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Wow.  It’s been a minute, but we’re back here at B&B with a new year. To kick it off, here’s a new joint from the Top Dawg all-star and member of Black Hippy (along with Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar), ScHoolboy Q. Dave Free goes in on the boards and produces a sort of melancholy and somber yet eerily uplifting and soft beat that Q then kills, giving fans a good look at what to expect from his upcoming project Habits & Contradictions. His Black Hippy teammate, Kendrick Lamar, also hops on the track and, as always, kills it, showing he hasn’t slowed down from his monster 2011, which saw the release of his highly acclaimed Section.80. Look out for the track on Habits & Contradictions which drops on January 14th.

Download: ScHoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Blessed” (prod. Dave Free)

Since joining MMG, Wale’s lyrical content and style have noticeably changed, mainly due to the grittier beat patterns of MMG artists. However, while tracks like “Bait” (prod.: Tone P.) and “Tats On My Arm” (prod. by Southside, one half of 808 Mafia with Lex Luger) play into this new style, Wale comes back to his bread and butter with “Lotus Flower Bomb”, giving us a look back at the enlightened, witty, and softer Wale that gained heavy notoriety and rose to prominence in the game.  With production from Jerrin Howard, Wale is able to play down the heavy bass and frantic snare style we have all grown to be accustomed to from Rozay and his camp (Ughh!!). With a much calmer beat like previous releases “Beautiful Bliss” (off of Attention Deficit) and “The Break Up Song” (off of More About Nothing), and with the soulful vocals of Miguel delivering the hook, Wale is able to reminisce on a past romance and deliver it in a way that seems more heartfelt than aggressive (i.e. “Tats On My Arm”).  Whether moving to MMG was ultimately a good move for his skill-set and career remains to be seen, but it’s nice to see Wale hasn’t strayed too far from the crux of his artistic ideology. Buy his album, Ambition, on 11.1.11.

Download: Wale ft. Miguel – “Lotus Flower Bomb” (prod.: Jerrin Howard)

A buzz track for Gerald Walker’s upcoming mixtape, The Other Half of Letting Go, “Recluse” shows a mixture of new school and old school elements, a rising trend amongst many newcomers like, most recently, Kendrick Lamar. While it will not be featured on the tape, many believe it will be hard for Walker to top what the track has to offer. The track seems to appeal to a larger population due, for one, to its soft, ’90s pop  piano sound (old school) which mixes perfectly with a heavy bass-line (new school) that has been so common in recent years, mostly in southern trap music. Secondly, because his flow and lyrical content extend past the “money, cars, and hoes” braggadocio that we have become so accustomed to with younger rappers, he grabs a larger audience; but he still keeps close enough to the mainstream, especially when he does his best Drake impression with a mix between spitting and singing. The track is crazy. Check it out.

Download: Gerald Walker – “Recluse” (prod.: RMB Justize)

I had the pleasure of seeing Kendrick in Brooklyn about 2 weeks ago with Corey (Mr. B&B himself); and he killed it.  He knew how to get the crowd hype and ran through a great set.  Unfortunately, the concert came pre-#Section 80 announcement so we didn’t get to here “Ronald Reagan” or “Hol’ Up”, his newest release off of his upcoming debut on Top Dawg (TDE).  Running off of great production from Soundwave, Kendrick displays an enlightened and old-school flow while still retaining his hand in the streets through his lyrics and adhering to the ear of the more casual, common hip-hop listener of  today.  On top of Dr. Dre’s co-sign, XXL had it right when they named Lamar as a 2011 Freshman of the Year, along with the likes of Mac Miller, Big K.R.I.T., Diggy, YelaWolf & Meek Mill, to name a few. Look for big things from the “next” Compton all-star in 2011. Also check out Kendrick’s TDE label-mate, and fellow west-coast beast, Jay Rock who recently dropped “Hood Gone Love It” (featuring Lamar) off of his much anticipated and oft-delayed debut, Follow Me Home.

