Headnodic knows his West Coast MC’s and he’s gettin the best of ’em on his newly released album, Red Line Radio. Surprisingly though, this isn’t what made the album, Headnodic’s production and ability to build something around the vocalist sets this above any ordinary mix of some of my favorite MC’s. Not only that, my favorite track isn’t by the classic MC’s I grew up on, but Ms. Destani Wolf.
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Some of my favorite songs tell a story, often a sad one. Eminem’s “Stan” comes to mind as well as Immortal Technique’s “Dance With The Devil” & “You Never Know.” The topics in these songs are not necessarily uplifting, but instead tell a relatable narrative. They have the power to draw us in and make us share the pain expressed in the song.
Moufy is the latest to tell us a story through his music, using the power of words and melodies to strike a chord with us emotionally. In “Miss Newton,” Moufy depicts a tale about love, alcohol abuse and the resulting consequences of the two. The ending is […]
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Turntable.fm is a live chat room where music lovers come to share and listen to music together. Rooms can be setup by anyone and consist of 1-5 DJ’s at a time. Topics for each room range from specific genres to music blogs that play just about everything.
The first type of room I got into was dubstep- although, I quickly realized that the crowd and music wasn’t for me. Apparently, I’m not into the “right” kind of dubstep, so I hit up the hip-hop & mashup rooms for a while. As much good music as I’ve found through these rooms, I wasn’t quite connecting with that many people. I started to realize that the best quality in TT.fm wasn’t finding new music, but connecting with […]
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You know I love me some of that Pacific Northwest shit, but put in a lil’ LA and spice it all off in Hawaii and I’m ready for some summer fresh hip-hop. Blue Scholars’ very own Geologic aka Geo aka Prometheus Brown teams up with LA native, Bambu, while on their University of Hawaii tour, to create a musically inspired project from the Aloha islands. Producers range from Sabzi (the other half of Blue Scholars) to Budo and many other talents.
Here’s a little from the dudes themselves – I’m done writing, I just wanna keep listening […]
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Just picked up Grieves’ new album, Together/Apart
Canada is surprising me in all fronts of music these days – from Hip-Hop to R&B, shit is swellin’ up North.
In my latest find, Kyprios, formerly from Sweatshop Union, teamed up with Rob the Viking of Swollen Members for “How The West Was One” – a tribute to the Vancouver Canucks. The lyrics are catchy as hell, especially those chorus lines. It’s that shit when you wake up in the morning and can’t get it out of your head.
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“Seijun Suzuki” hit the hardest the first time around Cinemetropolis – that beat just catches. Now that I’ve been listening to Cinemetropolis a few more times, I’m starting to feel a few more.
I’ve been listening to Blue Scholars for a few years now and love what they’re doin in the Pacific Northwest. Sabzi is progressing his sound nicely and Geo keeps on with the lyrics. Hit me up with your favorites on this until I get in a few more listens. (Check it on Bandcamp)
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In 1994, one of the best debut albums of all time, Illmatic, was dropped by Nasir Jones, aka Nas. World renowned producers DJ Premier, Q-Tip and Pete Rock all took turns in the studio making beats that have become anthems for most hip-hop lovers across the world.
Jason Powers, better known as Elzhi from hip-hop group Slum Village, decided to pay tribute to the legendary rapper’s first studio recorded album by referencing all the same beats and even some of the same lines, but over the stories and struggles of an emerging 21st-century artist […]
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Uzi Octopus is a side project from a long admired hip-hop band of mine, Restoring Poetry in Music (RPM). Not quite sure when the project’s gonna drop or really any more information about it – they really need to get their ass goin’ on the whole online marketing thang – but I know it just finished up, so expect a release date soon.
“Let It Fall Aside”, the first single to hit the ‘net, features RPM’s very own MC, Raw Poetic. I gotta imagine he’ll be on the entire album and, hopefully, P-Fritz will lend some backup vocals, as well (amazing voice).
Until the release, check out a few of RPM’s stuff and another side project gone legit duo, Panacea.
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When I first heard KeithCharles Spacebar’s “PrettyBrownEyedGirl”, I thought it was a prank. His flow just reminded me too much of a fairly well-known East Coast/Midwest rapper, one I couldn’t put my head to. The whole vibe reminded me of AbCreole, who are actually from Seattle, but knew I was thinking someone more nationally known. It’s frustrating as hell, but I still can’t figure it.
But besides that, KeithCharles vibe is smooth as hell, especially with those neo-soul beats behind ’em. The beats actually remind me of a couple of my favorite producers, though these I can name.
Besides his minor references to video games classics, KeithCharles’ BeforeCommonEra is also similar in sound to D.C. producer K-Murdock. Both posses beats with a forward-thinking, experimental style that incorporates […]
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