Droog returns with a new eleven track free EP. Doesn’t get much better than that…

Produced by Buckwild. From EFN’s Another Time LP, dropping March 3rd.

Following our reveal of the best major label hip-hop albums of 2014 earlier in the week, we now present our favorite indie LP’s of the year. As per usual, it was hard to find 10 inclusions for the major label list, and hard to narrow it down to only 10 on the indie list.

10. Step Brothers (Evidence + Alchemist) – Lord Steppington – Rhymesayers - Lord Steppington is unlike anything either Al or Ev have done thus far, which is testament to their versatility. It doesn’t sound like a Dilated album without Rakka, nor does it sound like, say, Albert Einstein from a production standpoint. Evidence and Alchemist have challenged themselves here, and ended up producing a dope, unconventional underground rap album, most likely dreamed up in the smokiest of atmospheres. Here come the lords.

9. Bishop Nehru + MF Doom – NehruvianDOOM – Lex Records – MF Doom teamed up with rising star Bishop Nehru for NehruvianDOOM, a solid collaborative album that found him laying down tracks for the young emcee. While some complained about re-used beats, we didn’t mind, as we don’t really listen to Doom’s beat tapes anyway. Sewn together brilliantly with Doom’s off kilter samples from various different sources, it’s rare we find Doom producing a whole album for someone, which made this a real treat.

8. Your Old Droog – Your Old Droog LP – Droog Recordings – It started off as some kid on Reddit proposing the idea that Droog was actually Nas in disguise, leading to a whole bunch of people accidentally checking for the Coney Island, NY rapper. What we found was an incredibly solid LP from a budding emcee with an airtight flow and classic, sample based production. Released on “Droog Recordings” this is the definition of an indie success story.

7. Apathy – Connecticut Casual – Demigodz Recordings – Connecticut Casual is a concept album, but isn’t as heavy as say, The Roots …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, for example. It’s a pretty straight-shooting, classically styled hip-hop record, but Ap ties the entire thing together by using his home state as a backdrop. Using the New England area’s rich history as a blueprint, he examines the state’s dichotomy of its Yacht-owning upper class, and it’s seedier crime ridden underbelly. Another well put together album, with very interesting, unexplored territory in hip-hop music.

6. Ras Kass + Apollo Brown – Blasphemy – MelloMusicGroup - Ras Kass and Apollo Brown’s, Blasphemy, is a concept LP that is more or less a crusade against organized religion. It’s also one of the best albums of the year, and quite possibly the most concise album that Ras has ever recorded. Ras has finally been given an equally yoked producer to match his sharp lyrical prowess.

5. Ghostface Killah – 36 Seasons – Tommy Boy – Where the Wu failed with A Better Tomorrow, Ghostface delivered with a literal “better tomorrow” releasing his excellent 36 Seasons LP just a week later. An incredibly tight-knit concept album with fresh, original live production from The Revelations, Ghostface Killah has long proven to be the Wu-Tang Clan’s most consistant member.

4. DJ Premier + Royce Da 5’9 – PRhyme – PRhyme Records – American dream team of DJ Premier and Royce Da 5’9 reunited after the success of their classic single “Boom,” for Preem’s first group project since the dissolution of Gang Starr. While the album showed both artists doing what they do best, we’d love to see how they mature as a group with consecutive albums as time goes on.

3. Statik Selektah – What Goes Around – Showoff - While not as high-profile as some of the other releases on this list, Statik Selektah’s What Goes Around was easily one of the most consistent LPs of 2014, especially considering its length. Stat has matured into one of the best producers in the game, able to zero in on that “golden age” sound, with an extensive guest list to help drive it home.

Pharoahe Monch – PTSD – W.A.R. Media – In his most focused and consistent LP since Internal Affairs, Pharaohe Monch has taken a real-life bout with depression and turned into one of the strongest independent LP of the year. He doesn’t try to recapture the success of “Simon Says”, nor does he try to crossover with Cee-Lo-esque gospel/soul tracks, despite his obvious singing chops. This is an unapologetically dark, incredibly well-written, musically sound LP that finds the emcee returning to greatness. Pharoahe Fucking Monch, ain’t a damn thing changed.

