Tour Stories

Souls Of Mischief are still kicking around the old bucket? Classic new music that sounds like late 90s material? Ya huh.

We stay relaxing though,
skiing in Jackson Hole,
eating baked Alaskan,
steaming a bag of 'dro.

^ How I want to spend the rest of this life.

SOULS OF MISCHIEF - TOUR STORIES

Trifecta

It's beyond easy for any of these three cats to make loud annoying bangers about cake and cars. So when Nas, Luda, and Jay take the high road and make an honest ode to hip-hop culture over a layered chunky beat, it's better than good. Nice surprise boys. Pretty classic, even on the second listen.

I don't do it for the chains and the flashing rocks,
I do it for hip-hop.
^ Not sure about that one, but I like the premise.

NAS, JAY-Z, LUDACRIS - I DO IT FOR HIP-HOP

Mr President, You're The Man

Of all the presidential songs that are bound to start dropping like boulders, I'm glad Ali got em first. What a day. What an anthem.

I watched Obama's fundraising...
groundbreaking
and found out where it came from
Not corporations, but real folks donating
I mean I saw thugs reading newspapers,
People who've been ignored for so long
that they saw every reason to get involved
Start stepping forth
became a heavy force
and made their voice
change the presidential course..

Today I got my hand on my heart
I might just go plant a flag in my yard.

BROTHER ALI - MR PRESIDENT (YOU'RE THE MAN)

You Snorin On Us

Well if Detroit ain't pleasantly in the bldg. Full Clip's pick of the year, Invincible, drops yet another monster track featuring a little help from her (and our) friends, Finale and Black Milk. If there was a handbook on making raw hip-hop, this might be in the Table of Contents.

You can't stop the prophet.

INVINCIBLE - DONT SLEEP (PROD BLACK MILK)

Update: Guess Who's Back?

UPDATE: The track below has been changed to the full high-quality version. No cut-off.

Eminem has been ghost for what seems like a century in hip-hop time (with all these new jacks releasing mixtapes every week I can't keep track anyway). But...Slim is back. And frankly this isn't just back, this is the track of the month at The Full Clip.

Not because I'm hyped on Em either, far from it. This reminds me of the first track I ever heard from him in '99 on a random mixtape that had rewind on more than play...pure unadulterated straight hungry fire. And if this is a Dre beat, my god, these boys have been huddled up in the Bat Cave ready to launch war on the game.

EMINEM - I'M HAVING A RELAPSE

Mayer Hawthorne

This premiered on Giles Peterson's Best of 2008 a few weeks ago (BBC Radio 1), and has created quite the buzz since. Mark Ronson has been plugging the hell out of it too, though claims he has no idea who or what it is. Wale's success depended a great deal on Ronson so it's only imaginable what kind of success this kid has coming...

Little is know of Mayer, other than that he recently signed a deal with Stones Throw in some back alley & everyone thinks his new single is as bangin as Kardashian in a tub of oil. I told y'all doo wop and soul were back! Someone needs to sign me. Im a free agent.

MAYER HAWTHORNE - JUST AINT GONNA WORK OUT

There Can Only Be One King

If you are going to try to revive your career two decades into the game the only solution is to hop in the delorian to Brooklyn in '92 when you were way liver than you are now. Most old heads still trying to survive haven't figured this little trick out, but Consequence is rewriting the rulebook. SO good.

CONSEQUENCE - THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE

Love Lockdown

New Kanye track performed as the closer for the MTV Video Music Awards. Not a single rap on here, it's all Yeez singing. I will be liberating the official audio later today, but for now you can have the perfect quality live version below.

Kanye's new album coming in December haters. CHEA.

KANYE WEST - LOVE LOCKDOWN (LIVE)

Move The Crowd Like A Buddha Cloud

Doom has been ducking everyone recently, which has lost him some fans, but has finally reappeared on Jake One's White Van Music, which has a severe lineup, including Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Little Brother, M.O.P, and Busta Rhymes. Jake was the producer behind the De La Soul classic collabo with MF Doom Rock Co Kane Flow, so it's only suitable he hits us with another quality Doom track. Sounds like that old Madvillain.

