Nod Factor :: EVOLVE X Mic Melt X DJ EZ Dave’s ‘The NNY EP (The Brooklyn Sessions)’ Hits The Internet

Posted on December 17, 2021 | Leave a comment

EVOLVE is well known for keeping his raps and track selections ultra raw, and while I don’t want to speak on behalf of the man, I imagine that much of this ethos comes from a deep appreciation of New York‘s creation and eternal influence on the hip-hop culture.  The main reason I feel comfortable in making this assumption and asserting it publicly is due to EVOLVE X MIC MELT X DJ EZ DAVE PRESENT: THE NNY EP​(​THE BROOKLYN SESSIONS), the latest release from the always working EVOLVE.  With verbal assistance from Mic Melt, Banga K, Junclassic, CHG, Pitch Black and Aimss, production provided by Stellar Born, Deep of 2HB, The Strangers and DJ EZ Dave (who also provides the cuts), this is an all-star effort that goes seven for seven in terms of bangers.  Peep this one asap, share it around, and if you can, thrown EVOLVE and company a few bucks to cop this one.

-chief 

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Sneak Preview :: Jeffrey Garcia Releases Clips From ‘Henrietta And Her Dismal Display Of Affection’

Posted on December 16, 2021 | Leave a comment

This past week, the homie Jeffrey Garcia released a set of clips from his debut feature film Henrietta and Her Dismal Display of Affection.  In total, Jeffrey Garcia put five clips from his masterpiece up at his JeffysPlayhouse YouTube channel, all of which are wild, and all of which are worth checking out if you don’t mind your cinema spiced up with a bit of wildness and irreverence.  Above is a clip featuring my good friend Steve Jones and myself as Uncle Albert and Balderdash, respectively, as we invade a house party in the only way that a Jeffrey Garcia duo can.  Check it out, leave a like and a comment if you like it, share it around, and most importantly, jump over to the JeffysPlayhouse channel for more clips from Henrietta, as well as a world of other content.

-chief

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Masterpiece Theater :: DotdotDotdotDotdot Drops Another Classic With ‘Montoya, Vol. 1’

Posted on December 15, 2021 | Leave a comment

If you don’t already know who DotdotDotdotDotdot is, now is the time to get hip, because it won’t be long before his name rings bells in the underground and beyond if he keeps dropping projects like his last few.  His latest, the deeply immersive and symbolically personal Montoya, Vol. 1, continues the DotdotDotdotDotdot practice of lavish storytelling, clever lyricism and stellar beat selection.  Even though Montoya, Vol. 1 is not his first foray into crafting what equates to a sonic film with deeply personal undertones in the narrative, DotdotDotdotDotdot somehow manages to continue to push that envelope forward, creating more compelling songs as time goes by.  With production assists from Genius khrist, Beautiful Lou, Zachary LIght, the homie poolboi blu and MARC.SET.GO!, plus verbal appearances by Austin all-star The Teeta and rising underground star Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, the tier quality is the highest, so definitely don’t sleep on one of the strongest releases of the year, rivaled only by the equally brilliant and more ambitious From Russia With Drugs.  Check it out on your favorite streaming service or digital storefront, and most importantly, let everyone know about it.

-chief  

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Making Waves :: Poolboi Blu Keeps It Going With ‘West Egg-EP’

Posted on December 14, 2021 | Leave a comment

Most people would be happy with the drop of a single or two, but not poolboi blu.  Literally days after dropping two bangers (if not the next day), poolboi blu was right back at it with west egg-ep, a 3-song collection that dwells in the realm somewhere between the signature poolboi blu sound we’ve all come to know and love, and something that sounds influenced a bit by Vaporwave.  You know the drill… go run up the listening numbers, leave likes and comments, and share the sounds around so all can get down!

-chief

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Dynamic Words :: Writing On The Wall Drops ‘Filtered Water’

Posted on December 10, 2021 | Leave a comment

One benefit of having a creative peer group is the way that the circle of awareness expands in terms of just how many people are truly out there chipping away at their own creative journey.  Point in case : I’ve been watching the homie Ben Buck make major strides, and yet, he still has time to point other artists in the right direction, with this specific example being him putting me on the Writing on the Wall radar.  With their recent release Filtered Water on the way to release, they hit me up, and I’ve gotta say, this project is a journey.  Like many of us, the duo is clearly multi-faceted and hard to pigeonhole, but the difference between them and most folks is the way that they embrace this dynamic nature rather than narrow it or restrain it.  From song to song, you can hear a wide range of off-kilter production that covers and array of lyrics that goes from deeply personal and self-reflective to very observational and constructively critical of not only the hip-hop culture, but quite often, society at large.  If you’re a fan of heady hip-hop that resonates in your mind as much as your ears, give yourself some time to check out Filtered Water on your favorite streaming service.

