You may recognize this sound, but under a different group, namely Restoring Poetry in Music (RPM). Both Jason Moore (Raw Poetic) and Kyle Murdock (K-Murdock) started out in RPM, and created a side project, Panacea; but the two groups have some slight variations. RPM is a band consisting of five instrumentalists (or so), where as Panacea consists of K-Murdock on turntables, a sampler, and maybe a few other devices with the help of Damu the Fudgemunk. Both groups have Raw Poetic as the front Emcee, and gee golly gosh is he good… did I really just say that : The difference in sound between the two may seem slight at first, but once you immerse yourself in ’em, you notice the contrasts in style. Raw Poetic’s style is relatively similar throughout the groups, but K-Murdock switches it up, bringing a more progressive, experimental sound to Panacea.
I had quite a few songs I wanted to feature from Panacea’s four LP’s, but I decided to go with Ecosphere from Ink is My Drink. K-Murdock creates a stunningly poignant beat, and features Patrick Fritz (P-Fritz) from RPM, who has an amazing voice, and I mean amazing! Though, this song doesn’t do him justice, so go to one of RPM’s features (here or here) to really capture his stunning vocals. You won’t be disappointed!… I mean, the guy is so good I kinda have a man-crush on him. ;) Anyways, compare this song to RPM’s, and tell me what differences you find… if you’re up to the challenge!
Lastly, I know I’ve mentioned this too many times already, but you really need to check out RPM. They’re one of my favorite hip-hop groups, and I know you will enjoy ’em… maybe even more than Panacea!
[audio:Ecosphere.mp3|titles=Ecosphere](Download Link in Full Article)
Alright, so you caught me, I posted this one a while back (you probably had no idea), but I have a good reason for posting it again (kinda). The original post was the entire album (Pyramids in Moscow), including Sleep Walkers. Since I’m not doing full album posts (for now), I wanted to split up the older album posts. They’ve got some of the best music on the site, so why wouldn’t I show ’em off again… right… i’ve also been studying all day, so I didn’t have as much time :D (so, that could be it too). Alright, to the music!
As I said in the original post, “This is not only my favorite track of the album [Pyramids in Moscow], but one of my favorite songs of all time!” I love Raw Poetic’s rap style against Marlon Vann’s (H2a) trip-hop styled beats. But what really shines is Patrick Fritz’s (P-Fritz) voice: it’s shockingly (!) smoooth. Just listen to it, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy it (at least!). This is some of my best stuff! (or RPM’s, I should say) As always, tell me what ya think. It’s the only reason I write :)
Also, this includes the entire song, which the original post did not!
[audio:SleepWalkers.mp3|titles=Sleep Walkers](Download Link in Full Article)
I’ve been following Gabriel Teodros on Facebook for a while now (yes, I’m an Internet stalker, selectively though :D). He made an interesting comment a little while back about a guy who wanted to fight him ’cause the guy thought he was a terrorist! It reminded me of my friend’s story about flying out from Tucson when a kid came up and asked if he was a terrorist. Now, I can understand why a kid would say this; kids speak their mind (that’s the beauty in ’em), and don’t usually mean anything by it, but in Teodros’s case, it’s inexcusable. As Lincoln said, “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt”.
But this isn’t a politic blog (thank god!), so let’s get to the music. Teodros has created some damn fine music. With Khingz in their group, Abyssinian Creole, and his solo works, not to mention his side projects (well, I guess I just did), Teodros has created some inspiring lyrics on soulful beats. His style stems from deep African roots with a NorthWest flavor, covering topics on racism (hmm… wonder why), sexism, and basically anything but the usual bubblegum pop. His lyrics may not be relatable to everyone, but can be appreciated by anyone!
I decided to feature No Label (Esma Remix) first, so check it and tell me what you think… (I do like hearing your opinion, occasionally ;))
[audio:NoLabel.mp3|titles=No Label (Esma Remix)](Download Link in Full Article)
If you haven’t heard of Jurassic 5 (J5) then you’re in for a treat; although, if you’re at all into underground hip-hop you probably have. J5 is among the greatest hip-hop groups of this era. I might say this about a lot of groups, but along with Hieroglyphics, J5 truly is the best. The group features some great solo acts (again, like Hiero); Chali 2na, probably their most notable MC, has one of the most recognizable voices in the biz. In fact, when I was in London a few months back, the few hip-hop enthusiasts I came across all knew of 2na’s voice, or at least J5’s sound. Unfortunately, 2na isn’t featured on this track, but I did feature one of his solo projects a while back (found here).
The song I decided to feature, High Fidelity, includes Mark 7even & Zaakir with DJ Nu-Mark on the turntables. There were a grip of songs I could have chosen from Power in Numbers (J5’s second LP), but this is by far the most memorable to me. I usually get into why it’s so memorable (and blah blah blah), but it probably bores most of you, so I won’t. There’s not much I can say to give this song justice (I never seem to), but the rhymes are fluid with a finesse that J5 does best. Give it a listen, and if you haven’t heard of ’em before, tell me what you think… If you have, I already know ;).
