Wale brings it hard again on his most recent mixtape, Back to the Feature which features him working with the studio genius 9th Wonder.  The mixtape before this one, Mixtape About Nothing, really turned me onto Wale and really got me following him, and his most recent release has kept me up with that same interest level that the Mixtape About Nothing had.  Wale brought it hard not only with his lyrical flow, but with the beats, and all the sick nasty featured musicians.  I don't think I have ever seen so many features on a mixtape before, especially for someone who is relatively new to the music game!  We covered one of the singles a while back by Wale on his track, "Chillin'," which featured the ever-so-popular Lady Gaga (P.S. Also check out DJ Benzi's remix of the track "Chillin'," it has some pretty dope video work done on it, and I highly suggest it, CLICK HERE to check it out!).  I knew that when that song leaked, that this tape was going to be mad dope and something special.

One thing that is great about Wale is that he doesn't just focus on one sort of Hip-Hop, he has various ways of sending his message and conveying his music to the masses.  There was a ton of hype to this mixtape, and surprisingly, the tape did not let down whatsoever.  Another thing I loved about this tape was that it featured some musicians that are already all-stars in the music industry, and at the same time, it featured musicians who may not be huge right now, but definitely have the potential to become something big one day (i.e. Daniel Merriweather, Curren$y, etc...).  The tape as a whole really brought out the best in Wale, and his features really went along with the tracks they were on.  Each beat really fit with the musician he chose to work with on the track, which is something that is generally ignored by many musicians out there!  Anyway, peep the rest of the review below, and be sure to check out the tape, if you don't you'll be missing out!

D.C. Chillin'... That's what's up folks.  With songs like that, it is hard for me to believe that Wale won't make it big in the music industry!  I mean let's take a look at the features on this mixtape, shall we?  You got Joe Budden, Curren$y, Young Chris, Freeway & Beanie Sigel, Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Big Sean, Ken Starr, Mike Posner, Daniel Merriweather, Memphis Bleek, Jean Grae, Royce Da 5'9, Dre (from Cool & Dre), K'Naan, and so many more!!!  The crazy part about this is that you got musicians in that list who are all from different backgrounds of Hip-Hop and Rap.  I mean Big Sean is a totally different musician then Talib Kweli, and yet Wale finds a way for both sounds to converge on his mixtape!  It's kind of an impressive thing, and I think Wale should get some serious credit for doing that.  Well, I am running out of things to say on this mixtape, it has been in serious rotation on my iTunes/iPod since I downloaded it last night, and I think you all should download it, otherwise you will be missing out on something truly special!  I give this mixtape an A, and I am sure that I won't be the only one giving it that score!  Peep the track listing below, the album artwork above, and the download links below!

Back To The Feature Track Listing:

1. Wordplay (Feat. Curren$y & Tre)
   
2. Cyphr (Feat. Young Chris, Freeway & Beanie Sigel)
   
3. Chillin' (Catch vs 9th) (Feat. Lady Gaga)
   
4. Tito Santana (Feat. Joe Budden)
   
5. Minutes (Feat. Skyzoo)
   
6. Life's A B*tch (Feat. Talib Kweli & Joell Ortiz)
   
7. Night Life (Feat. Young Chris & Tre)
   
8. Sweatin' Out Weaves (Feat. UCB)
   
9. Hot Shyt (Feat. Peedi Peedi, Black Thought, Tu Phace & Young Chris)
   
10. Wonder Why (Feat. Big Sean, Ken Starr & Mike Posner)
    
11. Pot Of Gold (Feat. Daniel Merriweather)
    
12. Sharp (Feat. Torae & Kingpin Slim)
    
13. Warwick Avenue (Feat. Duffy)
    
14. The Sun (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
    
15. Rather Be With You (Vagina Is For Lovers) (Feat. J Cole & Curren$y)
    
16. Goodbye (Feat. Jean Grae)
    
17. Say It Again (Feat. Royce Da 5'9)
    
18. Talkin' Shyt (Feat. Bub B & Dre)
    
19. Nothing To Worry About (Feat. Peter, Bjorn & John)
    
20. Rhyme 'N' Reason (Feat. Tre)
    
21. Um Ricka (Feat. K'Naan)
    
22. New Soul (Feat. Yael Naim)
    

Download Back To The Feature Below:

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Check Out Wale & Lady Gaga In His Music Video For, "Chillin":

Check Back Here For More Wale Updates In The Near Future, Back To The Feature Out Now... Be Sure To Cop It And Give It A Listen, Stuff Is Mad DOPE!!!

