"Five Seasons" - Paranom

A consistent winning streak in humanoid format, Paranom delivers again. Gritty & imaginative, quality rap. We dig it.

"HANDS UP" - Alaskan Fishermen

NEW ALASKAN FISHERMEN ALBUM IS FINALLY OUT. Godforbid, Father Time and Thirstin Howl the 3rd have re-united for a follow-up that is even more insane than Fire & Ice was. Here's a taster...

"Diary of a Dreamer" - Man Mantis Remix

The latest single from the PremRock & Willie Green project Reassembled, this time spotlighting production from World Arounds' own human hybrid MPC destroyer, Man Mantis: #FLAMES, gentlemen. Strongly recommend the entire "Reassembled" project, which is a headphone trip unto itself.

Algorhythms - "Open Ended"

A track that should have been released ages ago finally sees the light of day: "Open Ended," the first track off a long lost Algorhythms album. Dr. Quandary on the beats.

The Black Opera - "Black City"

One of the smartest, sharpest parody cuts in a long time. The Black Opera always delivers the goods and this weird-ass video is no exception...dig it.

Shottie - Skyrider ft. Ras Kass

Ras Kass, still going strong in 2012, working on a new album, shit is crazy. Meanwhile, dig on this slice of funk courtesy of Shottie and TeV95 off their new album, Delorean.

Spliff Hemingway - Buddha Heads

Giving props to Ganesh is always a surefire method to get coverage here. As an added bonus, Spliff Hemingway explained what "Wavey" means and dropped a solid verse. For some strange reason the kick is at least +6db louder than anything else in the song -- or, for that matter, anything else at all -- but combined with his deceptively low-key, intricate flows, it really works.

Lord knows there's enough weed rap out there already, but S. Hemingway sounds like a cat with more to say. I'll be keeping an eye out.

Naturetone x DLO - "Stargazing"

Psyched for this next Naturetone album. This lead single was a standout cut, balancing clean & futuresexy production with a solid old school conceptual verse. Exactly the kind of psychedelic hip hop that R3al Y3ti Rap can get behind. The fact it's on World Around helps, too.

I still bump Naturetone's last album, Nihon, on a regular basis. For reasons I cannot fathom, it's a free release, so you know...check that out.

Mos Def x J. Dilla - "Sunshine Screwface" LIVE

YASIIN / DILLA 'SUNSHINE SCREWFACE' XCLUSIVE from MASSCORPORATION.COM on Vimeo.

Surprisingly awesome, considering it's just a single-cam shot of Mos in a Paris radio station with the fruitiest red mic in the known Universe. He's still one of the best spitting. Great performance #daug ...looking forward to Black Star 2012.

Related: What's in a Name? On Mos Def and Yasiin Bey

F. Stokes - "My Simple"

F. Stokes can do no wrong. Songwriting, performance, video game...all inspirationally flawless. This cat is gonna have a great 2012. He's also got this new EP out, Love, Always, which is highly recommended by the entire crew here at Real Yeti Rap. It's all this good -- "My Simple" ain't even the best cut on the EP.

Purchase on iTunes

Thelonious Martin - "The 10 Minute Tape"

Beautiful slice of art. This Chicago producer is one of the most impressive this bitter cynic has heard in quite awhile. His consistency and range indicate a musical mind with a bright future, but more importantly, holy fuck this knocks. Turn it up.

The 5 Spot: PremRock

Recently, the fine duo (whom I’d just discovered myself) Hump Jones & Dr. Quandary approached me for my take on 5 artists that need to be brought more shine upon. Humbled, I immediately started scanning the recent memory banks for some standouts and it didn’t take too long to settle on five MCs who tend to make me press rewind on my iPod or make me study their live show. The only common thread these cats have is I have had the pleasure of meeting with or have collaborated with all 5... Which certainly wasn’t criterion for my picks but certainly didn’t hurt anyone’s case as they all possess decent human qualities on top of being incredible artists. I won’t pick an order here, just want you to check these cats.... Not now... but right fucking NOW!

