Later today, this month’s mixtape will be up, including the winner of the ReverseRemixThis! Contest with Map. While you sit on the edge of your seats anxiously awaiting, vote for Cas Metah on MTV!
Great video, right? Now go show your support for Cas Metah and VOTE VOTE VOTE.
I mentioned that the Illect Christmas album was gonna be available on iTunes… Wait no longer…
thepaintedman rates this: 
The 3rd day of Christmas (at least by thepaintedman’s math), brings more fresh hip hop, in fact… what I am presenting to you is the freshest Christmas themed hip hop since Rev Run, Darryl McDaniels, and the Jam Master presented us the classic tune of which I shared with you yesterday.
This 10 song compilation is thoroughly enjoyable and can spice up you Christmas playlist very easily, as it has mine. All 10 songs are solid, featuring artists like LA Symphony (including my boys CookBeezy and Uno Mas, who incidently I saw on JCTV yesterday while flipping channels), MG! the Visionary (a man responsible for getting me much deeper into hip hop than I ever had been before when he released Transparemcee…), Scribbling Idiots (JustMe, Cas Metah, Mouf Warren, Theory Hazit, and Wonder Brown), Sintax the Terrific (free download of track “Snow Day” coming on Friday’s mixtape), Page One, Elias, Caramel Skillington, and Sivion. And while, I can honestly assert that all 10 tracks are fun, enjoyable, and well made, here are my top 4, in David Letterman-esque fashion:
4. LA Symphony’s “Christmas Song”
While I have not confirmed this, I assume this is an older LA Symph track, notably because of the presence of Pigeon John on the track. The beat takes a back seat to the rhymes of this all star cast of MCs. (Their other track on this comp is a sweet track, too. It’s entitled, “It’s Christmas” and has a beat I dig a bit more, but the lyrics and showcasing of the delivery of these talented MCs on this track make it my favorite of the two).
3. Elias’s “Maria”
Different than the other tracks here, Elias’s track is not really a hip hop track, but rather an acoustic reggae track ala Bradley Nowell of Sublime. A fantastic track for fans of hip hop and those who don’t bump much hip hop alike. Been stuck in my head for a few hours now (as I type this I am singing the song aloud in my office).
2. Page One, Theory Hazit, MG! the Visionary, and DJ Because’s “We Three Kings”
I’m just such a sucker for MG’s flow and adding a few other fantastic artists into the mix doesn’t hurt. I wholly dig the jingle bells and how they pair with the scratch work and the backbeat. Hot track. Period.
1. Scribbling Idiots’ “Jingle Bell Knock”
Sampling “Jingle Bell Rock” is genius for this track. The construction of the beat is phenomenal. While the LA Symph track noted above is almost entirely about the MCs on the track for me, this selection as my favorite track is easily as much about the production and beat as it is about the rhymes and flows. A very well put-together track from the collective that seems to be at the helm of all that is Illect.
Download these tracks today from sphereofhiphopstore.com or on coming soon on iTunes… you won’t be sorry. And then you can come back and tell me which tracks are your favorite. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, telling me about your favorite track(s) will pay off with a little Christmas surprise in the way of some free music.
Illect just dropped a new Christmas album, which will be available on iTunes very soon… but you don’t have to wait, get your copy for only $7.99 directly from illect.com.
Not sure? New to Illect? Well, look at this track listing and you’ll be sure. MG!, LA Symph, and the Idiots alone should be enough convincing.
1. Sintax the Terrific – Snow Day
2. Scribbling Idiots – Jingle Bell Knock
3. L.A. Symphony – It’s Christmas
4. Sintax the Terrific – Immanuel
5. Page One, Theory Hazit, MG! the Visionary and DJ Because – We Three Kings
6. L.A. Symphony – Christmas Song
7. Elias – Maria
8. Caramel Skillington – Salvation’s Army
9. Sivion – Celebrate the Son
10. Sintax the Terrific – Lament of the Diamond Star
Check out Theory Hazit if you haven’t yet… and then go pre-order the album.
Josh from ILLECT sent this email out today, figured I’d pass it along… and remind you of Contest Week’s first contest.
Welcome to another update from the Illect crew.
