The holidays are coming up on us quickly and many of us will be traveling around the world to celebrate with friends and family. Traveling can be overwhelming, especially around the holidays and for those of us who vape, it makes things extra challenging. But if you are smart and prepared, you will have no problems enjoying your vapes while on your holiday travels.

Don’t Leave Home Without It

First, make sure to never leave your best e cig at home. It doesn’t matter if you are driving or flying, you can still travel with your vape and all of its needed supplies. You may not be able to find a vape store to stock up on supplies, so pack everything you need. Not only do you want to safely pack your e cig, you also want to bring a case, a charger and extra vape juice. If you are driving, you can do this easily, but if you are flying, you will need to read up on all of the regulations for when it comes to flying with your vape.

Pack Smart

You never want to go to all of the trouble of packing your vaping supplies and bringing them on your travels to just find them broken or ruined when you arrive to your destination. This is why you want to bring a case for your e cig to prevent it from getting broken or even lost. When it comes to your juice, be super careful when packing. Put them in baggies and maybe even think about bringing a brand new one along that is not even open yet. Keep the charger separate just in case the juice does end up leaking. When driving, don’t leave your supplies in the car where it is either going to get too cold or is in the sun for long. Most people will carry their e cig and other vaping supplies close by with them, but keep in mind to do this with all of your supplies, even the extras while on your travels.

Know the Laws

Vaping laws are different everywhere. You may be aware of the laws in your area, but that doesn’t mean they are going to be the same where you are traveling to. Look up the laws in the place that you are traveling to and also look up the laws at any places you will be stopping at while driving. It is also very important to know the vaping laws at the airport. Most airports have designated areas for you to use your vape. Remember, you can never use your vape while on the airplane. Make sure to read up on the laws and regulations at airports, the one you are flying from, the one you are flying to and any that you may need to have layovers at.

The holidays can be a stressful time and it is a time where you will need your vape the most. Just because you are traveling, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your vape!

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Making the decision to go vegan isn’t just deciding on what and what not to eat, but a change in lifestyle that changes many aspects of an individual person’s life.

In a world loaded with sweets, starches, and meat, it’s very hard, if not almost impossible to change your eating habits to match this drastic yet rewarding change of pace.

Not only does it make family functions and eating out at local restaurants all the more challenging, but it could make your international travels a little bit challenging as well.

Before it was almost impossible to find vegan friendly cuisine, but thanks to the rising popularity of wellness led lifestyles and the diversity that tends such as cheap international flights that span the globe, news travels fast and new ideas tend to spread like a wildfire, so don’t feel like you’re limited to specific countries, because you can find delicious and ethnic vegan dishes no matter where your travels take you.

Here are the five best countries to visit for vegans:

1 – Taiwan

In a land with little to no dairy, eggs being considered a lavish add on to meals, and a government with stringent food labeling laws, Taiwan is a vegan paradise.

Taiwan is filled with dozens, if not hundreds of vegan friendly restaurants and food stalls, offering delicacies like vegan dumplings, spring rolls, and stir fries with mushrooms and rice. Even the most picky vegans are bound to find something delicious while roaming the streets of Taichung City and Taipei.

2 – Italy

Italy has always been a very vegetable rich country when it comes to their cuisine, which may come to no surprise given its Mediterranean climate and lush farm lands.

You can take a number of Italian dishes and ask the chef to hold the meat and you’re left with a delicious vegetarian meal such as marinara pizza, Fave e cicorie, Frisa, and Fagioli e cime di rapa alla barese.  

3 – South Korea

Although South Korea is synonymous with Korean BBQ, stews and meat soups, South Korea is home to some of the most vegan friendly, let alone healthiest foods in the world.

Dishes such as Kimchi, or fermented vegetables with a sweet or spicy sauce; Japchae, which are chewy sweet potato noodles with mushrooms, carrots, and greens. Bibimbap, which is a common left over dish where you just throw in your left over veggies, rice, and red chili paste all served in a hot stone bowl to delicious perfection.

4 – Germany  

When thinking of Germany, one probably thinks of hearty dishes with a lot of meat and potatoes, while this is true, you may be surprised by how vegan friendly Germany has become over the years.

Wirshaussalat may be one of the most simple, yet filling dishes in all of Germany, which is the mixture of sliced carrots, cucumber, green beans and cabbage, topped with whatever local blends of spices are available. Just be sure to try Wirshaussalat made with quality ingredients, or you may not find it all so enjoyable.

Another classic German vegan dish is Kartoffelpuffer, or pan fried potato cakes come in an almost unlimited number of combinations, one of the most popular being with coffee and a beet syrup, or if you’re feeling a little hearty, you can try Kartoffelpuffer with beer and sauerkraut. You can even get them served with apple slices and a sugary syrup to double as a dessert after a main dish.

5 – United Kingdom  

Believe it or not, the United Kingdom is home to a vast amount of vegan specific restaurants. Due to the rising number of vegans in the royal empire, vegans will find themselves in paradise when it comes to the abundance of vegan cuisine available for foodies.

Some of the most popular dishes include vegetable soups with spices and herbs, often loaded with beans and legumes, vegan pasta with curry or chili pastes.

For the more traditional dishes like cottage pies, meat can be substituted with a number of vegetables to add a twist to the classics. Desserts are abound such as fruit tarts, meringues, cakes and of course, biscuits. This is where it gets a little creative, with additions like pears and coconuts, as well as hazelnut; most vegan desserts are both filling and crispy, so you will be left full and satisfied.

The Best Countries To Visit For Vegans

Thanks to the rise in heath consciousness and the desire for wellbeing, the humble vegan will be able to find vegan friendly foods no matter where in the world you travel.

The post The Five Best Countries To Visit For Vegans appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

As a business leader in the community, you share a common interest with your neighbors: severe weather preparedness. In your efforts to protect your business from storm damage, you can use those same tools to benefit the community around you through weather education, weather monitoring software and alert systems.

Education for the Community

Education is an important part of any weather emergency plan. It’s important that all your employees know the nearest shelters and evacuation points and the risks associated with severe weather. Additionally, you can share your plans with the community, providing emergency planning tips and helpful weather monitoring information. There are plenty of ways to promote community education and outreach:

• Distribute emergency planning guides
• Provide weather safety tips for staff and neighbors
• Designate a community shelter on your property
• Identify safe evacuation routes
• Broadcast severe weather warnings

Hyper-Local Weather Monitoring

If your facility uses the latest weather monitoring software and storm tracking tools, then your weather report is about as local as it gets. Your neighbors can also benefit from this information in the event of severe weather. With real-time tracking, you can increase your lead time for inclement weather and alert your community with more notice. More response time means more can be done to protect life and property.

Warning Sirens and Systems

In the event of oncoming weather, be the first to get the word out with outdoor weather stations and warning systems. Using a lightning detector and other storm tracking tools, you can sound the alarm for the entire neighborhood, faster and with more precision. Additionally, with the latest weather software, you can create smartphone and email alerts that reach the entire community.

Preparing for severe weather is good for both your business and the community at large. For more information about weather education and how to assist the community in the event of major event, contact a professional emergency management service.

The post How Predicting Harsh Weather Can Better Protect Your Neighborhood appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Here we are again. Wednesday. That teasing little bitch. I woke up late on this Wednesday, as I do on most Wednesdays. To be honest, I wake up late on most days. As long as I’m being honest, I have no idea what I’m writing this for. I’m just trying to take up a little word count because my job requires that I write about things that are of absolutely no interest to me. Would you like to know what does interest me?

Basketball. Pizza that’s too hot for me to eat. Women that are way too hot for me to eat. Video games. Writing. Comedy. Booze. The color purple. True Detective.

But most of all, I love the weekend.

We’re a little more than halfway to the weekend. So close, yet so far. How will we make it? What will calm our restless souls until our fair-haired maiden Friday makes her arrival? We’ll listen to music. AWESOME music. God, this is so lame.

