Zion I - “Bird’s Eye View” X “Caged Bird Part 1” feat. Brother Ali

Coming out of the Bay Area, you would expect the duo of Zumbi and AmpLive to represent the Hyphy movement more than the Golden Age of Hip Hop.  Although you can certainly hear the hyphy influence in some of their songs, Zion I (pronounced “Zion Eye”) blends deep soulful production with socially relevant rhetoric and sounds more like Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest than Mac Dre.

I was first introduced to Zion I through the song “Silly Puddy” off of their debut LP Mind Over Matter.  The song itself, had a trippy futuristic beat set to equally trippy lyrics.  It was like nothing I had ever heard and I quickly went through their discography.

“Bird’s Eye View” is off of the duo’s 2005 LP True and Livin’.  The song is reminiscent of Common’s classic “I Used to Love H.E.R.” and refers to a women as an extended metaphor to hip hop.  It is an unadulterated expression of MC Zumbi’s love of hip hop and is one of my favorite songs of any genre.  Likewise, the Brother Ali-assisted track “Caged Bird Part 1”  comes off of their latest effort The Take Over, and is one of my favorite collabs (Every day that you hold me in bars is another day I can’t teach your soul to soar).

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

Northside Noah

"Bird's Eye View"

"Caged Bird Part 1" (feat. Brother Ali)

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)

Dyme Def - "Time4That"

I blame my obligations to class for not getting this out earlier, but here's the latest from the Seattle trio.  This won't be on their winter EP Sextape, brought to you by the boys over at Soul Gorilla and T.I.T.S. Brand Clothing, but was on an EP that the group decided to scrap to promote Sextape.  I've also included an older cut, that a lot of you may not have heard called "FreshInMyKicks." Enjoy.

Peace, Love, & Dyyyyyyme Def,
NW Noah


"FreshInMyKicks"

"Time4That"

dead prez - "Hip-Hop" x "Warpath" feat. Ratfink

DP is a highly respected, semi-underground group comprised of stic.man and M-1.  They’ve been around since their debut Let’s Get Free in 1998.  The group continues the traditions innate to the genre—political activism and describes themselves as “somewhere between N.W.A. and [Public Enemy].”  The group has gotten a lot of props around the industry and has collaborated with Jay-Z, Nas, and most recently DJ Green Lantern.

This track is one of my favorites of all time.  Off of their debut record, it’s just a very well put together song.  The baseline is one of the most powerful I’ve heard and you may recognize it as the intro to Chappelle’s Show.  The chorus itself is one of the most recognizable in hip hop.

Lyrically the song is quite exceptional, commenting on the current pettiness in hip hop.  Pay particular attention to the second verse as it is one of my favorites in the genre.  The dead prez/DJ Green Lantern album Pulse of the People (of which this music video is off of) is out now.  UPDATE: I've attached one my favorite tracks from the album, "Warpath."  Enjoy.

Dead Prez Summertime music video from Tao Ruspoli on Vimeo.

Peace, Love, & Resistance,
Noah


"Hip-Hop"

"Warpath"

Geto Boys - “Mind Playing Tricks on Me”

The Geto Boys were the South’s answer to the West’s N.W.A. and later the East’s Wu-Tang Clan.  In the 90s, there weren’t many gangster rap groups or individuals that could compete with the Houston, Texas trio of Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill.  Their 1989 underground debut release as their classic lineup, Grip It! On That Other Level, is one of 46 albums to be awarded “five mics” by The Source, an honor reserved for classic hip hop albums.  Scarface would later earn two more “5 mic” ratings for 1994’s The Diary and 2002’s The Fix, making him one of only 7 artists to receive two 5 mic ratings for solo albums, along with Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Nas, Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, and Jay-Z.

Wale - "Rain, Sleet, Snow" X "That's Not My Name (rmx)"

It's a pretty slow day as far as music is concerned, so I'll post a couple older Wale songs for you.  The first one is is unreleased, but was supposed to be on some Nike mixtape (for you fans of the Swoosh out there, this song is for you).  The second is a remix of The Ting Tings' hit song (and is hella pop, just a heads up).  Attention: Deficit drops November 3rd (unless pushed back again...).

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Nivial Noah

"Rain, Sleet, Snow" 
The Ting Tings - "That's Not My Name (rmx)" feat. Wale

Previous: Wale - "I'ma Champ"

Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones Pt. II"

The most successful and influential artists that derive much of their lyrics from acts and threats of violence tend to have a sick and twisted sense of humor about it (see Wu-Tang, Biggie, Mobb Deep), but “The hood imagery of the lyrics is utterly pervasive and uncompromising, immersing the listener in a foreign land smack in the middle of New York,” wrote Gavin Mueller of Stylus Magazine on the Wu-Tang’s debut album, “There is no celebration here, and little hope.”