Stream the track “What U Know” below and download the mixtape after the jump.

Download: 2 Hungry Bros – Open Buffet

Stream early mixtape standout, “Grey Skies” by Gods’Illa, below. Download the tape after the jump.

Download: Various Artists – Beatz and Lyrics 2 Go (A3C Mixtape) RV Edition

Stream “Beyond the Infinite”, which features Fresh Daily and a J57 production, below. Download after the jump. Props to DJ Booth.

Download: P.SO – More Jelly

You can stream the “Best In Show” remix below and download after the jump.

Download: P.SO – “Best In Show” (Remix) [Right Click Save-As]

I don’t know what it is, but 2010 seems to be the year that the fusion of electronic music and hip-hop has finally appealed to me. I can’t front, I love gangsta rap. To quote the wise ODB, “Oooh baby, I like it raaaaaaaaaw.” But after being turned on to this new stylo thanks to Flying Lotus and the albums Potholes spotlights, there’s an appreciation that I believe comes with maturation of one’s self and of one’s musical tastes. Producer J57 of the Brown Bag All-Stars brings the latest in a hot string of electronic/hip-hop/ trip-hop/whatever-the-hell-you-wanna-call-it-but-it’s-dope music with his strictly-digital release, Digital Society.

What I liked most about this album is that it’s harder than a good amount of material that I’m familiar with from the genre. “Introduction” kicks it off with a heavy synthesizer that sets you in a dark, futuristic world, possibly run by Skynet and patrolled by Terminators. Numerous other instrumentals, including “Ethernomics” and “Kevlar Rex” stuck to a similar dark theme and had me looking for John Connor (Christian Bale version please, the Edward Furlong version was a little sh*thead). The synthesizer does massive amounts of work throughout this album, to the point where it stands out as the main instrument. It can be a little much at times, as I felt the heavy synths were weighing down some songs or just taking them over completely (“Revolver Chromatica”). I thought the dark mood had been set after the first two songs, but J57 must have had a fever and the only prescription was more heavy synthesizer. While the album doesn’t quite give the apocalyptic vibe, it’s darker than, say, the Inspired Flight album.

For the beats-and-rhymes crowd who listen to this album, you’re going to have to wait a while through the record to hear verbiage. “Still Phenomenal,” featuring Sene, Co$$, and David Reyneke-favorite Homeboy Sandman, doesn’t pop up until track 18. It’s immediately followed by songs with Skyzoo, the Brown Bag All-Stars, and P.SO & Fresh Daily, with the latter two rapping over instrumentals previously showcased on the album already. They’re worth the wait, but some beats are just meant to be instrumentals. Not all producers and beat-makers can make a superior rap beat that doubles as an awesome instrumental, which is why Just Blaze will always be in high demand, especially considering his recent work (“Why You Hate the Game” and “Exhibit C” are prime examples). J57 is no Just Blaze, but who is? Digital Society is a dark foray into trip-hop, yet with just enough light in songs like “Beyond the Infinite” to not depress you (take note, people who produced the Kid Cudi album). Electronic hip-hop is on a hot streak and Digital Society is riding the wave of quality music coming from that sector, which will hopefully influence and inspire more and more dopeness from these artists.

3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5 out of 5

You can stream the track below and download it after the jump.

Download: P.SO – “Vintage Clothes”

The legendary DJ Spinna dropped his solo LP, Sonic Smash a few months back. Personally, I thought there were a few fresh cuts, but something about it just came up short. But this song in particular was one of those few that was kept in my rotation to this day. Featuring the homies Homeboy Sandman, P.SO and Fresh Daily, this boombap of a track is one for the hip-hop ages. Give it a view and let us know what you think…

ATWL will be hitting us with a slew of live show videos real soon. In the meantime, here is the trailer for their upcoming taping of an AOK affair at DROM. Appearances from Homeboy Sandman, P.So, 8thW1, Fresh Daily and more. Maybe some collabs with ATWL in the near future? We shall see!

