1) Madlib No.12-Raw Medicine-Madlib Remixes (Stones Throw)

2) J. Cole Cole World: The Sideline Story (Roc Nation)

3) Das Racist Relax (Greedhead Music)

4) Evidence Cats & Dogs (Rhymesayers)

5) Blu Open (Nature Sounds)

6) Lil Wayne  The Carter IV (Cash Money/Universal)

Thanks to Luis at the Amoeba Music San Francisco store for the latest Top 5 Hip-Hop chart which features tons of nice brand new stuff including the latest from Madlib No.12-Raw Medicine-Madlib Remixes. Below is an audio snippet from the Stones Throw release featuring both Doom and Dilla. Also below is an album snippet sampler of J-Cole's new Cole World album plus an audio track from the unstoppable Blu's latest release Open; the track "Part Time Suckers" with Chop and Fresh Daily. Also featured below are videos from Das Racist's Relax and also from another new Amoeba chart entrant Evidence - the DJ Premier produced track "You" off his recommended new Rhymesayers release Cats & Dogs.


New album from J.Cole on Roc Nation featuring snippets of all tracks including: 1) Intro 2) Dollar and a Dream III 3) Can't Get Enough ft. Trey Songz 4) Lights Please 5) Interlude 6) Sideline Story 7) Mr. Nice Watch ft. Jay-Z 8) Cold World 9) In The Morning ft. Drake 10) Lost Ones 11) Nobody's Perfect ft. Missy Elliott 12) Never Told 13) Rise and Shine 14) God's Gift 15) Breakdown 16) Work Out

DJ, broadcaster, club promoter, concert producer, journalist, publicist, magazine publisher, music producer, record label owner, webmaster, and iPhone app designer are just a few of the titles that have applied to Dave Paul over the years. But the San Francisco born and bred Paul is probably best known for both his respected Bomb Hip-Hop Magazine, that began 20 years ago (hence the Bomb 20 Year Anniversary party tomorrow night at Madrone Bar in San Francisco) and his pioneering Bomb Hip-Hop record label that came a few years later, and would be instrumental in helping propel the global turntablist movement thanks to his influential Return of the DJ series.

I first met Dave back in the late 80's when he was at KCSF out of City College of San Francisco  doing a weekly hip-hop radio show called Beat Box Fridays (he'd already been DJing for a good five years at that point) and was immediately impressed with what an ambitious, hard-working, self-driven, and focused individual he was - but never in an overbearing or unpleasant way. Dave is just a genuinely nice guy: someone you want to be around and someone who is always upfront and always passionate about his work. He is also never one to rest on his laurels. 

Since I've known him he has been a hustler; up at the crack of dawn working hard on whatever project he has going on at the time. Key to his success is that he doesn't wait for things to have to be done - he projects ahead and initiates change in the present: like how one day he developed an iPhone app for Bomb Hip-Hop. And as times change (especially in the ever fickle music industry) Dave always seems prepared; constantly evolving and expanding his skill base.

Tomorrow, August 29th, may be the date that would have been Michael Jackson's 52nd birthday, but two San Francisco party promoters & fans of the late, great pop star are celebrating a day early with MJ themed parties in both SF and the Midwest. The ever-successful traveling and San Francisco founded mash-up party Bootie will be celebrating tonight with an MJ themed mash-up event at the DNA Lounge! The playlist will include the mash-up of Michael Jackson and Nirvana -- "Smells Like Rockin Robin." Bootie begins at 9pm tonight at the DNA Lounge. First 100 get a free MJ CD. Click here for all the info!

Meanwhile, BOMB HIp-Hop's Dave Paul, who has been throwing his Prince vs Michael Jackson parties for over seven years now, will travel all the way to Chicago tonight for his MJ birthday themed Prince vs MJ party. Booked at the Windy City's Beauty Bar, Paul will be getting busy mixing album cuts, remixes, rare tracks and classics from his extensive Prince and Michael Jackson music collection. The party starts at 9pm tonight at the Beauty Bar. Click here for more info.

