This guy’s career is a bizarre mess right now, and it’s a damn shame. A few years ago, the hip-hop community held incredibly high hopes for Charles, and since he’s suffered with wave after wave of controversy and failings.
With that said, here’s hoping this tape marks a comeback. I caught a track from this last week, I Don’t Care, and that oft-forgotten talent is back on show, as Charles delivered some likeable raps over a much crisper-sounding production (he finally upped his mixing and mastering, it seems). Whilst the track credits Eminem as a co-producer, I have my doubts over the legitimacy of that claim given Hamilton’s past misdemeanours with attribution, but nonetheless it’s a good slice of rap that bodes well for the rest of tape.
For the many people who miss the creative wit of Charles Hamilton, I penned a letter in audio form about the backstory of my relationship with Charles. I hope this letter will revive the young upstart on his return.
Nice to see this sort of brotherhood in a genre fraught with resentment, and Mickey comes through with a very enjoyable storytelling track here. Whilst Charles deals with his perceptions, Mickey adds a little perspective and humanity to the controversial character with some solid descriptive rapping, including some very interesting anecdotes (Mickey’s beef with Wale?! I wasn’t aware of that one!). Worth a listen for sure.
Ever since the All City Chess Club was announced, there’s been a lot of hype as to what their first project/track would be. Many expected it to be the official I’m Beamin’ remix, and they would be right as Lupe gets some of the today’s better rappers together to improve an already superb track.
There is just too much to go through here, but from a quick listen I enjoyed Asher and Blu’s verses a lot. That’ll inevitably change with more listens, but you can’t go wrong with this collection of rappers.
I don’t know much/anything about Woody, and I’m sure there are many of you in the same boat. What I do know is that he’s clearly a smart guy: an upcoming rapper releases a new mixtape, so how do you grab attention?
First off, get a great artwork designed, and secondly get some good features involved (Charles Hamilton, XV and more). Both very simple moves, yet not adhered to by enough artists. It lets people know you’re creative, interesting and other artists clearly see something in you. Upcoming artists, take note. On this basis, I’m hoping the music lives up to the expectations set by the bits surrounding it though, and it isn’t just smoke and mirrors!
Here I am rocking Atmosphere’s Say Hey There just happily allowing Ant’s instrumentals to play through (which I would later realise were the bulk of the sample) when at 2:46 the unmissable piano keys cut in and I’m thinking “shit, I know that from somewhere!” After scratching my head (and most probably balls somewhat) I find Fat Joe’s, L.E.S. produced, Crack Attack.
A quick google and here we are. Raekwon also sampled The East St. Louis Gospelettes for his OB4CL2 joint with Beanie Sigel and fans of Charles Hamilton will also recognise the sampling from his Dr. Kevorkian joint!
Tafietu is an acronym for ‘the album for Interscope executive to understand’, and this apparently was set to be the full-length debut album from Charles before it got shelved last year. Regardless of his career direction since, this should make for interesting listening for sure.
What’s more interesting is the statement that Interscope execs rejected this on the basis of the last two tracks. Needless to say, you’ll be skipping straight to those!
Bizarre. Not only did this guy check himself into a mental hospital a few weeks ago, but now he’s releasing a mixtape from said establishment. Throw into that the fact he said he wouldn’t be releasing any more mixtapes, and you pretty much summarise the dude’s career to date: unpredictable and a bit weird.
However, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to having some intrigue about what music from the loony bin sounds like!
Filling in the rest of your night and taking you through the morning with a few catch-up posts (before this afternoon I was internet-less for over 24 hours)!
Starting off with this pretty smooth track by Charles where he raps about his woes, and what he’s wasted in life. Only music is keeping him alive…apparently.
Another Charles Hamilton mixtape for you ears. This one has a cool concept where there are 3 different endings. Go download it below to find out what the hell I’m talking about!
All those Charles Hamilton leaks of recent weeks have been building to this track. This is Charlie’s newest official single, although it’s not available on UK iTunes (as of last night anyway) so we’re delivering it here.
Pretty damn different to what I’m used to from Charles. It’s alright though, and I can immediately tell that it will grow on me a lot. The production (Jim Jonsin I believe) is much cleaner than Charles’ usual stuff which is good. Better if you check it out yourself in honesty, this is one that’s going to spark a million different opinions.
In posting so much alternative stuff recently, I’ve missed some good hip-hop. Pill is one of the XXL Freshmen that I’m enjoying more with each track, and his Rude Boy freestyle should be checked out.
Jeezy drops off a leak from an upcoming mixtape/’movie’ that I sadly haven’t checked yet, whilst Charles releases another good, videogame-sounding track in the build to his new single. Closing up with a diss track from Shyne, interestingly aimed at 50 Cent.
Charles drops off more new music to enjoy in the build-up to his official single release. This one has a beat frighteningly similar to Tinie Tempah’s (bloody awful) Pass Out, which says it all about Pass Out: Hamilton is a massive Sega/Sonic fan, uses those beats in his tracks, and openly admits he’s a bit of a nerd.
Pass Out is supposed to be taken seriously? Don’t make me laugh.
Hamilton can actually rap too, and doesn’t have to resort to lines about clothes storage/aunties.
Charles has been dropping some good music as of late, and he’s going to keep putting new tracks out regularly for the coming weeks as he has a new single coming out sometime in May. Looking forward to it all, and to checking out the two tracks below.
The video is a promo for the track that you can grab below. It’s pretty good viewing actually, and suggests the two of them may work on a full-length project together.
The track itself is pretty good, with a nice chilled beat and some good rhymes/flows from both artists. One to check out for fans of either.
That’s what the mixtape subtitle/Charles himself suggests. No more mixtapes, so I assume just albums and EPs from now on (let’s be honest though, a free EP=mixtape).
Latest leak from Hamilton’s ‘last mixtape’, The Binge vol. 3. He takes on the heavily-underrated Slaughterhouse classic (yeah, I said it) The One. Not many people have the confidence to take on a beat previously graced by 4 of the finest, but Charles does well and it’s a good effort.
2009 was one hell of an interesting year. We saw the comeback of Eminem, albums by the 2 other big names of hip-hop in Jay-Z and 50 Cent, and once again we waited all year for Dr. Dre’s Detox which never came. It’s fair to say that despite this the year hasn’t been dominated by the big boys and we’ve seen a gradual change in hip hop – the gangsta rap of previous years has steadily evolved into what can be described as ‘Hip Hop Hipsters’. Kanye led the way back in 2004 and by 2009 the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi, Wale and Asher Roth have emerged.
I’m too tired for full reviews/individual posts right now.
Charles Hamilton-Normalcy
-New mixtape from Charles. I heard Air Agains from this recently, and that sh*t goes hard! Looking forward to listening to it all.
Royce Da 5’9″-Pick Ma Balls Up
-Royce freestyle destruction over Em/Wayne’s Drop The World. It isn’t actually the official instrumental, it’s a remade version, but you get the idea. This is friggin’ great though tbh. I’m enjoying his Invented Sex reference too.
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