TheUrbanian.com » Colin Munroe

Donnis “Fashionably Late” [Mixtape]

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:17:41 +0000

I’ve been taking a break from the online world the past few weeks but it appears I’ve resurfaced just in time for the release of Donnis’ latest mixtape, Fashionably Late.

This is Donnis’ first release with the XXL Freshman 10 cosign under his belt, so it marks an important step. More eyes will be fixated on him – just like someone showing up fashionably late at some grand party.

Joining Donnis this time around is the likes of Pill, OJ Da Juiceman, Tony Williams, Yelawolf and Colin Munroe.

The first thing I did after the mixtape finished downloading was go right to the Munroe-featured track, Lightning. My intrigue was high to see if the two could match their previous effort together, I Am Me. While I do love Lightning and it’s stormy production, I Am Me still reigns as my favorite Donnis song.

The next track to capture my attention was the Country Cool remix with Pill and Yelawolf. I was a huge fan of the original Country Cool off Diary of an ATL Brave, so intrigue also brought me toward that track. Like Donnis, Pill and Yelawolf are climbing the hip-hop charts, so having all three on one track was a good way to judge to see who may pull ahead of the rest. All three possess complete different southern styles to me, and while I’m not the biggest Pill nor Yelawolf fan, this track was way nice and Pill kind of stole the track.

As for Donnis rhyming solo dolo on the tape, he manages just fine. The catchiest track on the entire tape is Yup, which samples Rihanna’s is-she-saying-you-know-this-or-you-notice line.

In its entirety, Fashionably Late is fashionably superior to Diary of an ATL Brave in all things hip-hop music. Better production, better rhymes, better flow, and better features. It has it all.

Listen to Country Cool Remix and download the tape.

A Much Needed Colin Munroe Post

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:28:05 +0000

Awhile back we posted a story asking the question: Where in the world was Colin Munroe? Well, to our great excitement, in the past couple days, a couple songs have dropped featuring our favorite hook man.

Both songs are great listens and differ in style. The first is No Time For Sleep, off of XXL’s 2010 Freshman 10 member’s, Pill, mixtape, 1140: The Overdose. The song is a little darker than what we’re used to with Munroe. Munroe changes his vocals a bit to match the beat – which he also produced. Listen below:

Audio MP3

Next is his collaboration with Slum Village, Faster. The song is essentially all things old school hip hop. It’s Slum Village doing what they do best along with a superb Munroe hook. Have a listen:

Pac Div “Don’t Mention It” [Mixtape]

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:42:26 +0000

Everyone’s favorite trio from the west recently dropped a new mixtape, Don’t Mention It. The album starts off with the fantastic Underdogs II, which features the vocal stylings of Colin Munroe. It’s a fitting opening to a mixtape which is a prelude to their upcoming debut album, Grown Kid Syndrome. Why might these guys be underdogs? Considering 2010 is set for releases from heavyweights in the industry, along with some much-anticipated debuts. With so much hype surrounding so many releases, Pac Div might not be near the top of everyone’s list of albums to cop when they drop. They weren’t featured on XXL and their name isn’t Drake. These guys are the mid-major team we all root for in the NCAA Tournament.

As the mixtape rolls on, their presence on fantastic production. This is most notably is evident on the track, Birds, which features Pill. This is a track to bump in your sound system in your car. This could actually be said for many of the tracks actually. A lot of production on this sounds like it’s straight from Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids.

The 13-track mixtape is a great listen and we highly recommend that you check it out.

Listen to Underdogs II and download the tape.

O Colin, Colin! Wherefore Art Thou Colin?

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:27:37 +0000

It’s been a long time since Colin Munroe’s mixtape, Colin Munroe is the Unsung Hero (December 2008), and an even longer time since his take on Kanye West’s Flashing Lights (January 2008). Between those two things, Monroe’s buzz was soaring through the internet. His version of Flashing Lights was praised by West himself and he had collaborations with an abundance of hip-hop rising stars on his mixtape with songs featuring the likes of Wale, Drake, Mickey Factz, Black Milk, Skyzoo and Joell Ortiz. On top of that, he had a Grammy-winning producer, Dallas Austin, on his side.

Munroe had an ever-so-fitting title for his mixtape since it was very true. He was an unsung hero with an interesting back story many young people could attach and relate to. Munroe’s story gave us hope and so did his songs. With topics like love, heroism, loneliness, hope and just being the underdog, we became entranced. We wanted more! The anticipation for his debut album grew by the day.

