Skyzoo "Popularity"

Skyzoo channels his inner Zach Morris for this Saved By The Bell inspired video, "Popularity." A slew of NY artists fill out the rest of the Bayside High cast in his new Todd Angkasuwan directed vid. Skyzoo's critically acclaimed album, The Salvation, is in stores now.

Nickelus F: Go Time Mixtape

Had only heard of Nickelus F in passing before, but my boy J House mentioned that I should check him out. Here is his most recent mixtape. Give it a listen. I've gone about halfway through it, and he's got some solid rhymes, bumping beats. I'm adding him to my list of up and comers.

Nickelus F "Go Time Mixtape"

KiD CuDi "Make Her Say" feat. Kanye West & Common

Kid Cudi - New Music - More Music Videos

The man on the moon just dropped his latest video, "Make Her Say," and he brought Kanye and Common along for the help out. The vid is cool and I'll definitely be checking for the album. Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, will be out this September.

B.o.B & Bobby Ray - B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray [Mixtape]

Damn good week for mixtapes. Two of my favorite up and comers putting out tapes, both of which are amazing. I'd check out Satellite on this album. ATLien B.o.B (aka Bobby Ray) is back with his latest mixtape, B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray, which has him facing off with... himself. Features on this project include Bun B, Kanye West, Asher Roth, Playboy Tre, Killer Mike, T.I., Mickey Factz and more. The first half of the tape is all B.o.B, with Bobby Ray handling the latter half.




01. B.o.B � Intro
02. B.o.B � Patron & Swag Freestyle
03. B.o.B � One (feat. Big Kuntry & Mac Boney) (Produced by Fury)
04. B.o.B � My Sweet Baby (Produced by Fury)
05. B.o.B � Change Gonna Come (feat. Asher Roth & Charles Hamilton) (Produced by Fury)
06. B.o.B � Do You Have The Stamina (feat. Kanye West) (Produced by B.o.B)
07. B.o.B � I Am The Man (feat. OJ Da Juiceman & Bun B) (Produced by Fury)
08. B.o.B � Say What You Want (feat. Playboy Tre & Killer Mike) (Produced by Fury)
09. B.o.B � Voltage (feat. Playboy Tre & Mickey Factz) (Produced by B.o.B)
10. B.o.B � I�m That Nigga (feat. T.I.) (Produced by Fury)
11. B.o.B � Fly Like Me (Produced by Red Spyda)
12. Bobby Ray � Intermission
13. Bobby Ray � Satellite (Produced by Bobby Ray)
14. Bobby Ray � Wonderland (Produced by Bobby Ray & Eastsiders)
15. Bobby Ray � Mr. Bobby (Produced by Bobby Ray)
16. Bobby Ray � Trippin� (Produced by Bobby Ray)
17. Bobby Ray � Goodnite (Produced by Bobby Ray)
18. Bobby Ray � Camera (Produced by Big Toombs)
19. Bobby Ray � No Mans Land (Produced by Bobby Ray)
20. Bobby Ray � Put Me On (Produced by Bobby Ray)
21. Bobby Ray � Already There (Produced by Bobby Ray)
22. B.o.B & Bobby Ray � Outro

DOWNLOAD B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray [Mixtape]

Naledge "Cool Relax" feat. Jay Electronica

This track appeared on the DJ Benzi x 10.Deep The New Deal mixtape, only this version has a Jay Electronica verse. The song is called "Cool Relax" and will appear on Naledge's upcoming Duck Down project, Chicago Picasso, dropping on June 30th.

Not too familiar with Naledge, but I will thoroughly inspect the album when it's out.

Naledge-cool relax feat. jay electronica by treylord

Cormac - "Space Rhyme Continuum" Sampler (4 FREE SONGS)

Here is a free sampler of Cormac's upcoming album "Space Rhyme Continuum." He is an up-and-coming MC out of LA, and has some serious talent. Keep your eyes and ears open for this cat - he's on the move.

Download HERE.

Thanks to my boy K-Sull for the heads up on this one.

