Download – “The Announcement”

Download – “Shiny Suit Theory”

Here’s two new tracks from Roc Nation’s newest signee.  Hopefully this new record deal means that we’ll get to hear Jay Electronica’s highly anticipated Act 2: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) project soon.

Thoughts on Jay Electronica?

Download – “Live It”

Travis Barker lays down a smooth beat for Paul Wall, Raekwon, and Jay Electronica to reflect on, as Yelawolf ties the impressive verses together with his melodic hook:

“I deserve to play and spend a few days showing off,
Go outside and breath, roll down my sleeves and have a ball,
Still got these bills to pay and a family, I’m working hard,
But I got a life too, so I lower my shoes and I live it ya’ll.”

Paul Wall’s fifth studio album hit stores yesterday, but you can stream the whole project here.

Thoughts On The Collaboration?

Download – “Life Goes On”

The southern legends speak about persevering through life’s ups and downs on this Drumma Boy-produced single off of the upcoming Ten Toes Down album.

All three artists put forth serious lyrics about the game of life, but MJG’s verse best embodies the song’s theme:

“Some of our mothers and fathers are gone,
Our sisters and brothers are gone,
Our babies and children are gone,
But, Life. Goes. On.
And so you gotta be strong,
Because hard times do not discriminate,
They only intimidate bully and eliminate people without any faith,
And if it wasn’t for the pitfalls in my life,
I never ever would have learned how to climb out,
Some things you can’t be told or taught, some things you just gotta find out,
Some people go from millions to nothing,
Some people go from nothing to mills,
But what both of them got in common, neither one of them is happy still,
You can be a preacher or pack the steal, or whatever your tactics is,
Soo many people out here so fake, they need to take a break and practice real,
Pimp tight M J, tryin to live life, and trying to live good,
I played my part but I didn’t write the book.”

8 Ball & MJG’s eighth studio album drops on May 4th.

Jay Electronica – “The Ghost of Christopher Wallace”

Download “The Ghost of Christopher Wallace”

Jay Electronica released a new song today, and that rare occurrence deserves a post in itself, ha!  No he didn’t give us the much anticipated video for “Exhibit A,” but this Notorious B.I.G.-inspired track will do.

Jay Elect speaks on the current state of the game with his opening lines:

“The game ain’t been the same since B.I.G. died,
And Wu swarmed on New York from out that bee hive,
Don’t talk to me bout emcees got skill,
Don’t talk to me bout who’s the king of the hill,
Don’t talk to me bout who’s the best alive,
Or who’s in your top five,
Cause he’s not ill,
Real recognize real,
Stick to your deal,
Try to make a cool mill, off the single,
With that ringtone to bill,
In three years you’ll be nil.”

That metaphor about the Wu-Tang clan building buzz out of Staten Island, similar to bees coming out of a hive, is awesome.

Last night’s performances at NYC’s Highline Ballroom looked amazing!  Props to MissInfo.tv on the footage.

Any fan of lyricism will be all over this track from the moment they see its lineup. Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, and Mos Def have made a name for themselves with their history of impressive work, and it’s hard to think of two artists who have more respect in the underground lyricist realm than Jay Electronica and J.Cole.

Living up to their hype, the New Orleans and Fayettville, North Carolina emcees give two standout verses on “Just Begun,” which will also be featured on Reflection Eternal’s upcoming Revolutions Per Minute album.

Here’s an excerpt from Jay Electronica’s verse:

“Smile on my face, tears of a sad clown,
Feelin out of place as I whistle a cab down,
If I tip extra, can I huff a cig?
Blow my smoke out the window, droppin ashes on the bridge?
I’m in New York now, like Akeem and Semi was,
Tryna get the lobby door open from a semi buzz.
I just wanna go to the slum,
And throw my money on the floor like the Notorious B.U.M.,
Build a home, teach a class, start a revolution,
Free the mind, heal the body, talkin evolution,
This that black Elohim Anunnaki rap,
That Farrakhan Akeem Olajuwon Qaddafi rap.”

I’m impressed by how well Jay was able to work a shout out to the Notorious B.U.M. into his verse.  If you’re not familiar with the internet celebrity, be sure to check out his viral video as it’s pretty hilarious!

