To kick off the 2020 BET Awards, Public Enemy properly read the room and brought in Nas, Black Thought, Rapsody, YG and Jahi to revamp their classic song “Fight The Power.” As relevant now as it was 31 years ago, each emcee brings their own flavor to the 2020 version of the song.
Most of the time, when you think of a supergroup, you think of emcees. But this collaborative between musicians is one that we should all be checking for. Terrace Martin, 9th Wonder, Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington are working together as an outfit called Dinner Party and will drop an album on July 10. To formally announce the project, the quartet releases the song “Freeze Tag” with singer Phoelix.
Big Boi and Sleepy Brown have been teasing The Big Sleepover project since last September. We’re in the middle of summer 2020 and the duo drop a new video in the form of “Can’t Sleep” that has only renewed interest in the collaborative album.
D.I.T.C. producer Buckwild will drop his next project Fully Loaded on July 1st and releases the title track featuring Rome Streetz and Rim.
The emcee/producer tandem of Che Noir and Apollo Brown release another joint from their upcoming album As God Intended. “Freedom” is eerily timely considering the state of America with protests still running rampant across the country.
“Freedom’ was a song I wrote at the end of 2019. It was before the George Floyd murder and before all the protesting and looting started happening. It’s a song that I feel like my people needed at the time, not even realizing months later that I would be witnessing the biggest revolution of my lifetime” Che lamented. “The art of war, it’s a meaning behind the message, you don’t need a gun or sword if you treat ya mind as the weapon” is my favorite line in the song. My people have to stay 10 steps ahead mentally in order to fight this battle with the institutional and systemic racism we fight on the daily. Our anger and frustration right now is justified.”
DJ Eclipse
Rap Is Outta Control
6/21/20 Playlist
Sirius XM
Hip Hop Nation (Ch. 44)
Sunday Nights @ 10pm-12am (EST)
“Rap Is Outta Control” 6/21/20 Playlist1. The Opioid Era “B.M.S.O.C.” (prod. by Problem)2. Vic Monroe “Old Cat” (prod. by The SOULution)3. Illa Ghee feat. Thorough “Tuned In” (prod. by Grayce Musik)4. 4-IZE feat. J-Live, Anthony David & Senor Kaos “Hard To Quit The Rhyme 2.0” (prod. by Floyd The Locsmif)5. Tru Trilla feat. Middy Murdock “God’s Partical” (prod. by Clinton Place)6. Napoleon Da Legend “Pernell Whitaker” (prod. by Napoleon Da Legend, cuts by Giallo Point)7. Boob Bronx “Hurricane Hugo” (prod. by Kheyzine)8. Flee Lord “Heron” (prod. by DJ Shay)9. Agallah Don Bishop feat. Inspectah Deck “Church” (prod. by Agallah)10. Neek The Exotic feat. Innocent? “2 The Hard Way” (prod. by Kapital)11. BP & E CLASS “One Day at a Time” (prod. by BP)12. DNTE “Chapstick” (prod. by DNTE)13. Spit Gemz “Dear Mr Iscariot” (prod. by Level 13)14. Iron Sheikh feat. Columbo Black “Flat Broke” (prod. by Gwop Sullivan)15. King Magnetic “Time Will Tell” (prod. by DJ E.REX)16. Flee Lord & Buckwild “Can’t Fuck Wit Flee” (prod. by Buckwild)17. Savageland “7th Trumpet” (prod. by Reckonize Real)18. 4th Disciple feat. Sadat X & Jisiri X “Wat Hapn” (prod. by 4th Disciple)19. Public Enemy “State Of The Union (STFU)” (prod. & cuts by DJ Premier)20. Spit Gemz “The Shovel” (prod. by Termanology & Melks)21. Hus Kingpin feat. Supreme Cerebral “Gun Shot Hop” (prod. by Stoupe)22. Hakim Green feat. Thirstin How The 3rd “Papi’s Place” (prod. by Will Tell)23. staHHr & Crazy DJ Bazarro “Barberella” (prod. & cuts by Crazy DJ Bazarro)24. Skyzoo “A Song For Fathers” (prod. by illmind)25. Agallah Don Bishop “Deep End Verse” (prod. by Duke Westlake)26. Killarmy feat. Rev Burk & Cappadonna “Mediterranean Flow” (prod. by 9th Prince)27. Ghost of the Machine x DJ Proof feat. Maz Wun “Hannibal Barca” (prod. by DJ Proof)28. Big Brick “Glory” (prod. by Myth)29. Moe Dirdee “Eclipsed” (prod. by DertBeats)30. Godforbid feat. Kemo The Blaxican “No More Love Songs” (prod. by Jeremy Page)31. Terror Van Poo & Innocent? feat. Skanks The Rap Martyr “Safer Song” (prod. by Vinny Idol)32. Slik Jack feat. Edo.G “No Introductions” (prod. & cuts by Statik Selektah)33. Astro Vandalist feat. Recognize Ali “Make Way” (prod. & cuts by Astro Vandalist)34. Fredro Starr “Punk MCs” (prod. by Chyskillz)35. Napoleon Da Legend “People First” (prod. by Onion Cuore)36. Knowledge The Pirate “BTP” (prod. by E.L.E.M.N.T.)
The struggle just wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t soundtracked by Public Enemy. The group teams up with DJ Premier for “State of the Union (STFU)” and takes aim at the incompetence of the Trump Administration.
“Our collective voices keep getting louder. The rest of the planet is on our side. But it’s not enough to talk about change. You have to show up and demand change,” Chuck D said. Flavor Flav added: “Folks gotta vote like their lives depend on it, ‘cause it does.” “Public Enemy tells it like it is. It’s time for him to go.”
Top Dawg Entertainment’s Reason might be the label’s best kept secret. The Cali emcee releases a video for the song “Field Nigga” that he regrets is still relevant today despite originally writing the song two years ago.
“I felt I hadn’t done enough so I added the last part of this song and shot this video two days ago,” he said. “This is the best way I know how to give back. I hope this resonates and hits y’all the way it did while I was writing it. I don’t want to argue, I just want an understanding on both sides. We’re tired!”
Detroit’s Jon Connor drops a new joint to celebrate blackness in the face of adversity with the video for “Black” that features Sister Tour.
“It saddens me that a song I wrote about such a grim topic a year ago would be even more relevant and necessary today than it was then,” he said about the song. “For me, the race issues in our country aren’t a fad or a hot topic for the moment. It’s my life and the everyday experience of all Black people in this county.”
In the midst of the chaos, J. Cole drops a stream of conscious song titled “Snow On Tha Bluff.” But it’s not necessarily what you may expect as Cole doesn’t so much talk about the current climate. Rather, he addresses Chicago rapper NoName and wonders aloud if he’s doing enough.
