'Unexpected Friends' - DOOM (review)

What’s there to say? One CD-shaped collection of DOOM’s bestest featurings and collaborations. These sorts of things, aimed at the fans, always seem a little redundant – you’ll probably have most of the tracks, but then it’s a DOOM release and you need it for your collection.

‘Unexpected Guests’ is a gathering of tracks that illustrate why DOOM gets these gigs – he sounds so good on guest verses! Commencing with the great ‘Rock Co. Kane Flow’ off of De La’s ‘The Grind Date’ (and produced by Jake One who crops up a few more times) the album brims with that real Hip Hop that is above all amazingly entertaining in the ‘I can’t believe he thinks of and says these things’ kind of a way.

I really enjoyed this mix CD and with Dilla beats, Wu-Tang verses and other appearances from folk like Kweli (who is back on point on ‘Fly That Knot’) it should make sense to you, the discerning Hip Hop head. Good stuff.

It’s out now on the Gold Dust label and is available at the places where you buy your Hip Hop.

'What If Dilla Produced The Blueprint?' - Jimmy Green (free download)

If the rumour that one of Dilla's infamous beat CDs had made its way into Jay-Z's hands was true, then what might that collaboration sound like? Well Jimmy Green, the UK producer/DJ has put together a little something to give you an idea.

'What If Dilla Produced The Blueprint?' is not one of those car crash mashups that some amateurs attempt - this is done by someone with skills. Dilla's minimalistic and moody signature sound really suits Jay's early days lyrics. Fans of Dilla and Hova alike should really be able to get with this and I have to say, as I'm sitting in my yard with the sun, this is fitting music for the weather we're experiencing.

Go to rapsploitationsessions.wordpress.com/ or www.myspace.com/stupidfreshmain for more!

'Take It Back Again' - Farma G + J Dilla (free download)

The ever busy Farma G has dropped a little free freestyle over a J Dilla beat: 'Take It Back Again'. You can download it from his bandcamp page and bump it to your hearts content. If you didn't already get his 'It's A Funny Old Game' mixtape from bandcamp, you should. It costs the price of a minimum donation of £5 and is really rather good. There's also his free 'Farma Dilla' track over at that spot too.

'Guava Juice Sunshine Mix' - Kidkanevil (free download)

The sun has been with us for a couple of days now and last night may be the last time to enjoy it for a few days at least. So tonight you'll be dragging out the charcoal and the steaks and getting your BBQ on, that's if you haven't already.Here's a summery mix by Leeds man Kidkanevil to help with your evening. It features a healthy dose of slightly wonky Hip Hop, all drenched liberally in audio sunlight.

Thanks to Natural Self for this one:

1. Kankick – Sun Soul
2. Quasimoto – Goodmorning Sunshine Inst
3. Phat Kat – Lovely Inst Mr Beatnick Edit
4. Daru – Iluvyou Inst
5. Keaver & Brause – Laastic
6. Debruit – Echtah
7. Disrupt – SEGA Beats
8. Oh No – Eyes Wide Shut Inst
9. Reflection Eternal – 2000 Seasons Inst
10. J. Rawls – Blue #2
11. Declaime & Flying Lotus – Whole Wide World Inst
12. J Dilla – Yesterday beat tape version
13. Souleance – Manana
14. 9th Wonder – Scars Inst

'One Man Show' - Finale

Finale's 'One Man Show', from his album 'A Pipe Dream And A Promise', is produced by Black Milk and it's an absolute hit. It's got me wanting to hear the album but until I get it I'll have to be content with King Most's Finale Megamix.

Finale is from Detroit, a place where it seems all the most promising Hip Hop artists are emerging from nowadays. UK Hip Hop fans will also recognise Finale's name from his features on Ghost's albums both past and present.

The album also features production from J Dilla and Oddisee.

‘You Know What Love Is’ – J Dilla & VA – Mixed by DJ Spin Doctor (album review)

Tupac. Biggie. Now J Dilla. Posthumous releases in the form of tributes are the order of the day 3 years after Jay Dee’s untimely death. London’s Doctors Orders mainstay Spin Doctor is the latest to pay homage to the Detroit based producer.

