Lately, it seems that everyone who is somehow involved in the Hip-Hop game is dropping releases for free. There’s mixtapes, beat tapes, remix tapes, instrumentals, digital LPs, and all other kinds of weird shit. Especially the released-for-promotional-use-only-shortly-before-the-official-album mixtape is really hitting it off these days, cf. HipHopDX, Mixtapekings, or Rapmullet among many others. Mick Boogie alone seems to be throwing out one mixtape every other week, or at least has his name on all of them. And that is not to speak of the thousands of (mostly wannabe) MySpace producer “heroes.”

While that is good for us, the listeners, cuz we’re finally getting some nice material that is legally downloadable for free, it is really hard to separate the goods from the not-so-goods. To make the choice minutely easier for you, I’ll throw you a few links to some of the better stuff I’ve come across in the past weeks/months (no particular order).

J.Rocwell (& Mike Waxx) – The Diary (an exclusive “illRoots” release)

Download here (link provided by illRoots.com). Click the cover for the tracklist. And here’s J’s space: myspace.com/jrocwell.

You definitely have to check out track #20 “Let’s Get Fucked Up.” That shit is absolutely sick. Put those subwoofers on full blast and let the beat do the talking. Insane!!!

J.Rocwell & Mike Waxx – Let’s Get Fucked Up from “The Diary” (2008)

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Spectac & 9th Wonder – The Corner Of Spec & 9th (a “Kevin|Nottingham: This Is Hip Hop” exclusive)

Download here (link provided by Kevin|Nottingham). The fairly long story about how this collab album came into existence, an interview with Spectac, tracklist & back cover, and a lot of other ish can be had right here.

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Omer Saar – The Green Album (a UniverSOUL Productions release)

This is a very special remix album I stumbled upon a few weeks back. It mashes up Al Green instrumentals with classic Hip-Hop acapellas. Notice the subtle play with colors in the title on the cover, GREEN ALbum. Much better than calling it AL GREENbum. Anyhoo, this is some seriously dope ish that you have to get, no matter what.

Download here (link provided by UniverSOUL Productions). This album’s history, covers, tracklist, etc. can be got here. Read through this and let the man know how big of a production genius he is by dropping him a comment. Once you hear this joint, you’re gonna bump it at least twice a week for the rest of the year. Be sure to check out track #17 “Travelin’ Man (Mos Def) feat. T Money Green.”

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Damu The Fudgemunk – Spare Time

I know I’m late on this (the joint already dropped in January), but I had to give it some props. Damu is a 23-(maybe by now 24)-year-old producer hailing from DC who makes up one half of the über-duo Y Society (together with Insight). “Spare Time,” as the title suggests, is comprised of the material he doesn’t quite have commercial use for but still considers good enough to be let loose on the public for free. Well, I’m glad he did cuz this baby right here is a true beauty. Fuck, I’d even pay good money for it if he’d released it on wax.

Most of the stuff is instrumental, but there are also some Y Society bonus tracks (also off of the foreign versions of their LP “Travel At Your Own Pace” (go cop that)) and other ones with vocals.

Download here or here (links provided by Damu himself). And so you don’t have to search for a proper one, here’s the tracklist nicely sorted out…

1. Last Ole (2005)
2. Rather Unique 2 (Instro) (2005)
3. Colorful Storms – Ruff Instro (2005)
4. Leo The… Part 1 (2006)
5. Coffee Table (2005)
6. Ego Trooping (2005)
7. Y Society – What’s Next (Damu Remix 1)
8. 2004 Beat Original
9. Randi (2006)
10. Work In Progress (Instro) (2005)
11. Pulse – Fudgemunk Instro (2006)
12. To RBI (2004)
13. L.B. (2005)
14. Leo The… Part 2 (2006)
15. Colorful Storms – Final Mix (2005)
16. Pulse – Fudgemunk Remix (2006)
17. Y Society – Rather Unique 2 (2005)
18. Kev Brown – Work In Progress (Damu Remix) (2005)
19. Y Society – Paranoid (Japanese LP Bonus Track)

All of these 19 are great, but I especially enjoy the first one, “Last Ole (2005).” Six minutes and change of pure dopeness. This guy is my new hero. Show him some love at his space and be sure to check out his great YouTube vids right out of his production basement which would give every claustrophobe the creeps.

As an appetite whetter, peep this one right here. It’s a snippet of a live session he did at Fat Beats. By the way, there’s no memory upgrade in his MPC, only the stock 2 MB. The man’s a fuckin miracle worker.

Floppy disks!! Fuck yeah!

I’m outtie.
Headbobbingly,
3ardrumm3r