Erk Tha Jerk - Right Here (Video)

If you take equal parts Kid Cudi & Drake, mixed with a healthy portion of Bay Area swagger & a pinch of Auto-Tune, you'd end up with Richmond, CA's "Hood Nerd", rapper/producer/songwriter, Erk Tha Jerk. A veteran on the Bay Area rap scene, Erk has been grinding it out on the independent level for the past 10 years, producing and penning verses for local artists like Too $hort & San Quinn, all the way building a loyal following with a melodic mix of Hip-Hop & R&B that's fresh & unforced. He scored his first hit single earlier this year with the raunchy radio smash, "Right Here", which became the most played song on Bay Area radio station, 106 KMEL & even made it's way on to Billboard Magazine's Hot 100. A multi-talented artist, Erk manages to bare his soul and reveal his every day, every man struggle without being overly emo & off putting. Fatherhood, divorce & unfulfilled aspirations are typical topics, plus, as evidenced by this single, the guy knows how to make joints for the ladies as well. He may not look like your typical MC, but dude has his chops & the music is undeniable. Erk Tha Jerk's debut album, Nerd's Eye View (Red Planet Music Group/SMC Recordings) is available on Amazon & iTunes right now but if you need more proof that dude has the goods, you can download his free pre-album EP, The Prelude right here and get familiar.

Jae Millz feat. Meek Mill - Go Fast (Prod by Jahlil Beats)

Off of the latest in Millz' The Flood mixtape series, The Flood Never Ended. He may not get the same shine as some of his more well known Young Money counterparts but Jae Millz hit the mixtape scene with a vengeance ever since the Young Money CEO started his bid earlier this year. There was definitely a period in his career when although he was still releasing music, Millz was sounding less then inspired, but every project he's released in 2010, including Dead Presidents & the two Virgo mixtapes, has gotten progressively better then the last. After all the fuss over his comments about the XXL Freshman list, Millz sounds like he's intent on making some of his detractors eat their words. This Jahlil Beats produced banger (this guy > Lex Luger) is Millz right in pocket, spitting that Harlem shit with the same arrogant swagger that's kept him in the game for the past 10 years... "I'm on my New York shit B, word son A nigga hotter then me? I ain't heard one..." Philly spitter, Meek Mill continues to impress with a rapid fire flow that at times is reminiscent of both Peedie Crakk & Lil' Wayne. Still not sure of his range beyond the braggadocious fare that has become his default but as far as just straight snapping on a hot instrumental, Meek always brings the energy with his bars. Definitely one of the up & comers to keep an eye on. As far as Jae Millz goes, he's never been the most intricate lyricist but at this point in the game, there's a veteran's confidence in how he puts his words together. He keeps his 16's simple enough for the casual listener but with just the right amount of wit & attitude to satisfy the heads who first heard him on the battle circuit. Hopefully his hustle will get him enough momentum to get an album greenlit cause after Drake, Nicki Minaj & Tyga, who else on Young Money is marketable enough to sell records?

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Armani Ceaser feat. Benny The Butcher - "Simply Done"

The Return Of Black Star

Black Star (Yasiin Bey & Talib Kweli) - "You Already Knew" - Black Star Aretha (Mixtape)

So The Artist Formerly Known As Mos Def and his BK cohort Talib Kweli have finally taken steps toward making their follow up to their highly acclaimed 1998 album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star more then fodder for blog speculation and comment section discussion. After years of sporadic activity as a group I can understand how diehard fans could be hyped about their first release in over 13 years but unlike the other Black Star song that's floating around the internets, this one is as good as the hype would lead you to believe. Produced by Cali beatmaker Oh No, "You Already Knew" expertly flip's  "The Queen Of Soul" Ms. Aretha Franklin's "One Step Ahead" and turns it into the perfect groove for the duo to work that vintage Black Star magic on the listener. Mos is still spitting esoteric gems ("Trans-Atlantic maverick/true and living Asiatic/the organic masters/the cream of the planet"), sprinkling the track with his trademark melodic flow which is balanced by Talib's precise wordplay ("We do it for the glory, the ghetto, the war stories/Soldiers on shore leave who Occupy Wall Street") and wit. The chemistry between the two on "Fix Up" is almost forced when compared to how the two co-exist on this joint. I'm all for any new Black Star music but one can only hope this Aretha Franklin inspired mixtape actually materializes at some point.

