Beatsfix: Kendrick Lamar, RéY, Dom Kennedy & SBTRKT

Back on this once again and this week I’ve pulled together four of my favourite albums / mixtapes that have surfaced since we last spoke. A couple of names that followers of beatsfix will be more than familiar as well as a nice dose of artists that might need a bit more of an introduction. Both the UK & US get repped in equal measure this time round so I’ll be putting a gold star on my wall chart for that one. Enjoy…

Kendrick Lamar – Section 80

My favourite rapper from Compton, and maybe planet Earth, dropped his highly anticipated album Section 80. Kendrick’s last album Overly Dedicated got more spins than any other album from my itunes in the last 12 months, bar none. Kendrick is a beast and continues to up his game and solidify his place as one of the most impressive artists out. From the lyricism, subject matter, beat selection, delivery and artistry, Kendrick is that dude.

You can cop Section 80 on itunes for £5.99 which in the grand scheme of things seems pretty reasonable to me. If you like, go support that man Kendrick.

Check out, one of the many, standout tracks:

Kendrick Lamar – Ronald Reagan Era

RéY – The AmorPhoUs Vol. 1

You may recognise this man’s name from the last beatsfix post where we debuted the Peckham rapper’s banger BI(po)LAR pt2. Well, if you enjoyed that then you’re definitely gonna be bare happs at what’s coming next. This past week RéY dropped the first in a four-part series of mixtapes that ultimately serve as his introduction to the world. I’m not gassing when I say that no other MC in the UK is doing what RéY is doing right now. I’ll put money on that. Trust me when I say that if you’re a fan of music, you need to check this guy out.

You can download/stream The AmorPhoUs Vol. 1 here for free.

Tough to pick a favourite of this as the styles are so varied, but as we gave you BI(po)LAR pt1 last time, why not follow it up with the prequel? BI(po)LAR pt1 is straight to the jugular hard hitting goodness. Once you wheeled this a few times you can jump into the rest of the mixtape.

 Dom Kennedy – II: From The Westside With Love

Another L.A. favourite, Dom releases his follow-up to his much-loved From The Westside With Love. Dom sticks to what he does best. Los Angeles sunshine vibes, tales of women and stunting harder than the next man. Always good times.

Again, you can cop II: From The Westside With Love from itunes at the similarly ridiculously low price of £5.49. It’s the first time Dom’s actually charged for any of his music, so if you enjoyed 25^th Hour, Future Street/Drug Sounds, From The Westwide With Love or The Original Dom Kennedy then it’s probably only fair you make a purchase this time round. That didn’t sound too preachy did it?

Here’s the intro song to Dom’s new long player:

Dom Kennedy – Dom’s Prayer

SBTRKT – SBTRK

Slight change of pace here but one of my favourite listens of the year. London’s masked producer-of-the-minute SBTRKT, pronounced ‘Subtract’, has steadily been building quite a rep of late which has culminated in the release of his self-titled album. The hype is definitely deserved, it’s a knocker from start to finish. Never Never is one of the more chilled cuts from the album but it’s all nice. Give it a listen.

SBTRKT – Never Never

So that’s it for another Beatsfix. Hopefully I won’t be such a stranger next time. Oh yeah, and if you’ve got any comments then fire away. Always up for a quick and back and forth when it comes to chopping it up about the latest music. Shout me.