Videos of the Week June 9th

Quite the assortment of videos this week with a bunch of new music videos and a few interesting clips outside of music. Led by a Japanese theme and featuring Big Boi in a European-style king throne, the video fro Kill Jill was as cold as you'd expect from Sir Lucious. His rapport with fellow ATL-iens Killer Mike and Jeezy can't be understated. There's a reason why they run Atlanta and that was on full display on that track. Continuing on the music tip, Bebe Rexha and Weezy did a really good capturing the inspirational of the track for the video of The Way I Are. And while we're on music, don't sleep on the up and comer Saba. His verse on the remix of Gallant's Bourbon is top notch.

Outside of music videos, it was inspirational to see Chance the Rapper continue to spread positivity when confronted about racism in America. His praise of how Lebron handled his latest spray painting of his house showed how both he and King James deserve to be thought leaders in an America that needs more people to have informed, educated takes on social issues. And last, but not least, I'm ending the week on a funny note with Fallon reading off some mostly outlandish tweets about terrible summer jobs. That one about peanut butter in a dumpster didn't seen real, but nowadays you really never know...#MyWorstSummerJob

Big Boi feat Young Jeezy & Killer Mike - Kill Jill (Video)

Bebe Rexha feat Lil Wayne - The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody) (Video)

Gallant feat Saba and Lophiile - Bourbon (Video)

Chance the Rapper Goes on The View, Talks Racism in America

Fallon Reads the List of #MyWorstSummerJob

Photo Credit: YouTube

"So I Think We've Burned Our Bridges"

I've always been a fan of Killer Mike, so when he teamed up with El-P to form Run the Jewels, it definitely got my attention. While they play a supporting role in the track below with Until the Ribbon Breaks, I loved Killer Mike's verse over the experimental synth-pop style beat. I'll be the first to admit that I had not heard of the British trio before the track, but the fact that they were able to reel in Mike and El-P for a somber track was a nice surprise. Dap is in order for Peter Lawrie Winfield and Storme Whitby Grubb for the direction on the video too. Cool mix of camera shots that did what a good video should do, give added context and intrigue through visuals to augment the audio. For reference, Until the Ribbon Breaks' debut album A Lesson Unlearnt is due out in early 2015 if you feel like investing via iTunes...

"Love and Respect for My Peers, Man"

Wait a minute, Danish electro pop meets Atlanta Hip Hop? Say whaaat? Count me in for that craziness, especially when the end result is something that sounds like Cypress Hill. When Saints Go Machine's new one featuring Killer Mike has a grimy, 90s rap sounding head nod worthiness to it that's throwback as hell. Check the obscure video below for the track...

Who in the world knows how this collaboration came to be, but it's pretty dope in it's own right. And Killer Mike isn't afraid to shout them out either...

@killermikegto It's an honor.
— WhenSaintsGoMachine(@WhenSaints) March 28, 2013

Even better, they managed to get the track on US iTunes, which is no small feat and something a lot of European artists forego. Can't say whether or not these guys will be a one hit wonder on the blog, but they've surved their purpose today and their upcoming album Infinity Pool might be worth a listen when it drops in late May...#LoveAndRespect

When Saints Go Machine feat Killer Mike - Love and Respect

Proof That Mike is a Bigga Beast

Tough is an adjective Southern rap has always been closely tied to through the years. From the invent of trap music that exploded from the epicenter of Southern Hip Hop (Atlanta), you haven't heard anything but tales of struggle and hustling to survive. In other words, the stories are gruff, rigid and there isn't anything you could characterize as soft.

I say all this because @killermikegto held no prisoners when he went 0-60 in a matter of seconds on his lead single Big Beast off his upcoming tag team album with @therealelp. I'm talking like NWA style, in your face, bar after bar ferocity on the mic is what you can expect below. Even better, he managed to solicit verses from the two best in the South with @tip and @bunbtrillog chipping in verses. If this is any indication of how solid Mike Bigga's new album R.A.P. Music (Rebellious African People's Music) is going to be, I've got no problem perpetuating the hype...#May15th

Killer Mike feat T.I. Bun B & Trouble - Big Beast (prod by El-P)

He's a Mike Killer on the Low

Yea you've heard of Killer Mike or Mike Bigga and probably know him more for his effort on Bone Crusher's Never Scared...


Or even on his collabo with Outkast that ended up winning a Grammy...


Either way he's never had that single or that album that puts his name in everyone's mouth...not just people around the ATL or the South. Still, he's dropped a few tracks that have went completely unnoticed and have been easily ranked in the top 10 on some of my monthly song lists. Many would argue he's just another Freeway or Beanie Sigel from the South and while that's a pretty good argument since they all have a similar, grimy and abrasive way they go about telling their stories and spitting their verses, I'd argue he's better than both.

First case in point, a track that I came across last summer that samples a track that only the salt of the earth type of Hip Hop fans would know by SA-Ra's track Butterscotch Frequencies. Somethin' about the beat, the gruff, muffled chorus with the slow moving clap of the beat augmented by the high pitched chimes throughout the track. Now listening to it, it's got a subtle funk about it that is infectious. Mike Bigga killed the sample though, he flipped it and owned the track, give it a listen..

Killer Mike - Doin' It Well Great Track!!!


Moving on to the newer track that was up there with Drake and T.I.'s lead singles as top 5 Hip Hop tracks last month. What I like about it most is the Mohammed Ali samples at the beginning of the verses. This was taken from a poem around the time of his Rumble in the Jungle fight with George Foreman in 1974:

"For this fight, I’ve wrestled with alligators,
I’ve tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning
And throw thunder in jail.
You know I’m bad."
-Mohammed Ali

That's the type of ol skool swag is the brand that artists like Drake and Fabolous are bringing with their verses on a track by track basis. Slightly corny if you really think about it, but at the same time fun and creative enough with the imagery and rhyming that it's strangely inspirational in an on some other shit sorta way. Know what I'm sayin?

Before the last verse he continues with the Rumble quotes with Ali exclaiming..

"Just last week, I murdered a rock,
Injured a stone, Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean, I make medicine sick"
-Mohammed Ali

While the beat does its part by bringing an inspirational tone, lyrically Mike brings it on the track too with lines like "I'm a fighter, I'm warrior a pugilist, I'm Ali talkin' Cash Money stupid shit" and "You don't know you better ask the click about me, movin' birds Matt Ryan, Steve Bartkowski, scramblin' with the yams like Cunningham, took it in for the win and cried I'm Goin HAM!!"

Pretty hype track that'll get you runnin' a lil' faster on the treadmill if ya know what I'm sayin'...

Killer Mike - Didn't I Tell Ya HYPE!!!!!