RapperSlashBlogger.com

Sorry, I did it again..

2011-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

So according to my google analytics there's someone out there still checkin for this.. Busy as I am, its only right I hit yall with an update.

I've been busy as hell with the release of ADHD, which I'm pleased to announce has gotten a great response so far..Shoutout to Kev Knottingham, Rock the Dub, Hip Hop is Read, Bostonianz617, Dotgotit, Pen and Sword, TittyPuncher (yes u read that right), The Leakage, Fresh Hip Hop Music, Thats Major, Bsand3s, and any other blog I might've forgot to mention that showed love.

I've also been serving as the head of marketing for Scope Urban Apparel and still looking for a day job (I'm not one of those bloggers that makes a living off it). In any event, its been a long time, and I shouldn't have left you, without.. blah blah blah yall know the Rakim sh*t.

So, what's new with me? Same sh*t different day, music, disgruntled twitter rants, and failed relationships. We had a very successful release party for ADHD at Kulturez in Harvard Square.. Since then I've pretty much been spending my nights in the studio working on new material, and my days hunting down Hip Hop celebrities to endorse Scope.

Myself and Tyler the Creator - Click for more photos

Its been fun. Last week, I met Tyler and those crazy Odd Future delinquents at the much publicized "riot" at the Newbury Comics in-store. I also put some new joints out myself.

I can't guarantee how consistent I'll be with keeping up with this blog but I will try to keep yall updated as much as possible. Don't forget I also have a tumblr which I check a lot more often so don't think I've disappeared completely from cyberspace. Just know bein a RapperSlashBlogger is a lot harder than it looks so cut me some slack.

Further Proof..

2011-03-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

This morning I got a couple joints to hip yall to. Remember when I said that 2011 was the year of the female MC? Well I have further proof...

The Not Enough Mics Collaborative released their debut EP at midnight and features appearances from Sofia Snow, Tiahera Nurse, FM Supreme, and many more. The album is available for free download via bandcamp, and its definitely a must have.

Also featured on the EP is the beautiful and talented Ms K-Raydio who has put out a free EP of her own this week as well.

The follow up to her 'Signfigant Other' release, 'Signifigant Other II' is a true testament to her growth as an artist and features production from the midwest's Man Mantis.

Don't blame me if you sleep on either one of these projects.. I be trynna put cats on but you gotta do the rest..

Re- Emergence

2011-03-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

Couple shows coming up in the month of March as I rear my head from obscurity once again. If you are in or around the Boston area I strongly encourage you to come out and support. ADHD is closer than you think but in the meantime you should definitely come out to hear some of the new material performed live.

The first show goes down in a couple weeks at Hibernian Hall in Dudley. Can't believe we're in our 5th year and on our 9th show!

Saturday, March 12th 2011

YGB Movement, Voices of Liberation & BloodSkinLand Productions

(in association with the Madison Park Development Corporation)

proudly presents

YOUNG GIFTED & BLACK - The 9th Revolution

Boston's bi-weekly youth explosion returning for the 9th time with a collage of poetry, spoken word, rhyme, song, music, dance and more!

@ Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St. - 3rd floor

Roxbury/Dudley Sq. (next to fire department & barber shop)

5:00pm - 8:00pm (doors open at 4:30pm)

Scheduled to perform:

PORSHA-O

JADE

MC D

LARISA OSORIO

ALLEGRA FLETCHER

SWAGGA INC.

CATCH WRECK

KETCHUP

ATRELL

AMBER TORRES

X-RATED

DANNIELA

and more TBA!!

$5.00 tickets in advance / $8.00 at the door

To purchase tickets, visit www.madison-park.org

Contact VCR later for more info

617-480-7663 or bloodskinland@yahoo.com

The second show is part of a 5-city tour my dude Savant will be wrapping up in Cambridge at the Cantab.

The 5th and final leg of the Abstract Music Tour stops in the Boston vicinity at one of the city's prominent Central Square venues and teams up with one of the Bean's burgeoning urban music labels in OneThree Music and one of its young rising stars in Catch Wreck to bring the tour to a rousing close.

Date: Friday, March 18th, 2011

Location: The Cantab Lounge// 738 Massachusetts Ave// Cambridge, MA 02139

Savant (aka Stanstro)

http://savantrarebreed.bandcamp.com/

ASN

http://www.soulonabeat.com/

Purpose of the Tragic Allies

http://tragicallies.com/

Re-Surch

http://www.reverbnation.com/resurch

Catch Wreck

http://catchwreckmusic.tumblr.com/

Sounds by Diggers Union's DJ Books

http://thethievestheme.com/

Doors open at 8pm

Show starts at 9pm

Ages 21 and up

$7 cover before 10 pm/ $10 cover after 10pm

I'm excited to be a part of both shows and I hope you won't be foolish enough to miss either one.

Tumbl in the Jungle

2011-02-11T01:39:00.000-08:00

Just started using the Tumblr account that I setup months ago and it looks like I will soon be phasing out the blogspot and moving RapperSlashBlogger over to WordPress. In case your wondering, this decision has nothing to do with functionality and ease of use, I'm just following what all the cool people are doing. I'll be posting from here until everything's fully set up but ths is your official heads-up I'll be leaving soon

RIP Dilla and Pun

2011-02-08T06:02:00.000-08:00

#Shoutout to Jake from Pen and Sword for puttin this wallpaper together... Two legends we lost too soon...

Pale Kid goes viral

2011-02-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

By now you've probably all seen this. A couple weeks ago the homey, George Watsky released his video, "Pale Kid Raps Fast" Little did he know, the song would gain millions of plays in less then the first 24 hours of him putting it up.. Apparently a lot of people wanted to see a pale kid rap fast including none other then Ellen Degenerous.. The video is being parodied by beatboxers and other white rappers hoping to ride the wave of popularity. George and I used to joke about the fame and acclaim he got from his appearance on Def Poetry Jam. But fuck Russel Simmons and that tall Israeli, we got the internet. As I write this post the original video has generated 5,587,531 views since originally posted it.. If only there was a link to rapperslashblogger at the end of it.. Hats off to George, he's been forever diligent with his craft since I met him years ago when we both opened for Blackalicious in Boston. Be on the lookout for some new heat coming from the both of us real soon.. in the meantime, watch as he skillfully multitasks, speedrhyming and cat-stroking.. You know you wish you were ill like that...

