Recruiting the talents of some of New Orleans’ most legendary artist & musicians, producer/rapper Lyrics Born is proud to announce the upcoming release of his eighth album, Real People, set to drop in early 2015 via his newly formed Mobile Home Recordings label. Recorded entirely in The Big Easy by Galactic’s Robert Mercurio and Ben Ellman, the album follows the ethos Lyrics Born has maintained for his 20+ year career: continually looking to do things that neither he nor anyone else has done yet. The combination of his distinct voice, wide-ranging musicality, and sonic unpredictability has earned him respect from his peers and critics alike and endorsements from EA Sports games and Coca-Cola commercials, as well as inclusion in several motion picture soundtracks and television shows. Today, Lyrics Born is releasing a mixtape to promote the upcoming album, entitled, The Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Six, which is available for purchase now.

“New Orleans is the one true music town in American, maybe in the world,” states Bay Area-based Lyrics Born. “As an artist and a person, I identify with the culture, the sensibilities, the lifestyle, and the people. After releasing the ’80s electro funk feel of As U Were and the crazy eclectic ultra-lyrical Latyrx The Second Album, I wanted to do something really soulful, organic, earthy, and with an honest, unpretentious funk feel. That’s basically New Orleans.” The album’s strong cast of NOLA guest artists include Trombone Shorty, Ivan Neville, Galactic, Corey Henry, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The album also includes guest stars Corey Glover (Living Colour), David Shaw (The Revivalists), Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin & Wood), and more.

True to form Lyrics Born balances his trademark mix of clever, good-time party Hip-Hop with a strong dose of New Orleans flavored funk. Real People is perhaps Lyrics Born’s most honest body of work about himself and his take on the human race. LB shares personal experiences such as emigrating from Japan as a kid, fatherhood, the direction society has turned in post-great-recession America, while also celebrating adulthood and looking forward to the joys (and pains) of growing. As he explains it, “I talk a lot of foolish shit and cuss my ass off and explore my darker side on certain songs. Hopefully we get a good cross-section of ourselves to explore on this album.”

Earlier this year, Zion I has returned with their Libations EP, the second installment of a three part series the duo is working on. Libations is the follow up album to Master of Ceremonies, the first installment of their free trilogy, which focuses on high energy music where the listener feels invigorated and can be taken to a different state of mind. Complete with a multitude of artists and debuted by XXL, “Get Urs” is a new visual from the indie hip-hop fusion group. The video features flashy backdrops, iconic photographs and close-ups with each featured guest. The track was produced by Headnodic and features Mr. Lif, Kev Choice, Deuce Eclipse, Opio, and Sadat X spitting their own verses as each rapper stamps their unique brand on the video.

Introduced as part two of their trilogy, Libations is completely different from its predecessor. The album dropped via URB and features more emotion themes, specifically memories and reflection. Zumbi explains, “This project was heavily influenced by one of my best friends passing away suddenly. His death put me in a mood to really analyze my life and how short this existence really can be. It opened my eyes and heart to both the ugliness and beauty of what we experience while alive.” Hence, Libations broods with reflection and deep emotion. “To me, libation is when you honor someone by pouring out your brew before you sip, its a sort of prayer. On this EP, I poured out some liquor for my homie, as well as my family, and myself.” The EP features production from AMP Live, Headnodic, and newcomer Featherload, along with rappers Mr Lif, Sadat X, and Opio of Souls of Mischief.

Directed by Cory Ring. Produced by Headnodic.

After coming off the success of his recent solo album, Molly’s Dirty Water, Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief member A-Plus, gives the remix treatment to Deltron 3030′s, Zach De La Rocha-featured track, “Melding of the Minds,” premiering today at Mass Appeal. The original track comes from the highly anticipated album Event 2, the follow-up to Deltron’s underground self-titled classic, Deltron 3030, a group and project consisting of Hieroglyphics alumnus Del The Funkee Homosapien and producers Dan The Automator and Kid Koala. The album delves into themes of science fiction, artificial intelligence, and totalitarianism, and was praised by numerous music outlets.

