Murs & Terrace Martin "We On Melrose" (2011) = Number one Hip-Hop release at Amoeba

1) Murs & Terrace Martin ...Are Melrose (Murs 316)

2) Livewire I Pledge Alliegance To The WIre (LivewIre Records)

3) Strong Arm Steady Arms & Hammers (Blacksmith/Element 9)

4) Beans End It All (Anticon)

5) Trackademicks State of the Arts (Honor Roll)

Thanks to Luis at Amoeba San Francisco for this week's Hip-Hop Top Five chart that features the brand new, fun & upbeat collaborative release from Murs and Terrace Martin on the Murs 316 label, Murs & Terrace Martin Are Melrose. On this concept album these two Left Coast talents morph into a pair of party animal alter egos with tales of partying on such tracks as "We Are Melrose" (above), "Fresh Kicks," "We Got Sumthin (feat. Coi Mattison)," and "Ding Dong (feat. Uncle Chucc)."

Talib Kweli can easily be crowned as one of Brooklyn’s finest mc’s. For years the industry veteran has championed positive portrayals of urban society through his eternally omniscient lyrics. After the critical and commercial success on Black Star, Kweli, alongside “Ms. Fat Booty” himself, Mos Def, forced record labels to pay closer attention to underground Hip-Hop. Before the Internet, an underground artist struggled immensely without the help of perpetual touring. Needless to say, the crowned emcee puts on a concert better than blueberry pancakes and mimosas on a breezy Sunday morning. He takes “hip-hop live” to a whole new level. Check out this EXCLUSIVE footage of Talib and long time collaborator Hi-Tek putting it down last week in Austin, TX at SXSW to a live band and a packed house.

                                                   (video courtesy of Paul Stewart of Next-Thing)

I caught up with Talib and asked him ten simple questions. We chopped it up about the upcoming Reflection Eternal: Train of Thought II album -- one of the most anticipated albums of '09 -- Blacksmith artist Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady, his collaboration with R&B singer Res, and the possibility of a Black Star Reunion.