Has-Lo

One of the more technically gifted writers I’ve come across in the last few years indy or mainstream, Has is also blessed with one of the better rap voices in this here genre. I was explaining the appeal of Has to a friend, and I think I said something like “he wastes zero words.” Which is pretty true, there isn’t any filler with Has. Every syllable is important. He released the fantastic “In Case I Don't Make it” last year as well as an equally tough remix “Conversation B.” Oh, Has is also damn good live and this is a pretty solid combo moving forward. My gut, though comprised mostly of beer, possesses tremendous instincts, and those instincts tell me Has is going far. A large QUALITY catalog and seemingly co-signed by all the right folks, I think he’s going to make me look pretty smart in the near future. So, in short, “you need to come inside and check Lo” Has-Lo that is.

Open Mike Eagle

Mike dropped my favorite record of 2011 (Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes), continued a consistent stream of quality work and guest appearances and impressed me with his live set. Unless he dropped a Kesha remix with Travis Barker on drums he was a Blake Griffin over Kendrick Perkins slam dunk to make this list. Mike’s style combines the most desirable elements of the Project Blowed camp with his own melodic musings and the combination results in exactly the shit I want to hear at this stage in my life. I don’t know if mainstream success is in Mike’s future but it shouldn’t matter. I can see Mike becoming one of the forefront of the indy scene type artists that becomes everybody’s favorite MC’s favorite, which in turn translates into longevity. To me, that’s worth way more. Hop on the bandwagon early and get familiar.

Jesse Abraham

Now if you live in New York and pay close attention to the indy hip-hop scene you’ll probably know myself and JA are pretty close associates. I wanted to remain objective as possible during this write-up but there is a reason I keep people around me and that’s usually due to their level of skill and dedication which in turn makes me a better artist. So in short... JA is that dope.
You’re going to get a pro when you work with JA and you’re going to get a pro when you pay to see him perform. Tongue-twisting wordplay often with an absurdist touch can illustrate his skill but it doesn’t define him entirely. He can make songs about just about anything. I have the privilege of hearing an advance of his next release and it’s a courageous endeavor which not at all coincidentally sounds like his best work to date. So I guess I’m cheating a little bit with my crystal ball but I have a gut feeling he’ll be on quite a few people’s radars after this year. Why don’t you get a jump on everyone and check him NOW!

Elucid

One of the more cerebral MC’s I’ve come across in the past year, Elucid’s demeanor on the mic is fierce enough to make any “swag” rapper question their life’s goals. The Brooklyn native’s uniquely gruff cadence usually fits perfectly to the backdrops he chooses, which as of late have been provided by A.M. Breakups. They have teamed up to form the duo “Cult Favorite” and seem bent on world destruction... or at least a full-length release this year on Breakup’s Reservoir Sound imprint. Elucid is not for the hip-hop listener novice, he will certainly turn your head and make you reach for that rewind button. The more I’ve heard of his work both past and present, the more intrigued I’ve become. And most of the artists that I respect seem to share a common fondness of his skill set, which is something I value highly. Pay attention to your favorite artist’s favorite artists. It sounds elementary but you need to do this. It will shed light on some corners you otherwise overlooked. Start with “the Sub Bass Diet” and keep moving from there.

Cavalier

The chief, the shaman, the BK spit bandit who’s hi-jacked countless NYC showcases I’ve witnessed firsthand, otherwise known as Cavalier. Cav is an intense yet peaceful individual. Cav keeps his presence relatively sporadic, making overseas pilgrimages on the regular only to return and pick up where he left off. Cav hit the ground running with a phenomenal disc called “The Breaking.” This is a great album and pretty concise snapshot of the individual himself. Cav has a Nas-like quality to his narratives and kind of weaves in and out of rhyme schemes leaving the listener with a pretty damn lucid experience. I know for a fact Cav is sitting on a trunk load of material and will scatter it out like Buckshot throughout the near future. I suggest you tackle his first offering and get ready for the knowledge the chiefly one is about to put on full display.

www.CavWins.com



So, there you have it. All the ammo you need to get a jump on these artists I believe need more shine and right now. Download the freebies, purchase the ones for sale, put your friends on and let the knowledge soak in. Until next time...

--Prem

Komrade - "Metal to Rust"

Video is gorgeously done. Props to Jeff Eckert on that. I wasn't feeling the rapper at first, despite the rep that The Brothers Grim have, but I can at least respect the perspective...I was digging the slice of life by the 2nd verse. Also: helps that the video is motherfucking awesome.

I still say he could have deleted half of the bars on here and written something tighter, though. I can sympathize: the content cycle is a bitch, and even co-ordinating a single project independently is a nightmare. Still, I feel like this cat has the intellect and capacity to do better. Looking forward to future output from Edmonton, CA.

IV the Polymath x Thirtyseven - "The Frame"

World Around Wednesday #7 -- another free single from World Around:



From Komodo Dragons on leashes to putting Oliver North on trial...this cut pretty much covers everything. IV the Polymath smashes. Check out his latest album: New vs. Old

Man Mantis - "Red Dragonfly"

Dark visions and future funk. This treatment by Joe Ramos enhances the track with some nightmare techno-shamanism. (The incarnation of Man Mantis who makes a cameo here has since been replaced by the 2012 mutation.)

Check out Cities Without Houses and stay tuned for way more Man Mantis material this summer.

American Style Cardboard - "Driveway"

American Style Cardboard = Godforbid & Doc Delay. This is one of the finest cuts off their album, a stripped-down but detail-packed narrative song that's basically a short film.

Alaskan Fishermen - "Fire and Ice"

One of the best rap albums of all time. Easy. Over the course of the next month, we will probably post every single track, but definitely go and hunt it down anyway.

Here's a review from 2003 -- probably the only review to get written. Spoiler: "...this is a lyrically rich gem that will have you rewinding all over the place."

UPDATE: Turns out there's a sequel on the way. Got a preview and that shit is facemelter status. Those Jeremy Page productions are huger than ever: completely insane. No word on when the album will drop but there are at least finished tracks that exceed expectations. Big thanks to Godforbid.

Joey BADA$$ x Capital STEEZ - "Survival Tactics"

I love this kind of nihilism. Real Yeti Rap will always have a soft spot for angry youth, and this is a primo dose. Joey has a lot of buzz going but hot damn if Capital STEEZ didn't steal the whole show on this one: killer flow and way more memorable lines...you know, that New York shit. Dig it.

Czarface: The Cynicism of Keeping it Real

No doubt about it, this is a smart move. Czarface is an album-length recreation of the moment that established & defined the career of 7L & Esoteric -- a collaboration with Inspectah Deck, Speaking Real Words.



That shit was The Fucking Blueprint for indie rap success: you buy a feature verse from someone with serious credibility, you get them on the best beat on the album, and you tour on that shit until the money runs out. Right at the dawn of the Internets Era, 7L & Esoteric were there, ready and...well, ready and fully funded. That was over a decade ago, and since then the 7L & Eso brand has gotten drowned out as 100,000 other indie acts attempted to follow in their footsteps.

So how do you plot a comeback? Pretty much exactly like this. The press release for Czarface reads like an updated Blueprint for the 2012 Blog Rap scene. Deck insists they're keeping it realer than real: "The industry doesn’t need another well packaged, put together 'act'" he says...but when your project has guest spots from Roc Marciano, Action Bronson and Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire it's hard to pretend there's no packaging involved.

Now, any project in 2012 should feature all three of those cats. Don't get me wrong.

Is there still an underground? Esoteric desperately wants to have an Empire to fight against: "CZARFACE is a vigilante, anti-hero character who serves as the face of the project, and his focus is on annihilating the media darlings that the mainstream caters to." In an era where Rhymesayers and Def Jux (RIP) artists are placing on the Billboard Top 10 album charts and major label rappers are selling fewer units than ever, what the fuck does "underground" even mean in 2012?

