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Profane's Gone Wicked On The "Drughms"

Image via Profane

I feel like it's been a bit since Profane has hit me with some material, but he's more than made up for it with the maniacal drum set workout in "Drughms." Profane comes from that Inperspective / choppage school, where it's equally about the source of your samples as it is about the rhythm you concoct with it.

For "Drughms," I'm going to assume he lifted some live gospel band (something about the organ and the kick/crash patterns that have me quizzical), but instead of giving you a straight-forward anthem, he's gone a bit tribal-ish with it. It's drum & bass, but I doubt you're cutting a rug to this. "Drughms" is one of those tunes that you drop mid-set to have the crowd standing in awe at what you're drawing.

This one is available for whatever you want to pay for it via Digital Wreka. Stream the tune below, and if you want to really get entranced, check out the video he cooked up for this tune. Pure video game bliss.


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KOTA The Friend Continues to Impress With New EP 'Paloma Beach'


"Hundred times iller than the nigga that you tucking in..."

Young KOTA did that. KOTA The Friend is my kind of artist; he's of today, but deeply entrenched in yesterday. We've been rocking with him for the last year and a half (or so), and while he's from Brooklyn, he definitely has a more chilled, Left Coast-drenched vibe to him. Probably why I dig "Sacramento" from his new EP Paloma Beach.

With summertime escaping us, it's always dope to have people like KOTA keeping us locked in the slower, more thoughtful place. KOTA's got a wicked pen, but knows how to lounge while giving you something to chew on. My kind of hype. Grab Paloma Beach today, or get your stream on via Spotify, Tidal, or down below.

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R.O.E. Goes On a "Cruise" With Natalie Oliveri


After getting word that J. Slikk had released a free instrumental LP, it was wild to get new material from Chicago's R.O.E. with the Slikk-produced "Cruise," featured Natalie Oliveri. There's a dope back-to-the-future vibe to this one, as soulful as it is boom bap-y. It's also all about riding with your lady (or significant other), and with these being the last real days of chilled summer, this might be the perfect cut to ride out to.

Stream "Cruise" below, and if you rock with it, cop it via iTunes.

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J. Slikk Returns To Warn Us That 'Sometimes It Snows'


I was going to say it'd been a long ass time since I'd heard material from Chitown's J. Slikk, but that's a goddamn lie. Slikk produced R.O.E.'s "The Race," and cooked up a heartfelt tribute to DJ Timbuck2 at the top of 2016. Thing is, when Slikk was really on his dean, RTD was following all of his moves, so it feels like he dropped off the face of the Earth. He didn't (praise Jah), as his new instrumental LP Sometimes It Snows proves, as he's got 16 free, fiery instrumentals for the taking.

There's a number of dates in these titles ("12.21.17," "2.15.18," and "3.22.18") that I'm not sure hold any meaning, but he did let me know that this is the first of three(!) albums, with two of them already done. He also said he's blessed, and it looks like he decided to bless the world with some intoxicatingly hypnotic material.

You can stream the full project below, and grab it for the free on Bandcamp.

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Deep Concentration: Will Kasso


I told you guys last month that there would be some new beginnings around here, and our brand new podcast/interview series Deep Concentration will be a new chapter for this site and my own journey. Being a lover of podcasts and conversations, my aim for Deep Concentration is to have deeper conversations that will focus on the creatives that I have crossed paths with that either birthed new energy or just excited me as a fan and lover of the visual and performing arts.

For the first episode of Deep Concentration, I had a dope conversation with Trenton's own Will Kasso, who now calls Vermont home. I've been following his work for the longest, and have grown to know him over the last six years. He's one of the beacons of the Trenton graffiti scene, helping put the Trenton scene on the map, and is the founder of the S.A.G.E. Coalition, a community revitalization project that which was a major catalyst for today's arts scene in Trenton.

With his solo exhibition Urban Legend currently up at Artworks Trenton until August 31, I got to talk to him the night before the show's reception. Kasso didn't hold anything back, sitting with me for almost 90 minutes to talk about everything from his history as an artist in Trenton, NJ, the Gandhi Garden and that Mike Brown mural to the rise and fall of the S.A.G.E. Coalition.

You can stream the full episode via Mixcloud, or download it for free via iTunes and Google Play. You can also follow Deep Concentration on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I want to send a major shout out to Deal - The Villain for letting me use "Legend Blue" on Deep Concentration. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please contact us over at deepconpod@gmail.com.

