Never Can Say Good-bye... (DJ Premier MJ Tribute Mix Inside)

I'm still having a hard time grasping the reality that Michael Jackson has left us. I can say with complete honesty that he was the first artist that I TRULY was a fan of, from a very young age.

His was the first poster that I ever hung on my wall, the first music videos that I really danced to, the first artist that I was excited to hear ANY and EVERYTHING about.

I hope that he finds in rest what he struggled to capture during his life on earth, and that is peace.

With all the fame and notoriety he had, it seemed as though people looked at him as more of a "thing"...an icon...than a person, but he was a human being at the end of the day. He was a father, a brother, a son.

I don't even know what else to say right now.

Please enjoy the tribute mix that DJ Premier has created in honor of Michael Jackson. The link is below.

DOWNLOAD the DJ Premier R.I.P MJ Tribute Mix HERE

DOWNLOAD "Never Can Say Good-bye" HERE

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN" - THE BEASTIE BOYS

You simply can NOT truly love hip hop and now show love to The Beastie Boys. These dudes have been doing in FOREVER and I question the judgment of anyone who fails to acknowledge their contribution to hip hop. I'm not going to go IN and write up the history of The Beastie Boys right now...but those of you who are uninformed should def do your research. They're without a doubt more hip hop that your favorite current rapper. I'll put money on that...LOL

Enjoy.

The Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "INCARCERATED SCARFACES" - RAEKWON

I believe this goes without saying...but Wu-Tang birthed more legendary hip hop icons than any other movement of the 90's. Collectively, their discography holds endless classic singles AND albums. And no one has been able to come close to what they've done since.

I know I show Wu CRAZY love on this blog...but what can I say? You can't ignore the obvious. I'm a purist and these dudes are pure, raw hip hop ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.

Raekwon's "Incarcerated Scarfaces" is just one of the MANY songs that hip hop heads will be rocking for YEARS.

I can't wait for OB4CL2 to drop!

Enjoy!!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON" - NWA

In my opinion, NWA was the ultimate West Coast super-group. Each member possessed talented that they could easily display on their own (solo). The music that they contributed to hip hop was ground breaking and broke down many barriers that todays hip hop artists have the luxury of avoiding.

Below is one of my favorite (and one of the MOST classic) NWA singles ...ENJOY.

SLAUGHERHOUSE x M.O.P x PREEMO (Video)

Check the video below...Showbiz, M.O.P, DJ Premier and Slaugherhouse...in the same room.

BONG.

Curtis - War Angel LP (Mixtape)

Curtis is back...not that he really left, but you know what I mean. War Angel is Mr. Jackson's latest offering of mixtape tracks. I'm listening to this for the first time as I type...so I can't tell you if I love it or hate it just yet. I can say that the production is hitting thus far (I'm only on track 3*). I can also say that so far, I have heard 3 or 4 "reminders" that he is indeed rich (for those of us who may have forgotten, I assume), 3 random "growls" , 3 R&B-ish hooks sung by Curtis and 1 Bobby Brown lyric reference for good measure. I'm just happy to have a new cd to mean mug to...lol

All jokes aside, this seems like a solid mixtape, which should be no surprise...we all know this is 50's forte.

Check the tracklist and download link below.

Shout to my family KAS & his producer, Frank Dukes, who laced 50 w/ track #2 - Talking In Codes



DOWNLOAD: Curtis - War Angel LP

THROWBACK THURSDAYS: "DAMN IT FEELS GOOD TO BE A GANGSTA" - THE GETO BOYS

The Geto Boys (consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill) formed in late 1980's, hailing from Houston TX and could easily be described as one of hip hops first hard core groups, discussing some pretty "interesting" things in their lyrics. This song is one of their best, in my opinion, but one that many people forget about.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "I NEVER SEEN A MAN CRY" - SCARFACE

I don't care what ANYONE says...Scarface is the KING of the South and has been for years. He and The Geto Boys opened the doors and laid the foundation for what would later become a movement.

