in the ruff

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Considering I post some of Oddisee’s instrumental tracks up here I felt it was appropriate to post these ones too. Let the remixing begin!

To celebrate the triumph of In the Ruff, Diamond District are now dropping a special triple pack of instrumental beats featuring the tracks “Streets Won’t let Me Chill,” “In The Ruff” and “Off the Late Night.” Combining an infectious drum pattern, a simple chord progression and an addictive hook, “The Streets Won’t let Me Chill” instrumental lays the foundation for a backbeat driven street anthem. Stripped down to its instrumental form, “In the Ruff” reveals an essence of rawness that the DMV hip-hop scene is renown for, while the “Off The Late Night” instrumental gives beat junkies a generous fix of Diamond District’s soul-infused sounds.

“The Streets Won’t Let Me Chill” is above and stream the others from the download links below.

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If you frequent this site at all then there is no need to introduce the DMV trio of Diamond District who come with their official remix for “Who I Be”.

A reworking of “I Mean Business” by yU (1/3 of Diamond District) surfaced in late December, and now, Canadian producer Marco Polo, who contributed tracks to Masta Ace’s A Long Hot Summer, Sadat X’s Black October and various Boot Camp Clik projects, including his own Double Barrel project with Torae, is the latest to add new flavor to one of the tracks – reworking one of the album’s top songs, “Who I Be.”

Diamond District is one of the best things to come out of DC since John Duren and Adrian Dantley.

Download: Diamond District – “Who I Be” (Marco Polo Remix)

Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

This was not an easy choice. I was struggling between this and Mos Def’s The Ecstatic for weeks, but ultimately, I felt that Kid Cudi’s Man On The Moon: The End Of Day was the more complete album. Presented as a mini-movie with its division into acts, narration by Common, and movie poster included with the CD, this album took the listener on a trip through Cudder’s mind. Not much straight rapping is actually done on the album (only a few tracks have verses that are solely rapped), but it still felt like hip-hop. Man On The Moon is so far the greatest work expressing the new school of thought in hip-hop, which proves that the genre is not defined as songs performed through rapping just as rock is not defined as songs with guitars. The production on this album was fantastic and it works well with the concept of a voyage through the mind. All that being said, Kid Cudi doesn’t let the album get weighed down by deep, heavy tracks and keeps it all in check with the inclusion of some more light-hearted songs like “Make Her Say” and “Pursuit Of Happiness”. Is Cudi a lyrical maestro? Absoulutely not. But this only makes me eager to see what he’ll be able to achieve once he becomes a more developed artist. 

See which albums made the list of honorable mentions after the jump.

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Diamond District’s In the Ruff album is one of my favorite of the whole year across all genres and they just released the instrumental version of the album with this remix on it. yU (along with Oddisee & XO) is a member of the group and he tackles the production for this remix and it is decidedly different then the original boom-bap. yU utilizes a funk based guitar and bass groove and honestly it was a direction I didn’t see the song going in but he pulls it off well. In the Ruff is available now so go find it.

Download: Diamond District – “I Mean Business” (yU Remix)

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Yep, more DD for that ass, which I rated my number two album of the year last night.

Celebrating their recent release, the members of DMV’s luminary hip-hop trio Diamond District take fans back to their birth, re-introducing the track “Gully” off of emcee/producer Oddisee’s album Foot in the Door. This percussive, up-tempo track marks the first time that Oddissee, YU, and X.O. ever came together to create the signature sound that now defines this dynamic threesome. Oddissee’s grooving drum track and dragging, behind-the-beat melody underlie the three emcees as they take turns spitting their respective verses, creating the effortless chemistry that now is Diamond District. This track, released in 2006, was the beginning; the cornerstone to this group’s development. YU’s lyric says it all. “In a cocoon like a butterfly, before the wings, never thinking like a peasant, I was born a king.”

In addition to “Gully,” Diamond District recently recorded a video with all three showing their lyrical dexterity a cappella style, like true emcees do. XO and YU set off the cipher with strong deliveries and tongue twisting punch lines while Oddisee ends the session off with a scorcher, “I doubt they’ll ever cross over to the rap game so they rootin’ for me yellin’ cuz get a plaque mang, done and I don’t even want the rap fame, it’s a by-product when you always give a track flames, One.”

Grab the download and video below the break.

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This is a topic of conversation for anyone who is from the area and also something I have attempted to explain outsiders but I think Oddisee breaks it down better than I ever did. Being in the middle of the North and South gives the area a unique sound and I’m glad artists are recognizing their ability to create something different for ourselves in the DMV. Below the break check him and YU talking about their single for Diamond District called “I Mean Business”. Shouts to NodFactor for the interview, now go cop that album.

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Yesterday was the big day, Diamond District have released the retail version of the their album In The Ruff and this is one of the new songs.

“Something For Y’all” showcases emcees Oddisee, X.O. and yU trading verses, rapping to their audience, and trying to upstage each other. The track has a distinctively old school vibe. This old school spirit is one of the attributes that has made Diamond District’s debut so hotly anticipated. While you won’t find any Kangols in the vicinity of Diamond District (though Oddisee has been seen recently sporting a cardigan onstage), the track boasts a heaping serving of formative hip-hop flavor, and soul food. “Undefeated on my feet / when I’m dishing out defeat / like a plate of soul food with swine meat from Texas.”

Grab the album on iTunes here and the download below the break.

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