Slept-On But Very Dope Hip Hop Songs From The Week Of 1/8/2012

This week’s Sunday segment is driven by three different veteran emcees getting some of the biggest recognition of their careers of paying dues and breaking down boundaries. Two of these three artists have recent albums, while another is finally motioning towards his time with a new video.

Torae – “Real Talk”

Since 2008, Torae has really won me over as one of the more talented guys who doesn’t get the respect I think he deserves. After making two gems in Daily Conversation and Double Barrel (with Marco Polo), Torae really dedicated himself to his For The Record album (Tor deems it his solo debut) last year. Although “Real Talk” actually belongs to a Coalmine Records project, this track fits nicely with the FTL content we all seemed to like so much in ’11.

Da Young Veteran has a gift for making a case for hardcore Hip Hop, and stating the 15 years of dues he’s paid without sounding whiny or preachy. This song succeeds in that, and begins 2012 where 2011 left off. Young Cee delivers the kind of beat that Torae sounds best on – soulful, with hard drums. Like Brooklyn storytellers before him, Dana Dane and The Notorious B.I.G., Torae has a rare gift in telling compelling, believable stories from his life. Real talk. – Jake Paine (@Citizen__Paine)

Listen to “Real Talk” by Torae

Wiley – “Fire”

The UK’s all-encompassing Hip Hop scene is so different from US Hip Hop. I realize that when I hear artists like Wiley. Yes, he’s classified most times as “Garage” but I feel like the UK is ahead of their time when it comes to classifications of Hip Hop and their ability to compartmentalize them based upon sound. Anyway, when I first heard the Wiley track “Wearing My Rolex” a while back, I really liked it because it was so dancey, yet sort of rappish (I’m making up words here). I must admit I slept hard on Wiley recently; so hard that I had to include 100% Publishing in the Year End Album Reviews We Missed of 2011 because I forgot he was even a thing. My bad. So a while ago, Wiley dropped this track “Fire” over Twitter and I forgot about that too. Shouts to NewBeatsDaily for reminding me, because I added this cut to DX rotation this week. The track is pretty fast, has some Dancehall vibes to it, and is an all around party. Last I heard this was going to be on his January 24th release of Evolve Or Be Extinct. However, I have that CD in my possession, and it’s not on the tracklist. The point of all this is, don’t sleep on Wiley like I did. – Kathy Iandoli (@Kath3000)

Listen to “Fire” by Wiley

Big Heavy – “Birdz Flying High”

When it was released a few years back Big Heavy a/k/a Doughboy’s “Birdz Flying High” completely passed me by. Thanks to a brand new video that dropped this week I discovered a track that not only has held up over the last four years but actually manages to sound more vital than ever. When an emcee weaves – true or fabricated – street tales over a Lil Lody or Lex Luger beat the feeling is a victorious one, a larger than life voice regaling us with a post-game rundown of his grind up the ladder, success on the corner that led to the lavish life he’d like to tell us all about.

Now take an emcee like Big Heavy whose rhymes have a present day, real-time quality; and give him a haunted MAJ beat like “Birdz Flying…” and you get a track that returns the chills, weariness and gravel that are supposed to come with stories of the day-to-day hustle, eking out a living in the street “workplace.” It’s a similar sample choice RZA made last year on “New Day” , his contribution to Watch The Throne. While RZA used the original Nina Simone track “Feeling Good” and MAJ uses Michael Buble’s rendtion, the line that anchors both is “you know how I feel.” Big Heavy’s rhymes make good on that promise as he prepares to use the “keys to open his success” but I still have a hard time knowing what it feels like to be Jay or Kanye. – Michael Sheehan

The last Slept On piece.