South Jersey’s Ricky Rude and Los Angeles’ Glasses Malone are quite possibly hip-hop’s ‘Odd Couple.’ On Ricky Rude’s new track, “Good Mood,” which samples the theme song from the classic sitcom “The Odd Couple,” the New Jersey troubadour trades bars with YMCMB’s Glasses Malone, as they tell listeners everything that puts them in a good mood. The duo has released a trailer to the song’s music video which is set to drop next Tuesday. Judging by the trailer, this video will be a scorcher, featuring some tremendously attratice women to accompany Ricky and Glasses’ performances.

In April, Ricky made waves with the release of his single “Hold Me Down” featuring AR-AB. He has done little to fly below the radar since; as he was recently spotted in a cipher with hit-making producer Mike Zombie (Drake’s “Started from the Bottom”). Ricky is currently completing his forthcoming album, “No Guts, No Glory,” which is slated to include features from Scarface, AR-AB, Apollo The Great, Liz Rodriguez, and production from Cardiak and Cool & Dre.

The record presented here is the official single for Detroit rapper/producer Hunnit Andretti titled “Girls and Drugs” off his 1st full body of work “EastSide Story EP” due later this year. Playing the background as in-house producer for friend and Detroit wordsmith Adam Reverie, Andretti takes a step from behind the scenes and into the spotlight with his self-produced “Girls and Drugs”.

With the loss of the Knicks, originally being from New York, and having the first name Carmelo, I decided why not? Lets feed the streets. After this, I won’t be putting out as much music as an artist, just a few a bangers here and there all while managing two new, great artist by the name of Spizzy (@SpizzySo4Real) and Nino Major (@NinoMajor), who both represent the KNKLHEAD family. I’m currently in the process of reaching my number one goal, which came before rap, that I’ll reveal when everything is A1! I’m not saying I’m done but I’m in love with the corporate money more than anything so my focus is elsewhere. Until next time though, slow feet don’t eat, catch up!!! – Mellzy

DMV up and comer Javier Starks recently dropped his new album “Radio Ready” to a warm reception. Featuring guest vocals from the likes of Grammy nominee Maimouna Youssef and more, this project is packed full of dope tracks, certainly not meant to be past up.

Cop “Radio Ready” on iTunes or Amazon.

Thought-provoking Lexington, KY blue collar rapper R.E.A.L Tha Poet just dropped his new mixtape “Glass Ceilings”. The mixtape is a collaboration with his partner in crime, producer J-Ideas featuring 14 tracks of fire directed at the masses.

Up and coming DMV indie hip hop artist Firuz Tariq has teamed up with director Maurice McNeil to create this visual for his single 729 off his up coming project titled SevenTwentyNine.

Food Mob’s Joie 13 connects with G Visuals for the music video to “Bogota.”

“Bogota” is a cut from Joie 13′s upcoming mixtape 13 Ravens. The new project also features appearances from Raekwon, E-40, Killer Mike, Tabi Bonney and more.

This exclusive freestyle from LA’s MOGZ started stirring around this morning. It stems from a project that will be given away for free this summer called ’23′ and boasts of a vicious venacular from the LOVE MONEY POWER artist who says to download ’23′ until the “LMP” LP is available this fall (which will feature original production from Record Producer P-MIDUS) .

After releasing two well-received singles featuring two fellow NC Hip Hop heavyweights, Alpha Male Society (AMSoc) unveils “Background Check 2.” The project builds on the success of the AMSoc’s 2012 monthly sole producer EP series, and features revamped versions of the group’s favorite tracks. With notable production from Leland Jones, JM Productions, Millie Vaughn, and The Distinguished Gents, the Janzoo mastered “Background Check 2” also features appearances from King Mez, Rapper Big Pooh, Thee Tom Hardy, Skyblew and more.

This new mixtape from Jrue documents his life over the past 12 months. The album cover as crazy as it seems represents this project to a T.

That’s exactly how life has been this past year: insane. But it’s helped me discover a new sound that I am sure will resonate well with all of my listeners. This is the most fun I’ve ever had putting together a project and I hope y’all enjoy the ride. It’s MADNESS.

Check out the visual for 20 Miles North, the lead single from the Deluxe re-release of the classic mixtape by Cincinnati emcee Pii (of The Natives). This track was produced by longtime collaborator and friend Rell got Beats.

Also make sure your catch Pii and The Natives performing LIVE with Chuck Inglish June 1st in Cincinnati on Fountain Square if you’re in the area.