The underground won. Rap is just a huge open-air slaughterhouse now, and there are more rappers than actual hip hop fans. Every open mic avenger in the 90's wanted it to be about skills, and now they're all coping with the consequences of getting exactly what they wanted. The underground blew up, the industry burned down, and now we're pimping ourselves like it was part of the plan all along.

Nice try.

Sene - "exit,us."

Pretty fucking genius. Not a new track but important enough to re-visit. Interesting to note that it remains the only song on his Bandcamp -- always nice to see an artist resist the Constant Content philosophy. This cut is a legacy unto itself.



Sene runs with good company and makes smart moves -- looking forward to new material in 2012. Meanwhile, enjoy this here and pass it on.

TFM x IV The Polymath - "Winter Instro Mix"

Very tasty mix right here. The Find has always been a Quality Over Quantity kinda operation and they made a smart bet having IV The Polymath compile and mix this collection of instrumental hip hop.

TFM & IV The Polymath - Winter Instro Mix (2012) by Thefindmag on Mixcloud

IV The Polymath is a quality producer in his own right -- check out his latest album, New vs. Old, which just got released. He's also done a dope Audible Hype interview that's worth the read: IV THE POLYMATH ON DIY HIP HOP PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS.

Gonjasufi - "The Blame"

One of the most beautiful weirdos in hip hop. What keeps him so compelling, of course, is the fact he's completely sane and tapped into a rich vein of living, breathing Meaning. This cat is busy raising kids & teaching yoga -- his work is grounded in reality and animated by the Tarot cycle.

That rapper shit is for children. This is something altogether different.

Milo Takes Baths

This wins on many fronts: innovative beats, original and intricate lyrics, and creative but creepy cover art, too. Full package art rap, we dig it. Thanks to Lesson 6 for the heads-up on this cat.

The Best Love is Free 3: The Cypher

Why couldn't they get a third mic in the mix here? Watching rappers pass that shit is always uncomfortable. That being said, this video was put together to promote this year's The Best Love is Free event/compilation, and features some of our favorite MPLS artists, including Phillip Morris, Toki Wright & Mally. The cypher has a decidedly genuine vibe: it has some spectacular, shining moments, but they come with a bunch of verses that are otherwise mostly forgettable.

The secret hero of this whole shebang is, without a doubt, the homie Carnage, who layers up some pretty fresh live beatbox jams with the aid of a loop pedal.

Keeping it Real on "Hyperbolic Chamber Music"

This is neither groundbreaking nor acceptable. It is, on the other hand, a good way to get people talking. That's about Mishka's brand, though...or at least, it's definitely got nothing to do with 25 forgettable rappers and 1 Isaiah Toothtaker. There's nothing wrong with the beat, courtesy of Ryan "Extended Remix" Hemsworth: it's a warm synth bath that frankly outshines most of the dudes here.



Just kidding. This song is fucking legendary. You will still be listening to this in 50 years and it will be the most meaningful soundtrack your life could possibly have. All of these young poets will go on to staggering success, critical acclaim and thousands of groupie pregnancies on every continent. This is the future of everything: marketing, music, even sex itself. Everywhere you go this summer, you will hear this song playing...and you will only say: "TURN IT UP."

This is a joke, right? It has to be. This song comes with a press release that actually, literally, seriously contained the following sentence: "A beastly rendition of what happens when rappers can only keep it real." Nobody writes something like that with a straight face...do they?

Fuck it, though, I'm already over it. It's been hours since that shit dropped and there's a couple thousand new mixtapes out since then. I got a facefull of coffee and blunts and I have very important opinions to tweet about, I can't be living in the past yo. Submit all tracks to YoHumpJones@gmail.com

Notes to Self: "Nobody" ft Evidence

The best part about being a real deal sleeping-ass hater? I'm always surprised by dope shit. No shocker that the track itself rocks -- we've covered Notes to Self already and Evidence is a legitimate legend -- but this video? This video right here? Holy shit, yo. This is ninja grade rap nerdery with an autistic devotion to detail. Facemelter status.

