I’m not just saying this because he’s a Rhode Islander, but Joe Beats is one of my favorite producers. Hands down, I have a hard time finding cats who can top what he does. And on this track, he remixes Kno’s already-dope beat for “Hellfire” and gives it an extra something special. I’ve also included a bonus download of the instrumental for “Any Port”, which appeared on his famous album with Sage Francis as Non-Prophets. If you’re feeling like this isn’t enough Joe Beats for you, and I wouldn’t blame you for that, head here to get some more.

Download: CunninLynguists – “Hellfire” (Joe Beats Remix) [Right Click Save-As]

Download: Joe Beats – “Any Port” [Right Click Save-As]

It took me a few months to finally get this put together, but Potholes In My Blog is proud to present the Ocean State Sampler. I was inspired to do this after we dropped our first project, Transmitting Live Vol. 1, this summer. I just needed to do something to showcase the talent residing in Rhode Island, where I call home. And after a few delays and an amended track listing, it’s finally here. I am very excited to present new music from these artists, who range from Jon Hope to Dirty Hank to Joe Beats to Zumo Kollie.

Every track on this project is either unreleased or will appear on a future album dropping in the next few months. OK, to be fair, the Jahpan track can be grabbed off iTunes, but it’s only available at a few digital outlets. And when he hit me up a week ago to be included on this, I just had to include him. Nothing left to do now but download this 10-track sampler and let us know what you think. A huge thank you to every artist included on here and to Objektiv One who supplied the excellent artwork. And if you are an R.I. rapper or producer looking to collaborate on a sequel to this project, hit us via e-mail on the contact page. Hit the jump for the track listing and artwork.

Download: Ocean State Sampler [Mediafire]

Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve (hopefully) read the album review, and the interview by now, so Elemental Zazen should no longer be a foreign name to you heads out there. So, if you bought his excellent sophomore album, The Glass Should Be Full, kudos to you; give yourself a pat on the back, and go listen to it again to remind yourself just how good it is. If you were not one of those individuals who bought this album, today is your lucky day. Elemental Zazen has given us permission to release The Glass Should Be Full for free, in its entirety.

Full of brilliant commentary on the state of the world, and ways in which it could be improved, as well as an in-depth personal dissection of the value of life, The Glass Should Be Full provides a bounty of intelligent material. As if that wasn’t enough, there is fantastic production from Kno, Joe Beats, Gnotes, and Elemental Zazen himself.

Download: Elemental Zazen – The Glass Should Be Full
Buy: Elemental Zazen – The Glass Should Be Full

Album Review: Elemental Zazen – The Glass Should Be Full (2008)

Rating: 4 out of 5 Potholes

Read the rest of this entry »