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HNRL x Fools Gold – Summer School Mixtape
Man. Maaaaan. I have grown into such a fan of Trackademicks production. It’s summer music to the Nth degree, all smooth percussion and strategic bass. Every Trackademicks/Honor Roll production I’ve heard nails a light feeling without getting overly sweet.
And so of course, fresh for the summer of 2012, comes the latest installment. The Summer School mixtape is a collaboration between the Honor Roll team and legendary Fools Gold rep Nick Catchdubs, with guest features ranging from Flosstradamus production to the bearded maestro himself, Kool A.D. of Das Racist.
Download the whole thing here, and check out a couple of the tracks. There are more below the jump, as well as a complete tracklisting. Enjoy!
01. Intro Disaster Drill feat Mike Baker, Whiz, Spank Pops, Josie Stingray & Trackademicks (prod by Flosstradamus) by The Honor Roll
03. Wooowww (Bay Shit) feat Trackademicks & Kool A.D. (prod by Trackademicks) by The Honor Roll
Kool A.D. – 51
Fast on the heels of Heems’ Nehru Jackets mixtape comes the next solo venture from the Das Racist camp. This time around, it’s the bearded homie Vic aka KOOL A.D. dropping 51, a 22-track-deep tape. On it, Vic stays true to his bi-coastal nature; like a musical colossus of Rhodes, he’s got one foot firmly rooted in the Bay, and the other planted somewhere in central Brooklyn.
And it works well – if anything, 51 is a testament to the fact that it’s possible to find common threads in the #based movement and the Nu York underground sounds, two technically distinct approaches to hip hop that haven’t seen a ton of crossover. Not an easy thing to do, and it requires the right person with the right vision. Vic’s done it once here, and the question now is who can take it the next step of the way.
And for the record: the Bay represents with verses from Main Attrakionz, Green Ova and Boots Riley from the Coup, and production from Amaze 88 and one of my personal favorites, Trackademicks. NYC is repped by Heems, Meyhem Lauren and Kassa Overall, and backed by beats from Mike Finito, Ketchphrase and more. It’s a packed house.
Trackademicks – Cherry 2000
It seems like just yesterday that we were writing about a bushel of new releases from Bay Area/NYC squad Honor Roll – well, two months ago, actually – and already we’re back again with more.
Just before the new year, Honor Roll honcho Trackademicks dropped Cherry 2000 a four song, vibed out piece of beauty. Good snappy snares plus icey synths? It’s some serious wintertime music.
Listen to the whole thing in one mix below, and click here to download the full unmixed ep.
Honor Roll on a roll
The Honor Roll Crew is one of the Bay Area’s most consistently creative crews. Led by Alameda’s own Trackademicks (one of the best nomes d’ mic ever, imho), and featuring a supporting cast made up of emcees, singers, producers, and DJs, they’ve got a deep bench (including heavily slept-on producer 1-O.A.K.).
More to the point, the music they make doesn’t fit into easy definitions – yes, it’s very West Coast, but the dashes of space and swing take it firmly into the 21st century.
There are two recent releases from the team to consider:
Firstly, Mike Baker the Bike Maker, Honor Roll’s newly-minted East Coast rep, who just released a new ep, Mike Plays it Cool. It’s produced 100% by members of the Honor Roll family, and features Mike himself rappity rapping. It’s a smooth farewell-to-the-West-Coast album (and hello NYC), worth some early morning and late night drives.
Mike Baker The Bike Maker – Mike Plays It Cool by The Honor Roll
The second is Fresh Coastin’ from Trackademicks himself, and even though it dropped a couple months back, it’s certified heatery that demands repeated listenings. The production and most of the mic duties are handled by Trackademicks, with notable guest spots from Freddie Gibbs, Phonte, and 1-O.A.K. After hearing many many Trackademicks remixes, Fresh Coastin’ is a happy step forward, packed with production that feels almost immediately classic. It’s the kind of album that could only come from West Coast, and I have a feeling it’ll age well until next summer rolls around and it’s back in its element.
Eleven, Dopeshoes, Still Life – Str8 West Coastin’ (mixtape)
Str8 West Coastin’ is a free backyard BBQ party put on by three Brooklyn DJs with roots deep in the West Coast. Tonight was supposed to be the second edition of their tribute to West Coast hip hop culture. But as I type these words, New York is getting dumped on by Hurricane Irene. Thus, shutting down MTA and causing most of New York’s nightlife to shut down with it. Which is a bummer, really, because if it wasn’t for the hurricane the good people of Brooklyn could be dancing their asses off to some of the best hip hop the West Coast has blessed the world with to date.
DJs Eleven, Dopeshoes (206 stand up!) and Still Life have done the right thing and postponed Str8 West Coastin’ to September 17th. This is good for Brooklyn. But what about the rest of us?
Well, fret no more, friends. Because thanks to these three generous DJs, who made this 68-minute, 50-track mixtape masterpiece, we can all light the grill, twist up the chronic, throw our Ws up and party in style now. That’s right! Through the magic of modern technology, you are free to throw your very own Str8 West Coastin’ party in the comfort of your own backyard this weekend, the next, or any damn day of the week.
Tracklist after the jump.
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One last summer gasp
I’m bummed I didn’t find this earlier, back when summer was really doing the dang thing, and not wincing away into a premature autumn (if you’re west coaster, perhaps you know what I’m talking about). On the plus side, this new-to-me Summer Mix by Miami’s Champion Sound Crew might just hold off those clouds a tad longer.
Champion Sound MIA have consistently been putting on big nights at the Electric Pickle in Miami, as well as producing high-quality mixes that bring some of that South Florida vibe out to the world. Champion Sound’s got four DJs – Manuvers, A Train, Lumin, and the homie Sire Esquire – and each one takes a chunk of the mix, bringing their own sounds and tastes to one cohesive project.
It’s good times, and with shorter days just around the corner, this might be the only thing that’ll get you through (unless they follow it up with airline tickets to Miami, which we here at LxNxM would never dream of turning down). Tracklisting after the jump.
