Tag Archives: chief

Sure Shots :: Poolboi Blu Drops ‘Sincere (Volume 012)’ And ‘Retail’ Single

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It’s no secret that I’m a fan of poolboi blu‘s s i n c e r e RADIO, and a big factor in my support is his song variety.  For sincere (volume 012), the homie continued to bring the variety to the table, but the lion’s share of the mix contains banger after banger from emerging and established hip-hop artists of the few years.  According to the man himself, this mix was a fast-track used to lift him and carry him through a recent patch of ups, downs and whirlwinds that life throws us through.  If you’re looking for a shot of energy in audio form, this one comes highly recommended, so definitely check it out, leave a like and a comment, and share it around for others to do the same.

EDIT : Between the completion of this post and the date it was scheduled to drop, my man poolboi blu dropped a surprise single out of nowhere.

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I swear that the homie may have just written and released the independent artist national anthem… all of us are praying that we don’t backslide into the rat race, as once you get a taste of that creative life, it’s hard to go back to the square world.

-chief

Home Bass :: Tåsi And BLakchyl Connect For ‘East 10th’

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Producer/MC Tåsi and super-lyricist BLakchyl were both raised in the streets of East Austin, a formerly notorious part of town that has found itself in a transition phase in the face of gentrification.  Despite these changes, it seems the duo has taken the adage of ‘no matter how far you go, never forget where you came from’ to heart, as their recent collaborative effort, East 10th, was recorded on the same street that BLakchyl was raised on (and still has family residing on).  The songs focus on personal journeys and the ever-changing face of the East Side, while Tåsi‘s production mirrors the changes with a range of sonic moods.  Rounded out with guest appearances by ChiClopzClare and French wordsmith Cerbère, the project is short and bittersweet, leaving you longing for more (similar to how us native Austinites yearn for things to be more like they used to be in our evolving town).  Cop yourself a physical or digital copy of this one, or just stream it and share it so that others can feel the vibes.

-chief

Funny Games :: SymmaTree And Big Lo Connect For ‘The Divine Comedy’

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The homie SymmaTree has been handling his hip-hop path the old fashioned way these days : hit the road and blaze a trail for yourself, no matter the cost.  Most people realize the obvious benefit of this choice, which is the growth of your fanbase and the ability to spread your impact, but one of the bonus benefits of this approach is expanding your peer circle.  Somewhere along the path, SymmaTree hooked up with Big Lo out of Florida, and the two like-minded individuals started trading show opportunities back and forth.  This continued connection eventually led to the recent release of The Divine Comedy, a three song collection written by SymmaTree and produced by Big Lo.  For such a short project, the topics and approach weigh heavy and are extremely thought-provoking, and the production gives everything a gravitas worthy of undivided attention.  Definitely a great appetizer for what will hopefully be a continued collaboration, and hopefully one that leads to a full-length project sooner than later.  Check it out, cop it, and donate a few bucks if you’ve got it.

-chief

Yacht Rocking :: SniperShot Returns To Shore With ‘Fresh Off The Yacht’ EP

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There’s something about the sea that is relaxing and freeing for the human spirit, and for proof of this, look no further than Fresh Off The Yacht, the latest release from SniperShot.  After a prolific 2019, SniperShot took some time to live on a sailboat in the South Pacific Ocean, and upon his return to the states, he linked up with Los Angeles-based producer AC The Program Director for a quick collection of four soul-soothing songs.  The standard hip-hop braggadocio energy is still there, but the delivery is drenched with the grounded (no pun intended) nature of someone who put cares aside for a time.  AC‘s beat selection is perfect for these words and the way that their stated, as each track has personality and size, but is laid back enough to match the overall project tone.  Definitely a good one to wrap up the hot days with, as we transition into the fall and winter.  Check it out, share it around, and cop it if you have a few extra bucks!

