Shouts to Giovanni Luciano for the artwork on the latest SCSM cover.  

SOUNDCLOUDSOUNDMOUND 16 is about the development of creep music this week.  Not “creep” like your neighbor grinning at you like he knows what color your lace is.  And not “creep” like 90s sitcoms hot girls shook their stank face at.  You get it.  “Creep” like sounds inching up on one another, unsettling your system.  But I also included tracks whose content follows the idea.  That man that got the drop on you, lurkin around about to leave you cold in the street, creepin.  One part sound, one part content.  

It’s good to hear music that threatens our well-being.  Americans are feeling way too safe out here.  Fuck that, humans are feeling way too safe out here.  Louis C.K. is right, for most of us, we’re basically out of the life cycle.  Unless you’re in the middle of the jungle punching endangered species in the face because they got too close to your wife, you’re too safe.  The most common threat of random violence and disruption to our daily lives as humans is that you might get pressed around the way.  I see too many cats runnin around Harlem swiping their iPads like its been sweet for them.  Everyone needs a little reminder that their whole shit could get cutt short.

Here, you’ll get an instrumental lightly pinging organs to the sound of a cemetery, Chicago’s King using hi-hats like a machine gun drum, FRAZUMAKI having it out with old acquaintances, A remixed remix thumping with Daughter’s lead voice coaxing you to “Get Lucky”, FERG and his remix crew over Chinza//Fly’s head banging dark trap masterpiece, two Gorgeous Children’s slowly-churning suicide fantasy, oOoOO’s instrumental rendition of a yound girl’s drowning, Atlanta’s oddest/most adventurous rapper/producer quickly-swelling deep-space diatribe, FRIENDZONE’s female monologue urgently-chopped, Metro Boomin’s smokily-tippin horror fantasy for Flocka and Ben G, and finally, Joey Fatts’ darkly-keyed g-code.  

These aren’t all dark, murderous, angry tracks.  But they do each employ aspects of creep/threat/urgency.  They all keep us on our toes in their own unique ways.  In subtle and overt fashions, you’ll experience a host of anxiety-inducing pieces.  And that’s good.  Embrace that.  Return to the nature in you and respond to music in a guttural, animal way.  We spend too much time inside our apartments talking crazy on twitter knowing nothing’s going to come of it.  This mix is guaranteed to bring you to a place that keeps you on your toes.  You’ll thank me later.  

LISTEN :

“N64″ is the third single off Denzel Curry’s highly anticipated “Nostalgic 64″ album, which is coming soon and is surely going to be epic. The lyrics on this track are so on point and send chills down my spine every time I bump this track. I’ve been a fan of Zel since the beginning and it really is a beautiful sight seeing an artist grow with every project, which to me is what it’s all about and he has definitely hit Super Saiyan level on this one. I truly can’t wait to hear what the whole album is going to sound like.

This song sticks to the topic of Nostalgia with lyrical topics and punchlines that vary from D.I.T.C., Rocket Time, OJ’s, The Joker, Samurai Jack, Casey Anthony and plenty other cultural references, and there is nothing boring about this track here. Zel is going beast mode all over the Nuri & POSHtronaut (of Metro Zu) aka N/P instrumental and the production level is most definitely top notch. I predict “Nostalgic 64″ to be one of the hottest albums of the year and Zel and all the BRK are definitely on the rise to stardom. Bump this loud and put all your friends on it too because Denzel is soon to be a household name and then you can say “I told you so”.

Short loops that sound like they could have been rough cuts of something Dilla would have released. Dusty as fuck samples. A lil bit of that lazy, lunch table boom bap. A couple of errant vocal samples about nothing and everything at the same time. You’ve hit instrumental bliss.

This is relevnt.b/sde_LP, the newest mixtape from Knxwledge. The mixtape’s smooth, jazzy samples literally melt away any negative feelings about anything you had before. Perhaps, not literally, because if it literally metled away negative feelings you’d be buying it off a dude from your local college for something like $25 a pop. Listen to this shit and you’ll know what I mean. Knxwledge transports you to an escape and whether that escape is figuratively in the clouds or literally in clouds of smoke, is purely up to you. This one is recommended for fans of old soul records and people who might refer to themselves as “old souls”. Also recommended for people who smoke copious amounts of weed and zone out to Bioshock Infinite.

