the mixtape show

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This is for those of you who have been sending emails and leaving comments asking when I was finally going to let go of some of the SuhBURB stuff I had stockpiled up…

As promised earlier (you did see the video, right?), the new Suburban Sprawl record is out. In case you missed it, Suburban Sprawl = Donwill (of Tanya Morgan) and probably the one producer that gets the most airtime (airtime? do you say that for a podcast?) on the Mixtape Show - SuhBURB.

So yes, the record is out. 40 minutes, 16 tracks, and highly recommended. And it’s on here. In its entirety, for free.

I’m going to keep my comments to myself for the time being, but lest you be wondering whether or not you should click that “play” button, keep the following three points in mind:

1. This is the best thing I’ve heard all year
2. The last time I gave an entire episode to one artist/group, it was Jay Electronica. We all know how I feel about Jay Electronica
3. wow

As you listen, you can check the liner notes featuring ridiculous commentary by both artists, and grab the full hi-fi version from the official site.

00 - Ridiculous-ass Mixtape Show drop by Suhburb. Seriously fam, this is not what I had in mind when I asked for a drop.

01 - The Tiki Torch. I remember when I first got this beat. First time I played it out anywhere, it got a nod from Daedelus. I’m sort of glad they left it as is.

02 – Sittin’ at the Bar Demo. Ha! Tearing apart Ladder Theory from the base, I guess.

03 - Baltimore Bitch. Words fail me.

04 - Diwadiwadonald. Wow, the bongos on this one. I think at this point I remembered why Donwill is sort of dope lyrically.

05 - Salsoul. This is one of the things that, for me, separates SuhBURB from other producers - the soul he puts into the kick drum programming. This obviously isn’t the only song where you’ll notice that, but dig the lows on this one.

06 - Fly Me feat. Von Pea. (you heard this one earlier, but without the Von Pea verse, which is quite possibly the cruelest verse I’ve ever heard in my life.)

07 - Guilty. Damn.

08 - Night Time. Am I the only one who thought of UGK at the end here?
09 - All Right. When I first met Suhburb, I don’t even think he was really making that much rap music yet - he was a jungle producer. I’d been sitting on this track for a very long time - I wanted to drop it as part of the Soultronica Saga. I guess that will teach me to wait to drop a track.

10 - Slipknot. Is this from the Brasil beat tape?

11 - The Words. It’s joints like these that make me respect Don for actually having the nerve to rap on tracks like this. I think Suhburb makes beats that are hard to rap on on purpose.

12 - Dead Ass. Lyrically maybe the most powerful track for me on this project. Check this one.

13 - Maybe. More heavy content.

14 - Audio Visual. This song is sort of ridiculously cute. I mean, I’m not even mad they didn’t get to put Jack Davey on this one. Can we get this “girl at the time”’s name?

15 - The Champ (LP Version). Seriously, who raps over things like this? Something is wrong with both of these kids.

16 - Funeral March. Propane Pip dropped this one first, but it’s still dope. And by the way, Suhburb - you make fun of me for spinning slab music on my old radio joint, and then you turn around and drop a slowed version of this joint? Explanation? Also, the content here confused me until I read the liner notes - you should probably check them instead of reading this.

And there you have it. Burn it, share it, whatever. I’m still sort of scratching my head over the fact that this isn’t being sold for, you know, money.

So, obviously, I think that this record is dope. Thoughts?

As always, staying busy. I do have some good news - a lot, actually, which will hopefully take shape into something concrete and show up in this space soon.

But first, something I am actually really excited about. Dig the video for the first leaked track (is this a single, kid?) off the Suburban Sprawl record:

Donwill - Night Time (produced by SuhBURB).

I’ve heard bits and pieces of the record, and trust me, it gets even better than what you see and hear above. For those of you who were asking for more SuhBURB - hold tight, just a few more days..

I hear it’s dropping on Wednesday. Hell or high water, they say.

Also, the visuals is pretty nice.

No, really.

I don’t know, there’s just something wrong here. I mean, the Makaveli brand was one thing, but…I don’t know. There’s just something about putting the dude’s name in the “From” field that seems sort of wrong to me.

Hasn’t everyone already made enough money off this dude?

Sort of reminds me how they’re playing a few other recently passed rappers.

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Thought I told you it was on again.

First and foremost, thank you to everyone for sticking around. I know it’s been a minute. I’ll try to explain more later, but for now, the episode:

This is a sidebar to the Soultronica Saga (which, yes, is still in the works…slowly, but in the works). I set the spaceship aside for a moment and we take a look at an alternate future of rap, jungle, and reggae music: Dubstep.

Let’s get right into the music:

intro: DZ - Strong On Ya.

Loefah - It’s Yours. Well, might as well ease you all into it, right? Rough track. See if you can remember where this sample came from. myspace.com/loefah.

Jay Electronica and Zed Bias - The Cauldron. From a BBC Benji B session, I think. This one I’ve got to say I did not see coming. I’m not exactly sure what the story is behind this one, but think about it - how many US rappers are willing to even consider jumping on a grime/dubstep/categorizemeplease track? Exactly. I think Zed produced this. I think. Courtesy of Sweeney Kovar. myspace.com/zedbias.

The Bug - Skeng feat Killa P and Flow Dan. If you are wondering where the dub and reggae influence I was talking about comes in, listen to this. I remember the first time I heard this in that crazy art studio basement club that Pure Filth used to occupy. Absolutely bananas. I liked this one so much I used to refuse to listen to it unless it was on a real system. The lyrics, though - they are completely over-the-top ridiculous. Seriously. myspace.com/thebuguk.

Rusko - William H Tonkers. Remember me saying that you need a good set of headphones for this one? Exhibit B right here, kids (A was the last one). Dig the synth programming on this one. ruskonfire.

Nebulla and DJ Dore - Poppin (Dirtystep Remix) feat T.I. I can’t say that I like this one better than the original, but it definitely goes kinda hard. The basswork on this one ain’t bad at all.　myspace.com/djnebulla, myspace.com/djdore.

Loefah: Voodoo (666) / Lord Finesse: Check the Method (DJ Premier Scratch Mix). If you just couldn’t get into anything else on this ep, wait until this one. This may well be my favorite song on this episode (which is saying a lot considering my feelings towards The Bug). Ripped from the briliant Dubstep Sufferah Volume 3, which is highly recommended if you liked this one. grievousangel.com.

Moody Boys - Honey Remix feat Erykah Badu. I take back what I said on the last one - if you can’t get into the other cuts, check this one. Seven minute, dubbed-out workout of one of the best new soul singles in recent memory. Brilliant. I think Mamiko likes this one. myspace.com/themoodyboyz.

Pre-emptive shouts to Pure Filth for throwing some of the most inspiring jams I’ve ever had the privilege to attend.

And those who know me personally know that I don’t take statements like that lightly.

So yeah - while I’m certainly no dubstep expert, I know enough to know that I like this stuff. What do you think?