Alkota – Bang These Beats Vol.1 (Instrumentals)

Alkota comin' thru with his latest drop.

http://www.alkotabeats.com/hip-hop/alkota-bang-beats-vol1-instrumentals/

High School High.

High Times - The Best Of High Times - Issue 63: Ganja Guide 2012 (Magazine)

Back in the days, when I was a teenager, in high school, there was this older chick I was checkin' for that was down, not a b-girl but down all the same, who was also diggin' me back which was a rare occurrence at the time.  She would be missing class pretty regularly and be sleepin' when she was in class, and I eventually found out why.  One day during lunch we were in the library catching up on all the work she missed in our math class, and she was like a backpacker which is probably what got me into her in the first place, she lugged around a large heavy backpack, and I'm wondering what the fuck you need such a big back pack for when your ass ain't ever in class.  She went into her backpack to get a binder to copy the work but then the also came out with issues of High Times and I mean like a whole volume of issues and she knew types and mixes and shit.
A couple days later she was talkin' about going to a friends house to get some chronic at a lunch and I ain't see her again after that.

Access Immortal-Foundation (Feat Dayz Da Empora,J.D. Nero, Jukstapose,Verse Essential & Fess

This is the joint I'm burnin' hard in the iPod just now.

Dreamland Apparel.

I was sniffing around my man Sol Infinite's blog today, whom, by the way will be providing the sounds for my yet to be named spoken word album, details to come, when I came across this company he was shouting out.  Being a cat that likes to find new wear brands I decided to check it out.  They gotta lotta hype pieces but this one in particularly I'm diggin' hard.

http://dreamlandapparel.com/product/victory

Fuzz Jackson Ft. MindsOne - Outta Ya Zone.

My man KonSci of  "Pizza And A Movie" fame got y'all a preview of the Fuzz Jackson album that he produced. 

AIAIAI x Fool’s Gold Records - Pipe w/ Mic (LIMITED EDITION) - Black/ Yellow (Earbud)

You could go around looking like one of those pretentious assholes in the Monster sized Beat By Dre headphones, or you could exercise class when rockin' your latest joints around town.
If you're a real audiophile, than you know that these'll do and you don't have to keep your backpack handy when you wanna put them away.

Backpacker Anonymous.

Durkl - Weekend Ripstop - Red (Bag [Backpack])

With the debut of The Downrock Records Digital Distribution on the horizon featuring my spoken word drops the scary inevitability of writing a lot comes with a pleasant bonus.  Backpack shopping.  yes I'm a backpacker, I don't care what y'all thugs think.  I pack a writing book of my musings in a rhyming form.  Where I differ from the typical backpacker is that I don't show up at concerts standing in front of the stage, motionless, waiting for the performer to finish so that I can run back stage to battle him from my custom scribbled raps.
This bag will be perfect for my moleskine, Sharpie and Papermate, I'll save the Jansport for next winter.

Fuck Ya Life!

What's there not to love about this shirt.  So jealous.

http://creativejuicesmusic.com/2011/12/new-fyl-t-shirts-for-2012/

Carolina Black's Latest.

 Carolina Black - The Key Of Black ALBUM SAMPLER by AR Classic Records

Bout to drop on the 17th, check out what you get!

Boshok Clothing.

Now I'm not all crazy about this new 'snap-back' fad for the simple fact that I've always worn one due to my misshapen head.  So moving on from that, what I'm diggin' about this hat is the font on that 80's styled lined background.  It's a very fly hat.

http://www.boshok.com/previewProduct.php?shopid=21

The Other Guys - Revenge of The Geeks.

Y'all are about to learn more about the cats who are about to change the game.  The Downrock Records interviews The Other Guys.

Iz:  How did y'all come together to form The Other Guys?

The Other Guys:  We're cousins.  We started working together in 2005.  We honed our production skills first and did beats for various hip hop and R&B artists.  And we eventually realized that it was in our best interest to simply focus on working with one another than constantly trying to work with other artists.

Iz:  Who are you biggest influences in music?

The Other Guys:  PM Dawn, George Benson, Quincy Jones, Dj Muggs, Just Blaze, Wu-Tang, Bjork, Portishead, and a ton of musicians we can think of lol!

Iz:  How do your other vices "geek vices" influence your music?

The Other Guys:  For example, we're movie geeks so the entire album is filled with film clips.  We love film so we tried to incorporate that into our work as much as possible.  We're also tech geeks and I think we've made music with every piece of popular hardware and software there is.

Iz:  What is The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth about?

The Other Guys:  First and foremost, we always loved the sound of the phrase.  Mighty Joe grew up in a religious household and was always fond of "The meek shall inherit the earth".  We wanted to make it our own in a way and decided to change it to represent us and who we are.

Iz:  How are you looking at incorporating your wider interests in future music projects?

