Tag Archives: chief

Blind Faith :: Marrshun Examines ‘Prayer Hands’

While discussing local creatives, Nick Hanover of the OVRLD blog decided to do me a solid and hip me to some unique hip hop in the form of Houston-born, New York-based MC and performance artist Marrshun.  The video Hanover shared with me, Prayer Hands, is a meditation on how traditions in the black community that originated from abuse during times of limited human rights have evolved into a form of passivity that puts faith in an interesting juxtaposition of being valid and an empty gesture.  The whole idea is visually sold in the form of an interpretation of the iconic opening to the Brady Bunch sitcom, with an interesting family portrayed solely by Marsshun.  Based on the merit of this work in a vacuum, I am definitely interested in hearing more songs, seeing more videos, and perhaps checking out a live show one day.  Definitely check it out yourself, as this is the kind of art bound to open up lines of dialogue and deep thought.

-chief

Innocence Lost :: Click-Clack Reemerges With ‘Blue Eyed Black Boy’

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Click-Clack, as anyone who follows this blog knows, is an artist that I respect on both a creative and a personal level.  His drive and skill level are inspirational, and his natural talent and charisma are undeniable.  Like all artists (myself included), however, we deal with the soul-crushing valleys just as wholeheartedly as we do with the soul-lifting peaks that come with being an artist.  For a while, it seemed like Click-Clack was considering a hiatus, if not a full retirement, from the creative side of things, with the occasional single drop or livestream snippet of work serving as both a bittersweet teaser and a signal for hope of new material to come.  Most of us in the peer group knew he was working on new music, and whatever it was would more than likely be dope, but honestly, I was not prepared for the jump in skill level that is Blue Eyed Black Boy.  Produced almost entirely by Ballteam, with a beat by Drae Da Skimask being the outlier, the project serves as the perfect canvas for Click-Clack to not only go off on a plethora of styles, but get extremely personal and reflective with the bars as well.  Add in to the mixture a pitch-perfect cover illustration, in terms of tone, by @ultrashook, and we’ve got a strong contender for an Album of the Year situation here.  Songs like LyorTalmboutPush To Start and Wager are certified bangers, but there really isn’t a dull or slow moment on this album in all honesty.  Usually, I give a suggestion to support, but in this case, I’d say you’d be dumb not to support work of this quality and caliber, so get on it!

-chief

Party Lines :: Dem Beach Boys Strike Again With ‘Down With GOP’

It’s been about a year since Dem Beach Boys, the self proclaimed ‘only conservative hip-hop group in America‘, dropped GOP Ain’t Nuthing to F’ With.  In that time, they’ve been working hard on their debut mixtape, Dem Pet Sounds, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t ready to strike when the time is appropriate.  As Early Voting came to a close, the crew dropped another banger in the form of Down With GOP, an incredibly smart and well-crafted satiric look at polarizing thought that tends to separate us rather than unite us as citizens in the America experiment.  The crew use both style and interpolation-esque references to several classic hip-hop songs, and they even manage to stick a skit in the middle that is (sadly) a bit too relevant in terms of its truth.  There’s nothing to be sad about, though, as this track (and video) not only make you laugh, but think as well.  Go vote, give this video a like and a comment, and share it around so that everyone on your timeline can get all worked up and offended, because that’s the way of things today.

-chief

Political Discourse :: Moodie Black And Ceschi Connect For ‘Ye Death’

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Moodie Black, a standout group from the Fake Four roster full of massive talent, has always been observant of what other boundary-pushing artists are doing, especially polarizing artists like Kanye West.  has always envisioned her band being as relevant as Ye, while offering a balancing set of opinions, ambitions and skill sets to offset that of the Chicago-based ‘mad genius’.  You can imagine, then, that Ye‘s embracing of MAGADonald Trump and the Right in general has been fuel for the Moodie Black creative fire.  Add to the fact that Fake Four label head (and incredible artist in his own right) Ceschi stopped by the studio to commit a hook to the inspiration, and the result is Ye Death, an observation on living in the madness we do now and feeling like a kite off the string, which is probably very much how Ye feels now (in light of recent reports that he feels ‘used’ by the same political machine he wholeheartedly embraced, and all within the span of about 2 months).  and company always have something deeply introspective and relevant to say about what’s rocking the societal boat, and this is just another notch in the belt.  Definitely check it out.

-chief

Halloween Havoc :: Bitforce And Joshua Lopez Combine Forces For ‘Descendants Of Belmont’

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With the expansive nature of video games, taken in part with the insane skill level of Bitforce, you can pretty much guarantee that these guys have a song that can cover most any holiday or occasion.  For Halloween, the guys went the extra mile by teaming up with guest guitarist Joshua Lopez of Sonic Boom for Descendants of Belmont, a medley of songs from the canon of Castlevania games.  In fact, the guys took that extra mile and went an additional extra mile on top of that by dropping a music video, just in time for all you spooky boys and girls to enjoy during the fright night!