Music to start the year with

2011-02-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

2010 was a dope year for new music. The Roots album(s), Kanye's return, The Black Keys, the rise of Odd Future, Big Boi, NERD, Smoker's Club, Das Racist, Moe Pope, Bad Rabbits, I could go on for a while.. And though we are only two months deep, so far, it looks like 2011 is off to a real good start as well.. 2 projects in particular have been in heavy rotation and deserve mention..

First and foremost, Kweli's new joint.. Talb Kweli that is.. The conscious Hip Hop veteran has yet to disappoint and with his latest project, Gutter Rainbows, he proves once again, that it is indeed possible to make positive uplifting music without coming off too preachy. Available for sale on itunes and shit like that.

The second recommendation comes from that wild bunch of hoodlums on the west coast known as the Odd Future Wolf Gang. Journey to the 5th Echelon is a well-crafted masterpiece of production from the Jet Age of Tomorrow. Like all releases from OFWGKTA, this piece is available for free download via the OF Tumblr.

Back 4 the 3rd Tyme..

2011-02-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

The thing is, when you have a life, it gets very difficult to keep a blog updated constantly with new material.. Especially when you are the sole-contributor.. If there's any other rappers out there who want to contribute your more than welcome, the more the merrier.. In any event I'm back on this, Happy belated new year to everybody who still bothers to check this, and happy 22nd birthday to me!

1st things 1st... ADHD will be out very soon and I just put out a new music video! I got mixed reviews about my self-edited, overly artsy piece for Concerto, so Rene Dongo and I teamed up once again to put some visuals with the record, "1Tyme4urMynd". The song and video mark a slightly new direction in my work, a more personal and honest approach as far as the lyrics go. With ADHD, I tried not to limit myself to "sounding like a conscious rapper" when it came to the writing, it was a a risk in terms of how I expect people to react, but so far I am extremely happy with the results. With 1tyme4urmynd, Rah Intelligence supplied a beat that starts off very dark and sinister sounding.. It lets the sun come out for just a moment before going right back into that dark place - very much a reflection of where I was at mentally while writing.. I left song structure alone and decided to just rhyme all the way through the record as opposed to trying to come up with a hook.. When Arcitype and I recorded it, we got it in one take with no punches.

Note the symbolic transitions and Rene's use of contrasting images throughout the piece. I guarantee your going to want to watch this more than once...

Catch Wreck Based?

2011-01-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

Brugal, Blunts, & PBR

2010-12-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

We definitely tried to do something completely different here. To accompany the Concerto piece I recently released off of the ADHD project, I edited footage Jacob took of me in our top secret location. I know this is something that will get mixed reactions given the content, but I feel like this works with the song in showing the depression that I talk about in the record and what I was going through while writing a lot of the material for ADHD. The quality of the footage should've come out better given the camera we used, but something got lost in the rendering. I'm still working this out, I haven't edited film in a long time and I used imovie for this so cut me some slack. Other then that, Jake shot this with his new camera that takes really nice photos and video.. what do you think..?

Hold On (Video)

2010-12-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Curren$y's new video for the record, "Hold On" Off of his Pilot Talk 2 release.

Christmas

2010-12-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

Rah Intelligence posted this on his facebook earlier today and I had to share it! Every year I go through this whole thing with people about why I don't celebrate christmas so I am thankful for this video courtesy of 4word productions that deals with the origins and meanings behind christmas in a light-hearted but real way. Enjoy..

Helmsplitter EP

2010-12-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Brand new free EP from the good people at the Helmsplitter. Not only does this feature hotness from the likes of Seyonia Washington, OTO, and Pause.. but it also got a brand new joint off ADHD called "1Tyme4UrMynd" Needless to say you need to go get this.. (Click the link to download it)

Tracklisting:

1. Seyonia Washington - Imagine if the Beat Stopped
2. Pause - Where You Should Be
3. The Helmsplitter - Fight An Animal!
4. Zayde Buti - Hot n’ Juicy
5. O.T.O. - Sail On Freestyle
6. Jasmine Mans - Nicki Minaj
7. Zeek - Hold To The Time
8. Anthony Febo - First Time
9. Catch Wreck - 1Tyme4UrMynd
10. Jack Kahn - Crisis
11. The Helmsplitter - Outro
12. Daniel Fairclough - Her Eyes (Bonus)

Boom Bap & Beyond!

2010-12-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

The new EP from Retrospek dropped this morning and I could not be happier. This might be the hottest local Hip Hop release of 2010..Hurry up and grab that free download off the bandcamp before they figure out that muhf***as should be payin for this...

CCR all day b****es!

The Helmsplitter

2010-12-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

I had a good time at WECB last night on the Helmsplitter with DongoSon and Dan the Man for their last show of the semester. In case you missed it, you can download the entire show including our conversation and some of the new joints off of ADHD..

Here's a list of the songs they played on the show..

Catch Wreck - Outta Control
Catch Wreck - Concerto
Free Energy - Hope Child
Fusion Mobile - Almost There ft Lauren Hillman
Catch Wreck - 1Tyme4UrMynd
Alien Ant Farm - Goodbye

Kangol Hats

2010-12-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

Phonetic One sent this to me this morning. Nice laid back track, sit back, smoke somethin and relax to this..

Gappy Ranks - The Best Is (Video)

2010-12-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

Watch For it... OFWGKTA

2010-12-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

It would be irresponsible of me as a blogger not to make mention of these dudes. Think the black version of Insane Clown Posse over Neptunes production, with less clown makeup and more swag. Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All is quickly taking over and might be one of the most interesting acts to hit the scene in a long time. These dudes are either on to something, on something, or both, either way, the shit works!

I first came across OFWGKTA a couple months ago via an interview they [Tyler the Creator, their leader] did with the blog Cool'eh. It was such a well-done interview that, I had to find out more. So I started doing my digging. OFWGKTA is a collective of artists, rappers, producers, and skaters with a growing cult following. Since my initial introduction the crew, I started noticing the name pop up everywhere.. I must admit, I didn't get it at first..

Shit was disturbing to say the least. Over time, however, I continued to follow these dudes and downloaded more of the music, and now the shit makes perfect sense to me..

These dudes are the Young & the Restless for real. They act it out in a way thats meant to scare the shit out of you but it does make you ask yourself, "How the fuck these kids come up with this shit in the first place?" Thats what makes this shit art! I can't wait to hear what they got in the works but you can be assured I'll be keeping a close eye on their tumblr for the latest. You should too..

Bad Rabbits Remix Album

2010-12-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

Brand new thanks to the heads up @ KarmaLoop.. If you don't have the Original Stick Up Kids EP go get that now and then go get this.. Sh*t's tight!

Problems

2010-12-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

This new joint I got from NYOIL goes hard! I am a firm believer that conscious rappers should never be afraid to step out of their element to let a muhf*cka know he can still get smacked. We not the hippy conscious rappers! This joint, which also features Sic Men and Dyverse, reminds me of Wu sh*t from back in the day which should be know surprise since cats also hail from Shaolin (The Stat.. Staten Island if u don't know..)

Year of the Female MC

2010-12-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

Its official.. 2011 is the Year of the Female MC. Without even getting into the debate over the artistic validity of a Nikci Minaj, there are at least a couple projects surfacing that indicate she should be the least of a lot of people's worries.. Enter Rapsody and Keziah: Two sistas with projects out that shit on 95% of what's out there..

Hezekiah's sister proves talent runs in the family with her self-titled EP.. Available for free download via Bandcamp..

9th Wonder affiliate, Rapsody boasts tight flow over smooth production on the mixtape, Replay.

Both projects are available for free download so the only reason you wouldn't grab these up is pure ignorance or hate. Don't be one of those people.

Joell Ortiz - Battle Cry [video]

2010-12-06T04:17:00.000-08:00

#Fire

Big K.R.I.T. - Can't Be All (Official Music Video)

2010-12-05T04:41:00.000-08:00

Lovin this joint!

PEMG and NYOIL present: Beneath the Surface

2010-12-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

NYOIL and PEMG are putting together a new series called Beneath the Surface. In the pilot, NYOIL sits down with Ant Rich, Head of Urban A&R at Jive Records to discuss the current state of the music industry. Definitely an interesting conversation..

The Bullits – Close Your Eyes (Starring Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu)

2010-12-02T04:18:00.000-08:00

CLOSE YOUR EYES - THE BULLITTS starring JAY ELECTRONICA & LUCY LIU from THE BULLITTS on Vimeo.

Dope new video I found on World of Underground Hip Hop. Jay Elec is killin sh*t right now!

Dillalude Day (Part 2)

2010-11-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of Fran-P's Dillalude series just surfaced this morning. Hopefully we don't have to wait as long for part 3..

CCR what it do??

Yes, I did..

2010-11-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

Concerto by Catch Wreck

The new project ADHD is almost complete.. It's been a little while since I put something new out and I got tired of waiting.

Goin Back

2010-11-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

This joint goes hard. Termanology been killin it lately!

The Strong Survive

2010-11-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Shoutout to Andres Hale and The Well Versed for posting 10 Dope Female Rappers not Named Nicki Minaj.. Thanks to that list I discovered an extremely talented and versatile artist by the name of Nikki Lynette. On her website she states,

"My music is a mix of hip hop, rock, and dance music. People used to tell me my sound wasn’t urban enough. They don’t tell me that anymore. Now all that they can tell me is congratulations."

Lovely. I have a new crush..
Her mixtape Roses and Guns is available for free download via DJ Booth and her EP, The Strong Survive is available for sale via her bandcamp page.

Jailbirds

2010-11-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

Via Pen and Sword Political Pirates Blog

Video / Info Graphic by Frank Chimero for Good Magazine visualizing some of the horrifying stats about U.S. prisons

Don't do that, Do this..

2010-11-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

Brand new from Moe Pope.. Foolish, featuring Reks, off of the Life After God LP..

A Classic, Remixed

2010-11-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

New Son of Bazerk!!!!

2010-11-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Brand new fire from one of the most slept-on Hip Hop acts of all time. For those that are not familiar with the genius that is known as Son of Bazerk, I refer you to two classics..

Now in 2010, Son of Bazerk returns with No Self-Control and DJ Johnny Juice.. No potency lost.. The new song, I Swear on a Stack of Old Records, pays no mind to traditional approaches to Hip Hop and goes in its own direction.

Gappy Ranks

2010-11-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

If you are not already hip to Gappy Ranks, you need to be. One of the most versatile artists to show up in a long time, Ranks kills it on the Hip Hop as well as the Reggae tip..

New Rah Digga: Classic (Video)

2010-11-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

She said, "Sweatsuits and Pumas, Me and my cougars.."
Thats what I'm talkin about ma!

Take Drugs

2010-11-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

This shit is like Drop Squad meets Pulp Fiction meets Clockwork Orange meets.. I don't know. This is definitely weird.. but it works..

New Talib Kweli "Cold Rain"

2010-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Kweli tweeted this out this morning and my man Defcee put it best, "That's the best Talib song I've heard in a loooong time."
Here you are..

Boston Music Awards

2010-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I'm actually not disgruntled at the fact I'm not nominated. Actually I could care less about an award or a nomination but there are some names on the list that definitely need your support. The voting has just opened so its up to you now to decide who gets the recognition.. Here are my picks..

Live Artist of the Year - Bad Rabbits

Bad Rabbits Promo | Chain Gang Productions from Chain Gang Productions on Vimeo.

Just watch that video! I caught these dudes openin up for the Cool Kids at the Paradise about a year and a half ago and I was blown away by the energy they bring on stage with them. From what I understand they are at work on an album right now and performing around the country..

DJ Artist of the Year - Kon

Kills it! 'Nuff said! Go see him spin!

Hip Hop Artist of the Year - Moe Pope

Formerly a member of Project Move and before that, Insight's The Electric Company, Moe Pope teamed up with producer, Rain, to put out one of the most important albums for Boston Hip Hop. This dude deserves a couple more nominations than he got..

Pop Artist of the Year - Bad Rabbits (See Above..)

Now go vote!

The Black Panther Series

2010-11-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Jamarhl Crawford on the Black Panther series from Marvel.. (Via the Blackstonian)

I am a huge fan of Comic Books and Super Heroes, particularly Marvel Comics and the variety of Black Super Heroes they have in the Marvel Universe. Of all the Black Super Heroes, Black Panther aka T'Challa, King of Wakanda, has got to be one of the best and in-depth characters created. Aside from Stan Lee's attempts to include Black characters which often still embodied stereotypes ie: released from prison, former drug dealer, son of a drug fiend, etc., the Black Panther represented Politics, Spirituality, History and Nobility, much of which was previously unseen in comics and other forms of media like tv, radio and film...

Read the full article and watch episodes from the series on Blackstonian.com

Game Time

2010-11-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

New heat from my comrades in the Petroleum Empire! #shoutout to my G, NYOIL. This joint bangs! Hip Hop needs to start paying attention to the next generation of artists thats about to shut it down! Joints like this remind us that our beloved Hip Hop- the movement, the culture, is indeed surviving the game..Ice T style..

Jay-Z on Lettermen

2010-11-17T03:13:00.000-08:00

I know I'm not the only one who's anxious to read Jay-Z's new book, Decoded. Here he sits down with Dave Lettermen on CBS' The Late Show to discuss the new release, the music, drugs, and little guys with guns..

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward | Official Trailer

2010-11-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

Conspiracy theorists rejoice! The third installment in the holy trinity of spooky documentaries is on the way! I'm no zealot, but the Zeitgeist series certainly raises some interesting points. To be honest I never made it through part two in its entirety but I am certainly interested in seeing what part 3 has to offer.

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward | Official Trailer- [ Extended ] from ZeitgeistMovie.com on Vimeo.

AR Classic presents: The High Life - We Came to Rock

2010-11-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hands-down the hottest video Boston has seen in a while..

Drop Squad

2010-10-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

You might've heard the rumors circulating that a Conscious Hip-Hop super-group was forming. I am pleased to report this morning, that the rumors are in fact true and have been confirmed by a track that has just surfaced featuring Jasiri X, NYOIL, Uno the Prophet, and Lunchbox.

Get Some

2010-10-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

The new single from Lykke Li. Like anything with dope visuals, the conspiracy theorists will find a way to connect this with illuminati. Oh well, the song is dope..

RIP Tito

2010-10-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

Saddened by the news I woke up to this morning. At this point, myself, and many of the people I grew up with, have lost count of how many people we've lost to street-violence. Tito was well-known and well-liked around my way. I was shocked to find out he passed away early this morning. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and everyone else coping with yet another loss. Here is video footage courtesy of Dante Luna, of Tito speaking on the loss of Luis "Mata" Troncoso, who we also loss to street violence..

RIP Mata and RIP Tito

Retrospek: Get Familiar!

2010-10-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

From Left: Junelyfe, Rah Intelligence, Spenda (Retrospek), Myself, Mark Merrin, Mr. Lif, and Edan @ Church in Boston

For those that don't know, Retrospek is easily one of the most slept on Hip-Hop groups from the Bean in a long time. If you don't already have SumShytWeDid in your mp3 player, stop slackin and get it now.

2 weeks ago, at the Church nightclub in Boston, along with Dagha, Moe Pope, and Edan, Retrospek put it down live at one of the dopest nights for local Hip-Hop in a long time...

Additionally, this morning a track called "Ruff Coffee Break" off of their upcoming EP surfaced.. if its any indication of what to expect in the future from these dudes, then there's a lot of rappers in a lot of trouble..

Ruff Coffee Break by rahintelligence

Dead Prez - Malcolm, Garvey, Huey

2010-10-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Serj Tankian on Tavis Smiley 10/12/10

2010-10-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

System of a Down's Serj Tankian sits down with Tavis Smiley to discuss art, activism, and Tankian's new solo project, Imperfect Melodies..

Watch the full episode. See more Tavis Smiley.

Its Nothing but...

2010-10-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Goin down Friday, November 5th at Amauri's Boutique in Jamaica Plain...

Just Added to the list of invited guests: Dagha (Electric Company and Project Tree) and Dutch Rebelle (Fanous Nobodies)

This is not something you'll want to miss if your in the area..

Breakfast

2010-10-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

Brand new from my dude Fran-P..Shoutout to the CCR!

And we're back...

2010-10-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Been too busy to keep up with this lately but I'm back on it now.. Stay tuned, new posts on the way...

Classic!

2010-09-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

With @TheRealRahDigga reppin for @Scope_Apparel at the Concrete Jungle Pop-up shop in Boston.

The album is nuts!

Boston's Own: Sofia Snow

2010-09-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was waitin to see this. Shoutout to Scope Urban Apparel and Dante Luna doin the series highlighting the local talent.

Cheeba Cheeba

2010-09-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Holla If ya Hear Me!

2010-09-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

#RIPTupac

Snakes and Ladders: Muhsinah - Yiy (Music Video)

2010-09-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

(Via HWP) #Shoutout to @Duatron from @BadRabbitsBand ..This song and video is a well put together work of art... Plus it incorporates one of the most underrated childhood games of all time.

And for my art and film people..

Trill OG

2010-09-12T02:10:00.000-07:00

At Karma Loop (@KarmaLoopBoston) w/ Bun B (@BunBTrillOG) of UGK (RIP Pimp C) for the release of the "Trill OG" Ts

Go to Scope's Facebook page for the rest of our photos from last night's adventures on Newbury St.

Das Racist - Ek Shaneesh

2010-09-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

The way these guys poke fun at controversial topics, I'm surprised no one's gotten killed yet...

Kanye West Ft. Common, Pusha T, KiD CuDi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson – G.O.O.D. Friday

2010-09-11T03:02:00.000-07:00

Download Now (via ThatsMajor)

The latest in Kanye's Good Friday release series. Its almost as if he's redeeming himself for all the disappointments over the years.. Despite the now-notorious series of drunken heart-felt tweets, I've yet to be disappointed by any thing he's put out musically which leads me to believe I'm not the only one wondering.. Is Kanye back or what?

Chris Faraone Takes on Corruption in the Prison System

2010-09-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

The reform-proof prison

Why Massachusetts' correctional system hasn't gotten any better

By CHRIS FARAONE | September 8, 2010

In March 2004, Kathleen Dennehy was hired as the new Department of Correction (DOC) commissioner. The first woman ever to hold the job, she had served nearly 30 years in the system, working as a deputy commissioner and before that as superintendent of the women's prison in Framingham. The challenges before Dennehy were grave; in August 2003, defrocked Catholic priest and serial child rapist John Geoghan was strangled to death by a white supremacist in his cell at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, casting a negative light on the department.

In response to the subsequent uproar, then-governor Mitt Romney and his secretary of public safety, Ed Flynn, tapped Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to head an investigatory panel, the Governor's Commission on Corrections Reform (GCCR). The final Harshbarger report concluded that Geoghan had been severely harassed at Walpole, where the priest was initially held, and that at Shirley, Geoghan had landed in a vulnerable cell block as a result of officers citing him for unwarranted disciplinary infractions.

The Harshbarger report was ugly, and over the next three years, the DOC's Office of Investigative Services struck officers with 312 charges of misconduct, resulting in the firing of more than 100 guards across the department. Seventy-three officers were found guilty of illegally assaulting convicts, and 98 were found to have participated in illicit sexual misconduct with prisoners. The report also proposed strategies for purging the DOC of rogue guards deemed unwilling to accept the department's heightened standards. The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) fought hard against the DOC's crusade, directing much of its spite at the woman who Romney chose to spearhead the invigorated state prison reform effort.

From the beginning of her tenure as commissioner, Dennehy clashed with union loyalists intent on maintaining the status quo. Reps from the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) declined to show up at initial meetings to draft a new department vision statement, and, five months after Dennehy's start, officers hit her with a vote of no confidence. But in the years that followed, until Governor Patrick replaced her with Harold Clarke in 2007, it got worse: Dennehy reported that her car tires were slashed during one prison visit; union members followed her with an inflatable rat and hired private investigators to pursue her; and an underground officer newsletter caricatured the commissioner performing oral sex.

READ: "Troubled Over Bridgewater," by Chris Faraone

It's no surprise that Dennehy locked ideological horns with the union. MCOFU's then-president Steve Kenneway had just completed a tour in Iraq, where he served at Abu Ghraib as an Army reservist. When the notorious Baghdad prison came under scrutiny for outrageous human-rights violations that were exposed in a series of incriminating pictures, Kenneway publicly defended his military comrades, stating that he never witnessed a single inappropriate interrogation. Dennehy, on the other hand, was tasked in to lead the biggest Massachusetts jail reform initiative in 40 years.

One proposed change that was met with vitriol by union members pertained to system-wide disciplinary and grievance processes. Historically, convict complaints had little chance of reaching DOC administrators beyond prison walls, as each facility operated as its own fiefdom in which investigations of prisoner abuse were discreetly addressed or completely ignored. Dennehy sought increased accountability, not only in how grievances were handled, but for officers who abused their power. Only third party DOC administrators, she believed, could admonish rogue officers.

Read the Full Story Here: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/108112-reform-proof-prison/#ixzz0z289Fvj6

Dub Kweli

2010-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

From the producer who brought you Mos Dub, Jaydiohead, and Double-Check Your Head... More Mash-up madness from Max Tannone (@MaxTannone) with the arrival of Dub Kweli.. A combination of classic Dub Reggae and the lyrics of Black Star's Talib Kweli.

Bandcamp Picks

2010-09-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bandcamp (@bandcamp) is not just an indie artists' dream-come-true for putting out material and gaining a following. Its also a great place for fans to discover new music from artists they might otherwise never come across. I found four projects in particular, while browsing on bandcamp that I thought might be worth sharing..

Versis, Illcandescent ($7) Hip-Hop | Sufjan Stevens, Illinoise ($5) Indie

Magic Man, Real Life Color (Free) Lo-Fi | Fresh Daily, Mothership/Land (Free) Hip-Hop

Hard Times - The Roots x John Legend

2010-09-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know a single person who's not looking forward to this project! As if, "I Can't Write Left-Handed" wasn't enough to get you amped for the new album, The Roots do it again with a blazing new version of a classic Baby Huey record.

John legend and roots- Hard Times Feat. Black Thought by SCPlayer

Open Transport

2010-09-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a tweet from @Asheru (the man behind the Boondocks theme..) I just checked out a documentary from ten years ago about the underground Hip-Hop scene.. Its called Open Transport..

OPEN TRANSPORT from Bert Custodio on Vimeo.

Dre Robinson - Wah Do Dem

2010-09-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

My dude killed this one!! Shoutout to G. Ball and Pollymore..

Anjuli Stars - Starvation Vol. 1

2010-09-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

I've had a crush on Ms. Anjuli Stars ever since I used to see her doing her thing on the open mic scene in Boston while she was goin to Berklee. Now back in Miami, Anjuli blesses us with a soulful blend of Hip Hop and R&B on her mixtape, Starvation Volume 1. Available now for FREE DOWNLOAD!

Catch Wreck on Interstate Mixtape Vol. 1

2010-09-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

(Download Link via ThatCrack below)

Tracklisting..

01. Jigg (Miami) - Rockin Wit

02. Stik Figa (Kansas City) - Dirty South

03. Zoom AKA Brazy (New York) - Brazy (Produced By Pay Homage)

04. Catch Wreck (Boston) - Too Hot (Produced By Loon3)

05. Travieso (Inland Empire) - Its Official

06. Rocky ASAP (New York) - Bittersweet Symphony

07. H2 HardHeadz (C.W.) , Young Shaad, & A.R. (San Fransisco) - Kissing You

08. Da block (Los Angeles) -This is DF

09. Young Trav(Kansas City) - There for You

10. FatkidsBrotha(Atlanta) - Dope since 88'

11. Triggs, Krome and Mr. LOOn3 (Los Angeles) - You aint Ready

12. TroubleMaker (Pittsburgh) - Last Hope

13. Zoom AKA Brazy (New York) - La La la La(Produced by G-14 Beats

14. Krome (Los Angeles) - Im A Balla

15. Big Joe (Los Angeles) Stomper (Los angeles) & OTO (Boston) - Thrown it All Away (Produced By Loon3)

I'm on #4.. W/ A Banger called "Too Hot" produced by Mr. Loon3

Mixtape | ThatCrack.com | Download

Wiz Khalifa - In the Cut [Official Video]

2010-09-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lowkey Murders it..

