12/29/15

Hard 2 Obtain - Singles Collection (1993-94)

Coming from Lakeview, Long Island, a small CDP located southwest of Hempstead, Hard 2 Obtain consisted of three members: MCs Taste and DL and DJ Six Seven. The trio linked up with Dante Ross's Stimulated Dummies production crew for the making of their three singles and one album, Ism and Blues, but have since had something of a falling out with Ross. (See the comments from this 10-year-old post.)

All that bad blood aside, the singles and their b-sides evince some undeniable chemistry between H2O and Stimulated Dummies. And as a result of that chemistry, we have one classic LI anthem and numerous other bangers that also deliver that distinct local flavor. Stream "L.I. Groove," "Ghetto Diamond," and "L.I. Groove" b-side "Off The Top (Straight From the 12 Block)" below, then download all three of H2O's singles via the t.r.o.y. blog. You won't want to miss the other b-sides, believe me.

12/28/15

Serene Envy - The Earth Is Bald

Serene Envy spits 20-something malaise the way only a talented young Long Island woman can. Her third Soundcloud set, The Earth Is Bald combines coffee house quotables with boom bap beats and a voice that defies genrefication. In introducing the project, she wrote...

"I did not experience the era of boomboxes and dance offs. The 80s, the 90s, man oh man. Life imitated art and vice versa. Classics that shaped generations and generations to come.

"This is a mixtape. Do not expect a record label presentation. This is me, uncut. I'm just a fan of the art, juggling employment against life and losing the battle."

...to which I've got to say a few things: first, having lived through the '90s and half of the '80s, let me remind yall that those decades also brought us Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer and the shiny suit era, so let's not get overly romantic about them; second, Serene's fandom, juggling act and battle are what make this project a success. We all lose life's big battle eventually, but this here is a win.

12/26/15

Don Cash - Working After Work EP

Don Cash gives the world a surprise Christmas gift in the form of his latest EP, Working After Work, which features production by DJ C-Rxch, DJ DNA, Marley, Complexx and JD. Hunt, as well as guest vocals by Silas, Rome Streetz, Po Lo and KHus.

If you're looking for something to do the day after Xmas, or if you're anywhere in southwestern Nassau area to begin with, Don Cash is doing a show tonight, in Oceanside at Club Heat. "Smoking diesel out a wooden pipe / She only come around for dick and good advice." Stream the new project and download the tracks individually below, or get them all in one shot from our Mediafire.

Busta Rhymes - The Return of the Dragon (The Abstract Went On Vacation)

For the quasi-followup to his 2013 Q-Tip collaboration, The Abstract & The Dragon, Busta Rhymes teamed with a hip-hop who's who including fellow Long Island natives MF Doom, Roc Marciano and even Leaders of the New School who contributed their first recording together in 19 years. Of course, Roc and Bus have worked together numerous times, as the former was for a while in Flipmode Squad. Not familiar with any earlier Busta-DOOM tracks, but from the sound of it, this one was clearly a long-time coming, as the two effortlessly trade post-Native Tongue eccentricities over a Dilla banger that feels tailor-made for the occasion. "On the strength, she wasn't lent three cent / Got her own connect for rent off the cement."

12/24/15

Sim-E - Hollyday Classixxx-mas / "Winter's Coat"

Sim-E aka Simeon Hinds posted this festive beat tape exactly two years ago today, writing, "Holiday Instrumental jawn done a few seasons ago, give the gift of giving & get into the xmas spirit with these flips of sum holiday classics!!"

Stream/download it below, then check out the new wintry beat he posted just a few hours ago, and enjoy a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Jewish Christmas (seeing Star Wars tomorrow), and/or Happy Festivus for the rest of us.

12/17/15

DJ Surrup - But U Caint Sip My Purple [Slowed + Throwed]

Zero Klique chopster DJ Surrup gives the slowed and throwed treatment to the Queen of Neo Soul's new telephonic mixtape. Long Island Rap Blog promises to continue politely bugging him until he drops the Roc Marciano tape we talked about. ;-)
 

CuzOh - "The Real"

Late to the party yet again, but not too late, because The Allure, the album on which this song appears, is still on the way. Until it drops, you can check out more CuzOh material over at his website. Here, CuzOh claims to "lose all control in the vocal booth," but his commanding delivery as both MC and singer says otherwise.

12/11/15

Numeral - "Numeral" / "Creation"

You might recognize Numeral from a past post featuring fellow West Hempstead / Divine Nine Records MC Kenny Orlando. Dude's on some 2015 Latino Sonz of Man type shit, and his mixtape, MMXV, should be dropping later this month. "Yo what the fuck, man? You fucking serious, man? It's for the cause, dog."

Sage Infinite & Grandmilly - "Hidden Language" Video

New video for "Hidden Language," off Black Market, the best album of 2015 that didn't make any other blogger's year end-list, because every other blogger is an asshole. Song produced by Shozae, video directed by Omar Jones, paper torn by Grandmilly, grand entrance by Sage Infinite, fez worn by QS.