For about a year now we haven’t heard much from Munroe and the buzz has reached a stalemate. Sure, he’s appeared in some features here and there; more recently on the Pac Div mixtape, Don’t Mention It, and Kidz in the Hall album, The Land of Make Believe. Both are great songs but at the end of the day for fans of Munroe, it was just a tease of what we’ve been missing out on for quite some time. We all love the hooks he throws down in other people’s songs, but what we really want are his songs.

He’s almost disappeared into being an enigma. You never know when his name may pop up. This has left many fans feeling like a Juliet and calling out questions like: what the heck is going on with the release of the album, or will there be another mixtape soon to tide us over with the delay?

Well, it’s time for Munroe to stop with the whispers to a special girl and give the rest of us a rebel yell. Chances are he’s having problems with the label – a growing problem with a lot of artists these days (B.o.B, anyone?). Despite having the troubles, it’s still astonishing how low-key he has become after having such a huge buzz. Imagine what could have happened if the album was released in the fourth quarter of last year. The buzz from the mixtape would have perfectly led into it. Now, when the album is ready to drop, a whole new marketing campaign will have to be put forth.

Has Munroe missed his chance at music stardom? Probably not. It’s just been a long time since we last heard from him, and we want him back.

—

Tell Brad he’s a Colin Munroe stan at brad@theurbanian.com or Twitter.

Mixtape Monday: The Crowd Control Tour Edition

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:45:30 +0000

Due to our involvement in The Crowd Control tour, which it makes two stops this week in Michigan, this week’s Mixtape Monday involves mixtapes from the artists on the bill.

First up is 88 Keys’ Adam’s Case Files. This mixtape was a prelude to his album, The Death of Adam. The mixtape features guest spots from Kid Cudi, Guilty Simpson, Mr. Bentley and Izza Kizza.

Listen to Wasting My Minutes ft. Kid Cudi and download the tape.

Next up is Kidz in the Hall, which is the duo of Naledge and Double-O. These two guys are a couple of the most slept-on hip-hop artists. Their songs on The Professional Leisure Tour are some of the freshest songs to come into the genre, yet they still haven’t made the impact that they deserve. What’s really great about this mixtape is that its less of a mixtape, and more of a free album. Everything on here is original, and an amazing prelude to their album, Land of Make Believe, which drops tomorrow (March 9).

Listen to Jukebox and download the tape.

Finally, we arrive to Izza Kizza. We’ve highlighted The Wizard of Iz before, but frankly, this mixtape is so good it really deserves a second push anyway. One of the reasons to really love this mixtape is because it has a classic hip-hop feel to it. Izza Kizza’s flow is strong, and the production outstanding. It also features guest spots from Lil’ Wayne, Colin Munroe, David Banner, and Birdman.

Listen to It’s Goin Down ft. Lil’ Wayne & Birdman and download the tape.

—-

Please note: we understand Donnis is a part of this tour, however he will not be performing the Michigan dates due to prior scheduling before this tour was put together. ~@bkmacdonald

Statik Selektah ft. Bun B, Colin Munroe & Wale “So Close, So Far”

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:31:59 +0000

It’s been a hot minute since we last posted anything involving our captain hook, Colin Munroe . Well thanks to DJ Enuff, we can change that.

Munroe does what he does best on this new Statik Selektah joint. Add a couple verses from Bun B and Wale and a smooth jazz beat and you have a hit.

We’ll have to settle for a radio rip for now but keep on the look out for Statik Selektah’s “100 Proof” dropping Feb. 2.

Listen & download.

Oh So Fresh Fridays [Vol. 6] (Sometimes Saturdays)

Kenny — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:43:49 +0000

1. Ellie Goulding ft. Erik Hassle “Be Mine”

I know, we dropped her last week, and we’re doing it again. This week Ellie Goulding takes on swedish-songbird Robyn’s hit Be Mine alongside Erik Hassle and does so, sensationally. Erik and Ellie’s vocals meld together surprisingly well over this poignant piece.

[DOWNLOAD]

2. RJD2 – Games You Can Win (Feat. Kenna)

If there’s anyone in the game who has mastered eerie hip-hop, it’s Kenna. Don’t believe me? Listen to RJD2 and Kenna laying it down in Games You Can Win. Orchestral bells run this one off the charts, as do the long-drawn synth’s throughout. Castle music commence.

