Welcome to the wild AIDS infested, crack ladened city of New York, the year is something like 1986. We're in the midst of Ronald Reagan's second term as the President of the United States and though the economy at large seems to be in great shape, inner city neighborhoods have become even more dangerous. At the same time, the art scene has become more and more receptive to unique forms of expression with street artists and artists who adopted the style of street art garnering great attention from the art world. It is in this setting that we are introduced to Mickey MauSe, a former social graffiti artist turned neo-expressionist, a new artist that is coming into contact with some of the greats of the Neo-expressionist movement and the pop art movement (particularly Warhol). Within this frame, rapper Mickey Factz steps out of the norm and critiques the idea of being a hip hop artist in this day and age, by comparing it to being an artist in the late 80's. The major question is: unknown. As the album art suggests, there are many questions, but there aren't enough words to shape them.
The actual structure of the story is split between four 7 min Memoirs, each presented as audio recordings on a tape recorder, which detail Mickey MauSe's personal stories about living in New York, creating art in NY and why he feels the need to do so. One in particular, # II features an interview with late pop artist Andy Warhol who Mickey MauSe had the opportunity to interview prior to his death (in the story). Between these memoirs we are given music, and since this is a hip hop musing blog, that's where we really want to travel.
There are absolutely no doubts here. Mickey Factz can rap. The
09 Freshman definitely shows it here, spiting in occasional double time, shifting flows and painting masterful images of who Mickey MauSe is and why he's important and relevant to today. The beauty here is the lack of modernity. Nothing in the LP has traces to the present day or even anything post 1987. All metaphors, similes, and allusions are contained in the era (or are based on real world physical observations). Powerful lyrics come from strong imagery, like in "Union Square" as Factz says "My father taught me that buying a house is procedure/And beds are a privilege when a couch cushions cheaper/Sleeping on the floor isn’t a doubtful procedure/When your dreams are the reality of doubt to receivers"
With bold statements, artful presentation and great lyrics and delivery. Mickey Factz again shows why to be a successful artist, it isn't necessary to flood the market with material. Although not perfect, the concept of Mickey MauSe is powerful enough to warrant many listens and too powerful to warrant the picking apart of the actual music, which is very new age and electronica based (which draws even more parallels to the concept). The undeniable standout has to be the final song on the LP "The Arts (Avant Garde)" which features the beat from Nas' phenomenal "New York State of Mind Pt. 2". As the close-out and most relevant expression of Factz' ideas on modern music and hip hop, it goes to sum up Mickey's exploration of different styles of instrumental production by reminding although MauSe (Factz) may be in a gallery (signed to Battery, a subsidiary of Jive) he still represents his roots in the art of the streets.
It's been two weeks and it's about time for an update on some dope hip hop recently released. Some is more hyped up, other's a bit more underground. Check them out.
(P.S. From now on PYSC is getting shorter...less words...same music. I'll give the download link and a sentence or two on the artists. Still expect a review of one of these next week)
Fresh Daily - The Brooklyn Good Guy
Brooklyn emcee Fresh Daily is back following his 2011 release The Quiet Life. As the man who is nice not in terms of rap but in saying hi-and-bye, The Brooklyn Good Guy is more quality music from the man I call my favorite emcee of the new school. Check it out: Download Here
Fresh Daily "Workin 'It Out ('96 Cipher Style)" ft. Moruf & Black Spade
ScienZe x King I Divine - The Divine Scienze EP
Next project is a producer/emcee collaboration by another of my favorite new school NY emcees, Brooklyn's ScienZe. After finding out on his official album When Skies Fall that he went to the same high school as my mom (not at the same time of course) I doubt I'll ever find not get a new ScienZe project. This one's hot with frequent collaborator King I Divine handling all the board work. Def. cop this one: DOWNLOAD
ScienZe X King I Divine - "Happiness Is" ft. Sene, Blu, & Britain Parker
Mac Miller - Macadelic
Mac's back again! As my favorite rapper from Pittsburgh I was glad that his new material didn't disappoint, and with top features like Casey Veggies, Kendrick Lamar and Mikey Rocks, there's more than Mac to kick back to. Pick it up: Macadelic DL
Mac Miller - "Fight the Feeling" ft. Kendrick Lamar & Iman Omari
Mickey Factz - Mickey MauSe
2012 sees the return of 2009 XXL Freshman and New New York emcee Mickey Factz. After last year's Love Lust Lost, Mickey returns in full experimental form under the alias of Mickey MauSe, a graffiti artist in the 80's who's acquaintances include Warhol, Haring, & Basquiat. Check out this free concept project and get a lesson in the 80's (especially if you're a 90's baby like me): Download Here.
