The MC wears a three-piece, the producer wears a two-piece.

D.C. legend Black Indian told us this summer that his Judah-produced comeback I Tried to Tell You would sound grown-up but not totally old-ass, and he was right. The 14-track mixtape is a cohesive, professional statement from a dude who decided emphatically not to let his legacy wither. He generally sticks to three themes: 1) Black Indian still should not be fucked with ("I'm Back," "I'm A Vet," "On My Shit"). 2) Things are nastier than ever out there, so keep your guard up ("Amen," "Cocaine," "N.W.O."). 3) A man's tastes and perspectives must evolve ("She Compliments Me," "Suited Up," "Dedicate"). Overall, Judah's production tilts toward the classy and the jazzy, but the songs in category No. 1 do tend to have a synth-heavy, modern-day DMV disposition—and Black's big-boned flow doesn't sound out of place. And, believe it or not, the history-lesson skits are essential. (Fat Rodney, R.I.P., gets his shout-outs.)

Get the music here (via Hulkshare).

Yesterday marked the twentieth anniversary of rapper Fat Rodney's tragic murder. Frequently heralded as one of most memorable emcees to ever rock the Go-Gos, Rodney's life was taken from him at just 21 years old in 1989. Over at my site, Cocaineblunts.com, I spoke with Rare Essence's Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson about Rodney and his legacy:

"When he walked into the room he lit the room up. There are a couple of other guys who had done it before, but I don't think anybody [did] it to the extent that Rodney had done it. So as he walked through the door, everybody was yelling his chant. "What you gonna do, Fat Rodney?!" We lost a huge talent. And we lost a good friend because Rodney sat around with us for hours, just joking and talking and everything. DC lost a huge talent. Rodney was a great guy, personally. And he was a real good rapper, very observant. The fact that he's rapping and he spots some girl in the crowd with a red shirt on, he'll incorporate her into the rap. Spot the guy with the blue jacket on, he brings him into it. All of that is what made Rodney the legend that he is."

Click here for the full interview.