IAMSU! preps his Eyes On Me mixtape project for Feb. 24th. HBK finally teams with Mustard on the beat.

Mustard chimes in with a pair of new cuts with forward thinking electronic artists DJ Snake, Cashmere Cat and ZHU.

Mustard takes Rihanna and company’s “FourFiveSeconds” to the club.

Hit record. More new music from Kid Ink’s upcoming 2015 LP. Remix with B-Real is probably essential.

Co-Produced by DJ Freedo (Twice As Nice Productions), Ricky Mears & DJ Iknoso.

Okay okay. The Best & Worst lists are coming, slowly but surely. We’ll try to deliver one of these per weekday over the next few weeks. In between juggling my duties for Medium.Com/Cuepoint, regular HipHopSite.Com updates, and DJing, it’s been hard to find the time to do these. So let’s begin with 2014′s best major label album releases. Indie label releases up next…

10. YG – My Krazy Life – Def Jam – Initially we didn’t love YG’s Interscope debut, but as time went on it slowly grew on us. Fully produced by DJ Mustard, the album captured and subsequently resurrected the sound of the west coast, harking back to early classics from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and the Death Row era. We’ve heard the word “classic” thrown around when discussing this album, and while we have come around from our initial opinions on it, we still believe that it more borrows from the classics rather than lives as one. Still a solid out the gate debut from the young Blood.

9. Common – Nobody’s Smiling – ARTrium / Def Jam – Truth be told, Com’s Chicago-centric Nobody’s Smiling LP was better in theory than in execution. Despite No I.D.’s sometimes too experimental production, in terms of poignancy, what he was saying about the city’s gang violence epidemic far outweighs the topics of pretty much anyone else on this list. For that alone, it deserves inclusion. Lyrically on point.

8. Rick Ross – Mastermind – MMG / Def Jam – Due to his bloated, excessive persona, Rick Ross is the rapper we love to hate, however damn if he doesn’t pick good beats. At least he did on Mastermind, while Hood Billionaire was made up of more dumbed down, baller anthems. Mastermind found the then still heavy-set Ross channeling his inner Barry White with soulful samples and lush grooves, as he describes his over-the-top lavish lifestyle. We ain’t mad at it.

7. DJ Mustard – 10 Summers – Google Play – We’re going to go out on a limb and put Google in the “major label” category, considering they probably have more money than Def Jam. Mustard’s 10 Summers was the hottest producer of the year’s answer to Dr. Dre’s 2001, even paying homage to it in the opening sketch. He accomplished what YG’s My Krazy Life couldn’t – variation – by simply extending the guest list. The all-star cast of all the biggest names in hood hits rounded out 10 Summers nicely, creating an album of anthems suited for radio and the club.

6. Childish Gambino – STN MTN / Kauai – Glassnote / Universal – While Gambino’s Because The Internet topped a lot of the industry’s 2014 year end lists, it actually was included on our 2013 year end list. We had since moved on to his brilliantly crafted STN MTN / Kauai project, which is marketed as a mixtape and an EP, but really was an album in two parts. Gambino trolling in true fashion once again.

5. Eminem – Shady XV – Shady Records / Interscope – Face it, Eminem’s scraps and leftovers are better than most people’s albums. Who knows how much of Shady XV was meant for The Marshall Mathers LP 2, but this indirect sequel featured even more mind-blowing rhymes from the original rap genius, while showing off the talents of his Shady 2.0 roster. Lyrical miracles are back, bitches.

4. The Roots – …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin – Def Jam – …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is a highly pretentious concept album. However, it’s also good. And it is very digestible, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, marking The Roots shortest LP to date. So it doesn’t require large amounts of patience. Like any solid album, it gets better with each consecutive listen, and its theme becomes apparent the more times you hear it. Bravo.

3. Schoolboy Q – Oxymoron – TDE/Interscope – Following Kendrick’s good kid, m.a.a.d. city, Oxymoron is largely an album that seems untampered with by pesky A&R’s. Amidst Q’s cinematic tales of gangbanging and drug problems, he also impresses with his delivery, lyrical styles, and dark, subterranian production. Oxymoron is a triumph of a rap album, because it signifies a return of “underground” rap to the major label scene.

