Boom bap is not dead yet. Insight and knowledge is not dead yet. The latest example comes from Flotation, based out of Dallas, in the form of the single Brand New. Featuring production by Ritchy Flo and a pitch perfect guest verse from Molekular, Brand New is an example of making something fresh out of a familiar approach. As Flotation states, ‘we bring the funk back daily’, and if this is a taste of what may come in the form of a full-length project, I am definitely ready to scope it out. Props on the design and presentation of this project.. it’s cool to see someone drop the single / instrumental / acapella format again. Dig it and download it.
Something about certain women can make a rational man go into a series of thoughts that test the bounds of rationality and sanity. PHRAYNKH P, on his latest track MARILYN MONROE, takes the concept to some wonderfully playful extremes. The verses hit all aspects of that obsession quality that infatuation creates, and the hurt is captured beautifully in the chorus line ‘she got a hole in my brain like a Kennedy’. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how this song will fit into the context of a full project, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I enjoy it on its own. Worth your time on the download and sharing front.
Moodie Black certainly marches to the beat of their own drummer, nobody can deny that. The outfit continues to push the boundaries of what music can be and how it can affect the listener, both emotionally and intellectually. With the upcoming release of LUCASACID on the horizon, K has been extremely cognizant of providing enough information for the listener to be receptive to whatever the project will deliver. Between the website, a visit on the Inside The Rapper’s Studio podcast with Jonathan Brown, and the long running Moodhouse podcast (now in its 4th season), anyone wanting to get hip can do so easily. Word on the street is that the album can drop at anytime, and my advice is to be there when it does.
Who knew that, out of all the genres of films I love, all the years I’ve dedicated to learning the craft, that the only thing I can apparently make are spooky movies? What started simply as an idea of the visual of an abandoned home with a grossly outdated printer that kept producing cryptic messages has turned into something tangible that I can be proud of. HELP ME essentially put itself together… it was one of the most uniquely organic projects I have ever worked on.
Thank you to Delano Taylor, Kelsey Huckaby and Colton Ferguson for believing in the vision and turning words on a page into characters an audience can connect with. Thank you to David Marrs for always being supportive, and for allowing us to use a location that became the true star of the show. Thank you to Soda Diet and More Eaze for allowing the use of your music… it brought an entirely new degree of engagement to the project. Thank you to Steve Jones for jumping in on the project and earning an upgrade from script supervisor credit to producer credit… you brought some good stuff to the table. Thank you to the Lost River Film Festival for allowing us to submit, and for granting it Honorable Mention status.
And thank you to you, the individual who will hopefully watch it, share it, like it and leave a comment. The project was made for the YouTube faithful, as I have been among your ranks for years now. Here’s to many more coming, and here’s to bigger and better projects in the future.
The combination of filmmaker Jeffrey Garcia and hip-hop thinktank The PNTHN are truly becoming a force to be reckoned with. This go-round, collective members Ra and Jedi Chancellor rock the track NOSFERATU (off their upcoming project [from disorder…]), and Jeffrey Garcia provides them with the perfect moody aesthetics to match. If you aren’t in the loop for these collaborative videos, you are really and truly missing out.
Most of us familiar with the internet know how the first part of this story goes. K-Mart used to play muzak in their stores. A former employee took a look behind his local store’s customer service desk to check out the sound system, and he found some old cassettes featuring said muzak. He collected them over time, uploaded an archive of them to the internet many years later, and the internet’s viral nature took care of the rest.
Many producers, myself included, marked that page as something to revisit, comb through and eventually mine for production material. Lots of us talk, but action speaks louder than words, and Juicy the Emissary is a man of action. He created a collection of beats from these lost tapes that would easily make me spend all of my time and money in whatever vestiges of Kmart are left in the US. Attention K Mart Choppers is definitely worth your time and money… support creative cats doing creative things!
My main man Click-Clack is constantly on point when it comes to knowing who is who and what’s what in the Austin hip-hop scene. He recently threw out props to Austin-native Trae Crane‘s recent video for On My Own, and I instantly knew it was getting posted to the blog. The song is catchy af, and the video (produced by Cole Bennett) is a standout without being overly flashy. Chicago-based Lyrical Lemonade has gotten behind this piece, and the numbers show it… quality music, pushed properly, can make an impact. Share it, like it, and keep supporting our scene(s)!
As September drew to an end, a show was scheduled at Swan Dive involving NGHT HCKLRS and BLXPLTN. Recently, NGHT HCKLRS has been known to collab with various MCs across the spectrum of Austin hip hop. On this particular night, the Fragments of a Conscious Eye (FOCI) crew were in the house, as was Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice (myself), and of course NGHT HCKLRS decided to set if off. FOCI especially came with it on the evening, as their usually energy boost hit the crowd perfectly, and Ben Buck‘s split second decision to beatbox during his freestyle combined beautifully with what NGHT HCKLRS were throwing out there. If you catch word all of these elements will be in the same building again anytime soon, don’t front.
My man Progeny has been big-upping Rob Castro for ages, well before he even made it known that he would eventually be moving up to Seattle for full-time collaboration. The two had collaborated on Ghost Palace music in the past, but there was always a sense that something else was brewing just below the surface. Enter hERON, and the self-titled debut album… this instrumental project takes you on a real trip through some ethereal planes. Every groove is on point, and the songs stand alone well while also holding up the entire project as a collective thought. I highly recommend supporting these guys in hopes that there is more dopeness in store for all of us.
I’m sure many of us have done it before… wherever the party is going down, there’s usually a party inside that party that the well-informed are partaking in. Branden Rex, over an extremely live track, drops science on the science of getting lifted in the venue, and the music video is another top notch offering. The creative run that Branden Rex is on with the Black & White Hipster release is awe-inspiring, and Weed In The Bathroom only drives that home further. I hope that visuals are released for the lion’s share of this project, as the three that have seen daylight thus far are extremely dope.
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 