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Thundercat's 'Drunk' Gets Chopped, Not Slopped


Are you as in love with Thundercat's brilliant 2017 album Drunk as I am, but want to hear it in a new (purple) light? You should grab Drank, which finds DJ Candlestick repping for OG Ron Cand The ChopStars, bringing a chopped (not slopped) take to the entire project. Standouts like "Show You The Way," "Them Changes," and "Walk On By" never sounded so lit, trust.

You can stream the tape down below, and grab it via LiveMixtapes.

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Jon Glass Created An Amazing Beat Tape In Eight Hours

Image via Facebook


You ever hear an idea so dope that you have to figure out a way to replicate it one day? This is one of those ideas. On August 12, Jon Glass stepped into the Mass Apparel shop in Massachusetts to work an eight-hour shift. No, he wasn't stocking shelves; he was crafting instrumentals of their The Shift beat tape series. He locked in, knocking out this impressive, seven-track release of hypnotic headnodders.

The beauty of Glass' work is the variety of tracks he has here. While tracks like "Fly Shit" are more of a hazy, sloooooooooowed vibe, cuts like "D-Block" get way grittier. "Shroom" might be on some ultra chill shit, but then "This Is Hip Hop" is a dusty-fingered, double bass'd boom bap-er. Dude really knows his shit.

You can stream and download the full project via Audiomack.

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Jett I Masstyr's California Dreamin' On His New 'L A X' EP


As we head into the beginnings of a beautiful August day, it's only right to get your lounge on, LA-style. The Houston-based homey Jett I Masstyr has the perfect EP for you. On L A X, Jett produced a five-track instrumental love letter to the city of Angels.

"I love going to Los Angeles," Jett shares, "whether its to work on music or just visit. I've never spent more than a few days, and it's never long enough. Immediately after landing, I can sense it's a different world...a different vibe completely."

If you need that type of vibe in your life, you can stream L A X down below, and cop the full release via Bandcamp.

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Bad Rabbits, Beautiful Music


My appreciation for Boston's Bad Rabbits is proof that I should leave the house more often. Recently, the homey Black Collar Biz opened for them during a dope edition of the Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series; I didn't get to catch Collar's performance live, but as I walked over to Mill Hill Park to take in the rest of the event, there was some futuristic funk slash rock slash R&B slash hip-hop vibes filling the air. It was everything I loved about my mom's '80s-era funk collection, mixed with a turnt, electrified stage presence, especially with their frontman Dua. When the show was over, I had to cop some of their music, which I recently just ripped for my travels.

Then I dipped over to their website and realized that, while you can (and should) cop physical copies of their music, a number of the releases are available for free (or whatever you want to pay) as digital downloads. I'm a few months behind, but the cut I included below ("Mysterious") currently has me going. It perfectly encapsulates what I dig about this outfit, and is something you need to get into...ASAP.

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The Other Guys Provide A Soundtrack For 'The Working Class'

Image via The Other Guys

I don't know about you, but the grind doesn't stop over here. When that work has to be done, you need the proper soundtrack to get through it, which is why I'm digging this new instrumental series The Other Guys are embarking on. Their new EP, The Working Class, is a boom bap-y batch of beats that will help motivate you to be great. Hell, it even features Tanya Morgan's Von Pea on the intro (and yes, that beat is included as an instrumental as well).

You can stream and download The Working Class for $free.99 over on Bandcamp, and grab that new Tanya Morgan album, YGWY$4, while you're at it.

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Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman Release Their Third Collaborative EP, 'Triple Fat Lice'

Artwork by Jeremy Fish
Back in October of 2016, Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman dropped the second installment of their Lice series with Lice Two: Still Buggin', and in a similar fashion, they shocked my world with the third installment, the amazingly-titled Triple Fat Lice. It's another limited vinyl/free download release, with five bangers featuring production from Oh No, Ben Boogz (word to 2 Hungry Bros), Quelle Chris, and more. "Pins And Needles" is a beautiful way to start ANY project, trust.

You can stream the full project below, grab a free digital download via Bandcamp, and order the vinyl release via Stones Throw.

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iLL-Omega Is Back With A New Instrumental Tape, 'Omegatron'

If you're looking for a batch sinister sounds for your Saturday excursions, iLL-Omega's got you covered. Fresh off an EP with Ray Strife, Omega's back with Omegatron, a 14-track instrumental release that's as dark as it is turnt. It's primarily of a hip-hop flex, although some of the more EDM-tinged trap tracks are nothing to sleep on.

You can stream that below; be sure to check out the Rocky's House Podcast as well, which iLL is a part of. Episode one is up now, and features DJ Say Whaat and DJ Itsjustahmad.

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