Jay-Z & Coldplay - "What If We Cry?" X "Lucifer and Friends"

We used to use umbrellas to face the bad weather,

Now we travel first class to change the forecast.

There's no getting around it.  DJ Mick Boogie and sidekick Terry Urban are men of genius.  While their late 2008 remixtape of Adele's 19 was superb it is Viva La Hova that will forever remain the duo's magnum opus.  The 2008 mix up, which mashed-up songs from Jay-Z and Coldplay's respective discographies, still holds as my second favorite remixtape of all time, behind only Danger Mouse's legendary Grey Album.  These two tracks in particular provide us with further evidence of why the mash-up, at it's best, is a truly beautiful art form with the new instrumentals providing new meanings to the songs as a whole.

Jay-Z & Coldplay - "X-Y-Z"

This is probably my favorite track off of Viva La Hova, Mick Boogie and Terry Urban's 2008 mash-up of Jay-Z and Coldplay.  This one mixes Hov's "No Hook" off of American Gangster and the title track off X&Y, completely changing the tone of the song.  For those of you who, like me, are fans of the (good) mash-up, this project is a must download.  Enjoy.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

WordIsBorn

Previous: Adele - "First Love [Remot Remix]" feat. Naledge

Adele - "First Love [Remot Remix]" feat. Naledge

I figured I should take it back to this extremely dope Mick Boogie remixtape seeing it's been just under a year since it's release.  I haven't really ever listened to Adele, but I'm a huge fan of this mash-up (something that's difficult to do, but Mick Boogie pulls of with great consistency).  This is one of my favorites from the mixtape and features some of the best rhyming I've heard from Kidz In The Hall emcee Naledge since their debut project.  The rest of the project can be downloaded here.

Peace, Love, & Mash-ups,
Noah

Jus Mic - "Last Day of School" X "Tell Me Where The Truth Is" X "Miss You"

I originally posted my review (and download link) of this Cleveland artist's mixtape back in early August, but I wanted to bring this back up to the top for those of you who may have missed/slept on him.  Coming with the Mick Boogie co-sign, this mixtape is one of the best projects I've heard in years and propelled Jus Mic up my list of favorite up and coming emcees.

I've posted two of my favorite tracks from the album, "Last Day of School" (a hauntingly beautiful track produced by The Kickdrums) and the powerful closing track "Tell Me Where the Truth Is" (produced by Charlie Brown," as well as the bonus track "Miss You" that he released recently.

Don't sleep on this talented emcee.  He has the potential to go places and, with the content he raps about, hip hop could use more rappers like Jus Mic.  The way the hip hop scene is going in Cleveland, he's in great place to propel his career. Update: I re-uploaded the entire Jus Mic mixtape for download.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

New School Noah

"Miss You":

Jus Mic:

Previous: Check In With Jus Mic

Idle Warship + Mick Boogie - Party Robot

Talib Kweli is one of the most highly respected emcees in the game today.  Beginning with his career with Mos Def, the duo released their critically-acclaimed self-titled debut Black Star in 1998.  Kweli hasn't stopped, releasing three solo albums and two further collaboration albums with Hi-Tek and Madlib, he has garnered a reputation as an uncompromising conscious emcee (aside from an appearance on "Get 'Em High"), and even earned a shout out on Jay-Z's The Black Album:

If skills sold truth be told,

I'd probably be, lyrically Talib Kweli

Perhaps that is the reason this mixtape collaboration with DJ Mick Boogie.  The group Idle Warship, consisting of Kweli, singer Res, and singer/rapper Graph Nobel originally collaborated on Kweli's 2000 Train of Thought release and recently released their debut full-length project, Party Robot, for free on the interwebz.  Party Robot departs from Kweli's typical style and results in club-playable songs (with "The Warship" being the standout track).  Definitely a worthwhile download for you hip hop heads out there.  Hit the jump for tracklist/stream/download link.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

Noah

Kidz in The Hall, Donnis, & Daytona - "Class Of Our Own" (prod. Mick Boogie)

I couldn't resist posting this collab (especially with the Mick Boogie co-sign).  The production on this NBA Live-exclusive track is amazing.  Check it.

Kidz in The Hall, Donnis, & Daytona - "Class Of Our Own" (prod. Mick Boogie)

Check in With Jus Mic

I haven't checked in with my favorite Cleveland spitta (sorry Cudi) in a while now and here are a few tracks he's released in the meantime.  Jus Mic is one of my three favorite up and coming emcees and be sure to check out his other material.  Also, if you like "Your the Man (Remix)" or "Who's Saving Me," be sure to check out the 216thetakeover.com presented mixtape On The Rise, Vol 2, featuring several of Cleveland's best.  Cleveland is another of those scenes (like my own hometown) that's about to explode. The home of Bone Thugs, recent Cleveland artists have included Jus Mic, Kid Cudi, and Mick Boogie.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Noah

