This week (well, every week) was a big week for free music, mixtape releases dominated twitter timelines and filled blog posts. We saw releases from each of the mainstream heavyweight crews; Lil Wayne (YMCMB), Gunplay (MMG) and Big Sean (G.O.O.D) who all put out projects, digitally. As we know, everything on the internetz today is accessible for free, and the more popular the artist, the more their projects are promoted, championed by bloggers and retweeted.

With so much music dropping each day, it’s tough to stay on top of every one of them, (even if you’re only streaming them!), so we figured it was our civic duty, as purveyors of good taste in Hip Hop, to earmark a couple of releases that we thought flew under the radar.

We threw together a cool list of this past week’s mixtape releases in our first installment of our Pre-Weekend Recap. Each week we will scour the webz and feature something else, we find dope. Maybe it will be fresh new vinyl releases, or great podcasts we’ve listened to, solid interviews we’ve read, regardless you can guarantee, if we liked it, its probably worth checking out.

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Talib Kweli & Z-Trip – Attack The Block [Link]
Released: September 3
Released By: Blacksmith Records
Tracks: 18
Features: Ab-Soul, Ryan Leslie, Mac Miller, Jay Rock, Killa Mike, Styles P, Lil Wayne, Black Thought, Das Racist, Maino, Ace Hood, Grafh, Planet Asia
Breakdown: To hold us over until his album ‘Prisoner Of Conscious’ drops, later this year, Talib took it coast-to-coast and joined forces with Z-Trip to drop the highly anticipated mixtape. The tape which looks more like an album than a mixtape, is stacked with a tight list of guest appearances, both in the booth and behind the boards.





Solid Steel DJ’s (DJ Cheeba + DJ Moneyshot + DJ Food) – Caught In The Middle Of A 3-Way Mix [Link]
Released: August 31
Released By: Ninja Tune Records
Tracks: 1 Long Track
Features: Too many to list!
Breakdown: Three years ago Solid Steel DJs Cheeba, Moneyshot and Food came up with the dope idea of collaborating on a version of the Beastie Boys‘ ‘Paul’s Boutique’. Inspired by Moneyshot’s crazy mix of the ‘Check Your Head’ album, strictly made off of the original sample, they attacked the task of honoring ‘Paul’s Boutique’ the same way. They combined forces, and each member took one third of the album, and put their efforts into a newwwwww style (see what i did there?) of mixtape listening. Aside from the original sample sources they’ve included commentary from the Beasties, vintage interviews, demo versions and much more.





Jneiro Jarel – JJ DOOM Mixtape [Link]
Released: September 3
Released By: dazeddigital.com
Tracks: 1 Long Track
Breakdown: Dazed Digitial linked up with MF Doom and Jneiro Jarel and dropped an exclusive mixtape of who just couldn’t get enough of their latest release, Key To The Kuffs. The JJ half of the project provided showcased his very exclusive sampling on the mixtape which provides a compilation of tracks noted as the inspiration to their album.

Wrecking Crew Presents Wu-Tang Pulp [Link]
Released: September 4
Released By: Bandcamp
Tracks: 16
Features: BLKHRTS, Elucid, Ethel Cee & Random
Breakdown: The Philly MC collective, The Wrecking Crew ( Zilla Rocca, Has-Lo and Curly Castro) pay homage to the Wu in this super-creative tribute mixtape. They flip some of their favorite Wu Tang bangers—half reworking the original source material, or half dropping full covers. For any fan of the Wu, or up-and-coming MC’s, this mix is for you. It’s not only revisiting the greatness of the Wu-Collective, but it’s entering a new chamber.

S.O.U.L. Productions Presents – 5 DEADLY DUTCH VENOMS [Link]
Released: September 7
Released By: S.O.U.L Productions
Tracks: 66!!!
Features: All of your favorite rapper’s favorite rappers
Breakdown: Remember the classic mixtape, The 5 Deadly Venoms Of Brooklyn? It featured the top-tier DJ’s from Brooklyn: Tony Touch, DJ Premier, P.F. Cuttin, Mister Cee & DJ Evil Dee. Each DJ showcased their own set, combining to create one of the most prestigious groups of DJ’s to join forces on one project. S.O.U.L Productions took it overseas to tribute that premier mixtape to release The 5 Deadly Dutch Venoms mixtape, which featues some of the best DJ’s from Holland: DJ Broky B, DJ DBS, DJ DNS, DJ Irie & DJ TLM. This mix is full of 90′s classic that will sure to keep your head nodding.



BONUS:

Cornerstone Mixtape #47: DJ Green Lantern & DJ Premier – D&D Studios [Link]
Released: N/A
Released By: Cornerstone Promotions
Tracks: 33
Features: Gang Starr, Ghostface Killah, The Beatnuts, 50 Cent, Erick Sermon, Jadakiss, Capone-N-Noreaga, M.O.P & more.
Breakdown: Had to bring back at least one classic on this list. Cornerstone Promotions had a great run with mixtapes, and were a keystone for new exclusives and dope collabos. This tape paired up two of the greatest to do it, Primo and Green. Each DJ got one side of the tape to themselves to run through the dopest records of the time. Don’t sleep on that Guru freestyle, either!