So, I came across this dope video of Asher Roth foolin' around on the USC campus courtesy of Shake. The video is hilarious and I think Ash is super funny and charismatic. Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Monthly Archive: November 2008
Video: Asher Roth on Campus at USC
Sup y'all,
Track: Cory Gunz - Gamble on Me featuring T-Pain
Sup yall,
Happy Turkey day to everyone! I know I had a fun few days back home in South Fla and ate my ass off! This is a dope one from Mr.Xclusives - Cory Gunz featuring T-Pain on the track called Gamble On Me... Cool to see Cory getting into the studio and putting together a pretty fly track... Listen below and download here...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Chris Phillips... Just Call Him CP
Sup y'all,
So, I am writing this as I sit in the airport in Las Vegas waiting to catch my ride home to 'da Bottom... On the quick flight from LA to Vegas, I decided to pass the time by takin a good listen to a kid that I heard for the first time at Convinced's Crates & Mics Showcase last Friday. Chris Phillips, aka CP, played a killer set, and definitely caught my attention. And, I'm glad that I grabbed one of the free copies of his Calling Cards Sampler! The disc has 8 tracks, but that was plenty to get me hooked...
CP is an LA-area native whose sound is "like nothing else coming out of the West Coast." This dude honed his skills in any cypher he could spit in, and dude considers freestylin' an essential skill for any emcee. Now, I haven't had the chance to hear dude rip, but I am betting that he is pretty nice. My favorite track on the sampler is the opener, entitled Get Large. The track features Vann Clayton and talks about the aspirations of a young emcee. I also dig the track When I'm Around - the song talks about all of the "good girls" who don't engage in any shady activities... unless a cool dude does it first. The concept for the song is very relatable (at least to me), and homey's rhymes and storytelling are tight and funny at the same time...
Head on over to homey's MySpace to listen to more tracks and dig into dudes music. The track Smooth is a really dope, mellow track that is a great example of CP's lyrical dexterity. I like the versatility that he displays on the handful of tracks I have heard, and dude's energy is super hype live. Take a listen to some tracks below and get hip... What's the word on CP?
Get Large feat. Vann Clayton
When I'm Around
Get Large live at Zanzibar
And, here is dude spittin' in a cypher at Project Blowed... Pretty dope!
Peace y'all,
-Breeze
Show Video: Miguel Gets Off...
Sup yall,
So, I hit the Hush Lounge in Hollywood last night to see Miguel perform, and I was not disappointed. Dude shut it down! The venue is dope as hell and it was poppin' by performance time... Here is Miguel performing one of my favorite tracks right now, Strawberry Amazing. The track is off of homey's Mischief Mixtape, which you can grab for free here.. I will post some more vids later - traveling back to the East Coast and am slammed... And by the way, Teedra Moses stopped by long enough to perform a song as well - Very cool... And, she didn't look bad, either... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: KiD CuDi, Mr. Hudson, & Consequence Interviews
Sup yall,
Here is a video from Scotland's leg of the Glow in the Dark Tour featuring DJ Semtex interviewing G.O.O.D. Music soldiers KiD CuDi, Mr. Hudson, and Consequence. It also includes some cool show footage... Cudi describes how he linked up with Kanye and give his boy Plain Pat some love... Con gives a lil insight into his next album, and the fellas introduce Mr. Hudson... Props to Shake... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Show Video: Convinced Rockin' Crates & Mics
Sup yall,
I hit Lil' Tokyo on Friday, November 21st, for the Crates & Mics Showcase and Refreshing Listening Party for the homey Convinced. The show featured a bunch of really talented acts and the venue was super intimate, which made for a great experience. Below is some footage from the Showcase from Chris Phillips (aka. CP), Chris Focus, and Convinced... The first video features CP, who's energy and intensity really caught my attention. I have just begun to get into his stuff, but I like what I have heard thus far...
And, here is a video of a song called California Sunshine from a dope young emcee named Chris Focus. This kid has a ton of charisma and he actually brought a gang of chicks out to see him (you can hear them screamin' in the vid). And, let me assure you, these ladies were not ugly...
And finally, this song brought the house down. The guys behind me was singing along and was so into it that he spit on the back of my neck one time when singing along with Convinced. He performed his smash single, MIss Memory and was wilin' out with producer J-Trax on stage - There was a dope switch to Common's track The Light from the DJ... Stay up on his blog as he regularly releases new music... All in all, the event was super dope and featured a ton of talent- both emcee's and producers...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Track: Kid Sister - Get Fresh Remix feat. Esso
Sup yall,
Here is a pretty fly remix of Get Fresh from Kid Sister featuring the NY kid, Esso... The song is just a cool and is infused with electronica elements... Props to You Heard That New...? Download here & listen below... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: KiD CuDi & Plain Pat Jammin' in the Studio
Sup yall,
Here is a short vid I came across that just features KiD CuDi and Plain Pat jammin out to Kanye's joint called Welcome to Heartbreak. I finally gave in to temptation and downloaded the new 'Ye album yesterday - still gonna buy it though - and I really dig it... Props to illRoots...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: KiD CuDi performs Day 'N Nite in the UK
Sup yall,
Kanye has all of new artists on his G.O.O.D. Music imprint rolling around Europe with him on The Glow in the Dark Tour, and this video features KiD CuDi in the UK performing Day 'N Nite... This song is f-ing huuuuge, as evidenced by the audience's reaction when the track drops. I absolutely love CuDi, and think that his talent and pop sensibility are going to make this kid a star... Apparently, I'm not the only one. Props to H.E.R....