12/4/15

De La Soul - Live at Chestnut Cabaret in Philadelphia 5/16/89

Covering De La Soul for the Philadelphia Daily News, Jonathan Takiff wrote:

"Just when you thought rap was stuck in a muddy rut, along comes a brand-new thing like De La Soul, appearing tonight at the Chestnut Cabaret.

"Spawned in the suburban, not-at-all-horrifying community of Amityville, on New York's Long Island, De La Soul brings a playful, neo-psychedelic style of sound collage, innocence and humor to rap.

"They're actually much closer in spirit to Prince than to hard-core political rappers like their "Strong Island" neighbors, Public Enemy."

Read the full article at Philly.com, stream a couple songs from De La's Chestnut Cabaret set below, and download the entire live performance here.

12/2/15

Hazardous - "Wu-Tang Forever Freestyle"

This track probably isn't the best introduction to Uniondale rapper Hazardous — for that, check out his Elmont Sessions mixtape — but that's OK, because in terms of bars, this is absolutely what's up.

With this freestyle, Hazardous lifts Drake's "Wu-Tang Forever" out of the realm of pop-rap and lands it smoothly in the 516th Chamber.

Look out for a new single titled "School Spirit" dropping exactly one week from today and for the upcoming album, Building Rome.

12/1/15

Aim & QNC - "The Reunion" / "How It All Got Started"

QNC, in case you're unfamiliar, is a duo comprised of Curt Cazal (best known as DJ/MC with J.V.C. Force) and MC Q Ball. The new album, The Habit Of A Lifetime (And How To Kick It), teams them with UK producer Aim, whose Atic Records is putting the project out on CD, LP, cassette, wav and mp3.

Two of the album's standouts are "The Reunion," which reunites Curt Cazal with J.V.C. Force MC B-Luv, and "How It All Got Started," which basically tells the story of how QNC formed.

Stream both below, and go to AticRecords.com to cop in the format of your choosing.

Reks - "Bitch Slap" ft. R.A. The Rugged Man

"I get better each year 'cause clearly I'm starving / Fans watch my career evolve like theories of Darwin / Oust your prime ministers like Bangkok / With a Bomb Squad like Hank Shock where they bang cock and slang rock / And whores drop drawers every time that Wu-Tang drop / And bitches, instead of images of Christ on they wall, they hang Pac / Title vacate hate fake faith race bait / Culture vulture lame brain Johnny came late."

11/30/15

Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman - Lice



"I speak in alien argot, New York and Mass in this tongue/ The vibe is basically martian. They smell the jack in his blood/ I ain't the kind to use New York as a crutch. I use the force of the funk/ Enjoy the work and earn my portion of mush/ On a tour of the wild frontier, lying awake/ I tell myself it's all to broaden my societal take/ And while I sort of still believe it, I'd be lying if I/ Didn't admit I'd like to curl up on Long Island and die."

Download above or here via Stones Throw.

11/25/15

Hus Kingpin - "Leila" ft. El Ay (prod. by DJ Premier)

Hus opens up on this one; the result: maybe his best track to date. Oh, and it's produced by some guy named DJ Premier. Actually, Hus has done a few tracks over Preem beats. See:

11/22/15

DJ Prince - "Everywhere" (Video Premiere)

DJ Pr!nce takes his blend of organic, no-nonsense, riddim-driven hip-hop abroad, with "Everywhere," the latest visual off his debut, Test My Sound LP. The video, shot on location in Johannesburg, South Africa, tracks DJ Pr!nce's movements to and throughout the city while on tour with Skyzoo, concluding with a live performance of their song "False Alarm," which also appears on Test My Sound. DJ Pr!nce is currently putting the finishing touches on his next project, the Chop Fui Tape, while developing his Mobile Kitchen brand and pushing Test My Sound merch, including a t-shirt and 7-inch featuring the late, great Sean Price.

11/19/15

Hus Kingpin & SmooVth - "Cocaine Diaries" prod. by Ra

Baldwin's own Ra the Beat Archaeologist, who until recently worked primarily in Freeport but is now based out of Vegas, links up with SmooVth and Hus Kingpin, who's also known to bounce between East and West. Long Island's killing it on both coasts.

11/17/15

Prince Paul Presents Horror City

A Prince Among Thieves likely still holds the title as hip-hop's greatest album-form narrative, even 16 years after its release. And as undeniable of a force as that album's lead MC Breez Brewin was and is, equal credit is due his foil, Big Sha, whose rhymes on a shelved Prince Paul-produced Horror City album laid some of the groundwork upon which APAT was built. That Prince Paul himself freely admits, "to be honest, I always liked these originals better" says more about this lost album than any review ever could. If you already have this, you know what time it is. If not, you're missing from your library a critical piece of the Long Island hip-hop canon and thus, a true LIRB essential. For the love of God, download Prince Paul Presents Horror City now.