Download: Kendrick Lamar – “Hol’ Up” (prod. Soundwave)

Download: Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Hood Gone Love It” (prod. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)

With just two weeks left before the drop of one of the most highly anticipated albums in the past five years (but still not Detoxlevel…wtf), Finally Famous, I feel its our job at B&B to get you all hype.  While I initially thought that the material released on Finally Famous, Vol.1 (one of the better mixtapes, I feel, in recent history) was enough to be a legitimate and commercially successful album (especially compared to its successors, Volumes 2+3), I guess Sean wasn’t feelin it; but with major teasers like “Getcha Some” and “What U Doin”, I think people were gettin a little tired of the wait.  Although once “My Last” and “I Do It” (which I am not the biggest fan of but whatever) hit the airwaves, Finally Famous was in full-effect; and with releases like “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay”, people can look forward to a quality product, much like the material on Volume 1.  Read the rest of this entry »

Drake’s comin’ back strong after the rumors of being dropped from Young Mula, first with his performance on Khaled’s “I’m On One” (a banger in itself) and “Dreams Money Can Buy”, both tracks produced, or at least co-produced, by Noah “40″ Shebib (“I’m On One” also produced by T-Minus). Much like previous Drake tracks, he combines his rhyming and singing talents, but leans more heavily towards rapping.  Drake, however, seems to have more ferocity both in his voice and lyrics these days, aided here by the forward, but soft and melodic background sample/refrain “Don’t F**k With Me” despite the very laid back beat. Although conflicting sources report on whether the track is the first single, or featured, on his upcoming project, Take Care, it is certainly a showcase of what Drake has been doing lately and marks his return as a true talent.

Download: Drake – “Dreams Money Can Buy”

Only a few months after signing to Warner Bros., Spitta churns out another quality product in his new FreEP, Covert Coup. No one can knock Curren$y for his work ethic, and for good reason.  Off of Covert Coup, “Scottie Pippen” brings hardcore fans back and forces nay-sayers to tip their hat.  Produced by The Alchemist (as is the rest of the EP), the track has a similar feel to those produced by Curren$y’s (former-labelmate) producer, Ski Beatz;  but the track definitely goes in a different direction, seemingly a little more fast pace, or hectic, than we are used to hearing from Spitta.  Curren$y gives his usual, solid performance (with a few gratuitous weed references, ups to 4.20), and Freddie Gibbs, fresh off his recent signing to Jeezy’s CTE Records, lays down some insane bars.  A great lead track for an equally as good EP.  Cop both, you won’t be disappointed.

Download:  Curren$y ft. Freddie Gibbs- “Scottie Pippen” (prod. The Alchemist)

Download: Curren$y – Covert Coup

With the drop of his mixtape Return of 4eva, K.R.I.T. continues to impress the fans and critics with a unique “old-school meets new-school”, down-south production style mixed with hard and mainstream but fairly enlightened rhymes.  As a leading track on the tape, “Time Machine” shows K.R.I.T.’s versatility in both collaborative work and technical style, namely a delivery style he has rarely displayed on his previous tracks; however, while K.R.I.T. offers up a great performance, the track also marks the return of Chamillionaire to the spotlight after leaving Universal and recent lackluster (or at least less than expected) performances from the once heralded “Mixtape Messiah.” The Chamillitary Man lays down a crazy verse that both pushes the boundaries of his traditional Houston style and plays well into K.R.I.T.’s artistic style.  Check it out.

Download: Big K.R.I.T. ft. Chamillionaire- “Time Machine”

Download: Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4eva

Off of their upcoming project, Jet Life to the Next Life, sponsored by rival 2dopeboyz.com (but whatever), Trademark da Skydiver and Young Roddy (friends and protegés of Curren$y) drop a gem with “Nothin’ Less.”  They come at the Cookin Soul beat with the same delivery and presence as CurrenSy has done countless times (and, frankly, as they both had done on Pilot Talk ["Roasted"] and Pilot Talk II ["Flight Briefing"]).  Much like those Curren$y has featured on both his major-studio efforts, the beat gives an old school feel to the track (almost like a traditional Pete Rock or even DJ Premier beat) which Trademark and Roddy absolutely kill.  By no means is “Nothin’ Lesser” on par with historic tracks like “The World Is Yours” or “Memory Lane” (or AZ’s “Rather Unique”), but it is a nice look back at the great production and artistic styles of the Golden Age of hip-hop.  A MUST LISTEN.

Thanks to 2dopeboyz for the track and project (unfortunately haha).

Download: Trademark da Skydiver & Young Roddy – “Nothin’ Lesser”

Free School cut a nice sample and hit the beat hard. C-Breezy goes in on the track with both the vocals that made him famous and rhymes like he displayed on a few of the tracks off of Fan of a Fan. Wiz hits the track with a nice verse and gives a solid collaboration effort.  Overall, a good track, and interestingly only a track found on the Deluxe version of F.A.M.E., coming out March 22. Finally Chris Brown is putting out legit music and moving away from the bubblegum pop b.s., or so it seems.

Download: Chris Brown ft. Wiz Khalifa – “Bomb”