World Tour

Wale has terrible taste in kicks, but great taste in beats and hooks.

WALE - WORLD TOUR

And this marks the first post with a direct link. Just click on the blue song title for a straight-to-iTunes download.

Good Googley Moogley

I start droppin jewelery,
Her eyes went googley
She went home & Googled me.

Peter Bjorn John and Hip-hop

Peter Bjorn and John released Living Thing last spring, which was an unusual departure from their mainstay of indie rock into the realm of beats. Hip-hop heads took notice...especially Full Clip favorite Mick Boogie, who just put together a remix album titled Re-Living Thing (out August 27). Included are Talib Kweli, GZA, Wale, Little Brother, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and a handful of other top shotters.

On the lead single Jazzy Jeff keeps the "Summertime" vibe alive, while Pooh and Chaundon reminisce on being young and staying that way. I've been feeling old lately, so this is my new summer anthem.

PETER, BJORN, JOHN, AND LITTLE BROTHER - STAY THIS WAY (DJ JAZZY JEFF REMIX)

24k

Havoc and Rae take over my favorite downtown gear stop, sell all the kicks, keep all the cash, and then float. Real NYC video for a serious NYC collabo track.

In case you missed this gem the first time around:

J DILLA FT MOBB DEEP & RAEKWON - 24K RAP

Wale x Apple Juice Kid

Apple Juice Kid is a relatively new name on the production scene, but within the last year has produced the new Camp Lo EP, as well as that excellent Miles Davis remix project. He's flexed skills mostly on jazz beats thus far, but is proving with this new African dance beat for Wale that he's got much more fire in the future.

Got more green than Whole Foods.
- Wale Faloren

WALE - MY SWEETIE

Outside The Box

It's amazing what a white Jew from Manhattan can do to positively affect the hip-hop game in a matter of less than two years.

Since he stepped into the scene working for Hot97, Pete Rosenberg has successfully brought real hip-hop back to the masses, heavily promoting unknown but great artists like Oddisee and Folk & Stress (in addition to putting on those dope interviews at the 92nd St Y).

Here he is again hosting a new mixtape from Folk & Stress—two white brothers from the Big (Crab) Apple—heavily influenced not by the Def Jux's or Asher Roth's of the world but by that late 90s New York boom bap. These kids can SPIT.

I literally have been listening to nothing but these two joints all week:

FOLK & STRESS - 3RD BASS

FOLK & STRESS - GETTIN BUSY

OB4CL2

First single from Only Built For Cuban Linx II, produced by the man Dilla.

I was seriously disappointed on the first listen, since everyone is expecting something completely monumental from this release. The Dilla beat is known, and already released on a beat mixtape. The Wu hook is recycled, and expected. On top of that, this is the first single, and Rae knows that he better hit us with something that make his last few releases look like a joke.

That said, this has been on repeat all evening (gotta give it a 110% chance), and I agree with the majority of comments on the internuts, it's pretty fresh. It's nothing like anything on OB4CL, but there are moments. Ghost GOES IN. It's dope compared to most of everything else coming out right now. That's good enough, right?

RAEKWON FT GHOSTFACE, METHOD MAN, INSPEKTAH DECK - HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS