True Hip Hop Music in 2011...a purist's perspective (with compilation)

 

 Quick Note: I just wanted to extend my many thanks for all of the  comments, really positive feedback and the overwhelming sharing this post and compilation has been getting, this post has been getting really good feedback from some of the artists involved as well and I just wanted to say that, this is what Hip Hop all is about, so if you have shared this on Tumbler, your blog, Facebook etc I just wanted to extend my gratitude.

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What's good CRDS readers?...yes I know that it's a cliche, but what you hear on the radio is not Hip Hop music, Hip Hop music to me is hardcore and head nodding beats, clever samples, thoughtful rhymes that actually make sense and interesting rhyme patterns and schemes, rumbling bass lines, DJ cuts and authenticity, what you hear on the radio contains none of that...it's disposable, "junk food" Pop Rap and so much of of it is empty, gimmicky, stupid, devoid of soul, plastic "music" made by talentless "artists" and corporate chumps just to make money, however if you delve deeper into the underground and read a lot of blogs and you will see that true Hip Hop is alive and breathing in 2011...

Thankfully there are are dozens of artists that are staying true to what Hip Hop represents and keeping with the ethics, styles and sound production of the much missed 80's and 90's and a lot of kids that have been in the game for more than a few years have been releasing solid material and gaining new fans, while the old ones appreciate that they are still around, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Kurious, Diamond-D, Pharaoh Monch, Buckwild, Showbiz and A.G, Beastie Boys, J-Live, Celph Titled, various Wu Tang Clan members (especially Ghostface) Cyne, J-Rawls, K-Def, Marco Polo, EDO.G, Masta Ace, Constant Deviants, Madlib, Grap Luva (who has still not had a solo album yet haha) etc...that said there are some rap vets that have well to be frank...fallen the hell off and completely forgotten about their hardcore fans and are just chasing the mighty dollar, it's best not to mention them, but I am sure you all know who I am referring to.

 

 Some of my personal fave relative newcomers these days are Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren, Shaz Illyork and The Outdoorsmen, Evil Mule,Timeless Truth, Silent Knight, The Audible Doctor, Brown Bag Allstars, Oddisee, Diamond District, DTMD, Has-Lo and everyone on the Mello Music Group label, SPOX PHD, Roc Marciano, Damu The Fudgemunk, Apollo Brown & The Left, Black Milk, Steve Collosall, LCA, Leaf Erikson, Epsilon Project, DJ Cosm, Custodian Of Records, Rasheed Chappell, Arch Druids, Aarophat and Illastrate, Beneficence, Bamboo Bros, Dopplegangaz, The Incredible Funk League, Dela, Dues Paid, Kyo Itachi, M.D., Maxilla Blue, The Grimm Teachaz, Shinsight Trio, Intricate Dialect, Gangrene (Oh No and Alchemist), Hassan Mackey, The Black Opera, Malcolm and Martin, Fashawn, Maverick, Random Axe, Verse Essential, Lord Monsta, Proh Mic, Jazz Spastiks & Junclassic, Offsprings of The Native Tongue, Sick Team, Ras Beats, Statik Selektah, Gasoline Monk, DJ SMV, Willie Evans Jnr of Asamov) and more than a few others.

 I thank every one of these dope artists for keeping an incredible art form and culture alive, I also want to say that is so dope that we didn't lose the legendary Erick Sermon after a heart attack scare recently, thank goodness you are still with us trooper, you are one of my MC's and Producers ever and it would have been really hard to deal with losing E-Double.

I hope you enjoy this compilation of some ill releases from 2011...