Peace yall,
-Breeze
He'll Have Your Head Spinning: Meet Diz Gibran
Sup y'all,
Peace y'all,
This dude has been making noise for some time now all around the blogosphere, and I finally took the time to give a good listen. Diz Gibran is an LA emcee who is the wealthy son of a diplomat, and who owns the Diamond Supply Skate Shop on Fairfax Avenue in LA. I actually was doing some window-shopping in that area a few weeks ago when I ran into Rick Ross inside of Diz's boutique- apparently, Ross loves their gear.
Anyways, I'm sure people have an opinion about dude because he comes from money, but when you listen to his music, all of that mess falls by the wayside. The fact that dude has traveled all over the globe as a byproduct of his parents' profession(s) means that he has seen some thangs. That alone should entice listeners as he definitely has strong opinions and some great stories to tell about things he has seen. Aside from his storytelling, I think that dude's clear and poignant flow is pretty enticing. But, most of all, I just dig that the dude actually has something to say. I think that the Hip Hop audience is starting to pay attention to lyrics and substance again, hopefully, and feel that Diz is set up pretty well once the kids start to come around...
My early favorite is City Lights- I really love how he used the sample and think that this gritty-feeling track has a great message - The track was featured on DubFrequency's Creme de La Creme Mixtape.. Truly Yours features BJ the Chicago Kid and is more lovey-dovey, but equally as dope as Diz's other tracks. I love these soul samples - they provide depth to the music (not sure if that makes sense, but that is the only way I can articulate it...). Also, peep homey's OBAMA tribute called Black Emperor and another dope track called Smooth Criminal (and it doesn't sample MJ's original). And, there is a video included from Hip Hop Official that gives a bit of background and an idea of dude's vibe.
City Lights
Truly Yours
Black Emperor
Smooth Criminal
Diz was featured as Hip Hop Official's artist of the week a while back... Here's the vid...
What's the word on Diz?
Peace y'all,
-Breeze
Video: Mickey Factz, Thurzday, Picaso, CurT@!n$, & A.T.
Sup yall,
So, I really wanted to hit the BMI Conference that went down in Hollywood on Tuesday, November 18, but I have a class that night that I couldn't miss. Needless to say, I had to skip the conference and Mickey Factz's performance there (I'm not taking on debt for my MBA to skip class...). Lucky for me, Meka hit the spot and actually got some dope footage. Here is Mickey's performance below... Also, here is his video of the cypher that broke out on the West Hollywood streets after the conference featuring Mickey, Thurzday from U-N-I, Picaso, CurT@!n$, and A.T.. Dope stuff from some dopeboyz... Enjoy..
Mickey Factz
The Cypher
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: 88-Keys Album Release Party
Sup yall,
Here is a well-edited video from 88-Keys' Album Release Party at The Standard Hotel Downtown from Hip Hop Official. The party was thrown by URB Magazine in conjunction with the homey Jesse Lee and his DubFrequency crew. U-N-I's Thurzday pops in for a quick minute, too... Enjoy... Props to Shake.
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Track: Colin Munroe - Will I Stay Remix feat. Wale & Dallas Austin
Sup yall,
I have been super high on this Canadian kid since I first heard his remake of Kanye's Flashing Lights (see below), and I still absolutely love Colin Munroe! This dude is just simply a musical dude, and I actually did worked with his camp on a project that I was doing for a class in promotion at USC (I'm there doing my MBA currently- not that hip, I know). Dude is signed to Dallas Austin's Rowdy Records imprint and is doing some big things. The track features Austin and Wale. Download the track here, or listen below... Props to Waxx... Enjoy...
Will I Stay Remix featuring Wale & Dallas Austin
And here's the vid for Colin's remake of Flashing Lights... This shit was all over the net and blew homey up...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Tracks: Convinced - A Fork in the Road & High Ambitions
Sup yall,
Just came across this and it is pretty cool - Apparently, Convinced is putting out two relatively new/unknown tracks every Tuesday, and he is calling the self-promotion "Two-for-One Tuesdays." This is pretty clever, and even if you don't like Lil' Wayne, he should have at least convinced you that making new music is the best promotion that an artist can have. The tracks are called A Fork In The Road, download here, and High Ambitions, download here. For some reason, the link for High Ambitions isn't working, but you can give a listen to the other track below or head over to Convinced's blog... I'll repost the link and song once it is repaired
A Fork In The Road
High Ambitions slowed... This is the screwed up version of the track, so you can get an idea...
And Con is performing this Friday in Downtown LA. The venue is called The 2nd Street Jazz Club - peep the flyer below and definitely hit this show. It is also serving as a listening party for Con's recently released album, Refreshed. I will be there, so come chill with your boy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: C'est La Vie Interview with The Cool Kids and Pac Div
Sup yall,
I just got hip to C'est La Vie and what they do, and must say that they are on their hustle. This video features an interview with Pacific Division's Mibbs, Like, and BeYoung as well as footage of Chuck and Mikey from The Cool Kids. Props to Mr. Xclusives for this one...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Big Sean Live in London
Sup yall,
I just came across this video of Big Sean performing in London while he is traveling with Kanye's Glow in the Dark Tour. He performs Million Dollars, Getcha Some, and a few other tracks, and seems like the crowd knew dude and were pretty hyped. Kanye does get on stage for a minute and briefly recounts how he discovered Sean and why he signed him. Props to 2dopeboyz... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
More Cali Love: Meet Dom Kennedy
Sup y'all,
I know that I am super high on all of the dope Hip Hop coming out of the LA area lately, and maybe that is a result of my personal geography, but there are a ton of artists from The City of Angels that deserve the shine.
