Amanda Diva - Manchild (Music Video)

Amanda Diva is one talented lady, but I had no idea, aside from a guest spot with 'The Kid Daytona, that she had such a soulful way about her. Regardless, I was driven to post this up simply because the story being depicted in the video is something all of my peers can relate to. During this period of pre-adulthood/post-adolescence, most of us are trying desperately to find our way in a world where there aren't lines drawn to direct us after a while. Some are good at finding their own path and becoming successful, while others languish for what seems like an eternity. The result is this constant tension, this battle, not only of the sexes, but of the ages. We're constantly told to 'grow up', sometimes with no good examples of what a grownup is, hence the term 'Manchild'. Amanda Diva's Ski Beatz-produced ballad about a guy who is physically a man, but mentally a child resonates for both sexes. It's also a welcome reminder of what life holds with no aspirations. Shouts to TSS for the heads up, and I'll definitely be looking for Amanda Diva's LP, 'Technicolor Lover'...

Rugz D. Bewler - Renaissance (prod. Ski Beatz)

Rugz D. Bewler - Renaissance (prod. Ski Beatz)

Fresh off a stint at Ski Beatz' '24 Hour Karate School', where he penned probably the most vicious cut, Super Bad Rugz is ready to take another stab at the solo grind. This time, Rugz D. Bewler has Ski on the boards again, and the result is nothing short of magic. I'm beginning to think that Ski Beatz is becoming a gold standard for cosigns. Everything the 'Uptown Saturday Night' and 'Reasonable Doubt' producer seems to touch these days is gold, and on Rugz' newest mixtape 'Save Bewler: The Memoirs of Muhammad Mc’Fly' the steelo is no different. Rugz claims himself to be the last of the 'Renaissance', which I take to be this new wave of rappers. If he is the last, he certainly is leaving a nice legacy. Bewler hops over a very earthy, jazzy beat with infectious rhymes and drops slick punchlines at the drop of every snare. While I won't say that Mr. Bewler is the end all be all, he certainly makes a case for the title he claims on the track. If the blog rapper is a dying species, then Rugz D. Bewler might very well be the fossil we all remember...

24 Hour Karate School - Release Date Confirmed

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...

Curren$y ft. Mos Def & Jay Electronica – The Day

Curren$y ft. Mos Def & Jay Electronica – The Day

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!!!

Stalley - Pressure (Produced by Michael Sterling Eaton)

Stalley - Pressure (Produced by Michael Sterling Eaton)

Got this in my e-mail yesterday and was bumping it all night. Stalley has been hitting the tour circuit and working with Ski Beatz for 24 Hour Karate School (which has lost damn near ALL buzz). That doesn't mean he doesn't have time to do a few side projects. This latest one is a collab with filmmaker Michael Sterling Eaton, who is working on a short film called "Pressure". Eaton produced the smooth, relaxing title track for the movie, with Stalley tossing out uplifting lyrics about persevering and staying with a struggle no matter how much pressure is on you. Hopefully the album is just as dope as the song. Check the download...

Ski Beatz - SUPER BAD (ft. Rugz D Bewler)

I've all but given up that 24 Hour Karate School will ever be released to the public with the amount of copyright troubles they're having right now. That doesn't mean Ski Beatz and his ridiculous collective of MC's have stopped chopping at something bigger. The producer inked Harlem MC Rugz D Bewler to lace this track entitled 'SUPER BAD' and the two hooked up to throw together a video for it. If I'm not mistaken, it's around 105th St. in Harlem. Regardless, the track is dope, and so is the video. Check it out...

Where is 24 Hour Karate School?

That's a great question, isn't it?? DJ Ski Beatz's collaborative effort of a mixtape has ostensibly been pushed back from its March 30 release date. Ski chalked it up to sampling woes on Twitter, but in all honesty, shouldn't they be working on those while they're working on the album? Rather than give us a date (which was a pushed back one in the first place), I would have just kept the date tentative, and when I knew it was done, start talking about the work. All this does is water down whatever response you would have gotten. I'm still copping the tape, but delays are no way to please your fanbase. Maybe they should have been clearing the samples instead of making videos about it...

Ski Beatz - S.T.A.L.L.E.Y. (ft. Stalley)

A few weeks back I posted the snippets for Ski Beatz' mixtape 24 Hour Karate School, with more rappers than I have fingers (too lazy to list them) and production from Ski and Mos Def, to name a few. Here's one of the singles in video form, and (GASP) shot by Creative Control. S.T.A.L.L.E.Y. is a trip through NYC with the DD172 crew rapping the lyrics. Check out the video and be on the lookout for 24 Hour Karate School, slated to come out March 30th...

Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School

Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School (Snippets)

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...