Oddisee continues his winning streak with his fourth seasonal EP, Odd Spring. Starting in the summer of 2009, he has brought a killer free project that greatly grasps the vibe and feel of each season. And many times, these EPs act as a means of previewing an upcoming project. For example, Odd Spring features a track called “The Beat is for Finale” that more than likely will feature the Detroit rapper when their collaborative Odds & Ends project drops this year. This free sampling of Oddisee material also hosts features from his Diamond District crew, Muneshine, Kingpin Slim, and Olivier Daysoul. Hit the skip to grab this excellent free EP and kick off spring the right way.
Download: Oddisee – Odd Spring

Download: Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime – “Get Up” [Right Click Save-As]

Download: Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime – “Get Up” (GoGo Oddisee Remix) [Right Click Save-As]

Download: Diamond District – “Gully” [Right Click and Save-As]

Download: Diamond District & DJ Buddy – Diamond Exchange

Download: Diamond District – “I Mean Business” [Right Click Save-As]

Download: Charlie Ross – The Charlie Ross Project

Many artists benefit from glowing endorsements from their colleagues, especially if the artist giving the suggestion has measurable talent themselves. However, as many listeners know, this doesn’t always mean the act is worth the energy. In the case of Charlie Ross, a producer and MC who hails from Pennsylvania and resides in the Washington Metropolitan area, the tactic has worth. yU (of Diamond District, The Remainz, and The 78ers fame) has taken on the task of introducing the world to Charlie Ross’ fantastic debut EP The Charlie Ross Project.

Recorded in 2007 in Japan and produced entirely by Ross, the EP begins on a strong note with “The SparkOff”. The melodic, hypnotic track is just sparse enough for Ross’ confident rhymes to shine brightly – and there is a fantastic interlude employing a humorous Richard Pryor routine at the song’s end. Next is “That Ol’ Live Ish”, a beautiful instrumental that would benefit greatly from vocals – a very slight disappointment early on.

Things pick up speed with “Deep Down Dirty” – Charlie Ross’ verses recant a true school aesthetic and the beat is a perfect backdrop for his performance. Again, another stellar interlude is featured at the end of the track. “I’m Gon Do It” is an amicable pairing of beats and rhymes but it reveals the EP’s most evident (if slight) flaw – much of its songs are smoothly paced and are devoid of any real energy. There’s also a limited amount of tempos, which renders the project to possessing a sameness throughout – but to Ross’ credit, the tracks stand out fine on their own. “Nuthin Can” is the EP’s bonus track and features the aforementioned yU. The track is perhaps this mini-project’s best; the energy that was lacking on the previous cuts finally appears. Charlie Ross and yU both deliver potent performances and the sampled hook wins in every regard.

Charlie Ross has shown the potential necessary to be a formidable artist with this offering. While this is all older material, it retains a fresh sound but lacks the variation to hold prolonged interest beyond a few listens. One should hope that with Charlie Ross’ next release that he’ll use his stellar vocal instrument to greater effect and take a few risks with tempo and pacing. Still, this EP serves as a fantastic introduction to yet another in the long list of DMV-based artists on the rise.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Potholes

The latest installment in the discography of esteemed DMV area producer, Kev Brown, comes in the form of a modest package of nine crafty beats, namely Random Joints. Kev kicks it off with a movie-like opening, “Listen…” as if introducing something long awaited, or something that had been in the works for quite some time. This may actually be very close to the truth. After his 2005 release I Do What I Do, Kev went to work producing outstanding tracks for an insanely wide range of rappers and singers, many, fittingly from his very own DMV area. With all of his production for others, it’s fair and understandable that he hadn’t had much time to delve into solo projects.

Enter: Random Joints, the slapped-together EP of, well, random joints that Kev has produced along the way. Yet, somehow it all works – to an extent. Basic boom-bap on “The Random Joint” gives way to more quirky production, sending off many tracks with a seemingly random short outro, as if it was picked out of a grab bag. Hitting the halfway point, “The Alternative Rock Joint” is just what it sounds like: a hip-hop beat laced with an alternative rock sample that trudges along, complete with an absurdly sleek guitar track.

