Category Archives: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Album reviews.

Legacy Shaping :: Grid Squid Visualizes ‘Facts Versus Fiction’

Posted on September 15, 2016 | Leave a comment

Everybody who performs music has dreams of reaching as many eyes and ears as possible.  The rare breed from that vast spectrum are those who make steps towards actually spreading their word.  Grid Squid Entertainment has been doing just that the past couple of years via several stints on the road.  Their latest video, Facts Versus Fiction, is a prime example of them spending time touring, exploring their sound, and exploring their dynamic as a unit (and individuals within the unit).  Throw in a nice closing verse by AK1, and you’ve got yourselves something enjoyable for sure.  Share the video around and show these cats some love.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

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Wise Inquisitive :: SniperShot Confesses ‘I Don’t Have The Answers’

Posted on September 13, 2016 | Leave a comment

One of my favorite aspects of the hip-hop culture is watching an individual gain knowledge of self.  Most every aspect of the hip-hop culture that one may dive in to hits a point in the journey where you have to push past what you originally considered your limits.  Whether it be going from fan to MC, listener to DJ, sketchbook king to all city, or head-nodder to b-boy, a transformation will occur.  SniperShot has been on my radar for a minute, and the seeds that I originally saw planted in him are starting to form into a full-fledged tree.  I Don’t Have The Answers is the perfect embodiment of one of the first key steps towards knowledge of self : realizing how little you know, and learning to how become a storage place for information that will be applied at an unknown point in the future.  Cheers to you, SniperShot, and here’s to hoping we can continue to be a part of your journey.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

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Style King :: Henry + The Invisibles Has Us Like ‘WHOA’

Posted on September 10, 2016 | Leave a comment

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The funk is back, and better than ever.  Henry + the Invisibles has been putting in all kinds of work the last few years in terms of spreading the legend, and after some time spent preparing a new album, us lucky listeners are getting a taste of what’s in store.  WHOA is a nice field of smoothness with a nice solid breakbeat behind it.  Henry uses this as a platform to explore those feelings that you can’t control, and even manages to throw many referential nods in the midst of this confessional.  Super dope, and I can only imagine how this track comes off live.  Musaic sounds like it will hit us in all the right ways upon its release.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

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Unified Front :: Third Root’s ‘Soul Force’ And Its All-Star Lineup

Posted on September 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

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Dig it… Third Root and Adrian Quesada collaborate on what would already be a banger on its own.  Reinforcements are then called in, in the form of Da’Shade Moonbeam, Riders Against The Storm (RAS), Bavu Blakes and Vocab.  Bars upon bars, all spitting on the knowledge tip.  Soul Force is a monster of a song… not since the days of We’re All In The Same Gang or Self-Destruction has there been a collaborative effort this deep and meaningful.  Certainly worth the $0.99 price tag.  Here’s to hoping all parties involved can find the time to make a video out of this, because songs this strong deserve visual accompaniment.

-chief

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Powered Up :: Click-Clack Drops ‘Sleep No More’ On The World

Posted on September 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Folks like Click-Clack make me happy, because they prove that mainstream validation is not needed to make quality product that means something.  If you keep making that heat, at some point the public will be forced to pay attention, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be around and young enough to reap those benefits.  As for Click-Clack‘s surprise EP, ~Sleep No More~, there is an incredibly large jump in the confidence levels of his delivery… you can literally hear him having grown comfortable into his process and his place in the game.  No need to mention a growth in bars or production, because Click-Clack was never lacking in either of those realms.  My man laid a solid foundation some time ago, and this project is the framework for bigger and better things.  Even better, Hous3work is on the horizon, so this is just a jab setup for what should be an audio knockout punch in the near future.  Keep doing your thing.

-chief

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Spirit Talk :: Black DaVinci’s ‘Royalty Became Ghosts [EP]’

Posted on September 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Over the years, one of the more interesting MC/producers I have the pleasure of knowing is Black DaVinci.  His music remains deeply insightful and thought provoking while maintaining a level of accessibility found without sacrificing his approach or delivery.  His latest EP, [R]oyalty [B]ecame [G]hosts, is an exploration of blackness and black culture in respects to history and American culture.  A very stark listen that, at 3 songs, certainly leaves us wanting more.  Let’s hope that more follows sooner than later.

-chief

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Breathe Life :: JMAC The Dragon Presents ‘The Human Element’

Posted on September 2, 2016 | Leave a comment

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Even though music has the power to move, as George Clinton once famously put it, it has the power to remove as well.  In the case of JMAC the Dragon‘s extremely personal release The Human Element, it is evident that this is the case… this album seems as if it was created to remove stress, remove stigma surrounding the perceptions of his art, and remove any real or imagined barriers that may be in his way.  With production by CA the Commoner of Grid Squid Entertainment, it’s a sure thing that the production will match the lyrical bar set by JMAC.  We’ve all been through hard times, and this album captures the process of exploring that darkness beautifully.

-chief

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Making Moves :: Project ATX6

Posted on August 31, 2016 | Leave a comment

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While cruising Facebook recently, I came across a post from my friend Grace Park that excited me.  It appears that an Austin-based group known as Project ATX6 has plans to take six handpicked local artists and provide them with the opportunity to tour to Canada, France and beyond.  The artists chosen this year are Grace Park, Jai Malano, Elijah Ford, Tate Mayeux, Beth Chrisman, and Andy Bianculli.  This truly sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am excited to see what this journey provides these musicians.  A compilation has been put together to showcase their work, so show them all the spiritual and financial support you can.

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-chief

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Forever Feedback :: Casey Cuts Gets Down At Exploded Records For FeAl 3 Year Anniversary

Posted on August 30, 2016 | Leave a comment

In all my days on the Austin music scene, I have seen a lot of cool collaborative efforts, but most pale in comparison to the producer dojo that Feedback Alliance has become.  Every week, a large group of producers receive a sample pack and instructions, and the goal is to create a beat with these materials.  Everything is turned in, and a mix is created, which you can hear at the FeAl Soundcloud page.  Recently, founding member Casey Cuts celebrated three years of collaborative creation with a beat set at Exploded Records, which was captured for your enjoyment.  Check it out, because it’s rock solid.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Keep Climbing :: Flotation Drops ‘No Plateau’

Posted on August 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

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Dallas-based rhymespitter Flotation has just delivered a hard hitter for everyone’s listening pleasure.  No Plateau is hella solid from front to back.  I could talk about it, or you can do yourself a flavor and listen.  And, as always, support indie musicians.

-chief

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