Hip-hop is a truly global culture and they’re banging the same beats from China to Belgium that they do in Atlanta and Chicago. That’s why when we were offered the opportunity to present a new mixtape French turntablist DJ Tosmar had put together, aptly called “This is Real Vol. 1” we jumped at the chance to take the game global. That, and the mixtape sounds dope as hell. Listen and download…

it’s good to sometimes step back and just focus on the essence of a hip-hop cut, the beat. That’s exactly what 6th has allowed up to do with his “It’s a 6th Sense Beat Yo!! Volume 2” mixtape as he drops some of this best instrumentals that were used by artists like Outasight, The Kid Daytona, Donny Goines, Talib Kweli and more. Listen and download…

Damn, talk about unexpected. Yesterday a long, lost early Kanye West album finally found its way onto the internets, and the result is a fascinating look at Mr. West far before he was Mr. West. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Go-Getter’s “World Record Holders” album/mixtape. Listen and download…

So let me make this clear: when I say Ced Hughes new project, the “Margarine EP”, I really mean it. And I’m not saying “different” in the “it’s not very good but I don’t want to be mean sense”, I’m saying it in the “thank god someone’s making innovative hip-hop” sense. Listen and download…

As anyone who follows K. Sparks knows, Sparks puts out new music like BP spills oil. In all of his numerous travels Sparks has of course had occasion to work with more than a couple other dope rappers, and so he’s decided to package all his best collab work into one dope package with “The Trilogy Chapter 1: The Collabs”. Listen and download…

Ever since I was seduced by the dope sounds of “Temptress” I’ve been awaiting the “Future History LLC Compilation”, and now that it’s here, I’m happy to say that it’s every bit the quality work I was hoping for. Produced entirely by Reality, who for introductory purposes mostly has a “east coast-ish” sound, “Future History” contains wall-to-wall joints from some of the most lyrically solid emcees in the game. Listen and download…

The search for the DMV’s next-to-blow continues, and my money’s on Phil Ade. The young wordsmith has some of the best punchlines in the game (as we saw on “Hollywood”) and his storytelling skills aren’t on point too (check out “My Story”). There’s on disputing the man’s got some serious mic skills, and those skills are on full display on his new mixalbum “The Letterman”. Listen and download…

I was planning on The Away Team’s dope “Independence Day” mixtapes being today’s sole 4th of July representative, but then the other Cleveland stoner rapper extraordinaire Chip Tha Ripper decided to light up an identically titled but much different sounding “Independence Day” mixtape. Listen and download…

If it’s dopely creative, innovative and cannon be duplicated chances are it’s coming out of the Atlanta, and despite what their name might suggest, ATL foursome Hollyweerd as as steeped in their hometown’s off-kilter hip-hop roots as any. Their new project “Edible Phat 2.0” is a mixtape only Hollyweerd could have crafted. Listen and download…

Over the 4th of July weekend Charles Hamilton lost his mind (pun intended) and essentially cleared out his entire catalog in a manic fit of mixtape dropping. It was more than a little random when Hamilton put out his “Well This Isn’t Akward: Winner Takes All” mixtape, but then apparently feeling inspired (or methed out) he proceeded to drop another 5 mixtapes throughout the weekend.