The Other Guys:  For our new work we're using even more orchestral sample progressions such as heavy string and guitar changes among other things.  We're also trying to blend samples with the live synths and keyboards in a way that we haven't done before.  We've always felt that the artists we love think outside the box and are willing to try different things with their music.  We're simply trying to follow in their footsteps and  grow as musicians as well as artists.

http://otherguysmusic.bandcamp.com/

The Physics.

This joint made my day right here, After wakin' up with a nasty headache and things.  Stumbled on it just when my headache went away. Bonus!  You'll dig it.

Bear Swagger.

Back in the day, before everyone started doing everybody else's look you would go out of your way to find the rarest joints, be they kicks, clothing or accessories.  Bear Swagger joints are coming out of the U.K. so being out here you got investigate their wears so that when a cat's looking to bite you, you can take comfort knowing they ain't gonnna be able to find it in the mall.

http://www.bearswagger.co.uk/

Caught In Traffic - Gigio/Josef Blo.

Got this in the mail.  It's nice, you'll dig it, go get it.

Self Taught - Self Taught Life

Slangin' citrus they say.  Forget it, a weed joke would be too easy there.  The video's hype, so check it.

Chamberlain Drive.

The homies from B.C.  got at me with this drop and it's got a real nice 90's feel to it.  You'll definitely feel the B.C. vibe on it.  Yeah, I mean that smokin' pot all day vibe.  Matter of fact that's probably why it took them five years to drop it.  I'm just playin'.  But I'm probably right.

The Other Guys.

The dopest thing about running The Downrock Records, is when cats like these two get at you.

Verse Essential - Like It Should Be.

My man Verse hooked me up with his latest joint.  Still out-hustlin' 'em.

Shabaam Sahdeeq Feat. Skeezo - This Is.

My man Alkota, came through with the heat on the beat for the latest Shabaam drop!

The Flight of The Concords.

The latest craziness when it comes to kicks has been the re-issued drop of the Jordan 11's a.k.a. Concords.  Over the years, the design has taken a few hits, with the most obvious being the disappearance of the Nike swoosh logo and material changes and so on.  What stays is the Jumpman logo and that patent leather upper that started a trend among sneaker manufacturers trying to capture the same market to lesser success.
These were  among the best Jordan kicks to rock in the streets, cuz if you have any fashion taste you can really only consider 1-6,9 and the 11's as street worthy, in your jeans and still look fly when you went on the court.  They cost a bit more nowadays and the quality ain't the same but if you're a sneaker head, you know you ain't gonna be down if you ain't got 'em.

http://www.nike.com/jumpman23/index.html#/footwear/378037-107?idx=72&cid=378037-107

L' Orange - Old Soul.

Another one of my talented friends dropped heavy at the end of the year.  A free joint, and the promo video was hype.  He's promising to drop more so I'll keep you on that when he does.

Herma Puma: Disposable Rappers (Buscrates Remix).

I have got some truly talented friends.  This is a joint my fam Herma Puma dropped and I copped this morning.

Thorough - La La Da.

This was in my top 3 fav joints of the year from my man Thorough.  He dropped this track on me outta nowhere, that I just like to sit back and contemplate to.  He's a nice writer on this too, don't just think I'm diggin' it cuz the beats nice.

Tall Black Guy's Lost Drops.

BamaLoveSoul.com Presents Lost Tapes by The Tall Black Guy by Bama Lovesoul on Mixcloud

My Beat Inn fam member Tall Black Guy has these crazy joints he remixed over the years.  I'm spoiled off the free music I get from his team.  I'll keep you up to date more often on his drops cuz once you get this you're gonna want more.

Jet Cadet.

I'm envious of this brand because they're pullin' off the sci-fly theme.  Lookin' forward to seein' more drops.
http://www.jetcadet.com/

Sean Toure.

This is that joint, from that dude, from that album, that I said you could listen to with your moms.  Deep.  Word up to my man Sean Toure.

My Life.

Verse Essential - Ingenious: Deluxe Edition (w/ FREE Poster!) (Audio CD)

This was my favourite joint this year, not just cuz I know Verse but because it's motivating.  Verse himself is a very motivating cat when you hear his story.  Here's a cat who just loves hip hop, loves writing and being on the mic, and it show in the writing, his work ethic and his out put.  I listen to this joint  whenever I'm doubting myself, which is essentially everyday.  It's great knowing that there's another cat out there trying to do his thing and succeeding.

Iz:  What do you want heads to get out of listening to Ingenious in regards to you personally and in terms of their own listening experience?

 

Verse:  I want the listener to experience the feeling that they are going to pulled into something they never seen nor heard before. When the world listens to INGENIOUS: Deluxe Edition, I'm giving them my shoes to walk where I walk and see what I see. There are a lot of people who have my mixtape already saying what's the difference between my album and my mixtape with the same title and the answer is growth and maturity.  I been through a lot of shit and I got a interesting story to tell and I'm using hip hop music as my engine to tell that story with.

 

Iz: You have an impressive guest list on the album, talk about how the guest spots came about and the experience of working with those artists and why they were important for you to put on the album.

