Welcome to another installment of “The Beat Goes On” where we present you with the hottest rap joints on the Internet. I hope you guys are enjoying the summer, so far. We are going to flip the script on this column and present this week’s hottest mixtapes, first. So without further ado . . .
Just in time for summer, apparel company UNDRCRWN teamed up with DJs Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie to present Summertime the Mixtape that is hotter than an armadillo’s butt at a Texas picnic on the Fourth of July. It’s a FREE 49-song mixtape of classic summer jams that’s perfect for your next pool party. Just download and play.
DOWNLOAD: DJ Jazzy Jeff x DJ Mick Boogie – Summer The Mixtape
Although he’s a day late, Cleveland, Ohio rhyme-spitter Chip Tha Rapper shows his American pride with his latest mixtape offering, Independence Day. DJ Steph Floss is on hosting duties.
DOWNLOAD: Chip Tha Rapper – Independence Day
Houston rapper Paul Wall (aka “The People’s Champ”) is a changed man. Through the years, Wall’s unhealthy diet of pill poppin’, fast-food eatin’ and beer drinkin’ turned him into the “People’s Heavyweight Champ.” Last year, the rapper weighed in at a hefty 320 pounds and was struggling with weight-related issues, including diabetes. He went on a diet but that proved to be unsuccessful. “I tried doing it the legit way. I stopped sippin’ syrup, stopped taking pills . . . but it ain’t work,” Wall tells BallerStatus.com. “So I went out . . . and got [the gastric bypass] surgery. I lost 100 pounds, so I’m back at my fight weight. I’m ready. The champ is back.”
Paul Wall is indeed back. His new mixtape Sole Music features him spitting rhymes over head-nodding, guitar-tinged southern rap jams. Guests include Yelawolf, Pitbull and fellow Lone Star rappers Slim Thug and Dorrough. Now this is some good ‘ol sole food.
DOWNLOAD: Paul Wall – Sole Music (via Rap Radar)
Big Boi’s new solo LP Sir Lucious Left Foot . . . the Son of Chico Dusty is in stores now. But before you go out and cop the stankiest album of the summer, check out his new mixtape Big Boi’s Mixtape for Dummies: A Guide To Global Greatness. It’s a great music retrospective of Big Boi’s career both as a soloist and as one-half of OutKast. Tracks feature on the mixtape include, “B.O.B,” “Shutterbugg,” “Elevators,” “Kryptonite,” “Playa’s Ball” and others.
By the way, Big Boi’s Sir Lucious LP is one of the best rap albums of 2010. It’s a crunk-filled ride of beat-pounding southern rap that knocks harder than anything in music right now. If you need an OutKast fix, pick this up — it’s a great album.
DOWNLOAD: Big Boi – The Big Boi Mixtape for Dummies
**BONUS**: Big Boi — “Follow Us” (featuring Vonnegutt)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fp73J6VjII
Tanya Morgan rapper Von Pea just dropped a mixtape that should get you motivated for some hot quality music. So Motivational: The Most Skullduggery of Mixtapes is a teaser of great things to come from Von Pea on his solo debut LP Pea’s Gotta Have It (due Sept. 7). I included some of my favorite joints from his mixtape below. Enjoy.
Show em Up (featuring Che Grand) by Von Pea
Lookin Fly (featuring Donwill & Trackademicks) by Von Pea
Other Mixtapes:
Charles Hamilton – Well This Isn’t Akward (Winner Takes All) Mixtape
(via Rap Radar)
Gucci Mane & DJ Drama – Mr. Zone 6 Mixtape (via Hip-Hop Wired)
Capone-N-Norega – Camouflage Summer Mixtape (via XXL.com)
dead prez & DJ Drama – Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz Mixtape
(via Hip-Hop Wired)
More music after the jump . . .
I can’t stop listening to the Roots’ fantastic new LP How I Got Over. One track that is in constant rotation is the urgent song “Now or Never” in which rappers Black Thought, Phonte and Dice Raw speak on the need to make better life decisions because it’s “not cool being a fool.”
The Roots just completed a new video for their second single, “The Fire” (featuring John Legend). According to reports, the Philadelphia band will not appear in the video, which is set in War World II. The clip is being shot by famed director Rik Cordero.
The Roots – Now or Never (featuring Phonte & Dice Raw)
The Roots – The Fire (via Potholes in My Blog)
It’s been a long time since we heard anything new from rap legend LL Cool J. He’s currently the star of CBS’ hit drama NCIS: Los Angeles. Since he’s on a summer break from the show, LL decided to release this rap ditty called “Lovely Day,” a re-working of the Bill Withers’ classic. And after listening to the song, I think LL needs to stick with acting, for now. I don’t know what the hell LL was thinking when he recorded this track but it’s atrocious. LL, what the hell happened? Did Hollywood make you soft?
LL Cool J – Lovely Day (via Hip-Hop Wired)
Spragga Benz will star in an upcoming documentary called Shotta Culture, which details the life of the famed dancehall artist and explores the 2008 murder of Spragga’s son, Carlton Grant, Jr., by the hands of the police. An album of the same name will be produced by Salaam Remi who has worked with such artists as Nas, Amy Winehouse, Beenie Man, Ludacris, Jazmine Sullivan and others. Check out Spragga’s video for “Shotta Culture” below:
“King of the South did not exist before me. The term cannot be passed along unless I choose to pass it along.”
The King of the South will appear on the July/August cover of XXL magazine, which hits newsstands Tuesday (July 6). His upcoming LP King Uncaged is due in stores on Sept. 28.
It’s official! Nicki Minaj is the top female rap artist in the music game. The rapper’s latest single, “Your Love,” became her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Rap Songs chart. She is the first sole lead female rapper in eight years to debut at the top since Missy Elliott’s “Work It” in November 2002. Congrats!
Nicki Minaj – Your Love (via Def Pen Radio)
Other Hot Joints:
Finally, last week we lost an influential hip-hop icon. Rammellzee (aka Ramm:ell:zee or RAMMΣLLZΣΣ) died on June 30 at the age of 49. He was a multi-faceted graffiti artist whose career spanned into music, arts and film. The avant-garde rapper is credited for developing b-boy culture and is remembered for his 10-minute experimental song “Beat Bop,” which was produced by the late famed artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
If you have no idea who Rammellzee is then check out this DEFINITIVE 2004 interview with this reclusive hip-hop icon by veteran hip-hop journalist Greg Tate for UK’s Wire magazine. It’s a revealing look into the mind of a creative genius.
The Wire – Rammellzee: The Ikonoklast Samurai by Greg Tate
Rammellzee rapping (with a shotgun) in Wild Style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz24D-UyZwE
Rammellzee (Featuring K-Rob) — “Beat Bop”
Rest In Power, Rammellzee
