Ugly Heroes- Ugly Heroes (Album)

From left to right: Apollo Brown, Verbal Kent, Red Pill

Ugly Heroes are a Detroit hip-hop outfit consisting of rappers Verbal Kent and Red Pill and prolific producer Apollo Brown. Now if you've really been tuned in, you know that Apollo Brown has been killing it for a minute, especially going toe-to-toe with the legendary Guilty Simpson on Dice Game, a fantastic album that's become an operatic emblem of Detroit hip-hop. His beats are full of sound and power, sampling soul and Motown and chopping it up into lurching bangers. Verbal Kent and Red Pill are almost indistinguishable, but both are always on point with the lyrics, flow and that underground ferocity. The track "Graves" should be resonant with anyone worried about getting stuck on their grind "...to their graves." I loved the album, go cop it, and respect these selects.

IamSu!- Kilt II (Mixtape)

IamSu! is a West Coast rapper hailing from the Bay Area whose first mixtape, Kilt, caught my attention from its colorful cover, and even more colorful panorama of beats. What made Kilt potent was its deft combination of that hyphy, electro-banger sound that defines the Bay Area with more conventional rapping and a blunt-infused airiness. That tape included "Mainey", "Poppin Bands (feat. Berner)" and "Clothes, Shows and Afros" as well as many other strong tracks, so go look it up on Datpiff. His second effort is the sequel: Kilt II. Honestly, it's not as strong as his first mixtape, and it's chock full of poppy, R&B cuts almost certainly aimed at California daytime radio play. But pop instincts aside, Kilt II definitely has its moments. He's sticking to the smoked out hyphy sound with production mostly from himself and collaborator P-Lo, and when it works, it goes in. My selections are "Rep That Gang", "Return of the Mac" and the "100 Grand" remix with Juvenile, Problem and Kool John that came as a bonus track.

Yung Simmie- Off The Dank (feat. Nell) (Video)

 Yung Simmie remains a site-favorite rapper as the young Raider Klan representer continues to kill it after his first two major mixtapes, XXL Freshman 1993: The Underground Tape and Basement Musik. At the moment, Simmie is working with the Klan to drop his junior effort, tentatively titled Shut Up and Vibe. Hopefully we'll receive some more of that 90's inspired rapping over the Klan's trademark dark, funky beats. Here's the video for the first track off the upcoming mixtape; this one features Nell and it's got me pumped for the release, so stay peeped for the full review. Also, this seems as good a time as any to drop some of Simmie's great older tracks as we wait.
 

Prodigy & Alchemist- Albert Einstein (Album)

Being a longtime stan of Mobb Deep, I was duly excited to see that Prodigy and Alchemist were dropping a new project. But I've been taking Alchemist production credits with a grain of salt as of late because he's chosen to pursue a more experimental route, seeking a psychedelic, lo-fi sound instead of sticking to his traditional NY thug-bap. This isn't necessarily a bad thing and I've fucked with some of his recent works (i.e. Rare Chandeliers with Action Bronson and Durag Dynasty's 360 Waves). But others, like Russian Roulette only minimally clicked with me. I'm happy to say, Albert Einstein is fantastic. He's taken up elements of that psychedelia and melded them with the thug heartbeat pulse of his mid-00's work. Prodigy, aka Illuminati P, weaves tales of New York ghetto violence into a tapestry of paranoia, trauma and experience that isn't easy to shake off. Okay, so just listen, my choices are "Imdkv", "Give 'Em Hell" and "Death Sentence (feat. Roc Marciano)", but do yourself a favor and listen to the whole album; it's a work of art.

