After a very promising (and very free) test release of the clean version several months ago, Diamond District’s In Da Ruff is officially available in stores today, with cuss words restored and bonus tracks. Though it isn’t getting the national acclaim that Wale is, the trio of emcees XO, yU and rapper/producer Oddisee have cut what is certainly the most complete D.C. rap album of the year. And it might just be the best in many years.

In The Ruff was also released on nice double vinyl, a huge look for a contemporary rap album. Whether that vinyl can actually be purchased within the city limits is yet to be seen—not one of the remaining boutique-y record stores in this city actively stocks new hip hop vinyl. (Shame on you, Smash, Som, Red Onion & Crooked Beat. Oh yes, we’re naming names.)

More twitter action for today: producer Oddisee just dropped this out of left field mixtape from DMV underground hip hop collective Low Budget. Tagged only mixtape ii, DJs Roddy Rod and Marshall Law run down a gang of tracks from local backpack rap favorites like Kev Brown and Ken Starr. And, yes, it’s mixed, with actual blends and scratches.

Diamond District (geddit?) is a hip hop supergroup consisting of underground favorites XO, YU, and Oddisee. Their debut album In The Ruff dropped yesterday and is a nice slice of boom-bap rap that nods subtly to Marley Marl and Pete Rock with one foot in the present tense. The clean version is available for free download. Presumably, the curse words will cost you.

Check after the jump for a short documentary about the group. Read More “Free Download: Diamond District – In The Ruff” »

A weekly roundup of unreleased songs, new singles, and assorted musical detritus trickling out to the Web.

Rick Ross (feat. The Dream): “I Really Want”

Even though one of Rick Ross’s exes sided with his rival 50 Cent in their much-publicized beef, and another, it has recently been revealed, has a budding amateur porn career, it seems the big man still believes in love. “She my dime/Not the one I wanna cuss at/Looking fine/Real diamond g’on and cut glass,” Ross says of a woman who hasn’t done him wrong—yet.

Rye Rye (feat. M.I.A.): “Bang”

It matters little that M.I.A.’s contribution here is limited to the explosive onomatopoeia of the chorus: Baltimore native Rye Rye handles the rhymes just fine by herself, thank you very much. It’s Rye’s teenaged, Balmer-accented voice squeaking out hardcore lines and demanding you “throw your fuckin’ sets up” over a densely frantic Blaqstarr club track that make this, well, a banger.

Outasight: “Exclusive”

It’s not hard to sound good over a beat from Oddisee, one of the finest producers out of D.C. But the liquid, nasal flow of Yonkers MC Outasight gets just as much credit for the bump-free ride of “Exclusive” as Oddisee’s Camp Lo-meets-Diplo track.

Jadakiss ft. Swizz Beatz & OJ Da Juiceman “Who’s Real”

“If you’re real and you know it, clap your hands,” goes the Swizz Beatz-chanted, nursery-rhyme-ripped chorus of the latest Jadakiss track. Less child-friendly are Jada’s rhymes: “Guns gon’ clap/Packs gon’ move/Blood get drawn/Skin gon’ bruise,” the rapper warns. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your…guns?