1) war party Intro
2) Play it close
3) Pain 
4) you got flow 
5) Take it how you want it
6) Big Sha
7) Tattles Tale 
8) Horror City Terrorists ( freestyle ) 
9) MC Hustler ( original ) 
10) Headbounty 
11) War party Outro 

"I carry the weight of a whole Island while you reppin just one section of one borough."

11/16/15

DJ Shor - Best of Grandmilly Mix

This mix comes to us courtesy of Grandmilly's DJ, Hempstead's own DJ Shor. Thank him on Twitter and maybe he'll throw a tracklist this way.

11/14/15

Hus Kingpin & Rozewood - "War Moon"

Sick beat change on this one. Hus stays sharp as always. Can't wait for the next Rozewood solo album though.

11/13/15

Cryptic One - "LIRR Life"

A video posted by cryp_uno (@cryp_uno) on
Cryp Uno brings it home for the 69th installment of Beat a Day Season 2.

Siege Spitfire - Triangle Overnight

Hailing from Brentwood, Siege Spitfire is an alum of NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. This EP, which he calls "the culmination of years of studying the greats," dropped back in August on Siege's label, Laureate Records. Much more than mere academic exercise, Triangle Overnight delivers angsty punchline-driven MCing over lush production by ADOTHEGOD and Big Cat. Stream below; download via iTunes.

Public Enemy - "Mine Again"

Chorus provided by S1W James Bomb, also of Roosevelt, originally from Pahokee, Fla.

10/15/15

Grandmilly, Sage Infinite, SHOZAE & QS - Black Market


Black Market opens for business via Mishka. Read their interview here, download below.

10/11/15

Tafari - F R E E

Elmont MC Tafari fully embraces the art and essence of the mixtape with his debut, F R E E. It's not just that he decided to rap over instrumentals by Madlib, Kxnwledge, All These Fingers, Samiyam, and other champions of lo-fi sample-based hip-hop, or that he made each beat his own with his commanding mic presence, versatile delivery and sheer songwriting ability; it's how he thoughtfully sequenced the project's different sounds and vibes. Compiling a great mixtape requires an excellent sense of timing and an understanding of one's audience, two qualities on display throughout F R E E. If you enjoy the music of any of the aforementioned producers, then Tafari's hazy, contemplative compositions were made especially for you, and if you download F R E E from Bandcamp, you'll get 4 bonus tracks not available for streaming.

Reek Va Villian - "Strong Island King"

Taking the J. Cole diss out of of the picture, Reek Da Villian is making a very bold claim with this track, produced by The G.I.A.N.T.S. "Don't make me come to Garden City, pussy."

10/4/15

Follow @LongIslandRaps on Twitter

The long overdue official Twitter page of LongIslandRap.com has finally arrived.

Follow @LongIslandRaps for updates on past, current and upcoming blog posts, as well as supplemental posts, including songs, albums, pix, streams, downloads and other goodies not posted on this site.

Stream 31 Grand Daddy I.U. Songs

The songs on this playlist, uploaded to Grand Daddy I.U.'s Reverb Nation page and embedded on granddaddyiu.com, span most of his catalog, from the Smooth Assassin days at Cold Chillin' to 2012's independently released Shots Fired album, with a few freestyles peppered in along the way. Enjoy!

X-Ray Da Mindbenda Talks M.I.C., DOOM, Heavy Crates

In this video, X-Ray da Mindbenda a.k.a. King Cesar discusses the formation of the Monsta Island Czars, as well as his more contemporary work with Heavy Crates Records and some of his career highlights, including engineering Operation Doomsday and contributing to the Soul in the Hole OST. Though no longer availalbe from the label itself, several of the releases mentioned here can still be purchased via X-Ray's Bandcamp page.

9/30/15

Don Cash at Oceanside's Club Heat / "Boom Bap Gods" / Qa'Seem Brennan - "Hunger Pains"

This isn't the normal format for show posts, but I've been meaning to get this new Don Cash track up anyway, so boom:


Also featured here are Rome Streetz and Dris, who represent Elmont and Hempstead, respectively, I believe. As you can tell, Don Cash continues to show love to talented locals. In fact, his Facebook page is becoming something of a Who's Who for Long Island hip-hop. That's where we found this video for "Hunger Pains" by fellow Long Beach MC Qa'Seem Brennan, who will also be performing at the show.


Be there, and look out for Don Cash's Working After Work EP coming soon, with artwork by Mike Mosley a.k.a. Mike Mozart, who also did the poster for the show and will be painting live there.


9/28/15

Rumpletilskinz - What is a Rumpletilskin?

