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Kanye West - "Facts"

For the second year in a row, I'm sitting here writing about new Kanye West on New Year's Eve. Last year's "Only One" is a totally different flex that "Facts," a trap drum-infused cut that has Yeezy talking about jumping over Jumpman because of course.

Where's SWISH at, though?

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S-Type - "NYE"


LuckyMe's been killing it with their '15/'16 Advent series, and their fifth release is a NYE-centric banger from S-Type. All bright synths and crisp drums. Dude is forever crushing it with beautiful melodies, and this cut is no different.

Hopefully you and yours are doing it right for the New Year. Everyone over here at RTD wishes you the best.

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Skillz Says Goodbye to 2015 With the "2015 Rap Up"


You already know what time it is. Skillz basically takes everything you talked about on Twitter and put it over a track. Smart and hilarious, dude wins, especially when he says Creed was better than Pacquiao and Mayweather. #FACTS

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The RTD Yearmix 2015

I was never into the whole "Yearmix" thing before DoAndroidsDance was a thing. There's something about EDM DJs doing huge "best of" mixes that always intrigued me; it's a great way to look back at what the hell you were doing over the last 12 months. I'm no DJ, though, and instead of resurrecting the RTD "Dub Sessions" for a year-end set, I started compiling these Year End playlists on SoundCloud in 2013, then came back for 2014. It's ill to see where my head (and the heads of my squad) were at for those years...always fire to find influence from people around you.

I say all of that to say I'm bringing the Yearmix style to rockthedub in 2015.

Here's a collection of tracks that I rocked with in 2015. It has some semblance of an order, at least in terms of how genres and vibes flow. It's made for your pregame before the real turnup, and hopefully you won't need to do too much skipping (although if your aim is to hear one particular pop set or the greatest rap tracks of the year, this isn't for you). This isn't anthem bashing. We have grime, hip-hop, footwork, drum & bass, some dubstep, house, and even some epic jazz in this sprawling 60-track playlist.

Hopefully this will help those of you who need a soundtrack but can't be arsed to make one.

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The Weeknd - "King of the Fall (Fracture's Astrophonica Edit)"


How the hell did I miss this? Over the summer, Stray dropped one of the illest mixes of 2015, and it featured Fracture's intoxicating remix of The Weeknd's "King of the Fall," a track I'd completely slept on when it came out because I don't really rock with The Weeknd's music like that. Fracture's behind my absolute favorite Weeknd edit, and when I asked him about this edit, he said it was just a dub, which I took to mean it was never coming out.

Now I see it's been out for a month. Merry Late Christmas to me! Stream and download below.

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EZRAKH Gave Us a "Present" On His Birthday


You have to love when artists give YOU gives on their birthday. Especially when they are 35-minute eclectic projects like this. Long live Ezrakh; this is one truly sprawling release. Proper open-minded/closed mouth material.

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Naughty By Nature is Giving Away a Special Edition of Their First Album For Free

Naughty By Nature is celebrating their 25th anniversary by giving away their self-titled 1991 album away for free for the next 25 hours. What's even iller is that Jersey's Finest has added on some remixes and previously-unreleased tracks. All you have to do is sign up for their e-mail list.

Word to the wise: they'll just be sending you two Mediafire links, and the rarities might caught a red flag because of a remix of "Craziest," but there is a GRIP of tracks in there, including Pete Rock's "Hip Hop Hooray" remix, the Beatnuts' remix of "It's On," and a bunch of unreleased gems. If you're having trouble, just keep refreshing until it allows you to grab it.

Word is that Naughty is back as a trio, and is going on a 26-date tour, as well as dropping a documentary.
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Al-Shid - "Clubba Lang"


To build up for Creed, I ended up re-watching all of the Rocky films. Somehow, while I remember Clubber Lang being a goddamn beast in the Sega Master Drive video game, I forgot how amazing he was in Rocky III. That said, I'm glad that Old Maid Millionaires Al Shid and J-Zone linked back up to drop this ode to Lang, which is reportedly the first single from The Best of AL SHID (The Old Maid Years), which is due out early 2016. These two making music together is what the rap game has been missing.

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All of the Mixtapes You Might Have Missed While You Were Trying to Survive Christmas

I don't know about you, but I'm wrecked. When you're married (...with children) and have to pull together the magic of Christmas out of your hind parts, it can take a toll on your psyche (the Bulleit bourbon might have contributed to that, too–Thanks, babe!). It can also make you miss a bunch of the fuckery that happens on the Internet when you're singing about mommy kissing Santa Claus or tweeting about A Christmas Story. While we caught up with stuff like that new Busta Rhymes tape, there are a bunch of releases that might have gone unopened.

