"Ridin Thru My City Wearin More Red Than Santa Claus"

Just when I had written off Hip Hop as as headed toward extinction, here comes a heat rock delivered by two of my favorites. While Rich Boy and The Game's verses will be the reason you listen to the track, you're going to remember the track because of Hit-Boy's absolutely bangin' beat. To say it goes hard doesn't do it justice, it THUMPS! (Hence the 808 check post label below). It's not enlightening Hip Hop by any stretch of the imagination, just a lot of tough talk and witty bars, but that works for me when it's done this well. If you're like me, you had thought Rich Boy was fading into ether as one of the best 'bama rappers of all time. It sounds like that legacy has yet to be fully imagined, which gives hope for the near future of Southern Hip Hop...#RidinThruMyCity

Rich Boy feat The Game - Ridin' Thru My City (prod by Hit-Boy)

Who Rocked it Better? Nelly or Rich Boy?

Tough call on this one as super-producer Jim Jonsin finds himself pictured above between Nelly and Rich Boy for good reason. Seems he is the mastermind between the beats below with very little difference between the two instrumentals, leaving both with high probabilities for commercial success. Let's be honest, between the depth of the bass, the subtle guitar riffs and the harmonic chorus, both tracks could easily be hits.

Unfortunately, Rich Boy doesn't have album plans til 2011 (Resurrected in Diamonds) and Nelly has the commercial appeal of Britney Spears. As such, Nelly took what is going to turn out to be Rich Boy's original  track and has turned it into a lead single off his upcoming album 5.0 due out Nov 5th. His version has softer vibe to it both lyrically and beat wise with the addition of some soft-rock guitar. Should sell some records and find it's way onto a top 100 singles chart even

But just because Nelly is destined to sell more records off his version does that make it better? In the words of my man @therealcrookedi, "Oh hell to the naw!". @CARTIERBENJAMIN's version is a much better use of the beat as Rich Boy manages to match @nelly_mo on the harmonic hook, but brings a whole lot more Hip Hop and less bubble gum on So Look Good. His southern drawl fits like track like Usain Bolt, sounding a lot more at home over the heavy bassline than Nelly did on his version. Between this track, She Luvs Me (She Luvs Me Knot) with Polow, Go Crazy with Yelawolf and an upcoming Dr. Dre collaboration there's some serious $$$ to be made out there Maurice! The south is buzzin' of late with the emergence of @yelawolf and @bigkrit, I can't think of a better time to get some of these singles out, especially when you've got @iamjimjonsin and @Polow_Da_Don behind the boards.

Take it for what it's worth, the common denominator is great production from Jim Jonsin, but when the verses are taken into account it's a TKO.

Rich Boi - So Look Good (prod by Jim Jonsin)
| Download

Nelly - Just a Dream (prod by Jim Jonsin)
| Download

New Artist Spotlight: Dom Kennedy

Repping the streets of LA since he started rapping when he was 12, Dom Kennedy is starting to gain notoriety outside of the West Coast for the first time with his recent release of his Future Street/Drug Sounds mixtape. With the help of the Los Angeles Leakers, he's been able to make a name for himself on the Left Coast with mixtapes and such. I consider him sort of the 6th man on the Starting Five that is The Cool Kids x Pac Div.

 He first came across my radar when Rich Boy and Slim Thug hopped on a remix to the first track of the mixtape, Hard Work, which was also produced by Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids. Being a fan of everything that is Cool Kids and all of the unique, heavy bass laden beats produced by Chuck Inglish, it took one play on some decent speakers for me to get hooked to this one. Chuck's style of sampling a lyric on the track and scratching it into the hook (a la Black Mags) comes off so fresh, but old school sounding it's hard not like. Here are the original version of Hard Work and the remix with guest spots...

Dom Kennedy - Hard Work (prod by Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids) Hott!!!


Dom Kennedy feat Rich Boy Slim Thug & Don Cannon - Hard Work (remix)(prod by Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids) Hott remix!!


If I were to describe his style I would liken it to the slower, measured pace of a Slim Thug, but with the laid back West Coast swag of a Too Short. I use those two artists as reference points, not saying he is or ever will become as big as either artist, but he's got a nonchalance about his flow that is unique. You don't hear of many up and coming West Coast Hip Hop artists these days, so it's good to hear a new artist like Dom making a splash and providing a heartbeat to the Coast that birthed so many legendary artists.

Two other tracks that caught my attention from Dom are off his 25th Hour mixtape released in 2008. There's something real catchy about his hook on his Watermelon Sundae that caught my ear.

"Life ain't sweet, Saturday through Monday, but in the summertime you're my Watermelon Sundae"

The slow back and forth clap of the beat provides an adequate backdrop for the creative and subtly sweet lyrics. Here's a video of Dom performing it live followed by the download link below it:



Dom Kennedy - Watermelon Sundae Great Track!!!


Final track is a sample off Notorious B.I.G.'s Big Poppa beat. Hard to hate on any artist using this beat, it shines on it's own. Give it a listen and look out for more Dom coming your way in '10.

Dom Kennedy - Notorious D O M Biggie!!!