Another LA product that has been generating some buzz for a while now, and who runs in the same circles of the other indie LA emcee's, is named Dom Kennedy. Dude is from Leimert Park, and reps his city crazy hard... I really dig this cat's laid back flow and relaxed tone that matches the killer production from Dom's "cousin in crime," Jskillz. His lyrics are cool and Dom tells some interesting stories with some pretty funny/creative punchlines sprinkled in....
I absolutely love the vibe of his track Watermelon Sundae, and the video is really cool as well. Dom embodies the SoCal culture and his videos, especially the one for Sundae, can give those who aren't lucky enough to enjoy the sun and fun a glimpse into how the West does it. And dude sounds like he might be more of a sneaker whore than me, which is sort of relieving and demoralizing at the same time- Needless to say, homey knows his sneaks... Peep the track Tennishoes...
Another LA product that has been generating some buzz for a while now, and who runs in the same circles of the other indie LA emcee's, is named Dom Kennedy. Dude is from Leimert Park, and reps his city crazy hard... I really dig this cat's laid back flow and relaxed tone that matches the killer production from Dom's "cousin in crime," Jskillz. His lyrics are cool and Dom tells some interesting stories with some pretty funny/creative punchlines sprinkled in....
I absolutely love the vibe of his track Watermelon Sundae, and the video is really cool as well. Dom embodies the SoCal culture and his videos, especially the one for Sundae, can give those who aren't lucky enough to enjoy the sun and fun a glimpse into how the West does it. And dude sounds like he might be more of a sneaker whore than me, which is sort of relieving and demoralizing at the same time- Needless to say, homey knows his sneaks... Peep the track Tennishoes...
I recently posted the new video for Everyone Knows Us featuring Pac Div and Carter, and the track and video are really dope! Vimby has been all over homey for a minute and I love how they are grabbing a ton of exclusive footage of the new Cali cartel- these fellas all seem to get along pretty well, so it is pretty cool that they could help each other get on... Dom also just uploaded a new track to his MySpace called Miss Donna Karan that is pretty funny- Listen below.
Kennedy released a mixtape a while back called 25th Hour that you can pick up for free download here. Also, check out homey's MySpace to watch the assortment of videos as they will give more insight into DK's personality than my words can. Peep the video for Watermelon Sundae below. And, the intro to Notorious DOM and the track Dreams Don't Come True can give a better taste of how representative of the LA LA Land that Dom is... Also, peep this cool feature from C'est La Vie to get a better taste...
Watermelon Sundae
Everyone Knows Us featuring Pac Div and Carter
Notorious DOM
Miss Donna Karan
Tennishoes
Dreams Don't Come True
Peace y'all,
-Breeze
Video: Johnson & Jonson - Up All Night
Sup yall,
This is the video for Johnson & Jonson's (Blu & Mainframe) track Up All Night from their recent album that is in stores now- Go cop! Props to herfection for this dope vid... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Black Cab Sessions with The Cool Kids
Sup yall,
Our resident tech Ninja at MyCypher just shot out an email to put everyone up on this dope site called The Black Cab Sessions. It is more of a web TV channel that features artists performing in the back of a London cab. Most artists appear to be performing album cuts, but Chuck and Mikey got sick with it- dope flows over beat boxes... The Kids definitely kill it! Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
New Weezy Mixtape - The Drought is Over Part 6
Sup yall,
Just because I am a big fan of Lil Wayne, and have been for a minute, and I thought this looked cool. Peep the album art and trailer for Weezy's next Mixtape project from the Empire's The Drought Is Over series. This installment is the 6th and most of the first 5 were pretty dope, especially 2 and 4.. The track that is featured is called Eat You Alive. Props to Mr. Xclusives... Enjoy...
Pretty fly artwork!!! FYI... dude just had a son...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Track: Naledge - Do What It Do feat. VerBS & Rapper Big Pooh
Sup yall,
Found this one courtesy of H.E.R.fection and 2dopeboyz... Pretty cool track and I really dig Naledge of The Kidz in the Hall! Dude is super lyrical and his wordplay is pretty tricky. The kid is a smart dude, and that definitely comes through in his music. This is cool because we need emcee's that will make intellect cool again.... if it ever was...