That said, December 26 is (unofficially) the day to catch up on the world of online hip-hop mixtape drops, so download/stream/buy a bunch of music that dropped under the radar due to your egg nog-induced haze.
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The Drum & Bass Yule Log



This is awesome. I imagine a number of you are finally lounging after having to deal with family, and want to just cozy up (or chill out) with a drink and a friend or two and get your vibes on.

Justin Martin (who does the damn thing on the production tip) and his brother Christian are proper drum & bass heads, and recently cooked up this dope dnb yule log video, because it's necessary. Here are their thoughts, alongside the mix that's featured in the above video.

"Its been a wonderful year raging with you all, and as a special thank you for all of your support, we would like to give away a very special mix. Hopefully this musical journey will bring back some nice memories of that magical sunrise at the dirtybird campout where the SoCal sky opened up right at dawn and showered us with the first rainfall in months. Even if you were not there to share that special moment with us the first time around then hopefully this mix still gives you the warm fuzzies you need to stay cozy this winter. So sit back by the fire with some loved ones, grab a festive 40oz, and have a drink to some drum and bass with us."

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Michael Christmas - "Big Ass Smile"


It isn't Christmas if it doesn't have new material from Michael Christmas, right? Celebrating what's surely been a good year, Michael throws on a big ass smile and coasts over a slick track.



[OnSMASH]
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Shlohmo - "Ten Days of Falling (Baauer Remix)"


Shlohmo released a number of remixes from his Dark Red LP for free (although you can cop them on iTunes as well), including Baauer's take on "Ten Days of Falling," giving the darker-tinged cut a lighter bounce. If you want more Baauer, peep Pusha T's latest project, which has Baauer co-producing "Sunshine" alongside Kanye West and Mano. You should also check out Baauer's latest single, "GoGo!"

You can stream and download all of these Dark Red remixes down below.


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Busta Rhymes Gifts the World With New 'The Return Of The Dragon' Mixtape


Marking two years since Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip linked up for The Abstract & The Dragon, the dungeon dragon Busta Rhymes is back with a full mixtape for you hip-hop lovers out there. For those of you who think this will just be a Conglomerate party, don't fret; Bus-a-Bus made sure that MCs like Chance the Rapper, MF Doom, and a Leaders of the New School reunion were sitting on the same tape with Rick Ross, O.T Genasis, Waka Flocka, and Gucci Mane.

Stream and download below.

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DJ Concept Remixes Holiday Classics Like You've Never Heard Them Before


While it's only 25 minutes, DJ Concept drops the perfect holiday-themed beat tape. We're talking 14 tracks that take some of your favorite holiday gems and puts a dope hip-hop spin on them.

Stream the full project below, then add it to your holiday playlist.

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WIKI Gave Away His New Album, 'Lil Me'


Don't you hate when you make a point to remember something...and then forget it? That's what happened to me and Wiki's Lil Me, a free album of heatrocks that the RATKING spitter dropped earlier this month. I was going through my e-mails and happened upon it;I didn't realize that he had features from Skepta, Hak (also from RATKING), and others on the mic, with beats from Madlib, Sporting Life, Yung Gutted, Kaytranada, and Skywlkr.

Wiki brings that '90s hip-hop aesthetic to the now, with an ear for twisted sonics. If you're sleeping, you're fucking all the way up. Stream below, then download the full project over on letterracer.com.

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Lenzman & Dan Stezo Drops a Very "Dope Tape"


It looks like Lenzman has a new EP, Golden Age, set to drop on Metalheadz in January, so he linked up with Dan Stezo on the mic for 70 minutes of drum & bass on a soul tip. There's a fire, throwback feel to this: just two individuals taking something they love and expressing it for an extended period of time.

Soak this one in.

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Vince Guaraldi Trio - "Linus And Lucy "Nappy DJ Needles Re​-​Edit)"

I fucked around and still haven't watched A Charlie Brown Christmas yet, but I'm loving what Nappy DJ Needles did with one of my favorite skratch instrumentals and this classic song.

You can own this for $free.99.

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Here Are Six DJ Sega Projects You Might Have Missed

Philly's own DJ Sega has been on a tear from Halloween to Thanksgiving. Seriously; he dropped three EPs and three mixes in that time span; three volumes of his Sixer Series, along with three EPs of banging remix tracks. Dude's sound is pure Philly Club (and beyond), and he isn't afraid to do him, no matter what he's particularly influenced by at the time.