Jus Mic - "Who's Saving Me"
Mr. 44 feat. Jus Mic & Embezz - "Your A Man (Remix)"
Jus Mic - "Wasn't Supposed to Be"
Jus Mic - "Misery"
Gifted feat. Fortune & Jus Mic - "Run This City"

Previous: Jus Mic - "Trying To Get My Hip Hop On"

Mick Boogie - Re-Living Thing (Peter Bjorn and John Remixtape)

Mick Boogie finally dropped his remixtape of PBJ's Living Thing (2009) on us.  I'll be the first to admit, that I'm not a big fan of Peter Bjorn & John, and don't like some of the samples from the album, but I still recognize great lyrics (the mixtape features 30 of the freshest MCs in the game today), and very good production from several hot producers.  Even on the tracks that I skip over, I recognize that the lyrics are good, I just can't deal with the samples on some of them.  Cuts include "Blue Period Picasso" (an amazing introduction to the rest of the album), "Stay This Way," "Lay It Down,""Last Night," "It Don't Move Me," "Nothing To Worry About," and "Amsterdam."  At the end of the day the good more than outweighs the bad and it is definitely worth the download, but it just isn't good as Mick Boogie's previous projects Viva La Hova and Adele 1988.  I understand that I appreciate the source material for those projects more than PBJ so there will be a lot of people out there who will absolutely love this mixtape.  Enjoy.

Tracklist:

1. Naledge & Mickey Factz: Blue Period Picasso (remixed by nVMe)
2. Freebass 808 & Christian Rich: Living Thing
(remixed by Apple Juice Kid)
3. Bun B & The Kid Daytona: Losing My Mind (remixed by 6th Sense)
4. Big Pooh, Chaundon & Phil Nash: Stay This Way (remixed by Jazzy Jeff)
5. Trouble Andrew & GLC: Lay It Down (remixed by The Kickdrums)
6. Talib Kweli & 6th Sense: I Want You
(remixed by William Russell / Good Life Mike)
7. 88 Keys & Outasight: 4 Out Of 5 (remixed by 6th Sense)
8. U-N-I: Last Night (remixed by Remot)
9. GZA, Buckshot & Tabi Bonney: The Feeling (remixed by Marco Polo)
10. Big Sean, Black Milk & T3: Just The Past (remixed by nVMe)
11. Kardinal Offishall, Donnis & Henok Achido: It Just Don’t Move Me
(remixed by Jet Audio)
12. Wale, Young Chris & Rhymefest: Nothing To Worry About
(remixed by The Kickdrums)
13. Evidence, Jerreau & Fashawn: Amsterdam (remixed by Cookin’ Soul)

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Noah

Mick Boogie/Peter Bjorn & John - "Just the Past (nVMe Remix)" Feat. Big Sean, Black Milk, and T3

I've been eagerly anticipating Mick Boogie's remixtape of the Swedish electro-pop rock band Peter Bjorn & John's Living Thing (2009) for quite some time.  The genius behind the Viva La Hova and Adele 1988 projects was supposed to drop this project at the first of last month, but has been reworking it for quite some time.  It was supposed to drop at the end of last week, but it looks like a final release date (fingers crossed) has been set for next Tuesday.  I highly recommend copping the free mixtape when it finally does drop as nearly everything Mick Boogie touches is solid gold.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Noah

Mick Boogie/Peter Bjorn & John - "Just the Past (nVMe Remix)" Feat. Big Sean, Black Milk, and T3

Donnis - [Update] Diary of An ATL Brave: Presented by 10.Deep

I hadn't heard of Donnis before a couple weeks ago, but I'll trust the 10.Deep co-sign as they've put out mixtapes by Kid Cudi and Wale before.  The Mixtape is mixed solely by DJ Benzi and Mick Boogie (so you know it's going to be dope).  Delivery-wise, Donnis reminds me of fellow ATL rapper T.I. with better lyrics, at least on the song "Country Cool."  Cuts include "Beginnings," "Gone," and "Over Do It," but the mixtape is solid top to bottom.  UPDATE: If you haven't downloaded this mix yet, I urge you to do so immediately.  This mixtape is possibly the best blend of pop/party/lyrical depth that I've heard in a 12-track mixtape.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Noah

Mick Boogie – Mixtapes/Mash-ups

Danger Mouse changed everything.  With the release of the DJ's beautifully produced The Grey Album, a 2004 mash-up of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and The Beatle’s The White Album, Brian Joseph Burton legitimized the mixtape as a genuine and beautiful art form.  Although The Grey Album was released for free, it solidified Danger Mouse’s commercial career as he went on to produce with the likes of the Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, Dangerdoom, and Beck.

Jus Mic - "Trying to Get My Hip Hop On"

As I mentioned in my previous post, Jus Mic is one of my three favorite up and coming solo emcees (the others being Kyle Lucas and J. Cole).  The Cleveland MC has recieved props from a lot of greats and released a free self-titled mixtape last year co-signed by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban (the geniuses behind the Adele 1988 and Viva La Hova mash-ups).