A couple slices of modern hip hop pie for you today.  First one is monster voiced Chali 2na's latest single off his new solo album "Fish Market Part 2". It's produced by none other than the current dub step crossover king, Rusko, and Chali successfully rides that squirmy beat like a motherfucking centipede.  So ill!

CHALI 2NA - GADGET GO GO (PROD. BY RUSKO)

Next up is a remix of KRS' classic anthem "Step Into A World" by Moombahton founder and flag bearer, Dave Nada, who transforms it into something completely insane which will be punishing dance floors all summer. It's the last track on his new EP "Punk Rock Latino" and you can grab the whole thing over at T&A right HERE.  Get in while the gettins good!

DAVE NADA - KRS MOOMBAHTON

There's a mysterious new hip hop group floating around the information superhighway called Shabazz Palaces.

They're crisp, cerebral flow bouncing over stripped-down-with-a-gangsta-lean space beats is a killer combination that manages to sound fresher than a moist toilette amidst the modern day mud they call hip hop.

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After a little sniffing around, it turns out the group is masterminded by one of the illest mc's of all time (in my humble opinion of course), Ishmael Butler AKA Butterfly from Digable Planets & Cherrywine.

Since it's been proven time and time again that everything Ish touches turns to liquid velvet you know it's gotta be "ooh wee".  His abstract fingerprints are all over this from-the-ground-up DIY project cloaked in ambiguity.

They quickly plopped out 2 EP's back in the summer of 2009 and, along with many many others, I can't wait to see what they drop next.  Anticipation's back in Hip Hop!  Check out a couple of tracks below...

SHABAZZ PALACES - A MESS...

SHABAZZ PALACES - HOTTABATCH

Hip Hop and Reggae go together like water and t-shirts...here are two fine examples of this harmonious marriage.

CUTTY RANKS - THE RETURN (HIP HOP REMIX Feat. OGC)

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS - FUNKY KINGSTON

(SLARDY EDIT Feat. SPOONIE GEE)

Calling all you Raydahs and Gangsta Rap fans!  There's a dope new documentary out now via ESPN's heralded 30 for 30 series called "Straight Outta L.A." It's directed AND narrated than none other than Dough Boy himself Ice Cube so you know it's realer than fuck. It sounds like an exciting dip dive into the deep end of nostalgia as it examines the super group N.W.A. and their full on ringing endorsement of all things Raider related.  Read all about it right HERE and check out a preview where Cube asks Snoop how he felt the first time he saw the men in black coming out of that tunnel... For a soundtrack to said nostalgia, I've got a couple gems from the post-break up N.W.A. below...Ice Cube goes in on No Vaseline!

N.W.A. - ALWAYZ INTO SOMETHIN'

ICE CUBE - NO VASELINE (NO INTRO)

As you may have heard, Gang Starr's Guru passed away yesterday after a nasty year long battle with cancer.  There's been some shadiness going on ever since with his 7 Grand partner/producer Solar ever since.  Check this out...Say it ain't so Primo! Thoughts, prayers, love and well wishes goes out to the gifted unlimited rhymes universal.  May you rest in peace.

GANG STARR -WHO'S GONNA TAKE THE WEIGHT?

BALDHEAD SLICK - I WIN / U LOSE

(PROD. BY SQUEAK E. CLEAN)

The Roots covering J Dilla beats.  'Nough Said.  As an extra bonus I threw in the original classics from Jaylib and The Pharcyde, ya know, for referencing purposes...Go ahead and grab the whole thing right here.

THE ROOTS - THE STARS

THE ROOTS - SHE SAID

JAYLIB - STARS

THE PHARCYDE - SHE SAID

It's the House of Ppppppaaaainnnnn!!!  Oh man, this brings me back.  Seeing as it's St. Paddy's Day and all I had to dip my stick in the memory bank to recall a simpler, albeit puzzling, time growing up in the suburbs of Boston where House of Pain not only ruled the hallways but the white picket fence lined streets as well. Not only was the Everlast/Muggs led hip hop group vastly influential (feeding on the frenzied hunger of white Irish kids searching for hip hop on the harder side of the Beastie Boys) but there was actually a group of hoodie-and-tims rocking "thugs" in my town who would beat up and terrorize "freaks" all day and all of the night.  They too called themselves the House of Pain and somehow successfully managed to strike real, legitimate fear into the naive and easily shook high school population. Can you believe that bull shit?  What the hell is wrong with people?  It's a mad mad world, stuff like that'll make you wanna press your body up against a window wondering why why why. Anyways, it's not Everlast, Danny Boy and Muggs' fault my town's retarded.  Muggs' beats were so on point back then.  Someone needs to release the instrumentals to "Fine Malt Lyrics". Enjoy yourselves tonight and I strongly suggest you tip a couple Guinness's back.  It does a body good!

HOUSE OF PAIN - HOUSE & THE RISING SON

(FEAT. SON DOOBIE)

HOUSE OF PAIN -BACK FROM THE DEAD

This new Sadat X joint is FIRE!  Not only is Derek furious with the rhymes but he's got the chocolate boy wonder Pete Rock on the boards and the results are kinda magical.  "Turn It Up" is featured on the new "Wild Cowboys 2" that dropped recently.

Great to see, although both are greying up top, they still got the heatsicles.  Here's a couple of rock solid compilation album gems from yester years featuring Sadat.

COMMON & SADAT X - 1-9-9-9

FRANKIE CUTLASS - YOU & YOU & YOU

(FEAT. SADAT X & JUNE LOVER)

Happy Biggie Smalls Day!  It's been a whopping 13 years since his passing but he'll forever be a huge presence in hip hop. I always thought Biggie sounded the illest over west coast Dr. Dre beats (go figure) so I thought I'd dig into the vaults a bit to bless you with these two slices of funkadelic pie.

NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - REAL NIGGAS FREESTYLE

NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - BIG POPPA

(J. PERIOD MARCH 9th REMIX)

Goodie Mob has reunited and rest assured that the world is now back to normal.  Outkast is cool and all but these 4 long time friends are the real Dirty South. Since blessing us with their debut "Soul Food" back in 1995 they've gone their separate ways (mostly due to the obvious and inevitable departure of the caramel voiced Cee-Lo for solo pastures) and then came back into the public consciousness with a jaw dropping return-to-form performance on the Jimmy Fallon show with the Roots backing them up.  Check it out! If you're here in L.A., do yourself a big favor and catch them at the Nokia theater this Saturday night for what will no doubt be a barn burner.  Tickets HERE. To get your shrimp n' grits boiling hot I"m gonna hit you up with a couple odes to the fairer sex.  The first of which must be, in my humble opinion, the best "mama" song ever laid to wax.  The emotion is so RAW! That masterpiece is followed up by a silky syrup serenade to the ever beautiful black woman off their slept on sophomore album "Still Standing". Soul food so tasty.

GOODIE MOB - GUESS WHO?

GOODIE MOB - BEAUTIFUL SKIN