The concept of seasons being signal markers for human change and growth is not a new one… film, music and literature have all explored this story arc. Ceschi, however, is known for his ability to tell a vivid tale, and over Sixo production, Christmas Past plays like the masterpiece it is. The video only further drives home the emotions exploding from the song with it’s colorful and engaging elements. Beautifully heavy.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged ceschi, chief, christmas past, sixo, the doomsday device
Straight from New Orleans comes a nice collection of jazzy production from beatsmith Cam Smith. Dry Cereal seem to be explorations between breakbeats and jazz-influenced explorations of vibes, keys and synths. The interspersed vocal samples and radio interview footage provide just enough breathing room for this instrumental album to take you on a wonderful sonic journey. Dig it and dig it good.
-chief
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged brain food, cam smith, chief, new orleans, the doomsday device
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
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
The homie SymmaTree from Grid Squid has been on a mission to make 2017 one for the books. He and his crew have already begun the first of many road excursions in the name of spreading the word about Grid Squid, and now the Frozen Leaves EP is hitting our sound systems. This 5 song offering is full of solid, jazzy production, and the lyrics are on point, which we’ve come to expect from SymmaTree. Definitely cop this one, and throw him a few bones so that he doesn’t starve out there on the road.
-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!
-chief
Sometimes, the gift of discovery is realizing that you were essentially born to excel in a realm you never realized you had potential in. I had the pleasure of recently meeting Abuzayed the Free, and in a few brief conversations we spoke on topics such as self-reflection, potential, artistic responsibility and much more. It made it that much more rewarding when I had the pleasure of hearing her debut project, Worlds Within. The project wonderfully blends reflections on culture, religion, spirituality and self-affirmation. It’s hard to believe that this is a first attempt at an album… the production is solid, both on the beats and the recording quality, and the content is uplifting and enlightening. I highly recommend folks checking this out and sharing it far and wide.
-chief
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
Recent Fake Four signees Alligator Food surprised me in a major way when my friend Grace Park popped up on their debut project. Cut to nearly a year later, and group member Sixo is preparing to drop a new project featuring his production and a long list of collaborators. Lucky for us, Grace Park found her way onto Eye Of The Needle, and it’s quite the wonderful piece of music… sparse enough for Grace‘s voice to take hold, but a nice strong set of drums in the background to take us all by the hand and show us the way. I am very curious about The Odds Of Free Will, and I am looking forward to hearing the finished album.
-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
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 