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Hip Hop

Camille Michelle Gray – Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe (Kendrick Lamar)

Maryland singer/songwriter Camille Michelle Gray’s acoustic version of Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” (maybe our favorite track on GKMC) is really really good. The playing isn’t 100% perfect, you can tell that this performance was more of a one off, but Camille’s soulfulness and the skill with which she interprets Kendrick’s intricate lyricism are both of the highest quality. Camille’s definitely someone now on the b3 radar.

Camille Michelle Gray – Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe (Kendrick Lamar)

Camille Michelle Gray (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

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reviewed by
11-20-12

Wiz Khalifa – Gone (Feat. Juicy J)

Old Man Khalifa and the Juice Man trade some trippy rhymes about some of their favorite subjects including smoking expensive weed, buying expensive cars, and being Juicy J (We’ll leave it to you to suss out who raps about what).

Wiz Khalifa – Gone (Feat. Juicy J)

Wiz Khalifa (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

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reviewed by
11-19-12

Joey Bada$$ – Enter the Void (Feat. Ab-Soul)

Yeah this is heavy. J.B. let loose today the 70’s heroin soul-glide of “Enter the Void” as part of his “Waves” single package. A+ track.

Joey Bada$$ – Enter the Void (Feat. Ab-Soul)

Joey Bada$$ (Facebook)

Rating 8.5

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reviewed by
11-13-12

Big Boi – Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)

Big Boi strikes again with yet another mother of a collaboration with “Lines” on his forthcoming Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors LP 12/11/12. Preview the latest psych-funk blast into the future below.

Big Boi – Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)

Big Boi (Official)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
11-09-12

L’Orange – Alone (Feat. Blu)

“Alone” is new from NC producer L’Orange and his new The Mad Writer album. The smoky torch song-sampling beat on “Alone” is absolutely nuts and renders the track a must listen (and Blu’s rhymes aren’t half bad either).

L’Orange – Alone (Feat. Blu)

L’Orange (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
11-08-12

B.o.B. – We Still In This Bitch (Feat. T.I. & Juicy J)

Bobby Ray continues on that longest road back to street credibility. “We Still In This Bitch” starts with a big Mike Will beat, adds big features from Tip and Juicy “I Will say no to no one” J ratchet man, and ices it with that “street crunch” that ensures hip hop radio playlisting. Throw dem bandz.

B.o.B. – We Still In This Bitch (Feat. T.I. & Juicy J)

B.o.B. (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

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reviewed by
11-07-12

Masta Killa – R U Listening (Prod. Inspectah Deck)

Deck cooks that buttery smooth for the latest track from Masta Killa’s upcoming Selling My Soul project

Masta Killa – R U Listening (Prod. Inspectah Deck)

Masta Killa (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
11-07-12

ChrisCo – So Close (Feat. Mike Posner & Young Knox) [Prod. The Academy]

ChrisCo links up it collabs-man Posner and Young Knox for “So Close” from his new MI STATE OF MIND LP. Jams keep comin. Get into it.

ChrisCo – So Close (Feat. Mike Posner & Young Knox) [Prod. The Academy]

ChrisCo california (Twitter)

Rating 8.10923

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reviewed by
11-06-12

Curtis Williams – Face It

Curtis Williams drops off something fresh from his upcoming Half Forgotten Daydreams project. The breezy “Face It” glides on a nice buttery horn hook and five alive rhymes.

Curtis Williams – Face It

Curtis Williams (Twitter)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
11-05-12

Nas – You Owe Me (Feat. Ginuwine) (Sango Edit)

Sango, the W. Michigan-based beatsman, goes all the way with the Nastradamus-era (big and tall leather leisure suits no shirt, circular neon lightbulbed-rooms) Nasir/Ginuwine 90’s cooler refashioning it into The Style of 2012.

Nas – You Owe Me (Feat. Ginuwine) (Sango Edit)

Sango (Facebook)

Rating 8.3

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reviewed by
10-31-12

Kids These Days – Bud Biliken

The eight member cross genre group known as Kids These Days has been blasting all over the internet in the last year or so with various single releases. Most recently the talented Chicago based group dropped the track “Bud Biliken” from their forthcoming Traphouse Rock EP. For this pot inspired tune KTD sticks to the formula on this single, fusing hip hop over jazz, all mixed up with a blues type trio. KTD also heads out on a two month swing with Asher Roth and Chuck Inglish starting Nov. 1st in San Diego. Anyone else dig that Radiohead drop in the breakdown? By Brian Litwin

Kids These Days – Bud Biliken

Kids These Days (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

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reviewed by
10-29-12

Demrick & The Makerz – All The Wrong Things (Ft. Brevi)

L.A. based recording artist Demrick Ferm, aka De, is a West Coast Hip Hop rising star who manipulates a furious rhyme. Demrick’s soulful R&B style, raw street-cultured edge, and right-on verbal skills have him rapidly ascending from tread upon running dog and freestyler to industry experienced rapper. De, previously known as Young De, began rapping at age thirteen and left his family not soon after to pursue rhymes and the poshed out lifestyle he saw on the television screen. The rapper storyteller has since been rapped upon and collaborated with some of hip hop’s finest talents.

Demrick’s bright yet relatively short industry career began in 2005 when he met rapper and ex-Death Row executive Kurupt, who hails from the same hometown of Philedelphia. Kurupt encouraged De to move to L.A. and later produced the 2007 album From Philly to L.A. with the young freestyle rapper and his former Philly group Tangled Thoughts. Since his life changer move out West more than a few industry heavies have taken Demrick under wing. He is recognized as a steadfast protege of rapper entertainer Xzbit and Cypress Hill’s B-Real. De successfully lent his skills in studio as a feature rapper for both artists (as well as Cypress Hill) and he toured with all three hip hop acts.

In addition to his appearances as a featured artist with the likes of Snoop Dogg, the Soul Assassins, Too $hort, and Rusko (the English dubstep producer) Demrick also produced a number of mixed tapes with a bewildering and little-bit-motely array of guest artists and producers. De’s most recent seventeen track mixtape HeadsUP was released in early 2012. Demrick goes large with the extremely smooth yet pointed track “Burnout” which is produced by Grammy award winning Jim Jonsin (who will also produce Demrick’s debut LP).

Demrick is currently promoting his new not-yet-titled EP and his recently released free street-album entitled All the Wrong Things which is a collaboration with the production duo The Makerz. De shines with this project in a way that is so bright and promising it appears he is more than ready to run the show and finally, after so long coming up the ropes, have his own album. Props.

On the excellent title single “All the Wrong Things” Demrick and the Makerz team up with the very talented singer songwriter Brevi (who features on five of the album’s eleven tracks). It is a club banger track with fresh yet wise lyrics from De, a superb vocal assist from Brevi, and one seriously addictive hook. For all its simplistic brilliance, the collaboration kind of speaks for itself. Just go on and turn it up while you roll yo cause that shit is cash.

The newest video from Demrick and The Makerz is an in studio performance of their single “Day Dreaming”. The track which features Byanka Chacon is charged with De’s solid no-nonsense rhymes, some top-notch production highlights, and a sweetly alluring lyrical melody from Chacon. In this track Demrick rhymes a tall story straight and does so with enough blaze of wordy confidence, guts n’ glory street wisdom, and intangible star gaze to promote his new LP. After all, pure showmanship is what makes hip hop so damn entertaining. By Erin Feathers

Demrick & The Makerz – All The Wrong Things (Ft. Brevi)

Demrick california (Facebook)

Rating 8.0

reviewed by
10-29-12