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A Thoughtful Word To My Readers...

First, I would like to thank the thousands of comments I have received since my absence from Justify Theory.  You all have been very encouraging in my decision to withdraw from posting.  Right now, I am spending the holidays in my wife's home country of Jordan in the Middle East.  God has blessed me unbelievably since I have been here, encountering some of the most beautiful designs that God has created in nature.  Just being so close to biblical sites such as Mt. Nebo and the Dead Sea, I have truly experienced my faith as a believer in Christ come to life.  After much prayer and discussion with my wife, I have considered returning to posts as so many of my readers have told me that my site never became a hindrance to their beliefs, but only strengthened them.  I suppose the reality of it all is that in the process of making so many aware of the evils in this world, I was spiritually hurting myself as a result.  I am not saying that I have made a firm decision to return, but if I do, expect a complete revamping of this blog designed to meet the spiritual needs of all who digest my words in attempts to further seek the truth.  Also, in regards to the holidays, I have been asked many spiritual questions about whether or not it is right for a Christian to celebrate Christmas as it is originally rooted to pagan celebration.  My response is this, do not become so boggled down with the roots of this particular holiday.  Regardless if it was originally intended for a different purpose, we should still rejoice the fact that it was changed to allow all believers to come together at this special time and bring praise to Yahweh's birth, and all the days after it.  And if there are those who are still using this day for evil intent, then let us celebrate the coming of king louder than anyone else's reason for celebration and let the whole world know that Christ reigns forever, not their pagan idols.  As a way of saying thank you and a Merry CHRISTmas to all my readers, I will give you a glimpse of  God's beauties I have seen during my trip to Jordan.  God Bless all of you throughout the holidays and please continue to pray for me as I contemplate my return.

my wifes beautiful home capitol of Amman, Jordan

Olive gardens, similar to the ones Christ walked through

the beautiful countryside of Fheis, outside of Amman

I was standing at the very spot where God showed Moses the promised land!

from the top of Mt. Nebo, how Great is our God!

I woke up early in the morning to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea


Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year,
Justify
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Doc Singe-Kiss Of The Beast LP



Kiss Of The Beast is the dope debut album from French producer Doc Singe and features Rob Swift, MF Grimm, Insight, Count Bass-D, Kool Keith, Finsta, John Robinson, Branesparker, Pacewon, 2 Mex and L.I.F.E. Long over hype production (fat dusty breaks, ill bass lines and interesting samples) that harks back to the golden age and suits each guest really well, sadly this album has been criminally slept on I wanted to give it some light.

Pick it up from these spots:

"Foreign Exchange" ft Insight
Lastly, I would like to wish all of my readers a really Happy New Year, thanks so much for your comments, feedback and for being a loyal reader in 2011...be safe and see you in 2012.

One

Jaz






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Verse Essential-Like It Should Be music video


"Like It Should Be" is the 6th music video from NYC's Verse Essential, this track can be found on his dope debut album Ingenious, which was released as deluxe version earlier in 2011...


please check my interview with him from earlier in this year.


CRDS will be back soon with a second volume of 2011 illness and other posts...

Peace to Verse and T Atkins.





























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Exclusive interview with yU...






Thanks to my good Friend Chris "SPanky" Moss of Divided Souls Entertainment and Michael Tolle of the great Mello Music Group label, I was mad fortunate enough to throw some questions to yU of Diamond District and The1978ers fame.

 My first introduction to the Cheverly, Maryland MC and Producer yU (PKA Michael Willingham Jnr) was on what I honestly feel is one of the greatest albums released in the 00's, 2009's In The Ruff from Diamond District (Oddisee, yU and XO)

 

  In The Ruff was an album that captured the essence of pure Hip Hop, filled with classic breaks, dope samples and rhyming from 3 (Wise) Men whose lives depended on it, In The Ruff is an essential album and so is yU's material, his first solo album, Before Taxes (2010) was a continuation of the Diamond District sound and style but with yU's unique stamp on it and it was an album that contained great beats, well written rhymes and interesting samples (including soundbites from film) just like his second album The Earn does.

 The Earn is easily one of the best releases of 2011 and an absolute pleasure to listen to front to back, so while you peruse these questions and answers, make sure that The Earn is rocking your speakers hardcore to get the full effect kid.

