Songs You May or May Not Have Heard Of (But You Should) Part III

Listed below are some songs that have found their way into heavy rotation on my iPod and iTunes. They are in no particular order in terms of what song I like more. If you have any recommendations, please pass along some artists and songs. If you agree or disagree with some of the songs on my list, let me know! Hit the jump for the list!

Here is Part I, Part II, and Part IV

EDIT: So originally I intended on making a Top 10 sort of list, but i came up with 18 songs that I felt like everyone should hear. Enjoy.

NOTE: Clicking on the links will open up the song (all songs are YouTube links) in this window. Make sure to right click and select "Open Link in New Tab."

1. Love Song- Jean Grae: Soon after hearing Ms. Grae, she quickly climbed my list to my second favorite female MC (Sorry, but Lauryn Hill will always have my heart). Many of you may have heard of her on a couple of Talib Kweli Songs, she's signed to his Blacksmith Records (My favorite song of Gutter Rainbows  may be Uh Oh). Love Song comes off her 2002 debut album Attack of the Attacking Things. You may have realized by this point that I'm a sucker for great samples and storytelling, and this song satisfies my need for both. Her voice is not too hard, but she still ables to make her presence and confidence felt on the track. Jean expresses emulation so well in this song, through lines like, "Coming over later smelling of pussy/On his face, jeans, and sweaters something's fishy/And it's not what he tells her, man, it's what he don't/And she don't understand and for some years, she probly won't/Just wants an honest man/For goodness sake/They backstabbing and cutting her throat/Restraining orders follow, but she still optomistic about it/Like annie, thinking tomorrow will maybe be a better day/I let her pray on bended knees 'ask him to send prince charming, please.'"
2. No Greater Love- Blu: Blu makes another appearance on the list, this time on his own song. And Like Fashawn's Boy Meets World album, Blu's Below the Heavens is 100% produced by Exile. Blu is spitting about being whipped. Although some of us may not like to admit it, there's always been that one boy or girl who you just got to tip your hat to, because you know they got you like that. Blu raps, "You be acting like it's lust? yeah right/Would lust have you up at 5 writing a text?/Trying to get a thought up off of you chest/Or her all on your chest. gotta work so you call in to rest for second/Then you call her for sex and she's there in a second/And her parents is stressing cause she missed whole semester/Fucking around with this peasant name Blu and juliet is you/And two connected is one. fun is endless, getting drunk and fucking bitches is through/Son's back with the moon and balance how we shine on the planet and you try/To understand it but you can't cause there is no greater love." Can you, with a straight face tell me you've never been wanting to text that certain someone at 5 AM and then tell the homies that your just trying to beat? Okay then. But anyways, I would really encourage you to check this guy out, if you haven't already. He has several mixtapes out.
3. Cannon- Moruf: Obviously I'm going to come off as biased, but Jersey's own Moruf really has the potential to blow up. He dropped his first mixtape at the beginning of the year and I guarantee if you listen, you won't be let down. The tape is full of carefully selected -and mostly industry- beats that are able to compliment his style and topics perfectly. Cannon is my favorite song on the album because it's able to showcase his lyricism and storytelling. And the best part of the mixtape occurs a little bit before the 2:00 mark. I'm not going to tell you what happens. You just have to listen for yourself. And as a friend of Moo's, I ask that you give the tape a listen and spread the word!
4. #SuperPower- Ninjasonik: I'm sure you noticed right off the bat that this song is unlike any of the previous songs. This isn't really something you  just listen to while relaxing. You can't help but wanna get up and jump when the beat drops. Ninjasonik tends to have that effect with most of their songs. DJ Roofeo did a dope jop in sampling a sample here. While Ninjasonik consists of both Telli and Jah Jah, this song is just Telli going in. I love the Basquiat reference in the beginning. Also, as a few of you can attest to, you havent really lived until you go to a Ninjasonik show. If you chose to go, I'd suggest you don't wear anything too nice. You'll thank me later (NoDrake).

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