Tag Archives: hip hop

Know Justice :: SCDS Takes A Stand With ‘Breakfast Of Champions’

Posted on August 11, 2020 | Leave a comment

SCDS (formerly Space Camp Death Squad) has never been afraid to take a stand and voice their minds, be it as a collective or as individual members (Doc Brown, Protextor and Secret Levels, respectively). That’s why it’s not surprising that they’ve become the latest on a respectable list of Austin artists to stare racial and socio-economical injustices square in the eyes with their latest single and video, Breakfast of Champions. Not only are the viewpoints on authority and their connection to standard society scathing, but they range in perspective, given the ethnic makeup and diverse backgrounds of the three crew members. The video really brings the idea home, taking an almost obsolete model of television out into the streets and infusing it with a mixture of performance footage from SCDS and old images that, sadly, may never be timeless given the racial climate of America. The video is a hard pill of truth to swallow, but if you’re an honest individual that can deal with the real, leave a like and a comment on the video, and spread it around for others to do the same.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Tagged austin, breakfast of champions, chief, doc brown, hip hop, protextor, scds, secret levels, space camp death squad, the doomsday device

Brain Scrambler :: Marrow Drops ‘The Damage Done’ Via Milled Pavement

Posted on August 10, 2020 | Leave a comment

In a mere 6-ish months, Milled Pavement Records has gone from being on the underground bubble to being a forced to be reckoned with for East Coast-based and forward-thinking artists. With homies like Brzowski, Anthony Maintain and MC Homeless already making appearances on the roster, it was a safe assumption that anything from the collective that crossed my radar would be quality, and Marrow kept that streak going by getting me hip to his latest release, The Damage Done. As a fan of groups like Non-Phixion and Darkleaf, this project hit me right in the feels, and the backstory given for the project makes the lyrical and musical onslaught that much more interesting. Definitely take a moment to read the Bandcamp liner notes when (not if!) you go to check this one out, support if you can, and share it around for other heads to enjoy!

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Tagged anthony maintain, bandcamp, brzowski, chief, darkleaf, hip hop, marrow, mc homeless, milled pavement records, non-phixion, the damage done, the doomsday device, toronto

Cinematic Orchestration :: Curbside Jones Continues To Rise With ‘Gyakusou Vol. 1’

Posted on July 28, 2020 | Leave a comment

The list of my hip-hop/rap peers that I respect is a vast one, but the club of my hip-hop/rap peers that truly inspire me is a very exclusive one. One of the longest standing members of this club is the Austin-based legend Curbside Jones. Since the day I discovered Wolves’ Clothing, every single bit of creative output from Curbside Jones has been amazing, be it music, videos, animations, clothing, photography or whatever he chooses to dip his toes into. Gyakusou Vol. 1, the brief but powerful collaboration with Japanese producer Ballhead, is further proof of Curbside Jones‘ ability to make nothing less that concept albums. Check the Bandcamp page for a complete breakdown on the origins and inspiration for the project, and cop it while you’re there, because it’s a bonafide banger.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Tagged austin, ballhead, bandcamp, chief, curbside jones, gyakusou vol. 1, hip hop, japan, the doomsday device, wolves' clothing

Summertime Rolls :: Tone Of The Cosmos Lightens The Mood On ‘Nasty Summer Vol. 2’

Posted on July 24, 2020 | Leave a comment

From the digital desk of Tone of the Cosmos :

‘Been a minute since I felt like plopping this one. I was all prepped to do this in 2018 but had some emo issues of my own flare up. In the heat of the 2020 Texas Summer, and Coronavirus election year shenanigans I bring you this…something to make it simultaneously worse and better (haha). A continuation of the first volume, maybe trading some tender love for some of the other themes, a mixtape nonetheless. There is still Summer left. Ride with me.’

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Tagged chief, coronavirus, hip hop, nasty summer vol 2, texas, the doomsday device, tone of the cosmos

Root Down :: Third Root Drops ‘Passion Of The Poets’

Posted on July 23, 2020 | Leave a comment

With the world in such emotional taxing, tumultuous times, it’s sometimes hard to focus on, or even think about, music. One thing that I love about hip-hop, however, is its ability to rationalize madness, remind us of the wins and losses of our past, and most important of all, inspire change and evolution (if not revolution). Luckily, the San Antonio-based powerhouse that is Third Root is fully aware of their ability to make those specific impacts, and with they culled an all-star lineup to put together Passion of the Poets : Adrian Quesada, El Dusty and Illfudge all get producer credits, while guest features include Black Pumas, Mad1ne, Grupo Fantasma, Kam Franklin and Bavu Blakes. If you’re simply curious about listening, you can find this one any and everywhere you stream or buy music online, but if you’re looking to support deeper, visit the Bandcamp page for exclusive merchandise. Most importantly, spread the Third Root word if you’re feeling what they’re dealing.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now

Tagged adrian quesada, bandcamp, bavu blakes, black pumas, chief, el dusty, grupo fantasma, hip hop, illfudge, kam franklin, mad1ne, passion of the poets, san antonio, the doomsday device, third root

Daily Operation :: Cory Kendrix X Sloesip Connect For ‘July 18 Freestyle’

Posted on July 20, 2020 | Leave a comment

My man Cory Kendrix stays in the booth. Personally, I’d find myself distracted by all the party favors in Colorado, but Cory has managed to not only find his voice as an MC and an artist, but he continues to grow in terms of confidence and range with each new song and project. For July 18th Freestyle, Cory whipped up a deceptively simple monster of a track and hollered at his homie Sloesip to jump on board for some braggadocio bars. Cory Kendrix even put the artwork together for this one, showing that he sees the bigger picture and is not limited to traditional rapper roles. This one sounds like it’ll find itself comfortably within someone’s mixtape with its all business approach, so don’t sleep on it.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Tagged austin, chief, colorado, cory kendrix, hip hop, july 18th freestyle, LNS, lns crew, sloesip, the doomsday device

Prodigious Talent :: SniperShot Takes A Lighter Tone With ‘Confident’

Posted on July 13, 2020 | Leave a comment

Everyone knows that SniperShot is talented, grounded, insightful and wise beyond his years, but not everyone is hip to the fact that SniperShot is also a pretty funny guy. Lest we forget or act like we didn’t know, SniperShot decided to drop a quick gem in the form of Confident, a song and music video that embraces the lighter side of his nature. The track is pretty solid, with SniperShot professing his skills in the humblest of braggable ways possible, but Augustus Minott-directed video really takes things to another level. As my film knowledge has taught me, you show rather than tell, so I leave it to you to let SniperShot show you his humorous side, but I will say this… don’t sleep. Check out the video, leave a like and a comment if you feel it, and spread it around for others to fall in love with.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now

Tagged armando magallanez, augustus minott, chief, confident, dalls, hip hop, michael squibb, snipershot, the doomsday device

Direct Action :: Kydd Jones And Ben Buck Speak Truth On ‘Rubber Bullets’

Posted on July 10, 2020 | Leave a comment

Two Austin icons teaming up for some real talk about the current (and seemingly never-ending) hard times that minorities are facing? You don’t have to tell me twice… and that’s exactly what we’re getting here. Kydd Jones has dropped a number of socially-aware tracks over the past month, and the streak continues with Rubber Bullets, a collaboration with Ben Buck and producer Wiardon. What really hits me about this song are the two parallel perspectives, which are different yet like-minded : Kydd talks about achieving dreams while hoping your light isn’t snuffed out early, while Ben Buck speaks a bit on privilege, being a proper ally to the cause, and the clear-cut difference in approach that Police bring to the table, depending on whom they are dealing with. This track is another notch in the belt of positivity for Austin hip-hop, so don’t sleep on it.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

Tagged austin, ben buck, chief, hip hop, kydd jones, rubber bullets, the doomsday device, wiardon

New Normal :: Click-Clack Explores The Times With ‘Thankful’

Posted on July 9, 2020 | Leave a comment

Shelter-in-place measures, compounded by a resurgent drive for racial social-economic equality, has taken a taxing toll on most creatives. I’ve found a few peers who have stepped up to bat in regards to the racial issues, and a smaller handful who have taken on our lifestyle adjustments directly, but to my recollection thus far, Click-Clack is one of the first to take both on with equal measure. On Thankful, his collaboration with producer Brokeboishy, Click-Clack takes a six-song journey that covers isolation, bigotry and prejudice, systematic oppression, questionable social behaviors and much more with clever and insightful examination. Over the past ten days or so, his refrain of ‘partner, could you pardon me?’ has been stuck in my head something serious. Click-Clack has proven his consistency over the years, so it shouldn’t even be a question whether or not you check this one out and support it.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now

Tagged austin, brokeboishy, chief, click-clack, hip hop, police brutality, racism, shelther-in-place, thankful, the doomsday device

Street Knowledge :: CP Loony’s Standout ‘American Rebel’ Out Now

Posted on July 8, 2020 | Leave a comment

I never really got into this whole blogging thing to make it a profession.. it was more just a way to keep the front page of my website from getting stale or a bit too much about self-glorification. Cut to many, many, many years later, and I’ve found myself often getting solicited music for blog post consideration, which will always and forever be a trip to me. That being said, I love getting to discover new music, and when CP Loony hit me up to check out the recently released American Rebel, it only further validated that discovery feeling. What I really and truly dig about CP Loony is how he moves effortlessly between what many have labelled ‘old head’ and ‘new head’ styles of hip-hop, bridging the gap between generations in a much needed manner that brings your Playboi Carti‘s and Public Enemy‘s a bit closer together. The songs are incredibly personal, heartfelt and moving, with CP Loony taking the time to examine the world around him, and his role in it, with dynamic and observant detail. The production is money as well, with assists from ChiChi, Nashi, Eighty 8 and ThatBossEvan filling out the roster. If you’re looking for a brief but powerful bit of realness for your soundsystem, look no further than American Rebel.