Four months into the new year and we’ve definitely had some emcees and entertainers who have kept us laughing in 2009. From fake beefs to fake retirement claims to really bad new albums and YouTube apologies;  it’s been entertaining and disappointing in the same breath. With that said, we do have some offenders so who gets the gas face?

The Detroit music scene, mostly known for it’s Motown roots, has become a hotbed for underground hip-hop as of late. With the passing of Proof and J Dilla, the responsibility to progress that raw, Detroit sound falls on the newer artists like Black Milk, Royce Da 5′9″, Elzhi and others. After many years of grinding out quality music, their unique style has finally come to see some mainstream light. Of course, there are a few cats that have yet to make a big of a splash that they deserve. That’s where Finale steps in. After working on a slew of projects and collaborations, Finale preps his solo debut, A Pipe Dream & A Promise due out April 7 and shows that hard work and commitment pays off. Pipe Dream is a blast from the past, but with a new-jack spin. Featuring spoken word from hip-hop legends like Awesome Dre and Prince Whippa Whip, Finale stays true to his old school roots. The album also features a production lineup equivalent to a modern day Illmatic, with the likes of J Dilla, M-Phazes, Nottz, Black Milk, Oddisee and more. With that said, it is my great pleasure to welcome Finale to our Open Mic Presents… interview series on Potholes In My Blog. Sit down with us as we chat about the new album, working with J Dilla, some personal stories that influenced Finale’s lyrics and more!

Download: Finale – A Pipe Dream & A Promise (DJ King Most Megamix) (Right Click to Download)
Download: Finale – T.I.M.E. (DJ King Most Megamix)
Myspace

Here is a preview, hit the skip for a load of goodies including the rest of the interview and tour dates…

Reyn: Love the album, congrats on everything man!
Finale: For sure, thank you!

Reyn: Describe what the album title means real quick.
Finale: It’s my definition of hip-hop, I think there is two sides of hip-hop. I think what we do is labeled as a pipe dream and the promise part is what we promise our self to get through that to get to, or to our loved ones and our family the whole time we are doing it. It’s just what we do, so it’s just another way to say hip-hop.

Reyn: You have some pretty personal topics on the album, do you ever have trouble reaching out and opening up to the people.
Finale: You know, I can relate to a random person up the street that is going through something that I can relate to and I would never know if we didn’t talk about it. Things like the song about my brother, “Brother’s Keeper” I put that on my Myspace page a while ago with a snippet and some one hit me with the deepest message about how they can relate to that situation and they heard every word and it was their situation. I just think we can all really relate to each other if we just communicate. The album is me, and I’m sure there are other people going through the same situation and if not worse situations so I don’t think it’s a problem.

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A little late on posting this, but it needed to be done. Keelay & Zaire are the homies and they just put out their stellar Ridin High LP. They already leaked “The Times” and today they come with their second single, “Alright With Me” featuring DMinor & Phonte of Little Brother. This has a real smooth, laidback west coast vibe; a prime example of what you can find on the rest of the album. Also peep the Ridin High Album Sampler. Check it out and as always let us know what you think!

Download: Keelay & Zaire – “Alright With Me” ft. DMinor & Phonte

Stream it before you download it:

Y-O and Thurzday, the two that make up the LA hip-hop group U-N-I have been on my radar since dropping their first album,  Fried Chicken & Watermelon. Ever since hearing the drum kick in on their first track “The Launch”, it was a done deal. Just off dropping their Mick Boogie hosted mixtape, Before There Was Love and a slew of other dope features within the blogosphere, U-N-I & Ro Blvd present the long awaited, A Love Supreme.  There are few releases that I have been anticipating this year as much as this one. With all the hype surrounding the group, it is about time that U-N-I turns it into much deserved respect. Give it a spin and give us your thoughts on the album!

Download: U-N-I & Ro Blvd. – A Love Supreme

Hit the skip for tracklist…

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The homies Crew 54 put together a dope Reality Show every week featuring funny antics and dope music. You can catch that on their YouTube channel by clicking one of the videos if you aren’t up on it already. Today we are going to post up their two special edition SXSW coverage episodes that give a real interesting perspective of the events that went down in Austin. Check it out and hit up Crew 54 if you haven’t already!

Here is Part 1, hit the skip to check out Part 2…

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The tenth episode of Villainous Volume Radio here! Give it a spin and let us know what you think!

Hosted by Deal the Villain

Hit potholesmusic@gmail.com for suggestions!

Download: VVR Vol. 10

Second post this week that I have snagged from Fresh Selects but well worth it as usual. Finale is dropping his long-awaited solo LP, A Pipe Dream & A Promise April 7th, but he also planned on dropping this free pre-album T.I.M.E. (Think Innovate Move Endure). Unfortunately, the album will no longer be a free-release, but rather sold on tour and from a few other locations. Since this is the case, the homie DJ King Most mixed a few of the tracks to give you another preview of what to expect. There are only 6 of the 14 album tracks on the mix, so expect to see more soon. Be sure to check it out, cop the album April 7th, and peep our exclusive interview with Finale tomorrow!

Download: Finale – T.I.M.E. (DJ King Most Megamix)

T.I.M.E. Megamix tracklisting
1. Run It Back (prod. Rashid Hadee)
2. Ice (prod. DJ Final)
3. Life Goes On (prod. Djimon)
4. Saturday (prod. Slimkat78)
5. It’s All Love (Remix) (prod. Ghost)
6. Jungle Music (prod. Nick Tha 1da)

Rob Viktum, the man behind so many excellent free projects like An Audio Tribute To The Cambodian People and AmericanDONUTShop hits us now with Volume One of his Snack Pack instrumental series. I can say in the utmost confidence that Rob Viktum can bang with the best when it comes to production. Time and time again he blesses the internet with polished, high quality projects that sets himself apart from the clutter of free online releases that you get on a daily basis. If you have yet to delve into the work of Rob Viktum, this collection of 14 smooth, soulful instrumentals is a damn good place to start. Check it out and as always, let us know what you think!

Download: Rob Viktum – Snack Pack Vol. 1

Track 2 Preview:

Track 11 Preview:

Check out the video for “SLOOOW” from J*DaVeY’s Beauty in Distortion/Land of the Lost double EP. After seeing how dope it is, head over to MTVU and give it a vote or two, or thirty. Thanks for checking it out and as always let us know what you think!

Album Review: Blame One – Days Chasing Days (2009)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Potholes

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