It’s now 2012, and while many of us are in the full swing of things with new music for the new year, some are still stuck in the notion that New York Hip Hop is either stuck in or should sound exactly like 1994.

Fortunately, the new crop of NY’s finest are marrying the home of hip hop’s traditions with a bold look toward the future. Here’s a quick playlist of names you either should know by now or need to know in 2012.

Action Bronson

Dining with Anthony Bourdain one minute and recording tracks with Meyham Lauren the next, Bronson’s taste for fine foods, 80s professional wrestlers and pop culture nonsequitors is only matched by his tireless work ethic and an almost unfair quality control. With two outstanding albums in last year’s Dr. Lecter and Well Done as well as several announced projects in the coming months, the eclectic Energizer Bunny of rap just keeps going as an excited audience keeps listening.

A$AP Rocky

With both a decade long stigma of rejecting outsiders as well as a genocide of its record stores, you wouldn’t expect an NY talent to wear the influence of other regions on his sleeve. Harlem’s A$AP Rocky stands as New York’s first child of the post-Napster generation to combine the hustle and sleekness of his hometown with, among other inspirations, Memphis’s brooding crawl and Houston’s spacey ingenuity. Not merely a revivalist, the tradition he most proudly carries is an unmistakable rugged boldness that only Harlem could manifest.

Brown Bag AllStars

Individually the members of Brown Bag AllStars could account for half of this list, but together they form a Castle Greyskull of boom-bap viciousness. As insular as they are talented, their work ethic and self-awareness allows for release after release of playing to their own strengths. Rappers Soul Khan and Koncept have both recently released projects entirely produced by fellow members and with both J57 and Audible Doctor producing on some of the year’s most anticipated releases, the crew’s upcoming debut album promises to be the best record the crew’s fallen nexus, Manhattan’s Fatbeats Records, was never able to stock.

Dollar Coffee

The duo of BS and Albert Rhymestein know what made you first love rap music and, on their debut Nice Things, bring you right back to that feeling. Catchy, complex and cunning, the duo are as skilled at earworms as they are at rocking a crowd. That includes most recently receiving the rarest of warm embraces from New York’s Apollo Theater. With enough punchlines and hooks to win a fighting championship, Dollar Coffee remain the tag team champions of good time hip-hop.

Homeboy Sandman

Although he now calls Los Angeles’ Stones Throw records home, it’s still same number, same hood for New York hip hop’s archangel. Not satisfied with his already astronomical heights, Homeboy Sandman continues to push boundaries conceptually and constructively with his Subject Matter EP. As bold as it is to base an entire project on the concept of touching topics rap has never covered before, it’s only the beginning. Sandman’s reliability for dope rap music doesn’t stem from his staying the same, but his desire to continue evolving.

Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire

Last year’s “Huzzah” turned heads both for how dope it was as well as the promise it held for dirty Fondle ‘Em style hip-hop to be made today. Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire doesn’t give the slightest of fucks about any of this, which makes his music all the more refreshing. The exact midpoint between Camu Tao and Method Man, eXquire’s keeping things progressively dangerous live and on record.

Silent Knight

Intelligent without being overbearing, outspoken without being heavy handed, and brave without being boring, Silent Knight makes the type of hip hop an entire generation of underground revivalists have unsuccessfully attempted to. One of the few MCs to emphasize subtlety over showcasing, Knight brings a fresh sound to the hallmarks of New York underground rap that have for too long been glossed over or forgotten. Along with a stellar album in Busy is My Best Friend, Silent Knight’s live show is among the best today. A showman capable of rocking a party while maintaining an unforgettable intimacy, he’s a rapper’s rapper who will only continue to excel throughout the new year.

Regular followers notice when we slow up. Since we have been semi-quietly working on a companion project to the award-winning Birthplace Magazine, we haven’t had much time to go through the backlog, but sometimes, you have to do what is right. This guy is always in the mix, and we give him much props, but he hasn’t officially made our e-pages yet.

