Song With A Story: Royce Da 5'9" - "Part Of Me"

For this edition of Song With A Story, Royce Da 5'9" tells the tale of a lady's man who plans to have a one night stand with TWO lovely women. However, things don't quite go to plan for our "hero", and the night does not end well. Usually with storytelling songs, a good music video will make the track 10 times better, and that's definitely the case with "Part Of Me". Here it is for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Song Of The Day: "Ante Up (Remix)"

To put it simply, M.O.P.'s "Ante Up (Remix)" is pure "FIRE"!!! The beat sounds like something Just Blaze could've produced coz it's an absolute banger! On top of that, each emcee gives it their all, and the energy levels on the track are through the roof! In my mind, the only other track that comes close in terms of raw intensity would be Ghostface Killah's "The Champ", and that's saying something. Just make sure to crank the volume up to 11 if you truly want to experience this masterpiece in all its glory. Enjoy!

Kanye Appreciation: Twista - "Slow Jamz", "Overnight Celebrity" & "Alright"

For this entry into Kanye Appreciation, I've decided to give you three Twista tracks, made up of three great Kanye beats, with all three songs featuring Kanye West himself. That's three for the price of one! Now you've got be happy with that. The first two tracks, "Slow Jamz" and "Overnight Celebrity", come off my favourite Twista album so far, Kamikaze, whilst the third song, "Alright", is a bonus track from his most recent album, Category F5. Twista brings his world famous rapid-fire flow to each of the three tracks, and Kanye adds his legendary production skills to the mix as well, creating a handful of great songs that you now have the pleasure of listening to right here. Enjoy!

Twista - Slow Jamz (feat. Jamie Foxx & Kanye West)


Twista - Overnight Celebrity (feat. Kanye West)


Twista - Alright (feat. Kanye West)

Premo Appreciation: Termanology - "Watch How It Go Down"

Termanology comes out of nowhere and absolutely KILLS this Premo beat on "Watch How It Go Down". DJ Premier is in top form as usual, but Termanolgy matches Premo every step of the way with his great flow and even better lyrics. He's definitely one to watch, especially if Premo keeps providing him with more great beats like this one. Enjoy!

Favourite line: "And that's the reason little kids get hit by strays, coz motherfuckers can't act they're age! Before you learn how to shoot, better learn how to aim, there's already enough of our people that's dying from AIDS."

Just Blaze Appreciation: Talib Kweli - "Never Been In Love"

"Never Been In Love" doesn't demonstrate your typical Just Blaze beat, but it's still the best track to come off Talib Kweli's 2004 album, The Beautiful Struggle. Instead of making another one of those banging beats that Blaze is famous for, he decided to tone it down a bit and created a soothing, soulful beat that sounds like something Kanye would normally produce. Just Blaze pulls it off brilliantly though, and Kweli flows over the track with ease. Here it is for y'all to enjoy:

B.o.B - "Airplanes Part II" (feat. Hayley Williams & EMINEM)

It's finally here! "Airplanes Part II" featuring EMINEM!!! Just sit back, relax, and enjoy!



Download: B.o.B - Airplanes Part II (feat. Hayley Williams & Eminem)

Song With A Story: Slick Rick - "Children's Story"

It's time to add a new feature to my blog, just to keep things fresh and interesting. This feature will be called Song With A Story, and as the title suggests, it will simply involve me posting songs with a story in them. So to kick things off, there's no better way to introduce this feature than with the undisputed king of storytelling Hip Hop, the one and only Slick Rick.

Slick Rick has built his entire career on the art of storytelling, and has become one of the most respected emcees in the game. This particular track, "Children's Story", is one of my favourite storytelling songs of all time, and the perfect way to demonstrate Rick's amazing storytelling abilities. Rick spins the story of a young boy who chooses "the wrong path" in life, and the crazy journey this path takes him on, involving crime, dope fiends, cops and car chases. I don't wanna give too much away though, so just listen to the song for yourself. Enjoy!

Just Blaze Appreciation: Kanye West - "Touch The Sky"

First, I want y'all to check out this little known song by Curtis Mayfield, called "Move On Up":



Sound familiar? Of course it does, because it's the sample used for Kanye West's hit single, "Touch The Sky", from his second studio album, Late Registration. Now the reason I file this blog entry under Just Blaze Appreciation, is because this is the only track on the whole album that was not produced by Kanye West himself. Just Blaze was brought in for the production of only one song, which in my opinion, turned out to be the best track on the entire album. Blaze simply took the Curtis Mayfield sample, slowed it down, added his own horns and drums and created one of the best beats that Kanye has ever used. You already knew the song, but now you know the story behind it as well, so here's "Touch The Sky". Enjoy!

Song Of The Day: "Dear Mama"

I can't BELIEVE that I haven't posted a 2Pac song on my blog yet! I'm gonna have to correct that mistake immediately. "Dear Mama" is probably my favourite 2Pac song of all time, but it's really a toss-up between this track and "Hit 'Em Up". However, I've gone with "Dear Mama" as my Song Of The Day because it's just packed full of raw emotion, and that's exactly what 2Pac's music is all about. As a bonus though, I'll throw in "Hit 'Em Up" anyway. Enjoy!

2Pac - Dear Mama


2Pac - Hit 'Em Up

Kanye Appreciation: Kanye West - "Good Morning", "Champion" & "I Wonder"

Three more slept-on tracks from Kanye's third studio album, Graduation. The production is top-notch on all three tracks, and there's even a cool little video for "Good Morning" starring the Dropout Bear, so make sure to check it out. Enjoy!

Kanye West - Good Morning


Kanye West - Champion


Kanye West - I Wonder

Premo Appreciation: Royce Da 5'9" - "Shake This" & "Hip Hop"

If I had to choose my favourite Premier beat of all time, it would have to be "Boom" by Royce Da 5'9". However, as I've already posted that amazing song on my blog before, I thought I'd share with y'all a couple more tracks that these two giants of Hip Hop have made together. The first track is called "Shake This", which revolves around Royce's one year prison sentence that he served back in 2007. He really pours his heart out on the track so you'll wanna listen closely to the lyrics. The second track is called "Hip Hop", and that's exactly what the song is about. Pure Hip Hop. Now let's not forget about Premo, who produces two wonderful beats, and turns Royce's great lyrics into fantastic songs. Enjoy!

Royce Da 5'9" - Shake This


Royce Da 5'9" - Hip Hop

B.o.B - Airplanes (Part I) feat. Hayley Williams

B.o.B's new single off his upcoming album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Now I'm just waiting for "Airplanes (Part II)", featuring some white dude named Eminem. By the way, apparently Eminem KILLS it! Anyway, here's Part I:

Joell Ortiz - Lemonade Freestyle

Sick new freestyle from one quarter of SLAUGHTERHOUSE!!! Many rappers have gone in on this beat but no one can really kill a freestyle like Joell Ortiz.

Drake - Over (Video)

The video just dropped and I ain't that impressed to be honest. Still a great song though ........

Wale - Whole Time (feat. Young Chris)

Here's the newest addition to my iTunes library. It's a cool track with a beat that samples the theme music from the Bond film, Goldfinger. Check it out: