New York, NY (January 4, 2009) - Got this email from Niki the other day, Loud.com all over the place and one of our own is getting it in! RapDreamsRadio.com interviewed super-producers and Loud.com mainstays Play-N-Skillz over the phone and, afterwards, check out Niki Damez with the No. 1 song on the countdown the last three weeks! Props to both parties for their hustle.
New York, NY (January 4, 2008) - Been meaning to post this and it just kept getting away from me. Props to hard work for this one, the boy on his grind! Here are the details from Mr. B himself:
…This was a reggaeton show we opened for De La Ghetto on 12/13 at the Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, PA, put together by Solid Ground Entertainment. De La Ghetto is a well-known artist from the Bronx, and his recent jam was with Daddy Yankee called “Talento de Barrio.” The club was packed, about 600 peeps in there. Onstage is myself, Flecha & Richy Boy. We were performing a song called “Esto Es Calle.”
New York, NY (December 11, 2008) - Coming soon…
New York, NY (November 20, 2008) - Yung Jerz put together a little something for his joint “Get On My Level” from footage of his recent performances at Wayne Hills for the Patriots football games. Props for this one, rumor has it, there’s another one coming soon.
New York, NY (November 14, 2008) - That’s what’s up! Congrats to Loud.com’s Round 4 Finalist KNONAM. He was recently announced as one of the Top 7 emcees that took part in the Jake One Remix Challenge that we posted about back in September. From KNONAM’s MySpace blog:
Vote for KNONAM 11/14 to 11/17 - This weekend only!
I have just gotten an email from Rhymesayers Ent reading “KNONAM, You are a finalist, congrats!” for the Rhymesayers Jake One Contest. Finalist! Ghea! I made it to the top 7.
From Jake One’s website: “Due to the overwhelming response and the difficult task of narrowing down to just 5, they ended up going with 7 the online voting will be posted Friday November 14th and stay up until the morning of Monday November 17th.
Help me out with as many people to vote as you can please.
Email blast, MySpace messages, whatever! Anything you can do will help.”
Listen to his track “Tilt the Brim,” which should be up and posted later today (November 14th) and available again for listening. Give it a few spins and support your fellow Loud.com user and one of the 10 representatives in the Loud.com $100,000 battle. Cast your vote all weekend www.jakeone.com.
New York, NY (November 11, 2008) – We caught up with the homie Serius Jones last month at SRC and spent some time getting to know a little more about the dude MOST people only know from the battle scene. In his Full Volume segment, duke spits a verse from “Long Time Coming” and a verse off of “The Greatest.” He also gives details of his new short film, “Life Is Serius” and why you should care about his story. Be on the look for the “Serius Bizness” mixtape due out around Thanksgiving, too. Cheah.
In his interview, Serius talks about his new album “Greatness” that he was recently recording in Atlanta that features Needlez and Malay (“Green Light”) as well as the oft-talked about “Life Is Serius,” now liberated from DTP and preparing for the many battles earlier in his career. His analogy to why the DTP situation soured is especially interesting.
Check out the trailer for his short film, “Live Is Serius” here:
Serius Jones – Slow Down
New York, NY (November 6, 2008) – From one Jersey resident to another, I caught up with Mazzi (of S.O.U.L. Purpose and Best of Both Offices) for a segment of Loud Favorites (check for the interview later on) down by Journal Square. Son is a good dude, works hard and is a more dynamic emcee than most people realize. He goes in on four quick verses here, and if you’re not impressed, I’m not sure what to tell you. Son got busy.
New York, NY (October 30, 2008) - We caught up with Boston transplant J The S (formerly Jake The Snake) at Columbus Circle during a warmer time in NY, but wanted to wait for the perfect moment to unleash this. With the debut of his latest single, “My Will,” it seems only right. Now staying in NY, son is one of the better lyricists you’ll hear on the indie circuit because the intel on this guy is that what he raps about… he does. A novel idea, eh?
Tune in as he spits two of his favorite verses and drops gems on both the heavy topics and that flossy ish the people like. Very talented cat, watch for him in the future. If you missed his track/video with with XXL coverboy B.o.B. called “Another Round,” click here.
DOWNLOAD: J The S - My Will
New York, NY (October 2, 2008) – Sometimes, rap gets, for lack of a better word, disgusting. But not in a bad way. In a good way. Something that makes you wrinkle up your face and feel good about what you’re witnessing. Like, “Ewww, did you HEAR that?” That’s what it felt like taping Grafh while he went IN on these spits. You can tell emcees that are inspired and have a passion for what they’re doing in moments like this. Needless to say, I enjoyed.
New York, NY (September 16, 2008) – The outspoken have always played an important role in society. Whether it’s been simply stoking the fires of unrest among the people at a local level or actually taking up arms and going to war with a government, revolution has been a part of every civilization at some point. Hip-hop is no different.
From the mainstream assault levied by Public Enemy, NWA and more recently Nas (eh), to the constant movement of underground champions like Dead Prez and Immortal Technique, the viewpoints offered are always one of anti-establishment, truth, justice and equality – ideals in society that are often swept away in the name of progress. Success usually depends on how those messages are presented to the public; but in the case of the person leading the charge, they couldn’t give a shit. Their point is to be heard, period. The message is what needs attention, not one person.
Final Outlaw, who calls most of New York’s five boroughs home, may not paint himself as a revolutionary in the same strokes that Immortal Technique or Dead Prez do, but their messages are all very similar. Outlaw decries the politics of the industry, name-checks the artists who left poverty behind and didn’t look back, and laments the influence modern media and technology have over today’s youth. Having dealt with his own financial and familial struggles coming up, Outlaw is a unique voice for today’s streets.
Through hard work and extensive touring NY’s local venues, Outlaw has garnered a good deal of buzz in the city, and his supporters have seen to it that his message has spread internationally, too. Here, he goes in with a ridiculous Full Volume segment that was half-rhyme and half-lecture, rapping and speaking on life with the kind of passion and conviction that can only come from the spirit of someone who’s actually lived what he writes.