-chief

Boom Talk :: Urban Heat Island Effect Drops Captivating Video For ‘Guns’

One thing I love about the Austin music scene is how collaborative it can be.  Talented musicians form bands, play with other bands, and new bands form out of these meetings.  Urban Heat Island Effect is a perfect example of this phenomenon, as it contains a roster full of hugely talented musicians from other successful projects : Jonathan Horstmann is a veteran of several projects, including BLXPLTN and VC30Kevin Naquin is a founding member of the standout duo NGHT HCKLRS, who joined forces with Blackillac to form Blastfamous USAJessica Alexander did time with Bike Problems before joining this crew; and Paxel Foley rocked with Betaplayer previously.  As a collective, the crew is coming out the gate hard with Guns, a throwback-style post-punk, no-wave-esque track with a very, very timely message about misplaced machismo.  2019 is proving to be a killer year in terms of quality work, and Guns is just another notch in Austin‘s belt.  Check out the video, like and comment on it, and spread it around for others to enjoy as well!

-chief

Fine Dining :: 5-D Drops Another Gem With ‘Burger Cheese’

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It seems that variety is the wave once again in hip-hop, and luckily, Austin has a diverse selection of MCs and producers to provide us with a large variety of hip-hop locally.  Local legends HBZ and RuDi Devino, collectively known as 5-D when they connect with Solar Shield, have been flexing their creative range as of late, and their latest single is a monster.  Burger Cheese finds the duo dropping bar after bar about ascension and standing out, and do so by mixing in a metric ton of visual imagery and metaphor over a beat that swings way harder than it has any business doing so, and it all mixes together perfectly.  This one is an earworm for sure… you’ll probably run it back a few times on the first listen, and it’ll definitely stick with you for the long run.  Check it out, like and leave a comment, and spread the word about 5-D and Burger Cheese for others to enjoy and do the same.

-chief

Fair Times :: Chief And TheDoomsdayDevice Drops Visual For ‘Bee Drowns In The Honey’

What do you do when you’re schedule to play the silent disco at Hill Country Fair VI, but you don’t want to wait until midnight to go out to the festival?  If you’re Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice, you drag some camera equipment out with you and go impromptu style on collecting moments.  Then you montage those moments over Bee Drowns In The Honey, your favorite song off of your latest release, Day For Night.  Then you share it with the world.  Enjoy!

-chief

Background Action :: JPEGMAFIA’s ‘Free The Frail’ Now Streaming In Video Form

JPEGMAFIA‘s 2019 release, All My Heroes Are Cornballs, has continued to be a strong contender for album of the year, and after dropping a more traditional style music video for Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot, it appears that he decided to flip the script with Free The Frail.  This one is not afraid to show touches of production elements, which helps ground the extremely emotional and honest lyrics that float through the production that somehow manages to coexist as both ethereal and heavy.  The production took place in Austin, and if you keep your eyes open, you are likely to see a familiar face in the video (one that, at one point, had a hard time staying on their feet).  Check out the video, leave a like and a comment, and share it around for others, as it is a moving one.

-chief

Inner Visions :: ‘Day For Night’ By Chief And TheDoomsdayDevice Now Available

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It’s funny how creative drive and overall intention almost never seem to line up with one another.  In my mind, I was reaching the transition point for my Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice project… the original idea was to wrap up the collaborative projects I was working on with other producers, then make a shift towards more instrumental-based projects.  But earlier this year, I had a production session that resulted in the beats for the six songs that make up Day For Night, my latest EP release.  This batch was too inspirational to skip out on, and it turned out that I still had a few personal views and stories to share, as the lyrics came together relatively quickly as well.  For an unplanned project, I am very happy with how Day For Night turned out, and even happier to share it with the world.  Feel free to download it, donate a few bucks if you like, or go to your favorite streaming service to enjoy it… and definitely share it around so that others can do the same.

-chief

Soul Repair :: SniperShot Gets Personal With ‘This Life We Live’

SniperShot has never been one to be held down by the ‘supposed’ limitations of life.  He’s always embraced his free spirit nature, and it’s taken him far and wide, allowing him to spread his positive, inspiring and uplifting message via his music and life journey.  That being said, even the best of us are sometimes grounded by reality, and reality hit SniperShot hard in 2019 via the passing of is father.  The loss of a parent is already a tough road to take, but in this case, his father was suffering from Alzheimer’s in a facility that was abusive and that made it tough to get him freed.  We all work through grief in different ways, and in this ordeal, SniperShot leaned on his music to produce This Life We Live, an ode to his father and to the struggles we face on a daily basis.  If this one hits you the way it hit me, leave a like and a comment, and spread it to someone who can use the comfort.

-chief