As an early Christmas gift/catch-up, here are all six of Sega's most recent projects. Dive in.

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"I Like It, What Is It?"


The fam over at Pigeons & Planes sorted out their first compilation release just in time for the holidays, and it's chock full of the usual forward-thinking, envelope-pushing sounds that they represent on the daily. I LIke It, What Is It? is quite possibly the best title for a comp from P&P; they're in tune to so many artists you're definitely not, and probably hear that question a LOT from passersby.

Everyone from Cousin Stizz (who will be at the next No Ceilings show in January) to Ellie Herring are featured. Stream below and download today.

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Digital Gave Away a Three-Track EP

In case you weren't aware, 2015 has become quite the banner year for the world of drum & bass. While I've neglected posting drum & bass on RTD for obvious reasons that ended up being no real reason, I've been infatuated with the scene even more this year than I have in a while.

Seeing that this is the week that everyone is in the giving mood (because holidays), I figured why not share an EP that I'm rocking with right now from the mighty Digital and his Function Records imprint. It's kind of hard to pin down the time frame of this free, three-track EP Give and Take, but it's free, has hypnotic cuts like "Killer" on it, and it's free. Digital is and always will be a don when it comes to the more dubwise-side of the scene, and this EP properly reflects everything that's right about both his sound and what dnb can truly stand for.

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Mix Master Mike x DJ QBert Introduce New Project With 'Star Wars'-Influenced Skratch Session



While much isn't know about Channel Zektar, this 31 minute session is more than enough to get turntablism fans excited.
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Phonte on Juan Epstein


Newest latest from Ciph and Rosenberg: "This episode has a lot. Ciph tells a great story about flying on Dave Chappelle’s plane a couple of weeks ago. Then we call my wife to convince her that buying a new place is a good idea. Then Phonte stops by to talk about his new work, breaking up with Little Brother, and tells a great Kanye story."

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Download the Best Rap Songs of 2015

While RTD has never been big on "year end" lists (although I do have plans for a SoundCloud playlist for the end of the year), I do contribute to a few (whattup, Complex). One list I didn't contribute to, but loved dearly, was Passion of the Weiss' Best Rap Songs of 2015 list. Dope collection of a bunch of shit I loved and a bunch of shit I slept on (love being introduced to shit).

Jeff Weiss was nice enough to make sure you had all of these gems for your iTunes. Grab them ASAP, as that link has a timer on it.

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Dominique Larue - "Ultimate"



From the looks of her new single, Dominique Larue is set to have a vanglorious 2016. "Ultimate" is the first cut from her forthcoming DubMD-present EP Blitzkrieg, which is due out sometime in the summer of 2016. She also has a project with J. Rawls entitled Almost There due out in early 2016.

Stop looking for women on the mic; they've been here.
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Suede Jury is the 'Soul Sophisticate'


This one has been a long time coming for Suede Jury, but his new album, Soul Sophisticate: Everyone Is An Actor, is here as his 16-track opus. Features include Black Spade, Fresh Daily, and others, but it's really Jury's time to shine. Stream below, and if you dig it, cop it.

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Deal - The Villain - "Emerald Preference"



THE VILLAIN IS BACK! Here's the crispy new video for the block single from Deal's forthcoming Beards x Beats x Kicks album. The boy never lost it, and is flexing on the entire game right now.
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Meyhem Lauren ft. Action Bronson, Roc Marciano & Big Body Bes - "Bonus Round"

Now this is the kind of amazingness that I want to hear. Word is that Fool's Gold will be dropping Meyhem Lauren's Piatto D'Oro for free(!), and this Harry Fraud-produced "Bonus Round" is just too amazing. Roc Marciano, Action Bronson and Big Body Bes all contribute, and there's something about Roc's verse that kills me. So fucking luxurious.

QUEENS!

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This is the Only 'Star Wars' / The Notorious B.I.G. Mash-Up Album You Need

With the seventh Star Wars film due out in a few weeks, it makes sense that producers start using the series' iconic music in a number of wild ways. Richie Branson and Solar Slim took it upon themselves to throw the sounds of Star Wars underneath the lyrics of the late, great Obi-Wan, Biggie Smalls.

You can stream the full project below, and head to their website for the full download.

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Lunice - "All Clear (CJ Flemings Remix)"


Something kind of thunderous from a pair of dope Canadians. I interviewed Lunice about his recently-released EP 180, which found him finally dropping four four-year-old tracks. My personal favorite, "All Clear," got laced by CJ Flemings, who worked with Lunice on "Weather Man." Word is more from these two will be on Lunice's next album. For now, "get out my bidness!"

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