Star of Wonder – None Shall Pass (f. Aesop Rock) by torsmusic

Sufjan Stephens brilliantly used in a hip hop track. High Five!

Aside from Hoodie Allen, there hasn’t been a rapper like Lupe that has impressed me so much. Lupe brings the sick beats without sacrificing a message in his songs. Who knew you could rap about something besides the club, drinking, and hoes. High Five!

Martin Solveig & Dragonette – Hello (Why are we whispering Remix) by WhyAreWeWhispering

This is a really cool rap/hip-hop interpretation of the hit house track “Hello”. High Five!

Hot off the presses, the brand new Hoodie music video for the absolutely brilliant song “You Are Not A Robot”. High Five!

Dreams Up by HoodieAllen

I realize that this song has been out for some time now. (It came out while I was MIA on the blog for about a month and a half). But better recognize a magnificent track later than never. It’s no secret I’m a Hoodie Allen fan and I’m happy to hear he is working on a new mixtape! Download the single here. High Five!

If you were to rewind to the beginning of 2010, I would have told you without a doubt in my mind that a hip hop album would probably not break into my top 10 list. It’s just my own personal bias to the genre. The mainstream portion of hip hop sounds uninspired and generic. And the lyrical content sounds so repeated and the same across the board.

Fast forward to this summer, I came across a track titled “You Are Not A Robot” by Hoodie Allen. I was hooked to the production quality of the track. It isn’t groundbreaking stuff, but he was sampling an interesting artist, Marina and The Diamonds. It was a fun track to listen to with lyrics just as fun also. I love the analogies and similes that Hoodie drops in his raps. But was this a one-hit wonder?

A month or so later, Hoodie drops another track called “Words of Wisdom”. It samples none other than Two Door Cinema Club. He had me at the heart strings once he sampled this band (by far one of my favorite new bands in 2010), but Hoodie pulls me in further with his lyrics with lines like:

I had a vision of us winning, now its gone again.
Got the world on my legs – Landon Donovan

Someone turn up the AC Slater, if not

I be peeping levels ahead, like a cheat code

A one-hit wonder? Not so much. A two-hit wonder? Nope. Soon after Hoodie drops a whole mixtape called “Pep Rally”. It is some of the best sampling in rap I’ve heard in a while. RJF digs deep into the indie sphere, sampling artists like Beach House, Death Cab For Cutie, Florence and The Machine, and even The Black Keys. His samplings are hugely refreshing in contrast to what you typically hear on the local hip hop radio station. Add Hoodies clever rhymes on top and you have the best pop rap album of 2010 – at least, in my opinion. The best thing about this album was that it was absolutely free for all fans to listen to.

Hello world, I am Corey Matthews

And when I go from deep I be like Stephan Curry.

I’m looking intently to what Hoodie has in store next.

Listen to the whole album free on soundcloud!

The Pep Rally Mixtape by HoodieAllen

Go Giants! High Five!

Go Giants! High Five!

Lupe, Common, Jennifer Hudson, No I.D. – We Can Do It Now by Young Tox

I love the intro to this song. This song is certainly better than a lot of the crappy hip hop on the radio today. High Five!

I think I have a new favorite rapper — and that’s a big statement considering I don’t generally listen to rap music in the first place. I’m attracted to Hoodie’s work for two main reasons. First, he samples from a lot of my favorite indie artists and does it in a way that doesn’t embarrass the original works. Second, he has a flow that draws many analogies and is just plain fun to listen to.

I am in love with his new mixtape “Pep Rally”. Everyone needs to hear it — and, it’s free! Who can argue with free? High Five!

(These are 3 of my favorite tracks off the mixtape. I love January Jones because of his reference to Stephan Curry. I can respect anyone who would reference a Golden State Warriors player — despite their track record.)

So Much Closer (feat. Rocky Business) by HoodieAllen

January Jones (feat. Chris Wallace) by HoodieAllen

Tighten Up by HoodieAllen