Mickey Factz - "Dreams of Money"
Add-2 - Save.Our.Souls
Getting out of the NE, we head to the Midwest where Chicago emcee Add-2 recently released his anticipated Save.Our.Souls mix tape. Presented by LRG, and held down primarily by Add-2 (and a few guests), Save.Our.Souls is a lesson in versatility. Add-2 proves why he's part of the great "new" wave of Chicagoan Rap along with acts like aDad and the L.E.P. Bogus Boys. Get it here: Download
Add-2 - "Cotton Fields"
Rittz - White Jesus: Revival
And after Chicago we head south to GA representer and Slumerican emcee Rittz, aka White Jesus with his re-released (and expanded) mix tape White Jesus: Revival. Experience all that Rittz has to offer, from fast flows, to great story time, hilarious punchlines etc. Check out more of the "white" south, pick it up at: Download
Rittz - "Fulla Shit" ft. Big K.R.I.T. & Yelawolf
Big K.R.I.T. - 4EvaNADay
Last but not least, we stay in the neighborhood of the south to check out Big K.R.I.T.'s newest free album (it's a mix tape but it's not...) Reviews of 4EvaNADay seem to agree that KRIT is mister consistent, with Return of 4eva and 4EvaNADay being on par with, if not better than, KRIT's major debut KRIT Wuz Here. See why pretty much every reviewer agrees, check out the music: 4EvaNADay DL
Big K.R.I.T. - "Red Eye"
That's all for this week, but check out the review of one of these projects next friday. And until then, keep your head nodding. Peace!
The genre of hip hop needs no introduction. Originating in the Bronx in 70's, it's impossible to escape the fact that the majority of the early hip hop performers were of black descent (descended from the African diaspora). However, a lot of fans today are not only quick to remind people of this, but they're also notorious for ignoring the music of any hip hop artist that isn't black and wasn't/isn't struggling in the hood. To those fans, I say grow up! Contrary to the belief of the mainstream rap listener (and the aforementioned brand of hip hop head) Puerto Ricans (and other latinos) and Caucasians have contributed a lot to the growth of the art form of hip hop and have been around for a great part of it, and I'm not even talking about The Beastie Boys or Big Pun. And since hip hop is global, and you can find rappers in France, Sweden, the Middle East, and Japan, it shouldn't be a surprise that representatives of those ethnic groups in America are now picking up the mic as well.
Case and point: Vacaville, CA native emcee Uptown Swuite shouldn't be ruled out because he's ethnically Samoan. In fact, his new mix tape Beneath the Lights shows that dude can really flow over a beat and can release projects of consistent quality. Maybe we'll hear some more young Samoans stepping in the booth too (Hell look what they're doing in the NFL...watch out!)
From the jump Uptown starts with the flow, dropping bars over the phenomenal instrumental from Common's "Be", expressing his desire to do his ancestors proud with his music. The use of the instrumental and his lyrics giving the feeling of home, particularly staying true to his roots and conveying it properly and with quality. With lighter, but upbeat instrumentals, Uptown Swuite weaves stories of his hometown Vacaville and his dreams/experioences into his bars, maintaining his timing and rhyme schemes like a seasoned spitter. "Small Town Living", "Humble Beginnings", and "The Come Up" all fit in here, with the latter being even more up tempo and energetic.
However, the most prominent of the tracks with this feel is definitely "Cukui (Forever)"which features his The Seed partner Kahlee as they rhyme about those special days where they can go pick up new clothes from clothing brand Cukui. With FourFive on the production, and a brilliant use of tremelo, Uptown puts together a song that could've easily been about a woman or the best day of his life, instead focusing on his favorite clothing brand. Honestly I'm about ready to drop some dinero on some Cukui since they feel so strongly about it.
No matter how nostalgic a project can get though, in today's day and age, people want to hear the grit. They want to know a rapper/emcee can spit that raw over a hard beat. It's here that Uptown really shows his hardest metal, with songs like "Go Hard" ft. Kahlee, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League produced "Halfway Crooks" again with Kahlee, and "Underground" proving his worth with iron bars. The biggest standout here though is "Exhibit" which features Uptown on his own, stepping out with some of the hardest and most heart filled lines on the whole project. He opens up with "they told me living ain't easy, death is the hard part/exterminate your cap like Pol Pot, what's wrong dawg?/want to own your masters 'fore they master the pen" and continues on to express his issues with his current level of success, fan response, and what people are saying. This is the song that put the project on repeat for me.
