Happy 2010, people! How’s the resolution process going… still intact, I hope? I can’t say that I’ve given it much thought. But I did happen to stumble upon some new tunes over the weekend… mixtapes to be exact. New Orleans natives, The Knux released the F*ck You EP, a follow up to their 2008 smash Remind Me In 3 Days... Much in the same vein as its predecessor, F*ck You finds the self-proclaimed “garage-hop” duo doing it dirty, spitting OutKast-styled rhymes over 70s funk, glitzy club grooves, and smooth, old school soul. Also dropping a mixtape this weekend was local up-and-comer A. Levy. According to the rapper, the compilation, which bears the title Crashed Hard Drive, is the first of two releases he's got planned for 2010. The other, an album tentatively titled Crescent City Classic, is currently in the works. Sooooo the mixtape phenomenon isn’t exactly a new idea... Yet, on a more interesting note, the method by which these two artists made them available is…. Twitter. What’s so significant about a Twitter release, you might be wondering? Well, in this instance you'll find 2 artists, one a major player and the other an independent, both competing in the same market (and for a similar audience), both a releasing similar product at exactly the same time via the same outlet… one which relies almost entirely on happenstance. Interesting… that’s all I’m saying. Without a doubt the Twitter release will continue to grow in popularity. But what I’m wondering is if the Twitter drop will significantly affect the playing field? Let me know what you think... And btw, peep the songs below.

The Knux – F*ck You EP
MP3: Floozy
MP3: Pop the Cork
MP3: Fruits (ft Malbec)
MP3: Whatchu Say
MP3: F*ck You

Amazon MP3: The Knux
The Knux Twitter (@TheKnuX)

A. Levy – Crashed Hard Drive
MP3: Cypher
MP3: 1999 (ft Spitraw)
MP3: N.O.L.A.
MP3: A War

A. Levy Twitter (@ALevyWorld)
These are just a few of my favorites from Crashed Hard Drive. For the full album, click HERE.

After almost a month of non-stop festivals, it’s time to get back to reviewing. I’ll get started with the 4th annual Hip Hop for Hope benefit concert, which was at Tipitina's on November 14th. Always a bright spot in the community, and easily the city’s top hip-hop showcase, this year’s concert featured over a dozen of the Crescent City’s hottest MCs and raised money for three charitable organizations (The Roots of Music, The Benjamin Foundation, and 2-Cent Entertainment’s “We Can Create Change” summer camp).  The talent ranged from fresh up-and-comers such as Phat Word and Team Robot to current contenders such as Lyrikill and The Show to OGs like Mannie Fresh and Mia X. Teenage chanteuse Kourtney Heart opened the show with a couple of R&B pop nuggets. Then, Dee-1 ushered in the first in a long line of hip-hop sets, delivering his socially conscious battle cries “David and Goliath” and “One Man Army.” Next, Impulss broke off a few tracks from his latest album Category Shybe as well as a freestyle tribute to the Big Easy, which he dubbed “For the Love and the Passion.” With the crowd steadily growing, A. Levy turned things up a level with his spitfire bursts and hard-hitting Wu Tang meets the Dirty South track “N.O.L.A.”