Futuristic Lingo - "Xs and Os" feat. Cocoa Sarai Music Video

I prefer warm weather over cold and this song feels like my last little piece of summer fun. "Xs and Os" by Futuristic Lingo is a very well done playful look at young love/lust. I was instantly drawn in by the dissonant quality of the arrangement and harmonies and then by the theme of the video.

2012 Underground Music Award winner Cocoa Sarai is a high school babe being courted by 4 different boys who desperately wish she would accompany them to prom. As the story develops, Futuristic Lingo peppers the track with lighthearted wordplay and sexual innuendo. The twist at the end definitely gave me an, "Oh, snap!" moment that I'm sure you'll enjoy too.

"Xs and Os" is one of 3 tracks that FL and Cocoa collaborated on for their 'Heaven on Earth' mixtape featured on DatPiff. This is the first I'm hearing of it but this video certainly sparks my interest in the rest of the project. Check the video below.

Royce Castro - "Faded 4Ever"

Royce Castro has been causing a quiet riot over the last year. From several features on Coast 2 Coast mixtapes to radio play in Atlanta to acting in USA Network's Necessary Roughness, Royce has been hard at work on raising awareness of his abilities. While work has certainly been done, fans have been itching for more frequent releases from the New Jersey spitter. I've heard a few tracks from the upcoming project, at various stages of development, but there was one thing consistent about everything I listened to and that was that Royce was on fire.

"Faded 4Ever" is the latest release and as right as rain, Royce gets busy on the lyrical work and production from Linx Da General is sharp as well. Right from the jump, Royce attacks the verses with the same hunger we've come to expect from him. He bounces back and forth between uptempo and down tempo deliveries and it comes together seamlessly. He really can do anything.

Check the free stream below...

Bueller Da Don - "H.O.M.E."

"Jeeeeeeez." -Kipland Dynamite

I know it's been a minute since the last update but you know I always bounce back with something super fly for y'all! Since the last post, Summer has closed, school has restarted, tonight is Fashion's Night Out and Fall is fast approaching. As the temperature slowly drops, Bueller da Don is keeping the fire lit.

He and producer Sunny Norway dropped this buck nutty audio on the masses a few days ago and I've been bumping it heavily at the 9 to 5. Finally, I get a moment to share with y'all! "H.O.M.E." is Bueller's latest addition to a pile of releases that are adding up to a monstrous catalog. He's entirely locked in and this sound he's crafting with Sunny Norway is the next "it" thing in the air.

This track has Autumn written all over it and I'm putting it out in the universe that this will be a stunning visual in the near future. Right, Buell? The joint just feels like a cut from a 2012 remake of Boomerang. Right, Buell?

...and Sunny Norway? You're a damn FOOL for this production.

Check the stream below. Your playlist just got a whole lot fresher. Support the release on iTunes.

Killer Mike - "Untitled" Music Video

Killer Mike is BACK!

I instantly became a fan of Killer Mike when I saw him on the Smokin' Grooves Tour in 2003 and he has not let me down since, as a lyricist. He's a savage with tons of intelligence and understanding and "Untitled" is another stone tablet in a history of warrior tomes.

"Untitled" is dangerous Rap. You'll hear me talk about that from time to time. For the uninitiated, dangerous Rap is the music that the system white washed out so y'all wouldn't get inspired to do anything more than consume everything that isn't empowering. Thank you Killer Mike for making music that is empowering for the ghetto kids!

Get a dose of this real right here. If you can hold it, take it to someone you love. They deserve some power.

Skyzoo - "Jansport Strings"

Who would ever have thought that Chi-Ali inspired Skyzoo to start writing raps? Do you even know who Chi-Ali is? (If not, I'll leave  a little reference material for you at the bottom of this post.) If you know Skyzoo's work at all, you know he greatly respects Jay-Z and one would assume that his greatest influence is him. "Jansport Strings" (One Time for Chi-Ali) tells us how the phenom got the itch to start writing using one of the most iconic brands of the 80's/90's.

Sky says, "As a kid in NY, the strings on your Jansport bag were a sign of power and presence." He ain't never lied! The more strings you pilfered, the more status. Jansport strings were like beads at Mardi Gras. You just had to have them ... lots of them. 

With 9th Wonder on the boards, this legendary duo does it again with a crazy Boom Bap offering from Skyzoo's upcoming 'A Dream Deferred' album releasing through The Faculty/Duck Down Music. It promises to be epic as Sky has NEVER been sub-par with a pen. 

Generally, when you talk about Rap music, you talk about beats and rhymes. When the topic turns to Skyzoo and 9th Wonder, you discuss compositions and literature. They are not the same thing.

Check out the free stream below and learn yourself on some Chi-Ali!



Who's Chi-Ali?