CHILDISH GAMBINO — REAL ESTATE (FEAT. ALLEY BOY, SWANK, AND TINA FEY)

LIZ LEMON IN THE HOUSE! Everyone’s been playin’ Gambino’s new mixtape ‘Royalty’ and while I just downloaded it yesterday, I have discovered that one of the funniest living people “spits” a verse on the track ‘Real Estate.’  Tina Fey has more sass and swag than you will probably ever have and she is absolutely hilarious proclaiming “this is the part where most people would say something crazy and the drop the n-word after it, not going to, not gonna do that, I DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE!” While I haven’t listened to the mixtape in its entirety, I’m responding positively to Gambino so far. Now I’m just waiting for the assholes at Pitchfork to review it.

RUBY IBARRA — GAME UP

There are days when I’m convinced I can be a great rapper. Of course, my disillusioned dreams often come to a shattering halt when I listen to some really great artists; this time, it’s Ruby Ibarra. Representing San Lorenzo (the Baaaaaaaaaaaay), Ibarra is a machine of play-on words, a ridiculously high amount of swagger, and ambitious words. And even though I may not understand her Filipino bars (I cheated and used Google translate out of curiosity), that’s probably one of my favorite parts of the song: she takes a language typically foreign to most ears and translates its beauty through the universal vocabulary of music. I’m a fan of ‘(San Lo) Rebel’ and her spoken word piece ‘Beyoutiful,’ a strong poem that all women and girls need to hear. Her WD Cypher is also sooo dope. Favorite lines include:

“these other rappers i be “sonnin'”
so all these “mothafukkas” must be oedipus rex” and
“yo, in this melting pot, we let it boil, it never simmers, and
how many oscar grants and trayvons for ever zimmermans?”

I’d be truly honored if I could meet Ibarra and do a first ever Woosic interview.  She’s amazing.

DJ KEENO — SIXTY-TWO BATTLEGROUND SET

DJ KE-KE-KEENO! My friend Keeno (who I’ve mentioned before) recently competed in a 11 DJ competition in St. Louis, Missourah and has uploaded his set from that evening. I’m lovin’ the diversity of songs (A. Skillz’ ‘California Souls’, Oasis ‘Wonderwall’, Dev ‘Bass Down Low’) and totally appreciate the Asian references. Keeno has a good ear for taking some classic hip hop/funk and pairing it with some banging electronic. There are only a few words to sum up his work: GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!

AZEALIA BANKS — NATHAN (FEAT. STYLES P)

You can basically feel the swagger penetrating into your core when you hear Azealia Banks go hard on this track. Her lyrics are quick, witty, and snap at you hard like a rubber band. It blows my mind that she is my age (1991 baby!) and raps with a lot of attitude but in a really elegant way. I think I’m used to hearing people like Iggy Azalea, who naturally has an Aussie accent, or Nicki Minaj really throw an accent into their styling their rapping. I appreciate Azealia’s clear and crisp execution and have loved everything she’s released. SWAG ON.

IGGY AZALEA FEAT. T.I. AND B.O.B — MILLION DOLLAR MISFITS

Iggy Azalea, the Aussie rapper with more swagger than Lil’ Mama has lip gloss, has collab’ed once again with T.I. to produce a track that goes hard. B.O.B joins the two of them to alleviate the intensity with his smooth vocals/rapping. Is the intro of the song a sample of Kaskade? Someone answer this please because I’m at work in my cubicle and don’t want to stray away from my work…anyways, produced by Bei Major, this is a pretty dope track.

MAC MILLER – MISSED CALLS

I’m not really a huge fan of Mac Miller. Honestly, I just don’t think his voice is very fun to listen to and I only have one of his songs in my library because I’m that indifferent to him. But, I have to admit that the production of this song is amazing and catchy (Ritz Reynolds) and that’s good enough for me to get past the vocals. The video tells a nice story, but some elements are a little strange. Regardless, a worthwhile song by the Miller.

BROTHER ALI — STOP THE PRESS

Brother Ali’s next album ‘Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color’ drops August 21 but his first official single ‘Stop the Press’ has been released. A refreshing sound amongst all the Drake, Weeknd, and Kanye I’ve been listening to, Brother Ali delivers with his strong flow and confident storytelling. He’s still giving us such great humor and candor, two qualities that I think we can all praise him for. Enjoy.

CHILDISH GAMBINO — SHOULDA KNOWN

Another leak from Gambino’s upcoming mixtape. I’ve heard a couple and I’m sure you have too as he’s been everywhere on the Internet. ‘Shoulda Known’ really grabs my attention though. Gambino’s flow is impeccable, and while he indeed goes hard on the verses, he really crafts the chorus so well to soften the mood. Can’t wait to hear the official release.

JON MCXRO — DON’T SAY NOTHIN’ (FEAT JOJO)

JON MCXRO is a hip hop group formed by the successful Stereotypes producers, who are responsible for some well known pop hits (Justin Bieber’s ‘Somebody to Love,’ all of Far East Movement’s hits, Neyo’s ‘Why Does She Stay?’ and moar!) They released ‘Fifth to Never’ for free in 2011 and now it’s  officially available to purchase. As soon as I haz more money in my account, I think I’ll be acquiring it. Their song ‘Girlfriend’ reminds you of some classic N.E.R.D., smooth-talking rhymes with sexy falsetto vocals. I am particularly in love with ‘Don’t Say Nothin’ which features JoJo (who I am always a sucker for). This song is mad cool. Take a listen yourself.

KANYE WEST — MERCY (FEAT. BIG SEAN, PUSHA T, 2 CHAINZ)

Kanye, oh Kanye, you have done it again. This song is dope. I absolutely love Big Sean’s verse; there are too many play on words and witticisms to praise. I’m not a huge fan of 2 Chainz but can tolerate him in this song. Also, is the Weezy and Cudi in the video? Confusing. The video is classic Kanye, and I enjoy the generic (but tasteful) cinematography for the song. A good song to go HAM to for the summer.