Reggie on a friend's dignity-eroding, social media-based challenge taken on for the benefit of a summer internship. He puts the thing in generational context, it's a great read penned for The Awl.  

Your monthly run down of new, trending bangers, jams and slow jams. Photo by Callie Richmond for AThousandGrams.

It's been a few months since Reggie and I sequenced a proper mixtape; consider this a tape sans convenient zip folder, accompanying art/theme, and half-hearted one-liners. In other words, consume the below as a playlist of the fall's best, homeless mp3s as all are standouts from abandoned, unreleased, or forthcoming projects.

I advise pulling up a tab, letting the flash player work its magic.


Theophilus London featuring Blu - Life of a Lover (remix)

Chrisette Michele featuring Rick Ross - So In Love

David Banner & 9th Wonder featuring Ludacris, Marshia Ambrosius - Be With You

Drake - Fall For Your Type

J. Cole - Purple Rain

Ghostface Killah - Together Baby

Lloyd Banks featuring Eminem, Akon - Celebrity

Thee Tom Hardy featuring Skyzoo - A Different League

Curren$y featuring Boo - Still Choppin'

Emilio Rojas featuring Yelawolf - Turn It Up

Nottz featuring Asher Roth - Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor)

Elzhi - Undefeated Freestyle

Yung B Da Producer - Acknowledge It

Raekwon featuring Bun B - Never Matter to You

Austin, Texas' Phranchyze sent ATG his excellent day-in-the-life video for "Dolo," off March's Black Larry Bird LP. Per Phran:

Don't know if you've seen these or not. Not trying to Over-hype my shit, but I'm trying to over-hype my shit...

Nah my dude, the video is as honest and spot on a portrayal of life deep in Central Texas where there's country rhymes and they dance in lines: the waking and baking, X-Box 360-in', driving aimlessly up freeways, barbecuing by the lake, and hanging out at Lucky Lounge while Rapid Ric spins "International Player's Anthem."

It's slickly shot and, more importantly, the single bangs. And more, more importantly -- how many battle cats have good rap songs with adorning good rap videos?

Speaking of battles, check out his latest scrimmage after the jump. Three bigger, better battles are slated for the remaining weeks of 2010 so stay tuned.

Slug and Ant premiered visuals Tuesday afternoon for bright spot jam, "The Best Day." It's a track off Atmosphere's latest EP, All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy, and is comprised of photos taken by merch guy Isaac Arvold on the latest tour.

I'm with it. For all the ink spilled in 2003 about Slug's moody and emo stylings, some of his best tracks ("Modern Man's Hustle," "You") are awkwardly sunny bits of hope. He raps about bullies and blue collar jobs here, most of it sticks.

I've been tuned into this mixtape for a few weeks, listening with great intrigue. Bastard is the standout, irritable manifesto from teenage, Los Angeles hip-hop collective, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. Specifically, their 19 year-old creative leader and producer's, Tyler.

Beneath the purposefully aggro raps about raping prom dates and cutting wrists, and beneath the tripped out gang of skateboard punks with handicams, is an intelligent and darkly advanced work. Tyler's band brings a much-missed ingredient in today's young rappers: anger. Hashtagging media socialites bank on breaking with viral stylings, Odd Future resents, fights the Kid Cudi imitators.

Just like punk rock, the best rap music stem's from resenting a shitty future and rebelling. Bastard's intro is a brash middle finger for the most powerful guardians in rap music (especially, I imagine, for the kids): certain blogs. Throughout, we get dark beats (think the first few Atmosphere records) and intelligent, misguided angst.

I don't think it's an accident that their black and white video for "French" instantly recalls N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton." Quick, scattered shots on their home turf, pointed anger. It's an instantly unsettling work: try not to cringe when Tyler's boy points a glock too heavy for his young arm (whether or not it's a toy doesn't matter). I hope the kids are alright.

Anyway, download Bastard and enjoy further analysis. It's an acquired cocktail, but carries an undeniable vitality.

ATG cohort and emerging DJ, Natalia Ciolko, spent October's second weekend covering the Austin City Limits festival on Fader's behalf. Despite the aggressive use of the editorial we -- it's likely the preferred style of a trendy magazine intent on squashing individual voice in lieu of its branding, trendy perspective anyway -- she killed it.

[Day One]  [Day Two]  [Day Three]

• Kanye West's album art established pseudo-controversy when it was reportedly banned. ATG appreciates his outrage, though it's unclear whether the ban comes from a retailer or label.
  
• Rhymesayers' most established, revered, regular-Joe white guy rapper, Eyedea, died unexpectedly over the weekend at 28.
  
• Nicki Minaj unveiled Pink Friday's album art. 
  
• DJ Premier released the extended, ten-minute version of this badass, iconic freestyle.
• Yelawolf graduates and dons Fader's cover.
  
• The Cool Kids are no longer signed to a major label.
• Young Jeezy makes the most of 2010, drops third calendar year mixtape.
  

• According to Rap Radar, Kanye West's still title-less album will be released Monday, November 22, 2010, the week of Black Friday. I enjoy Noz's conspiracy theory on the reworking of the album via G.O.O.D. Fridays and I hope the thing doesn't end up being called Dark Twisted Fantasy because that title is stupid.
  
• Dr. Dre's Aftermath Cognac coming soon.
  
• Wyclef hospitalized for chest pains.
• Freeway's second Rhymesayers release prepped for this calendar year. ATG dug the first one.
  
• Barack Obama is a Muslim, er, listens to Lil Wayne.
• The Los Angeles Times on rappers and their overlooked passion for Ecstasy.
• Paul Wall attacked a fan with his microphone during San Antonio's Low Low Car Show Sunday night.
• Mickey Factz dropped a new mixtape Monday evening, which may be worth a glossing over as 2007's Heaven's Fallout boasted tremendous art and two to three choice moments.
• The Skyzoo and !llmind mixtape drops October 5, should be great.
• The suckling for hits by mid-major artists, off the G.O.O.D. Friday songs/artwork, is vile and useless.
• The cyclical promoting of an in-house, mediocre product from an otherwise trusted source is unfortunate but expected.