The production throughout is dope, with original beats coming from FourFive, 1PM, Jahlil Beats, and DJ Shagg. And though "Exhibit" really got me hooked, the biggest standout on the whole project is "Night Sky" ft. R.E.K.S. and S.O.L. with R.E.K.S. proving why he's one of the better spitters out right now and S.O.L. dropping off a pretty solid first impression.
Since I loved Uptown's first mix tape Church Street Blues it was kind of hard to imagine him being able to measure up to the last one. Here he does it one better with better features, better lyrics, and more heart. Though the project isn't perfect, there aren't any really notable flaws here. For the first Samoan rapper I've heard as an emcee, Uptown Swuite's definitely making good impressions. Definitely should check this one out.
In today's PYSC I talked a little bit about Honors English and his debut album with producer Needlz. However, it's an injustice to say a little about such quality hop hop, it deserves a whole review (as do a lot of the other projects) and because this is his debut, I think it warrants it.
As the first rapper on producer Needlz' Dry Rain Entertainment, the bar for Honors E was likely very high. People might've been expecting a producer/rapper, a job description that is becoming more common. People might have expected a rapper more similar to some of the other artists that Needlz has produced for e.g. Donnis, 50 Cent, and Drake. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. I first heard Honors English when I saw the video for his single "Crazay", and though the video was cool and the spitting was quality, I felt like something was missing. What was missing was a full project.
Some artists are able to sell millions of records off of one hit single, but in today's industry (in reality in the greater history of hip hop) being a solid, respected artist is about the album. Plenty of people can have accidental masterpieces, but creating 11 or more for one project takes both time and talent. That's one of my personal reasons for not downloading singles, and that's why I wasn't sure Honors E could deliver. "Crazay" was good, but no matter how unorthodox, clever, and interesting the video and song were, if State of the Art wasn't quality enough, then he might've gotten the do-not listen stamp. However, I soon found out, "[Honors English] is a fucking beast." and so is Needlz.
From the "Intro" we get to hear Needlz work his magic with a solid baseline, angelic choral sounds, and a calm that reminds me of System of a Down. A tempering set-up that alludes to the greater explosion that is to come. Without a bit of delay, the calm breaks into a contained explosion on "The Name Is..." which acts as an introduction to Honors English. With lines like "counting the emcees as sick as me? You'll need two missing hands..." we can clearly see how witty Honors E can get, but this isn't something that he'll do for free. His goal, like most passionate emcees, is to earn money from this. Bink! and Needlz handle the production on this track with at least two tonal changes (a constant production theme here). The next song "Anybody Go Hard" finds Honors E questioning the country that we are apart of , with lines like "funny how the illiterate guys have the longest sentences..."while also lacing the instrumental with verses that build up in energy. The production here begins with very punchy drums, which sink into a very orchestrated soundscape which sounds extremely atmospheric. Basically an instrumental to play while meditating. Honors E does just that through his words.
Fast forwarding a bit takes us to the seminal track on the album "Cymbals on the Sidewalk" which sees Needlz as the conductor of an orchestra featuring piano, violins, and electric bass, mixed to perfection. Again the drums here are punchy, but rest underneath the other instruments very well. We hear Honors English come even more at the issues in our society; which is the theme of the album, with each song coming back to speak on where Hip Hop is and what world surrounds it. Skipping over a couple other tracks brings us to the first single from the album "Flying High" which features Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco. Here we can hear Honors English shed the saturated cinematic instrumentals that make up the majority of the album, and hear him get extremely free and relaxed. This song is about having a good time, yet Honors E still finds a way to slip in some thought similar to Lupe. "Flying High" also shows us that Honors English can rock just about any tempo of instrumental, and can throw some very light hearted energy behind his bars and can carry hooks as well.
Nothing's ever all good, and at times on State of the Art I found myself wanting Honors E to crank the energy a bit more. I found myself expecting build ups to culminate in a kanye-esque presence and found myself a bit disappointed. After a marathon of listens, this problem isn't a "problem" but Honors English has a voice that could definitely pack a greater punch if he brought out more levels (not telling him to sing) but a bit more tonal variety would be nice. There's no instance where this stands out more than on "Anybody Go Hard" where Honors E sets a level of inflection that isn't exactly matched throughout. Also, as a whole I'd have liked to hear E carry more of the hooks, as Needlz sampled vocals for a large portion of the songs, or they were sung by another singer.