What’s new?
a. Josh just returned from a trip to the land down under (Australia). The land that flows with kangaroo, dingo, Tim Tams, Red Roostah and of course hip-hop. It was a fresh trip and we met heaps of Aussie hip-hoppers at several events. Check for some photos on Facebook. Be on the lookout for some collaborations between Aussie emcees and Illect soon.
b. Modern Marvels CDs are being pressed right now and will be available real soon. Look for this album and Lord Fire 2 to hit iTunes and other digital retailers asap.
c. We’ve got some special audio treats on the way from the Illect family. Stay tuned.
d. Cas Metah has a new Facebook page up. Hit up the spot for the latest on him. Be sure to click Become a Fan at the top of the page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cas-Metah/158211963507
e. Help a friend learn to Mind the Rap. http://www.illect.com/mindtherap
Freshest, illest, dopest Hip Hop releases from Illect Recordings…
Another month, another 10 free tracks… but wait, what’s that? A FREE 11th TRACK. A few of the same players and a few new cats. All 11 tracks kick ass, so start downloading. And make sure to leave some love, the artists will definitely appreciate it.
1. Tunc Ak – It’s a Beat (Crazy cool album site’s opening track)
2. Map – Issues and Subscriptions (Check out bonus track at the end of the mix and review of the album this week!)
3. Dual Core – Magnificent Seven (Read all about this HOTNESS!)
4. the85bears – Shadows (Last month’s most downloaded band on TPM, the85bears!)
5. Cook & Uno – Monie Love (feat. Joey the Jerk) (CookBook and Uno Mas bring their LA Symph homie on board to rock the proverbial “casbah”)
6. Sauce A Million – Up Goes the Beat (Featuring Pill Parcell) (“Hip… Hop… Hip Hop Anonymous… oh, you always give him the easy ones!”)
7. The Young Werewolves – I Can’t Resist (owwwwWWWWWW! Another rockin’ track from The Young Werewolves)
8. Ajax Starglider – Lazarus Man (ILLECT’s finest, become a fan of ILLECT while you’re bumpin’ this track)
9. Freddie Bruno – Sermon H2O (More hotness from the ILLECT crew)
10. Cas Metah – Find Time (Featuring BC and Playdough) (Some say 3 is a crowd, but 3 fine tracks from ILLECT are quite the opposite… and Playdough is on this track, so… yeah…)
BONUS TRACK: Map – Lucky Cat (A 2nd track from Velvet Blue’s indie rockers Map)
thepaintedman rates this:
JustMe’s Before the Twilight is undoubtedly fresh, unfortunately it’s not quite my cup of tea. While one track kinda blows me away and will continue to rock my stereo for weeks, months, or years, the rest of the album is tad too R&B/gospel for me.
Let me clarify. JustMe is a fantastic MC. I love his rhymes, dig his flow, all that… but the beats are a bit slower and more R&B oriented than my typical tastes. The backbeat is often very gospel in nature, as well, which is another genre that I don’t tend to dig on much. What hurts about saying this, is that as an MC, I really like JustMe.
Clever lyrics and rhymes that highlight a very authentic sounding love for life, family, and God are what JustMe is all about as a lyricist. His flow is very natural and his voice is smooth. Everything that I don’t like about this release is counteracted by the skills and genuine nature of JustMe as a true master of ceremonies on the mic.
In the first paragraph, I mentioned that one track was simply amazing, that track is “Kentucky Chrome”. It bumps with 70’s funk. Great horn lines, a sing-song, chorus, and a fantastic drum beat. Everything about this track cements it as a permanent fixture on many a mixtape for me. Even now, as I type this review I am bopping my head to the beat.
So, what have I actually said about this album other than my personal feelings on it? Not enough. Here’s what you need to know. JustMe is an obviously accomplished and competent MC that spills his guts out on top of an array of funk, R&B, and gospel backbeats. Something about him brings to mind the genius of Common, and while I can’t say that this is my favorite album of 2009, I don’t doubt that it can be yours if you dig good hip hop/R&B fusions. As a lyricist, JustMe leaves very little to be desired. This is an uplifting, feel good album full of slow jams and a whole lot of soul.
My only hope is that JustMe explore his rockin’ side a bit more on his next release, that way I can give him his just due when I get the chance to review him again.