With Del’s double-timed L. Ron Hubbard-inspired lyrics, matched with A-Plus’ dystopian boom bap production and Zach De La Rocha’s intensity, the track continuously reinvents itself and showcases A-Plus’ creativity, creating 4 remixes at once connected by each verse. “For verse one I did hip-hop style, a musical sample with a live drum swing on the drum programming, kinda dramatic, a lot like the original song in it’s vibe. Verse two I did a glitch-hop swingy style with all hand made sounds, a lot of work there. Verse three I did a club/hyphy bass style, straight-up Bay Area origin style. Verse four was a reprise of the first verse, but with me playing synths instead, to show of some of my musical training from my youth, no samples,” A-Plus states.

A-Plus is one of the founding four members of Souls of Mischief along with rappers Opio, Phesto, and Tajai, as well as the hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics, which include Souls of Mischief, Del The Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, and Domino. The rapper and producer has always been ahead of the game, with credits going back as far as the early 90′s including Souls of Mischief’s hip-hop classic, “93 ’til Infinity,” and songs on Hieroglyphic’s seminal work, 3rd Eye Vision.

This is the third release in a remix series that A-Plus began doing earlier this summer, first remixing Que’s “OG Bobby Johnson,” then Meek Mill’s “I Don’t Know.” His most recent solo venture was a concept album entitled Molly’s Dirty Water and was released earlier this year. This comes in addition to the Souls of Mischief collaborative album with Adrian Younge, There Is Only Now, which was released earlier this week and is available on iTunes and in various physical and digital packages. The Hieroglyphics crew are currently on the end of a rare East Coast tour, and have several dates in California approaching, including their annual Hiero Day festival on 9/1.

Sir Michael Rocks’ “Fuck SeaWorld” video created a stir last week, as the rapper/producer talked with MTV News about sneaking into SeaWorld to film it. Inspired by the documentary Blackfish, Rocks’ statement against the mistreatment of animals drew the attention of PETA, who shared the visual in support, even including the #FuckSeaWorld hashtag.

With his long-awaited solo debut album Banco, set to be released next Tuesday, July 29th, Rocks traveled to Los Angeles to team up with Iamsu! and Casey Veggies for “Bussin.” Filmed in a haunted mansion, the video premieres via AV Club. The audio released earlier this month, and has since eclipsed 130K listens on SoundCloud. Called a “perfect soundtrack for adding a little human sacrifice to your summer BBQs,” by Noisey in their debut of the single, the track is quickly becoming a club banger and house-party favorite. Complete with eerie balloons and suspicious decor, Rocks inherits the houses spooky vibes. “I wanted it to be like Jack Nicholson’s old scary movie with the twins in the hotel hallways,” he says in an interview with XXL, referencing The Shining.

The album, Banco, shows Sir Michael at his most inventive and features Too $hort, Mac Miller, Twista, Iamsu, Trinidad James, Casey Veggies, Robb Bank$, Pouya, and Chuck Inglish, as well as production from DJ Mustard. The album will be released on July 29th on his own 6 Cell Phones label and is available for pre-order. Sir Michael Rocks also recently announced via Twitter that The Cool Kids will be ending their hiatus and reuniting to release their highly anticipated album, Shark Week, by the end of the year. This will mark the first album The Cool Kids will have released since their 2011 album When Fish Ride Bicycles.

Follow the Ill Mind of Hopsin series and you’ll have a diary-like timeline of Hopsin’s rise in the industry from a hard-spitting, white contact lens-wearing rapper with an overcrowded MySpace account sitting in a dark, dungeon-like room in the first episode to a fearless, developed artist who’s toured the world and garnered nearly 200 million YouTube views, questioning God and his surroundings in the latest episode.

“Ill Mind of Hopsin 7″ takes place in an abandoned desert, where Hopsin bares the blazing sun and stares into the big open sky in search of a sign from a higher power. “The video shows me reaching out to God because I want a reaction,” says the Funk Volume co-founder. “I kind of talk myself out of believing in God. Not that he doesn’t exist, but I go through an emotional rollercoaster so sometimes I’m yelling, but I’m not disrespecting God – it’s that I want to get a reaction from him.”

Releasing every year on his birthday, July 18, Hopsin has a method he uses to create each Ill Mind episode. He typically begins the creative process for “Ill Mind of Hopsin” at the top of the month, explaining that he wants them to be as spontaneous as possible. He chooses a concept, then creates a beat reflecting the style of song he’s looking to make, then he ruminates on ideas, then he adds his lyrics. “I take down notes as if I’m writing a book, I write down all of the areas I want to cover,” he says, “then it’s connecting the dots at that point.”

Pep Love, a member of the legendary Hieroglyphics crew, best known for his critically acclaimed 2001 album Acension, fronts a one-man-band on his latest single, “Evergreen”. With eloquent rhyming prose, Pep shows why he remains a staple of the Oakland collective. Heavy guitar stabs and precise rock drumming play the background, while the lyrically-proficient MC finds his pocket and shows why he’s built to last as one of the tallest pines in the hip-hop forest.

The first single from Pep’s forthcoming Dolla Daily EP, which releases August 19th, is full of quoatables. “I’m trying to get my money up in a dump truck/ my lyricism like I hit em’ with a nun-chuck,” he raps, “pimp slap the track/ with a pack of zigzags and a big bag of that/ kick back relax.” The Hieroglyphics Imperium / General Organic Sound release focuses itself on the daily grind of acquisition and the pursuit of happiness through physical pleasure topped with an allegory of spiritual enlightenment with Pep as both MC and producer.

Earlier this month, it was announced that prolific Oakland hip-hop group Souls of Mischief joined forces with multi-instrumentalist producer Adrian Younge for a collaborative concept album, There Is Only Now, which will be releasing via Adrian’s newly launched label, Linear Labs, on August 26. Premiering this week, the first single and title song, “There Is Only Now” features Snoop Dogg trading verses with the Hieroglyphics quartet for the very first time. The song is now available for sale both digitally and as a 7″ single with the accompanying b-side, “All You Got Is Your Word.”

Taking inspiration from a real-life nearly fatal incident involving the group at the peak of their seminal hit “93 ‘Til Infinity,” in 1994, the concept album of There Is Only Now begins with Souls members A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai fearing for their lives as a masked gunman takes aim. What unravels throughout the 19-track masterpiece is a dramatic tale full of love, loss, and revenge, as fictional characters collide with a non-fictional event that nearly destroyed the group near the start of their career. On this title song (track #8,) listeners are introduced to a love interest between two characters, Stoney and his girlfriend Miriam. “Can’t nobody tell them nothin’, their love is unstoppable,” claims A-Plus, rapping bar-for-bar with Opio, who quickly adds “overcome any obstacle, together they will always grow.” Enter Snoop Dogg, who shares his perspective on young love, while also hinting at the development of a precarious love triangle, rapping “the homie Stoney in love with his girl, and so is his big homie/ now what a pity, a foot note to the cut throat/ it’s rare, see I was told all in love is unfair.”

Recorded solely on 2″ analogue tape using only live instrumentation, Adrian Younge and his band Venice Dawn offer break-beat drums, flurrying keys, and warm bass as the back drop for the Cali-bred MC’s. In addition to Snoop, the album includes features from Busta Rhymes, William Hart of the Delfonics, and Scarub of the Living Legends crew and narration by Ali Shaheed Muhammad who takes on the character of a radio DJ for the fictional radio station K-NOW, as he narrates parts of the story. “There Is Only Now” is currently available on 7″ single, with the accompanying b-side “All You Got Is Your Word.” With all iTunes pre-orders, purchasers will receive a free download of digital versions of “There Is Only Now” and “All You Got Is Your Word.”