Those things said, State of the Art is definitely one of the more impressive free albums and one of the best artist debuts I've heard in a long time. Though 2011's Blue Slide Park, Radioactive, & Cole Word: The Sideline Story, had some hiccoughs and stumbles, Honors English is proving that well thought out ideas and execution still equal great hip hop. I'm looking forward to more music from Honors English and Needlz' label Dry Rain Entertainment.
So just a brief rundown of projects that have been released this year so far that I 100% recommend you to listen to.
Uptown Swuite - Beneath the Lights
The second online release from the Samoan Vacaville, CA native spitter Uptown Swuite. After two strong free music releases last year, I wasn't sure how well he'd be able to follow up. Based on Beneath the Light I was definitely unfounded in my doubts, as Uptown Swuite delivers an even better solo release than last year's Church Sweet Blues. This release sees the rapper accompanied by the rappers REKS, S.O.L. and Uptown's partner from The Seed, Kahlee. Personal favorites here are "Cukui Forever" ft. Kahlee, "Exhibit", "Night Sky" ft. REKS & S.O.L., and "Halfway Crooks" ft. Kahlee (Prod. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League) Pick it up on DJ Booth: Download
Uptown Swuite - "Be (Intro)/Humble Beginnings"
Emilio Rojas - The Breaking Point
Rochester NY native and half-Venezolano Emilio Rojas is back with a new mix tape "The Breaking Point" which features a bit more of the thorough spitting and double time flow that made me respect and love his Life Without Shame. Here, fresh off cosigns and rumors of being signed by Rick Ross, Emilio takes a bit of a detour from some of the more personal aggression and heartfelt experiences that categorized his first album in favor of more swag stamped lyricism, which he pulls off pretty well. This project also sees Emilio carrying the majority of the rhyming duties, with most features being from R&B/Urban Pop singers on hooks. Though I found Life Without Shame a more well rounded project, The Breaking Point still has a lot of what I love about Emilio Rojas' music with songs like "SPIC", "Middle Finger", and "Breaking Point" being stand outs on this one. Get it at DJ Booth: Download
Emilio Rojas - "Middle Finger" [prod. M-Phazes]
Honors English w/ Needlz - State of the Art
So every now and then you run into an artist that you never heard of before....you give them a chance and you say "Dope." then forget about them later. I admit that I did this with Honors English at first, but as the first signee to producer Needlz' record label Dry Rain Entertainment (producer of Lupe Fiasco's "Hurt Me Soul" and "Till I Get There") there should've been a guarantee of how dope he would be. In all honesty, this is probably one of the best free albums I've heard in my life. Honors English brings wit in the form of really clever punchlines and uses them to spice the deep subjects that the album details. Needlz is a monster with the production on this one, with nearly every track featuring a major tonal or melodic shift (weird describing hip hop this way). I'll be reviewing this one in depth so that's all for now. Pick it up free at: http://honorsenglishmusic.com/ or buy the deluxe version for $25...it comes signed with a shirt. Not a bad deal.
Honors English - "Cymbals on the Sidewalk" [prod. Needlz]
Rick Ross - Rich Forever
As a Miami native, I'm fairly inclined to be a fan of Rick Ross. As a "hip hop head" I'm supposed to be the opposite. I find myself leaning more to the roots on this one, and Rich Forever is the Ross that I can enjoy. I can laugh at the ad-libs, laugh at the lyrics, and bob my head to the beats. Dope combination. With probably enough features for most people's taste, I have to admit Rich Forever is definitely an experience: if I was rich I'd definitely never want to go back to being working or middle class. Rick Ross feels very strongly about this obviously, and the fervor of his spitting here is not only infectious, but also remarkably solid. We won't ever expect Rick Ross to "keep it real" but this is probably as close as you can get with "fantasy rap". Faves here are: "Triple Beam Dreams" ft. Nas, "High Definition" and "Party Heart" ft. Stalley & 2Chainz. Pick it up on Live Mixtapes: http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/15656/rick_ross_rich_forever.html
Rick Ross -"Stat Schemin'" ft. Drake and French Montana
Phresh James - Universal Lve Period
Speaking of Miami...next project comes from Miami underground rhymer Phresh James, who delivers a whole project theme around love, relationships, and great music. Personally, here I don't have a stand out, but I did find the vibe of this one relaxing and insightful. Mixed and produced primarily by Bodega Creative Co. ULP finds Phresh James laying vocals over delicate sound beds and speaking on personal love, struggles and trying to make it in the rap race. Features come from Miami's J Nics and QuEST, along with some other well known artists like Phil Áde. Pick it up at DJ Booth: Download
Phresh James "I.D.C." ft. Phil Áde & The GTW
Sundown x Chuuwee - The Adventures of the Millennium Falcon (Episode 1)
Probably one of the biggest fanboy moments of my life occurred when I discovered this project had been released. I found myself tweeting "I did the funniest fat boy dance..." and I did. If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know that I'm a big fan of 9th Wonder's Jamla and all that it stands for (maybe not all but most) and seeing a project completely produced by Sundown of Actual Proof and featuring Sacramento rhyme sayer Chuuwee made my week that week. The music itself doesn't disappoint, with each giving some quality bars over really nice production; and the star wars imprint is enjoyable as well. Though I like both of their separate projects more than this, Episode 1 implies that there will be more, and hopefully we'll see even higher quality collab work in the future. Top picks of this one are: "Back to Tatooine" ft. Intalek "Calm Down" ft. Big Remo and "Carbonite" ft. Carbin & Drique London.