 

 CRDS: Please break down the history of yU, your strongest influences and
history.

yU: For the most part, the title yU came from back in the days when I was
learning myself & all of the things that made me  indifferent or unique in
comparison to the majority. I've been told by my moms that since a baby, It
was a regular thing for folks to question my motives & ask why'd you do it
like this or why don't you just do it like everybody else does. I guess
that stubborn nature has stuck with me thru the years.  My strongest
influences in life would probably be my mother & father, or the things I've
actually seen & heard.

CRDS: Who are some of the Producers you would like to work with?

yU: At the moment, the producers I'd like to work with are pretty much myself,
Slimkat78, Oddisee, Kev Brown, Mr HU, Usef Dinero, Roddy Rod, Choppy
Choppe, Charlie Ross & Waajeed. After finishing up all we have in store for
2012 (which is A LOT), I would like to build with DJ Premier, Nottz, DJ
Khalil, Organized Noize, 14KT, Q-Tip, Portishead, No ID, MF Doom, Bibio,
'and a lot more.. But before I venture out, I'm solidifying things at home
base first..

CRDS:Please list your fave albums from 1988, 1992 and 1994?

yU:Though its hard to pick one...

  
  
 

CRDS: Who are your fave producers and why?



It's hard to name a favorite producer, when I respect so many for so many
different reasons.. But if I had to choose one, I'd say Jay Dee, because he
had so many styles & approaches.. and made very moody beats that
momentarily took you away from wherever you were when u pressed play. I
could only imagine where his sound would've been sonically at this point,
because he left the rest far behind years ago.

 

 CRDS: What MC's do you most feel inspired by?

 yU: The emcees I feel most inspired by are those who have a unique perspective
& who's voice demands your attention, like Guru, Rakim, Lord Finesse, Large
Pro, Casual, Big L, Andre3000, O.C., Pos & Trugoy from De La Soul, Devin the
Dude, Kaimbr, Roc Marciano & a lot more..

CRDS: What was your Fave album of 2011?


 yU: 






CRDS: What would you change about the state of Hip Hop in these days?

yU: If I were to change anything about the state of hip hop today, I would
replace the open mindedness that gave birth to decades of change &
evolution but now it seems as though we don't have too many options..
whatever angle is selling the most is the on that gets mimicked by most up
& coming. I would even the scales a bit more when it comes to the focus on
production & the power of the spoken word by putting lyrics back to the
forefront. The bond between hip hop & poetry was much stronger awhile ago,
but now that the general public knows how much more $ producers make, the
beats are the new focus and they're turned up so loud that i can't hear the
poetry. 

Lastly, I'd like to see more album consistency.. Whether it be in
the lane of features, production, or the potency of the music being
released.. If this were juice we were talking about.. I like orange juice,
grape juice, & lemonade. Nowadays, I guess consistency is out of style because
everything is fruit punch.. You don't know what to expect, which can be a
good or a bad thing.


 CRDS: What year did you write your first rhyme and can you remember it?

yU: I wrote my first rhyme in 1994, and I remember the first line was like
"as I stay in tune, the groove is smooth as a jazz song/ you wanna test me,
gimme a mic & a scantron" lol

CRDS: How did you learn the art of beat making?

yU: As far as making beats, i always had ideas.. At about 8/9 yrs old I played
the trumpet & french horn w/ the DC Youth Orchestra. I remember feeling
limited by having to just play what I was instructed to, so I left music
alone until I was about 16. At about then, I started to watch others put
their compositions together, thinking to myself.. That's tight, but if I
did it, I'd probably do it like this.. Slowly but surely, once I had my own
equipment my sound started to grow especially with the help of my triangle
of mentors MrHU, Slimkat78, & Blackberry Jones whom I'd constantly watch &
ask questions.

  


CRDS: Do you have a lot of unreleased material?

yU: Yes, I do have volumes of unreleased materials.

CRDS: What is your all time fave soul album yU?

yU: This is another difficult one, but at the moment my favorite soul album is
"InnerVisions" by Stevie Wonder

 












CRDS: Do you write rhymes and set them to beats or hear the beats and write
rhymes?

yU: I don't have a set way to put songs together. Sometimes the beat speaks to
me first or sometimes a concept or a line or two might just flash in my
head.. Or I might be in the process of putting a beat together & as it gets
close to completion a hook or verse might come from inspiration.