Listen below and download here... The track features VerBS and Rapper Big Pooh and was produced by Mr. Porter...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Mickey Factz on The Cool Kids
Sup yall,
In this vid, courtesy of H.E.R.fection, Mickey Factz discusses how he hooked up with The Cool Kids for the Rockin' N Rollin' Remix. He also mentions that Biggie was his biggest influence and talks about all of the new elements from other genres bleeding into Hip Hop- sound familiar? I have been screaming about the convergence of popular music for a minute now... Dope vid! Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Asher Roth and The Cool Kids Live
Sup yall,
This video features Asher Roth and The Cool Kids performing live at the MTV Woodie Awards. The quality isn't great, but apparently the VP of SRC Records, Donte Ross, had to sneak the cam in to get the footage. Asher performs College Live and Chuck and Mikey rip some of Delivery Man. Props to Xclusives Zone. Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Theophilus London Interview and Freestyle
Sup yall,
A very cool interview with Theophilus London that gives an insightful look into homey's musical influences and philosophy. He mentions Michael Jackson, Big Daddy Kane, and Run DMC as some of his favorite artists and classifies his music simply as "Soul!".... Cool ass dude.... And, the freestyle is pretty dope... Props to Xclusives Zone...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
B.o.B. - Who The F#@K Is B.o.B.? Mixtape
Sup yall,
I just came across this one thanks to the ol' MySpace bulletin... Download B.o.B.'s new mixtape entitled Who The F#@K Is B.o.B.? here. I also thought the cover art was pretty dope- love the color scheme and the A-Town skyline. I miss the days where people had physical musical collections that were representative of who a person was... I remember when part of buying new music was examining the artwork and studying the liner notes... Say what you want, but I always thought it even looked dope to have a record/cd collection creatively displayed in a home... I saw this show called Iconoclasts the other day and it paired up Clive Davis and Bill Maher to basically interview each other... Maher had a ton of records from a bunch of different eras and genres and it definitely made me respect the guy a lot more.... Not that he really cares...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: The Cool Kids Speak on Threads, Kicks, etc...
Sup yall,
I know this blog isn't supposed to be about fashion, but The Cool Kids are hip as hell and they make sick music! The vid features Chuck and Mikey speaking on their status as trendsetters, and how they craft their unique style(s). I think this convo could easily be about the fellas music instead of their fashion sense. Shouts to 2dopeboyz for this one... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: U-N-I - K.R.E.A.M.
Sup yall,
This video has been around for a minute, but I just took the time to watch it all the way through. The video is dope, and I think that Y.O. and Thurzday are super cool cats who have very unique styles... These dudes are really cool and humble - U-N-I is set to blow!!! Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
B.o.B. No, Not the OutKast Song...
Sup y'all,
The ATL has historically put out some of the most diverse, unique, soulful music of the Hip Hop generation. From OutKast to Goodie Mob to The YoungBloodz to T.I. to Proton to... B.o.B.??
Yea, homey is as unique and interesting as the name subtly suggests... I sort of feel like dude is a nice blend of a number of Southern Hip Hop acts - that alone is reason enough to listen to the stuff! The South has provided us with numerous classic records and continues to be at the forefront of the evolution of the genre as a whole...
At different points during listening to B.o.B.'s The LRG Hi! My Name is B.o.B. Mixtape, I was reminded of all of the previously mentioned acts and even others like Nappy Roots and Rich Boy (pretty dope that dude teamed up with a brand for the tape - something I think is going to become much more popular).
Dude was also one of XXL's 10 Freshmen, so he isn't unknown. But, he's also no where near his ceiling... Dude has also performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards and been featured on the MTV2 Sucker Free series...
Yea, homey is as unique and interesting as the name subtly suggests... I sort of feel like dude is a nice blend of a number of Southern Hip Hop acts - that alone is reason enough to listen to the stuff! The South has provided us with numerous classic records and continues to be at the forefront of the evolution of the genre as a whole...
At different points during listening to B.o.B.'s The LRG Hi! My Name is B.o.B. Mixtape, I was reminded of all of the previously mentioned acts and even others like Nappy Roots and Rich Boy (pretty dope that dude teamed up with a brand for the tape - something I think is going to become much more popular).
Dude was also one of XXL's 10 Freshmen, so he isn't unknown. But, he's also no where near his ceiling... Dude has also performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards and been featured on the MTV2 Sucker Free series...
Having drawn numerous comparisons, I would like to contradict myself by saying that B.o.B. is also very unique... I think it is very dope to start to see some of the products of the South's major influence on the genre. I mean, I feel like there is a new crop of cats all around the genre, but I think it is very cool to watch the next wave of Southern emcee's especially, probably because I grew up listening to the same stuff... Anyways, I think the tracks below will only begin to showcase dude's diverse talents, flows, and styles.... He produces, arranges, and mixes all of his own music as well, so dude is very talented, to say the least. Head over to his MySpace to grab three free mixtapes: the LRG tape, the Cloud 9 Mixtape, and the Future Mixtape... Get your feet wet below - here's a sample of the many faces of B.o.B.
I'll Be In The Sky
Haterz featuring Rick Ross and Juvenile
Not Love... The story to this track is crazier than the Coldplay sample... Believe it...
Sweet Home
Use Your Love... Gotta love this sample from The Outfield... There are a lot of drunk frat kids still singing it in dive bars all across America.
Cloud 9... One of the coolest odes to this beautiful woman that I have heard in a while! Video of the performance at TJ's DJ's Tastemaker Conference is pretty cool, too...
Dude spittin'/singing over an acoustic guitar... Dope!!!
And here's one cool video of a 10-minute freestyle with David Banner and Talib Kweli.
Well, that should be enough to give an idea... And, most of this stuff is from the same mixtape!!! Check dude out...
