MIXTAPE OF THE MONTH
April: Logic | Undeniable
The fast-growing witty-rhyming Maryland emcee known as Logic has found himself in an envious situation after what seems like just a short while of being on the scene. On top of strong social followings, national performance requests, label offers, and plenty more, the dude has found a way to clock well over 100,000 first week downloads in his 4/30 drop, Young Sinatra: Undeniable.
Download: Young Sinatra: Undeniable
February: Mansions On The Moon | Lightyears
MOM take home the Mixtape of the Month, with their recent release Light Years, executively produced by Pharell Williams, you can stream and download the impressive new project below.
Download: Mansions On The Moon – Lightyears EP – iTunes | Free on Facebook
January: Dylan Owen | Keep Your Friends Close
Simply taking into consideration the easier and cheaper ways to categorize upcoming young lyricists today, stereotypes wouldn’t benefit Dylan Owen much. The blonde hair, blue eyed, upstate New York, one-year Ivy League attendee would be easy to throw in with many others that might fit that mold today, but Owen’s different…He cut a track with Mac Lethal as part of his 2010 mixtape Senioritis – major points.
Listing The KC underground king, Macklemore, Grieves, and plenty more as his influences and interests, a well-honed lyricism and knack for story-telling similar to his seniors definitely come off as Owen’s strengths. From the get-go, you can tell there’s a story that he believes is worth telling – and over the course of the 10-track compilation, lays it out clearly and interestingly for his increasing number of fans. Dylan Owen and his seemingly strong-knit team look like they have a good thing going…Download / stream in full below.
Highlights: “Bookmarks” / “Ghosts” / “Ithaca Is Gorgeous”
Download: Dylan Owen – Keep Your Friends Close
November: OnCue | Can’t Wait
For v.15 of our Mixtape Of The Month, the nod for November goes to the extremely well-received release from OnCue -Can’t Wait . Serving as this third full-length output to date, this latest compilation (very similar to both Leftovers & Cuey Sings The Blues) reads entirely as an album – packaged as a cohesive and unified work where it’s obvious every detail was thoroughly thought through. Where this release also was a huge winner in artistic progression, was on the production end – as resident sound smith CJ Luzi has shown impressive growth and cultivation on his end as well.
Fresh off crushing the national stage, OnCue is definitely poised for a big 2012 – check out the tape if you’re yet to, and don’t miss the chance to see him live this Saturday in Brooklyn for a homecoming of sorts – give yourself the chance at a free pair of tix here...
Download: OnCue – Can’t Wait
October: Kyle Lucas | Purple Cloud Thoughts
Another month, another batch of impressive releases, punctuated by the EP output from Marietta, GA native & Vonnegutt front man Kyle Lucas. Filled with attitude and clear-cut emotion, Lucas gives a seven-track compilation over familiar beats along with a couple originals from Simon Illa, and featuring verses from fellow ATL local STS. Purple Cloud Thoughts comes as the dude further cultivates his next full length release, as well as Vonnegut’s upcoming album - and as a sampler of the material he’s got in the works should leave fans to anticipate plenty more.
Stream / download below, and show KL further love at the links.
Download: Kyle Lucas - Purple Cloud Thoughts
September: Radical Something | We Are Nothing LP
After hitting you with the full streaming preview of We Are Nothing, now you can own the debut album release from Radical Something. Just month’s after officially the forming Radical Something rapper Loggy, singer Josh Cocktail, and DJ Big Red have created a 15 track full LP that is nothing short impressive. We Are Nothing is over 52 minutes of organically crafted easy listening that exudes a style and sound that is truly their own. Nearly every track was built with live instruments to either perfectly match or inspire the song writing of Loggy and Cocktail.
In addition to the hit singles “Be Easy”, “Escape”, “California”, “Long Hair Don’t care”, and “Come With Me”, We Are Nothing features 10 never before heard tunes that are each worthy of their own praise. When you listen to the album in its entirety is when you realize these guys have something very special going on. Their ability to create music with a positive, meaningful, message along with pop, hip hop, reggae & rock influences that make the music undeniably enjoyable.
