Abuzayed the Free has never been ashamed to explore or talk about her oneness with nature, spirituality and hip-hop. In her latest music video, a collaboration with La Bu for To God From God, Abuzayed speaks on these specific topics with confidence and love. Her refrain about ‘making love to the air with her breath’ encapsulates her vast feelings in a nice, easy to digest capsule of wisdom and assertion. Give this video a like, comment and a share so that you can help spread some much needed positivity around.
Baby Lion has hit the ground running with their season one lineup of programming. After a successful day one with Slumber Party Club, Adam Protextor dropped a banger of a follow-up with the new episode of Rappers Playing Games (RPG) (presented in partnership with Game Over Videogames). The episode features special guest Chucky BLK, a formidable poet and MC on the Austin scene, and a video game aficionado in his own right. The two match skills in several rounds of Tekken 3 while dropping knowledge on poetry, finding confidence in the hip-hop realm, topics covered in songwriting, identity and much more. The conversation is enlightening, entertaining and educational, and most certainly worth your time, shares, likes and comments.
Now that the summer heat is finally beginning to subside, many of my musical friends are putting together or embarking on their last tours of the year. Jonathan Brown (based out of New Orleans) is one of those artists that tends to spend almost as much time, if not more, on the road as he does at home. In light of his recent release Aggressively Vulnerable, and the tour that is currently underway in support of it, Brown put together a video for his Blueprint produced single Be Careful. The song is a testament to his time spent on the road, his attempts at connections, and the toll that being on the road takes on an artist. This one is definitely a bonafide classic all around, and the numbers are proportionately proving it. Definitely give this one a like, a comment and a share, and show support to your independent creatives.
Over the course of the last year, the Baby Lion Studios collective of Adam Protextor and Stephanie Thoreson has been busy creating proof of concept episodes and testing out their production skills. This, combined with their love of all things nostalgic, has led them (and us) to Friday, September 21 : the official premier of Season 1 for the Baby Lion YouTube channel. The season will consist of multiple episodes for the three shows they currently have : Slumber Party Club, Rappers Playing Games (RPG), and My Biggest Weirdest Fear. In celebration of their achievement (and as a testament to that love of nostalgia previously mentioned), they released a brief clip from episode 3 of Slumber Party Club. The clip features Stephanie and Jonah Yohana doing their rendition of a classic jam by The Beets from the NickToon original Doug :
I’m definitely looking forward to what Baby Lion has in store, and that’s not just because your’s truly is in a future episode of Rappers Playing Games (RPG). This will most certainly be a fun ride, so do yourself a favor by following the channel, ringing that notification bell, and maybe even tossing them a like on Facebook so you can stay informed.
Austin-based music video and film director John Valley is about to take a huge step forward in his creative life. This past Monday, the Seed & Spark campaign begin for his upcoming independent feature film Duncan. The film is a slightly embellished re-creation of the events surrounding Pizzagate, with a bit of a ‘what-if’ scenario thrown in for good measure as a reflection on the ‘fake news’ culture that runs rampant these days. The campaign to get this film made is an important one… every bit of money and equipment donated not only will help ensure this film’s completion, but 1,000 likes will ensure the project moves to the next round, where the possibility of $60k and production credits from the Duplass Brothers becomes closer to reality. As a member of the cast, I would certainly appreciate, and I don’t find it presumptuous to say that the rest of the cast and crew would feel the same.
Houston-based artist LordKalvin has been at it for a few years, but 2018 has marked a transition from musician to full-fledged creative. One of his recent standout collaborative works is the RC Random banger Diamond Shine, a reflection (no pun intended) about running on all creative cylinders. The video, directed by LordKalvin, focuses on visual interpretation of the lyrics combined with a couple of well composed performance shots, easily burning the elements into our brain for easy recognition and quick recall, thus upping the replay factor. This one is definitely a standout, so don’t hesitate to give it a like, a share and a comment.
Last night, my timeline was filled with sad news. Dominican Jay, Smackola and Tee Double all posted right around the same time about the passing of MC Overlord, who’d been in and out of the hospital for the better part of 2018. In this loss, Austin is losing a legend, a diplomat and a true enthusiast for its hip-hop scene. As a member of .::liquidstereoproject in the early 2000’s, Overlord was one of the acts that embraced us and gave us opportunities to open for his projects, which certainly helped us build a crowd. His impact and influence are unmatched in this town. In memory of this influence and his kind spirit, I’m sharing two videos courtesy of the Austin History Center to give you an idea of what MC Overlord was all about when he was at a creative and career peak. He will be remembered and honored for years to come, I am sure.
Lit Up AV recently welcomed Austin MC and move-maker JSoulja to their studio for a live impromptu performance of his latest single, Talk About It. The clip is short but powerful, as JSoulja raps and sings about the hurdles one most overcome when hyperfocused on being real with yourself and dedicate to your rise. His confidence beams through his calm and calculated performance, and his words have impact, as evidenced by the head nods in the adjacent room that are caught on camera. I’ve heard the name JSoulja on the scene recently, and this little snippet of the talent definitely has me interested in digging deeper… perhaps you should do the same. Don’t forget to drop a like and a comment on the video, share it if you know others who might dig it too, and always support your local creatives.
Houston-based rapper Cal Wayne, along with guest artist Mr. Ogletree, recently dropped a gem in the form of Lord Knows, a very personal and confessional style video about the crabs in the rap bucket that make it hard to elevate your position. With a dope location, a solid track from producer J.T., and hard hitting (but honest) bars, the video is economic in its simplicity, making it all hit that much harder… the whole thing is reminiscent of kicking it with someone who’s been through a thing or two, and is taking the time to be honest about the journey for anyone willing to listen. Definitely a solid video for a solid track, so be sure to like it, comment and share it around.
Austin-based hip-hop outfit Riders Against the Storm (RAS) are truly an inspiration in regards to how you can take your passion and let it lead you to new opportunities. The latest of these opportunities includes the recent filming and release of a pilot series titled UPLIFTED where (RAS) travel around the country (and eventually the globe) interviewing people of note. The pilot showcases an interview and birthday party for East Austin resident Richard Overton, who recently turned 112, making him the oldest living man in America and the third oldest in the world. WIth such a strong episode ride out of the gate, I am looking forward to seeing what else the crew can cook up.
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 