To answer the question posed by this Long Island hip-hop cult classic, a Rumpletilskin is any of the three Uniondale MCs named Shanow "The Remedy Man," Jeranimo and Capital LS, and the DJ, DJ RPM. A Rumpletilskin could also be a former dancer for Leader of the New School (Jeranimo), or a former roommate of Busta Rhymes himself (Capital LS).

No matter which group member you're talking about, a Rumpletilskin is a hip-hop artist who left an indelible mark on the face of '90s hip-hop before fading into obscurity, so much so that the group's RCA Records LP has never been reissued in any format. With that said, we're happy to include their song "I-N-I" on LongIslandRap.Comp V1 and invite you to stream the videos for "Attitudes" and "Is It Alright" below, while you download What is a Rumpletilskin?, which we've packaged with scans of the album's review from the September 1993 issue of The Source, courtesy of HipHop - The Golden Era.

9/27/15

Tha Connection - Moon Water


In honor of tonight's super blood moon eclipse (which is happening right now -- go outside), here's Tha Connection's 2008 Goon Trax album, which was released at the time in Japan only. Now available via iTunes. For the record, Hus' opening verse one of his best to date, possibly.

9/26/15

Charlés DaBeast - Patience

Charlés DaBeast's Patience is according to the artist, the product of 10 months' work, including "28+ hours in the studio, 300+ dollars, 5+ hours at McDonalds & 4+ hours at the Library using their wifi to publish this project." Patience indeed. Unlike the entries in Charlés' Progress series, this is an album, not a mixtape or an EP. It does, however, pick up where those projects left off, with Charlés DaBeast continuing to rip raw over radio-ready production, like the pop vocal samples on "Summertime" and "Radioactive." On the latter, guest rapper Cayman Cline spits some numerical bars like Tommy Gunn in "I'm Counting on You" from yesterday's post, albeit with a much more accessible style, as he simply rhymes, "Yeah that's OK, 3 nights with 4play / but 2 with no bae and 1 night by myself thinking 'bout my 0ld ways." Despite solid cameos like this and a wealth of lush production work across the board, it's Charlés DaBeast's voice and vision that cut through clearest across the album's 20-song tracklist. Check it out below via Soundcloud and download through CharlesDaBeast.com.

Tommy Gunn & Ray Long - The Nickel Bag

Released in a "VERY limited pressing of on CD" by Godsendant Music and Backwoodz Studioz in 2008, The Nickel Bag was pushed as Tommy Gunn's followup to his 2004 album, A Penny for Your Thoughts, released under his Monsta Island Czar moniker, Megalon. You can see the similarity in the cover art, done by Ravage the MeccaGodZilla. Also like that album, the production here was handled almost entirely by X-Ray da Mindbenda, except for one track, "5 in Change," which was produced by Da Muslim Brother from Germany. The main difference between the two albums is that for this one Tommy was joined by his brother Raylong, who contributes vocals to about half the songs.According to Backwoodz, the duo of Tommy and Ray actually went by the name Hearts ov Darkness, although, as you can see, that group name didn't appear on the album cover. Another important difference, for our purposes at least, is that while A Penny For Your Thoughts is selling for $50+ on CD via Discogs and still available on iTunes, this album is no longer purchasable either digitally or on CD. Hence, stream a couple standout tracks, including the MF DOOM diss "You Was My Son," below and download The Nickel Bag in full here.

9/10/15

Nick Dillinger - "King Author"

You know what it is, nothing says '90s rap videos like fisheye lenses and tie-dye. Lindenhurst's Nick Dillinger brings both to the show for "King Author," his debut video. If you're digging this self-described "90's influenced conscious shit," download "King Author" via Nick's Bandcamp and while there, be sure to check out Very Special Herbs, his collection of songs recorded over beats from Metal Fingers' renowned instrumental series.

Sean Price - Forever P (prod. by BP)

BP pays tribute to the late Sean Price with a melody of raw verses and beats accompanied by art from the inimitable Joe Buck, best known for his work on De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate and these albums' singles. "Unfortunately, Hip-Hop has lost another legend but he will be remembered through his unique music. Forever P."

9/8/15

Eight Immortals - "Picasso"

Eight Immortals is a Long Island hip-hop quartet consisting of Illucid The Shaman, AM The Meister, RC The Scythe, and a yet-to-be introduced fourth member. Though they might be new to you, they've been on our radar for a while now, dropping tracks collectively on Soundcloud for about 6 months and getting better with each. Their latest, "Picasso" arrived May 31, featuring members Illucid (of Valley Stream) and AM (of Roosevelt) "attacking from an art perspective," with rapper/producer/mixer Illucid (not to be confused with Elucid) continuing to harness his deep, bassy pitch, which recalls that of Darc Mind MC Kevroc. A comparison to be proud of, for sure, especially considering the kid's only 17.