16-year-old emcee Y-Roc presents Livin’ Proof ’13, where he showcases his rap talents over seven DJ Premier instrumentals from Group Home’s 1995 Livin’ Proof album. Picking up musical influences from his father’s record collection, albums like Reasonable Doubt, Low End Theory and Doe Or Die inspired Y-Roc to step to the mic, releasing the Word Is Born EP a few months back. “The inspiration behind Livin’ Proof ’13 actually came from listening to the Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg Morning Show on Hot 97,” explains Y-Roc. “They were having a DJ Premier tribute mix on his birthday and they Peter said that if an up and coming MC would just rock over the whole Group Home album and was able to really pull it off, than they would be out of here. I’ve released material before but not like this. I began to find my sound and my sound matured so its really like my first step into the door to let people know im here.”

As the momentum swings towards the release of “The Judged Cover EP”, JaySmiff gives us another preview of the June 15th project. This time it is the first single, Eclipse, produced by Ian Vandooren.

JaySmiff is an independent MC from Southern California that is witty with his wordplay, and clever with his storytelling. With a steadily growing fan base internationally, JaySmiff plans to make to “The Judged Cover” EP his best work as of yet. Proving the point he belongs in Hip-Hop, and that people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

Action Figures come through with a funky boom-bap anthem produced by the Grammy nominated Detroit phenom Young RJ. These Michigan emcee’s are bearing the torch for the true Hip-Hop audience, armed with an assist from T3 of the legendary Slum Village. The street single “Jumanji” is poised to set the underground on fire leading a trail to their forthcoming full length summer release “Courage or Currency”. Also, be on the look out for Action Figures in a city near you as a part of The Dirty Slums Tour 2013 with Slum Village.

Capital G drops the first few finished tracks to build anticipation for his upcoming project “MOXIE” which is coming soon. The first track is called “Headline”. The second track is titled “Shine Dawg” and was produced by GRÖDASH.

As Sir Michael puts the finishing touches on Banco, he will release a new project, While You Wait, to help bridge the gap. “In A Minute” should hold you While You Wait for Banco.

Another new video from the hard working BX spitter Haddy Racks!

New joint from Macabeats featuring Cerebral called “Killin Emcees”. This one’s produced by Keno Beats.

Dominican-American rapper/producer XODUS presents his new single “Go Away”, produced by Long Island beatsmith Paulie Monster. “It was 2005; I was young, trying to form my priorities,” the Washington Heights NYC native says about “Go Away”‘s genesis. “I’ve always been in a rush and I felt like if I kept spending time out in the street, there was no way I was going to find myself in time to do something great. So, I was literally locked away in a basement, in a long-term, long-distance relationship, and struggling with my own brain chemistry—trying to learn the key to my own happiness so I could begin the pursuit. I brought on my own introspective depression and Go Away was probably all I would have had the energy to mutter if I could have personified pain and exchanged words.” XODUS is pioneer of the Color Me Different movement, which he explains as “a consciousness, a philosophy. It’s about making your own decisions based upon your unique perspective; developing yourself through thought and self-analysis, rather than just embracing a societal default in order to ensure acceptance. ‘Reject the ordinary, embrace the ordinance.’” A full-length project is currently in the works.

Lafayette Stokely is back once again with a new set of visuals from his first solo EP Life’s Journey. In what is the prequel to “So Simple”, once again on a Rob Yung produced masterpiece, Lafayette vents to the listeners ear his views on his life and proposed fear death.

The Rebel Society Presents The 450 Series and this episode features rapper and co-owner of Charged Up Ent, Noah O titled Peep My Feet. In this piece he speaks on creating more of a life for his family, his favorite shoes, Richmond VA and vintage clothes. Make sure you check out the upcoming release of Noah O’s independent album, Monument Ave. Video contains footage from the Peep My Feet shoe showcase. Powered by The Rebel Society.

“Gina” is the 1st single off Allen Poe’s new LP “Pocket Full of Ohms” set to release Fall 2013. The track is an ode to the nerds out there struggling, we feel your pain!! Allen Poe gets feature verses from Tanya Morgan’s Von Pea and Basement Up. Nemo Achida provides production work.

Five months after its release, ReQ Cartier returns with a visual for part two in his Tribulations series. Filmed by Brooklyn videographer & YPB collective member, J. Stukes, “Tribulations Pt. 2″ is a quick reflection on ReQ’s life 5 months prior to the release of this video. Struggling to survive in this cold world, dealing with ex-girlfriends while trying to maintain with new ones & being underrated in the underground music world are just some of the topics ReQ covers in this single. In the video is some of the YPB (Youths Pushing Bass) collective making rounds around New York City. The video is meant to show the love of a brotherhood and the path to overcoming struggle for success. “Tribulations Pt. 2″ is set to be on ReQ Cartier’s ‘New Jack City’ mixtape which drops after his debut album, “The Suite Life.”