-chief

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Real Talk :: Weird Rap Discussion Gang Welcomes Geng (AKA King Vision Ultra) For A ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ Session

Posted on December 9, 2021 | Leave a comment

The Weird Rap Discussion Gang is back at it again, and this time, the topic is a huge one… with the help of New York-based MC/producer/artist Geng (AKA King Vision Ultra), we took a true deep dive into one of the top hip-hop albums (and possibly one of the best albums, period) ever created : Public Enemy‘s standout third effort Fear of a Black Planet.   Three decades after the album’s monumental release it continues to educate and inspire, so it’s no surprise that it took us two sessions to (in my opinion) barely scratch the surface of what this modern masterpiece means to the hip-hop generation, hip-hop music, popular music, popular culture and so on.  Words of support can only do so much, so if you’ve ever been remotely interested in the Public Enemy juggernaut, then take a moment to check out the latest episode, and if you feel so inclined, leave a comment and a like, and don’t forget to share it around!

-chief

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Spread Love :: Hurricane G Of BÖNDBREAKR Stops By BlackRockersUnited

Posted on December 8, 2021 | Leave a comment

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Hurricane G, frontwoman for the up and coming quartet BÖNDBREAKR, for many many years, and after watching her go through a number of successful ventures, seeing her not only find herself, but find a crowd as well, has been inspiring.  Recently, the good people at BlackRockersUnited invited Hurricane G to #BRUTalk, an interview series that gets down to the nitty gritty what makes key figures in the music scene tick, how they see the scene and other insightful conversation paths.  If you love independent music, independent spirits and independent creatives, then check out this interview asap, leave a like and a comment if it moves you, and share it around for all to see.

-chief

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Double Jump :: Poolboi Blu Continues The Growth With ‘Vaxxbaby’ And ‘Pilates’ Single Drops

Posted on December 7, 2021 | Leave a comment

It’s no secret I’m a poolboi blu supporter, so whenever he has a new drop he instantly has my attention.  His latest pair of singles, however, have me very excited, as this is the biggest jump I’ve seen him take to date in terms of being a songwriter and a recording artist.  On the songwriting tip, we got vaxxbaby, a two-way analogy paralleling finding yourself in a relationship with finding confidence in our brave new post-COVID world with the vaccination process, and how both, while good for you, can also be a safety net for a false sense of security.  In terms of his prowess as a recording artist, pilates shows poolboi blu pushing the limits of his vocal inflections and emotional subtext in ways I haven’t seen him due since the brilliant cloudy w/ a chance suite.  Go listen, go comment, go like, and most important, go share these around and share the good word of poolboi blu, because this time next year, it may be too late to say you were there before he blew up.

-chief

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Flip Side :: BoomBaptist Completes The Rick James Co-Release With Lakim

Posted on December 1, 2021 | Leave a comment

Last week, Lakim dropped I’m Rick James, Bitch​.​.​., one half of a shared single release with the homie BoomBaptist.  This past Monday marked the official full release of the project, meaning that everyone who got a fix with I’m Rick James, Bitch​.​.​. finally got their follow-up dosage via Boom‘s contribution, the super infectious Jerry Mane.  Much like Lakim, Boom takes the well known Rick James classic Mary Jane and not only chops it up to stack funk on funk, but he also follows the same structure of sample nods by including several hip-hop samples referencing or sampling the original.  Definitely click the image above, because you can not only get access to the tracks via Bandcamp, but there are a world of shirts and multi-colored vinyl options available as well.  

-chief

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Old Soul :: Tall Kyle Digs Deep For ‘Mt. Vernon’

Posted on November 30, 2021 | Leave a comment

Austin-based MC Tall Kyle has never been afraid to be himself or speak his mind, but with Mt. Vernon, his latest solo effort, it’s clear that Tall Kyle has reached a level of self-awareness that comes with big wins and big losses.  The same vices, passions and inspirations that have always been present in the lyrics of Tall Kyle are definitely there and accounted for, but there is a wisdom and understanding that comes with perspective and humility within the bars now, making each song as revelatory as they are entertaining.  Go find this one on your favorite streaming service and run the numbers up, or even better, find it on a digital storefront and buy it.  Either way, spread the word, because Tall Kyle blessed us with one of the better offerings of the year, front to back, and it deserves both your time and attention.

-chief

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