Amplified Grammar Presents....Stuff You Might Have Missed In 2010

With the usual glut of year end lists/top ten's/wrap-up's/round-up's/etc., I decided against throwing my .02 into the Hip-Hop bloggersphere ether this year, as I did last year. All this stuff is subjective anyway & with every blog that's ever posted a review of a rap album making a year end list/top ten/wrap-up/round-up/etc., I didn't want to add to the clutter. There are a few pretty respectable sites that dig an excellent job of breaking down what went down last year & me just adding on would be overkill. But I must admit, being the know it all I am, I've been itching to say something. I mean, making lists is what bloggers do, ain't it? So in my usual "Better Late Then Never" fashion, here's my list of some of the dope music from '10 that coulda/shoulda made your favorite blogs/websites year end list/top ten/wrap-up/round-up/etc., but for some reason, didn't. But have no fear, your favorite neighborhood Hip-Hop blogger is here to save the day. Enjoy...



Alley Boy & Eldorado Red - Return Of The Mob




Joell Ortiz - Free Agent (The Leak)



Wiz Khalifa - "In My Car (Tha Puff Bus)"



Curren$y Feat. Fiend - "Flying Irons (Flying Iron Terminal 3)"

Nipsey Hussle - The Marathon

SPITGAME x Shellz Scorsese - As Promised...The EP



Jackie Chain Feat. Attitude & Chinky Brown - "Cuz It Feel Good"

Trademark Da Skydiver - Super Villain Issue 3: Reign Supreme


The Kid Daytona Feat. Styles P & Vaughn Anthony - "Lifted"




Mikey Rocks - "Bat Phone"

Odd Future - Radical

Smoke DZA - "My Life"

Jerreau (of Fly.Union) Feat. Dom Kennedy - "Like That"

Gangrene (The Alchemist x Oh No) - Gutter Water

Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik 0-60

Starlito - "Alright"

Kanye West Feat. Kid Cudi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks & Ryan Leslie - "Christian Dior Denim Flow"

Casey Veggies - Sleeping In Class

Diddy - Dirty Money - Last Train To Paris

Everybody Hates Charles Hamilton

If you've found your way to my little corner of the internet then chances are you've heard of this kid from Harlem named Charles Hamilton. Seemingly bursting on the Hip-Hop scene out of nowhere, Charles hit the blogs in 2008 as a fully formed artist, with a story (Homeless heroin addict/musical prodigy), a gimmick (All Pink Everything), an alter ego (Sonic The Hedgehog) and a label deal with Interscope Records already in place. I caught my first glimpse of Hamilton in a YouTube vid where he was having an impromptu freestyle session with Kanye West & The Game and it was clear that not only was Charles a true MC who could hang with the big boys but he could prolly rap circles around a few of them as well. Effortless in his flow, Charles Hamilton remains one of the best true freestyle rappers I've ever seen, but he was out to prove that he was more then just a one trick pony and had some very interesting (and opinionated) views on Hip-Hop and how to "play the game" .

An avid blogger, Charles continued to grow his fanbase with his words as a steady trickle of projects began to hit the 'net. A mixtape with DJ Green Lantern here, a couple of unreleased tracks here, culminating in what still stands out as one of the more ambitious musical projects I've seen to date. Eight mixtapes released on eight different blogs in a four month time span, eponymously titled, The Hamiltonization Process. Sure some of the tapes were hit or miss but the highs were much greater then the lows and the project was successful in achieving it's goal, which was to let the world (Wide Web) know that Charles Hamilton was going to be a force to be reckoned with. All the work paid off and resulted in his inclusion in XXL's Top 10 Freshmen Of 2009. After such a shining endorsement, you'd think things were looking up for young Hamilton. And you would be wrong.

From losing rap battles to fans (I thought the white kid came with some writtens) to losing a war of the words to Soulja Boy (But I can't front, he took an L on this one), rap beef was the least of Hamilton's problems in 2009. Yeah, he got punched by a girl. So what? Son mighta got a little slick with the lips but she's the one who was emotional and outta control. I think Hamilton handled himself like a G given the circumstances. Only thing you can fault him for is messing around with some unstable chick. But when you from the hood, this happens sometimes. (Shout out to my baby mama! The check's in the mail.)

