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Hot Sugar - Made Man EP

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Beatsmith Hot Sugar has always had a quirkier style than most when it comes to production, and it's great to hear him enlist a gauntlet of MCs that compliment it on his new Made Man EP. Now, is this thing really an EP? I mean, it's got ten tracks, and it's almost forty minutes long. It's almost longer than one of my favorite albums of this year...

Whatever, either way Hot Sugar delivers with some beats that feature some great grooves, colorful synths, and some intentionally low-budget textures. I like that this dude's instrumentals feel intentionally damaged and grimy, but are also pretty light in mood as well. Made Man is just straight fun.

Also, give a listen to this thing if you're looking for some new verses from Open Mike Eagle, Heems, KOOL A.D., Big Baby Gandhi, or Antwon. Enjoy!

Also, feel free to check a video for the EP cut "Erica" below:

Hot Sugar- Midimurder

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Download: Hot Sugar- Midimurder I was wondering when this guy was gonna get some significant notice! Beatmusic producer Nick Koenig, a.k.a. Hot Sugar, has been putting together some pretty colorful, vibrant, and hyper-sweet instrumentals for a while now. However, most of what I've heard from him hasn't really been graced by a MC.

That changes on this new EP of his, though. Midimurder not only features some of Hot Sugar's best instrumentals yet, but the likes of Haleek Maul, Das Racist, and Big Baby Gandhi appear to drop a personality-filled verse or two.

The whole thing is free, downloadable via the link above. Listen and have fun!

Mayhem Lauren- "Special Effects" ft. Heems, Action Bronson (prod. Harry Fraud)

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Ever since I caught New York MC Mayhem Lauren's last album, Self Induced Illness, I've been crossing my fingers in hopes that great things will come to this guy. His old school delivery, heavy voice, and gritty personality are exactly what I look for in hip hop like this. Surprisingly, his cohort Action Bronson has been doing a lot better when it comes to popularity, but maybe 2012 is Lauren's year.

This cosign from Das Racist's Heems might help. This punchy beat from Harry Fraud couldn't hurt either.

From what I understand, this track is from a forthcoming project titled Respect the Fly Shit, which is being presented in part by LRG and the Das Racist-curated label Greedhead. Should be the push this guy needs to get out there.

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Kool A.D.- 51

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Victor Vasquez, better known as Kool A.D., is best known as a member of the New York hip hop outfit Das Racist. Along with Himanshu and Dapwell, Das Racist has made a sizeable splash in the indie music world over the past couple of years. One thing about Das Racist's members is that they love to give out free material. 51 is Kool's second free mixtape, following January's Palm Wine Drunkard. Fans of Kool's verses and flow will feel right at home with 51.

Bizarre beats--mostly provided by producer Amaze88--are accompanied by Kool's laid-back rap style. The mixtape is consistent, but fittingly, it peaks when his Das Racist counterpart Himanshu shows up on the track "A Different World." It's certainly worth the free download.

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Himanshu- Nehru Jackets

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Download: Himanshu- Nehru Jackets Featuring the likes of Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Action Bronson, and Kool A.D., here's the debut mixtape of Das Racist member Himanshu. It comes shortly after the mixtape released by Das Racist cohort Kool A.D., which I wasn't huge on, but whatever. Look toward the future.

Grab the download above and see what's up.