Ethelwulf- The Wolf Gang Rodolphe (Mixtape)

Now, I've been bumping this mixtape for a while, and as many of you know, Raider Klan has been consistently putting out great music for a minute. Ethelwulf, although he no longer claims affiliation with the Klan, is one of the group's strongest members creatively, and this tape exemplifies his exquisite taste in hip-hop sonics. He draws from the smoked-out 90's Bone Thugs N Harmony sound that has reemerged, and raps with the skill and tenacity of the group's best moments. These three songs are each different, but "All Black Who Is That" stands out with its retro videogame sample and ever-changing flows. So here are "All Black Who Is That", "Watch Yo Back" and "Bluntz On My Mind" from Ethelwulf's "The Wolf Gang Rodolphe" which you can cop on Datpiff.


 

Have You Been On Nacho's Dick?

Nacho Picasso is an artist many of you know I love and strongly support. His past year and a half or so have been absolute fire as he's been wedding his dense Lil Wayne-esque wordplay to cutting edge, state-of-the-art beats courtesy of Blue Sky Black Death, Eric G and Raised By Wolves. Listen to bells in "Phantom of the Opera" and the electrified, Asiatic stringwork in "DMT". Here's my best of Nacho Picasso; all these cuts are produced by Blue Sky Black Death and taken from his mixtapes For The Glory, Exalted and Lord of the Fly. Respect Nacho's selects.
 

RTS Best of Late-2012: The Long-Awaited Return

Hello faithful readers and listeners of Respect The Selects. Word. I've returned. As if I were Aragorn reviving the royal line of Gondor, I have drawn my sabre, and spilled the knowledge cup. Check out this list of my personal favorite hip hop projects that have happened since I stopped posting, each of which you will find in subsequent posts with download links for the select cuts. These are the solid gems, the rare artifacts of rap that graced the airwaves in these past months:

Blue Sky Black Death & Nacho Picasso- Lord of the Fly

Gucci Mane- Trap God

Yung Simmie- XXL Freshman of 1993: The Underground Mixtape

Joey Bada$$- 1999

Action Bronson & Alchemist- Rare Chandeliers

Roc Marciano- Reloaded

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire- Power & Passion EP

Chinx Drugz- Cocaine Riot 2

YG & DJ Mustard- 4 Hunnid Degreez

Harry Fraud- The Harry Fraud Files: An Anthology

Boldy James- Consignment: Favor For A Favor

Killer Mike & El-P- R.A.P. Music

Wu-Block- Wu-Block

Chuuwee- Crown Me King

Meyhem Lauren- Respect The Fly Shit

Bush- Under 21

Wrecking Crew- Wu-Tang Pulp

MellowHype- Numbers

Pusha T- Sweet Freestyle (Drake Diss)

...this is...this is....yes. This is so yes.

Heems- You Have To Ride The Wave (feat. Danny Brown & Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire) + SWATE

I've been going ham on this song for like two weeks now, so it really deserves to be in this newest dump I'm doing here. Mike Finito's Indian-psych beats have me so hyped I don't know to do. The starts out good and then slaps you over with the head with super-hotness here and there that is undeniably incredible. Plus Danny Brown and eXquire are perfect features to fuck with this beat before Heems drunkenly rips it. I'm throwin in another Mike Finito-Heems collab as a bonus, check it out too.

Killer Mike & El-P- Don't Die

This album did drop and it's as crazy as was hyped, hype that lasted over a year. I was anticipating hearing Mike's politically-infused southern boom matched with El-Producto's post-apocalyptic, industrial New York beats. And it worked. Go figure, R.A.P. Music is one of the strongest albums of the year.

Well...

                             

We've been slammed. It appears my hulkshare account has been shut down, so any hulkshare links posted before this post are dead. That's a devastation of course, but I plan to progress by dumping a large quantity of music on here for free. Remember guys, I'm not selling this music only sharing it for promotional purposes. THIS HELPS THE ARTISTS YA DAMN FOOLS.

Large Professor- M.A.R.S. (feat. Cormega, Action Bronson, Roc Marciano & Saigon)

 Do I have to keep reminding why you are one of the chosen people who reads this blog? You respect selects, and you're a cultured and unbiased person. Good for you. Keep up the hard work. This song is beyond amazing.