Of the newest tracks “No Lovin”, “Lookin for Love”, “Hey Babe”, and “Freedom” stand out as my favorites. You can download below for free, but we highly encourage you to support these guys by purchasing and iTunes and leaving 5 star review if your feeling it.
RADICAL SOMETHING | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | RADICALSOMETHING.COM
If you’ve been following the Radical Something saga then you know it all began with a fateful all night studio session in NYC hosted by VibeToThis. There the original concept for was “Be Easy” was conceived and a day later turned into Radical Something’s first ever release with the”Be Easy” acoustic jam video, month’s before the trio ever knew this would be more than a one time collaboration. To learn more about their evolution checkout the links below chronicling their journey leading up to We Are Nothing.
August: Moufy| Boston Lights
August was a no doubt killer 31 days of mixtape releases, featuring winners from a wide range of characters and sounds. Yet all taken into account, none of those had a larger singular impact for the outputting artist than what Boston Lights has done for Moufy. The growth of the Boston-bred lyricist has accelerated like whoa over the last few weeks, rockin sold out shows, linking up with sports stars, getting a major write-up the hometown newspaper (awesome read), and plenty more in between.
Download the tape for your hip hop appreciation, regional pride, or old-fashioned support. Also peep the visuals below for the latest Beantown anthem if you’re yet to, and of course support at the necessary links.
Download: Moufy – Boston Lights
July: Sol | Dear Friends Vol. III (EP)
Lovely sounds continually coming outta the Northwest, today exemplified by Sol‘s anticipated 6-track EP drop of Dear Friends, Vol. III. The mix kicks off with some straight-up summertime vibes, so ease in and eat it up. Peep the words from the dude himself below, and stream/download for a nice ride.
DFIII, an eclectic collection of six songs, is the continuation of my evolution as well as an introduction for all those who have only recently tuned in or who will hear my music for the first time via this project. With a little bit of classic hip-hop, a little bit of genre-bending, and a little bit of baby-making music… no matter who you are I think you will like this EP!”
Download: Sol – Dear Friends, Vol. III
Continuing to lean into the summertime highs, June’s Mixtape Of The Month is handed to Cris Cab‘s infectiously positive Foreword EP. Following Aer’s content-rich release The Reach of last month, Cab’s extremely catchy 8-track work is another alternative compilation, yet a bit heavier on the kicked-back reggae vibes. Together these youngsters just wrapped up a few dates along the east coast, appropriate seeing they’re both respectively crushing their summers and are well on their way to further success.
Frequently compared to the widely known Jack Johnson, AMH was a bit more accurate in comparing the 17-yr-old Miami native to a balanced fusion of Citizen Cope & Ziggy Marley – similar vocally to Cope but without a somber consistency, and more along the lines of the positivity-laced Marley. Stream the tracklist below, and be sure to download Forward if you’re yet to.
Download: Cris Cab – Foreword
May: Aer | Reach
A tantalizing aroma is coming from the kitchen, permeating through both body and mind. Characterized by a plush sound that explodes in the pleasure center of your brain, the aroma is none other than Aer’s fresh outta the oven mixtape, “The Reach”. Aer’s sound is truly unparalleled — reggae infused hip hop augmented by silky and offbeat guitar riffs
This mixtape is a huge move for Aer, the duo hailing from Wayland, MA (DCL stand up) — a move we feel will later be looked upon as a momentous and progressive stage of their blossoming careers. I hope you get as much pleasure copping this mixtape as we do presenting it to you on behalf of the dudes David von Mering and Carter Schultz. Also, shout out to their manager, Max Gredinger — appreciate the nod and keep grinding over at HMC.
Download Mixtape: Aer – “The Reach“
Download: Aer – “The Reach”
Download: Aer – “Feel I Bring”
Download: Aer – Lights (Can You Keep It?)”