Overdue. And corrected right now.

Hired Gun is very active in the New York hip hop underground. On any given week, you’ll find this hard-working MC at various underground haunts like A Monthly Bondfire, The Vital Movement or Freestyle Mondays. In recent months, he has interviewed Dr. Cornell West and The Cornell West Theory, and traveled to Zimbabwe to take part in the Shoko! International Spoken Word and Hip-Hop Festival, conducting panels on freestyling and performing with local MCs and spoken word artists.

A well-rounded hip hop existence, no?

Well, next up on Hired Gun’s resume is The Hits and Pieces EP, a collection of tracks serving as a bridge between the artist’s 2008 debut The People’s Verses and his upcoming album, #NiceGuysFinish. The first in the 4-part Hits and Pieces EP series will drop January 30, 2012, and will feature production by ICE Nine and vocals by Tranquill for the Most High, Jake Lefco and Qwazaar, of Chicago crew Typical Cats.

The latter collaboration is an exceptionally smooth joint titled “The Life,” a jazzy introspection vaguely reminiscent of a Pete Rock and CL Smooth vibe. It was the checking of this track that swayed me from the behind-the-scenes work, back to the first and foremost mission of delivering quality hip hop music to our treasured readership.

Check it out below, and stay tuned for more hits and pieces from Hired Gun.

For more on Hired Gun, visit www.facebook.com/freshrootsmusic

The Life (featuring Qwazaar of Typical Cats) by hiredgun

After the much-heralded arrival of Jay-Z and Beyonce’s celebraby, an introspective Jay-Z spills his soul over a smoothed out Pharrell track, speaking on the trials and tribulations leading up to the “glory” of his daughter’s arrival. The Brooklyn hip hop icon spoke on his feelings, with a bit of his background for perspective, and somewhat surprisingly, alluded to the superstar couple having had a miscarriage prior to Beyonce’s pregnancy with the newly born Blue Ivy Carter.

The Bey-Z pregnancy has been quite a private affair for the most part, enough so that it sparked gossip-like controversy along the way, with rumors circulating suggesting Beyonce may have been faking her pregnancy, perhaps to shield the suspected use of a surrogate mother.

Things got even weirder when, once word of the birth got out, Love & Hip Hop participant Yandy Smith stirred up conspiracy theories even more, tweeting that the baby has been around for a month already, a claim she later clarified to be a joke.

To be fair, the couple have seemingly always faced rumors upon rumors, as the public insisted they were married before they announced they were, pregnant before they announced they were, and had given birth before they had announced they had.

Not to be totally out-hyped by the real world, Beyonce first made noise when confirming her pregnancy during a performance at the 2011 MTV Music Awards, with typical superstar flair.

Officially, Blue Ivy Carter was born Saturday at Lenox Hill Hospital. Despite all of the unnecessary scrutiny over this pairing and their offspring, we chose to not post anything related, until now, with Jay-Z’s touching homage to his newborn daughter.

We wish the family well.

Jay-Z ft. Blue Ivy Carter – Glory

[Seen over at RapRadar]

While Virginia-based Skillz has had the yearly rap wrap up thing on lock for many years, we’ve also been entertained by Bekay’s takes on the year that was, so on this, the first day of 2012, we decided to deliver both versions.

Skillz flows over a smooth track backed by the classic “All Night Long” breakbeat, commenting on personalities that held the public’s collective attention in 2011, including Charlie Sheen, Oprah, Anthony Weiner, Casey Anthony, and Kobe Bryant while breaking down events like the east coast earthquake, the NBA lockout, the Royal Wedding, Lil Wayne’s jeggings and Beyonce’s big announcement.

Bekay covered a few of these topics as well, riding over Slaughterhouse’s “Back on the Scene,” taking shots at several NBA players, mentioning Steve Jobs, Occupy Wall Street, bin Laden and the earthquake, and throws in a couple lines about Amy Winehouse, Swamp People, The X-Factor, Tim Tebow, J-Lo, republican candidates and Kim Jong Il.

Whichever you prefer, 2011 was one helluva year. Happy New Year, all the best to you and yours in ’12. If we make it past the Mayan prophecy of course…

Listen/Download: Skillz – 2011 Rap Up [iTunes]

Listen/Download: Bekay – 2011 Year In Review

Hopefully you’re not too partied out, and enjoying the beginnings of a happy new year. One of the first releases of good ol’ 2012 comes from Raekwon, who delivers the 17-track mixtape Unexpected Victory, featuring the likes of Busta Rhymes, Fred The Godson, Vado and LEP Bogus Boys.

Raekwon’s Unexpected Delivery features production from folks like Scram Jones, 9th Wonder, Pro Logic & Moss, and Statik Selecktah, among other, lesser known beatsmiths, adding to the mix of known and less known artists, proving that The Chef is unafraid to use his platform to introduce new characters to the game, something many underground fans often ask of the more successful in the genre.

We haven’t gotten to listen to the project yet, so we don’t know how effective this is in this case, but it’s Raekwon, so we expect nothing less than another solid effort from one of Shaolin’s finest.

Download/Listen: Raekwon – Unexpected Victory [MIXTAPE]

Homeboy Sandman, the inaugural recipient of our “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck,” recently joined the roster of Stones Throw Records, the L.A.-based record label home to the likes of Madlib and J. Dilla. Homeboy Sandman’s first Stones Throw release, the jazzy “New York Nights,” will lead a forthcoming project between Stones Throw and Serato, while an LP is expected from the inimitable wordsmith in early 2012.

Speaking with Birthplace Magazine’s Steven Ortiz during the summer of 2011, Homeboy Sandman teased the label deal, and spoke about the importance of keeping creative control with his craft. Stones Throw, clearly a label that embraces eclecticism, is an apt home for Homeboy Sandman, a truly unique and immense talent, that happily exists just outside of the box.

“New York Nights” is produced by DFM, and is typical Homeboy Sandman, in that he spits clever lyrics over atypical, but healthily headnoddable beats, with a cadence and emphasis on alliteration that makes him stand out among everyday wordsmiths.

Check out Homeboy Sandman’s website and on the Stones Throw site for more information about this dynamic artist helping carry the torch for progressive New York hip hop.

(Originally peeped over at IHeartDilla).

Homeboy Sandman – New York Nights by stonesthrow

50 Cent drops The Big Ten, a 10-track (12 if you count the bonus and outro) mixtape, just hours after news began circulating that the hip hop mogul will be releasing a new fitness book and food guide, Formula 50: A 6-Week Total Body Transformation Plan, slated to hit shelves in early 2013.

The Big Ten features appearances by Tony Yayo, Kidd Kidd and recent G-Unit signee Paris, as well as production by the likes of Jake One, Jahlil Beats and !llMind.

50 cent continues to make moves in various areas of entertainment and business, most notably his recent involvement with the SMS Audio headphone line, SYNC by 50, having celebrated the launch at an event in New York City. 50 has also made news by signing Jersey Shore’s DJ Pauly D to his G-Note label, as well as ongoing philanthropic efforts, seeking to feed one billion Africans, as well as working with Feeding America, to help fight hunger here at home.

WATCH: 50 Cent on Piers Morgan Tonight [CNN]

The Big Ten celebrates the 10th anniversary of 50 Cent’s mixtape, 50 Cent is the Future. Turns out it was a pretty apt title.

Download/Listen: 50 Cent – The Big Ten

Quick story.

When I began Birthplace Magazine, and was scouting the “new breed” of New York hip hop, one of the very first shows I went to was at Southpaw, in Brooklyn. It was a small affair, held in the “downstairs” part of the club, a lounge area if you will, and there weren’t that many people there, but the ones that were, were hip hop heads through and through.