crds presents-some 2011 illness

01. Action Bronson & Statik Selektah - Not Enough Words (Produced by Statik Selektah)
02. Epsilon Project - KO (Produced by Nemak)
03. Add+ - Insomniac Dreaming (Produced by Black Milk)
04. DTMD ft Yu-Keep On (Produced by Dunc)
05. Oddisee feat. Diamond District - For Certain (Produced by Oddisee)
06. Bamboo Bros feat. Pete Rock & Mighty Buda - Beyond A Sensation (Produced by Dave Dar)
07. Cappadonna - Cuban Link Kings (Produced by Phantom of The Beats)
08. Bumpy Knuckles & DJ Premier - B.A.P. (Produced by DJ Premier)
09. Celph Titled & Buckwild feat. Lord Digga & Kwest - Get Stupid (Produced by Buckwild)
10. Global Platoon feat. Steve Colossal - Flash Kidnap (Produced by M.I.)
11. Has-Lo - Light Years (Produced by J-Zone)
12. J57 feat. Silent Knight - Craft Brewed (Produced by J57)
13. Metasyons-Villain (Produced by Crate Digga)
14. Roc Marciano - Emeralds (Produced by Arch Druids)
15. Timeless Truth - Memorex Massacre (Produced by R8der)
16. Large Professor - Key To The City (Produced by Large Professor)
17. J-Live - The Authentic (Produced by Marco Polo)
18. The Primeridian feat. ADaD - Live From The Belly (Tall Black Guy Remix)
19. Grap Luva - Rocking With Elegance (One For Damu) (Produced by Grap Luva)
20. Evidence feat. Fashawn - Same Folks (Produced by DJ Babu)


some dope vids of tracks on this compilation...

 

Lastly please check out NYC's Rock Mecca new single, "Runnin Runnin" which is the second single from his upcoming Pirate Radio Star LP, the first single "New York Noise" can be heard here...


http://rockmecca.bandcamp.com


'Runnin Runnin"


http://hulkshare.com/3j7ofjfvm29e

Peace

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Has-Lo-Conversation B

 

Mello Music Group have knocked it out of the park yet again, this time it is rising Philadelphia MC and Producer Has-Lo...

Conversation B is a complete re-imagining/reworking of Has-Lo's dope In Case I Don't Make It album that was released earlier in 2011 and has beat contributions from...

The Audible Doctor, Kev Brown, Exile, Oddisse, Apollo Brown, ST-MIC, Small Pro, Eric Lau, IMAKEMADBEATS, Has-Lo himself (the superb "Maxwell UR" that speaks on how he remembers Hip Hop growing up) and others including my highlight off the album, the incredible "Light Years" produced by the highly under-rated J-Zone...

Has-Lo-Light Years (Produced by J-Zone)

who currently has a book on release...Root For The Villian: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure which you can read hilarious excerpts and order the book from here...

http://www.govillaingo.com

Pick up the Conversation B album here, it is also available on a limited run of 500 vinyl copies as well...
http://www.fatbeats.com/collections/frontpage/products/has-lo-conversation-b-2xlp
http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/has-lo-conversation-b/MMG016BCD

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/conversation-b/id467919603

mellomusicgroup.com/has-lo.html

www.facebook.com/pages/Has-Lo/187251367967381

Has-Lo also released a dope free EP "Illegally Yours with Mello Music Group and Portuguese website Illegalpromo.com and features production from DJ SoulClap, Odin Smith and Danny Diggs and a guest appearance from (Icon)The Mic King.

 

 Has-Lo-Illegally Yours EP

www.illegal-promo.com
www.facebook.com/Illegal.Promo.Page

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New Releases - CD and Vinyl

DOOMSTARKS
limited-edition PICTURE DISC vinyl

This limited-edition PICTURE DISC vinyl features the brand new track "Victory Laps" from DOOM and Ghostface, plus the remix by DOOM and Madlib, and the instrumentals to both tracks. This 12" marks the first official single from one of the most highly-anticipated collaborations in hip-hop history, the full-length DOOMSTARKS album, coming soon on Nature Sounds. Contains FULL-COLOR graphics on both sides of the vinyl. SERATO TONE on the b-side.

Limited Edition, triangle shaped vinyl feat Talib Kweli and Sly Johnson. Remixes from Damu The Fudgemunk

HAS-LO CONVERSATION B --CD AND 2LP

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Geko & Aetcix – GOATMOB

Virtual socio-phobes, GOAT MOB are seldom seen at nightclubs, festivals or other communal shindigs. It is believed they spend most of their waking life underground, practising their primitive form of music and imbibing in strange herbs and potions.

Emerging from the midst of Melbourne’s underground, the latest production from the illustrious Crate Cartel crew is Goatmob. Both emcees and producers respectively, the complimentary alliance that is Geko and Aetcix successfully combine their individual styles to bring this peculiarly alluring project to fruition. Goatmob reunites the duo again after collaborating on previous projects such as 2007’s Raw Four EP and the recent One Fell Swoop EP.

