Category Archives: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Album reviews.

Fair Warning :: HeirMAX And Friends Release ‘Hole’ Single

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Fort Worth-based MC heirMAX looks to be deep into the run-up for a new project, much to the delight of us underground hip-hop heads out here.  After a couple of singles dropped in March (which I will probably revisit next week for this blog), heirMAX is coming out swinging in April with a Moodie Black produced posse cut titled Hole.  This warning about checking your ego features verses from the homie MC Homeless and Cainam, each of whom drops a very direct set of bars about essentially learning to mind your own business and keeping your house in order while doing you as all of us attempt to rise.  Check out the track for sure, drop a buck or two if you can afford to, and share it around so others can do the same!

-chief

Vibrate Higher :: S.O.T.U. Drops ‘Cymatics’ Project

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The College of Hip-Hop Knowledge (CHHK) continues to come with it in 2020.  After releasing a very forward-thinking and looking video for In A Zone, the duo of Sound of the Underground (S.O.T.U.), consisting of MCs The Culprit and Mic Trey, have come together to form a strong project in the form of Cymatics.  The production on the project gives off a slight 8Ball & MJG vibe, serving as a great foundation for the unexpected rapid fire flows that each MC brings to the table.  The styles each member utilizes balance well from song to song and against one another, and the subject matter covered has a range, giving the lyrics a multi-generational vibe in terms of topics covered.  You can find this project most anywhere, so check it out, share it around, and support your local creatives.

-chief

Rise Above :: Mirage The Gr8 Drops ‘Level Up’ Video

My continued working relationship with Mirage the Gr8 has really and truly been beneficial for both parties.  Mirage gets to see his ideas come to fruition, and I get to sharpen my tools as an editor.  One of the pieces of work I’m most proud of is Level Up, a collaboration between MirageTerrence Side Effect‘ Wood and Chip Lurk.  Originally, this video was meant to be exclusive content for an upcoming project we are working on, but in spite of everyone practicing social distancing and staying home, Mirage figured that now was the time to drop the video.  All parties involved are proud of this work, so definitely check it out, leave a like and a comment, and spread it around for others to do the same.

-chief

Spit Fire :: RATARUE Presents ‘Legend Of The Gatling Tongue’

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From the digital desk of RATARUE :

‘This is an album almost 3 years in the making.  I wanted a signature sound.  I feel that I have accomplished this goal.  This album contains no samples, although I love sample based Hip Hop.  When younger, I went to private school and was adamant about taking Violin and later the Viola lessons.  I loved the tone of the Viola.  The process of this album involved me digging for Music Theory books, much like I did vinyl records, looking to find what I thought the greats might have studied, for example Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, John Coltrane.  My Hip Hop formative years were the 90’s and in that era it was the goal to push oneself and the envelope of the art form, in order to bring something to the table, culturally.  In keeping with that tradition of pushing the boundaries and one’s self, I made some discoveries.  With research and diligence, plus having made music with some amazing creatives in the “Live Music Capital of the World”, as well as patience, I feel that I have been enabled to think outside the box and create music that is eclectic as my upbringing in Austin, TX and my personality.

This album is an introduction into my new production style but encapsulates rhymes of the past.  It is exactly ten years since my first studio project.  This is not an anniversary album, by any means.  I have made strides lyrically and will be combining the Musicality shown on this project along with my new rhyme style and approach on a full length album, now in early production.

Legend of the Gatling Tongue is also my first independent vinyl release!

I am older now.  I am now dealing with thoughts on mortality.  For what it is worth and for someone who feels that Hip Hop is not only a Musical art form but a culture, I worked hard on this album, knowing it is part of my life legacy.’

Check out the project and share it around, and always support your local creatives!

-chief

Triplicate Form :: Rav X Kill Bill X Scuare Present ‘SKIN’

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The way that the internet has made our massive world figuratively ‘smaller’ has allowed for collaborative possibilities that, even a generation ago, could not have existed.  The story of the EXOCIETY collective perfectly illustrates this, as the ultra-talented Austin-based MC known as Scuare has shown us.  About a decade ago, he connected with non-Texans Rav and Kill Bill over the website Newgrounds, and a bond was formed that has lasted despite proximity and time.  With each member growing and the world changing drastically since their inception, it makes sense that SKIN would reflect this range of change, despite it’s semi-short runtime.  Each member provides production, along with fellow collaborator Gold Midas, on the project, which takes a deep dive into the realms of creativity and sonic exploration.  I could throw a bunch of adjectives around, but this one deserves a direct listen, as it is quite gripping.  Check it out on Bandcamp or your favorite streaming service, and spread it around for others to do the same.