Check out relevnt.b/sde_LP, available for purchase here, on Knxwledge’s bandcamp.

I have to admit I am a huge fan of Miami based art crew Metro Zu and their whole scene, and have been for a while now. You’ve got Mr. B the Poshtranaut, FREEBASE, Ruben Slikk, and Lofty305 that make up the Zu and they go all the way in with their art, always creating. They make beats, rap, sing, paint, draw, make videos, travel, and make clothes, and they are very inspiring to me. Truly living the DIY lifestyle.

On the music side of things these guys have an extensive, yet mysterious discography. It’s all over the internet but now is mainly based on their bandcamps, which does make it a little easier to keep up with. That is part of the fun though, collect them all like Pokemons or Basedgod tapes and just enjoying the gems you find.

Below are some of my selected favorites, but there’s more further down the rabbit hole on their collective Bandcamp.

Lofty305 – Tokyo Pimpin

Rubben Slikk – Zanlord Kult Mob

Freebase/Metro Zu - PXSH6XD

Poshtronaut64 – Devills Yurin

The Threatz video is finally here!! These are the visuals for the brand new single off Denzel “Aquarius killa” Curry‘s new album Nostalgic 64 which is coming soon. The video is brought to you by frequent collaborators and the homies Unkleluc & FXRBES and takes place deep in the Florida Everglades. The settings are a creepy abandoned Military base, abandoned warehouse, and also the wilderness surrounding it. When I say creepy I mean shot gun shells and bullet casings everywhere, swamps, and who knows what else creepy animals were out there and is literally in the middle of nowhere. We all showed up moshed, showed out, and over all got hype as possible and had a blast doing it.

My Sortahuman right hand man and partner in crime Joeybagadonutz and I actually made the adventure down to Miami from Huntsville to politic with all the Miami homies and fellow artists and to also be a part of the video and man am I glad we did. As you can see, we turned up for this one and the finished product turned out dope. Raider Klan, Robb Bank$, Shuttle Life, Metro Zu, Pouya and his crew , Fway Nation, Drug Flock, Indigochild, plus skaters, fans, four wheelers , and cute chicks all showed up to rep BRK and it really turned out to be an epic moment. I dig how Miami hip hop scene has a sense of community and we felt a lot of love and good vibes down there. Get buck to this and remember, the Klan and SS be the set, and they don’t take kindly to threats!! Dat, bum bum bum, turn up!! Be on the lookout for Zel’s new tape very soon and you will definitely be seeing more of him and the whole BRK in the future.

Other than the discography of The Streets and about twelve songs by Dizzee Rascal, I really haven’t explored the UK hip-hop world. Thanks to that new web series by Red Bull where they talk up-and-coming genres, I found out about the greatness of the Piff Gang, a stoned London posse with more artists that the Polyphonic Spree, no cult. Luckily, only one or two rappers hop on each track so it isn’t an overwhelming parade of rappers, simply a green tour down an Amsterdam river in June. I have yet to be able to distinguish between specific rappers, but that’s not important. “My jaws swingin’, yeah my eyes flickin’, and I got a spliff in ma hand, I take my time wif it.”

I have yet to dive into their entire discography, but I have downloaded Piff Gang’s two most recent mixtapes, Greenhouse and Plantlife. The lazy Londoners cruise over spaced-out beats, adding to an atmosphere of positivity and eyes half closed, reminiscent of a Curren$y mixtape. You know Hot Spitta would love the line, “You can aim for the stars, I’m aimin’ for the yachts.” The beats are wild, soul samples and heavy bass, perfect for lemonade on a sunny day. Simple raps, almost entirely about weed, throwing in the occasional Tanqueray and bitches references. Sit back and vibe to this, and with production from The Purist, you know Danny Brown is loungin’ to these tracks. “Keep it movin’, cross continental. Spaz on instrumentals, splash cash on the rental.”