These cats are definitely one of the best crews to show up in the past few. Hopefully they don't release anything else for 3 years like Tool or Pink Floyd instead of getting caught up in the zombie hype cycle that passes for "success" in 2012. #CHEERS to dope art from dope artists.

Godforbid & Thirtyseven - Big Day for the Little People

Godforbid & Thirtyseven isn't an official name -- it's more like deliberate copyright infringement. Two rappers who have had their names usurped by mere rock bands teaming up to reclaim reality, or something. This cut is a demo from 2007, which represents the 6th installment of World Around Wednesday, which is a sentence I just typed with 5 fingers. There are no coincidences in the Kali Yuga.

Get familiar with That Handsome Devil and American Style Cardboard.

PremRock & Willie Green - "Jogger" ft. Open Mike Eagle

Yes. Willie Green and PremRock delivered something special with their album....the title of which is...yeah, "PremRock & Willie Green." Still, that's the kind of brand messaging that makes it easier to book tours. Anyone smart enough to tag in Open Mike Eagle for a track is worth paying close attention to.

The video is perfectly paced, and the photography shines every frame. Dig it.
Also check out the project itself: iTunes link. #WHALAM

Fashawn & Exile - "Life as a Shorty"

Classicalicious. Oh, you've seen it before? Watch it again yo. Definitely looking forward to their next album. While I don't think Boy Meets World was as good as Below The Heavens, I also like Fashawn a lot more as a rapper. The fact he's humble enough to keep respecting Exile says a lot about his future, too.

This is a great video plus a standout track. Fashawn cuts a line perfectly over this, from the casual visuals to the flow pattern itself -- flawless victory.

Brother Ali - Room With a View

Not a fan of this beat, but Ali carries it. It's a testament to how fucking compelling he is that I still like it enough to post it. A flawless video definitely helps. Despite being basically "dude in a hotel writes raps" -- the Dave Wilson / Ryan Thompson team manage to keep the video fresh.

Here's a toast to grown-up rap. Brother Ali is one of the best living.

The ILLZ - To Know Your Place In The Universe

This whole video has the look and feel of a TV ad for a singles chat line or a dating website, and that's unfortunate. But also kind of hilarious.

The music is spacious enough to carry itself - they could have just done 2 minutes of amorphous, unfocused shapes in front of a black background and it would have been an effective video. The verse has the cadence of hypnosis yet still wouldn't sound out of place in any given cipher.

The ILLZ is living proof that you don't have to follow the formula. DIY hip hop heads, indie artists - do some research on the past 2 years of this cats career. He's made interesting moves and most of them have worked. It's rare to see an artist build his career around his identity...all too often, it works the other way.

Mad Flows - Fo' Leaf feat. TASK1ne, Konkwest, Chuuwee & Lifted

This is an instant classic: an insane posse cut from the West Coast squad Cypher Cyndicate. Even the video is timeless, basically consisting of live footage and studio antics. It's just like it was 1994 all over again.



We've been fans of the homies Chuuwee and Mad Flows over here for a minute now; it comes as no surprise that the other dudes they roll with are also on some real yeti shit. #TWENTYTWELVE y'all. Enjoy.

Oneiric Field Mandala - Dr. Quandary

Raw, dark, psychedelic boom bap that draws from African deserts and Indian cities in equal measure. I fucking loved this track.



Dr. Quandary is, of course, a founder of World Around Records and an instrumental artist with serious bona fides for 2012. If you're digging this, his debut album is highly recommended: Beyond All Spheres of Force and Matter.

Grind Mode Cipher V. 7 ft. Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete is a comic book character. He did one of the funniest Audible Hype interviews ever and despite his frustrations, believes in his talentses and never stops moving. This appearance in the latest Grind Time Cipher installation is case in point. He alternates between "over it" nonchalance and poly-syllable hunger through his 16 bars and, you know, keeps it interesting.



I like the platform format of this Grind Time Cipher shit. It also reminds me why going to hip hop shows hurts my soul in 2012, but I have faith all these kids will grow up and learn to dress and act like adults before this decade is through. Humans keep learning and that's a beautiful thing.

