In this era of new age information it’s not unusual to find freshly-squeezed mp3s turning up at the speed of light. In case you missed anything, I’ve unearthed a bunch of songs that flew under the radar in the first half of ’07 for your listening pleasure.
Enjoy.
1. NY Oil – Shout it in the Streets
After “Y’all Should All Get Lynched” and “What Up My Wigger” fizzled out, NY Oil fueled the heat with “Shout It in the Streets.” This time, he touches on the Sean Bell issue.
2. Rhymefest ft. Lil Jon – Angry Black Man on an Elevator
I remember when this musical marriage started off as a Myspace joke. Little did I know then that a collab between Lil Jon and one of Chicago’s brightest new jacks would end up becoming one of the best songs of the year.
3. Ghostface Killah – My Guitar
In my iTunes folder I categorized “My Guitar” as “Street Opera.” This is classic Tony Starks drama-on-wax, replete with off-kilter crooning and voice impressions. Ghost once said that he hopes to write and produce his own movies in the future. If this is a sign of what’s to come then I want all of Ghost-dini’s albums translated to movies. [Edit: Eh, I've been rightly informed that this track is from as far back as '04. Excuse the lateness.]
4. Lupe Fiasco – Could’ve Been
This is why Lupe is going to be around for a long long time. Concept records are his bread and butter.
5. The LOX – We’re Back
“We’re Back” didn’t exactly deliver the type of buzz the LOX were hoping for, but it’s refreshing to hear Sheek, Kiss, and P going harder than ever. Suffice to say that I’ve never heard a Jadakiss verse that didn’t include at least one quotable that sticks to your head like mad cow. Case in point: “If you dropped an album in the last 10 years, then my DNA is in you.”
6. Kurupt – Mystic River
I wrote Kurupt off for a good minute. Then “Mystic River’ crawled out of nowhere and put all my doubts to rest.
7. Redman – Green Lantern Freestyle (3/6/07)
Even though Red was spitting pre-written verses, I forgot what punchlines sounded like until I heard this.
