You heard how Asher Roth and Nottz get down on Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor). Now check out how they rock the mixtape.

If you missed, Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor), it was on the criminally slept on Nottz album You Need This Music. Click here to download the mixtape and listen below:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

 

It’s a great day for underground rap…which is a nice segue into the #8 reason why 2010 is the best year ever in hip-hop: The Return of the Underground.

This one is a bit of a contradiction.  The incredible underground releases this year certainly contributed to the musical strength of the year overall, but underground rap is consistently pretty strong.  It’s the hits that are more unpredictable.  That’s confirmed just by looking at Soundscan sales info.  This year will have several platinum rap albums (Drake, Nicki, Kanye, Eminem, B.o.B. and probably Rick Ross), but that kind of volume hasn’t happened in many years.  Even though great underground releases are more predictable, something still felt a little different about them this year.  A big part of it has to do with technology.  Gone are the days when you need hundreds of thousands of dollars, a professional studio and a big major label backing you to make great music.  These days, all you need is a laptop and a drive…to make it happen for yourself.  That has narrowed the divide between the sonic quality of mainstream and underground music considerably.  More than that, however was just the sense that the underground artists of 2010 had a great shot at being the breakthrough artists of the future.  Enough talk though.  The music speaks for itself.  Here are just a few that killed it in 2010 (and if you missed the previous reasons why 2010 is the best year ever in hip-hop, click here):

1.  Big K.R.I.T. – Somedayz

2.  Nottz – My Neighbor ft Asher Roth

3. 1982 – You Should Go Home ft Masspike Miles and Bun B

4. Curren$y – Michael Knight

5. Diggy Simmons – As I Am

6. Black Milk – Deadly Medley

7. CyHi The Prynce – Shade 45 Freestyle

8. Jay Electronica (he gets 2 joints) – The Announcement

Shiny Suit Theory ft Jay-Z

Not sure whether this Mr. Rogers Neighborhood sample will make it on the album, but Nottz and Asher Roth put the knock on it. Check out the video for Dontcha Wannabe (My Neighbor)

 

Speaking of new G-Funk, check out Nottz’ Never Caught Slippin’ ft Snoop Dogg and Royce Da 5’9. This is 3 generations of spitters.

Royce has always been one of the most underrated MCs out there.  His subject matter was always more commercial than that of Slum Village but obviously much less so than Eminem.  Somehow, he got lost in the shuffle.  Newcomer Nottz is the latest (along with Black Milk) to hold it down for Detroit which has had quite the resurgence this year.  Check out Never Caught Slippin’.  His album You Need This Music drops on 10/19.

Click here to download.

Here’s one of Royce’s dope back in the day joints produced by DJ Premier that probably made Omar Akil salivate:

Nottz breaks down The Cycle of how some leave the pen just to go back in…

Nottz rides a jazzy chopped up loop ft Joell Ortiz.  This is the 3rd or 4th hot joint from his upcoming album You Need This Music which drops on 10/26.  It sounds like it’s definitely one to cop.  Support (good) hip-hop.

Click here to download.

Nottz drops another hot one with Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor) and he brought Asher Roth to drop a nice 16 bars.

Click here to download.

If you’re feeling Black Milk, check out Nottz’ Blast That. It features a hot Black Milk beat and the Milk man himself.

Click here to download.