Funk Volume emcee Dizzy Wright is gearing up to release a new mixtape, entitled The Golden Age. The project will be released on August 19th. Dizzy is also unveiling the mixtape’s glistening artwork, created by legendary designer and artist SKAM2?.

The mixtape comes as the lyricist has maintained a dizzying work ethic. In 2012, he headlined a 30-city tour across the United States, and then promptly jumped into his label Funk Volume’s 45-city international tour. He kicked off 2013 by being named to XXL’s 2013 Freshmen class, taking the fan-voted “People’s Champ” award. He will be performing at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival later this month before heading down under to Australia, where he is co-headlining a 10-city tour with fellow Funk Volume artist Jarren Benton. Yet, even in the midst of this jet-setting and award-receiving, Dizzy has been cultivating this new project. He emphasizes that, above all, the mixtape is “full of substance,” and emphasized the importance of storytelling in its creation. “It was inspired, mainly, by the storytelling of the 90s,” he explained.

Dizzy turned to legendary visual artist SKAM2? to craft the mixtape’s cover art. SKAM2? created some of the most iconic visual representations in hip-hop history, including Eminem’s Slim Shady LP and A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes, and Life. The artist/designer chose to showcase Dizzy’s connection to a bygone era as a son-mother relationship, inexorably connected. He explains how the visual came together: “I came at it from the angle of the mother being the era herself, nurturing and shaping Dizzy with the music. If you notice, the umbilical cord is coming out of the headphones. We wanted to incorporate things that would visually represent that era so I chose cassettes, vinyl and a turntable arm. The buds of course were Dizzy’s idea. I wanted the type to be retro and clean and the writing on the cassette to have an organic and aged contrast.” It was obvious to SKAM2? to emphasize the golden sheen: “As soon as I heard the title, It just seemed like a given that everything should be gold. Sometimes obvious is good.”

It’s astonishing to believe that is has already been 20 years since Oakland, CA rap group Souls of Mischief released their debut album 93 ’til Infinity. In celebration of their 20th anniversary Tajai, Opio, Phesto and A-Plus are going on a national 50 city Still Infinity Tour starting in Nebraska on June 18th. Souls will tour with a 7- piece live band and perform the entire album from beginning to end plus rare cuts and new tracks.

To commemorate this anniversary, the four-man crew will also release a remix of the single “93 ‘Til Infinity” featuring an all-star roster of talent (names to be announced this summer.) They will also act as brand ambassadors for a limited capsule collection with iconic fashion and lifestyle brand Ecko, who also turns twenty years old this year. The tour gives fans the opportunity to not only get limited Hiero merchandise but also a chance to preview upcoming material. Fans are also granted the option to purchase an Infinity Package ticket which allows them to meet the group after the show, receive an autographed commemorative poster, and sticker at StillInfinity.com

The Hieroglyphics collective which includes Souls of Mischief, Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien, Pep Love, and Domino will release The Kitchen LP on July 16th.

6/18 Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
6/19 Madison, WI @ Majestic Live
6/20 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
6/21 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
6/22 Rock Island, IL @ The Rock Island Brewing Co.
6/23 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
6/24 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
6/25 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
6/27 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
6/28 Patucket, RI @ The Met
6/29 Edgartown, MA @ Flatbread Company
6/30 Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
7/3 New York, NY @ SOBs
7/5 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7/9 Baltimore, MD @ Sound Stage
7/11 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
7/12 Virginia Beach, VA @Jewish Mother
7/13 Raleigh, NC @The Pour House Music Hall
7/14 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
7/15 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
7/17 Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggys
7/18 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
7/19 Charleston, SC @ The Pour House
7/20 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
7/25 St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
7/26 Orlando, FL @ The Social
7/27 Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
7/28 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
7/30 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
7/31 New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge
8/1 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
8/2 Austin, TX @ Red 7
8/3 Dallas, TX @ Trees
8/4 El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
8/6 Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater
8/7 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
8/8 Fort Collins, CO @ Hodi’s Half Note
8/9 Denver, CO @ Casselman’s
8/10 Durango, CO @ Animas City Theatre
8/12 Alburqurque, NM @ Sister Bar
8/13 Flagstaff, AZ @ Green Room
8/14 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
8/15 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
8/16 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
8/22 Vancouver, BC @ Venue Night Club
8/23 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe
8/24 – 8/25 Eugene, OR @ Kaleidoscope Festival

Von Pea, a producer, rapper, and member of the highly lauded group Tanya Morgan, is excited to announce the release his own solo album, Pea’s Gotta Have It. The album, a concept project themed around Von Pea’s high school days, will be released October 12th via Interdependent Media.

For Pea’s Gotta Have It, Von Pea reminisces of his days spent in the classrooms and at the lunch tables at Boys & Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. “My solo album is basically the album I always wanted to make in high school,” explains Von, who was inspired to make the album after discovering a long-forgotten journal. “It’s a concept album based around high school, around what I thought my album would sound like when I was 17,” explains Von. “In a way, it’s a goal I’m achieving late. It’s music inspired by my coming of age in Brooklyn.”.

In Pea’s Got To Have It, Von exhibits his classic sense of humor and wit by combining not only comical subject matter with more serious aspects but also with the genius subtleties and inside jokes that Tanya Morgan fans have come to expect. Von’s engaging rite-of-passage narrations include topics such as hollering at girls, suffering through detention, upholding music and fashion above real-life concerns, scheming on how to avoid bullies, or taking your ill-advised friends’ advice, to name a few. Von took full advantage of the liberties of creating his own album that were afforded to him by cleverly weaving parts of his past with his present day so it’s not accurate to call his album a period piece. “A lot of my material switches back between my 16 year-old self and who I am today as a 28 year old and although I’m talking about my own experiences as a male teenager coming of age in Brooklyn, New York, this album really speaks to anyone who’s ever gone to high school,” explains Von.

Despite being the primary producer for his group Tanya Morgan, Von Pea produced only three of the tracks for his solo album. “I think it’s kind of cool; it happened naturally,” Von says about not handling most of his own production. Similarly, Von’s surplus of guests on the album mesh together seamlessly despite their varying styles, largely due to the natural chemistry Von has with everyone on the album. “The best music comes from artists that have chemistry,” says Von. “So the vocal features are all frequent collaborators.”

Although the rapper has previously released solo side projects, Pea’s Gotta Have It marks his first full-fledged effort at a solo album, which took three years to finalize while also working on other music. “In the past I’ve put out projects just for fun and for free, not even trying to get buzz,” says Von, affirming, “This is my first solo album with original music.” As Tanya Morgan’s primary producer, and main contributor to the group’s musical sound, fans can expect a similar direction on his solo album. “My album probably sounds like Tanya Morgan, just with one person,” Von jokingly states. “But people like Tanya Morgan, so that’s fine with me.”

Von Pea – “The Yorker” (Mp3)

After 16 years, Fat Beats has announced the closing of the legendary label’s two remaining retail locations in New York and Los Angeles. Fat Beats will celebrate the legacies of the stores, which are scheduled to close in early September (New York: September 4th, Los Angeles: September 18th) by throwing a series of blow-out sales and tribute parties open to the public during their last weeks. Fans can check www.FatBeats.com for updates.

Fat Beats’ longest running and most famed location is at 406 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Since the 1994 opening of Fat Beats’ flagship retail location, hip-hop fans have traveled far and wide to visit the iconic store. With locations soon following in Los Angeles (7600 Melrose Ave.), Atlanta, Amsterdam, and Tokyo, the record stores were a place to experience hip-hop culture and its legacy, which became a global phenomenon. “The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away. They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye,” says DJ Premier.

The announcement of the closings is a reflection of the woes that have been plaguing the industry for years. Global chain HMV closed their last US location in 2004. Tower Records shuttered in 2006. Last year saw the close of the last Virgin Megastore, and the story is no different in 2010. For Fat Beats, maintaining two stores well into 2010 is a testament to the stores’ importance to the music and to fans and consumers continuing to support independent hip-hop.

