Vibe Best Rapper Ever Bracket

I have mixed feelings about posting this link cause if I do then Vibe was successful cause it sparked a discussion and got people to promote it. Vibe is currently polling its "readers" (if they still have some) about who the best rapper ever is. I saw the bracket and it is pretty disgusting, unfortunately posting the link will lead to more hits for them but I think that any hip hop fan should see what not to do...


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Unreleased...?

I came across these 2 videos on Youtube and instantly fell in love with these songs. They're not featured on either of their first 2 albums 93 til Infinity and No Man's Land, and are infact unreleased tracks. Im really really feeling the super smooth laid back feel to both these jams. Im also a huge fan of their song Medication, which although im not sure, I think is also an unreleased track. Ill provide download links to all 3 for any Mischievous heads out there.

Downlo@d
Cab Fare
Step To My Girl
Medication

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Drizzy

This is by far one of my favorite tracks from Toronto based artist Drake, it was released as a bonus track on the latter releases of So Far Gone. Sample used in the song is Viva La Vida by Coldplay.

Downlo@d Congratulations

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Da Be@t Detective

In an attempt to give you a better understanding of Hip-Hop, here is my idea for a new segment here at Da Wh@t: Be@t Detective. In each segment we will explore the use of samples in Hip-Hop and the phenomenon of the jacked beat.

So to begin we will look at the sampling of "The World Is A Ghetto" by George Benson used by Big Pun in his song "Glamour Life" (Produced by L.E.S.) and subsequently Zion-I in the "Bonus Track" on their debut album Mind Over Matter. I think its interesting to see how each producer flipped the sample and created two distinctly different yet great tracks. (And as a bonus nugget of info Daft Punk also used the sample for their song "Spinal Scratch")

Original Sample:



Big Pun Version:


Zion-I Version: Continue Entry»

Big Sean - UKNOWBIGSEAN Mixtape Review

For my next review I will be talking about Big Sean’s new mixtape UKNOWBIGSEAN Finally Famous Vol. 2. At the request of my man BP, I will be trying something different; I am going to review the album as a whole instead of track by track. I will rate the lyrics, flow, beats, and overall flow of the mixtape by themselves but I will still finish with a final album review.

Lyrics: Big Sean is a talented emcee and I would say that his lyrically ability and cleverness is easily his biggest asset. He does a very good job of using inner rhyming throughout his verses and many times finishes the line with multi-syllabic words, which is very difficult. They prove that he is a capable rapper and he isn’t, as I call it, “elementary” in his rhyming ability. My favorite part about Big Sean is his punch lines, he is a very funny guy and many times he brings lines that remind me of a young Ludacris. Just to give a few examples “Money is like fucking/ if you grind hard enough then the bitch’ll keep coming” or “And I can't feel my cardio. Motha fuckas walkin in with shrooms. Now I'm fin to feel like Mario.” These particular examples are not the most impressive lyrically but I think that word play is essential to any emcee. Seeing how this is a mixtape that includes Big Sean rapping over other people’s beats, the lyrics are what is really being showcased and overall I think it is very impressive.
9/10

Flow: Big Sean is able to get the job done and develop well written and well practiced lyrics My only complaint is that there are spots on the album where I feel he is rapping too slowly. I know that a rapper can’t always (and many can never) be spittin’ Busta Rhymes or Twista fast but there are certain songs like Say You Will where he didn’t seem to speed up his flow enough to match the beat. As I said earlier, many of these beats were made for other rappers so I am not going to hate, but if there was a problem with the rapping aspect of the tape it would be delivery and not preparation or creativity
6/10

Beats: This is tough to review for a mixtape, I can pretty much guarantee the beats will be dope on the album based on what I have heard. Kanye West, Pharell and The-Dream will be producing stuff for his first album. For the most part, the beats were chosen well for his rhymes and they help the songs. But, there aren’t really any head-knockers on this tape. There are plenty of beats that compliment his voice and flow – UKNOWBIGSEAN and Intro but nothing spectacular. My favorite beat is probably from Supa Dupa because it is simple and allows his lyrics to be heard during the verses but the riff during the chorus slaps. The beats certainly do not take away from the mixtape but they do not add as much as I think they could.
7/10

Overall: First lemme just say that this mixtape is 30 tracks; Big Sean is just giving away 30 free tracks, which already makes it more than worth it. There are 6 skits on the mixtape spread out pretty evenly and all of them include Big Sean explaining a certain aspect of the production or his road to where he is. I think that the tape has a great combination of full 4-minute songs with multiple verses and choruses along with 1-2 minute pieces of just a verse over a cool beat. I think UKNOWBIGSEAN Finally Famous Vol. 2 flows well from start to finish and is a great piece along the way until the album finally drops. Big Sean brings a mix of feel good hip hop and straight stuff and I really enjoy the tape.
8/10

Favorite tracks: Who Knows (ft. Mike Posner), UKNOWBIGSEAN, Intro

UKNOWBIGSEAN - downlo@d Continue Entry»

Fear & Fancy

Some of you readers may not know this, but I am about to finish up my freshman year at Stanford. Through the course of the year I've realized that our class has a lot of musical talent. There's one trio in particular, Fear & Fancy that's formed in this year and shared their music with the whole campus. Originally from Boston, two of the three reunited on campus and met their third member to create a completely new sound. Their first album Twenty Twelve is about to drop, and you guys can listen to it for a limited time on their myspace . If you guys do give it a listen they would greatly appreciate it if you filled out this survery telling them what you thought. They'll also send you a free bonus track for doing so.

These guys' sound is reminscent of The Roots, but it makes sure to go somewhere different and keep it original. I'd definitely say that the production on the CD outshines the lyrics, but they have really good musicality so I'd recommend giving it a listen. Even if you don't listen to the album I'd recommend at least checkin out "Off The Grid" and "Window's Peak". Both are upbeat and cool, and "Window's Peak" creatively borrows from "When Doves Cry". "Embrace" is another good song, and their most successful slow-tempo song. It's a short but endearing love song. In general, they need to think a little bit more about consolidating instrumentals and lyrics, but this is a really good effort for a freshman album. Continue Entry»

Mistah Fab Freestyle from KarmaloopTV

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