Slept-On But Very Dope Hip Hop Songs From The Week Of 7/25/2011

In all the songs that get posted on HipHopDX.com each week, there’s some greatness that doesn’t get the proper attention it deserves. With diverse tastes within the music, the people who bring you DX certainly check it all. This week we bring you a Boston-themed posse cut like no other, a song that means even more after last week’s Amy Winehouse tragedy, and the latest Brownsville emcee that encourages Tims and mean-mugs.

B.o.B. – “Grip Your Body”

Back in 2009 when this track first made its rounds, no one really knew how valuable it would end up being in 2011. That’s for two reasons: one, B.o.B‘s  Southern-fried Hip-Pop stylings hadn’t even scratched the surface until a year later when “Airplanes” flew up the charts. The other reason being the Amy Winehouse sample (off her track “Stronger Than Me”) is as good as gold, given the tragic passing of Miss Winehouse this month. Prior to both of those events, “Grip Your Body” was just a track where an ATLien emcee showed promise to the tune of a singer we were starting to miss. Now though, it stands as the archetypical “you’ve come so far” track (Bobby Ray’s lines are stronger than this now) coupled with the haunting vocals of a star that is gone too soon.

Listen to “Grip Your Body” by B.o.B

Mister Jason featuring REKS, Edo G., etc. – “Mister Jason Has A Posse”

On paper building a Hip Hop song around the entire 26 letters of the alphabet is a recipe for a gimmick-ridden disaster. So it’s a testament to either the proficiency of the emcees that try or the fact that barely any emcees have attempted one in the first place, but when an “alphabet song” does see a release it is usually a jaw-dropping display of sharp rhymes and effortless segues. Masta Ace‘s “Alphabet Soup,” Papoose‘s “Alphabetical Slaughter” and Blackalicious‘ “Alphabet Aerobics” have not only succeeded but are highlights in each artists’ catalog and easily survive repeat listens. Another alphabet song that has amazingly escaped unscathed and managed to stop us in our tracks by upping the ante even more is this week’s pick from Mr. Jason’s Frankensteez project. With “Mr. Jason’s Posse” not only are the rhymes forced to adhere to the unaccommodating alphabetical template but the entire roster of four bars-at-a-time guests is built around 26 emcees whose names each start with a unique letter of the alphabet. As if that wasn’t enough, more than half of the “Posse” have sharpened their skills not in greater NYC or L.A., but in Boston. So sit back and enjoy a virtual aural history of Beantown Hip Hop from Akrobatik and Edo G. to Jaysaun, REKS and Slaine with an out of town legend rounding things off at Z…technically.

Listen to “Mister Jason Has A Posse” by Mister Jason featuring REKS, Edo G., Akrobatik, others

Maffew Ragazino featuring Steady Fam – “Motley Crue”

Brownsville, Brooklyn breeds ill emcees: M.O.P., Sean Price, Smoothe Da Hustler and others. The latest lyrical sensation out of the ‘Ville is Maffew Ragazino. Without sounding specifically throwback, Maffew upholds what many of us want New York Hip Hop to sound like. In this well-made street video, Ragazino brings out his Steady Fam crew. The two guests hold their own and keep the track steady, as few new entourage emcees can do these days.