Free Music Friday 13!

I'm sure if you did the statistics on this blog, you'd find that most of the stuff I post is punk, hardcore or indie. They are probably my most tolerant genres, where I don't mind listening to mediocre music. I love most music and will give anything a try, but for some of my less favourite genres you need something great for me to notice it.

So today's Free Music Friday I'll branch out a little and go to hip-hop. Because this album has not only stood out to me, it's blown me away.

It's Enter the Circle by Shahmen.

The first thing you notice about Shahmen is his voice. It's deep, it's smooth, it seems so slow and relaxed while he's rapping... I swoon every time I hear it. The beats are complementary, not overpowering. They are subtle enough to highlight the quality of the vocals. It's not drum and bass, it's not pop-music samples, it's almost trip-hop style. There's even a bit of humour thrown in at the end of Abacus.

It's one of my favourite hip-hop releases ever. And it's free. Even if you don't like hip-hop (and if you only know the bad mainstream stuff, I don't blame you) get this. Right here. Download download download.