2010-09-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Meme Mj from Hope in Gaza.. Lowkey is a U.K.-born Hip Hop artists of Iraqi descent.

Introducing.. K-Raydio

2010-09-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Sofia Snow for the headsup on this one. Straight from Minneapolis, K-Raydio's EP, Signifigant (Other) is available for free download via bandcamp..

The project is a nice refreshing blend of Soul, R&B, Hip-Hop featuring J Dante and Phonetic One...

<a href="http://kraydio.bandcamp.com/album/significant-other">Intro by K.Raydio</a>

Photos: Pause - Stuck on 100 Release Party @ Concrete Jungle on Newbury St.

2010-08-28T04:56:00.000-07:00

Had a great time last night celebratin the release of my dude, Pause's new free mixtape, Stuck on 100.. Scope Urban Apparel/Hood Prop/Pen and Sword/Grindmode/etc. was in the building representing

Blizz, Jero, Pause, Myself

If it wasn't for the colors I might rock this.

Myself and the lovely Ms. Sabrina Antoine

Illiam Savant, OTO, and myself

Jake, Pause, myself

Step ya game up.. If ya store aint got a fishtank, you slackin'!

Chantelle, Illiam, and Jero

Boston Latin School reunion: Myself, Cassandra from the Outlet Magazine, and Kayla

With Jordan Martins

Rene Dongo of Dongoson Pictures

Hoodlums: Myself, Jake, and Blizz

Myself along with the beautiful and talented Ms. Rozell.. Collab in the works...

Myself, Fex, Pause, and OTO

New Scope Tee + Contest

2010-08-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

Boston-based Scope Urban Apparel has been stirring up the fashion industry with their latest T-shirt: A design that takes aim at the controversial practices of Shepard Fairey and his company Obey..

In addition Scope made the announcement via their blog that they are holding a contest for fans to come up with their next slogan..

What: Scope Urban Apparel is holding a contest to see who can come up with the best, most creative and catchy slogan for Scope. What that means we leave up to you. Entrants are encouraged to think about Scope's Mission to empower, educate and engage when formulating their slogans.

When: We are accepting entries from now until September 15. On September 15th we will select / name the winner and the winning slogan will be revealed.

The Prize: The winner will receive a Scope care package containing a free shirt of the size and design of their choice, among other goodies.

How to Enter: Send your name, e-mail, street address and winning contest entry to scopeurbanapparel (at) gmail (dot) com. Then, wait for the 15th to see if your entry was the one we picked. If you have multiple entries feel free to send them in one e-mail or send several different e-mails. Each entry is another chance for you to win.

New Anthem

2010-08-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

"I guess she's an xbox and I'm more Atari.."

This seems to be everyone's new favorite song and I don't count as any kind of exception in this case. Who can't relate to this? And when doesn't Cee-Lo kill it?

Do you believe in..

2010-08-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Brand new off that Young & The Restless..

Young Gifted and Black and Catch Wreck featured in the Boston Pheonix

2010-08-20T05:23:00.000-07:00

Young Gifted and Black makes responsible rap cool
Drama of the Gifted Child
By CHRIS FARAONE | August 18, 2010

If you look closely in the 2002 video for Public Enemy's "Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need," you'll see a 13-year-old Jesse Winfrey playing the background. He was hanging in Roxbury's Funky Fresh Records when front man Chuck D entered the Dudley Square landmark with a cameraman in tow.

Winfrey, who now performs as Catch Wreck, has remained tight with his anti-establishment heroes, and opened for Public Enemy two weeks ago at the House of Blues. Chuck D knows what's up; along with his other Young Gifted and Black (YGB) counterparts, Winfrey is leading a revolutionary and enlightened rhyme movement in Boston.

Launched in 2007 by Dorchester native and community soldier Vernon C. Robinson, YGB has evolved from a series of events into a collective of socio-politically astute MCs, poets, and singers. As a whole, they don't endorse drug dealing, gun toting, or ill-gotten gains. As individuals, some participants — including Winfrey and spoken-word prodigy Sofia Snow — push further, fighting the power on such issues as police brutality and CORI reform.

"There's no buffoonery at my events," says Robinson. "I don't need to tell them what to write about, because the youth that I'm dealing with knows what's going on. They're leaders with a higher consciousness than most of their peers."

In the "each one teach one" tradition, Winfrey and other movement veterans are paying lessons forward by recruiting young new talent. Since it was built without a dime of outside funding, YGB might not be on the radar of philanthropists or politicians. But with Catch Wreck and his brethren expanding their positive base, it may be time to take notice.

"Deval Patrick should be paying a lot of attention to this," says Jamarhl Crawford, an outspoken Boston activist and Winfrey's mentor since Chuck D introduced them at a Public Enemy show in 2002. "We've spoken with [political leaders] about getting funding to help [YGB] grow in the future, but if you look at what's been going on in the streets, it clear that something needs to happen right now."

Winfrey, who recently dropped a mixtape dubbed The Young & The Restless, rocks the eighth biennial YGB showcase at OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center in Egleston Square this Saturday. YGB expects 200 attendees this time around.

"For the most part it's not cool or mainstream to be an activist," says Winfrey, "and with our music and movement we're trying to promote responsibility and make it cool."

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/106993-young-gifted-and-black-makes-responsible-rap-cool/

Death of a Beatmaker

2010-08-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

More from the Milwaukee camp.. And its free also, courtesy of InkRed Clothing. Dope also, did I mention dope?

Download via Bandcamp

Stuck on 100

2010-08-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like free mixtapes? And its even better the sh*t is dope! And Jake from PSPirates did the cover. Get it now for free!

Click Here to download.

Grindmode "Ooo...You Didn't Know"

2010-08-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

rockthedub: [video] Grindmode "Ooo...You Didn't Know"

Slept on Classic

2010-08-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Rock Harder!

2010-08-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

New music from Kendo the Almost Famous, who also opened up for Public Enemy the other day, along with DMC from Run-DMC. Shit's fire!!

Full Circle!