Download: Aer – “Ride Up Ft. June”
Stay up on Aer, you know we will:
April: Xaphoon Jones | Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Volume 2
A long time coming Xaphoon Jones, the mastermind DJ/Producer/Live Drummer of Chiddy Bang has dropped the official Xaphoon Jones Mixtape: Volume 2, the follow up to the 2009 classic Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Voume 1.
When Xaphoon dropped Volume 1 back in August ’09, him and Chiddy were a couple of college teenagers trying to scrounge up a few coins to ride the Swelly Express. Since then they’ve signed a major deal with EMI, had a radio hit, cut a track with Pharell Williams, got songs in commercials and have headlined countless shows in many countries. They’ve earned it. So enjoy this brand new 16-piece of mashups from Xaphoon Jones, one the most innovative producer on the upcoming generation.
-We re-uploaded so the tracks all appear on the same album in itunes.
The tape is filled with smashes, but here’s a few to wet your appetite while the full album downloads:
Xaphoon Jones – Aretha Franklin – One Step Ahead (Empire State Riddim) mp3:
Big Boi Ft. Vonnegutt – Follow Us (Xaphoon Jones Wonderman Intro Remix).mp3
Xaphoon Jones – But Beyonce Had One Of The Best Videos Of All Time! mp3:
Xaphoon Jones – The Jackson Pit mp3:
Also if you haven’t taken notice of what Xaph is up to with his Breakfast Movement team, take a look on XaphoonJones.com
Also, peep the trailer video Xaphoon put out:
Back Cover + Tracklist:
March: Big K.R.I.T. | Return Of 4eva
Southern-fried freshman Big K.R.I.T. dropped his previously delayed and highly anticipated mixtape yesterday with Return Of 4eva, a fitting follow up to 2010′s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and a further exemplification of what the budding artist has to offer. Not too many new-school fellas do the southern hip hop thing as well as K.R.I.T. does today, keeping things syrupy smooth and drawing on the likes of Bun B, Chamillionaire, and others to give an added boost. The Mississippi native is also one of the more refreshing members of this year’s XXL class, bringing an artistry and intellect that’s absent in many of the mainstream acts of today…
February: Frank Ocean | nostalgia, ULTRA.
I don’t think I have ever heard anyone quite like Frank Ocean, the latest cat from Odd Future (OFWGKTA) to release a solo project.
I listened to nostalgia, Ultra, his first album twice though today (can’t remember that last time I did that for ANY artist) and I truly am speechless. With so much blues and depth in his voice, he reminds me of a mix between Maxwell, Pink Floyd, Beck, with a hint of Kanye circa 808s – and is somewhat reminiscent of the Mansions on the Moon mixtape that we posted a couple of months ago. Soul + R&B + Electro + Mellow Acoustics and deep lyricism.
On nostalgia, Ultra, which dropped about a week ago, he takes classics like MGMT’s “Electric Feel” and the Eagles’s “Hotel California” and creates his own unique song instead of just making something that sounds like a remix. Download and spread the word, Frank Ocean is making beautiful and incredibly original music.
Download: Frank Ocean – “Swim Good”
Download: Frank Ocean – “Lovecrimes”
Download: Frank Ocean – “Novacane”
Download: Frank Ocean – “Dust”
January: JJ | Kills
Even though we’ve already taken a big step into February, we have this thing called Mixtape of the Month, and it’s gotta be held true…Thus, here’s the crowned release of January with the captivating and alternative Kills from Swedish trance-pop duo JJ. There are a couple unique things about this month’s tape, first off that for once it’s not solely hip hop in nature, but rather is something that brings in familiar and catchy sounds and puts an entirely unique remixed feel to them. Secondly, this tape was released on Christmas Eve, but who gives a damn, we posted it in January, and that’s what’s really good.