Getting a double-down like this is like finding that house that gives out full size candy bars, or finding a group of unsuspecting kids to shoot roman candles at without fear of getting caught… it’s like the best of both worlds.  Grab the track if you can, and definitely like, comment on and share the video, and most importantly, be safe out there this Halloween night!

-chief

Tromatic Therapy :: MC Homeless Joins Protextor For Latest Episode Of ‘Rappers Playing Games (RPG)’

I’ve been wondering for a couple of weeks who would be the next guest on Rappers Playing Games (RPG), a piece of Baby Lion programming that has grown on me quickly and deeply.  It was a refreshing surprise to see MC Homeless as the latest guest, because I know how deep his love for various pop culture realms runs.  For his episode, he and Protextor sat down over a game of Toxic Crusaders on the Sega Genesis and discussed a wide variety of topics, including horror-core rap, horror movies from around the world that both find influential, their mutual love for Troma films, collaborations with Fake Four artist Moodie Black, and much more.  Not only is MC Homeless a solid interview, dude handled his business on the gaming front as well.  That Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice shirt is a nice touch as well.  Leave a like, a comment, subscribe, and don’t forget to share this one around!

-chief

Doubling Down :: MANNERS Celebrates Second Release Day By Dropping Two Projects

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After releasing a project earlier this year, then dealing with a band member relocation that probably would have disbanded most groups, it’s good to know that MANNERS is still alive and kicking.  To celebrate that fact, the group put out a planned release in the form of Pulp, a six song collection (five of which are seeing an official release for the first time) that showcases their continued tradition of writing intriguing, biting and honest love/break-up songs in the vein of PJ Harvey or Cat Power‘s older material.  Then, as if a new album wasn’t enough, the group released a live show at Beerland that they themselves did not know was being recorded at the time.  Thanks to Maximiamo Deems, the group was handed a fully recorded and mixed live project that not only sounds great, but it gives you a glimpse into how funny the between-song banter of MANNERS can be.  If you’re a fan of the group, definitely spread the word around about these releases.

-chief

Traveling Band :: PNTHN Films ‘PUBLIC ENEMY’ Video During A3C Conference

About a year ago, many of us were talking about the buzz that PNTHN had building, and how that momentum was bound to take them places.  Enter the fall season, and we find the crew returning from Atlanta, where they not only attended and performed at the A3C hip-hop conference, but somehow found the time to film a video for PUBLIC ENEMY off of their latest release, RICO.  The video features bars from almost every member of the crew, it exhibits their playful nature (as they not only seemingly have fun as a crew, but enjoy one another’s time on a personal level as well), and displays a few psychedelic touches courtesy of some chroma-key work.  The work done by Chris Henriques and Kelly Hinnen, especially for something probably done on the fly and in the spare time found during a busy conference, is strong, and fits squarely into the PNTHN aesthetic.   Keep spreading that love for the crew, like and share the video, and leave a comment so they know we’re out here supporting.

-chief

Chosen Ones :: Apek Bends Minds With ‘The Village’

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My man APEK recently hit me up with a track he collaborated on with producer Ruler Why that he thought I might feel.  Hitting play on The Village and the subsequent listen definitely had an impact on me… APEK hits the nail on the head about more than a few aspects of commitment to the hip-hop culture on a creator level that I directly relate to.  The way that it immediately puts you in outcast status in both musical and everyday social circles… the therapeutic aspect to writing that most do not see when they pass of your work as simply ‘a song’… the personal drive that keeps you pushing your own limits and boundaries, even when success has been achieved… the absurd, but very real, desire for tangible objects to validate your hard work, such as chains and clothes… the way that some people are just waiting for a chance to crucify you and make you irrelevant.  APEK has always been an MC that puts deep thought into his output, and The Village not only continues that trend, but shows positive growth in terms of writing songs that can be felt on a deeper level.  I anticipate this one (hopefully) getting some 2018 props when people start mentioning highlights of the year.

-chief

Lo Fire :: Apache Tomcat’s ‘Manifest Destiny’s Child Soldier Boy George Harrison Ford Focus’

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When Jonny from Apache Tomcat hit me up a while ago (and about a completely different project, whom I will feature in the future) and told me about the new lo-fi project he was in, I was in the stretch of a very busy and creative month.  I had every intention of listening, but time was a limited commodity.  When I finally did get a chance to sit down and listen to Manifest Destiny’s Child Soldier Boy George Harrison Ford Focus, I was floored, and immediately kicking myself for taking so long to get around to check out the project.  From the jump, this project gave me the same feelings that projects by Tim KerrDirty BeachesThe Butthole Surfers and bands of that ilk do… grungy sounds, chameleon-like vocals that are playful and intriguing, and an immediacy that other music lacks these days were all elements that spoke to me.  This one is definitely worth checking out and downloading, as well as telling a friend to do the same.

-chief