Download the mixtape for free from here!

So Hoodie’s brand new mixtape dropped yesterday. I’ve listened to the entire thing and would love to tell you that this is a full in-depth album review, but quite honestly, it’s not. Instead, I’m gonna give you some quick thoughts about the album.

After one listen (while I was busy doing other things simultaneously), Leap Year has definitely got the elements that first drew me into Hoodie’s music. It’s got the classic Hoodie Allen cleverness and catchy backing tracks.

Hoodie did, however, change things up a bit on this album. We begin to hear more singing and there are very few songs that rely heavily on samples (Only 2 of the 13 have an indie-rock sampled chorus). It’s solid mixtape, and a growth can definitely be seen, especially if we look all the way back to the Bagels and Beats EP.

Although, I definitely need to listen to it again, Leap Year did not have the same replayability for me as Pep Rally. Pep Rally hit me with this power of fun. Instead on Leap Year, there are songs that I really like, and songs I kinda like. All that being said, I definitely need another chance to listen to it again more in depth, and burn a copy for my car (yes, I still prefer CDs in my car over mp3s). Then I’ll get a better sense of how I really feel.  Below are two of the songs that I really like. I can’t get enough of “James Franco.” I just want to clap along.

Tour Dates are below the tracks!

Download the mixtape for free from here!

James Franco by Hoodie Allen

Can’t Hold Me Down (feat. Tayyib Ali) by Hoodie Allen

07.30.11 – San Bernadino, CA @ Audiotistic
07.31.11 – San Diego, CA @ Epicentre
08.02.11 – San Francisco, CA @ 330 Ritch
08.09.11 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
08.10.11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
08.11.11 – Buffalo, NY @ Broadway Joe’s
08.12.11 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
08.14.11 – Westchester, PA @ The Note
08.15.11 – Teaneck, NJ @ Mexicali Live
08.16.11 – New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall
08.18.11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East Upstairs
08.19.11 – Montreal, QC @ LATulipe
08.20.11 – Toronto, ON @ Wrong Bar
08.21.11 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
08.23.11 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop

A solid hour+ of Kanye mashed with Drake. That’s right, it’s an entire mashup mixtape.

When Panic City first posted this, he said that if you like Drake or Kanye this should be right up your alley. Here’s the thing, I don’t really Drake or Kanye and yet this is still right up my alley. This is not the first time I’ve posted work of DJ Panic City, and he’s never let me down before so I gave this a chance.

And I’m happy I did. The combination of the two artists mixed with what seem to be interview clips make for quite the mixtape. Listen below and give some hearts on Hype Machine.

DJ Panic City presents: Kanye vs. Drake by djpaniccity

For all those great hip hop artists out there that make a difference in the music scene, there are those that just make something to make money and really don’t enhance the face of hip hop. Waka is that kinda of guy… I feel like he’s bringing nothing to music. Yeah, I guess he can be fun if that’s your argument. But I mean what can he do besides talk really fast?

You know who else can talk really fast? This guy. Danny Vola just released a mixtape in mid-December that’s a bunch of acoustic covers of rap songs. And they are really fun to listen to. One guy, one guitar, live acoustic. You can get his entire mixtape here for free. But for today, here’s his cover of Waka. At least I think this is actually fun.

Danny Vola – No Hands (Waka Flocka Acoustic Cover) [YSI]

I was in a major toss-up for today between which of two songs to post that I had heard today for the first time each. One was serious hip hop song whereas the other was a very self aware hip hop song by a white guy out of Maine. I chose the former.

Chiddy Bang is a hip hop duo fresh out of Philly (by fresh, I mean they are college freshman) who had just released their first EP on Monday in the UK iTunes store (Not US yet). I gotta say I love what they brought to the table with this song. They heavily sampled MGMT’s “Kids” hence the name of their song and the witty puns didn’t end there. They’ve definitely got the production value and flow to make it to be successful in this hip hop market that is looking for something new. Weezy’s flow will soon get old and the Hova’s 9 piece band or Cudder’s jazzy flow will be the new wave.