Download: Señor Kaos – “Slick Money” feat. P.So

1. Walk Softly Intro

2. Wake Up Time TSS Remix

3. Wandering Soul (Produced By 2 Hungry Bros.)

4. Classic Example Feat. 4 Ize & Punchline

5. Mr. Hollywood Remix Feat. P.So (Formerly P.Casso)

6. Trap Door Remix Feat. KeiPH & S.O.U.L. Purpose (Produced By Jake One)

7. Fallin Remix w/ Jaspects

8. Best In Show Remix Feat. Binkis Recs (Produced By Deep of 2 Hungry Bros.)

9. Ignorant Shit (Produced By Von Pea)

10. Move And Shake Feat. 4th Pyramid (Produced By Squashy Nice)

11. Searching For An Outlet Feat. Young Chris, Wale, & Bun B

12. Summer Madness Remix Feat. Daniel Joseph (Produced By Dj Spinna)

13. Word Play Remix Feat. Wale & Curren$y (Produced By 9th Wonder)

14. Floatin’ Remix w/ Stacy Epps (Produced By Apex)

15. The Anthem Feat. Mel Ink, Sl One, Cuts By Dj Razor Ramon

16. Foolish Remix Feat. Ozy Reigns & Mojo Swagger (Produced By Dj Shakim)

17. Slick Money Feat. P.So (Produced By Large Professor)

18. Flavor In Ya Ear 2009 Feat. 4 Ize, Punchline, & PH (Pumpkinhead)

19. 20 Years High & Rising (Homage To De La Soul) Feat. Von Pea & Homeboy Sandman (Produced By Dave West)

20. Carry A Big Brick Outro

21. BONUS: Million MC March Feat. J.Mill, Pgnut, Jax (R.I.P.), John Robinson, Trip, E Class, Flux, Wysztsk, Bambu, Melo, A.D., 4 Ize, Stahhr, Jawz Of Life, Rubix, Tone, &  Manchild aka (ATL Underground)

Personal taste and expectations are two angles critics have to work through when fairly reviewing an album. The task can become more difficult when the artist being analyzed is up and coming. Their image and initial sounds can misguide a listener from an artist’s creative objectives. Che Grand’s Everything’s Good Ugly fits perfectly into this scenario: an emerging New York emcee, (by way of Virginia and London), who’s known to post on OkayPlayer’s message boards, and who has dropped a couple of free mixtapes. If one judged by the title and cover art, they’d think a raw, boom-bap, no bullshit rap album was ready to grace their ears. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Everything’s Good Ugly sounds as polished and triumphant as most mainstream rap albums, has its fair share of woman/relationship tracks, and expresses a joy for the simple things in life. Everything’s Good Ugly is more a reference to preserving through the ugly circumstances life hands you, while you aspire for the finer things.

The album open’s fairly strong with tracks like “Bless’d”, “Gift Wrap” and “Walking Under Ladders” featuring Elucid and Spec Boogie. “Gift Wrap”, produced by fellow up-’n'-comer Brian Brizzo, is full of blaring horn and trumpet samples rattling against rolling drums and crashing cymbals, as Che delivers an effortless flow and witty couplets. “Walking Under Ladders” is a beastly cut courtesy of underground heat maker Illmind, show-casing all three emcees’ gift for mic control. In a nice surprise Wale Oyejide pops in to produce the gutter, but joyous “Celebrate We”. It’s very much akin to a torso grabbing electro clash hip hop take on Afro-Beat. Another stand out is “Large Hadron Collider”, where we find Che Grand addressing a myriad of topics while incorporating Talib’s intro to “African Dream” as the hook.

Here is where one is reminded that those “type” of songs are just one-third of the album. Che and his team of producers have “radio friendly” songs like “Too Much Too Soon”, “I Know You Still Want Me”, and “Life’s Grand”; full of R&B hooks and testimonials to experiences with the opposite sex and life’s obstacles. The club is also locked down with tracks like the enjoyable “Swing”, the annoying “City on Fire” and the bland “Restart”. And while Che sounds comfortable on the various sound palettes, the results are a bit schizophrenic.

To be fair, Everything’s Good Ugly is a strong album that suffers not from production or emceeing, but from length and the desire to please too many types of listeners. In a moment where the album as art form and viable commodity is in a state of turmoil, an 18-song debut with 10 different producers can be a bit exhausting. Trim the fat, give us 10-14 darts that express who you are and where you are coming from, but more importantly, pick two to four producers to help maintain a unified sound. All in all, it’s good to hear Che Grand with others like Elucid, Fresh Daily, P. Casso (who now goes by P.so) and Homeboy Sandman give New York rap a breathe of fresh air, and uproot it from its obsessive hold to that boom-bap aesthetic, or selling itself short to the more popular musical stylings of the time.