This week’s playlist is an exciting one. We’ve got lots of trap, as per usual. There’s some tasty-ass house music, a little bit of hip hop, a little bit of pop and even some chopped and screwed Kanye. There’s also a track in here that’s 9 months old (Cherry Pepsi) but I liked it so much that I had to include it.

If you don’t like it, write me an angry letter or something.

LET’S GO!

https://soundcloud.com/bigrichard-1/sets/big-richs-muhfuggin-mid-week

The post Big Rich’s Muhfuggin Mid-Week Mix Vol. 3 appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

But I do feel bad. And because I feel so badly, this week’s mid-week mix is 30 tracks large crossing all sorts of genres, but these tracks all have one thing in common. I picked them for you. They came from my heart.

Literally speaking, they came from my SoundCloud feed, but you know what I’m talking about.

These tracks are in no particular order, but I did put my favorite one first. Check it out y’all, and have a hell of a weekend!

https://soundcloud.com/bigrichard-1/sets/big-richs-muh-fuggin-mid-week

The post Big Rich’s Muhfuggin Mid-Week Mix Vol. 2 appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

But fret not, mine lovers of music. I’ve built a playlist that will help lift your spirits and quell your mid-week sorrows. So dry your eyes, stop playing flappy bird in the bathroom and get down to this mix I put together. It’s something I’ll do weekly. It’s my favorite tracks from Soundcloud that have been on my stream in the past week.

There’s no rhyme or reason to what’s on this list. I just added my favorite shit from the past week from the accounts I follow on Soundcloud. Hopefully your taste is similar to mine and you can jam at your stupid desk as hard as I am right now.

This week we’ve got a Fugees remix, some Lana, lots of delicious trap, a Showtek jam in celebration of their 1 million Facebook fans, a Bro Safari remix of MIA’s YALA that is just scrumptious and some other shit. Let me know if you like it, and I guess you can let me know if you don’t like it, too.

This is Big Rich’s Muhfuggin Mid-Week Mix.

Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/bigrichard-1/sets/richies-muh-fuggin-mid-week

The post Big Rich’s Muhfuggin Mid-Week Mix appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

The Japanese duo of disk jockeys individually known as Ses and Noxin, collectively known as Watapachi, have been making noise worldwide for some time. I say some time, because I don’t actually know how long it’s been. Let’s call it three years. That’s probably wrong. What I do know is that these masked crusaders of dope ass beats just dropped their new Black Onyx Mixtape and it bumps harder than a fat boy in a club on Saturday night (that’s me!)

While they may be Japanese, Ses and Noxin spent a lot of time in the United States during their youth and picked up an ear for that Western boom bap, which explains why my freedom-loving ears just can’t stop clamoring for more from these two talented young fellers.

Shut your mouth, close your eyes, take off your pants and hit play. Come back later and tell us how much you enjoyed this melodic racket of trap, drum and bass, hip hop and other genres. You probably won’t come back, but at the very least, do take your pants off and jam.

https://soundcloud.com/watapachi/watapachi-black-onyx-mixtape

Check out some more of what Watapachi has to offer on SoundCloud

The post WATAPACHI — BLACK ONYX MIXTAPE appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

That being said, you don’t need to be in a raging state of anger or frustration to appreciate the New Orleans native’s Never Sleep 2K14. You just need your already-immaculate taste in music and an insatiable urge to bump for about an hour and seven minutes.

Hit play to (attempt to) satiate your need for aural filth. Scroll down for the tracklist, or click here to see what other beautiful noise Kid Kamillion has graciously shared with us on his Soundcloud.

https://soundcloud.com/runthetrap/kid-kamillion-never-sleep

Tracklist:

01. INTRO – mannie fresh [f#CKWITHMEYOUKNOWIGOTIT – jay z ft. rick ross]
02. GET READY – DEBROKA
03. F#CKED UP [KID KAMILLION EDIT] – LIL WYTE ft. three six mafia
04. chinese cola – phat deuce + WE STILL IN THIS B#TCH [ACAPELLA] – b.o.b.
05. ME SO HORNY [WINSTON WOLFE TRVP CUT] – 2 LIVE CREW
06. SEX PANTHER – KID KAMILLION
07. MILLI KILLER – JOHNNY JULLIANO [KID KAMILLION x bangladesh “100” EDIT]
08. PUMP THIS PARTY [vip] – KID KAMILLION
09. BOOYAH – SHOWTEK [PARTY FAVOR RMX]
10. ATE EM – JESSE SLAYTER + SWING MY WAY [ACAPELLA] – k.p. & envyi
11. RUN IT – BENANSIS
12. WAVY “BEATS” – KID KAMILLION + BUST IT open [acapella] – lil wil
13. WAVY – KID KAMILLION
14. HARD DRIVE – SALVA + doin’ it right – daft punk ft. panda bear
15. HA – JUVENILE
16. MICHALE JORDAN [OOKAY RMX] – CARNAGE & TONY JUNIOR
17. GET RICH – TYGA
18. WRECKING BALL [CAKED UP RMX] – MILEY CYRUS
19. BEND THAT AZZ – KID KAMILLION
20. BALLIN’ – KID KAMILLION
21. BUBBLEGUM [LVX RMX] – JACKAL FT. CRNKN
22. TWERK TEAM [vip-instrumental] – kid kamillion ft. mannie fresh
23. ITS LIKE THAT [BREAUX RETWERK] – BREAUX
24. BED BREAKER – KID SISTER [JACKAL “SHAKEDOWN” LOUDPVCK RMX]
25. BOOTY BOUNCE [JESSE SLAYTER BOOTLEG RMX] – GTA
26. STARWIN [BOYS NOIZE TWERK – vip] – BOYS NOIZE + GAS PEDAL [ACAPELLA] – sage the gemini
27. SET IT OFF [TWRK RMX] – DIPLO & LAZERDISK PARTY SEX +“s#it” – future
28. NUMBERS ON THE BOARD [THE REEF BOOTLEG RMX] – PUSHA T
29. DIFFERENTOLOGY [MAJOR LAZER RMX] – BUNJI GARLIN
30. HIT EM – APE DRUMS & JUYEN SEBULBA
31. INSOMNIA [KID KAMILLION BOOTLEG rmx] – FAITHLESS
32. MOVE THAT BUTT – APE DRUMS & 2 DEEP
33. ANGRY BIRDZ – WIWEK
34. MIND CONTROL – CARLI
35. THE CROWD – GTA
36. DON’T PLAY – KID KAMILLION & MONEY P
37. outro – “u.o.e.n.o.” – rocko ft. future [extened chorus]
* SECRET bonus track – CAKE [vip-instrumental ] – KID KAMILLION

From our good friends at Run The Trap.

The post Kid Kamillion – Never Sleep Mixtape 2K14 appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

I didn’t get a chance to watch the Grammys (woe is me), but I did have the absolute pleasure to read about them on the internet. And what a pleasure it was.

In the interest of full disclosure, I too contributed to the explosion of similarly lame opinions that filled our social feeds at an incalculable rate. I was pissed off that Macklemore beat out Kendrick Lamar for any Grammy award, never mind four of them. Oh my god. It’s like Michael Jordan losing four game-sevens in a row. It’s like Peyton Manning throwing four picks on four straight drives. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO US, KENDRICK? WHAT DID WE DO WRONG? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

I was truly upset that a big panel of people who don’t listen to the same music that I do didn’t give a gold statue to my favorite rapper.

But in retrospect, what’s really surprising about a decision like this? For one, the Grammys have never been about defining genre. Regardless of what you think, or how you feel about the subtleties of Mackelmore’s music, it’s been defined as hip hop. That just is what it is. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are the first duo to ever have their first two singles reach the number one spot in the Hot 100. Macklemore is the first independent artist since 1994 to have their song go to number one. The song below is the last time that happened.

