New Mixtape: Howard's "Howard"

Yo we uploaded the homie Howard's video a couple of weeks ago. So it is only right that we post fam's new mixtape: Howard. Howard a new artist from Florida but he has his own vibe. The only artists I ever co-sign on here connect with me at a musical level. The Howard Mixtape is thought provoking and what some call "real hip hop". I loved it. But listen for yourselves. The mixtape is available on bandcamp and datpiff. Links for both are below. Enjoy and like Always Support GOOD MUSIC... http://howard1.bandcamp.com/album/howard

A freestyle from one of the homies...Howard. Spitting on a legendary beat from Common (prod. by the late great J-Dilla) "The Light". This is the perfect way to restart the movement. Enjoy. Hit Him up on twitter: @Howard_561

What is Love? I started this when I was 19 years old. I had so much to say but no where to say it. Since that time I have grown to be a man. And after finishing college, I have found myself wanting a similar feeling. I have not posted in a while but I miss the game. Is it Love? Is this small blog run by only me what I miss in life. Partially I guess. My ideas on life have evolved from some of my earliest posts but I remain the same person. Am I as radical? No. Am I as in your face as I once was? Do I have as much free time as I did my sophomore and junior years of college? No. Is the love for knowledge and dopeness still a large part of my life? Absolutely. So lets do it again...

100 Grand(Grizzy Hendrix)'s Schizophrenia

The life of a college student is hectic. The amount of craziness involved with every day life is time consuming and stressful. One way I deal with this is new music. 2 days ago I received a link** to a new artist named 100 Grand from New York. 100 Grand has a free album available on his band camp album named Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is the perfect title for an album describing the life of college students and young people of this time. In this album 100 Grand or Grizzy Hendrix talks about the chaos of being a young person in the 21st century. In both humor and darkness, this album describes the thoughts of many people just like me. At certain points of this album I feel like he is speaking my thoughts about college, life, and the world. Much is often made about the fun and parties of young people but rarely is an album honest about the uncertainty about this time. At times the album is dark but an underlining humor is found in his lyrics. College and life for that matter is not all about fun. So I respect the honesty of artists who speak to people like me. The production of the album is pretty crisp. The album is both modern and a throwback to mid nineties new york production. I often receive links to music from artists. 100 Grand is probably the best of which I received. Some of my favorite tracks from Schizophrenia are: "Wake Up", "Cut Class", "Blunts in the Air", and "Blow That Sh**". If you havent heard of 100 Grand before...I'm sure you will be hearing about him in the future. Go to his bandcamp to download this album and his other releases.




**Note: send information about new artist to spliftedresearch@gmail.com or hit us up on twitter @spliftdresearch.

Art of the Week: Basquiat's Most Kings

Jean-Michel Basquiat has become a common punchline in hip-hop lately. Rozay and Kanye have referenced him several times but the biggest Basquiat fan is Jay-Z. Jay-Z(also a collector of his work) has shouted out the deceased artist several times in his songs. The most famous of which is "Most Kingz" which is inspired by the piece above. MOST YOUNG KINGS GET THIER HEADS CUT OFF! is a very powerful statement. Everyone is aiming for the top or the person at the top. The one in power has to keep his eyes open for his successor. He must do so because the successor is willing to kill to get in his spot. Basquiat's art is some of my favorite. It is both street and almost royal. A crown is found in many of his works which goes along with his rugged sense of elegance. Like Basquiat's own life this painting is a reminder that its not easy to be king. Jean-Michel Basquiat's tale mirrors this perfectly. He started out as a New York Graffiti Artist. He slowly rose in New York art circles in the early to mid-Eighties. He became part of Andy Warhol's inner circle and after Warhol's death in 87' he fell deep into addiction and depression. In 1988, Basquiat died of a heroin overdose. He was 27.

SN He looks just like Kid Cudi doesnt he lol

Album Review: J. Cole's Cole World: The Sideline Story

Hunger. Hunger seems to be something missing from the landscape of modern hip-hop. Money is the motive. People want to be rappers because they have money, girls, cars, jewelery and all the other thing we see on videos. But rarely in this day and time is there a rapper who wants to be a rapper, just to be a rapper. That is hunger. And J.Cole is hungry. J.Cole has slowly risen in the game from what many would call a "backpack rapper" to "the next great rapper of our time". J.Cole is different from a lot of emcees. He's a college grad, he produces almost all of his own stuff, and he is a bit older than most rookies(26). But the main difference between J. Cole and everyone else is his stories. Cole World: The Sideline Story is full of those stories. He has stories about relationships, dreams, setbacks, and the life of a young black man trying to make it. With intelligence and humor, Cole has created one of the best debut albums in hip-hop history. For people who have listened to J. Cole for a while, this will come as no surprise. The winning formula he has used on his mixtapes is again used on his debut. J.Cole seems poised to take the throne. He is a true emcee in a time when no one takes pride in that. On "Rise and Shine" Cole has a sample of Jay-Z talking about the type of person he wanted to sign. I think he found that in a kid from Carolina. To me this album is the best debut since Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor. I give it a 4.5/5. Anyway, buy J.Cole's album in a couple of hrs its well worth the buy.