[audio:HighFidelity.mp3|titles=High Fidelity](Download Link in Full Article)
Who would of thought that this could be considered Christian hip-hop As a Cashew myself :), I’m not really into “Christian music”, but after listening to Braille, I guess I’m a fan of Christian hip-hop (or probably just Braille… yea, I think that’s it). Braille doesn’t necessarily have the traditional Christian lyrics – praising Jesus and… well that’s about it – but you do notice the more subtle Christian influences (I guess). But don’t let that dissuade you, his work is legit; it’s not some fluffy religious junk that only Evangelists could appreciate. No, this can be appreciated by all – Christians, Muslims and even those crazy Jews. Braille is a respected hip-hop artist in the Portland area, and is a member of the Lightheaded Crew, which also features Ohmega Watts and Othello. I’ve only listened to his fourth album, The IV Edition, but I’m definitely going to look into some of his other material. Check it out, and let me know if you’d consider this “Christian music”…
[audio:ConstantlyGrowing.mp3|titles=Constantly Growing](Download Link in Full Article)
I love it when foreign DJ/producers pair up with American rappers (I think I also mentioned this here), and the Jazz Liberatorz are a prime example of this. Their second track on Clin d’oeil, Ease My Mind, features Omni, Tre Hardson and Fat Lip, the latter two previously from The Pharcyde, rapping to a nice jazzy beat (who would of thought) with a playful piccolo… at least I think it’s a piccolo, might be a flute. Whatever, it’s a catchy track with some great featured artists. Check it out! I’m gonna go listen to their new album, Fruit of the Past, which I just found out about from researching this track.
[audio:EaseMyMind.mp3|titles=Ease My Mind](Download Link in Full Article)
I ran into Language Arts Crew a couple years back, and wanted to give them credit for a few of their songs that’ve stuck with me over the years.
9 to 5, being one of them, first caught my attention when I heard it sample a few classic movies lines from Office Space and American Beauty (good Marketing technique!). It has some talented rhyming by the four MC’s of the group and one featured artist, X.I. I would try to type out the lyrics for you to follow along to (since there isn’t any online), but I’m too lazy and it’s too complicated (i’ve tried, it’s not easy). Anyways, give it a listen and tell me what ya think… then maybe i’ll feature some more of their finest!
By the way, the best part of the song is at 2:01 for both it’s rhyming and lyrical ability.
[audio:9-5.mp3|titles=9 to 5](Download Link in Full Article)
I thought this was befitting to the recent Vikings win over the Cowboys :). I actually planned to feature this before hand, but this gave me the extra push.
Rob the Viking is a DJ/producer from the recognized underground hip-hop group, Swollen Members. Back in 2003, he came out with a solo album entitled Beats to Pillage and Conquer by. Maybe a song from this album could the Viking’s next fight song… maybe not. Though, the original (Skol, Vikings) may need to be updated. Anyways, Rob is talented in his own respect, and has worked with a widespread amount of underground MC’s (I am too lazy to find examples, just take my work for it).
My favorite song off the album would have to be Go for Mine (which should be obvious by now). It incorporates some hip-hop inspired beats accompanied with a string-bass (at least I think it is :D), as well as some excellent DJ doctoring. Overall, this may not be the most rich or engaging piece, but it does pull off some fine stringin’ with some original cuts.
Check out another beat by Rob (the Viking) featured on Therapy by Swollen Members. The MC’s for Swollen Members can really tear up Rob’s beats.
[audio:GoforMine.mp3|titles=Go for Mine](Download Link in Full Article)
Well, I’ve featured songs both by Nickatina and Dre, but nothing as good as this. A good friend of mine (from The Bay – the usual case) recommended it to me, so I gave it a listen. Now I could go into words about why it’s good, and blah, blah, blah, but I’m sick of trying to express myself so that you all will think, “my god, he has described this song perfectly”. And to be honest, I’m not really good at it anyway. So, just listen up and tell me what you think Better yet, tell me who you like better, Andre or Mac Dre I’ve asked a few different people, and all have given me the same answer (but I’m not telling)… until maybe I see some f’ckin’ comments :)
[audio:AndreNAndre.mp3|titles=Andre N Andre](Download Link in Full Article)
Every so often I become obsessed with Bone Thugs. I wasn’t a big fan of ’em back in the day, even though I had some friends that were, but after a few decades they finally hooked me. My first favorite of theirs is without a doubt Ghetto Cowboy, even though it’s technically by Mo Thugs, which is comprised of Krayzie Bone & Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs. The song tells a story of a few gun slingers back in the Wild West with a nice ghetto twist. It’s not only a great story, but it’s got a calm & coolheaded composition… not to mention it gives a shout out to good ol’ Tucson, Az… my college town (brings me back :)). It’s also worth mentioning the song features Layzie Bone’s wife, Felecia, on backup vocals. Ghetto Cowboy may just be my top pick in the Bone Thugs collection, but the group has many other chill tunes, so make sure to look out for ’em on here…
[audio:GhettoCowboy.mp3|titles=Ghetto Cowboy](Download Link in Post)