[DOWNLOAD]

3. Skillz & Colin Munroe “Baby Phat” (De La Soul Cover)

Nothing but a little baby fat. Truer words haven’t been spoken, and those words were best spoken years back by hip hop legends De La Soul. Now they’re being dropped by Skilz and hooked by who else but captain hook himself, Colin Munroe. Enjoy.

[DOWNLOAD]

4. Priors – What You Need (Hey Champ remix)

The Windy City remix fellas from Hey Champ have done it again. This time over Priors modest hit What You Need, transmogrifying (Thanks Calvin) it into a bona fide funk-club hit. Tracks like this is what hipster dreams are made of.

[DOWNLOAD]

5. Ayomari Feat. Tiron – Everything is Going Fine

Gotdamn, Oh So Fresh Fridays delayed until Saturday have to have a oh-so-smooth Saturday track make up for it. Here it is, Ayomari alongside Tiron in this eclectic trip into soul, fusion, and hip hop that will hit the spot quick.

[DOWNLOAD]

Mixtape Monday: Wiz Khalifa & Kanye West

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:59:51 +0000

Mondays are always a drag, so I decided to introduce a new weekly post to The Urbanian, Mixtape Monday.

The first edition of Mixtape Monday features rappers Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West.

Wiz Khalifa just dropped his latest mixtape, ‘Burn After Rolling,’ a few days ago. I’ve had a hard time getting into Khalifa in the past. I didn’t like ‘Flight School,’ or his recent mixtape with Curren$y. However, I’m liking ‘B.A.R.’ He goes in over beats from: Empire of the Sun, Beyonce, Kelis, Kanye West, and Drake, to name a few. Khalifa’s flow remains consistent and smooth throughout the tape, as he rhymes over many slow and chill beats.

Listen to: The Thrill. DOWNLOAD THE TAPE.

The second mixtape, is ‘Graduation: The Musical 2010.’ This isn’t a release directly from West, but rather the collaborative efforts from IVYBetty, Kevin Nottingham and Fred Hart.

They took some of West’s songs, along with artists West has sampled throughout his career, and created a great blend mixtape. It’s basically West with a bit of a more soulful taste. Along with West’s rapping on tracks, we get to hear the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Etta James, Prince, and Bill Withers. Also on this tape is an excellent ‘Flashing Lights’ remix, taking parts from Clipse, and Colin Munroe’s remix of the song. This is a definite download for any music fan.

Here’s the verision of ‘Roses’ off the tape, which blends West and Withers. DOWNLOAD THE TAPE.

Wale ft. Colin Munroe ‘Bittersweet Life’

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:25:40 +0000

I first heard both Wale and Colin Munroe at the same time for ‘Will I Stay‘ and I instantly became hooked to both their musical catalogs.

When Wale dropped his ‘Back to the Feature’ mixtape I was horribly disappointed when I saw that Colin Munroe was left off it.

Finally, Wale just leaked a new song, ‘Bittersweet Life’ which features Colin Munroe on the hook on his Twitter. He released it as a .wav file so it was all jacked up, but @Rhymstyle managed to convert it to .mp3, but Wale still got off Twitter without re-tweeting the new file, so some followers may have missed out.

Anyway, the song is pure money. If you couldn’t tell from the name, it samples The Verve’s big hit, ‘Bittersweet Symphony.’

Have a listen and download.

Recommended Mixtape: Donnis ‘Dairy of an ATL Brave’

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:54:58 +0000

It’s been a hot minute since we last featured an entire mixtape that you all should definitely download. What can I say? There hasn’t been anything catching my ears’ attention. Donnis ends the drought with his ‘Dairy of an ATL Brave,’ which dropped yesterday.

Donnis first became familiar to me off Mike Posner’s ‘A Matter of Time’ mixtape where he appeared on ‘Smoke & Drive.’

I like his flow, and for some reason his voice sounds like a quieter and less angry P.O.S to me. Maybe I’m just crazy.

It’s evident that too many people are sleeping on Donnis, because his name deserves to be mentioned alongside names such as Wale, Big Sean, Mickey Factz and B.o.B. I’m not kidding.

Stand-out tracks are ‘Underdog,’ ‘I am Me,’ and ‘Ticket to the Moon.’

Features on the mixtape include Colin Munroe, Brandon Hines, Marsha Ambrosius, and of course, what mixtape wouldn’t be complete without an appearance by Bun B.

Here’s my favorite song, ‘Underdog,’ followed by the download link.

DOWNLOAD ‘DIARY OF AN ATL BRAVE’