Recently in Mixtape Matters Category

I've been battling the flu fiercer than the '07 World Rap Championships and arguing with one oddly knowledgeable, ominous commenter.

Steady winning, however, and here are some new, blog-worthy songs I've been enjoying during days at home. Jump man.

Aziz Ansari's character from "Funny People," the foul-mouthed shock comic Randy, has been recording a mixtape with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. Like most classic hip-hop works, it's now been delayed and won't drop this month as initially reported.

The writing is on the wall for XXL's Freshman Class of 2010 and we're happy report this year's crop in the wake of this hilarious post from one of XXL's former staffers. Before we drop names, it should be noted that three of 2010's bigger break out acts -- Drake, Jay Electronica, Nicki Minaj -- all reportedly declined participating; as Andrew Noz observed in the above, hyperlinked piece, this marks the first XXL Freshman cluster of rappers without a token New York City representative.

As of today, your Freshman 10 will be, in specific order of tolerability:

1. Freddie Gibbs, the rapid-fire gangster out of Gary, Indiana who raps like a way better Young Buck
   
2. J. Cole, Jay-Z's golden boy who pissed off hip-hop when he got to rap on the Blueprint motherfucking III, though truthfully he's hardkworking and nice with the skills despite fact he's one of thousands of rappers with a mixtape called The Come Up
   
3. Pill, clearly a fill-in
   
4. Jay Rock, a West Coast gangster with snarling delivery and talent
   
5. Nipsey Hu$$le, a former Crip
   
6. Big Sean, Kanye West signed the Detroit emcee in heartwarming fashion (Sean reportedly rapped passionately to 'Ye at a radio station), has since been protected by G.O.O.D. umbrella
   
7. Fashawn, the indie conscious guy who will never be famous
   
8. Donnis, what Atlantic came up with when label bosses ordered a Drake
   
9. Wiz Khalifa, the hipster
   
10. OJ Da Juiceman, southern caricature who inspired General Larry Platt's "Pants On the Ground"
    

To commemorate what is still a significant hip-hop happening, we've decided to introduce you to the unfamiliar names (it's pronounced Ka-LEE-Fa) in mixtape fashion wherein each dude gets two songs to creep into your rotation. Why Social Justice Committee? If you went to UT, that was the freshman orientation branch in charge of programming well-intentioned, heavy-handed skits about campus issues like binge drinking and date rape. It was adorable. 

Tracklist + link after the jump.

Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of Big Pun's death, was J Dilla's born date.

To commemorate the legacy of the best Hispanic rapper ever and Detroit's forward-thinking beatmaker, the Cookin Soul dudes and the popular beacon, 2 Dope Boyz, made an ill mash up. Get it.

With the backdrop of industry perils pushing back Chamillionaire's third major label album, Venom, the Houston rapper delivers on a December promise to bring "major pain" via a mixtape dubbed, um, Major Pain. Like his classically underrated and excellent Mixtape Messiah volumes, Pain is set to be an ongoing series available through his website.

"If you happen to take a trip to New York, and you happen to bump into anybody, anybody in Manhattan that's walking out of the Universal building -- you know, anybody that you see in a suit and a funny looking bow tie, you deliver this message, you tell them this, February 2 here comes the pain, they don't push us back"

In an ironic twist, Venom finally gets a March 16 street date.

And in related, welcome news to fans of their seminal 2002 classic, Get Ya Mind Correct, Cham is reuniting with longtime cohort and brief beef buddy, Paul Wall, for a nationwide tour that jump starts next month during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

One of the holdovers from the XXL Freshman class of 2009 drops his latest tape; B.o.B has shown flashes of potential, but raps about blogging quite a bit and his Southern, spastic flow feels very deliberate and exaggerated. If you dig on it, Shake has smartly coupled his other works here.

He has some interesting cohorts, and nicely sets table for his major label debut which drops, you guessed it, May 25.

How about some new Lu for your holiday hangover? Tracklist and download after the jump.

Not sold. Reggie is. His latest features Bun B (excellent), Kid Cudi (compelling), Big Sean (capable), GLC (marginally respected in the game), and 3Oh!3 (ah, hellllll no).

In the age of Ash Roth, Chester French and the aforementioned 3Oh!3, it's hard to trust the sincerity and aesthetic behind these collegiate hip-hoppers.

Get it after the jump.

You know how much we love mixtapes. This one is pretty much a gold standard. Mick Boogie got the folks from Swedish indie pop trio Peter, Bjorn & John's record label to give him the master stems from all the tracks on their '09 album Living Thing and set out to remake the album in his own image...

Without further ado, we give you our second mixtape: Prelude to The Blueprint 3, a careful collection of the god emcee's most definitive leaked tracks and guest features from the past year. In anticipation of the biggest rap album of 2009, Prelude was designed to whet appetites while shedding some light on Jigga's state of mind. It sounds like Jay's been sounding: clear, confident, seasoned and a little political - all with swag on levels heretofore unheard of. Its compositions feature a handful of bracing and aggressive samples, hinting forays into alternative genres like jazz, synth rock and world music.

Guest features include: Kanye West, M.I.A., Nas, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Coldplay and more.

The Blueprint 3 will be released on September 11; until then, we hope you enjoy Prelude. Tracklist and download after the jump.