DOWNLOAD: Sole - Nuclear Winter Volume 2: Death Panel (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sole - Napolean (w/ Xiu Xiu) (MP3)

Underground hip hop crew Sole & The Skyrider Band have but a few short hours before they welcome Hello Cruel World. Sole's first release since his split with Anticon (which he helped found), Hello Cruel World features guest shouts from Lil B and Pictureplane (who is on tour now), Sage Francis, and even Xiu Xiu on the new track "Napolean" which makes its MP3 premiere in this post. Download above. Stream it, along with the Lil B/Pictureplane track below.

Sole accompanied the release of the LP with a free mixtape which is available now. Nuclear Winter Volume 2: Death Panel follows the path of its predecessor by seing Tim Holland drop rhymes over modern day beats from Dipset, Clipse, Lil Wayne, and even Salem, James Blake, and Katy Perry. Download that for free above.

Look for Sole on the road in the West Coast in the coming month. All dates, as well as streams of both new songs and the cover art and full LP tracklist, below.

Continue reading "Sole & the Skyrider Band releasing guest-filled LP w/ Lil B, Pictureplane, Xiu Xiu, more (MP3 premiere, West Coast dates)"

[On new record Li(f)e] Sage Francis' biting and sardonic wordplay now further empowered by talented musicians including producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine) and Jim Becker and Tim Rutili of acclaimed Chicago outfit Califone. Francis has also enlisted a roster of uniquely talented songwriters including exGrandaddy frontman Jason Lytle, Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie, Tim Fite, members of Calexico, DeVotchKa, and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse - each of whose compositions were then interpreted by Francis and the band. [Sage Francis news]

Sage Francis plays SXSW on March 18th then takes a break until May when he launches a North American tour stretching from Boston on May 12th to NYC's Webster Hall on June 25th. Joining him on the road will be B. Dolan and Free Moral Agents (a group that features Ikey Ownes of the Mars Volta). Tickets to Webster Hall go on AmEx presale starting Wednesday, March 10th at noon. General sale starts Friday at noon.

The album, with the Shepard Fairey cover art posted above, comes out May 11th on Anti-/Epitaph Records. All tour dates and videos (including one of Francis collaborator B. Dolan and Providence's What Cheer? Brigade street band performing a song off his new Fallen House, Sunken City live) are below...

Continue reading "Sage Francis - new Anti-album & 2010 tour dates"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Freeway - Know What I Mean (MP3)

On Feb 9th, Rhymesayers will band together a gang of notable MCs on their home turf (Minneapolis, MN at First Avenue) in honor of Rhymesayers Presents: A Benefit For Haiti. Along for the ride are Brother Ali, Sage Francis, Freeway, I Self Devine and others, with the entire event hosted by head Rhymesayer himself, Slug. Tickets are on sale.

Freeway is also on board for another charitable look at Haiti. He is one of a few notable MCs who have joined on for HipHopDX Presents... Hip Hop Helps Haiti. The mixtape features tracks from MCs like Raekwon, Skyzoo, JR Writer, Ras Kass and many others. The mixtape is free, but it's host Hip Hop DX, is accepting charitable donations towards the devastation in Haiti. Give and give big people. Cop that mixtape here.

Exactly one week after that Haiti benefit in Minneapolis (2/16), Freeway & Jake One will tear down Highline Ballroom in NYC with Joell Ortiz. Tickets are on sale. The show is one of three dates that Freeway has around the release date of his new album with Jake One, The Stimulus Package - out 2/16 on Rhymesayers. Cover art and an MP3 from the album above.

All Freeway tour dates and a few videos, including the new-ish video for the same song linked above, below....

Continue reading "new Freeway & Jake One album - MP3, video, tour dates & a Rhymesayers Haiti benefit in Minneapolis"

by Black Bubblegum

Nas @ Rock The Bells 2008 in Jones Beach (more by villageslum.com)

OK, so it's not as much a big bang as last year (A Tribe Called Quest reunion) or the one before (Rage Against The Machine reunion), but Rock The Bells 2009 does have some interesting artists on the lineup. Besides a welcome reunion (Reflection Eternal) (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek), one suspect one (House of Pain) and some great repeat offenders (Nas, RZA, Raekwon, MOP, Sage Francis, Slum Village), this year's Rock The Bells also boasts an Outkast (Big Boi), a windy city fave (Common), and a true sicko (Necro). The full lineup is:

Continue reading "Rock The Bells announces 2009 hip hop fest/tour lineup"

De La Soul, GZA, Rakim Nokia Theatre, etc....

Continue reading "Paid Dues Festival 2008 - lineup & tour Dates (presale)"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs aren't the only ones that just announced a very special NYC show. Sage Francis plays a free acoustic one this Saturday, and Duran Duran is playing one that requires getting tickets this weekend. Details below....

Continue reading "Duran Duran & Sage Francis playing special NYC shows"