During the past weeks of reviewing and compiling material for Sound Sunday, I came across an extraordinary amount of free rap and hip hop albums. Wanting to keep a balance, I saved most of the material for “another article”. Now that a decent number of albums has accumulated, the time has come for a hip hop & rap special.
If you discover something you like, please spread the word and be generous to the artists.
e.d.g.e. – Napalm In The Morning
Genre: hip hop, rap, soul
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The acronym e.d.g.e. translates to Eternal Determination Grants Everything. It certainly does take a lot of determination to manage a full time job as a chef, a family, and a music career. In late June, e.d.g.e. released his mixtape Napalm In The Morning.
Download the mixtape in exchange for your eMail address from Bandcamp. |
e.d.g.e. MySpace and Record Company.
Phil Adé – The Letterman
Genre: hip hop, lyrical, rap
 |
Don Cannon mixed this 20 piece record of Phil Adé, which features several guests, including Raekwon, Raheem, Devaugh, Wale, Tabi Bonney, Skillz, KingPen, Slim, and Kyonte.
The Letterman is available from DJBooth.net with no strings attached. |
Phil Adé MySpace.
Relic – The Green Light
Genre: hip hop
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Following his 2006 self-produced album It’s all RELative and his 2008 EP Note to Self, Relic has recently released The Green Light. The “June only” free download was extended to last throughout August.
Relic is offering his free album as a direct download through divShare. |
TabLiv – The Vermont Tapes
Genre: hip hop, rap, trip hop, lyrical
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The Vermont Tape is a semi-concept album telling the story of a road trip to Vermont. The artists in charge of the 13 tracks record are Tab and Tone Liv.
The album is available through Jamendo, eMail address required. |
Tab Facebook and Homepage. Tone Liv Facebook and MySpace.
Prote-J – Good Hip Hop Meets Radio
Genre: hip hop, rap, R&B
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Prote-J is a rising star on the hip hop horizon. The present mixtape Good Hip Hop Meets Radio is a demonstration of his talent. Playing the drums, bass, piano, and guitar, he was able to record every track by himself.
You can download the album from Prote-J’s Homepage, no input required. |
SoleGC – The Writers EP
Genre: hip hop, rap
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SoleGC, clearly is a fan of the beach, but otherwise the internet reveals little of this rapper from New Jersey, USA. The Writers EP itself is a little revelation and every tune offers a fresh sound.
The Writers EP is available through Bandcamp. |
JustMe and Cas Metah – Theory Hazit Beatdown
Genre: hip hop, rap
 |
The duo JustMe and Cas Metah met at a Scribble Jam in 2002. Theory Hazit Beatdown is Theory Hazit’s remix of their 2004 debut album Scribbling Idiots Present: JustMe & Cas Metah.
An immediate download of Theory Hazit Beatdown is provided by Bandcamp. |
Cas Metah MySpace. JetMe & Cas Metah Homepage.
CONQUEST – Radical Thinking Vol. 1 The Mixtape
Genre: progressive, hip hop, christian
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CONQUEST, aka Jason Andre Roberts, calls a long list of artists his influence. His biggest inspiration, however, is the Christian way of life, a perspective that is tightly woven into his music.
The mixtape can be downloaded at Bandcamp, eMail address required. |
CONQUEST MySpace and Facebook.
Nonstop – The Hustle 2: The Re-Up
Genre: hip hop, rap
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Portland-born rapper Nonstop, also known as The Hitman, grew up dealing drugs. As the son of the Nu Shooz bassist, he eventually caught the music virus that had kept his dad away from home. It helped him escape the crime scene of his youth and start a new life.
The free download is available directly through Bandcamp. |
Nonstop MySpace.
MeLo-X – Mustafa The GodKing: Rise of The Merch
Genre: experimental, hip hop, R&B, soul
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MeLo-X works out of Brooklyn, New York, USA. For his first record since the 2008 release Mustafa’s Renaissance, he has completed the entire work by himself, from production to artwork.
Get your hands on a free and direct download of this album on Bandcamp. |
For more free music, dig into the past editions of Sound Sunday. If you offer free music downloads to the world and would like to see it mentioned here, feel free to get in touch with me (tina at makeuseof dot com). Please leave your requests, suggestions, and feedback in the comments.
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