Peace y'all,
-Breeze
Video: Insane Cypher in London at the G.O.O.D. Music Showcase
Sup yall,
So, this is one of the craziest cyphers I have ever seen! This party apparently went all night and stars just kept showing up. Kanye is killin' em overseas - Can anyone say that this Hip Hop shit isn't global now??? The vid features Nas, Mos Def, Will.i.am, Kid CuDi, De La Soul, Big Sean, Consequence, and probably others. Shit is insane... Shouts to 2dopeboys and DJ Semtex...Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Hollywood Holt and Maino Interview
Sup yall,
This video is an interview from hardknock.tv featuring Hollywood Holt and Million Dollar Maino speaking on this whole label of "hipster rap." Basically, the mainstream can't grasp that young brothers might be influenced by anything outside of the Hip Hop genre - old, white people just don't get it. Very cool to get to know these cats a lil.... Shout to the homey JLee at DubFrequency for this one.
Video: Chip tha Ripper and Naledge in Chi-Town
Sup yall,
This is an inside look at Chicago products Chip tha Ripper and Naledge of Kidz in the Hall... Heard about Chip a while back when AllHipHop did their best of A Milli post... Dude is pretty nice... Props to Xclusives Zone...
Peace,
-Breeze
Video: Black Milk - Give The Drummer Sum
Sup yall,
Cool, creative video from a up-and-comer... Black Milk...
Peace,
-Breeze
Video: Pac Div, Dom Kennedy, and Carter's Everyone Knows Us
Sup yall,
This editor turned this shit around quick... And did a pretty nice job... Vimby is blowing up.
Peace,
-Breeze
Video: B.o.B. Interview at Loud Records
Sup yall,
Props to 2dopeboyz for this one - It is definitely dope... This cat is super interesting and the verse is a very memorable one off of B.o.B.'s LRG Hi! My Name is B.o.B. Mixtape. Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Pac Div, Blu, Dom Kennedy, and Carter - The New Cali Cartel
Sup yall,
There has been a lot of chatter lately around Pacific Division on the blogosphere lately. Below is a video of an interview of the fellas Mibbs, Like, and Be Young with K-Salaam. Blu and Mainframe pop in right on cue. The fellas talk about the label of "Hipster Rap" and the resurgence of the West coast. I think it is really dope that all of these acts run in the same circle - The competition is healthy, not deadly like it has been in the past... But, I guess that is just a sign of Hip Hop growing up. Thanks to theexactly.net for posting this one...
And here is another clip featuring the Pac Div crew. Came across this one at H.E.R.fection. It features Dom Kennedy and Carter, and is a behind-the-scenes video of the fellas shooting a video for The Hundreds produced track Everyone Knows Us. This is just a teaser, but the shit looks and sounds dope! Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
The Midwest is Pumping Out Unique New Artists - Meet Vince P
Sup y'all,
In my opinion, and I definitely may be biased because I live here and get to see these acts regularly, the Los Angeles Hip Hop scene may be producing some of the freshest new talent in the US... Buuuut, Chicago and the Midwest are doing their thing, too... I think that the next major movement in Hip Hop will be derived from one of these regions as both have somewhat distinct sounds. At this point, I would say it is anyone's game, but out here in LA, we do have Kobe LOL...
This kid named Vince P from Chicago (Born in Florida - Homestate love) is a 25 year-old rapper and producer who refers to himself as the 2009 Kurt Cobain. That is pretty telling if my theories about the resurgence of the grunge genre are correct, but we will let time tell that tale... Dude is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, but was disqualified from service in Iraq due to a medical condition. Although he is upset that he isn't over seas fighting for his country, dude is doing pretty well with his music stuff.
His music is really sample heavy, but homey's creativity definitely comes through. His lyrics are very cool and often times extremely personal. I really dig dudes unique style, both acoustically and visually, and his music is a fly representation of that style... I really dig the track Walking On The Block, which features a sample that sounds very very familiar... I also really like the track Represent featuring Wild Beats- the rocking electric guitars are super heavy! Dude's digital footprint isn't super large, but he does get love in the blogosphere and the Chicago Tribune wrote him up here. Peep a couple tracks and vids below, but you gotta hit homey's MySpace to hear all of the tracks... What's the word??
Walking On The Block snippet
Why So Serious
Me, Myself, and I
And peep this vid from Jen the Pen who is on Sirius radio and has a blog here...
Peace y'all,
-Breeze
Video: 88-Keys LA Album Release Party
Sup yall,
So, as I mentioned, I missed 88-Keys' performance at the show at The Standard Downtown on Monday November 10th. But, I came across this video one H.E.R.fection today of the show. The Kanye impression is f-ing hilarious!!! Enjoy...
Peace,
-Breeze
Video: Black Milk's Tronic Record Release Party
Sup yall,
I was making my blog rounds this morning and came across this video of Black Milk at the record release party he held for the recently released Tronic - shout to 2dopeboyz for this one... The record is crazy, and dude has followed a really cool road up to this point and has some really interesting things to say about Hip Hop today and where it will be tomorrow. The video also features U-N-I who also performed at the party, as well as a new group called Folks&Stress who I will have to get hip to. Hip Hop is NOT dead!!!
