Best / Worst Free Rap Releases

[Jedisdope]

Free releases only.

What are the best and worst releases you can think of?

When do you remember the first free rap release coming out?

And as a bonus, if you're an artist, do you think it makes sense to charge for music anymore (in the traditional sense) or is it just as beneficial to release it for free and have it stream on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.?

[Philaflava]

That Freeway "Free" shit from a few years ago was pretty great if I recall. Had some nice production too by various cats like Erick Sermon.

[step one]

Covert Coup was a freebie. I played it so much I paid for the instrumentals on gp.

[Neuro]

STRICTLY LEAKAGE

RUN THE JEWELS 1&2

THE BEST

im sure theres more i just cant think of them at the moment

[drizzle]

Starlito's Renaissance Gangster

Danny Brown's 'albums'

the first wave of Odd Future stuff

Huntsville International

etc

Basically, all the stuff that was in that first wave of 'this is a mixtape but it's all original material and is basically an album but it's free', which was around 09-10ish, is what stuck with me

[hessbz12]

Jadakiss-Consignment

[Versive]

It's basically impossible to name a worst.

TREE's Sunday School remains the best IMO, and one of the best albums of the century for that matter.

[stype_ones]

Inspectah Deck - Cynthia's Son was very good, although a couple of the tracks were older it still was really dope as a whole tape.

[TheTed]

Basically, all the stuff that was in that first wave of 'this is a mixtape but it's all original material and is basically an album but it's free', which was around 09-10ish, is what stuck with me

^^^ Basically this

Danny Brown - XXX
Main Attrakionz - 808's & Dark Grapes II
Earl Sweatshirt - Earl
Cities Aviv - Digital Lows
M.I.A. - Piracy Funds Terrorism
Spark Master Tape - Swoup Serengeti
Young Fathers - Tape One
A$AP Rocky - Live. Love. ASAP
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man
Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late

[Jedisdope]

Basically, all the stuff that was in that first wave of 'this is a mixtape but it's all original material and is basically an album but it's free', which was around 09-10ish, is what stuck with me

^^^ Basically this

Danny Brown - XXX
Main Attrakionz - 808's & Dark Grapes II
Earl Sweatshirt - Earl
Cities Aviv - Digital Lows
M.I.A. - Piracy Funds Terrorism
Spark Master Tape - Swoup Serengeti
Young Fathers - Tape One
A$AP Rocky - Live. Love. ASAP
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man
Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late

What do you think set off this movement? Do you think In Rainbows [2007] had anything to do with it or not really? Mixtapes have existed in hip-hop for a long time but not necessarily FREE ones ...

And according to wiki, DatPiff was founded in 2005.

Also, IYRTITL is weird because it was free but then somehow sold a million copies in the US ...?

[fatboybrandon]

Was looking around my room and stumbled across this bullshit the other day. The majority of what we heard on the radio from him at this time seemed to lack the soul of his 80's/early 90's music. I assume Hollywood life tainted the music.



Best free release I can remember is from fellow Phila Flava member AWAR which dropped a few years back. I mentioned to him on Twitter that it should have been a project you buy due to the quality.

[TheBigSleep]

And according to wiki, DatPiff was founded in 2005.

Same year as YouTube.

First free one online I can really remember is Camp Lo & Pete Rock – 80 Blocks From Tiffany's (2006). I think part of what helped this business model along was Danger Mouse – The Grey Album (2004).

[Jedisdope]

And according to wiki, DatPiff was founded in 2005.

Same year as YouTube.

First free one online I can really remember is Camp Lo & Pete Rock – 80 Blocks From Tiffany's (2006). I think part of what helped this business model along was Danger Mouse – The Grey Album (2004).

Good call! I think The Grey Album could be the catalyst that set it off. And really it was because they weren't about to clear those samples. That being said, I kind of remember bootleggers still trying to sell it ... and a physical maybe even carried by a few retail stores.

[TheBigSleep]

Yeah it was definitely sold in limited amounts but was the first I can recall that really proliferated online.

2004

Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
Jadakiss – The Champ is Here
The Kleptones – A Night at the Hip-Hopera
M.I.A. – Piracy Funds Terrorism Volume I

2005

Joe Budden – Mood Muzik II: Can It Get Any Worse?
Talib Kweli – Right About Now

2006

Camp Lo & Pete Rock – 80 Blocks From Tiffany's
DJ Burn One & Gucci Mane – Chicken Talk

2007

Atmosphere – Strictly Leakage
Lil Wayne – Da Drought III
Royce Da 5'9” – The Bar Exam
Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!