This song is a classic and the video is pretty crazy too.

Enjoy

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "FRONT, BACK, SIDE TO SIDE" - UGK

Due to the fact that I spent half of my life in Texas (and still consider it home*), I HAVE to show love to UGK. They are legendary and an integral part of Southern Hip Hop and def. a group that I listened to daily, growing up. This song was the sh*t!

R.I.P Pimp C

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "SEX FACES" - SCARFACE feat. TOO-SHORT, TELA & DEVIN THE DUDE

This song is dope. Period.

ALERT: RARE BLUE LOBSTER DANGER!!!!

Now that the summer is here and temperatures are starting to rise...I know a great deal of people will be heading out to the beach and the water front, especially here in New England.

Plenty of fun can be at during this time, but it was recently brought to my attention that there is a newly discovered danger that we should all be aware of and pay VERY close attention to while at the beaches. The very dangerous and aggressive Blue Lobster.

Please, view the video below so that you can educate and protect yourselves and the ones you love.

Blue Lobster Danger from Frank The Butcher on Vimeo.

Captured Laboratory results.

For More Info, Click Here

UNDERGROUND PRIORITY: THE MIGHTY MOS DEF

To celebrate the release of Mos Def's latest album, The Ecstatic, which dropped TODAY, I've decided to pass along a "bootleg" project that RubyHornet came across in Chicago more than a decade ago titled "The Underground Album".

It consists of Mos tracks like Respiration (rmx) w/ Talib Kweli & Black Thought, Little Brother w/ Talib Kweli, Universal Magnetic, and more. I've also included one of my favorite tracks off of The Ecstatic, for download. Enjoy it and GO BUY THE ALBUM!!!

Tracklist + Download link below…

1. World Famous (Intro)
2. If You Can Huh You Can Hear
3. From Mos (Interlude)
4. All Praise Due
5. Respiration (remix w/Talib Kweli & Black Thought)
6. High Drama Pt. 3 (remix w/ Mike Zoot, Star Orion, The Jigmastas)
7. Body Rock (w/Tash & Q-Tip)
8. A Soldier’s Dream
9. Universal Magnetic
10. Tinseltown to Boogiedown (Ummah remix w/Lee Majors)
11. Shinjiro
12. The Love Song (remix w/ De La Soul & Da Bush Babees
13. Another World (Ambivalence remix w/Talib Kweli
14. Beautiful (remix w/Talib Kweli and Mary J. Blige
15. If It’s Alright (outro featuring Brixx)
16. Little Brother (w/Talib Kweli)

DOWNLOAD: The Mighty Mos Def - The Underground Album

DOWNLOAD: "Priority" off of The Ecstatic

MAX B'S WAVE CRASHES WITH GUILTY VERDICT... (Updated*)

Max B, formerly of Byrd Gang was found guilty (on 9 of 11 counts), this morning in a robbery that left one man dead. His rep has confirmed that this is factual, although details on how much time he will serve have yet to be reviled.

Case accusations state that Max B was the ringleader in a $30,000 heist that targeting two wealthy men, along with his step brother, Kelvin Leerdam and his girlfriend, Gina Conway, who was the prosecutions key witness in the case, testifying against Max in return for a less serious sentencing.

I will update this posting with new details as they are confirmed.

Shout to XXL.COM for the info

UPDATE - Max B's lawyer, Gerald Saluti, released the following statement:

“Max B would like to first thank all his family, friends and fans that have supported him throughout this trial. Please don’t give up on him at this point. Although the jury has spoken and Max has been convicted of felony murder, kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy a swift and successful appeal shall follow. It is inconceivable that a jury would convict Max under the facts presented by the State. Even Gina Conway the State’s own witness testified that Max knew nothing of a robbery.Ms. Conway, a jilted lover and proven liar, said so at the trial itself. Max said after the verdict was read that he is confident that justice will eventually be served and he will be free. Max intends to continue putting out music for his fans while the appeal process grinds along. Although shocked by the verdict, Max remained grateful.”

