On The Come Up: Kirk Knight (of Pro Era) [Video]

Kirk Knight is probably going to be the next rapper from the Pro Era collective to break, so best start paying attention. The New York native and friend of Joey Bada$$ stopped by our office to partake in the On The Come Up series, and took us through his start in the rap game, and discovering hip-hop to begin with, how he got into producing and more. “I started making beats off the table, in middle school, so I was already doing it but I never thought of it as making music it was just a hobby. That’s when Joey told me, I remember like in the summer over Play Station, ‘yo you should take it to FL Studio and try to really create beats.’ That’s when I started honing in,” Kirk says of evolving as a producer. Kirk also talks about discovering when he could “actually rap” and tells us what’s next for the rapper in 2015. Watch OTCU above.

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Typ-iLL feat. Daytona – Blondie [Stream]

We’ve all got that one dime in our lives. She’s got the body of Athena, and could summon any man at the wave of her finger. For a beauty of this magnitude, Long Island’s Typ-iLL has crafted the honey head anthem for the ages with, “Blondie.” The track is equal parts seductive, and cunning, as you’re introduced to a brooding violin progression before getting pulled into a hypnotic head nod, courtesy of DITC’s legendary producer, Buckwild. Joined by BX representative, Daytona, both emcees casually vibe of each other’s energy, creating a track worthy of love from both the ladies, and the true heads. “Blondie,” is now available for purchase through iTunes and all other major digital retailers, so be sure to support and add this to your summer playlist! Stay tuned for Typ-iLL’s forthcoming, currently untitled LP, which will be produced entirely by, Statik Selektah.

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Skyzoo feat. Westside Gunn – Luxury [Stream x Download]

Following the release of the leak single ‘Suicide Doors’, Skyzoo returns with the official first single off of Music For My Friends; “Luxury”. The track, featuring Buffalo new comer Westside Gunn on the hook, is best described by Sky as “a New York trunk knocker”. Sky further explains: “The idea behind the record was to put together something that really felt like the city. Something that really felt like the NY that I know and grew up in. From the content to the beat, it feels like expensive cars driven by guys from down the block who figured out a way to get whatever they want and celebrate those realizations. That’s how the city looked and felt to me growing up, and I wanted to build something like that for this generation that still tied into the album’s overall theme of innocent ignorance and misguided desires”. Production wise, the song finds Skyzoo behind the boards for the first time, with coaching of course from his longtime collaborator !llmind. “I had this idea for what the song should be sonically, but I had trouble getting that from the producers I went to at the time. I decided to try to man the machine myself, but there was no way I was gonna be able to pull it off without my man !llmind and his genius talents playing Steve Kerr and coaching my efforts. I went to him with the idea, picked the drums, the loop, the change ups, etc, and he

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