J.Cole walks away with the best verse and yet another outstanding feature.  For your viewing pleasure, I’ve included his verse in its entirety:

“Yeah, now here’s the memo,
I’m a rebel without a cause,
A bezel without no flaws,
And shawty, you straight, but you look way better without no draws,
Let’s sweat out this alcohol,
Bet I’m about to ball,
And never let up, look how I just crept up without applause,
Fed up with all the frauds,
And left y’all without a job,
The center of attention, this is clever, I’m Pau Gasol,
Really though, I’m LeBron,
Really don’t got my mind on this new school of rappers,
I would really go Columbine, and throw up the diamond sign,
Boy you know I’ma shine,
Flow is in Ramadan,
Cause couple years ago, the game had they pajamas on,
But now they on my dick, man, I should throw a condom on,
Ay, cause a nigga comin raw like I ain’t got one on,
And I ain’t stoppin nor coppin no pleas, I just lock and load, squeeze,
Dog, I’m on a higher level, I’m on top of nosebleeds,
Niggas say they sick, but when they write, they don’t sneeze,
Like that nigga on the block, wavin his glock but won’t squeeze, please.”

J.Cole’s line about throwing up the diamond sign after going Columbine on hip hop’s “new school” rappers is sick.  With every feature I hear, I get more anxious for the North Carolina emcee’s debut album.

Snoop Dog – Pronto (Featuring Soulja Boy)

“Pronto” is the latest single off Snoop Dogg’s tenth studio album, Malice n Wonderland, which despite having received favorable reviews, is one of the artist’s lowest selling releases to date (debuted at #23 in the US).

Ignoring the album sales, however, no one can deny that Snoop’s still very relevant in the hip hop game.  It seems like every week we get a few new artists spitting a freestyle to his “I Wanna Rock” track!

Snoop’s decision to team up with Soulja Boy caused some confusion with fans who brought up prior comments in which the West Coast emcee called Soulja Boy’s music “bullshit.”  In my opinion, Snoop’s original comments were taken a little out of context, and he recently met up with Soulja Boy to set the record straight.

Now even though “Pronto” will never be as popular as “I Wanna Rock,” the song’s hook will definitely get stuck in your head.  Soulja Boy uses autotune while singing:

“Pronto, you knowin how we ball,
She dancin on my draws, with my back against the wall.
S.O.D boys, got our money sittin tall,
While your money sittin small.
Let me make a phone ciz-all, ciz-all,
I’m callin up my boyz, they gonna bring the noise,
When we hit the dance floor.
My team hardcore, all the girls do adore,
I’m bout to do the game right, til my feet get sizz-ore, sizz-ore.”

In addition to laying down the hook, he also spits my favorite lines off the track with:

“Step on the scene, make the haters say damn it,
Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em hottest rapper on the planet,
Ya’ girl love me and I know you can’t stand it,
Goth-em city hoes, got ya boy Batmanin’.”

It’s hilarious to hear Soulja Boy giving as many shout outs to his haters as he does his fans!  The kid doesn’t let negative comments get to him, and it seems like he’s winning the respect of everyone in the hip hop community who takes a second to examine the young rapper’s work ethic and goals.

Az & Nas – The Essence (Remix)

Over the weekend, Baby Paul of Da Beatminerz gave us a remix to the Grammy-nominated track that he created over seven years ago alongside Mike Risko.  This new version is a lot more upbeat than the original, and has been creating quite a stir with its nostalgic feel.

The original track, which was featured on Az’s fourth studio album, Aziatic, had Az and Nas taking turns with lines on every verse.  This method of rapping made the track feel like a conversation:

“Az: You couldn’t catch us in a car without the bangers,
Believe, I touched a couple of movie stars and entertainers.
Nas: Indeed, one in particular, almost started to name her (ha, ha),
I was there when you first pushed up and started to game her.
Az: Been a long journey, certain shit just don’t concern me.
Nas: They ain’t hurtin shit; we flip, they hire attorneys.
Az: Yo I’mma stay custom, til I’m old, grey, and rustin,
Reminiscin’ the number of chickens that claim we fucked em.
Nas: Bet some badder hoes than them other funky rappers chose,
I’m tryin to wife a chick, light a spliff (okay),
This might be like another part to ‘Life’s a Bitch.’”

I’m feeling this remix, hopefully we get more of its kind!

A lot of talented got together for this “Untitled” track, and unsurprisingly, J.Cole kills yet another feature.

Nickelus F recently released a pretty entertaining video for his track, “Ugly,” which was produced by FusionUnltd.  The video’s concept of being on a dating show called “The Third Wheel” is pretty hilarious, and the skits worked into the video make it fun to watch!