CRDS: Was it always the plan to drop a solo album after the great In The Ruff LP
> from Diamond District?

yU: It was a coincidence that both In The Ruff & Before Taxes were finished &
ready for release at the same time.. Although, I had been putting those
songs from "Before Taxes" & even a lot of "the EARN" together  long before
we had started to work on "In The Ruff"

  

CRDS: What's next for yU?

yU: Right now, I have a lot of projects to be released in 2012. All of which I
can say I am amped & inspired to complete. Slimkat & I are putting our
focus towards turning in the 1978ers album "People of Today". 


Diamond District is working on our 2nd album "March On Washington".. and I'm also
doing another solo project totally produced by Oddisee. Usef Dinero who
produced "Write On" on the EARN & I have an EP already under our belt
called "Flying High" which will be released as a free download before a
follow up project is released. "Killer" is a themed story-esque project
with 8 gory short stories with sounds to match, scheduled to be released
around mid October. And lastly, I'll be following up "A Garbage Beat Tape"
with another instrumental composition I'm pondering on calling "The Future
Was Overrated"



CRDS: Many thanks yU, keep up the great work

yU: Thank you Jaz

Non LP cut produced by Slimkat78 and featuring Eye-Q-"Can't Hide"

http://www.multiupload.com/EE61TTB4NH

yU's FREE A Garbage Beat Tape here...



http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/a-garbage-beat-tape

Places to purchase The Earn and other links...



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Silver Jewellery with a hip hop flavour.

Proudly made in Melbourne and exclusive to our retail store.
100% sterling silver.

 New York Fat Cap

 Digging in the crates


kicks

Turntable
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Grand Scheme - summer 2011

New range from the Grand Scheme crew



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7th Letter summer

New tees just in time for summer







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Festive Season trading hours

A big thankyou to everyonecoming in and supporting the store throughout 2011. We have some big plans for 2012 so stay tuned.
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Free LP: Astonish-The AstonishinglyODD Project


Chicago MC Astonish follows up his 2008 debut album, From Now Until Forever
with a smooth new 15 track album The AstonishinglyODD Project that Panik from the legendary production outfit Molemen has kindly offered as a free download, behind the boards are Panik, Oddissee, Jay Vega, CRZ Beatz, Odd Couple, Wes P,Taavi Haapala and O-Zone and the LP includes guests, label mate Scheme plus Lungz, Jay Vega, Reap, Myles J, Jessica Jasmin, J Dott Trife, E-Class Eppi and Decay.

The AstonishinglyODD Project has beats that will take you back to the 90's and early 00's rhymes that are thoughtful and mean something. plus diggers and sample fiends will know the sample used for the vibed out "Feel Good" right off the bat, the Oddissee produced tracks have previously been released, but Astonish does nice work on them...especially my highlight of the album "Saw Myself"

 


1. All I Need (Intro) (Prod. by CRZ Beatz)
2. Summertime Chi feat. Myles J (Prod. by Jay Vega)
3. All That I Got (Prod. by Oddisee)
4. Feel Good feat (Prod. by Jay Vega)
5. Trees (Prod. by Odd Couple)
6. LSD feat. J Dott Trife & Lungz (Prod. by O-Zone)
7. Shine Like DIlla (Prod. by Taavi Haapala )
8. Hire  feat. Reap & Jessica Jasmin (Prod. by CRZ Beatz)
9. Fill Up The Room (Prod. by Oddisee)
10. Full Room (Interlude) (Prod. by CRZ Beatz)
11. Samo feat. Scheme & E-Class Eppi (Prod. by Wes P)
12. Saw Myself  feat. Jay Vega & Decay (Prod. by Oddisee)
13. Living Comfortable (Prod. by Panik)
14. Lord Forgive Me (Prod. by Jay Vega)
15. Hip Hop (Prod. by Jay Vega)


 














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DIRTY DEEDS 11 and Stylefile 37

Merry Christmas


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Ironlak - Apparel Christmas 2011 Range

Fresh out the box and available in M - XXL. Stock is limited.






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