And, also head over here to vote for 2dopeboyz for YO! Raps' Hip Hop blog of the year. These fellas put in work to get the freshest shit to the masses!!! Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: 88-Keys - True Feelings
Sup yall,
Came across this cool lil video for 88-Keys' song True Feelings at the Xclusives Zone. The song is from the mixtape entitled Adam's Case Files that was a prelude to 88's album, The Death of Adam, that dropped today. I caught the LA album release party at The Standard Hotel Downtown on Monday the 10th. Kind of a bummer tho - I got there too late to catch 88's performance, but that is a whole other issue... Shout to JLee and the DubFrequency crew for putting on dope party though... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Cory Gunz Interview
Sup yall,
Thanks to Crack Distributors Radio for this interview with the wonder-kid Cory Gunz. Dude speaks on a variety of subjects including being categorized as a freestyle rapper and the overall direction of Hip Hop. Kid seems to have his head on straight and definitely knows where he is going. Part 2 of the interview features the track Get Right Tonight featuring Ryan Leslie, who is just absolutely bananas on the production tip as well as being a fire artist himself... Enjoy...
Part 1
Part 2
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Asher Roth Live in ATL
Sup yall,
Here is a video I came across that features Asher Roth performing live in Atlanta. Pretty dope that dude is performing with a live band. The acoustics aren't great, but it's cool to see a bit of Asher's live show and get a feel for the vibe. Props to xclusives zone.... Enjoy....
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Mixtape: Charles Hamilton - Sonic the Hamilton
Sup yall,
As we have discussed, Charles Hamilton and DJ Skee have teamed up for a promotion campaign that they are calling the Hamiltonization Process, and it features a new Mixtape from CH every two weeks. The next installment is a tape called Sonic the Hamilton and went live today. Head over to CH's website or MySpace for more info, stream the tape below, and download the tape here. And, peep the artwork below. Enjoy...
Sonic the Hamilton
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Download the URB Podcast from U-N-I
Sup yall,
Thanks to 2dopeboyz and MySpace for this one... Head over to download the hour-long Podcast from URB featuring U-N-I. The special that is meant to kick off the URB "Next 1000" series features 16 songs interspersed with audio from Y-O and Thurzday. A new episode will be released every Friday, so keep checking for new music every week...
Download the PodCast here... Props to URB for such a cool, innovative idea...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: More Behind the Scenes Footage from Nobody Famous
Sup yall,
My man Reem at ManUp Management just pushed this one my way... thanks homey! Here is some more footage from Nobody Famous' video shoot for Don't Act Like I Never Told You. It even features a brief cameo from yours truly (Don't blink tho, or you'll miss me). Enjoy...
And the vid features a cameo from Timothy DeLaGhetto, the YouTube freestyle superstar. Peep this vid below and notice who Tim calls out... the homey Wax. If you don't know about the YouTube Cypher, get your bars up and watch some of the vids... Dope stuff!
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Track: Hollywood Holt - Caked Up (DJ Trentino Remix)
Sup yall,
I just came across this remix of Hollywood Holt's banger Caked Up. The track was remixed by DJ Trentino and has much more of a house/electronica vibe to it... This one should kill it in the hipster circles... Props to H.E.R... Listen below and download here.
And peep this vid of Hollywood performing Caked Up live at Cinespace on September 30,2008...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Dahlak's Killer Commencement Mixtape
Sup yall,
Dahlak's track entitled Welcome to My Cypher is to serve as the theme song for MyCypher and dude totally embodies the type of emcees that we are trying to promote with the site - Cats that are dope musically and have something to say. Peep an earlier entry on homey here. Well, dude does not fail to deliver something moving on his newest mixtape entitled Commencement: A Kanye West Tribute and the tape features a ton of Kanye tracks remixed by Dahlak and DJ Flow. I had the chance to get an early listen (Shout to Paloma!) and the tape is totally insane. I am very impressed with Dahlak's production chops as well as his flow, and I especially dig the track Do It and find it inspirational, plus I dig how he used the vocoder... People need to stop hating on the voice box - It can be a dope instrument if used right... I mean, T Pain is popular for a reason... The track Flashing Lights features Dahlak reciting some spoken word poetry and is a very creative take on the title of the Kanye hit... And, please check out the remix of Welcome to My Cypher - thanks to Dahlak for the shout out and we look forward to the future!!!
Anyways, hit the MySpace and Commencement drops on Tuesday, November 11th - go grab the tape for free download at Dahlak's website, thisisdahlak.com. Head over to Dahlak's site now to hear and see the video for his Obama tribute entitled Black Genius. And please peep the album art below - I really dig the Boondocks take on the cover! What's the word?
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Behind the Scenes at Nobody Famous' Video Shoot
Sup yall,
Yesterday, I headed downtown to peek in on the shoot for the homey Nobody Famous' video shoot for the song Don't Act Like I Never Told You. The treatment for the video was written by Famous' manager, Reem Fort, and directed by Francisco Ordonez of Kulture Machine. I got the fellas to take a couple minutes to give me the low down. Peep the videos below to hear about Famous' upcoming projects and the concept for the video...
A few words from Nobody Famous and Director Francisco Ordonez...