Busdriver ft. Aesop Rock? Nuff Said.

Busdriver is hit or miss for me -- but he's been hitting non-stop for at least a full year, so maybe I'm just a fan now. Time will tell. Meanwhile, this shit goes. New Aesop is always welcome, especially this post-None Shall Pass incarnation with the tight raps.

Biff Tannen - Shottie

New material from 95labs guru TeV95 and Miami emcee Shottie. Delorean is dropping soon. The planning and execution behind this warmup promo has been worth studying.

"Jeddore Premium Flow" - More Hump Jones Lyrics

Took way, way too long - hopefully this will brighten up some shitty day in the future. Fun Fact: This song is 94 bars. Why, though?

Jeddore Premium is Jim Lahey's weapon of choice from the apex of all television programming, Trailer Park Boys. It's an obscure off-brand version of Alberta Premium.

Ongoing media assault available via Channel Hump.

Rasheed Chappell - "Break Loose"

Rasheed Chappell does not fuck around with the flows. You can definitely hear a lot of Black Thought on this cut, but that's...not exactly a bad thing. Also not terrible: this genius-ass video for it, using simple effects and an artistic eye to get huge results. Psychedelic old school with a lunatic on the mic...real yeti rap shit. This is rad.

D-Sisive - No More Words

Took me a long time to grok this cat, I'll admit. Brutally depressing raps over low-key beats wasn't really my thing, but in recent years D-Sisive has evolved into a motherfucking monster. I have a deep respect for his career, his decisions and his story. There's a lot of Canuck talent that gets slept on -- precisely because asshole bloggers like me insist on labeling it "Canadian" instead of merely hip hop -- but this cat is near the top of that list, along with Flight Distance, Notes to Self and the goofy dope Jeff Spec.

Video was great and the animation here is flawlessly integrated. Clever, catchy, dope. D-Sisive FTW.

We Are World Around, Vol. 2

#WHALAM the 2012 compilation from World Around Records dropped at prime time this evening. Free download.

Notes to Self - "All of the Above"

Hell yes flows. These cats are point, especially the first two...and the third cat makes up for it on sheer mustache power alone. Although I would have preferred more bears in this video, I can understand why that didn't happen. This group is quality and I wish them the best in 2012. Video is funny, innovative and beautifully shot.

FRESH: Turntablism and LSD

"We take acid, drink OJ, and eat Subway sandwiches. And then scratch at two hundred beats per minute. Non-stop for eighteen hours. Subways, two hundred bpms, and acid. That's it."



From How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from WWII to Hip Hop by the extremely awesome Dave Tompkins:

DXT has made a living from this susurration. "That's why I'm here, I guess," he says with a weary smile. "I was the first to scratch that sound." DJ Disk, who trained on "Change the Beat," calls fresh the perfect freak accident. "We take acid, drink OJ, and eat Subway sandwiches. And then scratch at two hundred beats per minute. Non-stop for eighteen hours. Subways, two hundred bpms, and acid. That's it."



"When I was on acid, I would see things like beams of light... and I would hear sounds that sounded an awful lot like car horns." - Mitch Hedberg

"Sodapop & Bubblegum" - American Style Cardboard

YES #DAUG ...YES. Been itching to release this for over a year. Doc Delay and Godforbid's project American Style Cardboard dropped at the beginning of 2012 and yours truly got some bars in on the final cut, Sodapop & Bubblegum. Godforbid is one of my all-time favorite rappers so being on a track with him is already an honor and all that rap nerd shit, but this one? FACEMELTER. Enjoy and check the whole album out.

(And when you're done, check out "Fear of Death and the Need for Reproduction.")

Humpasaur Jones - "Funeral Groupies"

Lyrics videos don't have to suck. Dig it.

Download the original track via Bandcamp.

Jean Grae - "U&Me&EveryoneWeKnow"

Fresh music from Jean Grae. I guess in 2012 Blu finally has EverybodyNamingSongsLikeThis now, though? Production by M-Phazes.



Essentialism: The Trials of Jean Grae - Village Voice