It's been awhile, but I've been listening to tons of great stuff this summer so far, it's just tough with all the things going on to remember to blog. It seems my production always drops off heavily during the summer months, but I suppose that is good because it means I am getting a break from sitting at a computer all day.

So anyway, here's a quick list of some of the new albums I've been rocking the past month or so as well as the clips of my current faves from this week:

• 311 "Uplifter" - A return to form for these guys. Check out "India Ink," "Jackpot" and the lead single "Hey You" if you haven't already heard it.
• Method Man & Redman "Blackout! 2" - It's not the original, but good to hear these cats running together again. They're still at their best being the stoners they are on "Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers" but I also dig "City Lights" feat.  Bun B.
• Busta Rhymes "Back on My B.S." - Tried it. Don't hate it. But I didn't want to keep listening. TOO commercial. Get back to your roots Busta.
• Colt Ford "Ride Through the Country" - His rhyming cadence is horrible at times and somewhat comedic, but if you've got the country blood in you and you enjoy songs about beer, trailer trash and the Waffle House, this country-rapper is worth checking out.
• Incubus "Monuments and Melodies" - I don't have to tell you what I think of this one, obviously I'm a big fan of an Incubus greatest hits collection. But I do like that they added alot more than just a "best of". Some great rare tracks, especially the acoustic version of "certain shade of green" and even a couple new ones that are pretty good.
• Street Sweeper Social Club "Self-titled" - It's not Rage against the Machine, but Tom Morello puts down rage-esque jams on several tracks. The MC (who I don't recall his name, but he used to be part of The Coup) is plenty skilled but in the end some of his politically-charged rhymes come off sounding a bit manufactured. Still, as good Rage nostalgia as you can get these days and worth a listen.
• Tanya Morgan "Brooklynati" - Spent an entire 3-4 hours with Tanya on repeat the other day while designing the flyers for their show. They are fresh and they consistenly bring insightful rhymes of the type you appriciate a little more every time you hear them. On the new album I love the tracks "Plan B", "She's Gone" and "We're Fly".

On to the crack music tracks of the week...

Chali 2na feat. DJ Nu-Mark "Comin' Thru" - 2na, the Jurassic 5 vet, has a new album out and I was so disappointed in his previous solo effort that I almost didn't check it out...but boy was I pleasantly surprised. There are plenty of great tracks and I had a tough time choosing between "So Crazy" and this one, but YouTube ultimately made the decision for me.

Kidz in the Hall "Middle of the Map pt. 2" - This isn't even current (the album was released in 2008) but I've gotten re-hooked on it recently and I have to put it up because the beat to this song and "Middle of the Map pt. 1" are two of my favorite Black Milk beats of all time and that's saying something because the kid is outstanding on the boards and truly one of my favorite producers. I dare you to listen and not bob your head.

Part 1