DOOM blesses the masses with a remix of his song “Doomsayer” by Young Guru. As usual with DOOM tracks there’s layer upon layer off arcane meaning seeded throughout his raps. That’s what DOOM does. Pay attention to the track provided by Young Guru, though. Guru drops a great job of recreating the feel of mid era DOOM backing tracks. Think DOOM’s collaboration with Dangermouse The Mouse and the Mask. Doomsayer is a light track with great details like the little guitar stabs and electric piano that comes in and out of the track. A beautiful Christmas gift from MF Santa and his elf helper Young Guru.

DOOMSAYER RMX by YOUNG GURU. by Rappcats

This has been a very productive year for bay area masked rapper/producer Issue. He has put out tons of great music and it can be hard (even for the most internet-savy folks) to keep up. Thankfully, the good people at Southern Hospitality have put together a mix called “I Am Issue,” a mix of some of Issue’s best music.

“I Am Issue” includes some very rare stuff like “Over y’all, Over All,” where he rhymes over a classic Boards Of Canada beat. Other choice tracks on “I Am Issue” are his collab with Haleek Maul produced by Supreme Cuts “Smoke Tires (The Burnout).” That track is, of course, originally from  the Haleek Maul and Supreme Cuts Chrome Lips album we put out back in August. One of my favorite Issue releases this year was his collab with the producer Schwarz, the Skies EP and I’m glad the haunting and weird and beautiful “Skies 2″ is on this mix.

If you have been sleeping on Issue’s unique style and crazy genius, now is the time to wake up. And what better way to do it than to listen to this very awesome mix? It’s cold outside so brew up some nice tea and give Issue’s best work a listen.

Back when I was way anal about my collection of MP3s, I used to have a folder called “Loosies” for all the single non album joints I had. Random Missy Elliot songs, JJ Fad hits, J.R Writer freestyles and the like. Way back in the day, and in non gentrified parts of New York City you can go into a bodega and cop a loose cigarette—aka a “loosie”—on the low. Knowledge jewels for broke dudes that just moved here from states you don’t go to on vacation.

Fool’s Gold Loosies record is essentially a combination of both of those ideas. This compilation album features pretty much every rapper ever (Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Troy Ave, Flatbush Zombies, Grande Marshall, Freddie Gibbs, and Mondre M.A.N). There’s production from Aarabmuzik, A-Trak, Droop-E, Beautiful Lou, Catchdubs and more. Quality abounds, obviously.

Look for A-Trak’s “Piss Test” which features Juicy J and El-P on the same track. Assuming that one will destroy the entire internet.

Little Rock Arkansas’s very own Pepperboy is back with his highly anticipated album “Nitetime” and I have to say its a real solid project and I’m happy to be a part of this one. “Nitetime” has some really next level production on every track from the likes of BlueSkyBlackDeath, Party Trash, Nattymari, BLOWN, Bill Ding, Black Tim, and many more talented artists. All the beats on this tape seem to really match the mood and helps get across the message Pep is trying to convey to the people. His songs range from topics such as a single mom getting the most dreaded call a parent can receive on the track “Funeral”, to worldly topics like Kony and global warming on the track aptly named “Global Warming”.

This project is his first to also have a few features on it as well and I enjoyed hearing what all everybody came up with on the collabs. A bunch a really sick rappers are featured on here including myself(SupaSortahuman), Himself the Majestic, Yung Yadi, Western Tink, Spz Chaote, Blackberry, Temolja, Feezio, Bill Ding, and Lakutis that makes up for a well rounded album. A few tracks on here I have already heard before as singles but was glad to hear them on “Nitetime” still because the whole project just flows so well togther. The artwork says it all to me too, as I can just imagine burning one on the front porch looking off into the night time sky and staring into space just reminiscing on life. So go ahead and sit back, dim the lights low tonight, and vibe to this one. It’s free or name your own price at bandcamp.

Download here