I missed this track, but its never too late to share good music. This is a really great track with some Nujabes influenced jazzy production. Witness sounds great on this type of production and I am looking forward to hearing more work. You can download the full track on bandcamp

Twenty Years From Tomorrow

Wow, thats all I have to say after listening to this short four track EP of remixes/edits by Oddisee. The first glimpse we got off this EP was “Ain’t That Peculiar”, which was originally a Marvin Gaye song, and well lets just say I think this version is dope. Going back though, the opening track of this EP is titled “Paralyze” and is a remix of Bon Iver’s “re:stacks,” and the production is exactly what I have come to love with Oddisee, similar to his Rock Creek Park EP. I am also really impressed by Oddisee’s flow, which up until this year we really haven’t heard much off. This short remix EP just makes me want to hear Oddisee’s full length debut LP even more. Make sure to pick this one up as its free.

This time last year UK Producer, Vanilla, dropped one of the best beattapes of 2011. It turns out lightning does strike twice, Vanilla just released Soft Focus and initial thoughts, it’s everything as good as last year’s High Life. I’m ready for him to team up with some rappers now, could be on for something special.

Footprints is Organic Flow’s debut LP, and I must say it really impresses. I posted about Organic Flow about a month or so back introducing them as a spoken word group and talking about how they are really at the core of what hip-hop is. This album proves that and builds upon those few tracks we had to listen too back then. At a relatively short 9 tracks and 35 minutes, I am left wanting more and thats a great thing.

The album opens up with a track titled “02 New Landscaped People,” which features a live band sound, not dissimilar to what you may hear at a coffee shops or a library. I have always been a sucker for this type of music and artists like The Roots, Audible Mainframe and countless more have successfully incorporated the live band production into their music. With Organic Flow, this sound works very well as the lyrics/poetry are layered and what you get is distinct music.

After the first track, the album shifts to more “rock” centered production with the guitar sounds leading the way for the next few tracks. At first, I wasn’t really a fan of this shift after hearing the opening tracks, but once I sat down and listened to each track more than a couple times, it really started to build on me, although sometimes it was a little bit distracting from the actual vocals. In some ways you could almost say that on the middle few tracks, you get a departure from what you typically expect from a spoken word group, but it works, although I think that a departure from the more guitar/rock oriented beats would have been better suited. The album comes to close on a similar note to the opening tracks with a return to the more jazz poetry influenced style.

When listening to the album you feel like you’re on a journey as you listen to each track. As I said in the introduction to the group and at the beginning of this review, spoken word poetry is hip hop at its most basic. Organic Flow is well on the way to mastering this art form. This is a great effort by Organic Flow, and I am really looking forward to hearing future work.

Organic Flow’s Footprints is available for purchase  on bandcamp

Sometimes we’re a little late to things at Lesson Six, but this video recorded back in ’96 has genuinely just seen the light of the day. DJ/Producer Skitz teamed up with UK Hip-Hop legend Roots Manuva back in the day and recorded this time capsule of South London.

The atmospheric hard-hitting beats by L!STED on The Crystal Ship have been making the round as of late. I’ll be honest it was the design that suckered me in, but this is some extremely well-produced electronic/hip-hop. Kind of proving that more doesn’t always mean better when it comes to beattapes.

Maybe it’s the cynic in me, but everytime I hear yet another Raashan Ahmad track, I always go into it skeptical and leave it feeling like an idiot. The Crown City Rocker’s relentless flow of dope sounds is quickly giving Raashan Ahmad the moniker of prolific. If we get more tracks like “Don’t Lie” on his upcoming album Jewels From Jakata, long may it continue.

Anticon just posted this original version, or outtake, of “Flat Pop” on Geti King’s Kenny Dennis EP. From the sounds of it they probably picked the right version for the final cut, but even Gel & Odd Nosdam’s throwaways sound great. Download it on the Anticon Soundcloud.

This song by by Brother Ali along with the previous material we have heard this year features Jake One on the production, which is a change from previous albums. This is a song with a great message and I think this song along with the upcoming album may be one of Ali’s best pieces of work to date.

Made You Die is a tribute song for Trayvon Martin, who was killed earlier this year. This song is easily one of the better tribute songs that has come out to highlight the issues that the death of Trayvon Martin brought to the forefront. It contains a very powerful message accompanied by some great visuals as well.