It’s always good to see some music,
that was a little bit ahead of its time,
get its just due later on.
Such is the case w/ Maryland producer,
DJ RODDYROD (of the group Maspyke & the Low Budget Crew)
& his much underrated & still largely unheard
instrumental opus, Oakwood Grain.
Originally released in 2005 through Jazzy Sport -
the album was only released in Japan
& never officially distributed much outside of the country,
but it still remains one of the best offerings
in the instrumental hip-hop genre
that came out before the current “post-Donuts” beat CD craze.

And now, six years later -
not only is the album seeing a proper US release
thanks to Nature Sounds,
but its also coming packaged along with an all new follow-up album,
simply titled Oakwood Grain II.
Although the double CD is not due for to drop until February 28th of 2012,
RODDY decided to release it digitally this week for the fans,
as he explained:

“Everyone’s been hitting me up, asking when it’s coming… [so] I wanted to give them something for the holidays.”

The digital version, dubbed the Solid English Oak Edition,
contains 10 mostly new & unheard joints,
as well as a few unreleased classics, i.e. the instrumental to
Maspyke’s “Lightly Anxious” from their underappreciated Static 2005 album.
The album also one features one new vocal track,
which Rod had given FRSH SLCTS an exclusive free download.

“Keep Transit” features three guest talents,
all of which we’ve heard from all too rarely this year -
the seldom heard & often missed Detroit veteran Finale returns to the raps,
while both Muhsinah and Bilal Salaam share vocal duties -
all coming together to bring us that classic Midwest hip-hop meets DMV soul sound
that we’ve all missed this past few years.

Also, included below, as a bonus video
is Roddy’s interview/behind-the-scenes clip for the The Ghostface Beat Tape -
an upcoming beat compilation from Digital Hustle/Digital Fresh TV
that featuring some of the DMV’s best producers
paying tribute to the production tastes of the Wallabee Champ himself.
In the clip, you get to see Rod live in his studio
chopping up some tracks from both Buju Banton and D’Angelo
(as he did on the Vudu.For.U EP),
& also discussing his favorite Ghostface tracks
& talks of a possible Maspyke reunion + other upcoming projects.

You can check that,
stream the whole digital version of OWGII
+ watch an exclusive clip of RODDY digging in South Africa
w/ his buddy J-Live -
all before getting your free single of “Free Transit”
or copping the album below.

Hopefully a sign of much more new music to come from himself and the Low Budget Crew this year – my man DJ RODDYROD hit me with some new music today. It’s a 4-song sampler, meant to serve as a prelude for an upcoming EP, entitled Vudu.For.U, in which Roddy chops up, loops, and just generally does what he does to D’Angelo‘s game-changing classic 2000 album, Voodoo.

In the four instrumental tracks below, you can hear Rod stayed true to the gritty hypnotic vibe of the OG album, while also bringing it into his world by putting it in a more beathead-oriented context, and it seems like maybe even bringing in some outside sample sources as well . One of the songs, “Line Dance (Shine Mix)” (which of course re-works D’s “The Line”) was first previewed last year in Digital Hustle Films‘ Behind The Beats feature on RODDYROD and seems to share some elements in common with Dilla‘s classic SV remix to “Fall In Love” (someone feel free to fact-check me on that one). See below for the Behind The Beats video as well.

Also, in the interest of catching up while the blog was on hiatus, we have a bonus download of a track that Rod sent through a while go from his recent Bandcamp re-release, BluntPark Sessions 1.2. The song, “No Shorts,” features Tableek – one half of Roddy’s other counterparts in the group, Maspyke – and is also one of the few previously unreleased songs that are exclusive to this 1.2 edition of BluntPark. Other guests on the album include Finale, yU, X.O., Kev Brown, Raheem DeVaughn – among plenty others.

Full length streams, free downloads and bonus video are all below.

New artwork courtesy of Apple Juice Break.