In essence, the album is the result of cathartically unconscious writing, steering clear of contrived attempts to cover any particular topics. Though experimental and multifarious musically, the trademark sounds of old-school gritty samples are constant throughout

With guest appearances from Melbourne’s 1/6 (Ilzilla), Fatty Phew, Budsa, as well as fellow Crate Cartellions Fluent Form and Maundz. Verses flow seamlessly to inclusively simulate a casual exchange of bars between cohorts. To observe the apparently effortless versatility of Goatmob, one need only compare the opening and closing tracks Executioners and Empty Bowl; the first an up-tempo, fired-up flavour, and the last a mellowed reggae-style encounter.

Limited signed copies now in stock with bonus EP from MYK REID "Rise Of The Foot Soldier"

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Clouded Thoughts - Issue 11

Features BASIX (Australia), GRITS AND JORS (Royal Deviates - Australia), CHAS (Love Letters), PEQUE (Mexico), KATRE (France), plus a huge Melbourne section and more.

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R.I.P. Heavy-D aka The Overweight Lover aka The Heavster

 

Heavy-D was born Dwight Errington Myers, May 24th 1967 in Mandeville, Jamaica in and moved to (Money earnin') Mount Vernon in the early 70's.

Heavy-D was a charismatic and very positive character that could both rhyme and dance his ass off...Hev was first and foremost but also a song writer, producer and actor in short he was a pure entertainer and an MC that always had multitudes of personality in his rhymes and he could make smooth jams for the Ladies, catchy Pop-Rap (that had a soul and a pulse) and he could bring it hardcore too not to mention the reggae and ragga and R & B tracks he appeared on, during his lifetime he also worked with greats Quincy Jones and BB King, Levert, Janet Jackson, Frankie Paul, Buju Banton and a multitude of other artists.

Hev was also the first cousin of the legendary Pete Rock who produced many tracks for Hev including some just recently this year that are still yet to be released.

I was first introduced to Heavy-D's music via the old school Wellington, New Zealand radio show The Uncut Funk Show (Radio Active 89 FM), to be honest I cannot remember it if was the legendary DJ Tee Pee or DJ Rhys-B that played Heavy-D & The Boyz (DJ Eddie-F, Trouble T Roy and G-Whiz -"Mr Big Stuff" released on Andre Harell's Uptown Records as the first signing way back in 1986 but I fondly remember having it on tape and it receiving much run in my walk-man player (wow that seems so long ago) just like the time an old High School friend that had the Heavy D & The Boyz debut album, Livin' Large on tape.

I loved the whole album and played the late, great James Brown sampling, Marley Marl produced classic "The Overweight Lover's In The House" jam a lot...around 1988 my old Friend Kory H from Maryland invited me to his place and showed me his crazy impressive tape collection and a whole bunch of videos (not to mention some beers and fennel seeds to cover up our breath, because his Dad would have got mad as hell and was seriously like Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air...even the beard was the same lol)...ahhh where was I? oh yes...one of the vids was a few of Heavy-D and The Boyz and I was in awe at the way Hev and his crew moved, especially Hev because he was a big fella..."We Write The Songs", the classic duet with the Juice Crew's Biz Markie D and Heavy-D was released the same year and appeared on the classic Marley Marl-In Control Volume 1.

 

By the time 1989 came around, I remember picking up their second album Big Tyme on tape, along with some cassingles (remember those?) and playing them over in my walk-man and at home on my stereo, I am pretty sure this was the first time I saw the name Pete Rock (he produced "Mood For Love", "A Better Land","Big Tyme" and "Let It Flow" on the album and I thought his beats were dope and had a feeling that would be name that I would be seeing and hearing a lot more of.

 

 

 "Grylz They Love Me", "Ez Duz It and Do It Ez", "Let It Flow""You Aint Heard Nuthin' Yet" and "More Bounce" which sampled the classic Zapp "More Bounce To The Ounce" were my faves from that album, the same year Hev was invited to join the Boogie Down Productions crew alongside the late, great Fruitkwan, MC Delight, Wise and Daddy-O (Stetsasonic), MC Lyte, Chuck D & Flava Flav (Public Enemy), Miss Melodie, Just Ice, Doug E Fresh, Kool Moe Dee on the seminal "Stop The Violence" record collectively as the Stop The Violence Movement (overseen by Scott La Rock despite what others may think).