9/4/15

Grandmilly - "In The East"

New Grandmilly song produced by Cody Achter off Internet Hippy's Digital Flowerings Vol. 3 compilation. Still waiting on that #BLKMRKT though.

9/1/15

Diabolic to Rock Amityville Music Hall 9/11/15

It's kind of fitting that Diabolic will be performing on 9/11, as government conspiracy and social control are topics he's been addressing since making his debut.

Of course, 'Bolic was active in Long Island's hip-hop scene and proved himself a vicious battler even before gaining wider attention by bodying a hidden cut on Immortal Technique's Revolutionary Vol. 1, so those attending can expect more than insurrectionist poli-sci.

Also on the bill for the evening are locals Status631, Midnight Grahmmer, L.I. Nation, The Brotherhood, Davon King, Jeff Wesson and Stephen Yannone.

Tickets run $13 and are available via Ticketfly.

Square One - "Overdose" / "Where You Are"

Xdeezy of Oceanside's Square One hit us up a few months ago saying that he thinks "Overdose" is similar to some of the music posted here. And according to the Square One Soundcloud bio, they "try not to fit into any mold or trend that is going on in the music industry, but rather create a unique blend of hip-hop and alternative music that is fresh and exciting." Not so sure how similar this sound is to what we've posted thus far, or if it's possible to completely avoid "any mold or trend that is going on in the music industry" while blending hip-hop and alternative music, but X, Atomic the Bomb and RÅJ are clearly giving it their all, so fitteds off to them.

Stakczdadon - 15 Minutes of Fame Trailer and The Pre-Show Mixtape

Staczdadon is fixing to make that handle a household name on Long Island and across the land. To that end, the North/West Babylonian is gearing up for the release of his debut project, 15 Minutes of Fame. No said date yet, but for now you can check the trailer above and The Pre-Show mixtape featuring OMFT cohort Tay below.

8/18/15

2nd Annual Legends of the Fall Jam w/ Rakim, EPMD, Biz

Friday, October 2 at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, Long Island legends Rakim, EPMD, and Biz Markie will be joined on the bill by Doug E. Fresh, Mister Cheeks of the Lost Boyz, Rob Base, Onyx and Black Sheep. Tickets don't go on sale to the general public until Friday, August 21, but you can get yours early via Live Nation's pre-sale by entering password CROWDSURF. Pre-sale begins tomorrow, August 19 at 10AM, and runs until Thursday, August 20 at 10PM.

8/17/15

John Jigg$ - "Bill Cosby" (special cameo by 50 Cent)

Imagine you're a Riverhead rapper filming a video for your new song "Bill Cosby" on Guy R. Brewer Blvd. in Queens when all of a sudden a black SUV pulls up on the curb and out jumps 50 Cent. And then, after listening to the song, 50 decides to do a cameo on the spot. That's what happened here, according to DJ Mickey Knox of the Bash Brothers, who worked with Jigg$ and Port Jefferson Station-based producer DJ Six3One on the video for "Bill Cosby" off the #51631 album, a work designed to "put Long Island back on the map." Guess fortune does smile upon the brave. Stream both the video and the album below.

8/14/15

Jiggy Pook - P.O.M.E. Carlton Ave. Edition

Jiggy Pook's 2015 opus Product Of My Environment Carlton Ave. Edition is a hard-nosed love note to Central Islip that stays off the hook (get it?) across all 14 tracks. Stream below, download via datPiff, and check the video for some insight into the 49 Fly philosophy.

8/7/15

Public Enemy - "No Sympathy From The Devil"

Less than one month after premiering the video for "Man Plans God Laughs," Public Enemy punches you in the head with a second video, this one for "No Sympathy From The Devil," another one of the strongest songs on Man Plans God Laughs, which is out now on RCS Music.

The Planets - Planet Roc (Produced by Roc Marciano)

Even casual fans of Roc Marciano know he's nice with the beats. What many don't realize, though, is that apart from his own projects he's also done production work for a few other artists. Of those, perhaps the least well known (at least on this side of the Atlantic) would be The Planets, a UK-based Muslim hip-hop duo consisting of Ayman Raz a.k.a. Forever Bin Rhymin and Nomadic Poet a.k.a. Rapastani. Somewhat ironically, this is the only full project Roc has produced for artists other than himself, and having dropped on October 22, 2010, it even predates the Marci Beaucoup production album by more than three years. Stream or purchase the full EP and watch the video edit of the title track below.

8/6/15

Cryptic One - BEATADAY 2 Trailer

If you know the name Cryptic One, it's most likely as a member of the legendary NYC crew Atoms Family. What you might not realize is that Cryptic One actually spent most of his life in Westbury, having grown up just down the block from the Westbury Drive-In Movie Theatre. No word on how, or if, his experiences sneaking into flicks there inspired the visuals of his BEATADAY series. For the uninitiated, BEATADAY features Cryptic One producing one beat per day for 100 days and posting each to his Instagram account with a 15-second video. The second installment, which you can preview below, starts Monday August 10. Until then, visit CrypticOne.net to check out the original series, as well as his Cryptstrumentals and other music.