Now I’ve got to admit, during his life, I was ignorant of his work. Since his death I’ve realised a few of my favourite tracks were produced by him, for example, ‘Dynamite!’ by The Roots (one of my all time favourite songs). I don’t know how many other people share my experience of unawareness but for me, J Dilla’s legacy is similar to that of art world greats.

The good thing about Spin Doctor’s mix (apart from all the Dilla bangers) is that ALL of the proceeds will go to the Yancey family and Lupus UK. Over both discs Spin Doctor steers clear of the better known productions and instead offers up remixes, original breaks and lesser known tracks, making his mix a little different to the others.

With healthy doses of golden age favourites such as Busta, Q-Tip, Tribe and De La and equally hearty portions of Motor Town artists like Slum Village and Phat Kat the instrumentals and original sample sources all meld together perfectly. If you didn’t know what Dilla sounded like before, this mix will ensure your ears are attuned to some of the most headnod provoking Hip Hop instrumentals ever made.

All J Dilla fans, there must be many out there, need this mix. 2 hours of the late, great Jay Dee and your hard earned dollar/pound/euro/yen going to a worthy cause. Realness. Get it at Phonica.

'J Dilla Tribute Mix' - Ramson Badbonez & DJ Gone (free download)

Ramson Badbonez has waded into the J Dilla tribute swamp and stands high on an island of unique Britishness. Ably assisted by DJ Gone of Kung Fu fame, Ramson makes Dilla's beats his own - his punchy flow fitting Dilla's signature sound perfectly. It's all free to download so waste no time reading what I think - download it and make up your own mind.

Ramson Badbonez & DJ Gone - 'J Dilla Tribute Mix'

(And don't question me on the spelling of Ramson's surname - I've got his mix CD right next to me and it says 'Badbonez' not 'Badbones'. I'm going to stick with the 'z' unless he tells me otherwise.)

In which I have hope for mainstream Hip Hop

I had decided to do this post before I heard this track but when I heard it yesterday it really summed up my thinking:

Kero One - Check The Blueprints

To sum his song up he's urging the Hip Hop community, particularly the artists, to look at how Hip Hop should be. He sees importance in analysing what made Hip Hop great in the 80's and 90's, taking those findings and applying it to making new music. Obviously this could lead to music sounding the same and being stuck in the past but what I hope to prove in ten tracks is that this might not be the case but that it actually might be the way forward. Many of these tracks are examples of how cats from back in the day have had to step up to the plate again to show the world how it should be done. I hope artists take note.

Guilty Simpson - Man's World (Produced by J Dilla)

J Dilla was a producer who really took inspiration from the culture of sampling in the 90's.

Q-Tip - Work It Out.mp3

Everyones favourite Tribin' ear cleaner is back and I'd be happy hearing this on the radio.

WC - Voodoo ft. The Game

That West Coast sound still does it for me.

Termanology - So Amazing (Produced by DJ Premier)

Sounding like Premo always does is not actually a bad thing and Termanology entertains.

DJ Jazzy Jeff - The Garden ft. Big Daddy Kane

Two Old School cats bring the freshness.

Mr. J. Medeiros - Silent Earth

This sounds 90's-ish due to it's feel good vibes and sampling.

Marco Polo - Nostalgia ft. Masta Ace

(Old guy + New guy) x 90's influences = good Hip Hop

KRS-One & Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives

Old guy + Old guy - rivalry = good Hip Hop

Chamillionaire - Hip-Hop Police ft. Slick Rick

When I played this to my brother, he asked "Is this Chamillionaire?", I said "Yes, how can you tell?", he replied "Becasue it sounds like 50 Cent but without the mumbling" - or something like that. Slick Rick is funny. This is probably the most out of place choice here but I do like it.

One more to finish off with:

Jeru the Damaja - One Day

This is a nice short imaginary story personifying Hip Hop and telling of the day when it was kidnapped by the likes of Puff Daddy (or whatever ridiculous moniker he' going under today). Don't worry though, they get Hip Hop back safe and sound.

Download all the tracks here in a zippedy doo dah file.