1. Run The Jewels (Killer Mike + El-P) – RTJ2 – Productomart / Mass Appeal – RTJ2 is a worthy sequel to the original that gets consecutively better with each listen, topping many of the industry’s year end lists across all music genres. It’s so far removed from what major labels have been pushing on us for the last few years, yet it sons them all with a smart, progressive, politically minded, and musically dope album that challenges the status quo, and reminds us why we still love hip-hop after all these years. It is possible that this album could mark a turning point for hip-hop music, so bump this shit like they do in the future.

Produced by El RTNC of Lesbian Date Night. R.I.P. MCA.

Droog spits some bars for Statik Selektah up at Showoff Radio on Shade 45.

Earlier this year, a Reddit user with a vivid imagination proposed that a buzzworthy Coney Island, NY rapper named Your Old Droog was actually one Nasir Jones, doing a secret underground side-project, and pitching his voice down to remain anonymous. When listening to his self-titled EP with that in mind, you might have even been able to convince yourself that this was the case.

Once the rumor mill began to spin, everyone began to see for themselves what this Your Old Droog kid was all about. Eventually his identity would be revealed as just an aspiring Russian-American New Yorker whose heart was in the right place. And his EP was dope.

As people began to instead spread word of his quality emceeing and keen taste for beats, the conversation became less about him sounding like a deeper voiced Nas, but instead of what a great new artist he is. As the year began to draw to a close, Droog expanded his EP to an LP, adding a handful of new tracks.

If you’re late to the party, Droog’s production is very reminiscent of early 90′s New York rap. Heavily sample-based and loop driven, there’s a bare bones approach taken on songs like “Bad To The Bone” and “Loosey In The Store With Pennies,” just to name a few. His flow is confident and clever, as he subtly delivers punch rhymes without being terribly obvious or overly punny. There’s no asking if you “get it?” or repeating the line slowly so you do, it’s the kind of thing you pick up on seventh listen.

And Droog’s got such a tight LP here that it will yield repeated listens. It does lack the polish and structure of modern hip-hop, but it is an incredibly refreshing change of pace. You’ve got an old friend in Droog.

Freestyles from Tony Touch’s show at Shade 45, featuring J. Cole’s Dreamville artist Bas, and buzzworthy newcomer Your Old Droog.

Produced DJ Skizz. DeathRow Tull EP dropping in 2015.

YOUR OLD DROOG LP is available now on iTunes.

From DJ SKizz’s upcoming BQE: The Brookyn-Queens Experience.

The mysterious and quite buzzworthy Your Old Droog will release an extended edition of his self-titled debut, Your Old Droog, on November 28th. The new version includes the 10 original tracks, plus 8 bonus tracks. Listen to the whole thing below, courtesy of NPR.

1. Quiet Storm Interlude
2. Bad To The Bone
3. Nutty Bars
4. Loosey In The Store With Pennies (Extended Version)
5. Good Times…
6. Droog’s Anthem
7. Gunsmoke Cologne
8. U 47
9. You Know What Time It Is (Extended Version)
10. Bye Outro
11. Free Turkey
12. Loosey In The Store With Pennies (Remix)
13. On The News
14. Boofanickoregs
15. The ’70s
16. 48th Street
17. Senseless Killin’
18. Bad To The Bone (Remix) – See more at: http://hasitleaked.com/2014/your-old-droog-your-old-droog-lp/#sthash.wUDwW7mM.dpuf

Droog: “Y’all wanted an MP3 of the Just Rhymin’ With Skizz 2 freestyle over DJ Skizz’s “Light Years” beat so here it is…. with better audio and additional bars. YOUR OLD DROOG LP (The EP + 8 more joints) drops this month. Fuck wit me.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Facepalm… This hurts to watch.

Produced by J-Zone (Drums) & Sacha Jenkins (Guitar) of Superblack.

The curtain is pulled back on Your Old Droog, who drops some bars on DJ Eclipse’s Rap Is Outta Control on Sirius’ Hip-Hop Nation.