mixtapes

We told you this tape was coming and it still blindsided us here at B&B faster than we expected. We have been very supportive of Darren for a few years now (and vice versa) and with each passing tape it gets more fun to see how he has evolved as an artist while still staying a cool ass person. I feel like a broken record saying that this is his best work to date, since I say it for almost every one, but that should speak volumes to his drive and refusing to allow his career and talent to stagnate. Go below the break and give the tape a listen and support indie artists who are on their grind and positively contributing to this way of life we call hip-hop. Both the download and streaming link are below. Read the rest of this entry »

I have been waiting for this mixtape for well over a year and it is almost surreal that it actually dropped today.

Songwriter and emcee Chris Faust has hooked up with DJBooth.net and 2DopeBoyz.com to bring fans his latest street release, the FAUST LP. The project features 17 fresh cuts from the underground up-and-comer, including reader-approved leaks “So Long,” “Maybe Now Begins,” and “As You Like It.” Joining Faust throughout the set are Ibe, Mike Maven, Sunny Jones, Rocki Evans, Outasight, Cocoa Sarai, Capri, Krystal Eversley, Kris Kasanova and Carras Paton. Production comes courtesy of Ibe, Tristate, 6th Sense, 2 Thumbs Up and Clyde and Harry.

For those unfamiliar, Faust is the rapper formerly known as Print and you can catch up on his previous release Comic Books Unlimited here. Grab this album and tracklist below the break courtesy of DJBooth.

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Mayer releases his new EP of covers for free on the net and the sound is perfect for summer.

Mayer Hawthorne’s Impressions EP finds the Los Angeles singer and producer putting his own spin on classic tunes by Electric Light Orchestra and the Isley Brothers as well selections by contemporary acts like Chromeo and Jon Brion. Hawthorne’s production style is slick and meticulous, calling back to the rich, elegant sound of early Seventies tracks by Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes while including subtle modern touches. Though his takes on ELO’s cheery hit “Mr. Blue Sky” and the obscure soul single “You’ve Got the Makings of a Lover” are remarkably faithful, it’s most thrilling to hear Hawthorne reimagine “Don’t Turn the Lights On,” a recent track by the Montreal electro duo Chromeo, as an orchestral soul slow jam.

Mayer’s voice has also gotten much stronger and I can’t wait to hear what he has in store for his next album. Download link below the break courtesy of Rolling Stone.

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I haven’t been this impressed with a tape from two artists who I hadn’t heard before in a longgggg time.

Today, Illmaculate & G_Force bring us The Green Tape – their collaborate reworking of soul legend Al Green‘s 2008 release, Lay It Down. For what was originally meant to be an instrumental release,
G_Force had sampled & flipped the entire ?uestlove & James Poyser-produced LP, song-by-song & piece by piece – all in one day. & then later on – Illmaculate, who just happened to be in G_’s studio that day, took it upon himself to write to the beat CD & voila! – The Green Tape was born.

To top it all off, the tape features only artists and production from Portland so shout out to all our readers there and to FreshSelects for the hookup. Download and tracklist are after the break.

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I know it says mixtape but this joint could easily pass as an album. The production includes Just Blaze, J. Cole and Seven and he brings a gang of guests which is unusual for Vizzy on a tape. We have all been anxiously awaiting The Kid with the Green Backpack for a long ass time now but with all the material in his tapes it is easy to forget that it is the ultimate end goal. Going through this the first time and XV is killing it with some slower polished beats dominating the first few tracks. Thanks to DatPiff for the link and you all should go over there and check out their tape selection again. I hadn’t been in a long time until recently and they have some bangers and also the ability to stream which is crucial for my work. Grab the tracklist and download link below the break.

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KRIT is back with some fire for your ears with his highly anticipated tape Returnof4eva. I will be seeing him again at Southpaw in Brooklyn on April 26th so get your tix now while they are still available.

I am proud to present “Return Of 4eva” to all my supporters, I took the past year to work on this project. I reached out to some of my favorite artists that I felt represented what this album was about. Ludacris, Bun B, David Banner, Chamillionaire, Big Sant, Joi & Raheem Devaughn all helped me to make my vision of this album complete. I hope you all love it. Download it for free at www.returnof4eva.com stay blessed – K.R.I.T.

Grab the tape and download below the break.

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I finally get to post about Machine Gun Kelly as I have meant to for close to a year now. All my Cleveland friends have been raving about him for a while now and this joint had me hooked from the second I heard the Bun B beat. In fact, Bun B’s Trill album is one of my favorites of all time from the South and this song is one of the rawest on it. Rumors are swirling too about him signing to a label and I am only hoping that it isn’t a major one. Read more below and grab the link to his mixtape Lace Up.

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More lateness for your ears but since I was early to cover his Culdesac tape I might as well put up his latest effort called EP. This one is more of a well… EP and not a full blown project, but it is good to hear any new music from him. The songs follow the similar formula he has followed in the past of remixing indie rock tracks but it is noticeable his progression from the last tape to this one. Catch up on this guy if you haven’t already, you will regret it whenever/if his album drops. Tracklist and download link below the break.

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D-Sisive has slowly creeped into my playlist over the last year or so and this song is my favorite I have heard to date. This tape dropped about a month ago and the lack of fanfare on the net is troubling to me because he goes in on every track. Listen to the song “If…” above and you can’t tell me it isn’t one of the better tracks you have heard this year from a concept standpoint. Shouts to CityOnMyBack for the heads up and grab the download link below the break.

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My favorite indie producer drops a mash up tape that gives Girl Talk a run for his money.

On the new mixtape, the First in Flight State mainstay found 15 of his favorite mash-ups… and simply mashed them up! Sample sources include everyone from Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga to Barbara Streisand and Nirvana.

This is one of the more eclectic mash up tapes I have come across but it flows seamlessly. Grab the download link below the break.

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