Recently, Austin-based artistic mainstay Kydd Jones had the honor of being invited by KUTX to perform for the NPR Live Sessions : Social Distancing Pop-Up Series. With historic Rosewood Park as the backdrop, and guitarist Bomani Ray Barton by his side, Kydd blazed through a brief but powerful three song set : recent singles Rubber Bullets and Goblin, as well as the unreleased song James Baldwin. Click on the image above to check out the performance, and as always, support your local creatives!
Austin-based record label Cream Dream Records, the collective brainchild of standout artists Bird Peterson and BoomBaptist, has been making a push for the ages in 2020. After using the label as a foundation for a solid run of Bird Peterson releases, the new year finds the roster expanding, and one of the promising additions is King Khary. His debut single, the hypnotic Stuck Off The Realness, uses a familiar sample from Prodigy of Mobb Deep as the main vocal element, but the lush and inspirational instrumental he surrounds the sample with re-contextualizes said ‘realness’ into a thing of beauty rather than a celebration of grittiness. Based on this small sample size, I can only imagine the sonic landscapes that King Khary has in store for us.
BÖNDBREAKR is looking to make big waves with the upcoming release of their second EP, the self-titled BÖNDBREAKR. In light of the current social climate, the calls for dismantling the current system, and the consistent hurdles that many of us seem to face as we navigate our day to day experience, BÖNDBREAKR‘s lead single Kill Your Gods serves as a forceful call to action to take the power back while making an example of those that disenfranchised you. As the waves of unrest continue to rise, believe that BÖNDBREAKR and artists of their ilk will continue to make attempts to mobilize people towards change. Check out the track, share it around if you dig it, and place a pre-order if you’re looking to support.
Back in his long-haired heyday, Michael Bolton proclaimed that “love is such a wonderful thing”. That man has never lied. The wordplay rings true to this day. Anyway, do yourself a solid. Look in the mirror and repeat: “somebody loves you”. Let’s do this.
“On S.L.Y., Sivion, Bavu Blakes, The ARE and NickNack check in on their strong friends (each other). The result of their digital palavers is this syrupy and snappy jam that will lay the smackdown on lockdown. The ARE‘s production is fresher and funkier than fish wrapped in foil. The way that synths and percussion pops and drops will make you clap to this. Toe taps and finger snaps are included. Sivion and Bavu Blakes know it’s all about the love as they drop healthy servings of home-cooked happiness and reflection. On the first verse, Sivion confesses that he’s “guilty of a lot of things I had to unlearn”. Cancel culture be damned! Self-accountability is a superpower, and Sivion is Black Superman. On the closing verse, Bavu Blakes whips up some wicked wordplay with lines like “life moves in cycles, are you backpedalling?:. Questions deserve answers, and we all need to know. You, most importantly.
Whatever your love language is, there is a lot to love about music when the loving is this good.”
Definitely don’t sleep on this goodness. Share it around, and cop it while it’s ‘name your price’… maybe even donate a buck or two!
Most any ‘old head’ hip-hop fan remembers a time when jazz and hip-hop were tied deeply to one another. This pairing, be it one born from inspiration or comparison, is one that has been rich with creative output for nearly 3 decades now. Short of Madlib and a handful of other producers, however, most hip-hop tracks that land in the jazz realm are made in the vein of jazz, rather than being outright covers. Flobama and Ayuma, however, have proven they aren’t afraid to make that forward step (no pun intended), and this proof is found in Big Ol’ Steps, and extremely funky cover of the John Coltrane classic Giant Steps. Whether or not you’re familiar with the original, I urge you to check out this classic for yourself… give it a listen, a share, and if you feel like supporting, maybe even a download with a donation.
Here we are, seven weeks deep into #DOOMpeerREVIEW, my YouTube-based music video show, and there are no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The last couple of weeks have been absolutely star-studded in terms of central Texas talent, with videos featured from a long list of the homies : Abuzayed the Free, SCDS, Dr. Bobby Banner MPC featuring Muggzy Flowz and No1mportant, A Better Tomorrow, The Teeta, Magna Carda, DdotElles, emcee eats, League of Extraordinary G’z, Parking, Evolve featuring Deacon the Villian and Junclassic, Sertified, JMAC the Dragon featuring Aye Cue / Frank Villa / CA The Commoner, Norman BA$E feauring Prophet Ski and another DdotElles appearance, J Souljah with BLakChyl, Robot Jones, Melat, Retr0gRaDe and myself all appear in this run. Subscribe to DOOMtubeATX on YouTube if you’ve not already, leave likes, comment your favorite videos, and share these episodes around for everyone to enjoy!
If there are three things I love in this world, it’s music, film and video games. Thanks to the homie Jenkins2D, I stumbled across Hatter by Mozey, a recently released music video that combines all three of these loves in the best ways possible. Jenkins2D was my in due to the fact that the final boss of the music video/video game presented is one of his creations, and luckily for me, the work his creation is associated with stands up to the high bar he has set in terms of quality and enjoyment. The song is memorable, catchy and has a good energy to it, and the 8-bit graphics used in the video instantly bring up feelings of nostalgia, despite the creation itself being a new one. Check out the video for sure, leave a comment and a like if you enjoy it, and spread it around for everyone to see!
Austin hip-hop remains one of the most diverse scenes out there, with most any flavor of the culture you can think of represented by quality artists and art. For those looking for depth and a touch of spirituality in the work, look no further than J Soulja, who has proven over the years that his work contains both of these aspects and much more. Recently, J Soulja tapped New High Filmz to help bring Allah, a collaboration between himself and fellow thought-provoking MC BLakChyl, to life with a highly professional music video reminiscent of the late-1990s, early 2000s aesthetic that hip-hop is famously known for. The juxtaposition between the raw, unbridled, very human passion of Mike Tyson, and his musings and references to Allah and personifying God qualities, works well in both the song and video form as well, neatly tying everything together. Check out the video, leave a like and a comment if you dig it, and share it around for others to do the same.
Back in the mid to late 1990s in Austin, there was a golden moment of musical synergy that took place every Wednesday night at The Mercury known as Hip-Hop Humpday. Anyone lucky enough to have experienced one of these legendary nights can tell you how wonderful it was to hear MCs Tee Double, Tray God and Bavu Blakes take turns blessing the crowd with bars over a live band/DJ combination. It’s these memories that make the instant classic Ovidalo, the latest single from Universal Seedz featuring that very trio of MCs, such a special moment in its own right. Over one of the most vintage-sounding jazz/soul instrumentals I’ve heard from a modern day band, the group of MCs do what they do best, wowing us with their verbal skill while educating and uplifting. Definitely dig this track, share it around for others to check out as well, and support if you can.
If there were an underground MC whose musings I wouldn’t mind listening to in a collective, non-album intended format, I’d imagine it’d be Virgil Wolfe, based simply on their penchant for deep analytical thought and the skill of wording the unique way they views the world. With B-Sides, a project released on Bandcamp‘s September-edition of their revenue sharing special, we get the closest thing to a free roam through Virgil Wolfe‘s mind that I imagine we are able to get… musical sketches, abstract and experimental sequences and a handful of proper songs make up the project, all with a surprisingly strong ability to hold together despite their different reasons for and times of creation. If you’re looking for a chance to support a true original, definitely drop a few bucks for Virgil Wolfe, and if nothing else, share this one around for others to take part in.
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 