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Over the past couple of weeks I've received a bunch of mixtapes that I've wanted to review, but I haven't had the time to do it properly. Now that the NCAA tournament is over (a dismal year for my picks, sadly, though the Commish didn't fare much better) I can get back on my grind and start giving these tapes the full attention they deserve. In the meantime, here are a few compilations from the past month that are worth checking out:
First up, Jersey legend K-Def recently released an EP with newcomer Dacapo, The Program. You could throw just about any emcee over a K-Def beat and have it sound dope, admittedly, but Dacapo manages to spit some nice verses throughout. Here's one of the better cuts from The Program:
K-Def and Dacapo - The Article
You can download the full EP for free over at From Da Bricks. Be sure to check out FDB's interview with K-Def as well, he has some interesting things to say about the costs of using samples. He also confirms that there will be an eventual "Best Of" instrumental album composed of his work from the 90's, something that's been rumored for a long time.
The second tape comes from Rhymefest, an emcee that's gotten a lot more attention for battling Eminem and ghostwriting for Kanye than for any music that he's put out as a solo artist. That's a shame, because he's actually a pretty good emcee. If Kanye would just hook the man up with some decent beats, more people might realize that. As proof, here's a track from the mixtape he put out with Mark Ronson, Man in the Mirror, over the classic Quiet Storm/Breakadawn beat:
Rhymefest featuring Daniel Merriweather & alpha. - Breakadawn
You can download Rhymefest's Man In The Mirror for free (or just stream it, if you're at work) over here. It relies a little too heavily on beats jacked from Michael Jackson, but overall it's a solid effort.
The third tape comes from Swiss deejays Boo & Chikano, who have just put out the latest installment of their ongoing Food For Ya Soul series, volume 3.5. It's filled with a bunch of old soul classics from the likes of Donny Hathaway and the O'Jays, which should be reason enough to give it a look. The highlight, however, comes in the form of a guest appearance from Bless 1 (like Rhymefest, a product of Chicago), who drops a verse over the beat from Jay-Z and Foxxy's Sunshine (which samples Kraftwerk's Man Machine):
Bless 1 - Sunshine '08
You can download Food For Ya Soul vol. 3.5 over at monotape.com.
And finally, in case you missed the announcement in yesterday's comments, He's Hers has rereleased his 2003 album, Permanent Midnight. It's available on amazon for 8 bucks. From what I've heard so far it's dope, but check back soon for a more thorough review.
4/8/2007 07:00:01 PM posted by Fresh