I’ve been saying for awhile now on this blog that Miz Korona is the truth. Novice Detroit hip-hop fans might recognize her as the woman that battled Xzibit in the movie 8 Mile but she’s done a heck of a lot more with her music since that cameo. Her lyrical style is all strong-arm Detroit shit verse after verse but she’s sweet as pie in person. Get to know her if you’re unfamiliar. And support her most recent release, The Injection, which dropped over the summer.

Check out a quick interviewwith Miz Korona talking about The Injection with yours truly below the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the album’s slated to drop in early 2011 that I’m most looking forward to is a full length LP from Invincible and Waajeed. They first linked up musically on the Platinum Pied Pipers Triple P album a few years back with the song “Detroit Winter.” So it’s appropriate that their current track is called “Detroit Summer”… plus if you’ve ever been there, summertime in Detroit is the shit. Listen to a radio rip of the tune above.

The duo are releasing a split 7-inch vinyl album called Detroit Summer on August 10 which you can pre-order here. Do it. Also, check out video shot by yours truly of Invincible premiering this track live at the Allied Media Conference. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of Dwele’s new album, W.ants W.orld W.omen that drops June 29th. Now, despite the slightly egotistical/ “I’m Feeling Myself” title, the singles I’ve heard thus far for the album have all been good. Dwele doesn’t really hit folks with mind-blowing music but rather soothes the cerebellum and spirit simultaneously with songs that are more  subtle than superb. That’s not even a knock. That’s just his style. Dwele is good at what he does and hopefully W.ants W.orld W.omen continues to showcase that.

Check out the latest song below to get a feel:

[audio http://thefader.cachefly.net/dwele-i-wish.mp3]

After the jump, check out a promo video shot at the old Train Depot off Michigan Ave in Detroit for the new album. Shout outs to Detroit Roller Derby diva Kyle Kentala and songstress Monica Blaire who make cameos in the promo. Read the rest of this entry »

About two years ago, my dude DJ House Shoes was touting Danny Brown to be one of the next best rappers to come out of the D. Considering Shoes is the type of a cat where you damn near need to be able to take a shit on a ceiling to impress him, I couldn’t help but be intrigued at who in the hell had piqued his interest that much. Shortly after he and I chatted, everyone from part-time G-Unit producer Nick Speed to Invincible to Detroit rap vet 87 were playing me a gang of Danny Brown exclusives that all made my jaw drop. By the time I finally saw dude performing at a grimy ass rave with a 1,000 people stuffed in a warehouse — most of them wrapped around his every word — I knew he was the real deal.

Toward the end of 2008, Brown dropped the heralded Hot Soup album as his introduction and now he’s following that up with The Hybrid, which came out a week or so ago.  It’s totally hoodtastic in all the right ways with Brown dropping quotables galore. One of my faves:

“I’m spittin’ that dope shit / smokin’ on regulars
Writin’ 16s like Internet child predators…”

“Guitar Solo,” “Shooting Moves,” and “The Nana Song,” are my favorite tracks right now. And somehow, Brown can make you wish you had a Bridge Card on “Thank God.”  Peep the entire album for free right here.

Today I popped Elzhi’s Out of Focus EP into my tape deck (yes I still listen to cassettes) and reminisced on how gifted Elzhi is as an MC. That EP is from like ’98 –I’ve even been told it distinctly sounds like it’s from ’98 –and mostly features production from DJ House Shoes. Neither Elzhi nor Shoes had come-up in the rap world yet, but both were just a year or two away from changing that. This is all around the time that Detroit artists like Dwele G, Waajeed, Hodge Podge (now Big Tone) and El were all emerging out of The Hip-Hop Shop/St. Andrews and on the verge of record deals.

Here we are some 11-12 years later and Elzhi is still coming off the top with crazy quotables and verses unlike any other rapper. It’s clear that he’s getting better with age and I’m loving him for it. Instead of having House Shoes on production this time, he’s got the even more internationally known, yet still Detroit born and raised Black Milk holding down beatmaking duties for his latest single. Those two have been grinding together since Slum Village’s Detroit Deli album. The two 313 favorites just released a video for their latest song called “Deep.” Ya gotta love the brief cameos from Phat Kat, T3, and DJ Dez.

This is one of the chronically slept on Slum Village tracks that more ppl need to know about. “Don’t Fall in Love” is an ill cut all by itself. But the remix version of this track is where it’s at. It’s arguably better than the album version and I damn sure wish more DJs would play it.

It’s been awhile since I hit folks with some genuine Detroit Heat — probably because it’s “so cold in the D” at the moment — but it’s definitely time to change that.

For awhile, a lot of people in Detroit have been looking at Marv Won to truly break out and go global. He spent years grinding with the Fat Killaz and isn’t just “cosigned” but rather is legitimately cliqued up with Black Milk, Royce Da 5’9, Guilty Simpson, Invincible, Dwele, and the rest of the D’s upper echelon of MCs. Oh what, you didn’t know Dwele could rap? Anyway, Marv’s rap flow has definitely changed and progressed over the year and some of his best work is strewn across his latest project, Wayne Fontes.

The album is a slight play on words as Wayne Fontes used to be the coach of the Lions back in the Barry Sanders glory days. Right now, the Lions aren’t shit, but Marv on the other hand, is a rapper that folks need to not sleep on.  My favorite cut on this album right now is “Stomp,” a track that just oozes that Detroit 313 struggle. Marv sounds at home on that cut but if Proof (RIP) or Guilty were to get on that song, they’d sound the same way. “Lay it on the Line” and “Mad at Me” (which actually features Dwele rapping) are both album faves as well.

You can stream the entire project for free right here. Cop it for $10 if you feel so inclined.