A video posted by cryp_uno (@cryp_uno) on

Busta Rhymes Got Patchogue In Check

That's right. The dungeon dragon himself, the mighty Busta Rhymes will be performing at The Emporium in Patchogue this Saturday, August 8.

The party starts at 10PM and goes all the way until 4AM.

Advance tickets are still available via ticketfly for $22 or $60 for Express Entry. Come Saturday, they'll cost a minimum $35.

If you'd rather "Pass the Courvoisier"  than "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," call 631-275-6200 to reserve your VIP table.

Yes, this is our first Busta Rhymes post to date.


8/1/15

DJ Johnny Juice - Break Beat CD#1

The Bomb Squad's DJ Johnny Juice is as active as ever, having produced no less than 3 albums this year alone. In addition to PE's Man Plans God Laughs, he also did the X-Vandals Ghettoblaster and Illus's Kaboom. Above, listen to a break beat mix he made last year.

7/31/15

Jazzy Yowa - "She Knew"

Jazzy Yowa has the unique honor of being the first contemporary female artist featured on our site (sorry it took this long, ladies, but send more music), as well as the first artist out of Levittown featured on our site. Even if she wears her influences on her sleeve, going as far as tagging "Drake" and "Yung Money Entertainment" in this Soundcloud post, she does their sound justice.

"She Knew" is the first track off of Dedication To My Ex Pt. 2 dropping this summer. Check out the first Dedication on datPiff and hit Jazzy up if you want to hear more (contact info listed in the pic to the left; click to enlarge).

7/30/15

Public Enemy - Prophets of Rage Documentary

This BBC documentary was directed by James Hale and first aired on December 9, 2011. It covers Public Enemy from the Spectrum City days all the way up to Flavor of Love.

7/27/15

Earwaxx One-Year Anniversary Show


Tomorrow, July 28, 2015, Long Island's premier creative expo, The Earwaxx Sessions, celebrates its one year anniversary at the Amityville Music Hall (198 Broadway, Amityville, NY 11757) with performances by D.A. The Future, Skinny Rapture, Boom Side, Dud Music, Sight Set High, Self Made Fresh, Dane Lawrence and Eli Groves. The event will be co-hosted by Chad Law, Dark Kent, Its Bizkit and The He-Man Woman Haters Club. Barring unforeseen circumstances, LongIslandRap.com will also be in the building. Doors open at 8:00. Follow @TheEarwaxxSessions on Instagram for updates. See you there.

7/23/15

Big Breakfast - "Hit Single"

"Out in Montauk eating a lobster roll ... Neck snapper, Santa Ana to Patchogue ... Breakfast, Mastic's most precious all day." Big Breakfast's "Hit Single" appears on the Smokers Cough 2015 Sampler, which you can stream below the video and download free or cop on CD for just $3 via the label's Bandcamp.

Grand Daddy I.U. - "My Neck Of The Woods"

Filmed on location at Eli's Deli & Grocery (James L.L. Burrell Avenue), Henry Street Warehouse Liquors (Henry Street), Great Wall, Street Gear (Fulton Avenue), and various other locations throughout Hempstead and NYC, "My Neck of the Woods" appears on Paper Is My Priority, which is out now on CD or mp3.

7/21/15

Eternal Intellect - Da Greywolf Series

Released in 2013, Da Greywolf Series showcases Eternal Intellect over famous hip-hop breaks (like Bob James's "Nautilus") and instrumentals (like Kanye West's "Drive Slow"), but if you think that means you're going to hear the type of throw-away freestyles that have become typical of most modern mixtapes, then think again. Eternal Intellect brings it with every single track. In fact, the song he does over the "Drive Slow" beat, which he calls "Elevator Music," is so amazing it almost feels like it's going to waste over a Kanye beat. And that's not at all a diss to Kanye, but a testament to how good the song is. Stream and download this incredible project below, and check out EI's Soundcloud for more.

7/17/15

The Chosen Few - Time Capsule: The Unreleased 1991 Demos

Chopped Herring Records Owner Pro Celebrity Golf clearly puts a great deal of time and effort into curating his label's releases, and over the past few years he's done as much as anyone for Long Island hip-hop, specifically by unearthing previously unheard recordings by JVC Force, DJ Stitches and Eternal Intellect among others. So, I won't get in the way on this one. Read Pro's write-up for The Chosen Few demo, stream the snippets below, and get your pre-order in before this edition of 350 sells out, as it most likely will.


