It seems like an eternity since Saigon's The Greatest Story Never Told came out.
But that doesn't mean that the man who enjoyed playing himself on Entourage (in the acting sense rather than the hip hop sense) can't still pump out a new video from said album.
The latest cut to get the visual treatment is the excellent 'Preacher' - the Just Blaze-produced ditty that calls out money-grabbing men of the cloth - which has been transformed into cartoon form by Nastee and 4wordProductions.
Stalley - the classic car enthusiast and first call nomination to the bearded hip hopper hall of fame - is back in the saddle today with a new tune.
'Bout time that something came along to snap me out of my posting slumber (sorry, baby duty takes priority over blogging duty these days).
Ski Beatz is on deck to provide the musical accompaniment. It's a typically smooth affair too - which is even less surprising seeing the tune is called 'Gentleman's Quarterly' - with vibey vibes and synths complementing a head nodding beat. And Stalley, well, he does what he does. Nice stuff.
Speaking of the bearded hip hop hall of fame, original inductee Rick Ross snapped up Stalley to join his Maybach Music Group in early-ish 2011. I have no idea what's happening there, but I do know that there's a new mix tape, Savage Journey To The American Dream, on the horizon. Huzzah.
For now, you can check out 'Gentleman's Quarterly' below, courtesy of Nah Right:
If you haven't checked it yet, make sure you have a listen to Stalley's most excellent Lincoln Way Nights. You can check it here.
I've been stumbling over a few decent mix tapes lately (check the Frank Booker and J.Rocc beauties if you missed them), and now it's three for three thanks to the latest collection from the pride of Penge, the magnificent DJ Hudge.
Hudge has been holding it down in London Town and beyond for years now, moving the crowd at his Boogie Down session in Brixton and with his legendary Take It 2 The Bridge boat parties (which have no doubt entertained and scared a few tourists on Tower Bridge).
With a sound grounded in classic hip hop, funk and a whole lot more, Hudge can throw down with the best of them. And he's done just that on the first instalment of his new Ghetto Discotheque mix series, carving up a tasty selection of funk nuggets, peppered with some top grade hip hop.
Over to you, Hudge: "This is the first in a series called the Ghetto Discotheque. The plan was to do a mix of tunes I love both old and new with a focus firmly on the Funk. Enjoy...Massive thanks to Big Ted for the vocal drops and to Prodigal Youth for the artwork. Nuff respect fellas."
You can stream or download Ghetto Discotheque Volume 1 by DJ Hudge below:
D'Angelo has been keeping us guessing as to what exactly has been going through his mind since his last album, 2000's Voodoo, saw the light of day.
But there's rumblings in the jungle that D is on the way back. A series of live shows in Europe are on the cards, as is an album (stop laughing, it's looking more likely than ever according to Questlove).
On top of that, a few sneaky covers are starting to leak. Covers? Of who? Soundgarden. Who else? 'Black Hole Sun' to be precise. Didn't see that coming did you?
To be fair, it doesn't really sound a great deal like the Black Hole Sun you're familiar with, with D putting his distinct spin on it. You can check it out below.
After ending 2011 with Mystro's 'UK Rap Up 2011', it seems right to start the new year with the originator of this whole rap up ting, Skillz.
Hang on, that doesn't really make sense does it? But you know what? I've just driven 10 hours in a Hyundai Getz (read: small, slow car), and I am not really capable of stringing together a meaningful introduction.
So feck it, it's just gonna have to fit, innit? Isn't it? I don't know. I just need to go to bed.
Despite the waste of keystrokes that the previous three paragraphs so obviously were (I'm sure I'll cringe when I read this tomorrow), there is a point to this post. What was it again? Ummm... oh, Skillz... Rap Up. That's it.
So without further nonsensical babble, I present to you Skillz's look back at the year that was 2011, with everyone and anyone from Rebecca Black and Justin Beiber to Conrad Murray and Kobe Bryant getting a mention:
