{Download} 9th Wonder - 9th Wonder Invented The Remix (Again) (mixtape)

I know some of you will NEVER tire of the 9th Wonder remix, so enjoy! With remixed tracks from Tribe, Nas, Com, GFK, LB, Red & Mef, Kanye, etc, this is sure to be worthwhile. 9th Wonder - 9th Wonder Invented The Remix (Again) (via ONSMASH)

{Download} Consequence - Sounds G.O.O.D. 2 Me

This song is kinda dope. . . actually, it's really dope. What has this dude been doing? The only time you ever really hear him is on Tribe and Ye tracks. I mean, I know he has done mixtapes and even has a few albums, but damn. He needs to do more of his own shit, kid got flow. ...enjoy! Consequence - Sounds G.O.O.D. 2 Me (via ONSMASH)

{Download} Kurupt - Stalkin'

I'm sorry but. . . this song is fucking awesome. Enjoy! Kurupt - Stalkin' (via ONSMASH)

"Bitch, you must got me fucked up..." -Kurupt

Song of the day: Digital Underground - Kiss You Back

You need some of this in your life, don't front. Enjoy!

Judge this shit for yourself: Savant of RAREBREED

Listen: Savant of RAREBREED - 'Til Death Do Us Part

What makes you different and/or better than those rappers/MC's that are thought of as the best the game has to offer (Hov, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, etc) right now?

What sets me apart from most of these people considered to be the 'best' is my lack of fluff. I make sure that every line I write counts for SOMEthing. That doesn't mean that every line is going to be deep or profound. It simply means that none of my words are used just for the sake of rhyme, I don't use filler lines that serve to simply get from point A to point B, and I don't put less effort into what I'm doing just because a song that I'm working on is supposed to be a single or is being backed by a banging beat.

Why do you love hip hop?

I love hip hop music because it's the only genre that I know of that legitimately incorporates elements of every other genre around it and because it's the only genre that is built solely on creativity. I'm a classically trained musician that has taken about 10 years of music theory training and the fact that there's no definitive music theory in hip hop is nothing short of miraculous to me. The participants MAKE the theory and rules as they go along. Some rules stick. Some rules thankfully don't. Either way, the rulebook is always changing as the participants and listeners change. Of course there are some drawbacks to that, but what other genre of music can lay claim to such a system? Hip hop is beauty that abounds from organized chaos.

Why should we/I give a fuck?

You should care about what I'm doing because I truly care about what I'm doing. While everyone else is claiming that they aren't a rapper, and for that matter SOUNDING like they aren't a rapper, damnit I'm laying claim to the title. I'm a f*cking rapper. Actually, you know what? F*ck that. I'm not a rapper. I'm an emcee. And yes, there IS a difference. Either way, I'm good at what I do.

Blogger commentary: if you want more info, hit this nigga on Twitter: @SavantRAREBREED

{Video} DOM Kennedy - Menace Beach

I'm kinda feelin' this beat. . . I don't really listen to DOM Kennedy, because everything of his I've ever heard, I haven't really liked... but this isn't bad. I guess. Enjoy!

Song of the day: Ludacris - Georgia (feat. Field Mob)

This song goes sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hard in a car with a good sound system. I miss this Luda. ...okay, enjoy!

Song of the day: Kayne West - Family Business

I love this song. It's sooooooo much more than just the song of the day. Really listen to it. . . if this shit don't remind you of your family... well, it reminds me of mine. Enjoy!

{Download} Mos Def - The Tournament

This track is kinda fresh... though most of what the mighty MOS does is kinda fresh... so, enjoy! Mos Def - The Tournament (via ONSMASH)

{Video} Mos Def - White Drapes

Mos Def makes the most simplistic videos... yet they somehow work. If you don't think Mos Def is one of the best rappers... period. You need to go get a CT scan. Though, in all honesty, I'm not the biggest fan of The Ecstatic, as it's not his best album by a long shot... he is still fucking amazing though. Enjoy!

Song of the day: Johnson & Jonson - Nuts Hang

This shit is dope... kinda high energy for 11pm, but it's called song of the day, not song of the night so. . . whatever, fuck you. Enjoy!

