Mick Jenkins - "Martyrs"

Damn, this is one macabre video. Nooses, snippets of an interview with a convicted murderer, and lines like "I could see the cherry stems in the fucking street" pervade this latest offering from Chicago MC Mick Jenkins. His decision to sample Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" is certainly justified. Watch the video above, and if you're intrigued by what you see and hear, be sure to check out his mixtape Trees & Truths here.

Ian Kamau- One Day Soon

Toronto rapper Ian Kamau's latest album, One Day Soon, is streaming on Bandcamp, and it's a great listen if you love your hip hop to have a sense of purpose. What I mean to say is this dude has a pretty sharp lyrical eye on the way the world works, and he's not afraid to wear his philosophy on his sleeve.

The production is pretty nice, and the guy really has a unique cadence to his voice, too. An interesting listen, for sure.