5/20/16

Nominate Long Island Rap Blog for Best of Long Island


1. Go to https://bestof.longislandpress.com/nominations-arts-and-entertainment/.
2. Select "Blog from Long Island" in the Category menu.
3. Enter Long Island Rap Blog under Nominee.
4. Enter http://www.longislandrapblog.com in all other fields, except...
5. Enter longislandrapblog@gmail.com under Nominee Contact Email.
6. Click submit.
7. Send the link to all your friends, please.
8. Do it again tomorrow and the next day (you can nominate us as many times as you want).
9. Read the Long Island Press. It's one of the last bastions of true journalism.
10. Vote for us once voting opens (October 1).

De La Soul Announces And the Anonymous Nobody Tracklist, Pre-Orders Now Available


The first album ever to feature both Roc Marciano and David Byrne (I don't need to fact-check that, right?) is now available for pre-order — digital copies only, for now, apparently.

5/16/16

LongIslandRap.Comp Volume 2


"I think people’s point of view of what we were trying to do—it seemed as if they were pointing their hands at us like, these guys are basically here to represent something that we believe that they are, and they’re going to act the way we think they’re supposed to. It was like, no, that’s not who we are. It’s not what we’re doing, and it’s not what we feel."
-David Jude Jolicoeur

Download LongIslandRap.Comp Volume 2. Support the artists.

Andy Koufax - "Luna Melt" from Chin Music; Kaotik Ellement - "Burmuse Ruby (Botany Mix)" from Soundcloud; Marlo DeMore & Ra - "Argyle" from Faded Black and Gold released on Dinner Land; Rodan - "Human Inquisition" from Theophany: The Book of Elevations released on Day By Day Entertainment; Eric B. & Rakim - "Casualties of War (Moor Militant Mix)" from Casualties of War Promo VLS released on MCA Records; High Council - "No Mercy" from No Stress/No Mercy VLS released on High Council Records; Resident Alien - "State of Emergency" from It Takes a Nation of Suckers to Let Us In; Tafari - "Gods. (For My Niggas)" from F R E E; Sense Wondah - "Daydream" from While You Were Sleeping released on All Business Records; Elucid - "Throwing Bones" from Backwoodz Studioz Soundcloud; Son of Bazerk - "J Dubs Theme" from Change the Style VLS released on SOUL Records; Busta Rhymes - "In The Streets" ft. MF DOOM from The Return of the Dragon: The Abstract Went On Vacation released on Conglomerate Records; Brainstorm Da G.R.Y.M. - "I Hate This Game" from Occupy True Culture released on Tekton Words and Works; Midnite Society (Sho da Flo Man, Dunny Cold Facts and Petey Max) - "Midniteizm" (Final Version Courtesy of Shozae); Argotec - "Inertia" from Language of the Heart; Hus Kingpin - "Leila" from House of Kingpin: The Revamp Edition; Truth Enola - "Take You To A Place" from 6 O'Clock Straight released on Solid Records; Don Cash - "Vaseline" from Working After Work.

5/13/16

De La Soul Is Dead 25th Anniversary Memorial

Today marks the 25th anniversary of what is undoubtedly one of the greatest Long Island hip-hop albums of all time, De La Soul is Dead. To celebrate this milestone, the group have put together memorials at 298 Elizabeth Street (former location of Rush Management) and 37th Street & 6th Avenue (former location of Calliope Recording Studios). If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and light a candle for us.

De La has also launched a website, delasoulisdead.com, where you can attach your name to a scrolling memorial registry, stream the album, and download a previously unreleased demo from the DLSID sessions. If you'd like to hear some other demos, remixes and b-sides from those sessions, check out our re-up of the T.R.O.Y. blog's De La Soul is Dead Era Rarities compilations.

5/11/16

Torii Wolf - "1st"

This isn't a rap song, but I went to high school with this young lady and now she's doing a whole album with DJ Premier, so deal with it.

5/2/16

Kaotik Ellement - "Morado" / "G.O.D."

Long Island has its answer to the Project Blowed movement, but it's not an open mic showcase at a health food spot; it's a 21-year-old from Freeport who goes by Kaotik Ellement.

Kaotik Ellement isn't the only MC on LI who has an impeccable taste in beats (his Soundcloud page features him rhyming over instrumentals by Nujabes, Botany, Prefuse 73, Madlib and DJ Krush among others), but he's the only one I've heard who blesses these beats with unforced ahayauasca references and a flow worthy of comparison to the West Coast's most eclectic collective.

The songs below are a few years old, but they go a long way toward demonstrating that Kaotik is much more than just a creative kid with a dope voice and a good ear. And they show what he can do when teamed with equally impressive local talent, like Hempstead-based producer/instrumentalist Lobos y Robos. Look for more from this MC (and hopefully this duo too) in this near future.

5/1/16

King Cesar - Body Of Work


King Cesar's a horned, bearded, fire spitting Monsta Island Czar who incinerates the townsfolk for sport. His Body Of Work, therefore, is like a road strewn with charred corpses, their blackened arms outstretched from ashen cars.

Or something.

Body Of Work is also like a little greatest hits compilation. Several of these songs were on the Monsta Island Czars' Escape album. A few are a bit more rare, like the "Die" remix off Kong's Gorilla Warfare EP.

Looks to be one of several new projects from King Cesar aka X-Ray da Mindbenda for 2016. He also appears on a number of records out now on vinyl via Heavy Crates, and he recently re-upped some old episodes of his X-Tacy Radio Show on mixcloud.