Welcome back for this week's edition of Straight No Chase, your one-stop shop source for all things hip-hop here on EARMILK. This comprehensive weekly feature aims to share hip-hop-based content we may have missed during the past week, while also highlighting memorable content we did cover. In addition to the recap of our best hip-hop posts, SNC also includes a Video of the Week, Project of the Week, and a brief list of new noteworthy projects as well as upcoming releases.
As any hip hop head worth their salt knows, these days music floods the blogosphere by the millisecond. Consequently, the landscape of hip-hop is forever changing. There are countless rappers, both established and up-and-coming, as well as renowned and budding producers and beatsmiths dropping their fair share of dope music for the listening masses. It is our mission to mine the interweb for both audio and visual gems, delivering them straight to you for your auditory consumption. But enough with the jaw jacking: let's cut straight to the chase.
Straight Killer, No Filler
Though people may get the impression that music bloggers and writers are freaks of nature who robotically comb the Internet for music, never missing a beat, I am here to assure you that we too are fallible humans who in the process of bringing dope music to the masses, may miss a good banger or two along the way. This week's delivery include more music from The Alchemist's upcoming LP, Russian Roulette, a cut from 16-year Brooklyn-born/Barbados-bred rapper Haleek Maul's debut EP Oxyconteen, Donnis' lead single off his forthcoming EP, as well as the lead single from NY-based producer/DJ/rapper Dash Speaks' upcoming album, Night on Earth.
Without further ado, let's jump right into this past week's selection of killer tracks:
Haleek Maul – Oxyconteen [EP]
The Alchemist – Russian Roulette [LP]
Omen – Black Hero Them Musik [LP]
Donnis – Break Hundreds And Hearts [EP]
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/49815636" iframe="true" /]
Pusha T – single
Haz Solo & Noah Deeakili – Haz|No [EP]
M.I.A. – Bad Girls – The Remixes [EP]
MadKem – Kola La Vie [LP]
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/50352068" iframe="true" /]
Jonwayne – single
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/50427074" iframe="true" /]
Donwill x Sum Comfort Food– Sum Comfort Food [EP]
Nefew & Shakes – For Hip-Hop [EP]
Dash Speaks – Night on Earth [LP]
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/50064193" iframe="true" /]
Skeme – Alive & Living [Mixtape]
Big K.R.I.T. – 4Eva N A Day [Mixtape]
Black El & Durkin – single
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/50182719" iframe="true" /]
Irv Da Phenom – Who the F#@k is Irv Da Phenom? [LP]
Blu x J. Mitchell – Some Jewels From Jakarta [Compilation]
DJ Chi – Get Rich With Your Friends [Mixtape]
Friday Flashback
Here's a five track flashback of some of the best hip hop covered this week on EARMILK. Take a couple of minutes to stroll down memory lane and revisit a handful of tracks brought to you earlier in the week. The week got off to a great start with the much welcomed news of not one, not two but three dope projects in the works from Blu two of which will be collaborative projects with producer Exile. In addition to Blu, both Alive Since Forever's member Sage and Open Mike Eagle dropped off single from their upcoming albums as well as a collaborative track from Rick Ross and Nas of the latter's highly anticpated tenth solo LP, Life Is Good found its way to the listening masses.
For those who may have been snoozing at the wheel, here's your chance to play catch up:
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/50242660" iframe="true" /]
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/47093509" iframe="true" /]
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
What happens when you take razor-sharp lyrics and throw together an accompanying vid collage of gritty and symbolic images? In short, you have the latest visuals from rapper N.A. The Brooklyn-born, Phoenix-based rapper is prepping the release of his upcoming project, Love. Compromise. Lies. Hustle.
Video of the Week honors go to the engaging visuals for his Josh Estes-produced cut of N.A.'s "Sheep & Wolf", the first single off his upcoming project. Boasting some rewind-worthy lyrics from start to finish, the song's visual accompaniment, which includes images of crack pipes, nuclear explosions, wolves and lions, provides viewers with a stark visual interpretation of N.A.'s thought-provoking single.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNdUssMqP-c[/youtube]
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Dom Kennedy – The Yellow Album (Mixtape)
It goes without saying that Dom Kennedy has a penchant for cranking out summer-friendly joints. Some of the best warm weather anthems can be credited to the Leimert Park legend in the making (check out the classic Dom K. cut "Watermelon Sundae"). After a much felt hiatus Dom has marked his return with the release of his highly anticipated project,The Yellow Album. In addition to guaranteed slick rhymes courtesy of Dom K., the tape boasts production credits from Fly.Union and THC as well as features from Too $hort, Rick Ross, Niko G4,Kendrick Lamar and Freddie Gibbs. With Wednesday marking the official start of summer, kinda summer would it be without a dope Dom K. project to bump? (Download)
• Dom Kennedy | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | SOUNDCLOUD •
Other Noteworthy Projects
Upcoming Releases – June 26
That's all for this week's edition of Straight No Chase. Thanks for checking in and checking out our fresh selection of all things hip-hop. As always, feel free to comment on this week's tunes and/or offer up any suggestions for the subsequent edition of Straight No Chase.