The GCC have their second go at Mussolini Mondays with Volume 2.

Quickly-rising 19-year-old hip-hop artist AK today officially released his second, 16-track mixtape called “The Abstract Kollection”.

“The Abstract Kollection” marks a turning point for AK as a more mature, nuanced musician. The tracks are diverse, as the first two singles show, from the old-school Tribe Called Quest-eque “Space Funk Flow” to the more gritty “This My Game”. The songs touch on both the darkness of city life (“La Familia”) and the lightness of living. In the uplifting chorus of the opening track “Positive”, AK shouts out, “Just feel that shit! Be positive everyday that you live!” As with “Positive”, several tracks on the mixtape feature GDott, who provides an additional swagger and realness to the four tracks on which he contributes. Overall, the album has a quality and flow that rivals some of the greatest mixtapes around. Not only does AK deliver lyrical mastery and tight word play well beyond his young age, but his vocal styling, pacing and timing are reminiscent of his most successful contemporaries and past masters.

Boston’s own Kyle Bent plans to release his Bent Rulers EP by the next season. Although you may be getting tired of all these freestyles he’s been releasing as of late, all of them have been an attempt to hype you up for the project. For this one, he takes on “You Know My Steez” by Gang Starr and totally murks it.

After recently inking a licensing deal to make music for film and television, Gleams lets us hear one of the first records he’s submitted to the label. “Soul Plus Mind” head honcho DC on the production side of things. Stay tuned to The Gleams Show as we hear alot is to come.

The Slip Records presents “Go Wit It Mondays”, where we release a freestyle cypher each and every Monday. This one features KJ, Lil Won, Swateezy, Retro, and JClay.

To kick off his just-announced 22+ city ‘Young, Loved, Hated & Broke’ Tour beginning on May 24, D-WHY releases the first single “FaZe Clan” off his upcoming Young, Loved, Hated & Broke EP.

The track was produced by super-producer K.E. On The Track (Future’s “Magic”, DJ Khaled’s “I’m So Blessed”, Chief Keef’s “Kay Kay”, Roscoe Dash’s “Show Out” & “All The Way Turnt Up”) and the video was shot and edited by D-WHY’s frequent collaborator, Jakob Owens. Some may know FaZe Clan as a group of Call of Duty players who have built up a following for videos on their YouTube channel, but D-WHY’s new song/video isn’t about them or gaming. Instead, the title stems from its recurring lyric, “Hey man, kill ‘em like FaZe Clan.”

Bay Area rapper Klaranze Kirk who is completely different from “the sound” that is now associated with Bay Area rap dropped his debut single “Labels” on 4/23. It’s currently available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Google Play. In just 3 weeks he has over 1100 purchases of the single.

This is Hip Hop from the 90′s with a 2013 relevance. Here’s a 19 year old kid from The Bay, poetically telling his lady about her beauty and essence, without once calling her out her name, without trying to shove mollies and alcohol down her throat to get in her panties, and without lying about his Bugatti sitting on 26′s.

Summer is officially here and the one and only Grey Granite’s teamed up with Dylan Prevails to put together another banger! Grey’s new album “RICH IN THE BLOOD – Book 1 The Eye The Shield” is a collection of jewels and gems dedicated to the glory of game. The new track “Get it How You Live”, which he just so happened to leak a few hours ago, arms you with the most important law of the game – be yourself aka Keep it 100.

Keep it locked right here, RITB drops June 1st.

Its been a long road from the streets to having his song played on radio and across the country but Crix Green survived.

Proof that a rose can rise from concrete Crix Green has moved his way up the ranks of the New Orleans rap scene being nominated by VladTV as the artist of the month. Backed by his his breakout single, “I’m On It,” Crix Green has steady momentum that garner Receiving radio airplay across the country Crix Green has developed a steady buzz.

Currently his project Keepin it Ben Franklin hosted by Atlanta’s DJ Scream is available one via LiveMixtapes.com.

Crix has been busty of late touring throughout the south making stops in Alabama, Florida Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Be sure to follow his Twitter page below or CrixGreen.com for future tour dates.

Austin, Texas’ own V.I.P., comprised of Pimpin’ Pen and K-Paul, release an homage of sorts to DJ Screw joined by up-and-coming Houston talent Propain.

The guys are fresh off a tour on the chitlin’ circuit, hitting 8 cities along the way from Alabama to North Carolina. They also had several performances in their hometown at SXSW, including opening up for Master P at the AllHipHop x G-Pen x Sharp TV event @Rusty’s.

Currently V.I.P.’s single, “Miss Money” featuring R&B sensation KiiKii Starr is getting airplay on radio stations throughout the South and their project Bottom of the 9th is available on LiveMixtapes.com.