We see Nickelus spit diss lines at an over-the-top, “ugly,” emcee, with the best lines coming from their rap battle.  Nickelus shuts down the emcee with:

“Nigga’s looking at me like he about to let the tool blaze,
Oh you smiling, I thought that was your screw face,
Oh my bad, look I ain’t tryin to scare ya,
Tired of your bad luck? Stop looking in mirrors.
I mean niggas be ugly for no reason,
Stay up too long and your eyes start bleeding,
Get me on the mic and your wives starts screaming,
Spit so long, have my iPod weezin,
I’m on it like ya chick be on dick,
She won’t hop off, I shouldn’t have took my top off,
Now I’m all on your chicken like hot sauce,
So I keep the biscuit,
My Pillsbury real scary,
I’ll poke your stomach make you vomit,
Put the heat to you egg heads, make an omelet.”

If you want to hear more from the Richmond, Virgina emcee, check out his take on Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C,” which he appropriately titled, “Exhibit F.”

Gyft – “They Just Don’t Know.”

As if the production on this track wasn’t enough, Gyft spits a whole mess of witty lines in the video for “They Just Don’t Know,” which was filmed in Memphis.

He wastes no time getting into the quotable lines, starting off the track with:

“I’m fresh off the block,
The hustler just returned,
I Deebo’d these niggas,
Now they call me big worm,
I’m the shit, according to the streets,
The town without Gyft, would make Memphis bleak,
But I don’t toss up Roc signs or diamonds,
But I might toss a nappy headed hoe like Imus.”

The reference to Memphis Bleek is pretty great, but my favorite line off the track comes later with, “The ladies love me, they say my armor shines/ Got so many tens, niggas thought it was the march of dimes.”  That’s hilarious!

Stay up on what the Memphis emcee is doing by checking out his informative blog.

Joell Ortiz – “Exhibit C Remix.”

Lately, there’s been an abundance of emcees going in on Jay Electronica and Just Blaze’s “Exhibit C,” putting their own spin on the title.  In an effort to keep this relatively short, I’m only going to spotlight Joell Ortiz’s “Exhibit C Remix.”

Joell uses this remix to give shout outs to everyone in the hood, from the cab drivers with enough heart to stop on his block, to local credit card scammers.

Here’s a quick excerpt:

“This for that kid in little league with that arm in center field,
And for his man that ain’t on the team (Why),
Cause the uniform costs too much,
You niggas floss too much,
This for people who feel bad cause they lost two bucks,
You rappers be tellin stories,
Of course you rough,
Of course you tough,
I’ll toss you up,
They do this all for them, I do this all for us.”

Joell ends the remix powerfully by saying that while other rappers are making music to bring attention to themselves, he’s perfecting his craft to benefit the hood as a community.  If you want to check out more remixes to “Exhibit C,” here’s Sha Stimuli’s “Exhibit S,” Playboy Tre’s “Exhibit ATL,” and Nickelus F’s “Exhibit F.”

There is no denying Jay Electronica’s talent, and with the handful of leaked songs buzzing around the blogs as of late, his buzz couldn’t be higher.  HD show footage via @GBMW

The epic intro to this Mike Posner track, featuring Big Sean and Freddie Gibbs, samples the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme song.  Both featured artists spit impressive verses on what is easily the best hip hop track off Mike’s latest mixtape, One Foot Out The Door.

Big Sean takes the first verse, and delivers a very Drake-esque performance, making me wonder if Sean has decided to change his flow and delivery.  Whatever the case may be, I now know Big Sean could be Drake’s voice double!

Even the lyrics put forth by Sean are similar to Drake’s regular topics:

“I need the best drinks,
I love the best hoes,
I roll the best weed,
And blow the best smoke…
I’m doin everything I planned to,
I’m with a girl that’s just too much for you to handle…
Respect a nigga doin everything that you can’t do,
Bitchhhh.”

No shots at Big Sean – dude’s a very talented lyricist, but the similarities to Drizzy on this track are too close to go unnoticed.

Freddie Gibbs kills his verse by bringing a lot of raw energy to the track, while talking about guns, drugs, and being too thug for the radio.

“Clip full of chips, and a blunt full of skunk,
25 to life charge in my trunk…
Baggin up the heiron, servin rocks,
Got my grandma house so hot,
More money more problems,
But I’d rather have the problems Puffy got,
Don’t want to be struggling like my dad,
Take a look back at this life I had,
The hood I threw up,
So when I grew up,
I knew I’d be Jordan, Michael, Fred.”

Those verses from Big Sean and Freddie Gibbs, coupled with Mike Posner’s hook, make this track ridiculous!

In case you’re not familiar with Gangsta Gibbs, peep our interview as he’s an artist you’ll want to keep an eye on.  Freddie has already dropped two of the year’s best mixtapes, and doesn’t plan on slowing his hustle any time soon.