Macklemore won those Grammys last night for a lot of the reasons you’ve already heard, but mainly because it’s a great narrative. People love a great story, and every organization wants to make great stories. The Grammys are no different. Plus, let’s be honest. With the folks who are voting on these awards, what did you expect? Steely Dan beat out Radiohead, Eminem and Beck for best album in 2001. What a messed up year that was.

I’m not going to go into the details, but it’s plainly obvious that Grammy voters are exerting a large influence in categories where they really aren’t experts. It’s such a travesty, I know. (/s) Yeah, I really wanted Kendrick to win because he sure as hell deserves it, but like I said — the narrative is undeniable for both of them. Kendrick will get his; no doubt about that. GKMC may be a masterpiece, but The Heist isn’t exactly garbage. We’ll get over it. Kendrick will get over it. We all will.

But since all this has gone down, one thing has become truly apparent. There is a sect of hip hop fans who couldn’t be more eager to distance themselves from Macklemore. There couldn’t possibly be any more of an effort from this group to make it apparent that Mackelmore is absolutely NOT a part of the hip hop culture. It’s more feverish and desperate than A-Rod trying to distance himself from his alleged steroid use. So panicked. So desperate.

So what is it exactly that’s so threatening about Macklemore? For one, it’s that he’s white. There is no doubt about that. If it’s fair to infer that one of the reasons Macklemore won all of those Grammys is because he’s white, is it so outlandish to believe that maybe some of the hate towards him is also because he’s a white man finding success in hip hop who doesn’t rap about traditional hip hop things (a-la Eminem, Action Bronson and Mac Miller)? No, it’s not outlandish, because it’s stated plainly.

The top bubble in the above image is an actual message that Macklemore sent to Kendrick Lamar after the Grammys. The bottom bubble is the viral brainchild of somebody I feel inclined to say not-so-nice things about; it was shopped in to show just how important it was to hip hop for a panel of old white people to affirm their musical taste.

Honestly, that’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever read. Shame on the child who wrote it. This Spin article really worked me up, too. Same with this New York Times article. Let’s not all act as if hip hop is a bastion of cultural pride and honor. Give me a break. I’ll listen to hip-hop until the day I die, but this posturing and moral grandstanding as if Macklemore stole something from the community because he pursued his passion (independently of a label, mind you) and achieved is a gigantic joke.

Exactly what is it that would have made the detractors happy? Should Macklemore have fought tooth and nail for his music to be re-categorized into a different genre? Should he have pursued another profession for the sole cause of not offending hip hop purists? The Spin article I linked to calls out Macklemore for Instagramming his “apology” to K.Dot, bitterly stating that it was only “because every magnanimous stance this guy takes must go public.” What a hypocritical and elitist stance to take.

As if media reports or the musing of artists or the general public aren’t subject to a response from the subject of such great disdain — as if the freedom to express an opinion is a one way street. What the hell is Mack supposed to do? He can sit there on his thumbs as he gets blasted by hip hop fans and the media (in a completely ignorant, angry and disrespectful way), or he can do something to show people that he understands that they might be pissed off by what just happened, and that he identifies with what they’re feeling. WOW, HOW NARCISSISTIC OF HIS WHITE PRIVILEGED ASS. Give. Me. A. Break.

The dude is gonna get nailed no matter what. He should be allowed to defend himself without you putting words into his mouth, especially considering he’s done nothing wrong besides work his ass off for more than a decade to reach the peak of his profession. And he pretty much said what we were all thinking. We’re going to vilify him for acknowledging that? Shuuuuut up. I mean, Chris Brown gets better treatment from the same community. Apparently, beating a woman is a lesser offense than being a successful, non-traditional white man in hip hop.

One of my biggest beefs with the hip hop community is how grossly hypocritical this whole thing is. In a genre with so much filler, so much monotonous bullshit, Macklemore is really your biggest worry? I’m not even going to address the remarks accusing Mack of pushing a “Gay Agenda”. How paranoid are you? You think Macklemore is trying to turn your kids into gays? Isn’t the hip hop community the same community that wants me to believe that their aggressive, violent and misogynistic music won’t rub off on my children? How is that consistent?

