KRS-One - The BDP Album

Your boy KRS has definitely made the most of the digital age in recent years, dropping digital collabo releases right, left and center with the likes of peers like Buckshot and Bumpy Knuckles, not to mention Marley Marl. Those who felt those releases should be over the moon with the news that his newest release is called The BDP Album.

As you should have rightfully surmised by the title, Kenny Parker is behind the boards making things fresh for 2012 on The BDP Album (you suckers). And yes, the pairing is straight bananas. After a quick Kenny Parker drop, the opening Tote Gunz loops a B.I.G. hook you may remember, setting things off hard and keeping it there for the duration. Not too much in the way of guest spots, although Channel Live do resurface a couple songs in. Heads with any sense would do well to sell a Drake record or two and snap The BDP Album up with the quickness.

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KRS-ONE and Bumpy Knuckles - Royalty Check

For old school artists in the the game today, it is all about adaptation. Many artists have languished in the wake of the conventional record industry going down the shitter but Bumpy Knuckles aka Freddie Foxxx is not one of them. On the heels of having the highest selling independent hip-hop release a number of years ago, Bumpy has been in the lab, recording a ton of material that has recently started to trickle down the pike. The first release Leaks Vol. 1 has been setting the interwebs on fire and now the ante is being raised with Royalty Check, the long rumored collabo record with KRS-One.

As you might surmise with these two lyrical titans on the same mike in the same room, Royalty Check is pretty fucking bananas. It was recorded back in 2008 for the most part, but it shits all over most of the other hip-hop that has come out in the last couple years. It comes courtesy of Canadian indie 682 Records, who also appear to be releasing a new Grand Puba record. Sounds good to me. It should to you, too. Pick up Royalty Check here from 682.

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Bumpy Knuckles - Leaks Vol. One

Contemporary hip-hop is a pretty ugly place. I try and keep up, but this world of Wiz Khalifa and other improbable hitmakers does not make me want to wade in like I did in years previous. Of course, I am old, but luckily there are MCs older than me and some of them can still bring it in their old age.

Like myself, but with 1000% more street cred, Bumpy Knuckles isn't crazy about the rap game of today. He's been trying to beat the system for a while now, and has pretty much succeeded. Not like he's Master P or anything, but he's done ok. Foxxx was one of the first to embrace home and digital recording, as well as independent releases, and the result is a whole lot of unreleased material. There was the release of Crazy Like A Foxxx a couple years ago, and there has been the long rumored, but to the best of my knowledge still unreleased Amerikkkan Black Man, but I've heard from the man himself that he has four records done and in the can. I'm not going to push the man about release dates, but it appears like the inertia has been overcome, as JS-NYC has just received word that Freddie Foxxx has released Leaks Vol. One. It's 14 songs and pretty good for the most part. The Gary Coleman track may be a wee bit of a misstep to these ears, but Leaks Vol. One is pretty damn solid.

And did I mention that it's free? Bumpy has linked up with DJ Chanin to give Leaks Vol. One away here. You certainly can't beat the price, and it will serve as a fine way to whet the appetite for Royalty Check, the upcoming collabo record with the Blastmaster himself: KRS-One. JS-NYC has it in-house and rest assured that it is pretty bananas. Stay tuned for a review in the next couple weeks, but Leaks Vol. One should more than tide you over in the meantime.

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