DJ Premier & BMB Spacekid feat. Anderson Paak – Til It’s Gone [Stream x Download]

Our recent excursion to Russia – as part of the Stay True series with Ballantine’s – proved bountiful for a number of reasons. Not only because it jammed some of the nation’s finest boom bap reps together with a hand-picked selection of America’s similarly-inclined elite. But also because it was a tour engulfed in genuine, raucous energy. Relationships were formed and a genuine companionship emerged between the heads involved. So the story goes that DJ Premier spent a few days in the studio alongside St. Petersburg’s BMB Spacekid and one half of LA-based funksters NxWorries, Anderson Paak. The result of their combined wizardry is “Til It’s Done” – a headnodding joyride through electro-funk characterised by a hip-hop drum kit underbelly and topped by Anderson’s ever-capable vocal acrobatics.

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KXNG Crooked – Ashamed [Stream]

Ashamed features vocals from Kxng Crooked and Mike Smith, with cuts and scratches from DJ Revolution. The single is produced by Jonathan Hay, Mike Smith and King Tech. From the album “When Music Worlds Collide”, which is now part of Jay Z’s program TIDAL Rising. This song is currently in rotation on SiriusXM Shade 45. Tabu, Ajami and Bernie Grundman also worked on the song. Artwork by Shalé.

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Little Simz – Age 101: Drop 4 [EP]

“Well here we go again. Welcome to the fourth instalment to the “Age 101″ EP Series. I cant lie, I struggle a bit when explaining the drops because as cliché as it sounds, its all in the music. But this one is a prelude to my debut LP (which I finished yesterday) and my favourite drop so far. Make sure you take time to take it all in. I appreciate and am thankful for those who support me on my journey, and enjoy bringing you new music, sorry i took long with this one, but live with it and and enjoy it. Album next.” – Little Simz AGE 101: DROP 4 by Little Simz

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InFocus: Kevin Gates [Video]

InFocus is a new series that profiles the pioneers that are pushing culture forward with their finesse and progressive sensibilities. In this episode, meet Louisiana-based rapper Kevin Gates. Although to some it may seem he received overnight recognition, this was not the case at all. With years of hard work under his belt, Kevin reminisces on his early promotion strategies that included personally handing out CD’s to people. Years later, those same people became fans that are still supporting him,”I didn’t know that people appreciate it until now, people come back and they want me to autograph an old CD” he says. He talks about the importance of not limiting yourself and allowing yourself to switch into different lanes.

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