Artist Spotlight: Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar has alot on his shoulders. In recent months he has been given the mantle of the West by Dr. Dre, Snoop, Kurupt, and Game. Over the summer, Lamar released the free album Section.80 which has been critically acclaimed. Also Kendrick Lamar has been featured on the Game's RED Album and on remix to Foster the People's Pumped Up Kicks. Kendrick Lamar's flow is deadly. His rapid fire style is so captivating you are left stunned. This is displayed perfectly on "Look Out for Detox". There is a story that last year on the anniversary of Tupac's death, Kendrick Lamar had a vision of Tupac. In the dream, Tupac told him to keep his legacy alive. Kendrick Lamar has tried to do so especially with his movement of Hiiipower which is sort of akin to Tupac's Thug Life. Kendrick Lamar has the potential of being one of the next great emcees in the game. Look out for him and check out Section.80 and all his mixtapes

My Views on the "Illuminati"

In recent years I have heard tons of people talk about the "Illuminati". I have seen people quote and send links to Youtube videos, conspiracy blogs, and a whole bunch of unreliable information. Most of the information I have heard hasnt been real information just lies and slander. I have heard that everyone from Jay-Z to President Obama is in the illuminati. So lets start on actual facts. The real Illuminati was started in Bavaria in 1776. It was started as an organization of free-thinkers. Their organization pretty much believed in a society free from religion and the other things that seem to deceive and use people. Thats it. Nothing more nothing less. A group of secularists. Somehow the illuminati has been interpreted as some kind of superhuman group of Satanists that control the world. I have heard some pretty ridiculous theories. When people tell me some new illuminati theory I usually laugh at the ignorance I just heard. I am a social studies education major. History, Philosophy, Psychology and other areas of Social Sciences are my life. Because I have studied this so much I have come to understand one key point: When the human mind doesnt understand something it will develop its own conclusion. They say its either luck or magic. Its either God or the Devil. Life is more complex with that. My main problem with Illuminati conspiracy theories is the fact that it leads to mistrust and confusion. I am all for not trusting people but my mistrust is based on fact. At the heart of things, I am a free thinker. I dont allow things blind my views. I dont believe in religion and I'm not easily fooled. I dont think there is some organization controlling the world. The only thing that controls the world is money and misinformation. Both are examples of the only thing humans care about POWER. Power in any amount is part of humanity's nature. More to come stay tuned

Album Review: Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV

Well Tha Carter IV is legally out now. I've had it for a week like alot of people. My verdict: major disappointment. Tha Carter IV just seems to be lacking something. I think its the hunger that was on the first 3 Carters. Lil' Wayne had something to prove on those albums. He was competing for the title "Best Rapper Alive". He wanted to prove a kid from the South could be considered the best rapper to everyone, their moms, and even the President. Lil' Wayne was a beast at one time and what this album proves is he is in a slump. Tha Carter IV does have decent songs tho. "Intro", "Nightmares from the Bottom", "Interlude"(Tech N9ne kills and so does 3 Stacks), "Its Good"(Weezy's diss at Jay-Z is actually pretty good) and "Outro"(Nas and Busta kill it) are good songs. But he is missing the hunger. None of these tracks are better than any song on any of the Carters. I am a Lil' Wayne fan but he's been tripping lately. He's not focused. He's erratic. He's inconsistent. (Which is weird because I thought he was sober. If so he needs to start smoking and sippin again). But he needs to get hungry again. His legacy could easily fall. Until he gets hungry and passionate I'm gonna chill and not listen. Rating 2.5/5

Free Album: Blu's No York

Okay so today got even crazier. Yeah that Earthquake was crazy but Blu dropping a free album is just as crazy. Alot of you have probably never heard of Blu but you should. Blu is one of the better rappers to come out in the last few years. Some of you may remember him from the XXL Freshmen Class of '09(probably the best list so far. It featured B.o.B., Wale, KiD CuDi, Curren$y, Ace Hood, Asher Roth, and Cory Gunz). Blu's mixtape, "Below the Heavens" was literally one of the best mixtapes I've ever heard. Blu is a conscious rapper meaning he will probably never be a commercial success. Which is cool to me. The love of music over money is a noble act. Anyway here is the link. Enjoy

Blu's No York
http://hulkshare.com/ijh47qgufxzf

Mixtape: Curren$y and DJ Drama's Verde Terrace

The past two weeks in Hip-Hop have been crazy. A series of new releases wouldn't be complete without a release from Spitta. Curren$y is probably my favorite rapper at the moment. His flow is crazy and he's always coming out with new free music. For this mixtape, Curren$y hooks up with DJ Drama. I haven't listened to it yet but I'm sure Spitta is going in. Below is a link to download this off Dat Piff. If you don't have a datpiff account you can still download it for free. Enjoy

Curren$y's Verde Terrace
http://www.datpiff.com/pop-mixtape-download.php?id=m71c4c4c

Snoop Dogg Interviews Kendrick Lamar

The legendary Snoop Dogg interviews up and coming Compton MC Kendrick Lamar for his GGN network series on Youtube. At the end of the video Kendrick Lamar performs and shows off his amazing ability. Its good to see a new generation of real West Coast Emcees. #californialove #peace