 

Verse:  I'm very honored to have done music with everyone on this album. All the guests are personal friends of mine and I admire each and every one of their own music. I'll tell you this, it was not easy getting everybody on my album but seeing how incredible the music came out, it was more than worth the stress.  My biggest achievement is when I completed "HEAVYWEIGHTS". To have Vast Aire from Cannibal Ox, Karniege, Swave Sevah, and Loer Velocity all on the same beat was mind numbing to me. I felt unstoppable at that point because I'm a big fan of all four emcees and now I get to music with them.  Another big acheievement is when I compleated "BETWEEN THE LINES" with C-RAYZ WALZ. I'll never forget years ago, I was walking from FAT BEATS in NEW YORK CITY and I ran into C-RAYZ as he was going into the studio. We spoke for a little bit. When I got on the train that night, I kept thinking to myself, "what it would be like to do a track with C-RAYZ".  I thought it would never happen until I met him again years later when I was recording INGENIOUS and I emailed him a beat and "BETWEEN THE LINES" was the result. The Lord's blessings works in mysterious ways. I'll tell ya.

 

Iz: What is your past experience in music whether it be in hip hop and/or music in general and influences played a role in you making music and getting into the biz?

 

Verse:  I gave up on having a career as a Hip Hop artist in 2006 when I got engaged believe it or not. What funny was that whole time, I was still writing a lot of music and treating myself like if I wanted to make a career out of rap. Fast forward to 2009 when I was blessed to get out of that unhealthy relationship, I made up my mind right then and there to chase my dream. And I'm happy to say that I'm making a name for myself achieving that dream. Hip Hop is my life and I don't know nothing else. That's why it's so important to trust your gut. Believe me, it never lies.

 

Iz: It was interesting that you had mentioned doing videos because it's not necessarily a priority among most indie hip hop artists but the exposure that Youtube and social networking combined can provide is undeniable.  As it becomes more important for artists to have videos in their folios do you feel that going into future projects, the way the song will look on screen in motion will influence how you make music?

 

Verse:  Absolutely!  I can't stress enough how important it is to provide a visual experience associated with the music. You can't make it in the music industry without making videos. It's virtually impossible. If you don't believe me, just take a look on how it was back in the day for rappers.  No rap artist back then were making videos but when VIDEO MUSIC BOX came onto the scene, that changed everything. Just look the amount of hip hop legends that owed their careers to the legendary Uncle Ralph McDaniels because he had them on heavy rotation on his show. Not to mention, the amount of other rap video shows giving rap artists AirPlay: MTV RAPS, 106 & Park, The Box and the list goes on. And now with YouTube virtually the biggest venue to get your video played to the public eye today, videos have became even more of a necessity for rap artists to survive. It's just something you must have to have a name for yourself in music. Lyrics and beats just tell one half of the story but a video shows the world what your really trying to say. That's why they are so essential. My goal is to shoot at least five videos and hopefully more for INGENIOUS: Deluxe Edition. Believe me when I tell you, I seen too many rappers put out mixtape after mixtape, never shot any videos, then after a while, they just crash and burn.

 

Iz: What do you have planned for your next album and what other projects are you working on?

 

Verse:  Oh man, my second album is going to be totally different from INGENIOUS: Deluxe Edition in every way. I won't give out no details yet but if you liked what you heard on my first album, you have no idea what your in for when you hear my second album. I guarantee it.  As for side projects, I'm working on a mixtape with my crew, EMPIRE NATION. That's going to drop sometime in May 2011 and trust me, that's going to be crazy. Big shout out all my peoples in EMPIRE NATION.  Not to mention, I'm doing a lot of guest appearance verses for other artists.  I love to keep myself busy.  Last but certainly not least on a non-musical note, I do photography on the side. It's a little hobby of mine which I love to do when I'm not doing music. I took the photographs that ACCESS IMMORTAL used as the album covers for AMERICAN ME and LAST SUMMER IN BROOKLYN 2 which I'm also featured on by the way.

 

Kashflow Ft. Black Duv and S.Gift.

I'm bumpin' this just now in my iPod.  You should too!  Cuz it's fuckin' nice!  That hook!  You crazy?!

Mark Steele.

This kid's gonna be an aboveground star next year.

One of my favourite new brands.  I've never really been a fan of the white t-shirt, but this is done just right.  A minimalist yet classy print.  Be on the look out for this brand in the future.

http://blog.paulwetherby.com/

The Downrock Records Digital Media Digivision Premier of Green Tank's Sharks In The Water.

The Downrock Records Digivision's premier video, I consider it The Downrock Records' MTV "Video Killed The Radio Star", moment.  Feels great.  Thanks to the Green Tank team for being down and believing in the future of The Downrock Records Digital Media.  Onward, upward, and outward gentlemen!

Beat Butcha - Lamb Chops Drum Kit (Digital Download)

Need your beats to knock harder?  Check the link for the hook-up.

http://hiphopdrumsamples.com/product/beat-butcha-lamb-chops-drum-kit-digital-download