2. J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive – Dreamville / Columbia – The best-selling rap album of the year (650,000+) is from a semi-conscious rapper who rhymes over his own self-produced beats built around funk and soul samples and drum loops. Sorry Iggy, sorry Nicki. A change gon’ come.

1. Big K.R.I.T. – Cadillactica - K.R.I.T.’s second LP for Def Jam may be one of the lowest selling albums on this list, but it’s also quite easily the strongest. It’s probably hard to market a Southern artist that raps about important topics, produces his own beats, and makes albums that sound like they belong in the Outkast catalog. Maybe that will change next year.

Over at Cuepoint, writer Dan Hyman speaks with DJ Mustard, who pulls the curtain back on the creative process behind hits such as Jeremih “Don’t Tell ‘Em,” Fergie’s “La La,” and many others.

DJ Mustard’s Secret Ingredients For Producing A Hit

YG’s a little pissed he got snubbed by The Grammys.

We’re now a few months removed from DJ Mustard’s debut album, 10 Summers, which he initially gave to fans for free via Google Play. One of the definite stand-out records was the big collaboration with Lil Wayne, Big Sean, YG and Lil Boosie for “Face Down.”

Mustard has already dropped music video for his Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz-featured “Down On Me” and “Ghetto Tales” with Jay 305 & Tee Cee, but for “Face Down” he goes the lyric video route, which arrives premiering today.

Fergie’s on the comeback trail with the support of DJ Mustard and YG. The beat tho.

From Baby Yu Presents Snow The Rebirth, a compilation of Jeezy remixes produced by Baby Yu & friends. Tracklist for the set is as follows:

1. Intro feat. DJ Drama
2. Jeezy – Bottom Of The Map (Produced By: Baby Yu)
3. Jeezy – Get Ya Mind Right (Produced By: Baby Yu & Nebo)
4. Jeezy feat. R. Kelly – Go Getta Remix (Produced By: Baby Yu)
5. Jeezy – I Love It (Produced By: Baby Yu)
6. Jeezy – Me Ok (Produced By: Baby Yu & JayCeeOh)
7. Jeezy – My Hitta (Produced By: Baby Yu, Play-N-Skillz & Scott Summers)
8. Jeezy – Trapstar (Produced By: Baby Yu & BSSMNT)
9. Jeezy – R.I.P. (Produced By: Baby Yu, Fki 1stDown & Thrizzo)
10. Jeezy feat. Akon – Soul Survivor (Produced By: Baby Yu)
11. Jeezy feat. Jay Z & Andre 3000 – I Do (Produced By: Baby Yu & DJ Jazzy Jeff)
12. Jeezy feat. Kanye West – Put On (Produced By: Baby Yu & Aliby)
13. Jeezy feat. Ne-Yo – Leave You Alone (Produced By: Baby Yu)
14. Jeezy feat. Beenie Man & Ty Dolla Sign – Link Up (Produced By: DJ Mustard)

Diggy: “First release off of my upcoming EP Out Of This World. ‘Ain’t Bout’ To Do’ feat. French Montana. Put this in your whip, on your sound system, in your headphones, turn it up LOUUDDDD!! Enjoy :) JetSettersUP”

On this episode of GGN, DJ Mustard speaks with Snoop about his new album 10 Summers, their just announced collaborative mixtape Hot Dogg Wit Mustard and more.

From Life + Times: “JAY Z’s Life+Times and vitaminwater® present the next episode of the new documentary series “Where I’m From.” This episode follows Los Angeles DJ and producer, DJ Mustard, detailing the success of Rack City and having to hustle by staying up all night to develop his production to continue releasing more hits. He discusses how his uncle inspired him to be a DJ, and taught him through doing house and yard work that you have to work for what you want.”

Visual piece from DJ Mustard’s 10 Summers LP for “Ghetto Tales,” which takes a cue from Eazy-E’s “Boyz-N-The-Hood.”