SOMEBODY had to flip the theme from The Walking Dead.
"A
city named Woodbury disguises itself as a safe haven for the characters
in "The Walking Dead". Yet once the city lifts its mask, it's true
identity shows itself. There are some of us walking the earth who prefer not to live in disguise."
This is just amazing. Two legendary figures in the hip-hop radio sphere linking up with two legendary figures in the hip-hop podcast sphere to talk the new Stretch & Bobbito documentary Radio That Changed Lives (which is available a day early). Two hours of classic hip-hop talk.
DJ Deeon went in on this tribute to DJ Rashad and Chi Boogie by providing the INTERLUDE series with 100% Chicago house, juke, and footowork. Loads of original bangers.
FINALLY! For those who are longtime fans of Juan Epstein, you know that a WHILE ago, Ciph and Rosenberg recorded a podcast with De La Soul years ago that ended up getting lost (primarily because their conversation ended up not getting recorded). During A3C this weekend, they sat down once again to get the history of De La committed to tape, and it's here now!
"Well we can finally move on from the lost episode. De La sits down with us at A3C in ATL and covers it all–including the formation of the group, Russell Simmons, touring w NWA, lost Native Tongue groups that never happened, Biz hanging out at their high school, and tons more. Thank you guys!"
Crazy to think it's been about five years since we released Deal - The Villain's EPic. Since that time, I know homeboy has been working hard on a number of aspects on his life, one of them being his forthcoming ALBUM, Beards, Beats & Kicks.
The new video for "Nova Charm" is apparently a teaser for the "Emerald Preference" clip, which is set to drop in November. Deal's a beast, and is bringing that energy that many are missing in today's scene. Also, JERSEY!
Lowkey, your sock game is just as important as your hat game. If you're looking to pull a fit together, the right socks can make you go from "yeah, you look iight" to "fam, that 'fit is fresh af!"Plus, a pair of dope socks can help you perfect throwing your personality into your wears.
Society Socks does you one better: they will help you throw some flair into your wardrobe while also helping someone who is truly in need.
See, for every pair of socks that are copped, Society Socks, which is based in Toronto, donates a pair of socks to someone in need: "Socks are the least donated, but most needed clothing item. Since homeless shelters only accept new socks, it’s much more difficult to donate them compared to other used clothing. Society Socks will change this." It's a simple concept, but a dope way to a) get your feet looking right, and b) helping serve a need that largely goes unseen.
Their designs are fire, and all of their socks are priced just under $10. I got a few pairs of Society Socks myself, and I can't front, they are comfy and add something unique to my daily 'fit. Check out some of their styles below, then cop yourself a pair (or three)... for a great cause.
Shouts to FWMJ for throwing this one my way. I've not been as amazed by hip-hop as I probably should be this year, but this new Martin Lucid Dream EP from Denmark Vessey is probably one of my favorite projects from this year... period.
Run The Jewels' DJ (and official RTD homey) Trackstar the DJ has finally released The Jewel Runner Tour Mixtape, which does what it says on the tin; gives you a glimpse of what RTJ is doing right now:
"The project features tracks from all four acts, including Boots' Meow
the Jewels remix and RTJ's late night television performance with TV On
The Radio, as well as incredibly dope exclusives from Fashawn and Cuz
Lightyear. Mike and El did some light hosting in classic WRTJ fashion,
and the artwork was expertly handled by the great Ian Klarer, who also
did the tour poster and last year's tour mix cover, among other things."
Still mourning Sean Price? This new mixtape from Marvelous Mag might be what you need. It mixes up a number of P-inspired cuts from Mag himself alongside stories remembering Sean from the likes of Skyzoo, J57, DJ Eclipse, Guilty Simpson, and many more.
If you slept on Rich Quick's The Everywhere Man, you need to stop it, forreal. Don't believe me? Sink into the hypnotic "Poizon," a track that not only features a cast of lethal lyricists, but packs a pretty heavy message. We all have to make choices; if you want to be an idiot, you'll have to deal with that. Be more... smarter, that is.
This track speaks to what this blog was built on. You have the underground heads like Shabaam Sahdeeq and Pumpkinhead (RIP) that I grew up on before this Internet shit really popped alongside Internet-age vets like Torae and Jersey-reppin' 8thW1. There's something about this instrumental from Big Ape that has me open as well.
I can also respect lines like not wearing skinny jeans because your "balls gotta breathe."
Run The Jewels is back with a BEAST from the forthcoming Rubble Kings soundtrack, which drops October 30 on Mass Appeal. Rubble Kings is said to be about how "a few extraordinary, forgotten people did the impossible, during
the gang era of NYC and how their actions impacted the city and the
world over by planting the seeds to what would become hip hop culture." You can hear El and Mike channeling that vibe over this monstrous instrumental.
This is a part of the Adult Swim Singles project, and can be downloaded for free via their website.
Here's the official video for Black Collar Biz's "Blessings On Blessings." Remember that life truly is too good to be stressing, as some folks have it worse. The last few times I've see BCB perform around Trenton, this track has rang off. One of those universal themes.
