On The Next Step

Some of you know him as Skillz. Some of you know him as Mad Skillz. Some of you don't even know him at all. Don't worry though, dude's only relevant about one month of the year. I saw him live at the Hammerstein Ballroom, opening for Jurassic 5 about five years ago. Basically, every year around New Years, Skillz puts together a clever "rap-up" of the year's events in pop culture and hip-hop, touching on everything from Obama to Tiger Woods to Kanye & Lil' Mama acting a fool. Hit the jump for a history of Skillz' clever rap-ups.

Some of you have probably already heard about the kid Theophilus London (say whaaat?). If you haven't, he's a Brooklyn rapper kid who goes in over weird electro cudi-type beats. I'm actually feeling him on "This Charming Mixtape", and it's about time considering dude put it out almost a year ago. Either way, read more to listen to some key tracks and to download the entire mixtape for free. Don't forget to comment!

A few observations of my own from this clip. 1. I'm sure (sarcasm implied) Baby rocks those bootleg ipod headphones. 2. Jay Sean is SUPER gay and British, always repeating the same phrases even when they don't apply. 3. The best line of the entire video is when Birdman barks, "I'm a chicken eatin nigga". 4. Why would Pace Law School ever bring in rappers to speak to the crowd?!? As if they don't break the law everyday. 5. Slim, Baby's biological brother, always has a look on his face like he's about to OD on some heavy drug. 6. Baby rides so many G5's he doesn't even know what state he is in half the time. 7. The only words that come out of Baby's mouth are Priceless, YM, & CMB.

8. You have to love Baby's LV blanket he snuggles with on the G5. 9. Jay Sean talks too much and says endless amounts of stupid phrases, "Dats whats up". 10. What was Ice T randomly doing in Harod's in London?? 11. Only Baby would throw a party in some historic building in London. 12. Homie has stupid amounts of jewlery, particularly black diamonds, and designer skullys.

Not a whole lot to do over Christmas break, but I couldn't be less mad at that. Been watching a lot of Hulu lately, catching up on TV that I never get the chance to watch when at school. I've been hearing a lot of buzz for a long time now about It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and since I'd like to think I have pretty good taste in sitcoms and tv shows etc, if you don't already watch this show you definitely should. Hit the jump to see why I think it's worth your time as well as some links to hysterical episodes.

For those of you that don't have it yet, here it is for you. Happy Chanukah!!! By the way, Avatar was SUPER DANK!!! Forget what Max said and go see it for yourself.

Young Money - We Are Young Money (Full Album)

Pitchfork Album Review

No idea where this track came from. May be off Thank Me Later, but hopefully not.

Drake - Its Been A Pleasure

Complex has already put out a series of hilarious soundboards. Here's one that goes with the holiday spirit. If you need help figuring out who's who, hit the jump.

I'm diggin this collabo, as well as the beat. This track is off of Revolutions Per Minute, which is the second studio album being released by Reflection Eternal.

Reflection Eternal - Just Begun Featuring J. Cole, Mos Def, & Jay Electronica {CDQ}

Who would've thought light saber fights could be so dangerous?

This ridiculous replica of the classic Air Max 90 was done by UK artist Benedict Radcliffe. The shoe measures to a massive 11.4 feet and was fully commissioned by Nike. Check out a brief interview with Benedict about the project right here. Max insisted I throw a jump in here so hit it if you want to see more pictures of the nikes.

Decided we're going to start adding some more random, entertaining content. Here's a video of our boy Fish getting a little worked up over some 2 a.m. tacos.

I know a lot of people dislike this song and this and that. Having said that, I think the video is pretty dope. A lot of people hate on Mr. Hudson, as did I when I first found out who he was, but the man definitely has talent. For those of you that are unfamiliar with him; hit the jump to see more footage involving Mr. Hudson.

Had to get something posted today. This track was released yesterday and was supposed to be the intro for Attention Deficit. Track was produced by Osinachi, a DC native producer, who also set Wale up with the Nike Boots beat.

Wale - The Meeting (Produced by Osinachi)

I saw this and figured it goes with the spirit of Vail. If you've got a spare $10,000 to drop on skis, you should probably invest in a pair of limited edition Zai for Bentley skis. Yes, that's Bentley as in the car. Pretty dope skis though. Hit the jump to see more pictures.