{Video} CurT@!n$ - Exodus

Ummmm, I don't know why... but I was feelin' this. . . That is all. Enjoy!

{Download} Redman - Oh My

Oh my... this track is hawt. Tell me when you heard the first ten seconds though, you didn't think it was T.I... you lie, you did think it was Tip Harris. . . or not, but I fuckin' did. Oh well, whatever. ...enjoy! Redman - Oh My (via ONSMASH)

Song of the day: Danny Brown - Sittin' So High

I choose this as the song of the day, not only because it's a dope song, but because I will be posting an interview I did very recently with Danny Brown, hopefully sometime this week. . . so get up on him! Until then ...enjoy motherfuckers!

{Download} Oddisee - Odd Winter (mixtape)

This is Oddisee's (of Diamond District) latest. . . I felt like a lot of the tracks on this really did embody how winter feels, which is pretty dope when you think about it. Music invoking the feeling of a season. Awesome. ...enjoy! Oddisee - Odd Winter

Song of the day: Young RJ - Lovely (instrumental)

This is an awesome beat... I have been listening to a lot of instrumentals tonight, and this one stuck out in my mind above the others, so... enjoy!

{Download} Common - Next Time

I'm always apprehensive about new Common. . . he is so hit or miss. I have had my heart broken more than once by Common... but at the same time, when Com is on, he is fuckin' on... I mean, don't you agree? Nah, for real? FOR REAL? ...enjoy! Common - Next Time (via ONSMASH)

{Download} AZ – Exhibit AZ

Yep... another Exhibit C freestyle. Enjoy! Or don't. . . whatever. AZ - Exhibit AZ (via ONSMASH)

{Download} Tanya Morgan - Gotcha Open Original

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Tanya Morgan's overall sound. . . but lyrically, these dudes are beasts. Enjoy! Tanya Morgan - Gotcha Open Original (via ONSMASH)

Judge this shit for yourself: Illingsworth

Listen: Illingsworth - Time Kills (feat. Sene)

Some of the greatest acts in hip hop are duos or groups (Tribe, Goodie Mob, N.W.A., etc)... How do you plan to prove yourself as worthy of being included in the same league as those legends? 

Well I'm an emcee/producer in a group called Detroit CYDI (http://detroitcydi.com). To keep it simple, the group plan is the same as my own. I have NO plan to prove myself worthy to sit amongst those greats. When legends die, people who only met them through their music will still shed real tears. That's love. I have no idea how to make someone love me. Also, you can have the desire to be a legend but true legendary status is never contrived. I just want to give people the best approximation of the music I hear in my head, and if they want to crown me the-king-of-something at the end of the day, sweet. If not, I'll live, until I die. If the CYDI or myself become legends is entirely up to the listeners/supporters. I've done a few instrumental projects (all available at http://illingsworks.com for free or fee) which have received pretty good feedback. I always feel like I can improve. As long as I keep working towards polishing my skills at translating the sounds in my head into actual sounds, someone other than my blood relatives might mourn my passing from this realm. :)

Why do you love hip hop?

I love music period, mostly because of what it does to the senses.  From the creation, to the digestion, to the performance, I'm sure it has to be the closest thing to using drugs, aside from actually using drugs (I don't smoke). I rhyme as well as produce, and when I'm on stage I feel like I can kick the planet into the sun. It's a ridiculous rush, a very euphoric experience. You get the duration of a song to win the crowd. It's sink or swim. Unpredictable. And when you are an emcee and you feel yourself enter the infamous "Zone" , there is nothing in this world like it. The listening experience can also be pretty euphoric. There are songs that make people cry, smile, laugh, reflect. Music is life. It's beautiful. 

Why should we/I give a fuck?

You should care about what I'm doing because...well...because I care about what you hear. I put a lot of myself into the music I create, and I want you to feel just as happy and honored to hear it, as I feel to make it for you.  So um, EXCELSIOR. I don't like to talk a lot, I'd rather let the music do that so. Check out some sounds, and you can tell me exactly what you think. Peace and thank you. 

Blogger commentary: if you want more info, hit this nigga on Twitter: @Illingsworth