Picture it, Long Island, NY, 1986. The crack epidemic had taken its hold over the hood. In fact there had just been an edition of the popular American news show "60 Minutes" which featured a block in Amityville, soon to be known to some local artists as Horror City, which was suffering from heavy unemployment and the effects of the this new drug crisis. Some Zulu Nation cats had came out to Amityville for a block party. The Crash Crew were battling a local crew called The God Squad, which comprised of Rahmel, Mc Duel & MC Finesse. An underrage Brian Jackson aka B-Nice snuck into the battle. This night was the start of his transformation into an MC.

B-Nice and his boy B-Love aka Lovey Brown had met at Copiague High School through a mutual passion for music. B-Nice played drums in the school chorus and picked up DJ'ing skills from friends of his brother who was 7 years his senior. Nice's grandfather was a close friend of the father of De La Soul's Maseo and the boys had met at an early age. They started to hang out through mutual friend DJ Stitches, reputedly one of the founding members of De La Soul. As you know, De La were a big deal in the late 80's and while writing their [incredible] second album "De La Soul is Dead" they guest-produced and featured on The Chosen Few project to help their boys and fellow Amityville artists. They took the demo to Puffy in 1991 who was then with Uptown, to Lyor Cohen at Rush and to Chrysalis and Virgin among others. They got great feedback, but no deal. As often happens the group disbanded but morphed into a new group Fourty Dogs. The demos were locked away and never heard again.....

-----until a Hip Hop demo tape collector, Scott Rodkey, copped a large collection of tapes in 2015. Among other obscure artifacts was The Chosen Few demo tape. No one to do with the group had a copy of the tracks and after posting on the excellent DWG forum, word got to Herring HQ and we approached the artists. As no masters remained and as this was SUCH a special collection of tracks, we mastered from the original demo tape, the only source available. The sound is very good, no glitches at all,  but it still has the general feel of a demo [it was never taken into a proper studio and mastered]. We are very proud to present to you the Time Capsule 1991 Demos. ENJOY.....

7/16/15

Public Enemy - "Man Plans God Laughs"

A few fun facts about the new PE song and video:
  • The title comes from a Yiddish proverb: "Der mentsh trakht un got lakht."
  • Much of the video was recorded at Roosevelt High School, which Chuck D attended 1972-1975, and W.T. Clarke High School, which he attended 1975-1978.
  • The song and the rest of the new album from which it's taken were produced by Gary G-Wiz Rinaldo.
  • The female vocalist featured here is Cassandra "Half Pint" Jackson, best known as one-third of Freeport's Son of Bazerk.
  • Lyrics for the song are on Public Enemy's official website.
  • Man Plans God Laughs is streaming via Spotify, downloadable via RCS Music, and will be available on CD and vinyl starting July 25.

Aesop Rock - Music For Earthworms

Recorded in a Manhattan studio called Graebar, Music For Earthworms captures a young Aesop Rock during breaks from Boston University in what is perhaps his rawest musical state. The sessions were engineered by dub-l, who was interning at the studio at the time and also produced 3/4 of the album. It was pressed on CD-R sometime in 1997 and later sold via AesopRock.com until it officially went out of print on November 15, 1999. For an idea of what the site looked like back then, click here. Stream the video for track 1 "Abandon All Hope" below, download a supposedly remastered version of Music For Earthworms here, and for some more perspective, compare this Aesop Rock interview from around January 2001 with this one from May 2015.


7/15/15

NHVL - "Looking For Love" (Premiere)

Representing the Northgate section of Uniondale, NHVL (pronounced Novel) raps and sings, but this is no novelty act. He does both well, with a novelistic depth. Case in point: "Looking For Love," the latest single off NHVL's last project, Dreaming Out Loud, which will be released online in the near future.

Long Island Rap Blog is proud to premiere "Looking for Love" below and encourages you to check out NHVL's numerous Soundcloud pages to hear more of what this uniquely talented artist has to say and sing.

7/7/15

DJ Pr!nce - WSHA 88.9 October 2007 Mix

About a week ago DJ Pr!nce uploaded this mix from his days at North Carolina's Shaw University. The set list features numerous songs du jour, including three DJ Pr!nce originals: "Fresh" (24:04), "Do It Like You" (32:55), and "Facebook Livin' Instrumental" (40:29). Stream above and download at 128 kpbs here.

7/5/15

William Cooper - "Zombie Land" ft. Diabolic prod. BP



When the Fourth of July jingoism ends, it's back to "Zombie Land," where as Diabolic says, "Devil on the palace throne replaced Bill Cooper with provocateurs like Alex Jones." This video is the latest off William Cooper's God's Will, which is fully produced by BP and available on CD or iTunes. You can stream four more songs from it below.

7/1/15

Sage Infinite & QS a.k.a. Quiet Storm - Quiet Stories / Dark Matter Beta

Though Beneath the Mantle was the first Midnite Society-related release posted here, Uniondale producer Shozae's collaborations with New Jersey MC Sage Infinite, Dark Minded and Dark Minded 2, were actually the first to catch our attention. Little did we realize then that these projects were predated by Sage's work with another Midnite Society producer, QS a.k.a. Quiet Storm, also of Uniondale. Below, stream 2007's Quiet Stories and 2011's Dark Matter Beta.

