Monday, May 20, 2013

Ologist - Sign of the Times [Video]

About two weeks back we gave you the audio for Sign of the Times from Better Beat Bureau producer Ologist. Last night, I received a nice surpise in my inbox in the form of the visuals for the track. It's a nostalgic look at the 757 with an essence of the city that captures the feel of the song perfectly. Check it out and let us know how it makes you feel. I think you'll dig it...Jones





Friday, May 17, 2013

Wu-Tang - Execution in Autumn [Audio]

This was a nice surprise to see on a Friday morning. "Execution in Autumn", produced by Frank Duke, seemed to have dropped from out of nowhere, but I think we can assume that this is not some random release. Wu stated "this is a customer appreciation offering", but we also know that some kind of Wu-union (reunion) is in the works. In any respect, I'm sure Wu fans are elated right about now. Features verses from Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, RZA, and U-God.










Thursday, May 16, 2013

Trek Life - Just The Music [Video]

Mellos Music Group's Trek Life dropped one of the most nostalgic videos I've seen in a while yesterday. This joint titled Just The Music showcases how digging through records and just enjoying music can take you places by simply hearing it. Just The Music is featured on his recently released (4-9-13) album Hometown Foreigner and was produced by Duke Westlake. Check it out and let me know what you think. I think it's a nice joint to ride to now that the weather is finally breaking...Jones





Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Fame P - Act Da F*%k UP [Video]

Ok so everybody can blame me for being late to the party on this one, but I can throw out a genuine disclaimer. If you follow our official FB page, you will see that my partner Ms. Anita hopped on this one (pause) before I could even put ink to paper. It's all good though, because hometown favorites are always privileged enough to have double exposure here at BILHH. Norfolk by way of NY's own Fame P dropped the ridiculous visuals for his ode to nonconformity and turning up the "Act Da F*%k Up-o-meter" on Monday and it is guaranteed F-R-E-S-H! The song in itself, if your'e familiar (which it's hard not to be, based on the crowd almost always knowing all of the words), is one of the most hypnotic tunes ever made when it comes to letting it all hang and deciding that the end of the rope has been reached. Fame incorporated a track from Sonny Magngioni that gives you the feel of a Hip Hop reggae fusion that knocks extra hard in the venues. I've seen it myself and now you get to experience it by checking out the video. Trust me the two are not much different. Sure hope I didn't incriminate myself or anyone else by saying that. Check out the vid and let us know what you think. I'm about to go into a meeting and hopefully I won't Act Da F*%k Up, Act Da F*%k Up, Act Da F*%k Up, Act...lost myself for a minute. I'm out...Jones





Limelight Ready Spotlight - Priest


Every now and then, in Hip Hop, you run across a diamond in the ruff. What's even more rare than discovering such an amazing find, is when you unearth an artist that's already polished and  poised to take the game on mic first. This week's Limelight Ready Spotlight showcases New York urban griot Priest. Born and raised in Detroit Michigan this solid wordsmith has been honing his skills since the age of 13. This fact is definitely apparent in his music as well. With a uncanny ability to craft a vivid story that tosses you into the scene as if you witnessed it first hand, his socially conscious narratives bring about thoughts of Nas and Buckshot all rolled into a reincarnation of sorts that screams to the inner city to unhand the youth and raise the awareness elders. Growing up in Detroit, Priest witnessed the city deteriorate and upon deciding to move to NY he stated, "It's not that I don't love Detroit, I just love it for what it was, for what it means historically. Detroit got worse and worse, really. It's a empty, hollowed-out version of itself. I was in a position where I couldn't survive or pursue to music, and I had the opportunity so I left." Not too many people these days step out on faith and actively pursue their dreams in a city that's foreign to them, but it seems that Priest is prospering and absorbing all that is NY and applying that directly to his music. His bio on the popular music sharing site, Soundcloud.com, states that he draws a large amount of his inspiration lyrically from Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, so his ability to incorporate urban commentary and social dialogue doesn't come as much of a surprise. The surprise comes when you witness how he incorporates that content into his music while never taking anything away from the complexity of his spit, which he describes as "multi-layered, multi-rhythmic, multi-syllabic". I would say that this is the perfect description of his work and just enough of an interesting phrase to lure you into checking out his work. Priest is on the come up and has the potential to go far in the game due to the fact that nothing is sacrificed when it comes to his work. I'm looking forward to witnessing his growth and transition and will be proud to say that BILHH was the first site to help push this budding star to the forefront. Check out his work for yourself after the jump, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Until next week y'all...Jones out!









Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Pharoahe Monch ft Denaun Porter - Haile Selassie Karate [Video]



From the W.A.R. album. Shot in 2012 (released May 8th 2013) in Mitchell's Plain South Africa.





Kendrick Lamar - B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe *Director's Cut* [Video]



I had my own vision of what I thought this video would be like when it dropped. I'll admit it's not what I expected at all. The all white wardrobe and the near necessity to wear shades while you watch it were not part of my vision. The comedic cameo from Mike Epps was the last thing expected. It seemed a little over the top for such a placid track (that I'll admit is one of my favorite songs to play while fighting rush hour traffic). However, it's not about my vision is it, or what some of us might have expected. What sets Kendrick apart from the rest is HIS own unique vision. After watching a few times I came to respect and appreciate this visual. 'Death to Molly' is what the caption says at the end, but I think it also represents death to all the industry churned and cloned garbage that plagues hip hop altogether. It's a celebration bitches! Kendrick proves that you can do you and have success at the same time. -Ms Anita

This is the directors cut by the way that features a Schoolboy Q snippet at the end.





Estelle ft. Common - Victorious [Audio]



A previously recorded track from Estelle dropped a few days ago. This one didn't quite make the cut on her last album but it was leaked for our listening pleasure. Your thoughts?





Jared Evan - The Devil Wears Prada [Video]



If you haven't noticed, slowly but surely we are back to posting on the blog. Jarad Evans has dropped his 4th official video for another single off his album Boom Bap & Blues. Enjoy!






Thursday, May 9, 2013

Pusha T - Numbers On The Boards [Video]


You all know when it comes to the 757 we at BILLH have a soft spot in our hearts when it comes to hometown artists. Signed to a major or not we try to give everyone exposure. Pusha T just happens to be rockin with one of the most successful labels doing it right now and just released the visuals for his hypnotic ode to success and living the baller life. The video is pretty simple, just as the track is, but somehow it all comes together to create a dope record that even the more concious of fans won't be able to turn off or help listening to. King Push rarely disappoints, so it's no wonder that this joint is receiving it's just due right now amongst the 100's of media outlets we have today. I can get with it...Jones