Mikkey Halsted – The Best You nEver Heard…

Mikkey Halsted…the name may or may not ring a bell to those of you outside of Chicago, but he’s been on the rap scene for quite some time. He was signed to Kanye West’s label before Kanye was signed to The ROC. Back when he was signed to Cash Money, he taught Lil’ Wayne how to rap without saying “Wobblely, Wobblely” in every song. Now he’s preparing his debut album, The Photo Album (produced by NO I.D.), for its release. In the meantime, or shall I say the in-between time, Mikkey’s dropping this mixtape and the the upcoming Dark Room mixtape in an effort to hold his fans over until the album drops.

Hosted by DJ Toure Stylz, this mixtape (which is a collection of old, new and unreleased material), will help you get familiar with the uncrowned king…Mikkey Halsted, “Get Right or Get Left“…

Mikkey Halsted – The Best You nEever Heard

Tracklist after the jump.

Intro
Celebration feat. Miss Criss
You Ain’t Know feat. Ken Rock
I’m A Ryder feat. Uncrowned City
Grind Mode (Dark Room Preview)
Israelite Gangsta
Frozen (Dark Room Preview)
U Luv My Style
Whoa feat. Bump J & Skooda Chose
The Funeral
Collapse feat. Phil G
Words of Wisdom feat. YP
Revenge 2 [snippet] (w/ Jay iLLa, Rhymefest, Juice & Twone Gabz)
Got It Made
I’m The Man feat. Sly Polaroid & Cloak Hancock
Chi-Town Streets feat. Khari Lemuel
Papers Line
1st Class
Corners
Tired
Bang On Em
Just 2 Get By
Runnin My City (Dark Room Preview)
On My Own
Chi-Town Shit feat. Mic Terror
Dead Wrong
Till I Die
Can’t Stop feat. Da G & Da Rock
Competition Is None feat. Uncrowned City
So Mean
KRS-One Freestyle
Ten Things (Prod. by Kanye West)
Ghetto Life (Prod. by Kanye West)
Piss Poor
Mattress Money feat. KT & Famous
HHG Freestyle
Mikkey Outro

iLLaNOise Live @ Shrine :: What’s Old Is New…

The latest mixtape from my brother from another Jay-iLLa…the press release below pretty much says it all.

Just because 2009 is about to wrap up doesn’t mean that it’s a wrap for good music. Chi-Town’s busiest and most progressive DJ, the nightclub and mixtape marauder known as Jay Illa, is continuing to pump the people with memorable music by releasing his latest live mixtape entitled…

iLLaNOise Live @ Shrine :: What’s Old is New

Rocking a live show is definitely an art form that is widely appreciated by both fans and fellow performers alike but rarely achieved by today’s crop of cookie-cutter deejays.

Never one to follow the crowd, Jay Illa always manages to move the crowd and turn any venue into a party, capturing the energy, excitement, diversity and pure magic of his live performances in this comprehensive mix. Effortlessly cross-fading and combining several genres of music into his set, iLLaNOise Live @ Shrine :: What’s Old is New features a blend of classic artists and current favorites ranging from Beyonce and Musiq to De La Soul, Groove Theory and New Edition.

If you’ve ever experienced iLLaNOise live on the 1’s and 2’s then you already know how he gets down, but in case you don’t, this mixtape is guaranteed to bring you up to speed. Check the partial playlist below to peep just a few of the gems, with the completed playlist available on www.illanoise.net, the online destination for all things Illa. Catch him on www.twitter.com/jayilla as well.

Welcome To Chicago’s iLLaNOise…

…is latest mixtape from my brother from another, Jay-iLLa. The official press release, download link and tracklist are after the jump, but let me just say a few things really quick…

1.) Get familiar….this is a REAL mixtape…..from a REAL DJ.

2.) No, he’s not screaming his name and a bunch of bullshit over an iTunes playlist.

3.) No, he didn’t just pick up a laptop, install iTunes, purchase Serato and start spinning yesterday.

4.) ……Go IL or Go Home.