 During the years 1989 and 1990 Heavy-D & The Boyz were touring extensively and in July 1990 Trouble T Roy's life was cut short after an accidental fall at a show in Indianapolis, you could tell that this affected Hev and the rest of the Boyz as their third album released in 1991 was titled Peaceful Journey...

 Peaceful Journey went platinum and gave the crew a massive chart hit with their take on The O'Jays "Now That We Found Love" produced by Teddy Riley.

 

 Peaceful Journey also had the classic posse cut "Don't Curse" with Kool G Rap, Grand Puba and Big Daddy Kane, CL Smooth, Pete Rock and Q-Tip and was produced by Pete Rock and number of other dope tracks produced by Pete, Marley Marl, Howie Tee and others.

 

Hev also wrote and performed the theme for In Living Color the same year and guested on Michael Jackson's "The Jam" off his Dangerous album.

 

In 1992 Pete Rock and CL Smooth released the timeless track "T.R.O.Y" which was a dedication track to Trouble T Roy (and others) and is quite simply one of the most beautiful, moving and incredible tracks Hip Hop has ever produced, Hev also released one of my all time faves in 1992 and a track showed that Heavy-D could tear the frame out of the mic on a hardcore track, "You Can't See What I Can See" produced by Chad Elliot and sampled by EDO.G & Da Bulldogs for "Check It Out" (1993)

 

 

 

 During 1992 and 1993 Hev guested on records from the likes of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Supercat, Queen Latifah...

 

 Hev was also a member of the Flava Unit MC's who released "Roll Wit Tha Flava" in '93...

He also appeared on records by Mary J Blige, Naughty By Nature and others and he also had a cameo role in the comedy film Whos The Man? (1993) and released a single with the same title.

 

 In late 1992 the groups' third album, Blue Funk was released and featured stellar production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Skeff Anslem, Tony Dofat, Steely and Cleevie and Jesse West who produced one of my all time favourite posse cuts in Hip Hop

The same year Heavy-D landed a recurring role on the TV sitcom Roc and later Living Single and in 1994 Heavy-D & The Boyz once again became steady chart favourites with the release of their fourth and final album Nuttin But Love.

 

 The album featured the hits "Nuttin' But Love" (Produced by Kid Capri) "Black Coffee" (Produced by Easy Mo Bee) and "Got Me Waiting" (Produced by Pete Rock) other production came from the likes of Teddy Riley, Erick Sermon, Marley Marl and K-Def and Poke (Trackmasters), also in 1994 Eddie F released the Eddie F & The Untouchables album and featured the hit "Let's Get It On" which featured the late, great Notorious B.I.G, 2-Pac, Grand Puba and Spunk Bigga and Hev had more chart success with the R & B group Soul For Real...

 

 

 After that album Hev went on to act in the film New Jersey Drive and contributed this dope Easy Mo Bee produced track to the soundtrack...

 Hev was the president for a brief stint at Uptown Records, signed Herb McGruff and in 1997 dropped his first solo LP, Waterbed Hev which spawned the hit "Big Daddy" and was a commercial success, he followed that album with 2 other solo albums...

 

 Heavy (1999) (my fave of his solo album releases) that featured the track "Listen" (with Q-Tip) produced by the late, great J-Dilla.

 Other tracks on Heavy were produced by Tony Dofat, Erick Sermon and The Ummah and guests on the album included Cee-Lo, Chico Debarge, the late, great Big Pun and Eightball.

Hev released Vibes a catchy Pop-Reggae album in 2008 that also had a number of tracks produced byTony Dofat.

D got serious about his acting and starred in the Oscar nominated film The Cider House Rules, Life, and the short lived but great TV show Boston Public.

Before his untimely passing, Hev had been losing a great deal of weight, released an EP titled the Love Opus and performed on The BET music awards.