We wish this wasn't the only trace of Larry Love (Larry who?) we've ever found. Sure, there are libraries upon libraries of songs dedicated to Mary Jane. Some artists even dedicate their entire careers to spreading the sweet word of cannabis. Word to Redman and Willie Nelson. However, few nobody has ever described their love for weed as poignantly and eloquently as Larry Love does on this Sickamore X Just Blaze track, titled "My Lady". THIS IS A MUST DOWNLOAD!

Larry Love - My Lady (Produced by Just Blaze and Sickamore)

If you caught Jordan's post from earlier, you already know where we're at. Just finished up the semester and flew out to Vail today. Looking forward to a day of fun in the Colorado sun tomorrow and it wouldn't be right if we didn't put together a little playlist for our day of shredding. Hit the jump for downloads and more.

I got a 6 a.m. flight out of Madison, through Chicago, into Vail. Land around 10 a.m. Made the bold late night decision to just pull the all nighter....



SUITING UP!!!! I'll be on the mountain shredding face in a matter of hours, with Max as my sidekick.....be jealous!

Most of you probably don't know who Nickelus F is. He was recently featured on Complex Magazines Ten Most Underrated Rappers. He is featured on a lot of Drizzy's mixtape Room For Improvement.

Nickelus F - Exhibit F

For all you Gucci fans....FREE GUCCI!!!

Gucci Mane - Have It All Featuring Pharrell {CDQ}

Assist - Lowkey

The “Hufquake” version of Nike Sportswear’s Air Max Current Huarache is finally releasing to select accounts. Following the recent launch of the DQM Bacon’s, this latest drop finds inspiration from one of the more popular design schemes/colorways of the past few years, designed by the folks over at HUF. The kicks feature NSW’s hybrid platform, pairing hints of the classic Air Max 90 with the Current theme and Huarache details. Now available through select Nike Sportswear retailers worldwide.

We Are Young Money is slowly starting to leak track by track. I'm sure the entire album will be out by the end of the week. For now enjoy these three tracks.

Young Money - Finale

Young Money - Pass The Dutche

Young Money - Fuck Da Bulls Featuring Birdman

If you haven't Kanye's "See You in My Nightmares" video, directed by Spike Jonze, definitely check it out. It's without a doubt the oddest music video short film I've ever watched, and yes, that is including Busta's "Dangerous". Hit the jump for a little more on the film and why I think 'Ye may have found himself a new hobby...

Hahahaha this is great.

"Pancakes.....SYRUP!"

"Before I Self Destruct......PAUSE"

Game sounds extremely laid back on this track, on his verses and chorus. I think it is a pretty safe assumption that this will be on The R.E.D. Album dropping 2/16/10.

Game - Breakin Rules Featuring Busta Rhymes (Produced by Scott Storch)

New single released off of the Rebirth LP. Most definitely better than On Fire & Da Da Da, but there is still something missing. Hit the jump for the download and more.

Had to give you folks something for today. Track is extra short, which leads me to believe this is not the mastered version, so check back. Nothing special, but enjoy.

Young Jeezy - Go Girl (Featuring Ludacris)

Thought you all might enjoy this interview with Jim Jones. He touches on beef with Jay, Game talking reckless and how he felt doesn't feel about Max B getting 75 years. Hit the jump to see the story. Shouts to Complex. Shouts to Joe La Puma.

Yeah, the kid Drake has been doing his thing lately. Popping up on more remixes than Weezy and making cameos in all sorts of music videos. Not to mention his Grammy nods. But here's the thing: not to join the masses of cliche independent hip-hop fans, but ever since Drake went mainstream I haven't been feeling him! So Far Gone was the perfect blend of R&B and hip-hop, soft enough to swoon ladies and just hard enough to keep thugs from snickering. But ever since YMCMB officially put their paws on him, dude has been getting turned out harder than a hood rat. His verses and lines are becoming tired and generic. All of his songs are starting to sound the same. I'm hoping his first studio album will be a return to the smooth, suave style that got us on the Drake bandwagon to start. After all, it's not very often an unsigned rapper has a buzz so big he could sell a blank disc.

