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On the heels of the viral sensation, "Hold Me Down," Ricky Rude has once again teamed up with Philly's most notorious hustler, AR-AB, for the melodic jam, "Friday The 13th," which will be found on Ricky's forthcoming mixtape, "The Unprofessional Professional." Ricky sprints through the track, proving it's his "season to ball" before AR grabs the mic to close out the track. AR has long endorsed Ricky for his tenacity and work ethic and can be seen doing so here http://bit.ly/12idpCz in a viral video that recently hit the web. A music video is set to accompany the track later this month, the bulk of which was filmed before AR-AB's recent incarceration. For those who aren't up-to-speed, Ricky Rude is a Southern New Jersey lyricist whose style is as eclectic as his musical influences

Open Mike Eagle is the subject of Monday's Marc Maron's legendary WTF podcast where Mike discusses his life, career, and the evolution of indie rap. This follows an acclaimed taping of NPR's "Wits" show in Minneapolis last month with his friend and ally Hannibal Buress. Please visit http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_406_-_mike_eagle to check out the "WTF" podcast. To coincide with the appearance on "WTF" and the upcoming tour, Open Mike Eagle is releasing a brand new EP - the Frank Black approved Sir Rockabye. The EP's lead track, "Degrassi Picture Day (Hellfyre Jackets)" features Busdriver and production from Kuest 1. "Degrassi Picture Day" will strike a chord with anyone who ever went to school. Please visit http://openmikeeagle.bandcamp.com/album/sir-rockabye to d

HiPNOTT Record's latest recruit is Orlando-based emcee MidaZ the BEAST, who will soon deliver his official debut album AU: Another Universe on August 20th. After years of sharpening his blade on a slew of underground projects and turning heads with a handful of recent high-profile guest spots on albums from Oh No, Marco Polo, and the Alchemist, "O-Zone's finest" unveils his full potential on his upcoming LP. Featuring guest spots from Planet Asia, Roc Marciano, Blueprint, and Sabac Red (Non-Phixion) as well as production from Oh No, Marco Polo, IMAKEMADBEATS, Paten Locke, and TzariZM, AU is home to songs that run the gamut of styles that showcase MidaZ' lyrical ferocity and vivid storytelling. On the album's lead single, "Fire" MidaZ comes equipped with strong arm production fro

When careless pop stars churn out singles spewing lyrics like "Ecstasy in the air/I don't care/You can't tell me nothing/I'm impaired," it's no wonder kids have the wrong idea about how to lead an honorable and productive life or what makes a person "cool." Lately, there has been a steady stream of hip-hop artists that have been outspoken about their battles with addiction and subsequent recoveries. Macklemore gets real on the track "Otherside" while Eligh of The Living Legends devotes an entire album to his recovery process, 2010's Grey Crow. Los Angeles native Eligh Nachowitz has been an integral part of the underground hip-hop collective The Living Legends since the crew emerged in the '90s. While his lyrical delivery is impeccable and always has been, most of his early care

On occasion, we hear those songs where everyone gets a shout out. In other songs we hear, the city is being represented to the fullest capability. This column (or the beginning of it) represents a "tour guide" for any visitor and a new taste of music for the person going above and beyond the average station. I met John Robinson in Highland Park, New Jersey in 1999 with Scienz of Life. Since then, I have seen him overseas in Czech Republic all the way to Los Angeles, but we always get a chance to link in New Jersey. Kosha Dillz: What is the most interesting hip-hop fact about where you live? I live in Piscataway, NJ and when I moved here in 92-93 during my senior of school from the Bronx, NY. At this time Fat Joe had a line in his song "Flow Joe" where he mentions "f

Brooklyn-based producer and DJ Statik Selektah recently released his fifth album Extended Play, a lengthy collection of the Massachusetts native's latest instrumentals that showcases why he's one of the most sought after beatmakers in hip-hop right now. With verses provided by Raekwon, Prodigy, N.O.R.E, Styles P, Action Bronson, Flatbush Zombies, and Joey Badass, among others, there's seemingly not an MC on the East Coast that doesn't want to work with Statik, while appearances from Texas's Bun B and Indiana's Freddie Gibbs sprinkle on some flavor from different regions. According to Statik, though, geography doesn't play a part when selecting collaborators - just chemistry. "Someone who is on the same page as me musically," says Statik when asked what he looks for in a rapper.