“The Windy City’s own iLLaNOise aka Jay iLLa presents his latest mixtape, Chicago’s iLLaNOise. This is the first of an upcoming series of mixes that merges new age mixtape style with an old school mixtape feel. With each installment, iLLaNOise will cover different genres of music including 80s, house, pop and more!

iLLaNOise blends well known gems from the likes of Jay-Z, Drake and Notorious B.I.G with original tracks from some of Chicago’s hottest local talent. “I wanted to pick fun records that my fans can relate to and at the same time, provide a platform for Chicago’s unsigned talent,” said Jay iLLa of his inspiration behind the project.”

Welcome To Chicago’s iLLaNOise

Tracklist:
1) Intro: Ladies & Gentlemen

2) Jay Z – Where I’m From

3) Dirty Money – Angels

4) Kane (The League) – The Precursor

5) Drake & Saukretes – The Search

6) Kidz N The Hall – Jukebox

7) Mint Condition – Pretty Brown Eyes (Break)

8) Amerie & Trey Songs – Pretty Brown Eyes

9) Mike 100’s – Cap It

10) Pac Div – Never

11) Wale & Gucci Mane – Pretty Girls

12) Wale & Jazmine Sullivan – World Tour

13) J Cole – Grown Simba

14) Agacee (The League) – Charasmatic

15) Kane (The League) & Phil G – 25 Lighters

16) I Get It In – Omarion & Lil Wayne

Agacee – The Calm Before The Storm Mixtape…

Agacee – The Calm Before The Storm Mixtape

Check out Agacee’s new mixtape The Calm Before The Storm and be sure to swing by his blog www.scholareport.com and let him know what you think.

Bonus:
Novakane – The Precursor (How Real Is This)
Savoir Faire EP comin‘ soon…

The Ivy League – Halftime
Be on the look out for The Ivy League’s new EP.

Slum Village – Remember The Classics Mixtape…

…is a kind of like an unofficial greatest hits collection.
If you’re a fan of Slum Village then chances are you have every single song on here. If you’re not a fan or you’re just not familiar with Slum Village, I advise you to download this and get familiar with one of the best and most under-rated groups in Hip-hop, Rap and Music.

Side Note: This is a mixtape and there’s a guy shouting all over damn near every song. It’s really annoying, but not completely unbearable…then again this is free, so that’s the price you pay…or don’t.

Link and tracklist after the jump.

Btw I got this from the FWMJ’s Rappers I Know.

Slum Village – Remember The Classics

Chester French – Jacques Jams, Vol. 1: Endurance…

So…Who the hell is Chester French?

Chester French is a band made up of two members, Max and D.A., both Harvard grads. The band, who named themselves after sculptor Daniel Chester French (who designed the statue at the Lincoln Memorial), sparked a bidding war between Kanye and Pharrell before landing on Star Trak records about 2 years ago. Their sound is kind of retro influenced pop rock…..Clinton Sparks described it as “putting The Beatles and Outkast together.” This mixtape will allow those who haven’t been exposed to the sound of Chester French an opportunity to “get familiar“. There’s a wide range of guest appearances including Diddy, Pharrell, Jermaine Dupri, Wale, Bun B, Talib Kweli, Mickey Factz, Cassie, Solange, Janelle Monae, N.O.R.E., Kardinal Offishall, Pusha-T of The Clipse, Common, Lady GaGa, Ben Lyons and The Mad Rapper.

Shout out to Reese (www.100styles.com …get familiar) and D Grizzle for tweeting/talking about these guys…I would probably still be sleeping on them if they hadn’t.

Download link and tracklist after the jump…

Btw the full name of the mixtape is…

Chester French & Clinton Sparks Present: Jacques Jams, Vol. 1: Endurance – Get Familiar with Chester French

They just released their debut album, Love the Future…so if you’re feeling their mixtape go cop the album.

iLLaNoise Presents: Revenge of The Backpacks…

Lollipops, sribes, throw-ups, uprock, swipes, 90s, beachballs, “The Point”, taggin’, bombin’, toy, backpacker….if any of those words ring a bell then this mixtape is 60 mins of pure nostalgia.

If you have absolutely no clue as to what I’m talkin’ about, but you’re a fan of Lupe, Kanye, Murs, 88-Keys, Wale, Charles Hamilton, Little Brother, Pac Div, Saigon, Joe Buddens, Mickey Factz, Blu, The Cool Kids….then this is a 60 min history lesson that you need to take ASAP. This is classic 90’s hip-hop…point, blank, period.

Download link, tracklist and a word from iLLa after the jump…

iLLaNoise Presents: Revenge of The Backpacks Vol. 1

“Over the summer, I was on the decks at the Leaders 1354 block party, and every Lupe song I threw on the majority of the crowd knew, but looked dumbfounded when I went back to Nas illmatic (Needless to say they were younger)… That gave me the motivation for the mixtape! Can’t know where ya goin til you know where you been, so I dug deep in the crates for some of the best hip hop joints that came out in the 90’s… This is some real nostalgic shit right here, and gives me a great feeling, I just hope it does the same for you.”

“Shouts to Pugzly Atomz (Nacrobats), Phil G, Que Billah, Ivy League, Raashid Haydee of Prime Meridean for the love, and Mikkey Halsted’s DJ, DJ Toure for the assistance! – iLLaNOise Out :: iLLaNOise.net”

Track 1 Revenge Intro

Track 2 East Flatbush Project “Tried By 12”

Track 3 Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka Intro

Track 4 Fab 5 “Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka”

Track 5 Fab 5 09′ “Go IL USA (Circa 96′)”

Track 6 Crooklyn Dodgers “Crooklyn”

Track 7 Crooklyn Dodgers “Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers”

Track 8 Group Home “Super Star”

Track 9 Group Home “Living Proof”

Track 10 Red Hot Lover Tone “My Peeps”

Track 11 Black Moon “Who Got Da Props Remix”

Track 12 Grand Puba “I Like It”

Track 13 iLLaNOise & Phil G “Electric Infatuation”

Track 14 Tribe “Electric Relaxation”

Track 15 O.C “Times Up”

Track 16 Show Biz A.G “Next Level”

Track 17 Nas “World Is Yours Remix”

Track 18 Mos Def “Universal Magnetic”

Track 19 Onxy “Last Dayz”

Track 20 Gza “Shadowboxing”

Track 21 All City “The Actual”

Track 22 Alcholiks “Likwit”

Track 23 Pugz feat. Rashid Hadee and Primeridian”Hey Yall (Ego Trippin Rmx)”

Track 24 Black Moon “Buck Em Down Rmx Break”

Track 25 Pete Rock & CL Smooth “One In A Million”

Track 26 Bush Babies “Like That Yall / Love Song”

Track 27 Common “Take It Eazy Jazz Interlude w/ iLLaNOise”

Track 28 The Roots “Proceed”

Track 29 The Roots “Proceed Pt 3”

Track 30 The Roots “What They Do Break”

Track 31 Gangstarr “Question Remains / Mass Appeal”

Track 32 Mobb Deep “Hell On Earth Intro”

Track 33 Mobb Deep “Drink Ya Pain Away”

Track 34 Mos Def, Tash, Q Tip “Body Rock”

Track 35 Project Mayhem “Microphone Master Remix”

Track 36 Last Boy Scout w/ Busta Rhymes “Wild For The Night”

Track 37 Busta Rhymes “Remains Raw”

Track 38 Redman “It’s Like That (Big Brother)”

Track 39 Lost Boyz “Beast From The East”

88-Keys – Adam’s Case Files (The Mixtape)

If you haven’t heard 88-Keys’ album, The Death of Adam, you’re missing out…it was one of the best albums of 2008. The Death of Adam was an amazing concept album and the best that I’ve ever heard. But some people may have missed the fact that 88-Keys released a mixtape, Adam’s Case File, that served as a prequel to the album. I’ve had it for quite some time but just listened to it from beginning to end last night…and it’s just as dope as his album.

Btw, if you prefer to hear music that only talks about smokin’, drinkin’, killin’, rims, ice and same ol’ rap rhetoric then you need to birdwalk you ass over to another blog.

“If I don’t like it, I don’t like it, that don’t mean that I’m hatin'” – Common

Tracklist and link after the jump…

88-Keys – Adam’s Case Files (The Mixtape)