Alright folks… here it is. The first installment of our Big Break series. Giving a few select artists a chance to shine on a tape with some of the dopest spitters doing it today. Music from the likes of Royce Da 5’9″, Nino Bless, Sha Stimuli, Kam Moye, Kool G Rap, Joell Ortiz, Grafh and up and comers Vibes, Stryfe, LnC, St. Joe Louis, Pilot Touhill, Patrick Starr & Juve.
Tracklist + Download link after the jump…
First Off we want to thank everyone who submitted their material. If you weren’t chosen its not cause you weren’t better than anyone on the tape we looked for specific things. We had a team that was secretly compiled of very well respected ears going through each song. There are money people supporting this movement and before you know it there will be Big Break showcases and tours coming to a city near you. For this particular project not everyone was fit to be on it. I apologize to the delay to every artist. Setting these things up aren’t easy so thanks to all of the artist who were apart of this project for dealing with the slight bumps. This was the first one it will only get better. Vol 2 is dropping sooner than you think.
01 Grafh – Intro
02 Ras Kass – Milli Vanilli f. Killah Priest
03 Grafh – How You Live It
04 Royce 5’9′ – Come Home
05 Kam Moye – American Dream
06 Sha Stimuli – So Supreme
07 Stryfe – I’m Dying f. Melanie Rutherford (www.stryfed.com)
08 Swollen Members – Crossfire f. Talib Kweli, Phil Da Agony & Krondon
09 Grafh – Hold Up
10 Joell Ortiz – Freestyle
11 Jay Electronica – Defcon 4
12 Vibes – Live As It Gets f. Royce 5’9″ (www.Freethevibes.com)
13 Sha Stimuli – I’ll Be There
14 Saigon – Freestyle
15 Nino Bless – Step Into My Life
16 Kool G Rap – Thugs Love Story pt.4
17 Kam Moye – Short Changed
18 LnC – Take You On A Journey (www.LnCmusic.co.uk)
19 St Joe Louis – 30,000 Feet & Rising f. Unique (twitter.com/MichaelCardigan)
20 Nino Bless & Nickelus F – Playing With Fire
21 Cambatta – Good Ol Dayz f. Nino Bless
22 Justin Ray – Holy Are You (truthflytalker.blogspot.com)
23 Pilot Touhill – Black Leaf (myspace.com/pilottouhill)
24 Patrick Starr – Rising To The Top f. Hunt (twitter.com/iampatrickstarr)
25 Juve – Can’t Stay This Way (myspace.com/JuvesReal)
26 Horse Shoe Gang – You Don’t Wanna Fuck With Me f. Crooked I
27 Nino Bless – Where I’m From (2dbz Bonus)We wrote out a list of each artist that earned a slot on this mixtape and a reason as to why we felt they were worthy enough of being on this tape. This was a huge break for these artist cause most of them have never been on high profile website. I want to shout out DatPiff for doing this tape with us and shout outs every blog and site supporting. Here are the artist that made the tape and a breakdown as to why they were picked.
Justin Ray – There were a few artist who sounded a bit more seasoned than Justin Ray on the mic but they didn’t sound better. J.R. although raw has plenty of potential. You can tell he emphasizes on how he’s saying each word and he raps with an intensity that others lack. The main reason that Justin Ray is on this tape is cause he sounds like he feels what he’s saying. That is something very few MC’s lack these days. This is what earned Justin his spot.
Juve – You can say the most amazing thing on a track but if the song has no direction the listener will get lost. We picked Juve because he properly guided the listener on this track and that’s something an artist needs to have. Command of the beat is one thing but commanding the listener’s direction and not losing them is very important. Juve earned his way on this spot here with this song.
LnC – Straight out of the U.K. as if you couldn’t tell by hearing his accent the first thing that grabs your attention about this song is the vibe. The beat grabs you right away and LnC does exactly what the track title says. Taking you on a journey with his experience of going to prison and how NY in the 80’s is similar to his current surroundings. LnC has command over this beat and whether he’s your flavor or not he makes you want to listen. This is what earned LnC his spot.
Patrick Starr – You might recognize the name from Sponge Bob but Patrick doesn’t kick cartoon raps. As soon as the song dropped we knew to expect good things. The chorus and beat are both epic and very easy on the ears. Many rappers sent us songs where they tried to rap too much but forgot about cadence and making music. Patrick’s submission was one of the easiest choices we made due to song structure. This is what earned Patrick Starr his spot.
Pilot Touhill – The best song we got out of all of the submissions. Pilot has something that many successful people even in music can’t say about themselves. Take a listen to “Black Leaf” the song he submitted for this Mixtape and you’ll hear an artist. What’s great about this record is that he’s saying something with a message, the harmony and vibe are both amazing, & the song has heavy replay value. Replay value is rare to find these days and with this song, its hard to even get tired of it. You can play this for your hardcore rap buddy, your commercial loving girlfriend, or even your old school aunt and most likely get the same reaction. If Pilot continues on this path with his music there’s no telling how far he can get. This is what earned Pilot Touhill his spot.
St Joe Louis – A good vibe and good song, sound familar? Hate to sound redundant but we got so many submissions where some rappers forgot there was a beat behind them. This song is a good change of pace compared to the your typical shoot, bang, and kill record. St Joe Louis is a great name. It sounds like a new type of wing sauce that I’d try. I definitely appreciate this type of Hip Hop. This is what earned St Joe Louis his spot.
Stryfe – Stryfe can definitely command a beat and you can’t help but notice his powerful voice. Some artist who have many faults and carry a great voice, can get away with a lot of their faults cause their voice allows them to. Stryfe has more than just a great voice. He basically has so much control of the beat he can pick his own spots to pause rather than feel forced by the beat to do so. If he keeps working on his craft and study’s the greats he just might be a diamond in the rough. Some people don’t realize what they have and some don’t realize what they lack. Stryfe has a mountain of potential if he can put certain things together. His song stood out instantly when we heard his submission. This is what earned Stryfe his spot.
Vibes – The first thing I noticed about Vibes was that he had an official song with Royce 5’9 and actually didn’t sound out of place. Vibes can put words together and at times command the beat as if its so routine. His rhymes and music sound like they belong on any true Hip Hop mixtape. He rhymes intense and the quality in his music all around is noticeable right away. Let me just mention that at this point right now Vibes is already a dope MC. I wouldn’t call this criticism more like a suggestion to the kid. He should continue to progress with his song making and delivery with no problem. If he puts it together to where he’s landing some serious quotables there’s no telling how big he can get. I traded emails back and forth with every rapper or their manager for this project. Vibes was by bar the best communicator out of all. Networking is such a big thing for an artist to succeed these days. Vibes has talent, professionalism and grind. These are 3 things that are essential for up and coming artist to use to gain recognition. This is what earned Vibes his spot.
If you are interested in being on the next Big Break Mixtape email [email protected] and submit your music. Take a chance in earning your spot as well! – Nino Bless
DOWNLOAD: Big Break Mixtape v.1 (Mixed by DJ Lennox) | Mediafire
