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Mixtape Monday Features Sets and Tapes From DJ Kay Slay, Nolan The Ninja, The Alchemist, Vibe Music Collective + More For September 25th, 2017.
Mixtape Monday Features Sets and Tapes From DJ Kay Slay, Nolan The Ninja, The Alchemist, Vibe Music Collective + More For September 25th, 2017.

Mixtape Monday: DJ Kay Slay, Nolan The Ninja, The Alchemist + More

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

The spitters and beatsmiths put in overtime this Mixtape Monday with a handful of impressive projects from DJ Kay Slay, Nolan The Ninja and Brooklyn's own Cavalier.

It's an international thing as The Alchemist teams up with European spitters and digs the City of Light on the Paris L.A. Bruxelles tape for Red Bull Music Academy. Dublin hip-hop duo NEOMADiC make their mixtape debut, Juicy J gets Highly Intoxicated and J-Zone and Pablo Martin are back as The Du-Rites with their latest effort entitled Greasy Listening.

Press play on all the goodies and enjoy listening to episode 039 of Mixtape Monday.

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

Vibe Music Collective - Prodigy Tribute Mix

Cavalier rounds up his Vibe Music Collective bredren Mogillah, Iman Omari, hann_11, Pink Siifu, Mohdal Soul, and Quelle Chris to pay tribute to the H.N.I.C. himself, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson. Their 9-track tape is a toast to his “brutally honest, prophetic, and vivid” life.

The inspiration for the VMC Prodigy mix came after I binged on the audiobook version of Prodigy's "My Infamous Life" while recovering from some rigorous surgery on my mouth and jaw. I've always been a Prodigy fan, but in my state of repose I found myself returning to his life, in his own words, at a time where I could barely eat or talk without pain. Pain is a concurrent theme in Prodigy's life, and in the tradition of so many Black vessels he transmuted that into gritty, sensible, and beautifully vivid street poetry. His death was an uncannily timed finale to my healing process. Immediately I reached out to Iman.... "WE GOT TO DO SOMETHING"... I am very grateful to be surrounded by creators who would never dispute an opportunity to honor someone who has impacted us all, and the culture so indelibly. - Cavalier

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

Apathy & O.C. - Perestroika

Apathy and O.C. team on the brand new collaborative project Perestroika. Inspired by Mikhail Gorbachev’s reform policy (perestroika) and the Cold War of the 1980s, they tackle tough times over even tougher beats.

Anti-mainstream propaganda has become a bit of a cliche, so instead of speaking out against the unflattering direction that today's hip hop music has gone in, Apathy and O.C. have taken action by building a pillar in the ruins of what's left of true school hip hop. Picture the first time you heard Wu-Tang Clan's debut album "Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers" and were immediately swept up in to a dark Kung Fu movie, with the sound effects and painted visuals - "Perestroika" is intended to have the same effect... except it transports you to Cold War, Soviet Russia. From the Kremlin, to small villages affected by the economically devastating times of Perestroika, this album is a salute to the underdog and all those who are able to survive the coldest winters.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

Yamin Semali - The HotEP

ATLien Yamin Semali follows his Saturda¥​/​$​unday remix project with The HotEP, pronounced “The Hot EP.” The hard-hitting 5-track release is a soulful appetizer that lands just ahead of his forthcoming full-length Phantom Feeling LP, produced by Dublohskytzo.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

NEOMADiC - The NEOMADiC Tape

Dublin hip-hop duo and Word Up Collective alums NEOMADiC mark their mixtape debut with The NEOMADiC Tape. The self-titled release is an 11-track heater studded with laid-back flows and lo-fi, jazz tinged production from Solace, Kabocha, Autumn Keys, Toj, Foley, Sonic, Austin Jaye, mndbd and Shamana & SwuM.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

Nolan The Ninja - YEN

Detroit spitter Nolan The Ninja is fresh from the lab with YEN. Dropping straight bars across seventeen tracks, he plies his latest release for Brooklyn’s Left Of Center imprint with absolute heat. Nolan’s ferocious lyrical skill is matched by an impressive list of collaborators including Quelle Chris, Blu, Royce Da 5’9, Black Milk, 14KT, ADD-2, Denmark Vessey and Scud One.  This one is a shortlist contender for sure.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: SoundCloud

The Alchemist - Paris L.A. Bruxelles Mixtape

The Alchemist links with some of Europe’s finest spitters on the Paris L.A. Bruxelles mixtape for Red Bull Music Academy. Alan The Chemist does what he does best, providing fire behind the boards for the project from RBMA Festival Paris. The tape crafted from French vinyl samples features Roméo Elvis, Caballero & JeanJass, Cool Connexion, Jazzy Bazz & Esso, Deen Burbigo, Heskis (of 5 Major), Lomepal and more on the mic.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: SoundCloud

DJ Kay Slay - The Big Brother

The Drama King, DJ Kay Slay, teams with some of the biggest names in rap on The Big Brother. The 22-track release is a clinic in posse cuts that follows the late-summer single “Jealousy” featuring Busta Rhymes, Game and Tech N9ne. The roster for The Big Brother is just as crazy. Rick Ross, Bun B, Fat Joe, The LOX, Beanie Sigel, Nipsey Hussle, Joell Ortiz, Raekwon, Uncle Murda, Papoose and many more can be found wrecking shop on this tape.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: SoundCloud

Juicy J - Highly Intoxicated

Triple Six veteran, Memphis legend and Taylor Gang representative Juicy J drops a gem for the streets and the shake clubs with the Highly Intoxicated mixtape. A refreshing return to form following his 2012 smash “Bandz A Make Her Dance” and the spring 2017 release Gas Face, the 15-track tape is a slab music masterpiece that features appearances from Wiz Khalifa, Project Pat, A$AP Rocky, Smoke Purpp, T Shyne and more.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

Roman Lee Norfleet - Cosmic Coast

Soulvember Records chief Roman Lee Norfleet takes a solo flight for a bit of astral traveling on the Cosmic Coast EP. Spitting and adding his signature soul vocal to the refrains, he seeks a higher consciousness over a handful of sumptuous tracks that channel the best of the vibrant West Coast beat tape scene.

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Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Bandcamp

The Du-Rites - Greasy Listening

J-Zone and Pablo Martin are back in the saddle as The Du-Rites with their new album Greasy Listening. The 13-track follow-up to their self-titled 2016 debut is a must listen for lovers of classic funk and soul breaks, rare grooves and pretty much anything by Fela Kuti or Adrian Younge.

Greasy Listening differs from its predecessor is in its composition and theme. Where their almost entirely instrumental debut often built upon jams and vamps, the tunes on Greasy Listening are composed and arranged with more attention to detail, feature some vocal narrations and rely less on soloing. Undermanned as a duo, J-Zone and Pablo realized they would they need to tighten up the areas beyond their main instruments (drums and guitar, respectively) to prevent rehashing their debut. These limitations birthed raw organ solos, electric piano riffs, greasy bass solos and more.

Karas Lamb writes and digs for tunes you haven’t heard yet. She actually wants to listen to your mixtape. Follow her on Twitter @karaslamb or Instagram @blamblamkaraslam.