-chief

Clutch Time :: BoomBaptist Releases 2nd Single In Run-Up To ‘Boom Shakalaka’ Release

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We’re only two tracks in, and I’m already championing BoomBaptist‘s upcoming release, Boom Shakalaka.  After the pleasant introduction provided by Razzle Dazzle, we get a completely different look from the follow-up single, Shattered Backboard.  After a high energy, sample-laden collage of an intro, Boom drops a clean beat-flip and repurposes the main intro sample while texturing drums, synth and other sprinkles of samples around it.  If Razzle Dazzle was a warning shot, then Shattered Backboard is a line in the sand, firmly stating that you’re either rocking with this upcoming gold, or you’re planning on missing out.  Check out the new single and hold tight, because in slightly less than a month, Boom Shakalaka touches down.

-chief

Calming Waters :: Moira Waters Releases ‘Living’ EP

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After her time spent fronting Water On Mars, it’s nice to see someone as talented as Moira Waters move forward and continue to create as a solo artist.  After a slight tweaking of her performance name, she’s presented us with Living EP, a short but powerful collection of deeply reflective and movingly honest songs.  Her voice stands loud and proud above her guitarwork, which provides a strong foundation.  If you’re looking for something that will resonate with you during these times of isolation, definitely give this EP a moment.  It’ll be well worth your time.

-chief

Rising Above :: J-Kline And D.D.I. Drop ‘Feet Above Water’ Video

The constant discovery that being a blogger provides me is truly a gift that keeps on giving.  Luckily, I’m blessed enough to know so many talented people that I’m never at a need or want for content, but every once in a blue moon, I like to step outside of the circle.  This go-round, I discovered J-Kline via the I Support ATX Hip-Hop, Do You? group, specifically his collaborative video with guest vocalist D.D.I. and producer Wave titled Feet Above Water.  Director Tommy Kastro caught the collective in a very straight-forward, candid manner as they drop science about keeping your eyes on the prize over Wave‘s bouncy and driving production.  The track is a solid piece of motivational and inspirational art about being aware of the both purposeful and accidental trappings that present themselves to an artist on the rise.  Definitely check it out, leave a like and a comment, and share it around for everyone to experience.

-chief

Sensory Blitz :: BLXPLTN Releases New Video For ‘ZZEERRO (Dying For You To Get Rich)’

I’ll let BLXPLTN tell you about ZZEERRO (Dying for You to Get Rich) :

‘Punk has always been a warning about how much worse things could get, and now?  We’re there – and Austin‘s BLXPLTN are weaponizing their visceral, needle-burying proto-rock bursts to deliver the huge, nasty truth that the unthinkable is the new normal.  They’ve soaked in the history and sonics of their chosen genre, echoing the political and musical bent of the likes of Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, and Fear.  But as acolytes of genre-benders like Ministry and Big Black, the need to kill convention poisons the blood of TaSzlin Rico Muerte and Jeremy Wolfe Kivett.  In place of duct-taped guitars and banged-up kits, the two push drum machines and synths to within inches of their lives.  ZZEERRO (Dying for You to Get Rich) is the latest case of what Fader calls “working-stiff punk… that makes me feel like punching someone in the face.”
There’s a live-wire immediacy to BLXPLTN because they tend to assemble these Molotov cocktails the second they get their hands on some gasoline.  One morning, TaSzlin woke up and saw something terrible on the news.  What was it?  Take your pick of all the horrifying things we now choke down on the regular.  He went into the studio and wrote this, the PhlegmTV LP’s first single.  The two kick out an unforgiving feedback squall, a primal beating with megaphone vocals chanting anti-mantras, as if from a Unabomber shack behind a burned-out factory.  But when the chorus hits, they manage to gouge out some serious melody amidst the chaos.  When the nearly unfazeable Noisey tells you, “BLXPLTN are going to burn down the stage, the crowd, and your house,” pay attention: this tune is what they’re talking about.  If you’re not already banging your head, a track like this will gladly bang it for you.’

-chief

Raw Raps :: Secret Levels Drops ‘Oh Well Whatever’ EP

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In the wake of the members of Space Camp Death Squad putting the group on hiatus, each individual member has made a noticeable transition.  Protextor dropped a genre-blending album and is helping to run a successful YouTube channel, Doc Brown has found success on stage and behind the camera, and thankfully for us hip-hop heads, Secret Levels has continued to drop hip-hop projects while embracing vinyl DJng.  Recently, Secret Levels has continued their musical momentum with Oh Well Whatever, a blistering six song EP that is a clinic in style exploration and spitting with confidence.  The ideas are well thought out, polished and well executed, and the beats are all standout selections, flowing well from track to track.  This is their first project to hit the broader streaming world, so don’t sleep on Secret Levels… seek them out on your favorite streaming service or digital storefront, and encourage others to do the same!

-chief