6 Day Bender "Factory Man"

Here is a change of pace..... a great new song by 6 Day Bender off of their second album, coming out soon. They are a self-proclaimed "Mountain Rock" band out of Charlottesville, VA. This song Factory Man features Luke Nutting on acoustic guitar/vocals, Clayton Avent on electric guitar, Danny Breen on bass/harmonica, and Corey Gross on drums.

Luke and Clayton are highschool buddies of mine.

Check them out at http://www.6daybender.com or http://www.myspace.com/6daybender

They are on tour all summer up and down the east coast. Catch a show if you can. They are talented.

Mike Jaggerr "Rainy Days"

This is somewhat appropriate for anyone on the east coast this week, where we'll be getting blanketed with rain all week.

This is the first joint I've heard by Mike Jaggerr (not of the Rolling Stones). Mike is an up and coming singer/songwriter/producer formerly of the Hip-Hop & R&B group, BASSLINE. He describes his music as: “Breaking up with your doubts, cheating on your fears and making love to your dreams.” This is the single "Rainy Days," from his forthcoming EP, THIRTEEN.


Download Mike Jaggerr "Rainy Days"

The Kickdrums "Just a Game"

The Kickdrums are an up and coming alternative-hip hop group in the fashion of the Gorillaz. Here is a Rik Cordero directed video of Just a Game off of their new LP of the same name which will be dropping on June 2nd. After the video, watch a trailer for Rik's upcoming film, Inside A Change (in the same clip). The mixtape for said film will feature Consequence, Joell Ortiz, Saigon, Royce Da 5'9", Skillz, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Wale, Memphis Bleek, Sean C & LV, Statik Selektah, Illmind, The Kickdrums and many more. Look for the film to debut at the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival this July.

Charles Hamilton "Brooklyn Girls"

Charles Hamilton will be another 09 break-out. This Brooklyn prodigy has some moments of lyrical genius. Gotta respect a guy to go with his true name.

Maybe should put out a record as John Frederick Lord III

B o B - Lonely People

This is pretty much how I feel when at the club. Do I judge people? Call it philosophical observation....... or maybe you just need to pour me another drink.

This is a few months old, but I was going back through old Facebook posts last night. Love this B.o.B banger with Beatles sampling.

B.o.B (aka Bobby Ray) is gonna make it big real soon. Don't sleep on this cat.

Tommy C on the Mic: DC Improv Debut

Bio:

Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Tom Costello, is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and singer. For his work in the film Ray, Costello won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He has also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy and has been nominated for several Grammy Awards.

Early life

Costello was born Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas. He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixson and Darrell Bishop, a stock broker who changed his name to Shahid Abdula after converting to Islam. Costello was abandoned seven months after birth and was raised by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle and Mark Talley, in Terrell, Texas, a racially segregated community at the time. He had a strict Baptist upbringing. Costello began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church.

Costello attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as quarterback, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards. He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace. After completing high school, Costello received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition. He has often cited his adoptive grandmother's influence on his life.

Early career and In Living Color

After accepting a girlfriend's dare, Costello told jokes and did impressions at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. When he found that female comedians were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Tom Costello, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases. He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx.

Costello joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991 and subsequently had a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom Roc. In 1996, Costello was given his own sitcom, The Tommy C Show. The following year, he made his film debut.

Film career

Costello made his film debut in the 1997 comedy, Booty Call. His first dramatic role came in Oliver Stone's 1999 film Any Given Sunday, where he played a heavy-partying American football player. He was cast in the role in part because of his background as a football player. Costello has since evolved into a respected dramatic actor. Following Any Given Sunday, Costello was featured as taxi driver Max Durocher in the film Collateral alongside Tom Cruise, for which he received outstanding reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His standout performance, however, was his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biopic Ray (2004), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Costello is the second male, and the first African American, in history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, Collateral and Ray. The only other male actor to achieve this was Al Pacino. In 2005, Costello was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Following this success, Costello appeared in three more movies: Jarhead, Miami Vice, and Dreamgirls which were hits at the box office and lifted Costello even higher as a bankable star in Hollywood. 2007 brought him the lead role in the film The Kingdom, opposite Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Ashraf Barhom.