Baltimore-bred, Los Angeles-based emcee E Major presents the self-directed music video to “Zodiac Freestyle”, where he drops lyrics over Flying Lotus’ “Zodiac” instrumental. To that end, he finally achieved his dream of moving to Los Angeles, a gamble for an artist with the kind of support he commands in B-More. His 2011 album Better Than Yours had already made Baltimore City Paper’s top ten albums of 2010 – two years after dubbing his Majority Rules album “a classic” – by the time his 2010 hit “Paper Runnin’” started doing the rounds on 92Q, later remixed by local legend DJ Booman. Wielding common-sense lyricism and a relaxed, persistent flow which presides on equal footing over boom-bap and trap alike, E’s shared stages with Lupe Fiasco, Wale, and Little Brother and has gotten the nod from Okayplayer, MTV, VH1 and DJ Booth. E’s new album Baltimore Bruin is set for an August release.

1988 is a music producer who works with Dub Temple Records, an indie record label based out of Brisbane, Australia with a focus on making hip hop, reggae, and dub beat tapes. Recently, they’ve also done a lot of tribute tapes to grassroots reggae artists like Bob Marley, King Tubby, and Lee Scratch Perry.

Frank Mackey, producer for PRXJECT, hit Sey up with some beats a few weeks ago. The two then decided to work on a collaborative EP together. The first single is called “Open Your Eyes”.

“Open Your Eyes” is a soulful track based on the Vanilla Sky storyline. This EP will also serve as the connecting dialogue between Sey’s last project, “Is This Real?” and the upcoming project “Abre Los Ojos”.

All the MC’s shine individually on their own as they trade flows on this classic posse cut. NewBreedMC and UNO go back and forth on verses followed by cuts provided by Relic. Last, but never least, Louwop comes in to finish it in true Microphinist form, A heavy example of what raw MC’s can do with their voice box

Keep Dope Alive is the collaborative EP from Chicago up and comers Keiph Ali & Rozart. Rozart handled all of the production while Keiph wrote and performed all the lyrics. The Project focuses on today’s youth and young adults, giving a voice and perspective to circumstances and scenarios we find ourselves in. With the release of Keep Dope Alive, Keiph and Rozart both are set to gain momentum heading into the summer, both locally and nationally. Support the movements #AllGoodEverything x #FortuneAndFame

Check out Tamara Saul’s remix to Drakes “Girls Love Beyonce” properly titled “Say My Name Biggie”.

Here’s the newest single from the Baltimore rapper HQ featuring DMV’s own Kidd Prodigee, produced by Negrosaki

After much delay rapper Jet 2 finally decides to release the next single off his upcoming project “The Mission Back to The Terminal”. In the track titled “High School Sweetheart” which was produced by Austin Millz, Jet has a conversation with his inner-mind about his high school crush, the rapper contemplates on telling her; while he visualizes an outcome…

22 year-old rhymer hailing from Edmonton, Canada, Jo Thrillz first made noise with the release of his mixtape “The Gooniest” in late 2011. Since then, Jo has been building a growing buzz with the release of eye-catching music videos (some of which are approaching 100K views), his second mixtape “Just Another Weekend,” and many full-throttle, energy-packed performances including “Boonstock,” and his sold-out release party. With a huge presence in his local scene and impressive numbers online, Jo Thrillz is ready to let the world know what being “Goony” is really all about.

Gone Wallace releases his latest joint entitled “Aretha Maybe” produced by RocketScience… I fox with that sample hard.

L.U.K.E is an up and coming artist out of the Upper Westside, NYC whose new music video “Stay Strong” was just released. His debut mixtape “Breath of Fresh Air” drops on May 28th.

DJ YRS Jerzy and Chox-Mak have yet again raised the bar for up and coming artists now taking on classics like LL Cool J’s 1995 single “Doin It”. This Track Is Called “N.I.K.E.” which is basically telling everyone if you have a dream make sure you go out and “just do it” like the N.I.K.E. slogan.

Acknowledging himself and his patriotic history, Kid Staxx prepared one of the most thorough visuals this year.

Incorporating JFK, Toro Y Moi and Slim Thug all into one visual shows the diversity that Staxx displays in this visual. The Houston native paints a different picture for his city with this visual. Be on the lookout for more from him later this month!

The summer is upon us and the GRWYF$ crew is looking to pick up the pace and really start making some noise. With the compilation tape GRWYF$: FAMLAY nearing completion DJ Chi decides to leak another song from the tape featuring the usual suspects Femdot and Jahsi, and Sick Life member eGo. TNH takes a more trill approach than a normal song from the collective with a classic Pimp C sample.