Two Lips-Joey Bada$$

Joey Bada$$, one of the most promising artists out of the Beast Coast Movement, drops a new song produced by J. Dilla.

Childish Gambino-Telegraph Ave

Childish drops some more new shit from because the internet.

Flume & Chet Faker-Lockjaw EP

Two of Australia's best up-and-coming producers released their EP Lockjaw today. The project contains 3 songs, "Drop The Game", "What About Us", and "This Song Is Not About A Girl." The superb album beautifully combines the talents of the two artists to create what sounds like an alternative album with a heavy focus on the beats, which are incredible. Definitely worth a listen.

Childish Gambino-Sweatpants (ft. Problem)

'Bino drops yet another solid track off his because the internet album dropping Dec. 10

Hopsin-Knock Madness (Album Stream)

After discovering his album had leaked, Hopsin decided to stream it himself on Youtube. Knock Madness is the Los Angeles emcee's 3rd studio album and features 17 tracks. If you're hoping that Hopsin has turned a new leaf, you will be disappointed by this album, but if it ain't broke don't fix it. The lyrics themselves are pretty good, but they're not fresh. They're mostly about how he's sick of hip-hop and all the people involved in it, and it's laced with the signature Hopsin style, dark and aggressive with a bit of humor, similar to Eminem's old stuff. He eventually drops the bomb that this will be his last album on "I Need Help" and it doesn't come as much of shock considering he had a meltdown on Twitter just a few weeks before the album dropped. While I'm a bit sad, I think it's the right call. He's made a lot of music in his career and he's said what he wanted to say. However, I wish he would have made this album a little bit more distinguished from the last two, it being his last and all. The album has its stand out tracks, but also some pretty stale ones. Hopsin produces the whole thing like he usually does, and again, nothing new here. The beats aren't really dynamic, with the exception of "Rip Your Heart Out." Sometimes the repetitiveness isn't a problem as Hopsin can divert your attention with his bars, but sometimes it just gets boring. In my opinion, the album isn't really meant to be listened to as a whole, it's just a collection of songs that don't seem very related. It's a shame considering it took 3 years for the album to be released. If it really took him this long to make an album that is pretty much a replica of his last, it probably is time to retire. It's not that this album is bad, it's just not a departure from his old stuff, it seems his days of maturing as an artist are over. If you like Hopsin, give the album a listen, there are some great tracks on it and if you like Hopsin's style then you should definitely enjoy the album.

Best Songs: "Hop Is Back", "Rip Your Heart Out", "Hip Hop Sinister"

Jonwayne-Rap Album One

I'm a rapper and producer who refuses to give up either one

        There wasn't really anything new in music today that I was interested in posting about (besides Busta's incredible announcement) so I thought I'd post about a promising artist people need to know about. Jonwayne dropped one of the most slept on albums of the year in October, Rap Album One. Jonwayne first came into the music industry when he released Bowser, an instrumental album. Then he he began to rap, got signed by Stone Throw Records, and released his 3 Cassette mixtapes.
        Believe it or not, his name isn't based on the actor John Wayne, but actually Jonwayne's ancestor, a player in the Revolutionary War, who was the inspiration for the actor John Wayne's screen name. The MC, as he has written on his Facebook page, is a rapper and producer and has great pride in both, as well he should. When he raps, he doesn't really change up his flow very often, but his voice has a great rhythm and his lyrics work really well with the production of the songs, keeping the songs simple yet fresh. However, the real talent of Jonwayne is his producing. If I had to compare him to anyone, I would probably say El-P, but not necessarily because of sound but because of the groundbreaking beats. Jonwayne is part of the new age era of beats, or the Flying Lotus era. The beats are psychedelic, yet soothing and they constantly demand your attention. Whether it be the eerie piano in "You Can Love Me When I'm Dead", the upbeat keyboard in "Find Me In The Future", or the awesome cut in "The Come Up Pt. 2", Rap Album One always stays fresh and exciting and leaves you begging for more.
        There is something else to be said about Jonwayne's skills as a producer, though. He's too skilled a producer for his own good. These beats, they truly are something new that could change the game but Jonwayne seems reluctant to share them. While his rap skills are far from bad, he can't compare to rappers with dynamic flows like Chance, Kendrick, or Drake. If Jonwayne could reach out to more skilled rappers, we could see some of the freshest hip-hop of the decade.

Best Songs: "The Come Up Pt. 1", "The Come Up Pt. 2", "Find Me In The Future", "You Can Love Me When I'm Dead"

The Man From Somewhere Else & AOI-One Friend feat. GDP & Shape

Emcee The Man From Somewhere Else and producer AOI release their first single from their upcoming EP project, slated for January 2014.