One of the fun parts about curating a website is discovering things you weren’t aware of, and seeing that Austin has been my playing field for decades, I know there is no lack of creative energy in my sphere. Kryptol Haze was a recent discovery I stumbled upon, and he is further proof of the diversity of Southern hip-hop. Grind Life Films provided a nice, dark atmosphere for Beautiful People (dig the ode of inspiration at the end).
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Super dope hip hop and producer mix from Butcher Bear for Wax Poetics. I could speak on it, but listening is the only way to do this justice.
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It’s mind-blowing to me that an individual like Donald Trump would ever be considered for president, let alone a front-runner. Right out of the gate he put out disparaging remarks about Hispanic Americans. As a minority, this definitely rubbed me the wrong way, and clearly I am not the only one. Hyder, with a little assistance from Pip Demascus of MDK (Mindz of a Different Kind), make sure that the pride they take in their culture and heritage is heard crystal clear in the single/music video for Won’t Back Down. Dig it and dig it good.
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Straight out of the Dallas based Ugly Co. camp comes a new track and video from CoolValley. Carpe Diem has everything you need: dope beat, dope lyrics, and strong visuals. Share this bad boy around, for real.
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You heard it on the (digital) radio, now you’ll see it on the (YouTube) TV show. Austin emcee Lench released What Happened To Austin? (My Beautiful City) recently, but in today’s digital world, every statement song needs a video to go along with it. This is a simple but powerful expression of what was, what could have been, and what is becoming in the ‘Live Music Capitol of the World’.
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At the close of 2015, Austin-based hip-hop creative Protextor/P-Tek released Shift. There were many standout cuts on the project, and among them was the KB the Boo Bonic collaborative effort They Watchin’. An ode to the digital age, and the paranoia that comes along with it, this was a song that was literally begging for a visual counterpart. Enter rinjin video… and now, we have the masterpiece above. Share this, because it most certainly deserves to be seen.
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The term ‘vicious cycle’ can be a hard one to put a tangible definition on. The plight of the Black man and woman in America, however, seems to continually provide examples that fit squarely within what one would deem a vicious cycle. DDotElles and PeaCe (who also provided the track) put their reflections on recent events that have propelled the #BlackLivesMatter movement down so eloquently for EFA, and the end result is quite moving. PeaCe‘s ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’ narrative balances well against the deep reflection of DDotElles on ‘isolated incidents’ that occur ‘too many times’. Of all the MCs in Austin, DDotElles continues to be the most thought provoking. Take a peek at his lyrics on the Soundcloud page.
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Crew54 is pretty much synonymous with dopeness in all forms of media these days. MOS‘s DVZN Media is becoming a force to be reckoned with, so you know when it’s applied to a Crew54 track, the outcome will be pure quality. They’re definitely bringing that boombap era look back for a new set of eyes and ears. Keep up the good work, fellas.
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A little something from Pojo the Idealist of Modal and $3 Shows… speaks volumes, speaks for itself.
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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight
Tagged $3 shows, chief, modal, pojo the idealist, the doomsday device
For those that don’t know, Hermit Kingdom is the latest crew making some noise on the Austin hip hop scene. Their presence was definitely felt at Weird City Fest a couple of weeks ago… here is some fan footage from their performance.
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Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 