Polyester the Saint | Sumthin' ta Creez To

Polyester the Saint follows up his debut album Peace, Love, Unity, Respect with a summertime classic (yes, I said classic) Sumthin' Ta Creez To. A high energy album with undeniably L.A. sounds, the solo project (no features) showcases Real Deal P's dexterity as a songwriter and producer. Check the first single and video "El Co" below and download Sumthin' Ta Creez To for the free HERE.

Dom Kennedy | Grind'n

Dom Kennedy has the internet going nuts waiting for From the West$ide, With Love II. Until then, The Infamous Green Streets serves an appetizer: the first "leak" from the project, Grind'n. Produced by Cardo on the Beat.

Nesby Phips ft Trademark Da Skydiver | Chemtrails

Rather than sell dope off his iPhone, Nesby Phips puts it to good use by filming, producing, and editing the visuals for Chemtrails. Nesby explains the motivation behind the track, the chemtrail conspiracy theory:

The video concept is based on the chemtrail conspiracy theory. The theory claims that trails left by government aircrafts contain chemical or biological agents targeting communities where higher-ups seek to influence population and climate control, violence stimulation, respiratory disease, and other health problems.

The fact that he calls upon his J.E.T. affiliation and enlists Trademark Da Skydiver for the hook takes the concept of the song to the next level. Another one in the steady stream of exceptional work from the New Orleans native.

JETS (and possibly government chemicals) over everything.

The Things We Carry | Kyle Bryant

If you're in the Vacationland you might see the wood cut and intaglio prints of Kyle Bryant wheat pasted around town. If you can't catch him on the street you can see his work on display June 8th-25th in Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts at 29 Forest Avenue. Click the image above to visit Kyle Bryant's online portfolio and print shop to see more of his work.

His work can also be seen on the cover of Portland, ME, hip hop group Sandbag's newest album. And as long as we're on Maine hip hop be on the look out for new music by the prolific South Portland, Mainers Dynamo-P & Ryan Augustus/Ghost.

Changing the Game? | Ode to Illmatic x Elmatic

Illmatic is one of the most impactful HipHop albums of all time. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones penned a classic that continues to inspire emcees the world over. Lately, and most explicitly, it spawned two mixtapes, beginning with Fashawn's "Ode to Illmatic," released in June of 2010. The mixtape, sponsored by XXL magazine and DJ Green Lantern, featured original Illmatic beats, and paid homage to the influence that Illmatic had on Fashawn's state of mind.

Last month, Elzhi followed suit, releasing "Elmatic," paying his respects to Illmatic. The tape features the remaking of the beats featured on Illmatic by Detroit band Will Sessions, and was sponsored by XXL magazine. Like Fashawn, Elzhi stayed true to the lyrical structure and cadence of the original.

The genre of HipHop has always toed the line between biting an original and creating something new. The use of samples in HipHop production immediately comes to mind, with artists whose work has been re-appropriated often catching feelings, and paychecks, over sample clearance. The integrity and intentions of the artists and projects posted is unquestioned--both Fashawn and Elzhi are true lyricists--but such similar mixtapes, in such a short amount of time, sponsored by the same magazine, gave me pause.

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L.A.U.S.D. | Ignite ft. Thurz x Y​-​O x Vida Jafari

The Los Angeles Unified Sound District (L.A.U.S.D.) is responsible for a lot of those west coast sounds that end up finding their way to your eardrums, having produced for the likes of Dom Kennedy, Blu, U-N-I, etcetera. Made up of artists/producers Polyester and L4ZY LOU, L.A.U.S.D. enlists Thurz, Y-O, and Vida Jafari for "Ignite," off their upcoming project L.A.U.S.D. *Board of Production.

Jay Ant | You Don't Understand

Bay Area emcee Jay Ant laces a beat, riding out to some smooth production sounding like summertime on the visuals for "You Don't Understand" (filmed and directed by Aris Jerome). Off his latest mixtape All About Being Cool 2: F%#! it, Smile.