Nothing like seeing a video with two of my favorite musicians hangin' out and doing their thing!  I am telling you, the music industry better be ready for these two young up and comers, and the rest of the incoming class which can bee featured above! These guys got it going on, Mickey Factz, Mike Posner, Big Sean, KiD CuDi, Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton (we'll talk a lot about him in some coming site posts...!), Wale, Drake, Tyga, and so many other musicians who I don't have posted up yet, or have the time to name!!!  Anyway, peep the video below, CHANGE GON' COME folks, and I think we can already see that first hand with Asher's first album, and the upcoming releases of many of the up and comers in the music game!

Check Out Photos By Clicking Here

B.o.B + Asher Roth Backstage!

As I was browsing The Revolution Will Be Tape Recorded, I came across Wale's new music video featuring Lady Gaga, "Chillin'". I didn't think much of it, and thought that I would watch it eventually, but it was no rush. Max said that it was shot on the streets of Boston, but I didn't think that had any real significance. I then get an IM from my friend Lev saying "yo that wale and lady gaga music video, the shoe store in it is this dope place in boston thats got illl shoes." And I was like, "BODEGA?!?!?!"

For those of you who have no clue what Bodega is, it's basically and underground shoe store housed in the back of a dumpy little convenience store (even the website makes you search for the good stuff). A bodega is a small convenience store that sells candy, soft drinks, lottery tickets, etc. If you had no clue that there was a shoe store in there, there would be no way that you would walk inside. My friends describe the store as very dark, old, and scary, with dudes chillin' on brand new macbooks "guarding" the doors. The beauty of the store is that to get into the shoe part you walk through a SNAPPLE MACHINE! Seriously! A Snapple Machine! Check out the video and see it for your own eyes.

Getting back to the video and the song though, they're extremely hot. Lady Gaga is great and Wale struts his stuff like the veteran he's going to become. Enjoy the vid, and if you ever go to Bodega, tell me about your experience!

Since ICECrush has been sort of busy, I decided I would just go ahead and post up this weeks remix of the week.  This one is straight fire, and I have no idea if this is featured on the album or what, but I love when rock and roll musicians team up with rap/hip-hop musicians. This time we got Nickel Eye (from The Strokes) pairing up with up and comer Wale on his hit track, "Brandy of the Damned."  Check it out and download the track below!

Nickel Eye (Feat. Wale) - Brandy Of The Damned (Mark Ronson Remix)

1. Re-Anna - Charles Hamilton
   
2. Heartbreaker (Feat. John Legend) - MSTRKRFT
   
3. Congratulations - Jeff Who?
   
4. Girlfriend Ringtone (Feat. Lil' Wayne & Sean Garrett) - Mishon
   
5. Absolute - The Fray
   
6. Every Girl (Feat. Lil' Wayne, Drake, Jae Millz, & Gutta) - Young Money
   
7. Cold Chillin' - Charles Hamilton
   
8. November 18th - Drake
   
9. Colorful Clothes (Feat. Lil' Wayne, Maino, Lupe Fiasco, Wes Fif, Trae, Hunt & Joe Young) - DJ Yoda
   
10. Successful (Feat. Trey Songz & Lil' Wayne) - Drake
    
11. Sunnycalifornia Part 2 - Inverse
    
12. Welcome to Suburbia - Jeremy Messersmith
    
13. Atlantic - Keane
14. Nightlife (Feat. Tre' and Young Chris) - Wale
    
15. Song Cry/Lost (Remix) (Feat. Coldplay) - Jay-Z
    
16. I'm On A Boat (Feat. T-Pain) - The Lonely Island
17. Rock My Chain - Mishon
18. The Mayor (Feat. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface & DJ AM) - N.A.S.A.
    
19. Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover) - Raheem DeVaughn
    
20. Amy Winehouse - J-Eye

Check Back Next Week For Our New Top 20 Tracks I'm Diggin'

So mixtapes are truly one of the greatest things in the music industry.  It really allows fans  to get their fix of music for free, and really gives the fans something.  We are going to countdown the best of the best that came out in 08', and while it is somewhat late to still be covering 08', we are going to do it anyway.  Let us know if your favorite mixtape didn't make the top ten, and why it should be there.

1. Sky High: The Kanye Remix Project, Kanye West - This mixtape featured the type of work Kanye West fans were craving for.  While he did a sort of pop piece on 808's, and decided to sing instead of rap, this free mixtape really gives the fans what they wanted in 08'.
   
2. Crash Landed, Charles Hamilton - This young up and coming rapper really showed the world what he can do on this mixtape, and for anyone who does not know Charles should really go ahead and give his mixtape a listen, I promise the up and coming rapper won't disappoint.
3. Plain Pat & Emile Presents a KiD Named CuDi, KiD CuDi - Wow, it really is a tie for number two and three.  It is hard to say that Charles' mixtape was better than CuDi's and each really brought it hard on their own tapes.  These two really have a lot going for themselves in 09' and both their mixtapes are just samples of how good they will be once their albums drop.  Be sure to check out this mixtape, it was straight fire.
   
4. Mick Boogie & Terry Urban Present: Viva La Hova, Coldplay - Well Boogie does it again in 08' with his hit mixtape Viva La Hova.  The mashing and melding that goes down on this mixtape is unreal.  The guy has clear cut talent and is for sure good at what he does.  Viva La Hova was one of the better mixtapes of 08' and was for sure a banger.  Has extreme replay value, unlike other mixtapes out there, and is a for sure pick up if you like Coldplay or Jay-Z.
5. The Drought Is Over 6 (The Reincarnation), Lil' Wayne - Weezy brought it all out in 08'.  He featured a hit album, a solid group of mixtapes that were bangin' and for sure fan favorites.  This was for sure the Year of the Weezy, and fans have much to look forward from him in the future, considering he drops a butt load of mixtapes each year.
   
6. Finally Famous - The Mixtape, Big Sean - Another young rapper put out a solid mixtape this year, and it is for sure something for rap fans to be on the lookout for in the future.  Big Sean landed a record deal with G.O.O.D. music, and this mixtape had some very good tracks on it.  Some say he is a Kanye West poser, but I don't see it.  He has some solid collab tracks on there and it is for sure worth a look at if you enjoy a solid mixtape.
   
7. Don Cannon and DJ DRAMA Present The GreenHouse Effect Vol. 1, Asher Roth - Well he joins the other young up and coming rappers in the top ten mixtape releases of 08'.  He is for sure going to make a big splash on the rap scene, and while he has drawn comparisons to the likes of Eminem, he definitely has his own style.  He brings a lot to the rap game and is someone to keep an eye out for in 09', his mixtape is straight fire, so be sure to download it off his site.
   
8. Pr33 Ringz, T-Pain - Well his album was a work of art, but the mixtape that came before the album release gave many fans hope that the album would turn out great.  This mixtape features some solid tracks that don't appear on the album and if your a T-Pain fan, it is a must have.  Be sure to pick up a copy of this, it is worth your while.
   
9. Mixtape About Nothing, Wale' - It is hard to place Wale's mixtape all the way at #9, considering it was unreal.  Really, it was one of the best mixtapes of 08' but there were so may great ones released that this one falls all the way to the nine spot.  He features some solid tracks and will make a huge splash when his freshman album drops.  Be on the lookout for him in 09', I promise you that he will be one of the top new artists in the game.
   
10. Mick Boogie Presents: 1988, Adele - The guy has released two top mixtapes and while his Adele mashup only hits #10 on our list, it is for sure something that people should download.  This mixtape features some good beats and with Adele's already amazing vocals, it is for sure one of the better mixtapes of 2008.  If you liked the Coldplay mixtape, I have a feeling you'll enjoy this one too!

Well that's all of the mixtapes in the top ten.  They are all awesome and it was very hard to rank which was better than which.  Be sure to grab the mixtapes and give them a listen, and leave a comment if you liked it.  Also, be sure to be on the lookout for the young up and coming rappers, I know that 09' is going to be a huge year, but don't tell me I didn't tell you so.