2010-08-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

When I was in Middle School I was the biggest Public Enemy fan, probably at least in the city of Boston. When I was in 7th grade, I was lucky enough to meet them when they shot the video for Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need. Since I've known them, they've been some of the most humble and sincere people I've met in Hip Hop. Last night they performed in Boston and hours before the show, I got the call that I was to open up thanks to Professor Griff and the big homie, Uno the Prophet. At what could quite possibly be one of my biggest performances ever, I shared a stage with the legendary Public Enemy, as well as the slept on Son of Bazerk, and Kendo and The Almost famous.

Pledge Allegiance

2010-08-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

Brand new from PEMG. Wish I would've made it out to Staten Island for their show over the weekend but in any event the new video is hot to death!

Weekend Recap

2010-08-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy 72 hours for your boy.. Between traveling, performing, teaching, and filming, I been gettin it in! So I wanted to share some photos and some stories from my many adventures over the weekend.

"I love myself because I swear their life is just not as fun.."

-Drake

So lets start from the top..
When you arrive in NYC on megabus, it drops you somewhere near here..

NYC's Fashion Institute of Technology. I snapped a photo because when I go back in a couple weeks, I'm hopin to go check it out with a couple of my comrades from Scope Urban Apparel. Although I saw a lot of fly women going in and out of the building, we would be going there for strictly research purposes...and maybe a little networking ;)

From there I walked up towards Times Square passed Fuse TV and Madison Square Garden. I had time to kill before gettin up with Igor Buckets in the East Village so I decided to search for something to eat.

Now for a city as expensive as New York, I was pretty impressed with the slice of pizza, garlic bread, and beer I got for only $6. Sorry yall I forgot the name of the spot.. Its somewhere in Manhattan.. as if that helps at all..

On the way to Igor Buckets' crib I walked passed Forbes Magazine. I always imagined it being located in one of those really tall skyscrapers or something but it was right there on 12th and 5th.. almost discreetly hidden.

When I got to Igor's crib, he played me some of the most amazing beats. If you aint heard Waitin yet, your sleeping.. And wait till we hit you in the head with this newness.. The beats I listened to over there, I can't even describe to yall but trust we bout to hit yall with some heat! After Igor's crib I rushed over to Brooklyn to have dinner with Sasha from Beyond the Radar.

Almost forgot to tell yall about the ad I saw on the train. It must be the New World Order.. Spike Lee got a vodka out with Absolut?? How do you spell hypocrisy again?? Well anyways back to my adventures..

Sasha and I had intended to go to Habana Outpost which is supposed to be a real famous spot with delicious Cuban food, however with the line practically out the door, we opted for Ethiopian instead. And I'm glad we did...

The Lamb was off the chain!! From there we checked out the MXGM sponsored, She's So Dope event, which was just a little further into Brooklyn. Got their late of course, but the last of the performances were dope and it was good to see my dude K-Swift up there again, whom I haven't seen since the Last Zulu Anniversary I attended. From there we intended to hit up the Nuyorican.. But of course never made it.. typical Bostonians getting lost in NYC. After that I was beat and ready to call it a night.. Plus my performance at Roxbury film festival was the next day so i jumped on the Greyhound and made my way back to the Bean.

With less than a nap I made it down to MassArt just in time to open up for the showing of Chico Colvard's documentary Family Affair. Rene Dongo, the genius behind the majority of my music videos came through as well..

And after all that, I finally got some sleep!

Adventures

2010-07-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well I aint even been in New York for 24 hours and of course its already an adventure. Politicin and networking for the music, organizing, and the various business ventures. I'll be here till tomorrow morning.. then its back up to Boston to perform at the Roxbury Film Festival's showing of Chico Colvard's 'Family Affair' documentary.

RIP Korona

2010-07-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Got word today that the album my dude Korona started before he passed is out and available.

Its a lot of mixed emotions for me. I love the album, and I'm glad it got done. But still saddened by the fact that its always the good one's that go early. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. RIP Korona

First time for everything

2010-07-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

I bought my first piece of visual art today. The colors and the design stood out to me so I thought, why not? Not bad huh?

From the Vault: Want it!?!?

2010-07-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

The beginning of PEMG... NaeInk, Smoov Da Great, Big Nay the Ice Queen..

This is the first video for PEMG! We never released it but as we prepare to launch the video for Pledge of Allegiance we want to take it back to the foundation. This first project features some of our extended family first on deck is NaeInk repping Chi-town and Grand Rapids MI all day! We also have our big homie CatchWreck repping Boston Mass.
And of course we have official PEMG members Smoov the Great and BigNay the IceQueen.
This is what it is .. and that's what's up!

-@NYOIL

Waitin.. The Video!!

2010-07-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

The vid is Up! O and I gettin it in the studio...

New Wise!

2010-07-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

Brand new fire from Wise Intelligent of the Poor Righteous Teachers!! Definitely not mad this right here!!

DJEZUZ DJONEZ Water Walker from INTELLIGENT MEDIA GROUP on Vimeo.

"Waitin'" Featured on Rock the Dub

2010-07-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Khal for coverage of "Waitin'" on Rock the Dub:

OTO & Catch Wreck "Waitin'" (prod. by Igor Buckets): Lovin' this beat right here - it's hard but rocks a fun sample as well. Not sure if Catch & O have a project lined up, but a video is definitely on the way. I imagine if it's gonna be a bunch of C.O.'s singing and dancing with a jiggin' ass nigga on his way to death row. Via RapperSlashBlogger.

http://www.rockthedub.com/2010/07/oto-catch-wreck-waitin.html

"Waitin'" Featured on That's Major

2010-07-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

Shouts to That's Major for spreading the new O.T.O-Catch Collabo "Waitin'."

Dope! Catch Wreck always has serious presentation, and the production is on some crazy alchemist shit

http://thatsmajor.info/2010/07/catch-wreck-ft-oto-waitin/

Now What?

2010-07-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Waitin ft. OTO by Catch Wreck

New music from myself and O.T.O. Be on the lookout for the video comin real soon..

Git U 1..

2010-07-22T04:13:00.000-07:00

Lookin mighty crispy if I may say so myself..

