Immortal Technique - The Martyr

Download here

"If you are listening to this, it is your responsibility to burn this for every single motherfucker you know" is the first thing we hear from Immortal Technique at the start of this album, and who am I to argue.

Immortal Technique (Felipe Andres Coronel) is a Peruvian-born American rapper straight out of Harlem, New York. Listening to this, or any of of his other work, you could be mistaken for thinking that he's not a great fan of the country he has lived in since he was two years old – he is an angry man – but, in my opinion, he's got a lot of love for the USA, he just has a lot to say about some of the people in it and running it.

If anything, this release is a bit more mellow than his previous two, Revolutionary Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, but still, it is refreshing to find some good quality hip hop which is actually saying something for once. The production on the album is good, there are some conscious samples and even some Beatles and Abba behind the spittin', but you gotta listen to the lyrics, Immortal Technique is always about the lyrics.

He tackles heavy issues facing society today head on with a eloquence, intelligence and guile not oft heard and yes he is angry, but he is also a bloody good rapper. Don't bother putting this album on in the background, wait till you can listen to it properly and listen good... 

Boulevard Soundsystem

Link to the mixtape
(Scroll down to the MIXTAPE section, stop when you see this picture)

Straight back in on a strictly reggae vibe! This time from a man like Boulevard Soundsystem, a self-confessed sociologist by day and renegade reggae selector by night, who started out in North Wales and now spins his discs in Athens, Greece. Nice and simple this one, just good solid reggae, track after track.

BS does have a some help along his lickle reggae journey from his buddy MC Brother Culture, who your'll hear bigging up this here blogger's own postcode if ya listening keenly. In general, the mix does trend towards a lover's reggae vibe, particularly on the vocal side; which, if like me, you like a more rootsy consious vibe, can be a bit samey. But the riddims are well selected and nicely mixed, and you'd be have to be a right ole cynic not to enjoy this mixtape. BS seems to know just when to wheel out that next big tune, and without realising it, you'll keep going back to this mix again and again. Serious tricks....

Dub Kweli

Link to the download

Mash ups. When they are good, they are very very good, and when they are bad they are Franz Ferdinand vocals laid over an Public Enemy beat so peeps in Camden can actually dance to it. However, there are some true classics out there; personal favs include The Grey Album by Danger Mouse (The Beatles' White Album cut with Jay Z's Black Album) and The Kleptones' A Night at the Hip Hopera (Queen tracks mashed up with Hip Hop (Yes it really does work!)), both 2004 releases.

This one is a bit younger (2010), but in the spirit of trying to bring you free downloads both past and present, it is a goodun. Our Mashupist is a man like Max Tannone, and if you ain't guessed yet, he very ably lays Talib Kweli tracks over some crucial roots music. Most mash ups works cos they blend elements of two quite difference genres, but good hip hop in the form of Kweli's ever-tight vocals and some nice heavy Jamaican riddims seem like they always belonged together. I always wondered why more straight up hip hop isn't backed by reggae music, some UK hip hop does dabble in it, for example. Maybe it's just that ragga, with that fierce snappy toasting just kinda queue jumped it, but with a quality mix like this, you wonder why it doesn't happen more often.

Max Tannone has cut up other artists in the same vein, includes Jaydiohead (Jay Z and Radiohead), Ghostfunk (Ghostface Killah vs African funk and highlife) and Mos Dub (Mos Def and reggae). All of which are very listenable, but while they sound awesome on paper, the mixing is a little clinical with not much interaction between the two mashed up tracks, leaving them sounding not quite as fresh as Dub Kweli, which is why I brought that one, in particular, to your attention. Enjoying listening to Kweli banging on your eardrum.