1) BlakRoc Blakroc (V2/Cooperative)

2) Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (Interscope)

3) Jay Z Blueprint 3 (Roc Nation/Atlantic)

4) Fashawn Boy Meets World (Loud)

5) Oh No Dr. No's Ethiopium (Stones Throw)

There are a lot of recurring entries on this week's Amoeba hip-hop chart, including the number one release, the self-titled (and excellent) rap/rock hybrid from BlakRoc, and the (#4) impressive debut from Fresno emcee Fashawn; Boy Meets World. Meantime, both Jay Z's Blueprint 3 and Black Eyed Peas's (BEP) The E.N.D., two releases that are four and seven months old respectively, continue to sell well. This is no doubt due to the sheer popularity of these artists combined with the airplay they each garner, especially in the case of BEPs' early June release, which has had a slew of singles getting constant airplay. Released in mid December, "Imma Be" is the current hit single in the US (following "Meet Me Halfway," "I Gotta Feeling"  & "Boom Boom Pow") from this phenomenally popular group, who have racked up close to a combined total of 60 million album & single sales since their 2003 breakout album Elephunk, which was the group's first album to feature Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson.

1) Azeem "Going Dumb vs. Going To Brazil" (Oaklyn)

2) Paris "Get Fired Up" (Guerrilla Funk)

3) East Coast Avengers "The Day That Hope Died" (Brick Records)

4) The Mighty Underdogs "Warwalk" (Definitive Jux)

5) Jurassic 5 "Gotta Understand (Bean One Remix)" (BOMB Hip-Hop)  



6) Dirt Nasty "1980" (BOMB Hip-Hop)

7) Madlib feat Prince Po "The Thang Thang" (Rapster)

8) Blueprint "Sacred" (Rhymesayers)

9) Hu$tle Simmons "Over and Out (feat. Buff 1)" (Break Bread Projects)

10) NaS "Black President" (Def Jam)

The number one entry on this week's Jameoblog Top Ten (a subjective, song oriented chart) is the funky and funny "Going Dumb vs. Going To Brazil" by Azeem off the always edgy Oakland emcee's recommended brand new album Air Cartoons on Oaklyn Records (cover by Ezra Li Eismont -- scroll down to see his Oaklyn speed painting video). On one level the song "Going Dumb..." is an ode to "the town" (Oakland) but on another it caps on the short-sighted shallowness of many fellow dwellers of Azeem's in this East Bay city where hyphy culture still rules. In the Anas Cannon produced song, Azeem pokes fun at "that dude that ghost-rided and ran over himself" as well as those who just "wanna swerve thru the town high on pills." Meanwhile, the artist's idea of real fun is heading south to the beaches of Brazil and not acting "dumb." The fourteen track album features lots of great producers complimenting the former Spearhead member's lyrical flow, including DJ Zeph, DNAE Beats, Meat Beat Manifesto, DJ Spin, DJ Aneurysm, Mark Pistel, and Kontroversy 396. And scratch fans will be happy to hear both DJ Quest and Z-Trip add some sick cuts on a few album tracks.

The number three entry is the incendiary "The Day Hope Died" from the thought-provoking, ever confrontational East Coast Avengers (ECA) whose recent single/video "Kill Bill O'Reilly" caused some controversy with its over the top lyrics that suggest murdering the notorious FOX News host. In fact, it was so extreme in its lyrics that even longtime BIll O foe Keith Olbermann of MSNBC condemned the song (scroll down to see video clip below). Boston's ECA, who cite Public Enemy, Paris, and the Dead Kennedys among their influences, is the trio of Esoteric (of 7L & Esoteric, The Army of the Pharoahs), trademarc and DC the Midi Alien. They recently dropped the album Prison Planet, on which they lash out at numerous deserved political and media targets.