rather than going for inane wordplay and punchlines on his tracks, the Fayetteville MC has a penchant for telling stories, making points and having a reason and idea for every song he makes. J. Cole's 'Cole World' still is slated to drop on October 26th, with this track, "Villematic" as one of the next up. He responds to the comparisons between himself and Nas, while chucking verbal salt at those who question his 'realness', for lack of a better term. Claiming that he knows his "debut gon ship, but is it gon' sell?", it's refreshing to see an artist be vulnerable on wax while still keeping his confidence at an all-time high. It just seems like everything that J. Cole puts his voice on is gold. Like I said, he doesn't mince words, and his work comes off as both genuine and exceptional because of that. Enjoy the track, people...

EDIT: Forgot about this. Apparently Cole is also prepping a new mixtape, as he tweeted here. Should be a great fall for hip-hop...

Marvel Universe x Hip-Hop Album Covers

Snatched from Nappy Afro

It's always refreshing to see two different mediums mashed together in a coherent fashion. In this case, we've got the superheroes of yesterday in their comic form with some classic hip-hop albums from yesteryear. The result is one of the most creative graphic design works I've seen in damn near forever. I won't kill you with words, because the images speak for themselves. Just try to guess what superheroes and what albums these are. 1000 e-points to anyone who can guess all of them. Check the rest out after the jump, and comment below if you can figure any of them out!!

More -->

Nas - Last Real N*gga Alive

Nas - Last Real Nigga Alive

DJ Green Lantern's Invasion Radio 2K10 mixtape came and went on Monday with features from Jay-Z, Curren$y, Young Chris, Emilio Rojas and others, but the track that really caught my eye is a song where Nas gives a big middle finger to the entertainment industry and the fake personalities that infest it today. He takes subliminals at Lamar Odom, the Kardashians and hip-hop as a whole. It's actually really, really refreshing to see someone call out hip-hop for going Hollywood, albeit in such a direct fashion. Nasir usually is on the more truthful end of the spectrum, so it's not surprising. Yet, I'd love to see another album (a la 'Untitled') where this man goes in on the state of black people. Ahhh, to dream. Just enjoy the track people...

Nas & Damian Marley - As We Enter (Music Video)

As Nas and Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley prepare to release their album 'Distant Relatives,' I can't help but think about other rap & reggae combinations that did the deed. Their video for 'As We Enter' shows the darker, grittier side of both artists, while jumping over a springy beat. The black on black wardrobe with the post-apocalyptic scenery pays a little too much homage to Jay-Z, but the track is so dope, you don't pay any attention to it. Back to my original point. Rap & Reggae, especially coming from a New York perspective, was heavy back in the 90's and early 2000's. As a matter of fact, both Rap and what we call Dancehall came from the olden art of dubplating. Maybe Jr. Gong and Nasir can bring that trend back. Check out the video for 'As We Enter' and some of my favorite Rap/Reggae clashes...

Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives (Trailer)

After a collab in 2005 called "Road to Zion" on Junior Gong's "Welcome to Jamrock", Nas and Damian Marley have considered themselves to be quite alike musically and politically. Therefore, I guess it's no surprise that they decided to collab again for an album, entitled "Distant Relatives". In the trailer you see the two in the studio chopping it up about the album and its direction, of course with some audio from songs on it. The first single, "As We Enter" rocks with a faster ska beat and conscious lyrics that they promise in the trailer. Check out the download for the single and the trailer for "Distant Relatives"...

Nas & Damian Marley - As We Enter

Diggy - Made You Look Freestyle

Was definitely tempted to post this up for Freestyle Friday, but the visuals for this were so good that the video had to be in its own post. Diggy, with some great music industry connects, got cleared to use the Nas sample 'Made You Look'. And much to my surprise (sarcasm), he RIPPED it.

'I don't rap for my age like Bow Wow.. The son of a king, so why would I ever bow down?'

By virtue of that line, I'm officially a fan. Any rapper that can destroy Bow Wow's career in one bar automatically gets my vote. Check out the real Young Simmons in what might be his first music video...