Obviously, this fear stems from the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ single, “Same Love”. Hip hop purists don’t like Mack pushing his agenda using their music as his tool for propagation. This is where we get into the one-way freedom of speech thing again. Rap music has never been a stronghold for morality. Those artists exist, but they are certainly not the majority. Are we still talking about the same genre of music that has been attacked and vilified by mainstream media for years? After listening to interview after interview with faded rappers, I always thought that hip hop was about expressing your point of view, and telling people about where your from.

Hip hop is all about its freedom of speech and saying what you feel — as long as you share all of the same opinions as hip hop. I’m not saying you have to like Macklemore, I’m not even saying you have to appreciate what he’s making. I could hardly give a damn. But to run around and act like 1) he’s pushing a “gay agenda” and 2) he’s the biggest threat to the state of hip hop is complete and total ignorance. It’s sad, and it’s desperate.

Hip hop is really self-conscious right now and there’s something very off-putting about it. From the community’s need to have Kendrick’s talent affirmed by a Grammy, to their denial and subsequent attacks of Macklemore, there is a loud group that is very committed to controlling the message — Macklemore is not hip hop.

The post Hip Hop is Afraid of Macklemore. appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

Good day, loyal readers. What a pleasure it is to meet you! My name is Richie Martin and I’m the new hip hop correspondent for JustNoiseToMe. I could spend a couple paragraphs telling you about myself, and how my beard is recognized as a sovereign nation by the UN. But instead, I’ll introduce myself in the best way I could possibly think of — with a list of my favorite hip hop albums of all time.

This list is in no way meant to be definitive or even a list of what I think are the best hip hop albums. It’s in no particular order. This is simply a list of the dozen-or-so albums I could listen to forever. However, if something on this list touches a nerve, I more than welcome your anger and bitter commentary. But I’d rather be your friend, so just keep that in mind before you start harassing me, punk.

LET’S GO.

Liquid Swords

GZA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO1Tmr5S2BQ
There had to be at least one Wu-Tang album on this list. Why Liquid Swords? It’s an honest toss up for me between 36 Chambers, Tical and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. I picked Liquid Swords because it’s the album that got me into Wu-Tang. I remember listening to them early in my teenage years and just not getting it. Fast forward a couple years to when I started making beats just for shits ‘n gigs and something about GZA’s sound really struck a chord. But really, you could pick any of the initial albums from any member of the Clan of the Killa Beez and I wouldn’t put up a fight.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Outkast

I might get a little bit of hate for this one. I really wanted to pick Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but I was four years old when that shit came out. As much as I LOVE everything Outkast has made, my introduction to Three Stacks and Sir Lucious Leftfoot was during the peak of their popularity in the early 2000’s. This album is insanely diverse in its sound and really showcases Dre and Big Boi’s unique (and sometimes crazy) approach to the genre.

The Minstrel Show

Little Brother

Little Brother is a trio consisting of the formidable rhyming duo, Phonte and Big Pooh, with the legendary 9th Wonder handling the production. I’m not sure if there was a bigger influence for me growing up than 9th Wonder. His production is on point from beginning to end on The Minstrel Show. Te and Poo are on a mission to show you how slighted they really are by the lack of recognition they receive, with numerous lines targeted to fans and the media for their consistent recognition of played out bullshit. Regardless of the message (which was received with plenty of criticism), this album is a joy to listen to from beginning to end.

Midnight Marauders

A Tribe Called Quest

I had never dabbled much in the offerings of the Tribe until I made a trip to Rock the Bells, and got to see them perform Midnight Marauders live. It was a surreal experience. Q-Tip’s energy infected the crowd of I don’t know how many thousands of people in a way I’ve never ever fathomed to be possible. Busta Rhymes made a surprise appearance and changed my fucking life. Maybe that’s a little hyperbolic, but immediately following that weekend, I downloaded the entire Quest discography and made my peace with the hip hop gods for denying the word of ATCQ for so long.