THROWBACK THURSDAY (SPECIAL ENTRY): MICK BOOGIE x MC HAMMER...

About a week or so ago, I mentioned the fact that my boy Mick Boogie was working on a mixtape project with MC Hammer, titled HAMMERTIME. This project is complete and its pretty damn good.

It features classic songs as well as some brand new remakes of Hammer's biggest hits, featuring artists like Mistah Fab, Izza Kizza, 6th Sense and Chip Tha Ripper.

Below is the cover art, track listing and link for the download.

Shout out to Mick Boogie & The Press Play Show

Enjoy!!





DOWNLOAD HAMMERTIME HERE

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "ASK OF YOU" - RAPHAEL SAADIQ

I am in an R&B mood today, so I figured I'd hit you all with something a little different today.

I hope you enjoy these.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "KNOCKIN THE BOOTS" - H-TOWN

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "STAY" - JODECI

I know that Jodeci fell off in the worst way, BUT these dudes were the KINGS of R&B at the height of their career. I love this song.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE REAL ONE, YES, THE PHUNKY FEEL ONE

I've been a fan of Cyrpess Hill since they dropped their self-titled album in 1991. I won't say how old I was...I will say I had no business walking around the house, sing-rapping "Stoned Is The Way of The Walk"...but I did...haha.

When "Black Sunday" came out a couple of years later, I was a bonafied super-fan, complete with giant Cypress posters on my walls and a full fledged crush on DJ Muggs (who is still one of my favorite producers).

I always looked at Cypress as ground breaking. What B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs and Eric Bobo did will never be duplicated. They were an establishment and that's something that the game is truly missing right now.

In honor of B-Real's born day, I'm posting my top 5 Cypress Hill joints...pun completely intended ; )

1. Cock The Hammer (off of Black Sunday)


2. Ain't Goin Out Like That (off of Black Sunday)


3. Latin Lingo (off of Cypress Hill self titled album)


4. How I Could Just Kill a Man (off of Cypress Hill self titled album)


5. Hand on the Glock (off of Black Sunday)

TRV$DJAM - FIX YOUR FACE Vol. 2 (Free w/ Re-Tweet on Twitter)

Ok, I promise this isn't going to turn into a (complete) confession of my undying love for Travis Barker (although I DO love this dude and that love was TOTALLY intensified after listening to this project...lol).

but I digress...

The point of this entry is to inform you that Travis and DJ AM aka TRV$DJAM have dropped their latest mixtape, "Fix Your Face Vol. 1 - Coachella", which features the fusion of Travis on the drums and DJ AM on the turntables, remixing everything from Michael Jackson to Metallica; There's something for everyone on there. The mixtape is available to download for free. All you have to do is log onto twitter and retweet their message about the cd (check the end of this posting for the link to do so*)

I don't think there are many words that can properly explain how ILL the combination is. AM is an amazing DJ and Travis Barker ( of Blink 182 & +44) is one of our generations most talented percusionists, in my opinon. I had the chance to catch +44 live in Boston about 3 years ago. Travis had just had surgery on his right arm / wrist, which was in a cast at the time. This man played the entire show and KILLED it, with one hand. I had BEEN a fan before then, but I know he gained some new ones that night.

You have to respect those involved with music who develope their skills, then flip it into something that no one else is doing...and then rock it until the wheels fall off. TRV$DJAM have seen success and lived through tragedy and still continue to keep it moving.

If you have a twitter account, click here and you'll be able to download the project.

ENJOY!!

La COKA NOSTRA & BUN B CHOOSE SIDES...

I just came across this La Coka Nostra (Everlast, DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, Ill Bill & Slaine) track, produced by The Alchemist featuring Bun B.

This is the first leak off of the groups debut album, "A Brand You Can Trust".

It's pretty tough in my opinion. Check it out, I'm interested to find out what the masses think.

Download "Choose Your Side" here

Shout to the homie, Slaine. So happy to see things crackin (consistently) for you.