New Orleans-based wordsmith Jonathan Brown has always had a touch for the brutally honest. His punk-rock influenced hip-hop touches all the proper emotional influential buttons, rather than the purely aesthetic ones. On his latest project, The Risk It All EP, we find him as candid as ever about topics such as educational policy, government paranoia and life choices, among other things, all wonderfully encapsulated into slightly more than 10 minutes. Dig it and dig it good.
-chief
Upon the recent release of her solo debut LP Worlds Within, Abuzayed The Free has found herself touring and telling people her story. In a bit of serendipitous timing, Arthur Shimko Jr. recently released Love Always Wins, an exploration and presentation of Abuzayed The Free‘s music and worldview. Shot over the spring of 2017, during her initial name making push and pre-release promotion for Worlds Within, the documentary catches an artist at a wonderful crossroads.. a crucial period of growth. Definitely worth your time, your shares and your likes.
-chief
The best forms of enlightenment tend to be the slow burns… quick aside, slight spoiler alerts on this one.
As I jumped on my morning to-do list (sorry for the lack of posts lately, real life needed tending to), one of the main things I had in mind was to check out the latest music video from (RAS) Riders Against the Storm. I know I can count on quality work from this duo, but MALI was a journey that I was not quite prepared for. The warehouse setting is beautiful, and I immediately was receptive to the juxtaposition of the slavery imagery and the flashy-cultural fashion that (RAS) is so well known for. What was obvious in hindsight, but lost upon me until pointed out in verse 2 by Qi Dada, was the Mali/Molly comparison the duo had cleverly woven into the lyrics (with a perfectly appropriated trap-esque production bed to present it on).
As the slaves ‘freed’ themselves from their traps and began to dance, and the fullness of the slavery vs. style worship metaphor revealed itself in the final imagery, the shared journey left me ready for the day ahead. Well done, (RAS), and here’s to nothing but great things in your future.
-chief
Austin-based band Slop Musket is constantly on a dual journey of personal growth and deeper insight with their music, and each piece of art they drop shows that. With recording footage from Lava Studios, and live footage from Eyedea‘s Five Year Celebration at First Avenue in Minneapolis, the video for The Perfect Fifth is a rumination on love of creativity, and the drive it creates to reach further while getting ‘better’, whatever better may be. Stand, the band’s 3rd EP, is looking promising if this is an indicator of what’s to come. Let’s all stay tuned…
-chief
One of the true gems of the Austin hip-hop scene is the Austin Mic Exchange (AMX). It allows MCs of all styles and levels of experience to get together, build collaborations, and hone in on your skills while gaining inspirations from others. 2017 brings us volume two of the AMX Cypher, and this go round, we’ve got a killer line-up : Ben Buck on rhymes and production, and verses by Valor Alan, Aggie, N∆TE, Chuck Duze, You F. Oh and K-Sol. AMX godfather Protextor drops in to film, and props to Exploded Records for providing the proper backdrop. You know the drill… like it, share it, and support local!
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Moodie Black has never had an issue with laying it all out on the table. The upcoming album Lucas Acid has the potential to really turn heads, and if Tuesday is an indicator of what’s to come, I’m ready to sit down and listen. The production is as arresting as ever, but the real gem this round are the lyrics… bars about being cagey and caged-in, both literally and figuratively. Once Lucas Acid drops, you better believe I’ll be there to support, and I suggest you all do the same.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged chief, lucas acid, moodie black, the doomsday device, tuesday
Protextor has perfectly captured what it must feel like to be on the outside looking in, and feeling helpless. Police brutality, social-economic prejudice and privilege are all issues that have been just beneath the surface of our radars for ages. Heatstroke is a very unique take on the entire situation, and another amazing video from Shift. Props to John Valley and his crew on a masterful piece of cinema.
-chief
The Austin theater scene has received a breath of fresh air with the March/April run of Lisa B. Thompson‘s masterpiece, Underground. The play stars Marc Pouhe’ and Jeffery Da’Shade Johnson as former college revolutionaries caught up in the respective modern day roles, but with shadows of the past threatening to determine their future paths. The play is wonderfully directed by Rudy Ramirez, and if you get the chance, you should certainly see it.
-chief
When The Mic Fiends step up to the plate, you know you’re getting some quality factors in the rhymes you are receiving : knowledge, wordplay, confidence and experience just to name a few. With Precision Poetry, we find the pairing kicking rhymes casually around Austin as well as at one of the final Strength In Numbers events (shout outs to some of the local talent and promotional heads making cameos in the video). The rhymes are real, from the heart, and extremely meaningful. Props to DVZN Media for knocking yet another music video out of the park.
-chief
Some statements speak for themselves. Black, Brown, ATX is a short (but heavy) dose of reality about the shifting populations of Austin over the past decade or two, and the damage it causes in the foundations of some key Austin neighborhoods full of rich culture and history. Much love to Kelene Blake for voicing things, and Da’Shade Moonbeam for visualizing it.
-chief
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 