Rashid Hadee (Chapter 13) – Dedication

Rashid Hadee

Let Go Download
Surrender Download
from Dedication (2007, Neblina Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

Dedication the long awaited solo album by Rashid Hadee of Chapter 13. Dedication is a musical journey through the unpredictable streets of Rashid’s hometown, Chicago. The beat maker/MC emphatically states, “It’s just like the most amazing city to me. The scenery, the people, the strive, the hunger, the hustle, the ladies, and just the emotion I peep daily from myself and other people all influence me musically and personally. Just like they say in the song “Respiration”, I can feel the city breathing. That’s real though, I just express everything through music and my everyday living…”

The talented producer has laced tracks for MCs such as Little Brother, Common Sense, Psalm One, Thaione Davis and Special Ed. He has even shared production duties with fellow Chi-town native Kanye West on Abstract Mindstate’s “Still Paying” album. Rashid’s production credits include the gems “Watchin’ My Moves”, “Demonz” and “Do the Math” by Skinny Kenny.

Rashid’s work has appeared or been highlighted on MTV.com, Hiphopsite.com, Hiphopgame.com, DJ Mag (UK), Stealth Magazine (Australia), Rapmullet.com, Violatordjs.com, Spitkickers.com, Hip-hop-elements.com, MVRemix.com, Out4Fame Magazine (Australia), Serie B Magazine (Spain), IGN.com, Platform8470.com, Webbeatz.de, Thick.com, Legacy Magazine and many more. Rashid Hadee and Neblina Records get a big co-sign from Audio1, so stop sleeping and pick this project up!

Binkis Recs – The Reign Begins

Binkis Recs.

Bullit Download
That’s What I’m Talking About Download
The Reign Begins Download
from The Reign Begins (2007, Serious Knock)
More music & info @ http://www.myspace.com/binkis

Binkis Recs is one of the pillars of the Atlanta hip-hop scene. Formed in 1997, the trio is one of the scene’s gatekeepers, mentoring younger artists and serving as a link to the salad days of the late ’90s when left-of-center rap thrived through local acts such as Massinfluence, Scienz of Life and Micranots. Even DJ Drama got his start as part of the Binkis camp.

The Binkis crew – Flux da Wondabat, Killa Kalm and Jax – have issued several CDs over the past decade, but only one got national distribution (2003’s The Reign Begins). The album has been re-released, courtesy of Serious Knock. If you slept the first time around, You have time to catch up.

Common – Finding Forever

Common

Southside Download
The People Download
from Finding Forever (2007, GOOD / Geffen)

When you wake up in the morning, You may hope that everything you’ve done you can look back on and be proud of. Many Hip Hop artists cant always do that considering a lot of them are doing things like ’shucking’ and ‘jiving’ in order to make that buck. Many of them are afraid to make good music because there just wont be dollars there when the music is finished and completed. Common (formerly Common Sense), 7 albums and numerous cameos into his career as a true lyricist, hasnt done anything to be ashamed of. Before this album was released, He said he wanted to make music that was from the heart, because that music lasts forever. He’s accomplished that. Now the question is, “How is the album?”. Its magnificent and it holds true to what Common has always done, He’s made powerful music. Now in comparison to a product like say, his last album ‘Be (2005)’, It doesnt quite fall short as much as the intensity is not exactly equal to that. The 12 (13 possible) tracks on Finding Forever find themselves overshadowed by the power work he did on the 11 tracks of Be. That being said, The album is still good enough that its easy worth more than any of the 10 dollar bills you will be using to pay for it.

Timm (aka Omniscion)

Phaorahe Monch – Desire

Pharoahe Monch

What It Is Download
So Good Download
from Desire (2007, SRC)

Pharoahe Monch’s new release has proven that the man is above the normal constraints of conventional hip hop and in some other dimension of the soul. Desire is pretty much Pharoahe fooling around with things that he likes. There are many different tones to this album and when I listened to it I could feel that he was having a bit of fun with the performance of it. Of course he did his normal Pharoahe Monch thing, and at the same time, he went a couple other enjoyable directions. The cover of ‘Welcome to the Terror Dome’ has gone straight into my rotation of tracks. The skit after the track ‘Lets Go’ have become an enjoyable joke with more than a couple friends of mine as we can occasionally break into the ‘Have you have a stranger’ chorus line when making fun of any fool who brings up masterbation. This album is music to be listened to and not just bumped.

Timm (aka Omniscion)

Iller Than Theirs – To Be Ill

Iller Than Theirs

To Be Ill Download
Razor Bumps Download
It Is What It Is (feat. Cool Calm Pete) Download
from Iller Than Theirs (2007, Embedded)

ILLER THAN THEIRS is a reaction to all things bloated & phony, boring & corporate, fancy & fashioned, and dead & robotic. It is a bar-room brawl of a record, honestly eccentric, somewhat instructional, wildly colored and a little bit ILLER than the rest of ya’ll. Iller Than Theirs is the group made up of MC’s Tone Tank and Krayola, and produced almost entirely by J. Howels Werthman. On this, their debut self titled album, producer/DJ Snafu from Embedded crew Junk Science contributed a beat and got busy with the cuts. Other guests on the record include label mates Cool Calm Pete & Baje 1 of Junk Science, Jah-C from the Project (Glow In The Dark Records) and the legendary Masta Ace even appeared long enough to bust a verse, poof! For more info, visit http://www.myspace.com/illerthantheirs

Guru’s Jazzmatazz 4

Jazzmatazz

State of Clarity (feat. Common) Download
Living Legend (feat. David Sanborn) Download
from Jazzmatazz 4 -The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger “Back To The Future” (2007, 7 Grand)

Jazzmatazz 4 gives you all that goodness you’ve come to expect from the stellar partnership of Guru with Super Producer and fellow New Yorker, Solar. Many talented friends also come through on Jazzmatazz 4 to bless the record and be a part of its tradition including Slum Village, Common, Blackalicious and many others who lend their unique voices and styles to the album.

Bonus: State of Clarity (Remix) Download