By now, this tape has capped well over 100,000 downloads and has gained some solid international status. The duo’s ability to take popular favorites from the likes of Dr Dre, Jay Z, and MIA, amongst plenty of others and give them a sound far from your conventional hip hop remix deserves some credit, along with your ear. Give a go at our couple favorites from the original post, stream the whole tape through soundcloud, and download if you’re feeling it as much as we are…
Download: JJ – “Kill You”
Download: JJ – “New Work”
December: Rockie Fresh | The Otherside
Chi-Town youngin’ Rockie Fresh has graced us with one of the freshest mixtapes of the year this week. The Otherside is twelve tracks or pure honest, hardworkin, thoughtful flow with just enough swag to get your head noddin and your mind feelin good. The three leaks off the tape were so dope I was curious to see if the rest of the tape could hold up. Sho did. Def give this one the full download and listen.Very, very impressive. Homie’s got a bright future. Also gotta shout the amazing production by The Cartoonz.
Here are a few of my new favorites. Full stream below. Download here.
December Runners Up (click the album covers for full posts):
November: OnCue | Leftovers
With the level of quality that these 15 tracks possess, it’s amazing to think that only a few months ago OnCue released the also-fantastic Cuey Sings The Blues. It makes you wonder the energy and diligence it really takes for someone to pump out music like this on a regular basis, and not just any music, but increasingly substantial, progressively complex, and downright impressive.
Like The Blues, Cuey and his growing team (CJ Luzi, mikeKUZ, Alchemist) chop up a fair share of familiar samples to put this tape together, but do so in a way that starts to grow apart from the original, letting Cuey and his developing sound take over.
OnCue – “Because I Grind” (prod. Alchemist) – Download
OnCue – “Eat Your Words” (prod. CJ Luzi) – Download
November Runners Up (click the album covers for full posts):
October: Mansions On The Moon | Paradise Fall
This is may be the coolest and most intriguing mixtape release of the year. Mansions On the Moon are collaboration of two members of Pnuma trio, a progressive electronica band, with acoustic singer/songwriter Ted Wendler. And if the electro/indie-folk style wasn’t cool enough, the crew has teamed up with likes of N.E.R.D., Xaphoon Jones, DJ Benzi, Diplo, and others to infuse their music with hip hop elements, making for some heady fuggin’ tunes. Or as Shae from N.E.R.D. puts it ” a musical weed brownie to ya ears”. Couldn’t agree more Shae. Btw, N.E.R.D is basically managing Mansions On The Moon, so you can expect a lot of promotion and dope production from Skateboard P and crew.
The Paradise Falls mixtape consists mostly of remixes to original Mansions on the Moon that haven’t even been released yet. Very cool idea, releasing the remix before the original.
Here is the stream of the mixtape in on fluid track. Download the full mixtape w/indivdual tracks here.
October Runners Up:
September: Hoodie Allen | Pep Rally
As previously-mentioned, here’s the brand new release from the young & gunnin’ Hoodie Allen. This mixtape is 30 minutes of solid flavor right here, w/ Allen bringing all of his greatest assets together in these 11 tracks. The well-known favorites of “I Am Not A Robot” and “Words of Wisdom” are included to give the tape its backbone, but there’s really no weak link out of the bunch.
Allen’s got an increasing amount of promise towards his status in hip hop, seemingly setting himself apart from a lot of other cats out there trying to do the heavy-sample hip-hop thing. Not only does he cement his humorous and creative flair with this release, but he starts to show signs that his talents go beyond just that, emerging as a thoughtful, in-depth, and multi-talented lyricist….still, that photo-shoot looks crazy goofy…Ease in with two of the more sensitive tracks on the mix, stream the tape, and download that shiz at the link…enjoy!
Hoodie Allen – Pep Rally - download
September Runners up:
August: Mac Miller | K.I.D.S.
well whoodie-hooo, here’s that brand new mixtape from Pittsburgh up-and-comer Mac Miller…It’s the fourth release outta this kid, yyep, that’s right the fucking fourth mixtape for a kid fresh out of high school and improving with every word he spits….this one’s hot of the presses, so give it a listen see what you think — boom! — download it now right here, and stream from datpiff below…