Kush & Orange Juice

Wiz Khalifa

This is another choice that might catch me some flack. For one, yes, I know. This isn’t an album, it’s a mixtape. For two, it’s Wiz Khalifa. But again, this isn’t a definitive list of the “best” of anything. As you can tell, most of the selections so far have a story to go along with them, and Kush & OJ is no different. Its release marked what was probably the height of Wiz’s popularity and he absolutely destroyed Twitter for a solid week. This is the soundtrack to what is probably the most memorable summer of my life. If I could go back in time and listen to any album/mixtape for the first time all over again, this might be it.

Blue Chips 2

Action Bronson

I might as well get the other mixtape out of the way. Action Bronson is absolutely my favorite artist right now. He’s got fantastic taste in beats and frequently takes a chance on something you’ve definitely never heard before. He’s a laid back dude with a braggadocio as big as his appetite. Produced by fellow Brooklyn Native, Party Supplies, Blue Chips 2 is a hilarious, graphic and bold project that’s gets more and more fun with every listen. I’d like to apologize in advance for how much I’ll be writing about Action Bronson.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

Kendrick Lamar

Not exactly sure what you want me to say here. I love Kendrick, I love TDE and I can’t wait to see what these guys do in 2014. If only Kendrick was as enjoyable live as he is recorded. But I digress ….

Illmatic

Nas

The first 16 bars of “Life’s a Bitch” were life affirming the first time I ever heard them. Once I learned them, they also had me convinced that I could be a rapper, too. Well, we now know I’m not a rapper. But on a lazy Saturday afternoon cruising down the highway with your windows rolled down, AZ and Nas can still manage convince me that I’m the baddest dude around, if not just for a few moments. For me, Illmatic is THE Nas album, no argument. It’s 10 tracks that perfectly sum up the glory of 90’s hip hop.

Already Platinum

Slim Thug

I’ve lived in Arizona for more than half of my life now, but Texas is and always will be home. When I really started to get into hip hop, nothing was cooler to me than the thought of rappers from MY state getting the recognition I knew they deserved. The title of Slim Thug’s first major release was a daring boast that never came to fruition, but he still managed to create a decent amount of buzz outside the Lone Star State with his syrupy slow delivery and thick Texas twang. Slim has never recaptured this sort of mainstream success, but Already Platinum is still one of my favorite listens.

Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101

Young Jeezy

Jeezy’s 2005 release brought trap music to the masses (or at least to the forefront of my mind). The song “Go Crazy” went crazy, thanks in part to a verse from Jay Z, and all of a sudden, suburban high school kids like me were disciples of ATL hip hop. Look, I can’t identify with anything Jeezy has to say, but if it sounds good, I’ll listen to it. I’ve got so many memories of driving around to this album in my best friend’s Explorer, outfitted with a couple of comically oversized subwoofers and feeling like a bad ass. As cringe-worthy as those memories might be, they’re still fun to think about. Plus, this was just a great debut album.

Murray’s Revenge

Murs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H25vfOM3SU
The only repeat contributor on this list is 9th Wonder, so if you’re not a fan, you may not be pleased. But this list isn’t about you, IS IT? Murs and 9th Wonder did a lot together, but this 2006 release has to be my favorite. The production and rhymes are on point throughout this entire album and reaches its climax with the wonderfully sampled title track. Bob James’ “Nautilus” has been sampled time and time again, but again, this is easily my favorite rendition. The song “Barbershop” is a great concept track that’s perfect for one of those days where you just got a raise, got the car cleaned, got a new pair of kicks on and of course, a fresh new haircut.

Hate any of my selections? Do we have any albums in common? Let me know! I’m excited to be here and can’t wait to hear from you. Cheers!

Honorable Mentions:
The Infamous – Mobb Deep
Doggystle – Snoop Dogg
Diplomatic Immunity 2 – The Diplomats
Uptown Saturday Night – Camp Lo
Ready to Die – The Notorious B.I.G.
Be – Common
Real Talk – Fabolous

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