Following up on the premiere of last week’s Budget Is Low Mixtape, today brings us yet another full-length free download from the Low Budget Crew – this time from rapper, Kenn Starr. Entitled It’s Still Real…, the unmixed non-tape is a discography update of sorts – collecting the guest appearances and collaborations Kenn has done his 2006 debut, Starr Status. Included are production & appearances by the likes of 9th Wonder, Kev Brown, Marco Polo, Oddisee, Raheem DeVaughn, Wale, and more.

The download also serves as a prelude to an upcoming mixtape of all new material with Hot 97′s Peter Rosenberg. All of this is in preparation for the release of Kenn Starr’s upcoming album, Two Track Mind – a double EP produced by Black Milk, with remixes by Kev Brown, M-Phazes, Mr. Porter, DaveNotti and more. Two Track Mind is slated for release this fall through Mello Music Group – so look out for much more on that in the coming months.

Check the tracklisting here and get your download below. Be on the look out for yet another Low Budget-related free download coming here this weekend.

1. Let It Be Known (feat. Hassaan Mackey & Silent Knight) (prod. Analogic)
2. The Truth (feat. Kaimbr) (prod. RODDYROD & Kev Brown)
3. In Check (feat. Oddisee & Supastition) (prod. Oddisee)
4. DJ Flexx Freestyle (’01 Throwback) (Live on WPGC Washington, D.C.)
5. It’s Time (feat. Soulstice, Eternia & Tiffany Paige) (prod. M-Phazes)
6. Low Budget All Stars (feat. Kev Brown, Oddisee, Cy Young & Kaimbr) (prod. Marco Polo)
7. Represent (feat. Akir & Oddisee) (prod. Oddisee)
8. That’s How We Kick It (feat. J. Sands) (prod. Chief)
9. Price 2 Pay (feat. Asheru, Oddisee & Darien Brockington) (prod. Oddisee)
10. DJ Eclipse Freestyle (’04 Throwback) (Live on WNYU New York, NY)
11. Wonder Why (feat. Wale, Big Sean & Mike Posner) (prod. 9th Wonder)
12. Q&A (feat. Oddisee) (prod. Oddisee)
13. The Dropoff (feat. JLaine) (prod. JLaine)
14. Kemistree Meets Low Budget (feat. Hassaan Mackey, Kev Brown & Gut) (prod. Young Cee)
15. DJ K.O. Freestyle (’04 Throwback) (Live on WRSU New Brunswick, NJ)
16. Coming Of Age ’09 (prod. Nick Tha 1da)
17. Hennessey Pt. 3 (feat. Kev Brown & Raheem DeVaughn) (prod. Kev Brown)
18. Sum Ish For Dave (feat. Haysoos) (prod. 9th Wonder)

Compiled by Kenn Starr & DJ RODDYROD for Low Budget
Artwork by Heinz for HNZ Designs
Selected by KNNY FRSH for FRSH SLCTS

Here’s the official premiere of the brand new mixtape from the DMV’s finest – the Low Budget crew. If you’re really up on your Twitter game (twame?), you might’ve caught the leak of an early, rougher mix yesterday – but this is the official, tracked-out and finished version with artwork by LB’s own, DJ RODDYROD, who also mixed the “tape” along with fellow Low Budgeteer, DJ Marshall Law.

This first installment of the Budget Is Low mixtapes debuts a handful of new tracks from upcoming projects including the official release of Kev Brown‘s Random Joints, as well as his concept-collabo with Kaimbr, The Al Green Project, RODDYROD’s Cuba After Market 1.5, Blunt Park Sessions re-release, and more. Also thrown in are some older tracks in case you missed em – plus some never-before-released rarities from the crew thrown in as well.

I’ve also included some footage from Low Budget’s 4th annual DC Loves Dilla fundraiser event this year. Included are performances from RODDYROD, Kev Brown, Grap Luva, Kaimbr, Kenn Starr and Alison Carney – all performing original songs over covers of classic Dilla beats by JLaine and his band. You can peep the tracklisting below, download the mix and then catch the live videos “after the jump.”