2008

The Jacka – The Street Album
Jay Electronica – What the F*ck is a Jay Electronica
NaS – The Nigger Tape
Wale – The Mixtape About Nothing

2009

Ab-Soul – Long Term
Beastie Boys – Doublecheck Your Head (Remixes)
Drake – So Far Gone
Fashawn – The Antidote
Freddie Gibbs – Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik
G-Side – Huntsville International
J. Cole – The Warm Up
Memory Man – Wu-Tang Clan vs. D.I.T.C.
Nicki Minaj – Beam Me Up Scotty
Tyler, the Creator – Bastard

2010

Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here
Cam'Ron & Vado – Boss of All Bosses 2.5
Das Racist – Shut Up, Dude
Earl Sweatshirt – Earl
Curren$y – Smokee Robinson
Girl Talk – All Day
Herb McGruff – Past and Present
Kendrick Lamar – Overly Dedicated
Jay Rock – Black Friday
Mac Miller – K.I.D.S.
MellowHype – YelloWhite
OFWGKTA – Radical
Smoke DZA – George Kush Da Button
Spaceghostpurrp – NASA
Starlito – Renaissance Gangster
Wiz Khalifa – Kush & OJ
Yelawolf – Trunk Muzik

2011

Amerigo Gazaway – Fela Soul
ANTWON – Fantasy Beds
A$AP Rocky – Live.Love.A$AP
Cities Aviv - Digital Lows
Danny Brown – XXX
Death Grips – Exmilitary
elZhi – Elmatic
Fabolous – The Soul Tape
Frank Ocean – nostalgia, ULTRA.
Lloyd Banks – The Cold Corner II
Logic – Young Sinatra
Main Attrakionz - 808's & Dark Grapes II
Milo – I Wish My Brother Rob Was Here
Starlito & Don Trip – Step Brothers
Zeroh – Awfulalterations

2012

Big Sean – Detroit
Blue Sky Black Death & Nacho Picasso – Lord of the Fly
Capital STEEZ – AmeriKKKan Korruption
Captain Murphy – Duality
Chief Keef – Back From the Dead
Domo Genesis & The Alchemist – No Idols
100s – Ice Cold Perm
I Self Devine – LA State of Mind
Joey Bada$$ – 1999
King Louie – Drilluminati
Lil B – God's Father
Meek Mill – Dreamchasers II
Meyhem Lauren – Respect the Fly Shit
Pro Era – Peep: The aPROcalypse
Rick Ross – Rich Forever

2013

A-Wax – Jesus Malverde
Action Bronson & Party Supplies – Blue Chips II
Azizi Gibson - Ghost in the Shell
BONES – Scumbag
Cambatta – Smoke N Mirrors
Chance the Rapper – Acid Rap
Deniro Farrar – The Patriarch
Ezale – Drug Funnie
Flatbush ZOMBiES – Better Off Dead
Jonwayne – Cassette III
Kevin Gates – The Luca Brasi Story
King Los – Becoming King
Lucki Eck$ – Alternative Trap
Marco Polo – Newport Authority II
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire – Kismet
Oddisee – Tangible Dream
Quelle Chris – Niggas is Men
Rapsody – She Got Game
RetcH - Polo Sporting Goods
Roc Marciano – The Pimpire Strikes Back
Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels
Spark Master Tape – The #SWOUP Serengeti
Tree – Sunday School II: When Church Lets Out
The Underachievers – Indigoism
Vic Mensa – INNANETAPE

2014

Chester Watson – Tin Wooki
De La Soul - Smell The DA.I.S.Y.
Doe B – Definition of a Trapper III
Future – Monster
G Herbo – Welcome to Fazoland
Gene the Southern Child & Parallel Thought – Southern Meridian
Inspectah Deck – Cynthia's Son
Isaiah Rashad – Cilvia Demo
Lil Bibby – Free Crack II
Lukah Luciano – Badguy x Goodfella
Mick Jenkins – The Water[s]
Migos – No Label II
QuESt – Searching Sylvan
Rich Gang – Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part I
Saba – Comfort Zone
Soopah Eype – Better Off Dread
Travi$ Scott – Days Before the Rodeo
Vince Staples – Shyne Coldchain II

2015

Bankroll Fresh – Bankroll Fresh
Boogie – The Reach
Bricc Baby Shitro – Nasty Dealer
Busdriver – Thumbs
Cousin Stizz – Suffolk County
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf
Jazz Cartier - Marauding in Paradise
Maxo Kream – Maxo 187
Sean Price – Songs in the Key of Price
Tut – Preacher's Son
21 Savage – The Slaughter Tape
Young Thug – Slime Season

2016

Denzel Curry – Imperial
Joey Purp – iiiDrops
Kamaiyah – A Good Day in the Ghetto
Kemba – Negus
Kodak Black – Lil B.I.G. Pac

[fatboybrandon]

!llmind was very generous in giving away all the good music in his 5-volume Blap series, I remember being excited to download each. http://mixtapetorrent.com/illmind-blaps-rhymes-life" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All the free live concert recordings at itsallthewaylive.net are a great treat

This talented production duo remix Common back in '08 https://archive.org/details/BeatnickK-s ... o.r.y.2008" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

S1 (from Kanye's Power) – 4th Quarter Beat CD | The S1 Experience (in Analogue) http://www.cratekings.com/symboliyc-one ... -download/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I still bang Black Milk's beat tapes from around '08



Some illness from 2011 https://selfscientific.bandcamp.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;