They don’t end there either. These guy’s have sampled musical heavyweights including Radiohead and Tom Waits. Look into em. They are changing the face of hip hop.

Can I please get a little bit of knowledge
Somebody tell Roth that I don’t love college
‘Cause the real world’s kinda like Real World
And it’s drama so you watch so you are Svetlana and I’m just a rhymer

Chiddy Bang – Opposite Of Adults [zshare]

P.S. – Don’t expect a throwback tomorrow. It’ll probably be the other song I was talking about earlier…

“Good girls never give it up on the first night.”

Wale released his mixtape “100 Miles and Running” back in early 2007. Now three years later, Andrew Clark and Quix have remixed his song and lemme say, it’s damn good. They didn’t do anything crazy. They just added a solid bass hit and that Je ne sais quoi. Alongside this new musical backing, Wale is quite the lyricist. I just can’t imagine some of our dumber more mainstream rappers using lines like:

“I’m pure like water // They carbonated drinks.”

Wale – Good Girls (Andrew Clark and Quix Remix)

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Wale – Good Girls (Original from 2007)

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Sometimes you find things by accident. But when they’re good, you know it. What I mean is that I have no idea who this artist is and I am not familiar with the track he is freestyling over (something by Dirty Money). I do know one thing though: he is damn good. I think my biggest problem with this freestyle, truly, is that it is just too short. Next time, TiRon, when you do this well, keep the flow going.

“So go and Google who was on the news//
Dispute views via Twitter, get all worked up”

TiRon – Devil’s Freestyle (right-click, save as)

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Full mixtape available here.

Well Weezy F. Baby released his newest album this past Tuesday called “Rebirth.” I gotta be serious. I don’t know what to think of the guy. I view him as uneducated and dumb but at times, his word choice for rhymes can be so smart and his business model isn’t too bad either. Lil Wayne’s new album is a combination of rap and rock. Some songs would leave Mr. Hendrix rolling in his grave whereas others are listen worthy. Check out “Drop The World” and “Prom Queen.”

In recognition of his new release, here’s a track off Weezy’s October 2009 mixtape, “No Ceilings.” He takes Cudi’s already rapped over version of the acoustic “Poker Face” and does his own thing. This is one of the times that I can laugh at the rhymes he lays down.

“She know I love brain so I treat her like a geek”

So to summarize: Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” – electricity + Kid Cudi’s mix – Kid Cudi’s vocals + Lil Wayne’s Vocals =

Lil Wayne – Poke Her Face (ft. Jae Millz) (right-click, save as)

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Bonus track from “No Ceilings” over Jay-Z’s “Run This Town”

Lil Wayne – Run This Town (right-click, save as)

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Lupe is the man!

It took a long time for me to get into hip hop because there was (is) so much crap out there. But it’s the intelligence of some artists that truly astounds me. Lupe is the smartest rapper I have ever listened to. On Thanksgiving this year, he released his mixtape, Enemy of the State: A Love Story,and it was fantastic. He was supposed to release a second mixtape on Christmas Day but canceled that one as he was preparing for the charity event Summit on the Summit. His newest album, Lasers, will be released early this year with two singles having already been released. The track below is my favorite freestyle from the Enemy of the State mixtape which is over the top of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem.”

Lupe Fiasco – The National Anthem

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My freestyle shout out!

Last week, Ludacris fully released his Conjure Mixtape and I love it. I love Ludaman for all different reasons than Lupe. He dumbs it down but is so self aware of his style and is smart. My least favorite part of the mixtape is how much he is pushing his new cognac, Conjure.

Check it: Ludacris – Conjure Mixtape
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One more freestyle shout out this week: Wale (yes, Wale again)

Instead of going and choosing someone’s track to freestyle over, he asked for internet users to send in a sick beats and he would choose his favorite. I like the concept of what he did here more than the actual freestyle.

Wale – CJ The Genesis freestyle

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