Ace Finesse - "Steph Curry'

If the hook and song title of "Steph Curry" are timely, then lines like "Let me shuffle my cards, I don't trust these dogs / That's why I'm strapped with a duffle of darts / Dipped in Ambien / I'm the Adamantium champion" are timeless. This is the first single off The First Supper, the forthcoming debut album by Central Islip's Ace Finesse, which is due out later this summer. If you want to hear more before then, check out his June 2015 mixtape titled Industrial Ace.

6/29/15

Horror City featuring Resident Alien + Superstar - Aah's & Oohh's / Wine Fi Kill / Moogler / Freestyle Fiend

This is another one of those "singles" that would probably be considered an EP by today's standards, as it contains four unique songs, none of which are remixes, instrumentals or acapellas. Whatever you want to call it, this release features reggae-flavored rhymes by Horror City's Superstar and Resident Alien's Double Brain, Dragon and Mister Bug, as well as production by Double Brain, De La Soul DJ Maseo, and someone named Punchie P (possibly a Prince Paul alias).

Listen to "Aah's & Oohh's" below, download all four songs here, and check out this post by OG Long Island hip-hop historian Jesse Serwer for more info on the Resident Alien crew.

Cali Blaze - Deep Cover

In making his case for Deep Cover, Cali Blaze typed the following: "i got shyt for da streets I got shyt for da whip I got shyt for u to pump u up in da gym i got shyt for da clubs to turn up n throw bands to i try to keep it as 100 on my tape as I do for myself everyday i talk about da hustle gettin money but yu never see me talkin bout no lambos n fake shyt i dont got its real out chea so if yu hear da whole tape youll hear my kinda sound n wanna ride da wave !" You will also hear his wavy auto-tune vocals and some smoothly sinister beats by MalTar Music, a production group based out of Babylon. Cali Blaze reps Hempstead, though he and his team UCA (Unstoppable Cash Addicts) went to West Hempstead High.

6/24/15

Don Cash - "ODB Flow"

When we last covered Don Cash he was known as Mr. Cash. Since then, he's taken down a bunch of free releases and begun gearing up for his seventh solo project, which will be titled Growing The Fuck Up. If Cash has been growing the fuck up, his latest seems to indicate he's maturing into an old dirty bastard, at least in spirit. "ODB Flow" was produced by Complexx, a Lawrence-based producer who's worked with Cash on numerous songs including "iheart Hip Hop," which we posted back in November. Expectations are already high for GTFU but if this song couldn't even make the album, then Cash must really be up to something. Stay tuned.

6/21/15

Remy Represent - "Death Prone"

Inwood's Remy Represent can tell you more about this beautiful, two-sided song than we can, so here's some of what he had to say:

"I aim to make the midnight soundtrack for people [who/to] stay up and think all night. Dark, bold conceptual music that both sonically and lyrically represents the flawed human perspectives of various people's minds, explores and analyzes the human psyche and sheds light and focuses on mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, addiction, and self harm which can affect millions of people and their loved ones. "Death Prone" was produced by my main producer René Derobe and is my first official release and it was inspired by my own struggles with health anxiety/panic attacks and how I was really feeling at time like I wanted to hear a rap song that represented what was going through my mind, feeling helpless and prone to death."

If you can identify with any of those sentiments, then you'll surely find something relatable in this song. If not, watch the video anyway and stop being such a hard-ass. Directed by Tauno Ostra, the visual accompaniment to "Death Prone" pretty much obliterates the line between music video and short film. (And for our purposes, it puts an excellent exclamation point on a month already filled with artful and imaginative videos.)



Also visit Remy's Soundcloud page, where you can download the song, and RemyRepresent.com, where you'll find a full gallery of artwork dedicated to it.

6/20/15

D.A. The Future - "Rain"

A rainy Saturday afternoon seems an opportune time to post this latest video by Amityville's D.A. The Future. Kudos to both D.A. and the video's female lead, whose face alone conveys much of what the song has to say. In case you missed it, be sure to check out D.A.'s 18 North EP as well.

Tha Connection - Universal Dominance

A few years before Hus Kingpin built Digi Crate Records to be the international platform it is today, he and SmooVth were working with a number of different labels including Libyus Music, Goon Trax, and Domination Recordings, which released The Connection's Universal Dominance in 2008 as a free download. Somewhat surprisingly, this album is still available to stream and download. And though Hus "tha" Kingpin and SmooVth "Dude" have clearly honed their skills since, the raw artistic talents were already there, as you'll hear. Also appearing on this album were several artists with whom Hus and SmooVth are still collaborating today, including rapper Rozewood and producers SciFi and DJ Kryptonite. Download Universal Dominance here.