Sundown & Chuuwee - "Attacking the Clones" ft. Thee Tom Hardy
J. Nolan x Reese Jones - The Archetype EP
Almost at the homestretch for this week, next up is another of my favorite emcees, J. Nolan and his collab ep with producer Reese Jones. Five tracks of good solid spitting with some major flow switches which I especially like. Reese Jones definitely has a great ear and hand at production, with every song sounding fresh and different. Since it's short there's not more to say about it except my top pick from this is "Tonight's the Night" which sees J.Nolan kick it a bit old school. Pick it up on J. Nolan's band camp: FREE DOWNLOAD
J. Nolan - "Excel" [prod. Reese Jones]
Jon Connor - The Blue Album
Next up is Flint, MI rapper/hard spitter Jon Connor trying his hand at the "tribute/prove your skills" project with The Blue Album, which contains beats from Jay-Z's The Black Album, and his The Blueprint series. If you don't know who Jon Connor is...if you've never heard him rap before...prepare to have your mind blown. Although I'm a die hard fan of extremely conscious, hardcore, political, hip hop; the general hip hop fan in me loves a good cold flow, which Jon Connor provides. Each song on the project (from only one listen O.o) has his own mark on it, and he avoids borrowing hooks/lines for the majority of them. The song that stood out most to me was his version of "Renegade" although I can tell you that it's not the best one on the mixtape. Check it out yourself and tell me what you think: Jon Connor – The Blue Album
Jon Connor - "Renegade" ft. Mickey Wallace
Soul Khan - Wellstone
Last but not least is retired battle rapper and emcee Soul Khan's newest EP, Wellstone, five songs of the New York and Brown Bag All-Stars lyricist letting loose on topics that range from politics, to women, and those less than good rappers that every "good" rapper has to talk about. Not even striking at Khan on that, it's just something worth saying. On this EP, Soul Khan's presence and lyrics hold down the fort, keep things interesting and made Wellstone the most exciting fifteen minutes of my week, so much so that I had to listen to it three times in a row (which is rare if you're not giving a full review) Best part is since it's so short you're not spending a great deal of time hearing the whole album, and you'll want to hear it again...and again. Top pick of this EP for me is "Not Like That" ft. Akie Bermiss. Pick Wellstone up on DJ Booth: Download
Soul Khan - "Wellstone" ft. Akie Bermiss
That's all for now...look for an Album/Mixtape review of State of the Art later today, and another review next Friday. Until then, keep your ears open. Dope music's all around.
So I'm ending my hiatus...but changing the format of how I blog shit...basically from now on expect a re-cap of some dope projects I've listened to (released in the past two weeks) every other Friday and the friday in between look for an album/mixtape review, most likely from the list that preceded it. I might toss out some song segments every now and then as well. Because this week is special, I'll give a re-cap list of about ten (HS) yeah ten projects that have been released since the year started, and review one of the ones on that list. Look forward to that!
Sorry to anyone who actually reads this, but I'm gonna have to take a couple week hiatus. I'll toss the remaining segments out onto the blog during that period, but I won't be doing anything new for hip hop promotion or music. Spring semester's started and I need some time to adjust. Until I come back feel free to check out the blogs that I read regularly for some hip hop inspiration and new music:
