DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEK: Immortal Technique, Bridget Kelly, A$AP Rocky

Immortal Technique - The Martyr Mixtape

Congrats to Kanye West on having a wonder around Wall St amongst all the protesting squatters. And that’s all he has really done…just walk. Well, Immortal Technique has been quiet for a few years, but he has obviously seen what has been going on and got back to his upfront, social activist self. He has released 15 tracks of righteousness. He doesn’t just walk.

There is no respite in his aggression towards corporate capitalist America. There are NO other rappers out there with enough understanding and skill to rap about IMF, CEOs and IRS. He should be teaching social studies in schools – he actually makes current affairs seem relevant and interesting.

He is obviously pissed off and he is obviously happy to stand behind what he is saying. You really have no choice but to listen to his intelligent rants on the government, abuse of power, religion and racism. He rips open your ear hole and shoves in his thoughts and opinions. If you are very right-wing then you might not enjoy this mixtape all that much, but if you have a slight tendency to care about your fellow man then you might just want to hop on the bandwagon.

There is no mention of bitches, chains, fame, cars or being a P.I.M.P. You have a million other places you can go for that. It’s time to get intelligent; it’s time to revolutionise. Perhaps with the recent passing of Gil Scott-Heron it is the time for music to start thinking again and maybe Immortal Technique is going to lead this hip hop rebellion. There is of course plenty of focus on lyrics rather than production, but there are tracks on here that are good songs by their own merit. Plenty of tracks with catchy, wicked beats. Just hit the late J.Dilla’s beat on ‘Toast to the dead’ to get a taste.

This is THE soundtrack to every ‘occupy’ protest. This should be being played loud over megaphones amongst all the tents in every corporate region in the world. Hell, it should be being played in every part of the world where there is oppression! The world according to Immortal Technique could be the utopia we are all searching for.

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Bridget Kelly - Every Girl EP

When Alicia Keys is otherwise detained then you send in super-sub Bridget Kelly. And that is Jay-Z’s philosophy, not mine. He had BK fill in on his backup team when he was on tour. Now she is all grown up and releasing a big fat set of 8 tracks for free under the Roc Nation umbrella.

She is not quite like most soft R&B female singers. Rather than going in and asking guys to respect her she hits it with a bit more aggression, ‘You better not fuck this up’. The EP is full of dark, hurt, wronged female scorn. I’m scared of her. There is a slight touch of ‘crazy-ex gf’ about her. An interesting nice mix of genres keeps you guessing. There is even a chug-chug-chug of metal riffs to accompany her most angry murderess moments.

She has a pretty amazing voice. That’s not up for debate but she is getting quite a bit of assistance in coming out with these quality tracks. Frank Ocean, The Dream and Ne-Yo have all penned a hit for this project. That along with Jay-Z is quite a backing.

Girl power is back. She may look like a sweet heart, and I’m sure she is, but cross her and you will get fucked-up. No matter what she is singing there is something in her voice that makes you really believe in her and her story.

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A$AP Rocky - Bass

Time to be honest. When I first heard A$AP’s track ‘Purple Swag’ I quickly dismissed it as brainless and basically a fad. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the song. There was a style in it that snuck up on me and kept niggling away. I have listened to it a million and two times since then and am now at A$AP’s mercy.

This track burrows into your head just like ‘Purple Swag’. Perhaps on first listen you don’t call up all your friends and tell them about this new great rapper you discovered, but you will find yourself talking about Rocky at some point. He is like a virus that lays dormant in your veins. The swag will infect you. You will eventually find it irresistible. You will be sitting in your car or at work or on a bus and suddenly find yourself thinking about it and realise you are a fan without even knowing it.

He is a real drawler. He holds every word in his mouth for too long then lets it hang from his tongue and finally flings it towards you. Lazy beats perfectly match his temperament and slowed down vocals. His full mixtape is out today so get your google on for that if you like this track.

Clams Casino is right up there with my favourite producers at the moment. He has spawned another half-time hard-hitter here. There is a very good reason the track is named ‘Bass’.

Get sick on this.

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