We lost a great one in Heavy-D...and yes Hev you were rough in your day :)

R.I.P.Heavy-D

Check these links and tributes.

 claaa7.blogspot.com/2011/11/rest-in-peace-heavy-d.html

 http://ratheruggedman.net/2011/11/heavy-d

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674040/heavy-d-dead-pete-rock.jhtml
http://4eentertainment.com/index.php/2011/11/08/heavy-d-passes-at-44

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=heavy-d&pid=154533261
http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/heavy-d-1967-2011

Marley Marl's tribute mix (big thanks to Nes at Dirty Waters)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=21X50WQ7

Jaz

"A diddley-diddley-diddley-diddely-diddely-deee"

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Dirty Deeds 11 (magazine) coming soon.

Here's something tasty from the forthcoming issue of Dirty Deads due in December

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SPOX-PHD (DJ Spinna & Oxygen)

 

 

 

Uh-Oh here comes the true illness kids...Oxygen aka Ox The Architect (Sputnik Brown) flexes classic bars over more strictly head nodding dope DJ Spinna beats on "Brilliance" and with the NYC legends Diamond-D, Sadat-X and Kurious (who in my humble opinion would form a super group) on the classic break filled b-side "Four Times Raw" you know this is just an essential piece of music for the collection

Available on a limited edition 7" on Correct Technique Records and from the upcoming SPOX-"Sound Pieces of X-Perience" album, which Ox tells me will be limited to 300 pieces and the version of "Brilliance" found on the 45 won't be on the album, a version with a Jazz ensemble will appear on the album instead.

Details about where to pick up a copy of the 7"inch soon, Ox has said that the advances have all been snapped up.

If you haven't heard of Long Island's Ox The Architect before then you really need to get educated my boy (haha) because this cat is by no means a new jack, in fact he has been in the game for more than a few years...


check the resume...

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Oxygen+%2816%29

http://soundcloud.com/oxthearchitect

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ox-The-Architect-Oxygen/177517055613957
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sputnik-Brown/46903891995

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FINTAN MAGEE - PAPER PLAINS EXHIBITION @ RTIST Gallery

RTIST Gallery is proud to announce the first Melbourne solo exhibition by street artist Fintan Magee opening Friday the 18th & Saturday the 19th of November.

The Paper Plains collection of paintings, drawings and installation works add an unexpected magic to the mundane and forgotten objects of everyday life. The world may be round, but a box can still provide hours of entertainment to those with a little imagination.

Fintan Magee - Paper Plains from Rtist Gallery on Vimeo.

Born in Lismore NSW, and growing up in Brisbane, Fintan Magee began drawing as a young child. Exposed to Brisbane's graffiti culture in his teens Magee began to scrawl his name across the city in large vibrant letter forms.Moving away from traditional graffiti in recent years, Magee has started to explore new ideas and imagery within his painting. In the last year he has created some of the largest and most striking street pieces in Australia.

His bold guerilla mural works often combine still life painting of found objects with installation elements. Magee's works explore themes of waste, consumption, loss and transition. They contain a sentimentality and softness influenced by children’s books.While many artists sustain their lifestyles with day jobs unrelated to their creative practice, Magee hones his skills regularly in gainful employment as one of Brisbane's premier muralists. He has been responsible for many of Brisbane’s progressive new large scale public artworks, which frequently pop up around Brisbane’s inner-city suburbs.

Magee’s work can also be seen gilding the interior of many local restaurants, clubs and hip clothing stores. More recently in the lead up to his first Melbourne solo show, Magee has coloured the city with various murals and paste-ups, including a 3 story mural in West Melbourne.

The diligence, technical skill and progressive approach Magee employs in his work has already received acclaim across the country. Magee has been a finalist of the Prometheus, Lethbridge and Churchie art awards and this year won the Cliftons Art Prize ‘People’s Choice’ Award. He has painted across Australia, Europe and the USA and his work adorns the walls of many discerning art collectors

Exhibition Opening 6PM - 9PM Friday the 18th & Event with Dj's and Full Bar from 12PM - 6PM Saturday 19th of November. Exhibit showing until Sunday 4th of December. Rtist Gallery, 29 St Edmonds Rd, Prahran Melbourne.

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AIAIAI HEADPHONES Back in stock

TMA-1

PIPES

TRACKS

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