DJ Soko of Mello Music Group (the other MMG you should know about) recently dropped the MMG 7″ Series #4, a 2-track release featuring “Stand Up” and “Biters”. Produced by Apollo Brown and featuring Guilty Simpson and Hassaan Mackey, “Stand Up” is a head-nodding throwback to 90s-era hip-hop. “Biters”, also featuring Guilty Simpson and produced by Gensu Dean, has a laid-back, golden-era feel. DJ Soko’s choice of cuts on both tracks is perfect. Stream and download both tracks below.
Download: DJ Soko ft. Guilty Simpson & Hassaan Mackey – “Stand Up” (Prod: Apollo Brown)
Download: DJ Soko ft. Guilty Simpson – “Biters” (Prod: Gensu Dean)
Odditorium is a 4 track EP by rap duo Gangrene. Gangrene features rappers/producers The Alchemist and Oh No. Al and Oh No deliver quality verses throughout the EP over their own beats. The production is definitely unique, but dope nonetheless. Preview the track “Walk Hard” before downloading the full EP below. Also if you dig this project you might want to check out Vodka & Ayahuasca on iTunes.
Fresh off the heels of their full-length opus “Vodka & Ayahuasca,” The Alchemist and Oh No are back, bringing their Gangrene noise on a whole other level. The “Odditorium” EP begins where “Vodka & Ayahuasca” left off, with Al and Oh lyrically blessing the masses over gritty, psychedelic rock-tinged beats.
Download: Gangrene – Odditorium EP
When I interviewed Brendan Philip a month or so ago he was telling me he was going to experiment a lot with different genres, sounds, and producers. A cool thing about Brendan; he records music, puts it out and basically moves on to the next project. I found out about this EP from a tweet he sent to Shad’s manager if I didn’t see it I would probably not even know about it. Even though I interviewed him a month earlier, I would think he would give me heads up about this EP haha….most artists spam you with their new music but not Brendan Philip.
I don’t even know what NewMyrrhEl$ means but check it out on the bandcamp player below. Make sure to check out his previous release Purple Hearts, I’m still listening to that EP.
K’Naan is an artist that I fully support regardless of how successful he may be. I think it was a great decision he took a break to work on new music since his megahit Wavin Flag. I think he definitely took every opportunity to promote that song and tons of new fans discovered K’Naan. It could have worked against him if he kept releasing song after song after Wavin Flag that’s why it’s refreshing when he released this 5 track EP More Beautiful Than Silence. Check the link below to purchase it on itunes.
Tracklist:
1. “Is Anybody Out There” feat. Nelly Furtado
2. “Nothing to Lose” feat. Nas
3. “More Beautiful Than Silence”
4. “Better”
5. “Coming to America”
Download: K’naan- More Beautiful Than Silence
They have been to London more than a few times now opening for acts like Classified and headlining their own show at The Wave. They finally released their first EP and I’m excited to share it with you. Check out Keys N Krates Blackout EP on Soundcloud.
Download: Keys N Krates- Blackout
Somewhere between hip hop, funk, soul, r&b and indie rock; the Vibonics sound is more accurately described by feel than genre. Last Thursday, the Vibonics performed at the Hard Luck bar and released their debut EP. I took in the show and was impressed with the chemistry of the 6 member band. Lead singer Kubota has an incredible voice, which pairs nicely with the rhyme skills of Toronto emcee Crossword. The Vibonics just returned from a trip to the U.S., and are currently in writing mode. They plan to tour central Canada and parts of the US in late fall. Listen to the EP below, comment, and let us know what you think.
1. Major
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Cop the EP on iTunes.
Click below to hear the rest of the EP.
J.Cole and his fans are counting down the days until September 27, I am too, why? Because that’s when J.Cole’s DEBUT album Cole World: The Sideline Story is planned to release!! Until then every Sunday until the album drops J.Cole will drop either a single, a video, “depends on he is feeling”. The first thing to release is an EP called Any Given Sunday. J.Cole breaks down each song in the EP, enjoy.
1. Like A Star- Was saving this for the 2nd album. Due to some other shit beyond my control, I’ma let this out now.
2. Knock On Wood- One of my fav. freestyles. OG Dreamvillains gotta be reminded, new fans gotta get put on.
3. Pity- Brand new J. Cole, Omen, Voli. Produced by Voli @volitheentity
4. How High- at one point this was guaranteed to go on The Sideline Story.
5. Unabomber- Just heard this today for the first time in a longgg time. Love these raps.
Download: J.Cole- Any Given Sunday #1
There is so much Canadian talent that I can honestly sit on this computer and blog for days at a time. I discovered Brendan Philip on 88 Days of Fortune mixtape which is a collective of talented Toronto artists. Brendan’s song Wait really caught my ear, I had it on repeat, played it on The Come Up Show and wanted to hear music from this artist. I checked out his website and it brought me to the Song of Songs EP. Check out the description below of what the EP is about and stream the EP on bandcamp and download link is also available.
The debut EP from Brendan Philip takes its name from one the oldest most well-regarded and controversial books of all time, the bible. Song of Songs is a particularly enigmatic collection of prose in the bible dealing with very romantic sentiments between two unknown lovers; interesting for the Bible, that often mulls over anything remotely intimate let alone goes into such details as this particular section. For Brendan Philip, this is a short suite of pieces featuring songs like Reflection, a minimal piece only two and half minutes long, but fits so much clarity in a short breath; and the lead single ‘Harvest Moon’, a cover of one Canada’s most revered singer/songwriters, Neil Young, with a BP twist. With production from local talents like Quest, Shane Tone and Brendan Philip himself, this EP is a most appropriate introduction to Brendan Philip, one of Toronto’s free spirited, off kilter but all together beautiful artists to be treasured.
Download: Brendan Philip- Song of Songs
A while back you heard the first single from Toronto’s Purple Hearts, “Know Go,” a collaboration between Brendan Phillip and Lord Quest. Now they’re back with a short album/EP, and you can get it FREE on bandcamp. They call their music electronic soul, which is a pretty appropriate description for the smooth vocals and rounded electornic beats that span the album, crooning topics of love and life.
You can stream “Know Go” below, then head to their bandcamp where you can cop it for a limited time — let me just say it again — for free. Snap it up!
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Download: Purple Hearts- Purple Hearts I [Bandcamp]
“It’s not about making music to get something out of people, but rather sharing experiences, capturing moments and communicating through music and lyrics,” Kae Sun.
I interviewed Kae Sun a year ago which you can check out on The Come Up Show, Kae Sun is orginally from Ghana and he has been living in Canada for the several years. When he returned to his homeland it truly reignited his drive for sharing his raw experiences, the whole EP was recorded on 2-inch tape on a farm in Ontario!!! Kae Sun wanted to focus on sharing instead of dictating your experience when listening to Outside The Barcode.
Recorded on 2-inch tape on a farm in Ontario the raw acoustic songs recall the sense of community and authenticity that inspired the tracks. Kae’s focus was to create a more shared listening experience rather than dictating his audience’s experiences. Continue to the FULL post to check out the recording process of the EP on youtube.
The Boombox Saints, holding down Van City, recently dropped visuals for their track “Gotta Let You Know” off the Bringin’ The Boom Back (EP). The crew consists of 3 emcees, Adlib, Freeky P, Huggy Fresh, & DJ Relik. Check out the video below:
Download: Boombox Saints – Bringin’ The Boom Back: Based On A True Story (EP)