And 'Reem giving a bit of background regarding the video concept...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Pacific Division Interview
Sup yall,
I came across this dope video of Pacific Division in New York City... The video is from JenthePen.com and shows Pac Div, Consequence from G.O.O.D. Music, and Jen herself chopping it up... The fellas shout out everyone from the West Coast and ensure fans that there will be no beef on the horizon between the up-and-coming LA area acts... Check it out below and thanks to Jen for this one...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Asher Roth on The Carson Daly Show
Sup yall,
Props to 2dopeboyz for this one... It is a feature on the Carson Daly Show that highlights Asher Roth and his rise to internet stardom. He talks about the Em comparisons, how he was discovered, and who Asher Roth really is. Dude is definitely set to blow... Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Track: T-Pain - Can't Believe It Remix featuring Justin Timberlake
Sup yall,
So, as a white boy with some blue eyes AND some soul, I absolutely love the vanilla R&B stuff that has come out recently - Think Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake. Well, JT's Hip Hop connections are well-documented but I was super surprised when I came across this remix of T-Pain's track I Can't Believe It featuring the blue-eyed soulster! JT even gets on the vocoder... and it sounds pretty dope! Props and thanks to Xclusives Zone.
Listen below and download here...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Q Tip on Letterman
Sup yall,
I was up last night watching the Boob Tube and caught Q-Tip on Letterman. He performed the song Move off of his upcoming album The Renaissance. I have a feeling that Tip might be making a comeback in a pretty big way - Hip Hop is ripe for it... We are grasping for anything that is authentic in a world where everyone can make records. Keep your eye on Tip yall...
Peace,
-Breeze
Video: Emilio Sparks Interviews Mickey Factz
Sup yall,
I was making the rounds in the blogosphere and came across this video interview with NYC rapper Mickey Factz at h.e.r. Thanks to h.e.r. for hipping me, and the Emilio Sparks interview is dope, and Mickey drops a fly verse - see for yourself...
Part 1
Part 2
Freestyle
Peace yall,
-Breeze
First Listen: 88-Keys The Death of Adam
Sup yall,
Props to 2dopeboyz for hipping me to this, but Imeem has just put up the entire new album from 88-Keys entitled The Death of Adam as a streaming playlist. You can go here to listen to the album narrated by 88, or just listen below... I haven't had a chance to listen to the album yet, but I have been hearing for a long time that it is supposed to be crazy dope... You be the judge - feeling T.D.O.A.?
88-Keys The Death of Adam
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Wax's Sarah Palin rhymes at the MyCypher.com Lyrical Debates
Sup Yall,
So, first of all, I would like to personally thank everyone that came out to the MyCypher.com Lyrical Debates on Sunday November 2nd. The event was great and the performances were even better. We are working to put together a dope video of the event, but I figured I should post a snippet to let everyone get the idea...
Wax told me that he had just conceptualized this lil rhyme because he felt like he wanted to do a political song to coincide with the event's theme. The shit is hilarious and I absolutely love dude's vibe! Plus, I think dude could be the next big thing in Hip Hop in due time - Allow me to make my case...
Peep this blog post from the homeys at Brooklyn Bodega to get an idea of where hip hop is going... I was having a conversation with Tom Sturges, EVP of Creative for Universal Music Publishing, and David Dorn, SVP of Digital for Rhino Records, and they were talking about a paradigm that they believe holds true called the 20-10 rule. The theory is that every 10 years, you can look back 20 years to see what the next trend will be. So, by that logic, we're looking back to the early 90's and late 80's... What's the next big movement? GRUNGE! Obviously, this isn't an exact science, but both of these pretty well-established pro's agree that grunge will be making a reappearance. Now, if that is true, tell me who is better positioned to be the Hip Hop generation's next version of Kurdt Cobain (that is how he spells his own name in his journal - I've read it) than the homey Wax?... Don't worry, I'll wait....
Peace yall,
-Breeze
U-N-I, TiRon, and Ayomari Rock the Boombox
Sup yall,
So, I regularly get put up on new artists, music, and a ton of other cool stuff by the blog known as theexactly.net... On Saturday, November 1st, theexactly.net celebrated its one year anniversary with a show at the Boombox in Los Angeles. I hit the show and got some dope footage of some of my LA favorites. Below are videos of Ayomari and TiRon performing the track Sydney and U-N-I performing a new joint called Hollywood Hiatus. The vibe was super tight, and Black Milk was in the house to DJ a set as well...
Happy anniversary to theexactly!!! The party was fly!!!
Hollywood Hiatus by U-N-I
Sydney by Ayomari ft. TiRon
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Cory Gunz's Freestyle in the Limo to the BET Awards
Sup yall,
My homey at MyCypher just sent this vid my way. It is the freestyle youngster Cory Gunz in his limo ride to the BET Hip Hop Awards 2008. The video includes an insane freestyle, a really dope interview (kid is super humble, which is refreshing to see), and his Cypher performance from the awards... Kid is set to blow!!! Enjoy...
Peace yall,
-Breeze
The Old, New New Orleans Rapper - Curren$y
Sup yall,
So, I try to stay on top of the Hip Hop blog circuit and read as much as I can to try to keep my game sharp. But, I got a bit of a beef with the blogosphere and I feel like I need to air it out... If you claim to be a Hip Hop head, and you don't know the former Young Money soldier that is Curren$y, then you don't know shit!
I have been regularly coming across new tracks from homey for a while now on blogs that "introduce" new artists to the masses, but tried to ignore them. I mean, I have been on to Curren$y tha Hot Spitta for years now... yea, that's right, years. Truth of the matter is, you probably have too, you just didn't know it.
