Reks lives in that sometimes foggy hip-hop space where he’s too well know to be in “there’s this new dude you gotta hear” territory, but he’s not well known enough to truly be an underground heavyweight, and that’s a god damn shame. The Boston based Reks has been doing but putting out lyrically fierce hip-hop for years now, and his new mixtape “In Between The Lines” is no different. Mixed and hosted by Statik Selektah and DJ Green Lantern, “In Between the Lines” is a collection of new and classic material from Reks designed to vault him into the elite status he deserves. Listen and download…

Newly former HiPNOTT Records is on a mission to take over the hip-hop game, and as part of their missionary zeal to bring some dopeness to the game they’ve now released their “2010 Takeover Vol. 2”. Presented by HIPHOPDX.com and KevinNottingam.com, this lyrically driven hip-hop montage is skillfully mixed by DJ Mark-1 and displays a combination of emerging label signees alongside several hip-hop heavyweights. While “Vol. 1” hit listeners with an aggressive trunk worthy hip-hop energy, “Vol. 2” provides its antithesis with a more laid back, thought provoking, headphone hip-hop sound. Listen and download…

As he prepares to drop his highly anticipated collabo album with Jake One, ‘The Stimulus Package”, Freeway (a.k.a. the best beard in the game) has unleashed his “Freelapse” mixtape, a violently dark collection featuring Freeaway going in over beats from Eminem’s (shockingly) Grammy award winning album “Relapse” (plus a few other classic Em beats). Ok, so the Philly Freezer isn’t as lyrically insane as Mr. Mathers. I think we can all agree that’s a good thing. One Slim Shady is enough. 

I know my Chicago people will want to revoke my hip-hop pass for saying this, but it wasn’t until the “On My Own” video that Mikkey Halsted really popped up on my rhyme radar. Apparently I’m not the only one who’s been sleeping on Mikkey because the man’s now released “Best You nEver Heard”, a mixtape that recaps the last few years of Mikkey’s catalog, from his short-lived Cash Money days to Kanye West producer tracks. Listen and download…

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and so, like much of America, RefinedHype’s thoughts are turning to love (and love-related activities, if you catch our drift). That’s why when Joe Clark, an Orlando rapper with an appropriately smooth flow, dropped off his new EP, the “Valentine’s Day 3 Pack”, we had to unwrap it like a box of chocolates - or a box of lingerie. You know, either or. Containing three new cuts, along with a few love song classics, the “Valentine’s Day 3 Pack” is the perfect way to get you and that special someone in the mood. Listen and download…

Like chicken and waffles or french fries and honey, there’s nothing better than when two things that don’t seem like they go together end of being delicious, and that’s why I’m always down for new blend mixtapes like DJ Critical Hype’s “The Art of Freeway Blends”. Hosted by the Philly Freezer himself and featuring verses from the likes of Mos Def, Jay-Z, Joe Budden, Brother Ali and many more, if you’ve ever wanted to hear the best beard in the game spit over some MF Doom production look no further. This is the mixtape for you. Listen and download…

My only real complaint with The Clipse’s last album, “Till the Casket Drops”, was that it didn’t have as much of that raw dope rap that first made them one of my favorite crews. Problem solved. Producer Andrew Kelley has hooked up with Malice and Pusha T’s musical alter-ego the Re-Up Gang for the cleverly/depressingly named “Cracksploitation Vol. 2” mixtape. Presented by DJBooth.net and 2DopeBoyz and, of course, featuring snow white verses from Ab-Liva and Sandman, “Cracksploitation” is a welcome return to the corner for the Re-Up Gang. Listen and download…

After Donwill’s “Laura’s Tape” I know you thought the Kidz in the Hall’s new mixtape “Reality Bites” was somehow related to the painful 1994 flick of the same name. I have no idea why they named the mixtape “Reality Bites”, but I can ensure it’s got nothing to do with Winona Ryder or Ethan Hawke. Actually, “Reality Bites” essentially amounts to a best of Naledge and Double O collection, featuring just about every dope track the duo’s released after their debut album “The In Crowd”, with a few joints off their upcoming album “The Land of Make Believe” thrown in. Listen and download…

We;ve seen albums inspired by movies before - Joell and Novel’s “Defying the Predictable” leans heavily on “Almost Famous” - but nothing like Donwill’s new mixtape “Laura’s Tape.” Designed to build some momentum behind his upcoming album “Don Cusack in High Fidelity”, “Laura’s Tape” finds the Tanya Morgan alumnus stretching his creative boundaries while still keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. Listen and download…

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but in the case of YC The Cynic’s “You’re Welcome” it’s actually not such a bad idea. The cover of the young Bronx emcee’s new mixtape caught my interest, I figured I’d give it a listen and twenty-four hours later I’ve discovered one of my favorite new rappers. A deeply talented rapper with a sense of humor to match, YC’s definitely not afraid to speak his mind; after all, the mixtape does contain a track called “Chris Brown’s Latest Hit”. Listen and download…