I can't think of a more perfect example of an album that has been flying under the radar then this Rashid Hadee mixtape. If you heard of this dude, you know that he has been representing Chi-town to the fullest. If you haven't heard of him yet, he is definitely creeping on the come-up. As for the mixtape, it is hosted by Big Pooh of Little Brother. Rashid has produced some of LB's hottest tracks in the past, specifically Dreams off "Getback"... which is featured on this mixtape. I was expecting some Joe Scudda, Supastition type shit from this mixtape, but Rashid stands out from anyone in or affiliated with The Justus League. He definitely has the sound of a Chicago producer more than a Carolina one, but overall he has a great ear for soul samples in his instrumentals. Very reminiscent of an early Kanye West back when he was hungry to produce all of Common's new shit. Hadee is of course no Kanye West on the boards, but he has his fair share of sick-ass beats: "Pushers", "You Can't Hide", "What Is It"... just to name a few.
It's a different story lyrically... if the beats are quality, the lyricism is top-notch. Any time Rashid got on a dope beat, he would rip the track to shreds... I could cite half the mixtape as an example. Even though it is his mixtape, he has tons of guest features, from his host Big Pooh and Phonte, to Iomos Marad and production from Pete Rock, Madlib, and even J Dilla. Aside from all those dudes, Rashid also shows some love to his group Chapter 13. If you enjoy this mixtape, I strongly recommend checking out Chapter 13's older stuff, cause they have been making underground classics for a while now. And I mean a while, at least since 01... if not longer. While none of the Chapter 13 members impressed me quite as much as Rashid did, it's to be expected... it's his mixtape!
This is a great mixtape to pick up if your are at all a fan of Chicago hip-hop. There is a great underground scene there right now, and it is quite possibly the second home of conscious rap... when it's not residing in the Big Apple of course. I think it would be awesome to see a Lupe/Rashid collaboration.... imagine a Lupe/Kanye/Rashid collaboration instead of that gay-ass CRS project with Pharell.
Like Rapper Big Pooh says: "It ain't about commercial or underground, it's about what dope and what's not. And my nigga Rashid Hadee is dope".

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Props to Streethop Magazine, not only for the link, but also for being an overall dope site. Check em out.