Yeah, he lied about knowing Dilla's mom's but I think he was more shocked at the reaction people had to him wanting to have J Dilla posthumously executive produce his debut album "This Perfect Life". I know I was. I saw it as a sign of respect for a man who he obviously felt influenced his music as well as the music of many others. Hamilton even made a tape entirely based around Dilla beats (And Then They Played Dilla), right around the time it seemed like it became en vogue to do so. At least Hamilton can say Dilla directly influenced his production style. Some of the cats who were jumping on those beats had no connection to the man what so ever. I found that more disrespectful then trying to honor Dilla by giving him credit on his album.

Soon after, Charles' major label debut was shelved and subsequently leaked on the internet and in the months after, Charles got dropped from Interscope, took a self imposed sabbatical to Los Angeles, returned to the bloggersphere with an apology and a bunch of new music with production from cats like DJ Toomp and Jim Jonsin. For a minute it appeared as if he was taking his lumps with a smile.

Charles Discharged from jeff on Vimeo.

But after a lukewarm reception to his new material, as quickly as he had reappeared, he disappeared once again.

Most recently, Charles checked himself into New York Presbyterian Mental Hospital for a short stint and showed up a few weeks later at the offices of XXL Magazine where he dropped this epic 27 minute freestyle...from a wheelchair. Yeah, it's always something with Chuck.

Since then, Charles has been releasing a new mixtape almost every other day and even though I'm a fan, I can't lie, these days he misses way more often then he hits but therein lies the appeal of Charles Hamilton. At least to me anyway. Dude is so willing to experiment and put himself out there, even if it's not his best work, even if he might lose some fans because of it. There's a fearlessness in that act and that's admirable but at the same time, if he wanted to just make music for himself, why release it? I think he owes more to the fans who have followed him from the jump, but more importantly, he owes it to himself to fulfill the promise he showed early on.

Chuck's music manages to straddle the line of extreme fantasy (the high concept Well Isn't This Awkward... and it's follow up, Well This Isn't Awkward (Winner Takes All) ) or reality (He dedicated an entire tracklist to his ex's on Every Charles Hamilton Ex-Girlfriend's Worst Nightmare along with the deeply personal, The Pink Lavalamp and This Perfect Life), I find his best work is when he tones down the dramatics & tries to make songs that people will listen to and enjoy instead of rapping solely to show people he's nice at it.

There's a certain contingent of Charles Hamilton fans who eat up everything he releases, lackluster or not. These "Starchasers" (As Hamilton affectionately calls them) are a part of the problem, enabling such a talented musician to continue to put out occasionally brilliant but for the most part, sub par music and treat it like it's the reinvention of sound. Well I'm here to tell you Charles, it's not. The potential for greatness is still there and I think focused efforts will yield better results but for the time being, I'm willing to ride out this wave of obscure music in hopes that he'll eventually get his shit together somewhere later down the line.

After combing through all the Hamilton music I have been able to get my hands on, I present a cohesive collection of what I feel are his best songs since The Hamiltonization Process ended. Without further ado....
This Is Charles Hamilton

1. The Loser's Revenge
2. Sega Music (Last of the Mauritians)
3. Some First Single Type Sh1t
4. Brooklyn Girls
5. Cali Oriental
6. Q and A
7. MTV Cribs (Produced by The Chonchords)
8. Body Roc (Introducing Show TuFli)
9. The North Pole Feat. Max B.
10. Tengo Una Pregunta
11. Loading Feat. MC Lyte
12. Do It
13. Heroin Girl (Produced by DJ Toomp)
14. Think Twice Feat. Yung Nate & Show Tufli (Produced by Woody)
15. SuperSonicLove
16. Coodies
17. Unapologetic
18. SuperSonicLove RMX (Produced by DJ Toomp)

After all my filibustering & my comp of handpicked songs designed to turn even the most hardcore hater to a fan, if all that doesn't work & you still can't bring yourself to give dude his props as a rapper, there is no way you can front on him as a producer. As a bonus, here's a gang of instrumentals, all produced by Charles Hamilton.

Bonus: Charles Hamilton - Hamiltonstrumentals