One of the acts that night (where I met a few others who have also progressed in the game ever since, i.e., Donny Goines, 6th Sense), was Tanya Morgan. The (then) three-man group took to the floor with an energy and aura that reminded me of A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul, with dope beats, clever wordplay and great interaction with the group of onlookers. They were at once nostalgic and progressive.

I didn’t know much about them at the time, but I remember thinking this was an early exclamation point to my assertion that New York hip hop was indeed live and well.

Since then, through releases such as Brooklynati and Moonlighting, as well as solo projects each (Donwill’s Don Cusack In High Fidelity and Von Pea’s Pea’s Gotta Have It), Tanya Morgan has found ways to continue to be innovative, while holding true to a purist hip hop vibe.

Having since become a duo (Cincinatti-based Ilyas no longer an active member), Don Will and Von Pea are hoping to continue their streak of solid, conceptual and acclaimed music, while making sure to demonstrate evolution. “The EP is a natural progression, in that it blends the production sounds that you heard on our solo albums into one cohesive set of songs,” says Donwill. “We also were conscious of people noticing that the trio is now a duo, so we wanted to ensure that this and all future projects have a different sound and feel than Brooklynati and Moonlighting.”

Whatever the plan is, it works, and You And What Army is simply a great sounding, early Christmas present for  longtime TM fans and newcomers alike.

You And What Army can be listened to and purchased at the group’s Bandcamp page, with appearances by Exile, Napoleon, Che Grand, Jermiside, AEON and Tiffany Paige, and production by Von Pea, AEON, Astronote, Brizzo and Exile.

Tanya Morgan performing at the 2011 SXSW Music Festival, Austin, TX

New Jersey’s I-Dub recruits Bronx bar slinger Fred The Godson for the araabMuzik-produced “Oh My God,” a synth and drum heavy headnodder that got a couple replays the first time out of gate over here, and could make a bit of street/club/radio noise.

It was just the other day when we posted up a Quickie featuring the “Tool” freestyle, where I-Dub spits introspectively about his life and music grind, and while “Oh My God” is more along the lines of brag-rap, the flow and track go well enough together to give us a two-for-two feeling.

We’ll keep checking for I-Dub, and if you’re feeling this one, swing on over to iTunes and cop “Oh My God.”

Andrew Kelley does a few things. He is an accomplished A&R, and producer, crafting tracks and remixes for the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, AZ and M.O.P., as well as serving as Senior Art Director at eOne Music. The latest in his string of remix projects, is Dope On The Table, a seven track EP which features “an exclusive collection of remixed cuts by Raekwon The Chef.”

The intro of leadoff cut “Two Brothers of the Corner” and the rolling bassline of the M.O.P. and Kool G Rap-enhanced remix to “Ill Figures,” Dope On The Table pretty much set the tone of the EP, as Andrew Kelley favors the basslines, synths and guitar sounds of classic soul tracks, pulling off the often-difficult feat of sounding nostalgic without sounding dated.

Additional verses are contributed by the likes of Big L, Notorious B.I.G., Ghostface Killah, Sean Price, Pusha T, Littles, Fabolous and Big Boi and Andrew Kelley’s soulful, smokey-vibed production generally works well throughout, orchestrated best on the reggae-influenced “Bricks” with the Notorious B.I.G. and fellow Wu-Tanger Ghostface Killah, and “Fool’s Paradise,” a funky, retro-sounding treat featuring Fabolous.

Raekwon himself just announced the impending release of his new mixtape UnExpected Victory, set to drop on Christmas, but in the meantime, definitely check out the free download of Dope On The Table over at DJBooth.net, to add to your undoubtedly-already-heafty Wu-affiliated archives.

Download/Listen: Andrew Kelley Presents: Raekwon – Dope On The Table [REMIX EP]

Raekwon ft. Fabolous – “Fool’s Paradise” (Andrew Kelley Remix)