One half of the BOXCUTTER BROTHERS Mr. Ayatollah was recently on the BEE SHINE interview series….Take some time out to peep the jewelry duke….

When K-DEF announced that he was moving away from his MPC to focus more on software programming several years back, I was skeptical…..

WHY?

I’m not going to go into a long tirade on why I personally prefer hardware over software, but I will say that most of the software related program production I have heard tends to sound overly polished….In my opinion – Hip Hop is supposed to sound raw, it’s supposed to reflect the whole “making something out of nothing” DIY aesthetic….

I have been in state of the art studios with every expensive piece of gear imaginable, and sat in on other artist sessions for extended periods of time without hearing anything remotely flavorful or funky…..Some cats believe that if they stay “up to date” with all the new gadgets that somehow their music will become magically better, which is laughable at best…With that being said, I have to admit that after years of tinkering with his newfound approach – K DEF has actually convinced me that you can incorporate old sampling techniques and make them cleaner and bigger without sacrificing that “GRIT”…….

On “Unpredictable Gemini” KD displays a mastery of sonic engineering (listen to this on headphones if you think I’m bullshitting), cracking drums, layering, EQing, and all types of other shit that will make any self respecting producer wonder, “how in the fuck did he do that”?

Is it a perfect album, no….Is it something I will play all the time, no…But did he pull of some amazing shit that has yet to be done in this world of creative sampling – the answer is simply, YES…..

I gave BENEFICENCE’s newest offering “Basement Chemistry” some decent burn earlier today…He brings Inspector Deck, Masta Ace, AG, Dres, The Legion, and Chubb Rock into the mix for another round of 2016 vinyl treats…..Out now on ILL ADRENALINE…

HIP HOP TOP PICKS – “Anyway It Goes”, “Smooth Hardcore”, “Against The Grain”, “Blast This Shit”, and “Make It Hot”…….

ROYAL FLUSH is the special guest on the latest episode of the FOURTH AND LONG podcast…..He goes into detail about his dealings with IRV GOTTI, unreleased material with MIC GERONIMO, upcoming projects, BLUNT / TVT Records, his past beef with FREAKY TAH, and all types of other shit that should hold your attention….Running Time 1:15:00.

DOWNLOAD…..

Out of all the collaborations and projects PREMIER has dropped since the untimely passing of GURU – the “BLAQPRINT” with Queensbridge rhyme slayer BLAQ POET is at the top of the list for me (KOLEXXXION with Bumpy Knuckles gets a close second place)…..

It has been seven years since that album came out…..

I’m not quite sure what transpired between the two, but at this point it appears as if we won’t hear a BLAQPRINT 2…..My dude out in Sweden CLAAA7 took it upon himself to delve into the PREMIER & BLAQ POET files to assemble a collection of non album joints from the duo…..

TRACKLIST-

01. “2 The Stomach (Poet’s Coming)” [2004]
02. “Ain’t Nuttin Changed II” (Ft. MC Eiht & Young Maylay) [2009]
03. “Bang This!” [2005]
04. “N.H.B. (Nigga Hoe Bitch)” (w. The NYGz) [2007]
05. “Seen It All” (w. Screwball) [1999]
06. “We Gonna Ill” [2001]
07. “Vigilante” [Preemo’s VHS Remix] (w. Venom) [2010]
08. “Poet Has Come” [2003]
09. “Watch Your Back” [2006]
10. “Too Strong” [2009]
11. “Just” [DJ Premier’s JustRemixIt Mix] (w. Mark Ronson) [2008]
12. “F.A.Y.B.A.N.” [1999]
13. “A Message From Poet” [2003]

DOWNLOAD…..

You know it’s going to be a good day when you get to hear some brand new MILANO bars…Do yourself a favor and take a listen…

Peep this clip of the INVISIBLE SCRATCH PIKLZ cutting shit up at the NAAM convention that popped off last weekend….GET YOUR SCRATCH PATTERNS UP!!!

Those dudes over at FROZEN FILES (Schott Free & Matty C) recently blessed the airwaves with over two hours of RAEKWON selections…..Check in !!!

I have seen this CUT CHEMIST “Disco Is Dead” mix floating around for quite awhile but I never took time out to sit down and give it decent burn…..What a critical mistake that was because this mix is straight up nasty on numerous levels….Matter of fact, I double dare you to listen to this in it’s entirety and attempt to front….

Regardless of the questionable moves ICE T has made throughout the years, I still give him respect for his hardcore contributions, and connecting the west coast with east coast ZULU’s when he formed the RHYME SYNDICATE….

Luckily for us he recently linked up with the AMEN RA Afrika Bambaataa for a heavy round of Q&A….Please do not sleep on this one!!

With so much material dropping on a daily basis even quality releases fall through the cracks…You would think that with the aid of the internet it would be easier to find the fly shit – but with a over saturated marketplace you have to be vigilant when it comes to seeking out joints…

The Yo MTV Rap’s era is over duke, if you still believe in this shit you better roll up your sleeves and put some time in…..It’s still out there, but in 2016 I’m surprised when some people think it’s going to just fall in their lap…

HAHAHA…

On that note, take a listen this project by the slept on Cali beatsmith KANKICK for a midweek power boost…

The BUILT TO LAST CREW from France bless us with an avalanche of sample source material on their latest comp “300 Samples – Rap Francais”…..

WILL C probably has the biggest tape archives of Mr.Magic’s (RIP) radio show on WBLS that I have seen on the internet…If your on the hunt for some 1985-1989 Hip Hop morale you just found it trooper…..

PEEP….

Major shout out to that dude NES over at DIRTY WATERS for posting this unreleased Pete Rock joint from 1995 “Greenbacks”…..Soul Brother #1 is on the mic device and the boards, so please do not snooze if your on the hunt for more rarities to add to your rotation….

FRESH IS THE WORD..

PEEP…

One time DJ for King Sun, Mr. Looie Loo is the special guest on the latest episode of TIME MACHINE RADIO in Bushwick BK 1-13-16…..DEVINE starts things off, but in my opinion your better off skipping to Loo’s segment at the 65 minute mark because he pulls no punches when it comes to letting off heavy rounds of rare, under the radar, hard as nails break beats…..DO NOT SLEEP.

CHECK IN…..