Next comes the jazz, perhaps the one element where Kev Brown finds himself most comfortable – and it shows. The two standout tracks, “The Marvelous Joint” and “The Hennessy Joint”, each play with mellow jazz samples over drum loops that are simple enough to back the crackling vinyl production, yet strong enough to push the track forward. Each of these tracks also features Kev Brown’s good friends Yu and Kenn Starr, respectively, who each leave very solid verses.

As a production album, Kev was smart to limit this to just 9 tracks, because any more tracks would have greatly exposed this as a haphazardly assembled assortment of beats that don’t have much connection from one track to the next. But for those who can tolerate a bit of attention deficit with their beats, Random Joints is a sure-fire winner, with more pros than cons, and quite a few head-nodders.

Download: Charlie Ross – The Charlie Ross Project

Fresh off the release of his D.C. group, Diamond District’s In The Ruff album, Oddisee drops a fresh solo album, Mental Liberation. Okay, so it really might not be a solo album; Oddisee lends tracks to various guests, including D.C. area’s Kenn Starr, Yu, and XO, as well as Black Milk, J-Live, MED, Trek Life, and a slew of other top-notch guests big enough for a small army. From the start, Oddisee makes his intent clear, he wants to make hip-hop fun and cool again. He wants people to be able to think freely about the world around them. Just in case you could not tell from the opening track’s title, “Hip Hop’s Cool Again”, in the very next track, “Let The Music”, LMNO raps about his love for music and hip-hop in between commands of “Let the music get you up!”

In large part, Oddisee toys with a bit more experimental hip-hop, twisting intricate drum loops with horns and dark piano riffs. To his credit, certain tracks are a huge success. The soundscapes are deep and meaningful and manage to not drown out the rapper and/or the lyrics. The samples that Oddisee picks are also for the most part very fun, fitting into the overall aim of the album. However, at times Oddisee does seem to falter a little bit. At times the beats run a bit stagnant, and trail into monotony. The guests create a very nice addition to the album; each guest has at least a decent verse to contribute. Although at times bordering on battle raps, the majority of the guests maintain the idea of positive living, and the love for music and life. Kenn Starr lends a very nice appearance on the free-flowing “Q & A”. On “Endure Remix” the idea of persevering through tough times, and being strong-minded is explored. All in all, Mental Liberation succeeds in being a fun, cool record, just in time for the start of spring/summer.

Last week the Diamond District album dropped and member yU hits us again with his solo LP, Before Taxes. Even though it is free, you can expect some very fresh music on here, just like In The Ruff. The album features production from Slimkat78, Oddisee, Kev Brown and more. If you have been paying attention at all to the current hip-hop scene, the DMV is definitely one place to watch for. Peep the album and tell us what you think! Props to KennyFresh..

Download: yU – Before Taxes

Hit the skip for tracklisting and full album cover…

1. Before Taxes Intro (prod. Slimkat78)
2. Beats&Rhymes From March 25 (Kick Styles) (prod. yU)
3. Almost Time (prod. Kev Brown)
4. Thought About It (prod. yU)
5. BreakDown (feat. & prod. Bilal Salaam)
6. Corners (feat. I.Q.) (prod. yU)
7. The Up & Up (prod. Slimkat78)
8. Close (feat. Isabella Banneker) (prod. Slimkat78)
9. Fine (prod. yU)
10. Lunchin’ (prod. Oddisee)
11. Native (prod. Slimkat78 & yU)
12. Memory (feat. ERK) (prod. yU)
13. The Rock (prod. Slimkat78)
14. InTheReign (feat. I.Q. & Omun) (prod. yU)
15. MmHmm (instr) (prod. yU)
16. Brainwash (feat. Grap Luva, Finale & OP Swamp 81) (prod. Slimkat78)