In today's climate of musicians striving to be seen as versatile and original (ie. Kanye's 808's or Wayne's Rebirth) it's not surprising to see Clipse put forth an album like Til The Casket Drops. Even the album artwork, done by the artist KAWS, is a break from the gritty look we've come to expect from the VA natives and the sound is different too. Yeah, in a perfect world album reviews normally coincide with album releases, but hit the jump to find out why Til The Casket Drops may be the weakest album ever put forth by Clipse...

The latest MVPuppets episode leads us to the Mystery of the Missing VII. A case of the stolen Air Max Missing VII brings forth a Sherlock Holmes – like character to start breaking investigating the situation. A few different characters are introduced in this episode, Sneaky Pete?, which unfortunately ends as a “To be continued”. Check back for the follow-up.

Red Cafe - I'm Ill (Featuring Fabolous)

Red Cafe bit a Jay-Z sample hard on this one. Asher Roth get a nice shout out too. "Live from Bedford-Stuyvesant, the livest one, still on my grizzly no Iverson" -Fabo

Little off the beaten path from what we usually post. This list was released yesterday and was chosen by more than 100 artists, critics, and industry insiders. 808's notched in at a solid 63, definitely was not expecting to see that album on the list. This clearly means his other albums are on the list as well, with Graduation coming in at 45, Late Registration at 40, and The College Drop Out kills it at 10. Jay-Z came on this list with The Black Album and The Blueprint gettin in at 14 & 4. Other honorable mentions include Eminem, Outkast, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, & D'Angelo. Having said that, Wilco did well on the list along with Arcade Fire, and Radiohead finished off at #1 with Kid A. Check out the full list right here.

I'm feelin the color scheme on these new AF1's. The DJCK x Nike Air Force 1 Low was designed to be a premium Nike Air Force 1 Low option and features oiled Dark Brown leather, Brown canvas, Black nubuck, Light Brown ostrich textured leather, and a .44 sticky rubber Gum outsole which explains the labeling by the heel. They are now available at select Nike accounts, but you must act quick since numbers of availability are extremely limited.

The official music video for "Pursuit of Happiness" featuring MGMT & Ratatat by KiD CuDi. Directed by Brody Baker. Lovin the entire slow motion theme throughout the video and drizzy's random cameo. Cudder looks SUPER fucked up at the end!

Great interview with Brody about the video - COMPLEX

Clipse - Till The Casket Drops (Full Album)

Excellent album review by Combat Jack

Pitchfork Album Review

Young Jeezy Featuring Lil Wayne-Scared Money [MASTERED] (Produced By Boi-1da)

Respect - Lil Wayne HQ

Since when do albums need trailers? Nonetheless one that doesn't drop for another 3 months...

Taiwan has a single Nike Tier Zero retailer: PHANTACi. The directors Ric and Asian superstar Jay Chou design a Nike Air Max 1 with a grand piano in mind. More pictures and details after the jump.

Devin Copeland, a.k.a. Devin the Dude, a.k.a. your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. Devin stays one of the most slept on MC's doing it in our opinion and it could be because it's so easy to fall asleep listening to his music. It's hard to not catch the high from his soulful hooks and pungent, smoked out lyrics. If you don't currently have Devin on the iPod, except of course for his feature on Chronic 2001's "Fuck You," here are a few key tracks that give a great feeling of what The Dude is all about.


Devin The Dude-Sticky Green Featuring Scarface


Devin The Dude-I Can't Make It Home Featuring L.C.


Devin The Dude-What A Job Featuring Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000

Beginning the latest Basketball season arguing over who would win in a fight between a lion and a black mamba? The Most Valuable (MV) Puppets, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are back again for another season. Here’s a look at the first of what I’m sure will amount to a mountain of Nike Sponsored short comedy videos.

"Two words for ya brotha BLACK MAMBA!!!!!!"

New single from Lil Wayne off the Rebirth LP


Lil Wayne-On Fire [CDQ] {Explicit} (Produced by Cool & Dre)

Despite the success of The Carter Documentary, Adam Bhala Lough is still a relatively unknown name. But don't get it wrong, QD3 is the next big director and you can bet his next film will be a Blockbuster.

Props-Derick G

Jay Sean kills that beat box...the new breed...SUPER BRITISH!