Hip Hop News and Notes

There's a lot of really good hip hop coming out right now. The major label model is to drop all the big stuff in the 4th quarter, but sitting here at the beginning of the second quarter, with spring and summer looming, it's time to start assembling songs to bump with the windows down.



Detroit's Black Milk is probably one of the hottest producers in the game right now. He's carrying Dilla's torch, but bringing his own flavor to it, not just walking in the footsteps of a legend, but breaking into some totally new styles and textures. He just leaked the second track in as many weeks from his upcoming album, which is the follow up to last year's Tronic.

"Mo Power" Download it. (click to listen, right click to save)



Yesterday, Ras G dropped his new album Brotha from Anotha Planet on Flying Lotus' BrainFeeder label. If you're looking for jittery, sci-fi soundtrack jazz, than this is it in full effect. Smooth, yet anxious, trance-like beats. This is late-night music at its finest: introspective and innovative.

"Shinelight" Download it. (click to listen, right click to save)



Finally, Finale, one of the newest MCs to emerge from the Detroit scene dropped his new album A Pipe Dream and a Promise yesterday, and it is a gem. Stylish, intelligent flows and top notch production from Black Milk. This track "Motor Music" is a banger, and the rest of the album is just as solid, although with much less of a club feel than the single.

"Motor Music" Download it. (click to listen, right click to save)