Shot by Deacon the Villain.

The other night, yU, Substantial and Boog Brown hit 529 in Atlanta to rock for an intimate crowd. Check our 2Dope look at the evening. yU’s recount up top, Stan and Boog Brown down bottom.

With two dates left of his tour (Brooklyn and Baltimore), Substantial liberates a bonus cut from the Home Is Where The Art Is recording sessions.

STREAM/DOWNLOAD: Substantial – Movin’ Alright f. yU (prod. Oddisee)

The A-side of the next installment in Mello Music Group’s 7” Series comes from Diamond District/1978er producer/emcee yU. The gruff DMV MC is known for philosophical street rap but “Dreams” takes a different route – the result a hauntingly beautiful track likely to end up on repeat.

Enlisting Danedra Rowell on vocals, yU eschews the new age boom-bap that got him noticed for something closer to all of our heartstrings. Featuring no rapped bars, “Dreams” is a bittersweet ballad that is less literal than emotive. It captures that late-night, pensive feeling us music heads are very familiar with. yU is able to craft a sound that is universal and hyper-local, breaking new ground for himself musically. The drums sound like they could be on any Diamond District-related project but the melody and chords don’t sound too far from something that could find its way onto radio.

Peeling back yet another layer of sound from his extensive pallet, yU is proving his versatility as a musician. “Dreams” along with the b-side “Prior Days” officially comes out on limited edition (300 copies only) vinyl 7” this Tuesday – though it is shipping early from MMG now!

DOWNLOAD: yU – Dreams f. Danedra Rowell
PREVIOUS: yU – I Believe (Oddisee Remix)

yU taps his Diamond District compadre to remix one of the standouts from 2011′s the EARN.

DOWNLOAD: yU – I Believe (Oddisee Remix)

For their latest release, the mysterious Black Opera hijack a beat off  the Diamond District’s A Garbage Beat Tape.

The Black Superstar has always been a paradox in American Culture. African-Americans, and many racialized ‘others’, have for a long time held this odd allure as naturally cool, while at the same time suffering the effects of a body that is instantly criminalized. This is a dangerous duality that can serve as simultaneous impetus and hindrance. This polarization drives an ill collaboration between yU and the mysterious outfit known as The Black Opera, hosted by Mello Music Group.

DOWNLOAD: The Black Opera – Black Superstar (prod. yU)

This is one smooth number. Lee’s Fantastic Plastic will see the light of day February 28th.

PREVIOUS: Lee Bannon Remixes The Weeknd (Video)

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, yU decided to let loose track 11 of The Earn

Today’s a special day in remembrance of a man that resembled the spirit of a leader at a time where many just followed suit & went with the tide. Another example of how powerful the spoken word can be, changing the lives of many by something as simple as a thought; amplified by the tone of his voice. When iIm onstage, sometimes I think of Martin & Malcolm. I think of how they fueled their supporters with inspiration to push forward. I wrote “I Believe” at a time when I myself was going thru a lot, and was trying to fine tune my focus. Somehow after talking to my creator, & Charlie Ross (who lived in Okinawa, Japan at the time), I was given the music & this is what came from it. – yU

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DOWNLOAD: yU (of Diamond District) – I Believe f. Duff

Continuing the push for in 2dope album, the EARN, the Diamond District member lets loose another free release for y’all listening pleasure.

Time Machine which is a sort of a retrospective song on life, family, and experiences growing up. The song is produced by Unknown & yU and features Drew Kid on the keys and DJ 2Tone on the cuts. The end of Time Machine transitions into the song Remember U which employs the vocal talents of Bilal Salaam & Danedra Rowell on the hook. Remember U is produced by yU himself and he describes it as “uptempo, bouncy…elements of old & new with oohs & ahhs that are 50′s and 60′s-ish.”

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DOWNLOAD: yU – Time Machine x Remember U f. Bilal Salaam & Danedra Rowell

Directed by Heron Gibran

yU, 1/3rd of Diamond District, builds on his album, The Earn out now on iTunes.

yU’s The Earn is now up on iTunes for sale.

For Blind, yU enlists fellow DMV resident and Low Budget legend Kev Brown to produce. The track is a powerful exploration of the heightened sensory awareness to sound that is present when one’s sight is taken and to the myriad of blessings in life we miss when not tuned in.

PREVIOUS: yU – If U Down

Slightly late, but here is the first single off yU’s forthcoming LP, The Earn which you can pre-order on iTunes here or on money green wax or CD.

Hearts frozen, why do we be on that cold sh*t,
We used to be cultured, influenced by the vultures they’ve been scoping, analyzing with a motive
Its.. like we’ve been tied up with an invisible rope and
Them jails open, they get paid when they put month in-side, kinda currupt.. Its time for us to just expose them
Its wild, especially when ur skintone’s brown, but right now we boutta turn it around

READ: yU x Al Lindstrom Interview
PREVIOUS: yU – A Garbage Beat Tape (Album)

The Diamond District MC is back with a follow up to Before Taxes, released earlier this year, with A Garbage Beat Tape. 23 tracks deep, the title of yU’s mixtape is an oxymoron of high proportions, but check it for yourself. You can pre-order yU’s sophomore album, The Earn on iTunes with a 12.13.2011 release date attached to it.

DOWNLOAD: yU – A Garbage Beat Tape (Album)