MF DOOM - TRAP DOOR

Got That Black Star Shine

New Mos Def. Sounds unmastered so I wonder if it is the first single or what.

Opinions?

MOS DEF - THE GLOW

Cannibal O, Handle You Slow

It happens to be pure coincidence that Vordul Mega's new solo album has dropped so close to Vast Aire's Deuces Wild. Which is kind of a curse for Vordul, since Vast has outshined him fairly consistently since the jump. Still about half of Megagraphitti is better than most of what Vordul has released in the past, and might just be a little better than Vast's recent efforts.

Vordul's been up in Harlem bitching about life there forever now, so go out and buy the album to help him out.

VORDUL - STAY CONSCIOUS

VORDUL - PEANUT BUTTA UPS

Cool as a Clam Pete

I've been waiting forever for some new Cool Calm Pete, and this one just popped out of the woodwork on that summertime BBQ let's all get laid and drink lemonade vibe. I'm out for now to go find exactly where the above gametime huddle is going down. There's just something about knee high socks...

COOL CALM PETE - GITTY UP BABY

Straight Outta Mt. Vernon

CL Smooth is on the comeup again. The only problem: No one knows it.

Everything on The Outsider was straight heat, and managed to come with some modern sounding material without compromising CL's style. He proved that he didn't need Pete Rock too. And now this?! Junior Reid on the hook.

CL SMOOTH FT JUNIOR REID - FOREIGN MINDS

Note: Divshare is playing this track at 3/4 speed for no apparent reason. Click the blu(e).

Nasty Nasir

More new Nas for that ace. You know where the beat is from. Joell goes in on this one (which he damn well should on this kind of spotlight). He seems to be in a real Sadat X phase.

It's cool to love to win, but it's better to hate to lose,
There's only one Nas, bout a hundred thousand you's.

NAS - GHETTO FT JOELL ORTIZ

Track of the Month: Escape Earth

Diverse is possibly the best unrecognized cat, period. He works with Madlib, Mos Def, RJD2, and Vast Aire, but still manages to stay real under the radar, possibly because of the long gaps between projects. He has been missing from the scene since he dropped the simply amazing One A.M., but has just resurfaced on the Adult Swim project WorldWide.

I can't stop watching this video.

DIVERSE - ESCAPE EARTH

Nu Blu

It's been a minute since resident Full Clip favorite Blu popped his head above water, which keeps us steady holding our breath while a bunch of other releases moderately impress us. If you are going to continue to fill Q-Tip's shoes as the modern mellow G.O.A.T, we need more son!

I'm a classy man, ma'am, ain't no regular playas in here.*

BLU - THE CLASSY MAN

Previously:
∆ Blu - My Boy Blu
∆ Blu - Crachouse
∆ Blu - Love Don't

* DUKES breaks from polishing his cufflinks & wingtips to bounce to the beat.

It's a Cold World, But a Hot Summer

New unreleased Lupe Fiasco. I LOVE this jawn.

LUPE FIASCO - COLD WORLD

Best Thing

A lady friend of mine pointed out last night that I need to put up some more "female friendly" material up on The Full Clip. Which is probably true. I like El-P so much I forgot about ish like this:

Brand spankin new Hova and Usher collabo that's going to kill the clubs, big. Beat is bonkers. It reminds me of the higher quality R&B collabos I grew up on like Mary J & Biggie.

Jermaine The Palestinian Hobbit Dupri produced this one (seen above lurking).

USHER FT JAY-Z - BEST THING

Black Light Special

Ooooooooo. New Little Brother off the And Justus For All official album release I spoke about last week. One of the four new tracks added to the other already bonkers material on this album, which is helping this release be my favorite album of 2007 AND now 2008. Produced by 9th Wonder.

I'm going to put this up again:
Best MC - Black Thought
Best Group - Little Brother

Someone test the God!

LITTLE BROTHER - BLACK LIGHT SPECIAL

Swang On Em [Full]

A snippet of this leaked a month ago ... I rarely do this but I have actually been sitting around just waiting for it to drop for what seems like an eon now. Finally here is the full album version. Lupe absolutely DESTROYS this track.

One word: First.

BUN B FT LUPE FIASCO - SWANG ON EM