B.o.B "Lovelier than you"

Multi-talented B.o.B on the guitar. Album due out this summer.

NYULocal: Nyle is Not Just a River in Egypt: An Interview with an NYU Student on the Verge of Graduating as a Hip-Hop Star

So after hearing is cover of Lil Wayne's "Let the Beat Build," I was wondering who this guy Nyle was. He's a senior at NYU, and an up and coming star. Granted, he'll need a producer with fresh beats, but with a resume such as the "Let the beat Build" video (posted earlier today), he shouldnt have an problems with that when he graduates.

Here is an NYULocal article about him:
Nyle Emerson, an NYU senior, has recently begun to make a name for himself across the internet for his impressive and catchy video “Let the Beat Build.” The video has swept its way across hip hop blogs and gone legitimately viral, garnering over 10,000 hits in just three days. Though it’s this video that caught NYU Local’s attention, Emerson has been working hard since high school to achieve his dream of becoming the next rap superstar, performing shows at the Bowery Poetry Club and compiling audio and video EPs. The first thing you’ll notice about Emerson is that he’s not your stereotypical hip hop hopeful. Thoughtful, incredibly intelligent and endlessly passionate about his art, I had to restrain myself from wanting to jump across the room and hug him. Entertainment Editor Joe Coscarelli and I sat down with Nyle yesterday at the Clive Davis Recording Studio at 194 Mercer to discuss music, hip hop nonprofits and the making of “Let the Beat Build.”

Joe: When did you record the video for your version of Lil Wayne’s “Let the Beat Build”?

Nyle: The video was recorded the 2nd week in March, I believe. About a month and a half ago. A friend hit me up and said that they wanted to do a video, my friend Jo Gallino was just like, “Yo, there’s this Lil’ Wayne track, I don’t know if you’ve heard it but when we get back to school we should record it with my band and do a video for it. And I was like okay, cool. And I heard it, and it got stuck in my head…

Joe: It’s a catchy beat.

Nyle: It’s a really catchy beat. and I immediately wrote a bunch of stuff that night. I wrote 3 verses for it and um, I don’t know, the video thing just kind of fell through. While I was writing I kept getting all these ideas and while I was sitting on it and waiting to hear back from them I just kept getting all these ideas built up in my head. So I knew I wanted to milk NYU for some money before I graduated, so I applied for pro funds with 194 Recordings which is the label club of Clive Davis.

continued.....

KiD CuDi - Dat Kid from Cleveland (Mixtape)

New Cudi Mixtape



Download: KiD CuDi - Dat Kid from Cleveland (Mixtape)

Kid Cudi "Day 'N' Nite"

On the topic of sleepless nights, here is the long awaited Kid Cudi breakout song "Day 'N' Nite." He's gonna hit it big this summer with his debut album Man on the Moon: The Gaurdians.

Day and night
I toss and turn, I keep stressing my mind, mind
I look for peace but see I don't attain
What I need for keeps this silly game we play, play
Now look at this
Madness to magnet keeps attracting me, me
I try to run but see I'm not that fast
I think I'm first but surely finish last.

By the way..................I'm WALE

Wale "Nike Boots" video (Directed by Chris Robinson) from Elitaste on Vimeo.

Up-and-coming out of the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia). Keep your head on a swivel for his debut album out this summer.

B.o.B - Generation Lost + Lyrics

B.o.B aka Bobby Ray, one of the best young rappers on the scene. If you've been around me and a speaker at all recently you've no doubt heard me play this and his other songs. Debut album due out this summer. Not only does he have solid beats, but he is a complex and insightful lyricist. Listen to "Generation Lost" and his introspective verses.

skulls and cross bones and death bandanas
A liquor store on every corner in atlanta
cops ridin round tossin niggas in the slamer
tell me whats wrong i can really use some answers
now a days everybody wants to be a rapper
about 2 years ago everybody was a trapper
obviously money is what everybody is after cause slavery aint changed its a modern day disaster
now these are my words from me to you
everything you do from your shades to shoes from your chain to your coupe came from your......................