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.