Nas & Damian Marley - Patience (Video)

Some very expensive looking visuals for my favourite track off Nas & Jr Gong's colloration album from last year, Distant Relatives.

Recommended Listening: Wu-Tang, Mathematics, Tom Caruana, Nas & Damian Marley, Phoenix The Renaissance Man & KingPin

First thing for today's installment is the recommendation of a purchase: Wu-Tang Clan's 'Return of the Wu (Mixed By Mathematics)'. It's released on 1st March 2010 on the Gold Dust label. It's full of good stuff and will keep your head bumping. You can download 'Clap 2010' featuring Raekwon, Ghostface, Method Man and U-God and 'Steppin' 2 Me' with GZA, Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck.

Then, still with the Wu, but with a bit of Beatles thrown into the mix is Tom Caruana's excellent 'Enter The Magical Mystery Chambers' which is free from Tea Sea Records. This is 27 tracks of shear genius. Check for tracks like ODB's 'Got Your Money' mashed up with 'She Never Gives Me Her Money' - brilliant! This one ahs being going down really well and it's giving TC the praise and props he deserves.

If you haven't heard it already you should listen to this new Nas and Damian Marley tune. They bounce off each other like a new school version of Run DMC with a Jamaican influence. For high-paced good times download 'As We Enter' now.

A new artist for you now: Phoenix the Renaissance Man – a Palestinian MC who spends 6 months in the UK and 6 months in the West Bank each year writing rhymes. His album should be out the next 3 months or so and his EP Sampler 'Rising from the Ashes' should be out as a free download even sooner. In the meantime listen to 'Life Is Tough'.

A few months ago I got an copy of an awesome album by a UK MC called KingPin entitled 'The Initiative'. That album has yet to be released but I've just got word of a mixtape that is to precede the LP: 'The Initiative Mixtape'. The mix kicks off with 'Fire' a track that features Kyza, Dubbledge, Manage and Stig of the Dump. The album is a top listen so get ready!

'Droppin' Science Fiction' - The Mighty Underdogs (album reivew)

The most user friendly album album Def Jux ever put out? I’ll say. Singalongability? Check. Rhyme-that’d-impress-yer-gran? Check. Beats plundered from far and wide? Check. Top notch guests? Most def a check.

‘Droppin’ Science Fiction’ is the debut album from Blackalicious’s Gift of Gab, Quannum head Lateef and Crown City Rockers member, producer Headnodic – collectively known as The Mighty Underdogs.

Despite eclectic sample origins the album hangs together sonically like a neck and noose. ‘Ill Vacation’ and ‘Science Fiction’, the most unlikely of bedfellows, sit cheek by jowl the latter being a Brazilian holiday breezer and the latter being a futuristic electro-fest. ‘Folks’, featuring French MC 20Syl, hits the reggae buttons whilst ‘Want You Back’ is a ballad dripping with feelings. And I could go on… it’s diverse.

Subject matter isn’t too confined either. Straight up cartoon violence on ‘Gunfight’ (featuring the king of cartoon MF Doom) shares CD space with the frantic ‘Aye’, a track dedicated to girls who make you say ‘Aye’. OK so that might be standard fare for a rap album, what else is there? Aforementioned love song (and another), Julian and Damien Marley assisted lament, a song about holidays, a track about laughable MCs, party tracks, tunes about the future…you get the picture.

Elsewhere features come from DJ Shadow (cuts of course) and the lovely LadyBug Mecca. Chali 2na, Raashan Ahmad (also of Crown City Rockers), Tash and Zion all pop up on ‘Walk Like a Warrior’ – a certified banger. Lyrics Born, Casual, Mr. Lif, and Akrobatik also appear and there’s a remix from British boy Fatboy Slim.

If you want a new Hip Hop album that you can listen to then this is it. The Mighty Underdogs have come up with an album on which, in my opinion, there is only one track that doesn’t work (‘Laughing’). It’s out now and is worth every penny of it’s price – buy it at all the usual places.

'Fire' ft. Damien Marley - B-Real (single review)

After getting together to make a song about Marijuana, B-Real and Damien Marley must have parted ways, I imagine, with those common words: 'We must do this again sometimes'. And by golly they have.

If you didn't like this song last time round ('Ganja Bus') then you may not like new single 'Fire'. Yes, it's another catchy, radio-friendly (aside from the endless weed references) single. This time the self produced beat reflects both Damien's Jamaican heritage and B's Latin roots making for some booty-shaking riddims.

Lyrically it explores nothing new, but fans of Cypress Hill won't be listening for original topics. As I've mentioned (but not as many times as they do) this track is about smoking (not doing unspeakble things to law enforcers - B's other fav subject) and Mr. Real takes an opportunity to rap in Spanish as well as his usual nasal English.

Do I like this track? Yeah. I've been a fan of Cypress Hill since I got into Hip Hop (even though I've never been into anything they represent) and B-Real still has whatever it was that drew me to him in the old days. Looking forward to the album, 'Smoke 'n' Mirrors', which is out on Audio Hustlaz/Duck Down Recordson February 24th.