The details are a bit hazy, and I think that both parties did the right thing in not making a big to-do about the split, but Lil' Wayne had previously signed Curren$y to his own Young Money imprint a while back. Tha Hot Spitta was a regular guest on the millions of Weezy mixtapes and even put out a few of his own. His album, Music to Fly to, has been delayed and delayed, and I suspect that is part of the reason for dude's split with YM and Weezy. His debut album will now be entitled This Ain't No Mixtape.
I say this all to say dude is not a new rapper, but is finally starting to get some of the attention he deserves. You may remember his super cool flow and interesting accent from Grown Man from Weezy's Tha Carter II, and dude was always on the bus for all of the YOUTube vids that YM was putting up.
Regardless of the delayed recognition, homey has continued to grind and the music he puts out is really cool. This guy's voice is super cool and very interesting to hear. His accent is a little out the box too, which makes him even more appealing to the ear. When you couple those aspects with his insane punchlines, you've got a really, really dope sound. Curren$y is also a member of The Fly Society, check the MySpace, and has been grinding online for a minute now. You can listen to some of my fav's from dude below and head over to his MySpace for more content... The track New Day is really dope!
If you didn't know Curren$y, or didn't know you did know him, know you know... He is NOT a new rapper!
Where Da Cash At
Grown Man - Lil Wayne and Curren$y
Modern Day Hippie
You Love It (Black Mags Freestyle) - This shit is pretty bananas!
Fly Society - Mean Wit It feat Ras
Fly Society - Fresh
Peace yall,
-Breeze
TiRon Interview on FlyBoyRadio
Sup yall,
Thanks to the homey Zack Lee at theexactly.net for this one... Here is an interview with Cali's own TiRon on FlyBoyRadio...
I saw this cat on Saturday night at the one year anniversary party for theexactly.net and he was dope... Great energy, very charismatic, and just plain cool... Listen here...
And here is a new track from the homey Blu featuring TiRon... It's called All the King's Men.
Dig it?
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Charles Hamilton on his next Mixtape entitled Sonic the Hamilton
Sup yall,
First things first, WE FINALLY HAVE A REAL PRESIDENT!!! For the first time in a while, I feel totally proud to be American... Just had to mention that...
Below is a vid of Charles Hamilton rappin about the next mixtape that will be released as a part of he and DJ Skee's Hamiltonization Process. Dude is putting out a new tape every two weeks - The crazy thing is that each one has it's own story line. Listen to CH's insights... Dude is definitely a bit out there, but I mean that in the best possible way. Who wants to be trapped inside the four walls of the proverbial "box" anyways?
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Yeezy Co-signs D-Town's Next Big Thing: Big Sean
Sup yall,
Before Em really blew it up, Detroit was somewhat of an untapped resource in terms of Hip Hop talent. There were definitely cats doing it, who were from the D, who didn't ever really get the shine that they deserved. Two of the city's favorite sons of Hip Hop were J Dilla and Proof, and both are no longer with us - RIP to both of these fallen stars...
But, today is a new day! And, as I write this on Election day in the USA, I can only hope the positivity and change we all need and want will be delivered by the day's end (And just to make it clear, that change isn't gonna come in the form of an old white dude who badly needs to have his teeth bleached). With Black Milk having just dropped, Detroit is also poised for some pub regarding the new artists that it is providing. The next on that list will undoubtedly be Big Sean.
As the story goes, Sean was signed to G.O.O.D. Music, Kanye's Imprint, after he spit to 'Ye at a radio station in Detroit in 2005. 'Ye was impressed enough to hear more and Sean flooded Mr. West with his content. By 2007, he had heard enough, and Kanye signed Sean to the label... and the rest is history, sort of...
Big Sean's spit is super cool, and sometimes reminiscent of Mr. West pre-vocoder... He delivers great stories and hilarious punch lines in a very cool tone. I dig the vibe of his music, and this dude just seems to be really fucking cool, which is something that can't be taught. Dude released a mixtape called Finally Famous that you can grab here. And, dude is set to drop Volume 2 of that tape on November 8th - check his MySpace for details about the download...
I love the track Call Me - it sort of reminds me of the track from Kanye's College Dropout Album called Last Call... I think the phone messages are cool and provide a nice lil insight into dude's personality and life... Also, dude's take on Biggie's Story to Tell is super dope as well - This is like every dude's worst nightmare avoided.
Anyways, check the media, as always, and judge for yourself. Yall feelin' Big Sean?
Big Sean freestyle in the Def Jam offices
Story to Tell
Call Me
All My Life
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Video: Theo and the Homies in the Loft
Sup yall,
I just came across this new video from Theophilus London of him and some of his people just kickin it after a video shoot. I really dig this sort of "exclusive" content, and want to big up artists who realize that this is where this music thang is going...
His homey can really sing and the short freestyle is pretty cool... especially with today being election day. Get out and VOTE!!!
Peace yall,
-Breeze
Killer New Joint from Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth, and B.o.B.
Sup yall,
Things were crazy over the Halloween weekend, but I will be back on the grind shortly... In the meantime, check out this track from Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, and B.o.B. I haven't written about B.o.B. yet, but it is definitely coming... I heard the track from the fellas over at the dope blog named 2dopeboyz...
The track is insane and features some pretty fly verses. It is very appropriate considering the major day that is November 4th, 2008. Listen below and download here...
Change Gon' Come
Peace yall,
-Breeze