Lupe Fiasco – Turnt Up (Freestyle)

It looks like during his last trip to Atlanta, Lupe Fiasco was introduced to the music of ATL’s hottest new group, Travis Porter. The Chicago emcee has made it known that he’s a big fan of southern hip hop, specifically Houston rap, and this freestyle furthers that notion.

Lupe has fun on this track, while reminding us of his upcoming album.

“I am on my Mmmm Hmmm, they are on they Ohhh Nooo,
I am really in here, they aint real like soul glo…
Find a Master before you come back into the Dojo,
Lupe got his mind right,
Nigga this is my mic,
And I’ve come to take it all back, like Miller High Life.”

It feels good to hear dope lyricism over crunk beats.

This freestyle made Lupe fans even more anxious for the upcoming release of his third studio album, L.A.S.E.R.S. (Love Always Shines Everytime Remember 2 Smile).

Jay Electronica – Exhibit C

This is the hottest song on the internet right now, as Jay Electronica and Just Blaze have done it again.  “Exhibit C” features the sick production and unique lyrical style that we have come to expect from everything Jay touches.

An example of Jay Electronica’s dope lines is, “Transforming with The Megatron Don spitting out flames/Eatin wack rappers alive, shittin out chains.”  In case you didn’t know, @TheMegatronDon is Just Blaze’s Twitter handle.  Similar to “Exhibit A,” this track is a must-listen for any hip hop fan!

Jay Electronica has built his reputation around spitting the weird, smart rhymes that will have you rewinding the track and sharing verses with your friends.

Check out all the lyrics to “Exhibit C” below.

“When I was sleepin on the train,
Sleepin on Meserole Ave out in the rain,
Without even a single slice of pizza to my name,
Too proud to beg for change, mastering the pain,
When New York niggas was calling southern rappers lame,
But then jackin our slang.

I used to get dizzy spells,
Hear a little ring,
The voice of an Angel,
Telling me my name,
Telling me that one day Imma be a great mane,
Transforming with The Megatron Don spitting out flames,
Eatin wack rappers alive, shittin out chains,
I aint believe it then,
Nigga I was homeless,
Fightin, shootin dice, smoking weed on the corners,
Tryna find the meaning of life in a Corona,
Till the five percenters rolled up on a nigga and informed him.”

That you either build or destroy, where you come from?
The Magnolia projects in the 3rd ward slum,
Hymmm, it’s quite amazing that you rhyme how you do,
and how you shine like you grew up in a shrine in Peru.

Question fourteen, Muslim lesson two, dip diver, civilize a eighty fiver,
I make the devil hit his knees and say the Our Father.

Abracadabra,
You rockin with the true and living,
Shout out to Lights Out, Joseph I, and Chewy Bivens,
Shout out to Baltimore, Baton Rouge, my crew in Richmond,
While y’all debated who the truth was like Jews and Christians,
I was on Cecil B, Broad Street, Master, North Philly, South Philly, 23rd, Tasker,
6 Mile, 7 Mile, Hartwell, Gratiot, where niggas really would pack a u-haul truck up,
Put the high beams on, drive up on the curb at a barbeque and hop up out the back like “what’s up!”
Kill a nigga, rob a nigga, take a nigga, bust up,
That’s why when you talk that tough talk, I never feel ya,
You sound real good and you play the part well, but the energy you givin off is so unfamiliar,
I don’t feel ya.

Nas hit me up on the phone, said “What you waitin on?”
(Q)Tip hit me up with a twit, said “What you waitin on?”
Diddy send a text every hour on the dot saying, “When you gon drop that verse nigga you takin long.”

So now I’m back spittin that heat, could pass a polygraph,
That Reverend Run rockin Addidas out on Hollis Ave,
That FOI, Marcus Garvey, Nikki Tesla,
I shock you like a eel,
Electric Feel,
Jay Electra,

They call me Jay Electronica,
Fuck that!
Call me Jay ElecHannukah, Jay ElectYammahkah,
Jay Electramadaan, Muhammad Asalaamica, RasoulAllah Supana Watallah through your monitor,
My uzi still weigh a ton, check the barometer,
I’m hotter than the muthaphuckin sun, check the thermometer,
I’m bringin ancient mathematics back to modern man,
My momma told me never throw a stone and hide your hand,
I got a lot of family, you got a lot of fans,
That’s why the people got my back like the Verizon man,
I play the back, and fade to black and then devise a plan,
Out in London, smoking, vibin while I ride the tram.”

I hope Jay Electronica drops an album soon!