My Track for The Weekend: SpaceGhostPurrp - The Black God

I've been listening to this track all week. I love the hypnotic beat and the message he gives at the end is very captivating to me. I specifically liked the quote, "The world ain't a good place to be in if your not in the right state of mind. All you gotta do is maintain, stay true to yourself, love yourself, believe in yourself and you will be your own god." This track has a meaningful message which I believe is directed toward everybody even though the title of the song is "The Black God". Enjoy your weekend!

My track for the weekend: Joey Bada$$ Feat. Capital STEEZ - Survival Tactics

I came across this track a couple weeks ago from searching different hip-hop blogs. Joey Bada$$ is an up & coming artist from Brooklyn, New York and is only 17 years old. He's backed by his rhyme partner, Capital STEEZ, on this track. When I gave this a good listen the lyrics really impressed me. The track is full of gritty lyrics reminiscent of early 90's hip-hop. The two young rhymers also showcase some political content with lines like, "It's like we've been content with losin'/And half our students fallen victim to the institution/Jobs are scarce since the Scientific Revolution/And little kids are shootin Uzi's cause its given to 'em." Hope you enjoy the track & the video. If you would like to hear more of Joey Bada$$ you can download his new mixtape "1999" here.

My Track For The Weekend: Max Pain - Real Live

My brother Max Pain has been hard at work on his music lately. He released this track "Real Live" last week and it should get you in a hyped mood when you listen to it. This is a good track to add to your party playlist. Pain rhymes over the "Cashin Out" instrumental on this one and he provides a catchy chant as the chorus. The beat is simple and has a nice bounce to it. When I hear this song it makes me want to just get up & bounce to it every time. You can listen & download the song here. Hope you enjoy & have a great weekend!

My Track For The Weekend: Chuck Brown - Go-Go Swing

In memory of Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go" who passed away May 16th, I wanted to post one of his classic songs. I always remember listening to this song while riding in the car with my mom when I was younger. If I was at one of my friend's cookouts this song was always playing and the older crowd would always start dancing and partying to it. When I hear this song I tend to think about summertime in DC. I think about walking down Georgia Avenue in the middle of the afternoon on a summer day and hearing people blasting Chuck Brown or any Go-Go music out of their car while driving by.

R.I.P. Chuck Brown

My Track for the Weekend: Lupe Fiasco feat. Skylar Grey - Words I Never Said

Honestly, I wanted to post this track because I realized I haven't posted anything about Lupe yet and he might be my favorite hip-hop artist of all time along with Jay-Z. Also this song gives me great motivation to always speak whats on my mind. I feel like if I'm holding back important feelings or thoughts in my head and not speaking on them then I'm not living my life. I've looked to Lupe's music a lot to give me personal inspiration and this song is a perfect example.

I'm going to leave links to a couple of his standout mixtapes which any true hip-hop fan will enjoy. Click on the links below to download the mixtapes. Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Enemy of the State: A Love Story

Friend of the People

Mos Def performs "Forever Alive" @ Radio Nova in France

I believe this is an unreleased track by Mos. He was being very metaphoric on this particular song which isn't surprising for him. What I got from it is that our souls live on forever. I think that's a fly message because it makes me feel like I possess eternal life. I also thought he was sending a message of living righteous and honest, to put it in simple terms. The song came off positive and refreshing overall and I love the production on this. That red microphone he carries around gives his voice a nice, smooth echo and it blends well with the jazzy production on this track.

My Track For The Weekend: UGK feat. Outkast - Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)

I'm going up to Ohio to see my homie Ryan get married this weekend and I'm one of the groomsmen. I thought of this song because I always loved it and it has great/outrageous wedding scenes in the video. A classic song by the two best southern hip-hop groups of all time in my opinion. Enjoy & have a great weekend!