Just An Ordinary Day

Not sure who exactly Hollyweerd is, and B.O.B. isn't an automatic cosign, but this one could be straight off Aquemini. If the south keeps putting out this kind of smooth Nappy Roots x Outkast x Arrested Development-esque (!) material like this, the east might just stay losing in '09.

Name the last known album the poet at the end of this track is on, and receive some free dap.

HOLLYWEERD FT B.O.B. - ORDINARY DAY

Crisp Like Film

New Nas. Produced by the emerging 18 year-old beatmaker C-Sick, who was blessed with the opportunity to produce this track after winning the Big Tune Beat Competition. It's good to see Nas:

1) Not on another disastrous Salaam Remi beat
2) Giving the new generation a chance to make it

Heavy, heavy rotation.

NAS - FILM

McFly?

After months of incessant internet bitching and complaining, a few leaks, and unending anticipation ... Wale's new album with 9th Wonder Back To The Feature is finally here.

And while I hate to be the bearer of bad news, this is no A Mixtape About Nothing. Maybe it's 9th's increasingly flat production, or a slew of features from high-end artists doing nothing special, or the four songs that are months old...it's hard to tell. The pieces aren't all there.

That said, we love Wale. And want to love this tape. And in some ways do. Like the collabo track with Wale, Mark Ronson, and K'Naan, who go together like Marty Mcfly, hoverboards, and Deloreans.

WALE FT K'NAAN - UM RICKA

Download:
WALE - BACK TO THE FEATURE MIXTAPE

Mr Solo Dolo

Kid Cudi jacks Menahan Street Band's The Traitor. This is the second time they've seen shine from a major label artist, and hopefully not the last.

KID CUDI - MR. SOLO DOLO

Give This To A Blood, Let A Crip Walk On It

New Hov. Technically the first single off The Blueprint 3.

I wonder how Kanye feels about this one after just putting his whole soul into 808s & Heartbreak. Jay basically denounces autotune music, even though he and Kanye were rumored to have put down nearly four mastered tracks for Blueprint in autotune before removing them from the album. Regardless, when Jay speaks, everyone listens. Expect autotune to take a flop after this one. Thank god.

JAY-Z - DEATH OF AUTOTUNE

Slaughterhouse

The Slaughterhouse record is DONE. Expect a very pleasant surprise* when it drops.

If you haven't copped this absolute monster of a single yet, do it now. It is one of the best of the year, with some absolutely vicious Mike Tyson-style lyricism on all ends.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE - FIGHT CLUB

* Joe Budden's solo record was a serious bust (wtf happened Joey?), but it's usually a sure shot when the group huddles up.

The Mayer Is In Town

Stones Throw's rookie of the year Mayer Hawthorne has announced the release of his album, A Strange Arrangement, on 9.9.09 (two days before Jay-Z's new opus drops). You might recall Mayer's simply perfect first doo-wop single Just Ain't Gonna Work Out, which has built his buzz until now.

Here is a nice preview joint off the new album. You can also check out the lo fi homemade video for this here.

MAYER HAWTHORNE - I WISH IT WOULD RAIN

Extras:
• More on Mayer Hawthorne, including a short biography.
• Preview 4 tracks on BBC 1xtra.
• See his heart-shaped record.

New Mos Def

^Mos acapellas a new joint off the album in Osaka, Japan.

I can't say I was expecting very much from the new Mos Def album, since pretty much everything he has touched in the last few years has been a detriment to his past success. But after only one spin this is pretty damn redeeming.

It includes features from Talib Kweli and Slick Rick (!), production from the likes of J Dilla, Mos rapping in Spanish for an entire track, and a nice variety of bangers as well as some plain old classic Flaco. There aren't too many skippable joints on here. I'd like to drop about five tracks on you, but let's settle for two and a purchase.

MOS DEF FT SLICK RICK - AUDITORIUM

MOS DEF - TWILITE SPEEDBALL (PROD BY NEPTUNES)

Wahlay!

New Wah-lay Falorin* off his project with 9th Wonder Back to the Feature, which is already three weeks late from its scheduled departure of May 7th.

WALE - FAMILY AFFAIR

*Fun fact: Wale's real name is Olubowale Victor Akintimehin.