Saturday, November 14, 2009

Music Brief: Willie Will's Redemption Mixtape



We argue about whether Christian rappers should rhyme over secular beats, but Willie Will's mixtape, "Redemption," shuts down this debate for now.

It's a mighty work for the Lord in reaching nonbelievers, taking some of the grimiest hip-hop tracks (including "We Gonna Make It," by Jadakiss; "C.R.E.A.M.," by Wu-Tang Clan; "Ambitionz az a Ridah," by 2Pac; and "Shook Ones Pt. II" by Mobb Deep) and claiming them for God. Not only does he jack beats, but he also swagger jacks to further capture the essence of the original songs, stylistically stepping into Raekwon's two-tone Wallabees on his remake of "C.R.E.A.M.," for example.

These 32 songs are now fortified with the Holy Ghost and Willie Will's dense, intelligent lyrics. Classic tracks in the hands of a talented lyricist is always a win, and this one is a big win for God.

My Top Tracks: There wasn't a track list provided with the mixtape as far as I can tell, so I'll have to title by the names of the original songs and list track numbers. Without further ado...
  • Track 4, "Big Poppa" remake: Stop being a baby, baby.
  • Track 5, "Shook Ones Pt. II" remake: Be shook if not saved.
  • Track 11, "New York State of Mind" remake: Start the revoloution. God=solution.
  • Track 12, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" remake: Praise for the real Hov.
  • Track 13, "We Gonna Make It" remake: Amped lyrics and amped music.
  • Track 15, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" remake: Christ's story, Pete Rock heatrock.
  • Track 16, "It Was a Good Day" remake: A humorous praise song.
  • Track 21, "The People" remake: Will's flow > Common's. Trust.
Where do you cop this one from? DaSouth.com. Join the site and access this mixtape, and many other free downloads.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Video: Sean Slaughter: "Flesh Killa" (Feat. J.R.)

Another dope song and video. I'm putting Sean Slaughter on my late pass list as we speak. Gotta check for more stuff from him!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Video: Eshon Burgundy, "A Note for the Hopeless"



Philly may have (sadly) lost the World Series recently, but man we been winnin' lately with the CHH music! If you haven't already, drop everything and cop R-Swift's "Anthem." Fantastic album. Read my five-star review of it here.

Here, we have Eshon Burgundy, dropping 100 bars on "A Note for the Hopeless."



I've been behind on my Internet travails (You may have noticed me M.I.A. from this blog and my Twitter account lately...Tryna get back on it now...), but props to my fellow DaSouth.com writer Kellus Hill for putting me on to brother Burgundy a few weeks back. He goes Sugar Ray Leonard on this one. Don't be surprised by the lightness of his delivery (a whispery flow completely devoid of menacing attitude) and his relaxed composure; he verbally sticks, moves and delivers a TKO on the soul sample. My fave line: "Lucifer? I don't know you... Huh? Oh yeah, I'm acting brand new."

I hear he's working on a new release. I'll be lining up for it, like going to Pat's or Geno's for cheesesteaks.

For more info on the man, check out his Myspace, here. There's a treasure trove of music to be found here--three mixtapes! (Note: copy and paste the links into your browser to get at the free downloads.)

Monday, November 2, 2009

New S.O. Song: "Around My Life"


Another dope song from the brother across the pond. This one is about being filled with, and surrounded by, God's grace and love.

UPDATE: The song is down now, for some re-tooling. Look for a version with a revamped chorus to come soon.