BUILD: Alfie Numeric

2010-07-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

Back in the ancient days of primitive social networking and myspace, I once came across an artist with visually stunning work and a very unique and memorable name.. Alfie Numeric, the beautiful and multi-talented artist from Los Angeles, California describes herself as a "modern day urban warrior." At 17, while trying to achieve stardom by posting videos and music on my page, I think I thought I was in love.. Fast-forward to the future world of blogs and tweets and I (grown now of course..) found Ms. Numeric once again.. To my extreme delight she agreed to do an interview for the blog. She has not agreed to go on a date with me yet, but I am working on it...

Catch Wreck: So, for those unfamiliar, what is it that you do?

Alfie Numeric: I have two equal jobs ... my career is artist/graphic designer/curator/event producer..that's my spirit. My day job is working at the Writers Guild of America, the union for Hollywood writers.

CW: So you're an artist of many talents..When did you find your calling and what medium did you start out with? Do you have a preference when it comes to the different types of art you do?

AN: I think it’s safe to say that my calling found me! I’ve been drawing since I can pick up a pencil. I used to get in trouble as a child drawing in my mom’s medical books, on the walls, on the sidewalk. I’ve always wanted to be an artist but as a kid, I didn’t think I could make money from it. But art chased me down in my college years and tackled me by the time I graduated.

My first medium was graphite. There is no mixing involved. No storing paints. No crazy clean up. Just you and the pencil, pushing and pulling on the paper. From there exploration is needed in growth so eventually I started toying with other mediums. Right now, I am playing with acrylic paints, glitter, wood, some clay. My exploration has not stopped.

I don’t have a solitary preference. I believe it all depends on the project and what is the best way to convey that project in the best light possible. I am learning that I am a better drawer than painter. Often time my sketches get lost in translation when I put paint on it. Because of that, I prefer working on natural pine canvases. The paint behaves more like a pencil and is more fluid.

CW: I know exactly what you mean. I gave up on painting years ago..I hope this next question isn't too cliche.. But where do you draw from for inspiration?

AN: I believe it is safe to say that I draw inspiration directly from life. Every piece is auto-biographical. You can say that each piece is like a page out of my mental diary. People have their own ways on how to process life. Mine happens to be visual at the moment. It is even brought to my attention that the women I paint look like me. I can only paint what I know so subconsciously, I do paint women that look more like me.

CW: So its not intentional?

AN: Nope, I don’t feel that it is. I just draw and paint. I don’t use models unless I need someone to strike a pose for reference. I have been thinking of using models to diversify the subjects but when I paint, I don’t plan it out. I just dive in.

CW: Well if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to model for you..

AN: Very funny..

CW: So do you have anything in the works that people should know about?

AN: Aaah, yes.. Well, we have the closing of “Portraits of the Proletariat” on July 24th. That was a group art show with my crew, the Beatrock Artist Kollective. Special musical guests are Bambu and Rhythm Natives. That’s in Long Beach CA at Dream Jungle Tattoos.

Then on the 31st of July, I am double-booked… Earlier in the day, I will be in Chinatown LA for the Make it Funky Music and Art Fest. Then in the evening I will be live painting at the JACCC for the TN Party in Little Tokyo. Outdoor concert, live art, vendors, and gourmet food trucks.

In September, I will be part of the 19th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, the largest Pilipino arts festival in Southern California. I will be painting a mural there with the Beatrock Artists Kollective.

CW: I will be sure to pass that info on to our readers. Its been more than a pleasure building with you..

For more on Alfie Numeric be sure to check out her website featuring the Beatrock Artist Collective as well as her Profile on Artslant.

Another Forgotten Classic

2010-07-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Might be one of the most solid conscious Hip Hop albums of all time. Start to finish New World Order is the truth, literally.

Tracklist:

01 Who Shot The Presiden ? (Intro)

02 Miss Ghetto

03 Word Iz Life

04 Allies feat. The Fugees

05 New World News (Interlude)

06 Gods, Earth & 85ers feat. Nine

07 My Three Wives (Shakyla Pt. III)

08 Wicked Everytime

09 N.A.T.O. (Global Cops)

10 Conscious Styles feat. KRS-One

11 Culture Freestyles (Interlude)

12 They Turned Gangsta feat. Brother J & Sluggy Ranks

13 We Dat Nice

14 Hear Me Out (Interlude)

15 Fo Da Love Of Dis

16 Dreadful Day feat. Junior Reid

17 Sistuh

18 Outro

DL via HQHipHop

Forgotten Classic

2010-07-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

This album might've been the only that kept me sane during my stint as an incarcerated teen...and undoubtedly one of the most slept on in Hip-Hop period. I always loved the way Shyheim was able to express the struggle of a young black man growing up in the hood in a way we can all relate to. Here it is for yall courtesy of HQHipHop

Tracklisting:

01 Shit Iz Real

02 Dear God

03 Jiggy Comin'

04 5 Elements

05 Shaolin Style

06 Real Bad Boys

07 What Makes The World Go Round

08 Can You Feel It

09 Life As A Shorty

10 Don't Front - Let's Chill

11 Things Happen

12 See What I See

13 Still There

14 Young Godz

Download here

More Music!

2010-07-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

2 of the Artists featured on Watch for it Dropped projects this week. And the best part is they are both available free of charge!

JDante and Dawnson's Destiny dropped yesterday and you can get it for free on bandcamp.

Rafael Casal's Bay Boy just dropped as well and is available via his website, the Getback.

Both of these joints are highly recommended and did I mention free?

New Sites!

2010-07-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

We goin blog crazy out here! Just set up a couple sites to focus on networking and movement-building.

Young Gifted and Black was actually set up a few years ago, when myself and many of the young artists of color in Boston came together for a show that eventually grew into a movement. We never did much with the website until now, but the hope is to use this site to turn YGB into a global movement with young artists of color all over the world.

United in Resistance is a blog that we setup after the powerful video conference with Gaza. With this site we would like to continue the dialogue we began with the video conference and also promote Afro-Arab unity and solidarity.

Dub Love

2010-07-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

More love from Khal from RTD

Catch Wreck "Outta Control" [clean | dirty]: Wreck and Rah Intelligence have been working hard, and this is the first leak from their EP 4 The People, which should be out for free very soon. Shit's kinda gritty - hardhitting and raw Rap.

Article Here