Slum Village alum eLZhi spits gritty lyrics about his beloved hometown on "Detroit State of Mind," a remake of Nas' street ode "New York State of Mind" (from his 1994 classic LP Illmatic). The song will appear on eLZhi's Nas-inspired mixtape eLmatic, due out May 10.
Elzhi -- "Detroit State Of Mind" (Produced by Will Sessions)
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JR and PH7 are music producers from the U.K. who have recorded some phenomenal hip-hop albums (The Standard is my favorite) in recent years (check their discography). The duo's latest LP The Update boasts dope beats and rhymes with guest appearances from indie rappers Frank-N-Dank, Termanology, Rasco, Theory Hazit, Sean Price and more. A couple of days ago, Jr and PH7 released the video for their latest single, "Do It For You" (featuring Torae). The original version is okay, but I prefer the beat-heavy remix of "Do It For You" by producer Flip. You can cop the single on iTunes, as well. Enjoy!
When it comes to blogging about hip-hop, I do this for you.
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Black Milk is one of my favorite producers in hip-hop. His 2010 LP Album of the Year was a slight departure from his usual sound. Instead of crafting beats on the MPC, he utilized a live band who re-played the music he created on the machine. The end result was a chaotic and richer sound that could be also duplicated at a live show.
The good folks at the popular hip-hop blog The Smoking Section interviewed Black Milk during his New York stop of his Album of the Year tour. The Detroit producer discuss his approach when using a live band both onstage and in the studio.
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For those of you enjoying Four Twenty Day (4/20), here's a psychedelic clip from Detroit-area animator Steven Smith. No word on if Steven was indeed "high" when he created this video. Rest In Beats to J Dilla.
The clip was submitted as part of Stones Throw Records' video contest in which fans can create a video featuring any song from Stone Throw's music catalog. One winner will receive $1,000 and chance to direct a video for the label.
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Woo-wee! Do you want some hardcore? Well, here it is. Random Axe is a rap trifecta of MCs consisting of Guilty Simpson, Sean Price and Black Milk. The trio will drop their new self-titled LP on June 14 via Duck Down Music. This helluva-banging track, produced by Black Milk, is dedicated to Detroit's well-revered rap manager Hex Murda.
Random Axe (Guilty Simpson, Sean Price & Black Milk) -- "The Hex"
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