Joey Bada$$ treats us to brand new music off his upcoming album B4.DA.$$. The first-single is titled “Big Dusty” and it’s exactly what you would expect from the Brooklyn rapper. Produced by Kirk Knight, the cut has a dark, eerie boom bap feel to it that has New York written all over it. Ride out to this one below.

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Joey Bada$$‘s third solo mixtape, Summer Knights, is almost a year old and to celebrate, an unreleased track entitled, “So High” has surfaced. The track was entirely produced by Pro Era‘s Chuck Strangers and he makes sure to lend his voice as well. Chuck adds this is, “A track Joey and I recorded during the “Summer Knights” recording sessions that never made the light of day till now.” Listen to “So High” below.

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#15: 1017 Thug – Young Thug

For better or worse, 2013 has undeniably been the year for trap music. Saturated with molly references, menacing bells, thudding bass and auto-tune, most of this music has been aggressively forgettable. Even the most passionate trap-enthused DJs haven’t kept most of these songs in rotation. Nevertheless, amidst this atmosphere of ephemeral mediocrity, one particular artist is etched into our minds: Young Thug. The Atlanta artist released 1017 Thug back in February, but it’s still a fresh project. Released a few weeks after Young Thug‘s signing to Gucci Mane‘s 1017 imprint, the mixtape reminds us of the unbridled experimentation that characterized trap’s initial emergence. Before trap music had a readily identifiable aesthetic, it was basically the sound of people trying to make money by any means necessary. Accordingly, no stone was left unturned; no idea was left unconsidered. Young Thug keeps that spirit alive, using trap sounds to create music that doesn’t easily fall into the categories of “street anthem” or “club-ready.” 1017 Thug features him truly exploring what trap can do beyond making people “turn up.” Of course, this mixtape will make you turn up, but that’s not all there is to it. There’s some genuine craftsmanship here.

#14: Summer Knights – Joey Bada$$

Young Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ had a hectic 2012. The release of his mixtape 1999 was insanely successful, very quickly propelling him and his Pro Era crew from internet underdogs to widely acknowledged emcees. Yet despite these gains, the year ended with a tragic los:, the suicide of Joey‘s friend and fellow crew member, Capital STEEZ. Joey and company strongly kept chugging along, working with other artists, touring and just generally trying to capitalize on their hard-earned opportunities, but death is a strange and unpredictable experience, so when Summer Knights was announced, there was some genuine trepidation regarding how good the music could be in the wake of such a tragedy. Fortunately, Joey delivers. Whereas 1999 painted Joey and Pro Era as meticulous nostalgists, Summer Knights shows that the crew’s artistic roots extend far beyond 90’s New York. New York’s particular contributions to hip-hop are still central to how Joey creates, but Summer Knights depicts Joey with leanings toward reggae, dub, poetry and arguably even some punk rock, with flows to match.

#13: Cut 4 Me – Kelela

Kelela has the uncanny ability to establish harmony amidst the most elemental chaos. Featuring graceful melodies atop amorphous tracks from producer hive Fade to Mind, Cut 4 Me is 50 minutes of fearless exploration of voice and affect. Strikingly, most of the songs are remixes, yet Kelela stealthily colonizes them all, owning them for herself. Some of these instrumentals truly are intimidating, yet Kelela faces them like a veteran, variously taming them and absorbing their unbridled energy into her melodies. Cut 4 Me is the musical equivalent of the comic book character Storm controlling, unleashing and becoming one with the weather.

#12: King Remembered in Time – Big K.R.I.T.

The consequence of giving fans consecutively stronger releases is the escalation of their expectations. With the release of Live From the Underground, Big K.R.I.T. found himself fighting against the quality of his former releases, much to his chagrin. After all, he made many sacrifices for Live From the Underground, namely its necessarily small number of samples in comparison to his mixtapes. Dealing with the reception of his debut album, the Mississippi rapper doubled-down on King Remembered in Time, actively competing with and trying to best his previous works. He isn’t as successful as he could have been, but the tenacity and the gumption of the project resonate well. K.R.I.T. both gives fans what they want and gives them a potent “STFU,” all while remaining relatively innovative and open-minded. There are surely some misfires, but when K.R.I.T. is on point, he’s truly unmatched. Read our full review here.

#11: No Poison, No Paradise – Black Milk

Black Milk‘s biggest career mistake may have been titling his 2010 LP, “Album of the Year.” While that project certainly stands firm as a great body of work, it is on No Poison, No Paradise that the Detroit emcee/producer crafts his magnum opus and undoubtedly one of the best albums of 2013. From the Mel-assisted opener, the listener is taken on a morose journey through the childhood of Sonny, a fictionalized character brought to life by Black Milk’s own experiences. Think of this as a more flushed-out and hyper-realized version of The Roots’ Undun. “Deion’s House” tells the story of Sonny’s friend, who is a quasi-bad influence, given the fact that he pulls Sonny towards the street life, while at the same time pushes our hero to pursue his musical aspirations. Herein lies the narrative in a nutshell: dealing with the influences of your surroundings while striving towards a greater goal. While Black Milk’s production sometimes garners more attention than his lyrical skills, as do his collaborations with the likes of Danny Brown and Jack White, this is the album that proves that his pen game is just as lethal.

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Joey comes through with his mixtape to tide fans over until his debut album. Summer Knights features appearances from the Pro Era crew, Smoke DZA and more, along with production by MF DOOM, DJ Premier and Statik Selektah. Stream below or download here.

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We’re getting closer and closer to the release of Joey Bada$$‘s next project Summer Knights. It’s set to drop July 1st. He’s been running with a more gritty swag lately with his delivery, and he continues with that on this new track “Amethyst Rockstar.” It’s no secret that he’s a DOOM fan, he definitely enjoys rhyming over his instrumentals. With this new track, he’s assisted by his fellow Pro Era member, Kirk Knight, who flows with impressive grace and precision. Stream “Amethyst Rockstar” below.

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It’s genuinely intriguing how far Joey Bada$$ has come in one year. As demonstrated by his mixtape Rejex, he’s been rapping the same way – lots of internal rhymes, puns on pronunciations, heavy references – since he was 15, yet he has still found ways to innovate. Last year’s project, 1999, was a hit, showing him in top form, yet compared to last year, he’s gotten even better. “95 Til Infinity” features him trading his foregoing his typically casual flow for an earnest, somewhat anguished delivery.

Citing Ab-Soul and briefly diving into politics, you get the feeling that his focus may have changed a little bit since last year. Summer Knights, his next project, was supposed to drop today, but it’s been pushed back. Pushbacks are usually bummers, but “95 Til Infinity” makes it worth the wait; Joey is on the brink of something amazing. Listen below. 

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Yesterday, Joey Bada$$ took to Twitter to announce that he would be pushing back his next project Summer Knights, but it wasn’t until this morning that he announced a new releases date for it. Joey stated that instead of it dropping on its original date of June 12th, the freeLP would now drop July 1st. In that same tweet, he also let loose some news regarding Capital STEEZ’s first posthumous project. The deceased Pro Era member’s tape was supposed to drop July 7th for free, but according to the Pro Era general, it will no longer be a free project…or maybe it just won’t drop July 7th. Based on the phrasing, we’re not sure if the tape delayed, now for sale, or both. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more news.

Summer Knights pushed back to July 1st….. and King Capital will no longer be released as free mixtape on 7/7…

— oG $wank. (@joeyBADASS_) June 11, 2013

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