While news of the stores’ closing marks the end of an era, the future is not doom and gloom. Digital sales continue to increase industry-wide; for Fat Beats, currently operating a profitable and growing online retail store, this has provided a boon to business as fans continue to order mp3s, vinyl, and CDs from FatBeats.com. Although digital sales continue to grow, executives at Fat Beats understand the importance of independent retail stores and are planning to re-open a brick and mortar hip-hop lifestyle location sometime in the near future.

The future looks just as bright for Fat Beats Distribution and the label. Fat Beats Distribution, which has been renamed FB Distribution, continues to strike noteworthy distribution deals with independent and major labels worldwide and is now working with different genres of alternative music. Fat Beats Records will continue to release notable albums from their own impressive roster of artists including ILL BILL, TruMaster/KRS-One, Black Milk, Trinity, Sha Stimuli, Q-Unique, and more. Fat Beats owner and President Joe Abajian says, “This is the start of a new era for Fat Beats. We’re adapting to meet the needs of our demographic by revamping and improving our existing systems. While our website, which stocks everything available in our retail stores, continues to do very well, we’re still exploring our options for alternate retail locations in the future. We’re proud of our legacy and will continue to re-invent ourselves. For now, we’ll see you online at FatBeats.com”

Acclaimed and controversial Jamaican-born emcee Cannibus is proud to announce the release of his brand new LP entitled C Of Tranquility. The 15 track album will be available on October 5th from Interdependent Media, the label responsible for releases from Tanya Morgan, Finale, J*DaVeY, Moe Green, K’Naan, and co-founded by Evan “TRUTHLiVE” Phillips.

C Of Tranquility, Canibus’ tenth studio album, features production credits from DJ Premier, Jake One, Scram Jones, The Bizness, J-Zone and Slopfunkdust and proves that he is just as on point now as when he was first hand-picked by Wyclef Jean for the sensational debut LP Can-I-Bus. in 1998. His widely-known lyrical prowess, along with a knack for creating songs that double as personal statements, is even represented in some of the track titles on the release. “Merchant of Metaphors,” “Free Words,” and “The Messenger’s Message” all deliver on their promise of insightful and dexterous wordplay. Having been deemed by several rap magazines as being one of the best lyrical freestyle rappers, Canibus recognizes this record as his opportunity to showcase his skills once again, implying that C Of Tranquility is the culmination of years of practice and progress. “Sometimes life will beat you down just to remind you that you’re alive,” Canibus said during a 2009 interview with Conspiracy Worldwide Hip-Hop Radio. “There’s no better time than the present to try and actualize your dreams.”

Canibus’ career dates back to the early 90′s, when he managed to make a name for himself by engaging in emcee battles with Wu-Tang Clan and the Def Squad, even before the release of his much-anticipated 1998 debut, Can-I-Bus. The record first appeared on the Billboard 200 at position No. 2, behind Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and went on to sell more than 500,000 copies in its first year. In 2000, he entered into the world of acting, holding a supporting role as “Mo Blak” in the Spike Lee satire Bamboozled. The same year also brought about 2000 B.C., his sophomore follow-up featuring the first collaboration of The HRSMN, a hip-hop supergroup composed of Canibus, Ras Kass, Kurupt, and Wu Tang’s Killah Priest. They would next come together on The Horsemen Project - a collection of demos and outtakes originally recorded in 2001 – which was released in 2003, immediately following his critically acclaimed fifth studio album, Rip the Jacker. This past February, Canibus’ Melatonin Magik entered in at the #91 spot on the Hip Hop Billboard charts. The single, “Airstrike,” was an internet sensation, garnering 1 million downloads in its first week.

On C Of Tranquility, Canibus is in peak-condition, establishing that nothing can slow him down, not even service in the United States Army or being lauded -prematurely, perhaps – by fans and critics alike as hip-hop’s next “Great One.” Ultimately, what has made him the rapper – and the man – he is today is his ability to persevere and to look to the future.

Trek Life and Oddisee continue to tease fans with another mixtape preceding the release of Trek Life’s sophomore album, Everything Changed Nothing. The mixtape, West Coast Beats, includes a concoction of snippets of instrumentals from the upcoming album, exclusive Oddisee beats, the first single, “So Supreme”, and an exclusive Oddisee-produced Trek Life track called “Get In Touch”, found only on this mixtape.

While Oddisee’s beats have a laid back California feel, he adds a strong synth that keeps reigns on the tracks and keeps them from becoming repetitive. The mixture of styles separates California music from its usual clichés by adding an urban feel. Oddisee says, “When I cruise LA and listen to those tracks I really feel like we accomplished what we set out to [do] with this album, giving a city theme music.”

The two full tracks on the mixtape, “Get In Touch,” and “So Supreme,” show how the blending of Oddisee’s beats back up Trek Life’s lyrical flow. Even though “Get In Touch” will not be on the full LP, it embraces the same theme as the album and is a good indication, along with “So Supreme” of the high quality of the music Trek Life and Oddisee have been making together.

Trek Life’s Everything Changed Nothing will be available at digital retailers on July 27th and physical retailers on August 10th via Mello Music Group.

Oddisee – “West Coast Beats” (Hosted By Trek Life) (Mixtape)

In “When You Rock & Roll,” emcees Cookbook, Uno Mas, and Evidence take turns giving heartfelt renditions of their own struggles with life as an artist; the ups-and-downs, successes and failures that come with being a musician staying true to their art. The song begins with a sample, “How much can you get for your soul?” While the subject is one that others have tackled before, the emcees avoid clichés by being honest. They don’t pretend to be above the influence of money, as Evidence raps “I know both sides of the fence” over the beats vocal chops, instrumental loops, and thick drums. “When You Rock & Roll” is featured on Cookbook & Uno Mas’ C&U Music Factory, out nowvia AudioSketchBook / End Of Earth Records.

LISTEN: CookBook & Uno Mas – “When You Rock & Roll” (Feat. Evidence) (MP3)

CookBook & Uno Mas – “When You Rock & Roll” (Feat. Evidence) (MP3) (Right Click & Save)

Nicknamed rap’s Bad News Bears, Metermaids, the New York-based duo comprised of Swell and Sentence, are releasing their mixtape, HELLO, mixed entirely by DJ Rob Swift, today on 27 Sound Entertainment. Having already released two singles to praise, including the Grizzly Bear-sampling “Yellow Tape” that peaked at #4 on The Hype Machine charts, the concept of the highly anticipated mixtape differs from the common fare of the mixtape world; taking a host of popular indie rock songs of 2009 and remixing each, Metermaids pull loops and chops from the indie tracks to create new canvases for the duo’s original concepts and songs. Fans will still recognize the melodies of the original, but they’ll nevertheless love the new lyrics, title and twist with each new track.

Perhaps, one of the most notable songs to be remixed is Metric’s “Help, I’m Alive”, into their own, “A Star Is Born.” Taking Metric’s recognizable opening line and applying it as their own opening line, they were able to mesh it seamlessly into their song’s lyrics. Although no lyrics were used, they also remixed The White Stripes’, “Icky Thump”. Using only the guitar melody, Metermaids, proven over the years as one of the more genre-crossing hip-hop acts around, turn the riff, again, into something new and exciting. Mixes that work so effortlessly together are difficult to achieve, but Metermaids and DJ Rob Swift have managed not only to make it work but have made it so they all feel like originals. “We called it HELLO because we felt like we were re-introducing ourselves to the world, and to ourselves at the same time,” says Swell. “Hello, we are Metermaids, and we like to have fun and make music together.”

Moving into the fall, fans can also look forward to Metermaids EP, Rooftop Shake, produced entirely by Grammy Award-winning producer, 9th Wonder.

Metermaids + DJ Rob Swift – “Hello.” (Mixtape)