Southside Chicago rapper Chi City presents his self-directed new video for “My Flow”, the Kajmir Beats-produced cut from his mixtape My Untold Story. With over nine underground tapes bearing his name – his last being 2011′s Who Is Chi City – Chi has collaborated with Cory Gunz, Mullyman and has toured with Philadelphia Freeway, Mickey Factz, Mikey Halsted and Daytona. He was crowned Coast To Coast’s Indie Artist Next To Blow and has performed at the BET Artist Showcase and ThisIs50.com’s Independent Fridays. He has ghostwritten for B.O.B., Diggy Simmons and G.O.O.D. Music affiliates. ”This record really didn’t take too much thinking,” says Chi. “I felt like at the end of the day all I really had was my flow, because this is what’s going to help change the rest of my new life. And I say new life because once I accomplish all things I want , then I can let go of the past and only move forward with those that are close around me.”
Charlotte, North Carolina emcee Shane Coble a.k.a. Stranger Day drops the Jamie Williams/Hype Cult-directed video for “Shut Up”, the new single from his upcoming mixtape You’re Welcome, presented by Atlanta rap media imprint Greedmont Park and clothing label We Are The Process. Shane followed up his first project Young, Dumb & Dope with the Barstool Bounce EP which included production from Mad Decent’s DJA, and included “Not Playin” which was featured on MTVU, Fuse and AOL Music. Bounce also included production from Philadelphia’s EMYND who Day teamed up with for the rock ‘n roll sample-fest A Sunday Drive With The Windows Down. Day dropped his first full-length album Vice Matters in 2012. The idea behind ‘Shut Up’ is being pushed to that point where you are about to take your actions beyond words,” says Shane. “I mind my own business, work hard and am generally a nice dude until you push me to that point. So if you ain’t on my team, just shut up and leave it there because we’re just trying to have fun.” You’re Welcome is mixed by DJ Famous Jason and drops July 2, 2013.
New Orleans rapper Moe presents the third volume of his mixtape series Is Anybody Listening, featuring beats from Automatik Beats, Humbeats and Trackanometry. Born at Charity Hospital – the same hospital as Lil Wayne – both his parents were incarcerated by the time he was 6, leaving him in the care of his grandmother. Moe was writing rhymes by the time she moved him to Los Angeles a few years later, “often times rapping about my parents,” he says. “No resentment lyrics though, just my thoughts on the situation.” A few school expulsions later he was back in New Orleans, playing basketball and recording the songs that would lead to 2012, the year he dropped a staggering four mixtapes. Speaking on IAL3, he says it came about “from a lot of tough times and a f ew good times. Every song is basically based on a chapter in my life. A compilation of recent events. I wanted to give listeners a look into my life. The record was inspired by the hope a better life for me and my family.”
As drummer for the legendary Grateful Dead, Brooklyn native Mickey Hart used music to create a solid foundation for himself as an innovator. Years later, as author of several books on the history and ritual of drumming, he used that foundation to expand into the world of literature. Today, he has teamed up with Los Angeles-based art team SceneFour to continue that thread into the art world with “Drum Ki”, his new fine art collection and the latest in SceneFour’s series of fine art collaborations with the world’s greatest drummers, which utilizes sophisticated technology to translate rhythm to canvas.
Years after The Grateful Dead stamped their infamous logo on the Sixties with the help of a traveling multitude of dedicated fans, Mickey continues to innovate. Mickey’s continued interest in the combining music and literature led him to create 1991′s Planet Drum album, which earned him Billboard’s #1 slot for 26 weeks as well as the first Grammy awarded for the category of Best World Album. In the fall, Mickey will be releasing the second album in two years as the leader of the Mickey Hart Band. He also recently created Rhythms Of The Universe, an unprecedented collaboration between him and Nobel Laureate George Smoot, based on astrophysical data that seeks to tell the history of the universe from The Big Bang to today. He is also on the board of directors at The Institute For Music & Neurologic Function, expanding the field of musical healing therapy.
The creation of the “Drum KI” pieces involves utilizing timelapse to capture rhythm performances onto canvas. Like a painter using paint brushes, Mickey is using an assortment of drumsticks and hand motions that light up in various capacities to build the visuals in the collection. Mickey is expanding SceneFour’s groundbreaking method for the first time to include different types of percussion beyond the scope of the traditional drum kit, such as djembes, congas, tar, the beam (a Pythagorean mono chord Mickey designed) and the Beast, Mickey’s gigantic steel drums which he used while playing in the Dead. Each piece in this limited-edition collection will be numbered and signed by Mickey.
“These pieces were made with primal energy,” says Mickey about “Drum Ki”. “”I have brought spirit into form, from rhythm to light.”
Drum Ki is one of several innovative projects from Scenefour, the art team specializing in the conceptual and design of collaborative artwork with musical icons. The RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Bootsy Collins of Parliament/James Brown fame and Chuck D of Public Enemy are just a handful of Scenefour’s collaborators, whose work can be seen in their 2011 book Come Together published by Edition Iconix. The Martin Lawrence Gallery in Las Vegas recently ran an exhibition of SceneFour’s “Art Of Drums” series, which also boasts collections from Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, Guns N Roses drummer Matt Sorum, Jose Pasillas II of Incubus and Jane’s Addiction stickman Stephen Perkins. Sign up at MickeyHartArtwork.com to get a pre-release look at “Drum Ki”, which will be revealed to the public on Jul y 2, 2013.
18-year-old Austin, Texas producer presents his fourth instrumental project, the Subliminal Innocence EP, out now. ”Like many of my releases, the main vibe is ethereal or dreamy instrumentals,” says Eric. “I wanted to show that this dreamy vibe could have variety, and work as a full length project. It was inspired by my depression, Japanese horror movies, video game soundtracks, and just the music I enjoy – hip hop and electronic music. I want people to figure out for themselves what they think the title means, and how it connects the music.” About the lead single “Teach You How To Love” Eric says “I’ve never been in love, so the only thing i know how to love at this time in my life is music. It was inspired by how I hope in the future i can understan d love for other people.” Eric has worked withartists like Main Attrakionz, The 6th Letter, Bones, Chris Travis, Amber London and Ethel Wulf.
Started in 1987 by DJs Matt Dike and Michael Ross, Los Angeles-based independent label Delicious Vinyl gave rap two of its earliest reputable crossover successes in Tone Loc and Young MC, who broke platinum with “Wild Thing” and “Bust A Move” respectively. Between releases with Masta Ace, The Whoridas, Brand New Heavies, Mellow Man Ace and more, they released Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, the classic debut from West Coast rap group The Pharcyde. DV recently dropped a slew of unreleased material from immortal producer J Dilla, namely Lost Scrolls Vol. 1, Frank-N-Dank 48 Hours, and new Dilla-produced music from The Yancey Boys. Now, Delicious Vinyl continues its devotion to hip-hop’s past, present and future. Located directly underneath the record label ’s HQ in Hollywood, California, the Delicious Vinyl store officially opened up its doors for business in February 2013, and is the first DV store of its kind. Selling Delicious Vinyl music and merchandise, it’s the perfect place to pick up classic DV records, including rare and out-of-print joints, as well as fashionable threads stamped with the DV logo, a true hip hop staple. The store also serves as an intimate gallery and event space, regularly showcasing works by artists such as SLICK and Cook One, and hosting live shows and parties with a wide variety of guests. Akin to Miss Lily’s in NYC’s Greenwich Village, the West Indian themed hotspot, the Delicious Vinyl store offers a hip-hop themed space for the musically-inclined to shop, hang out, an d generally take part in and enjoy the culture. Essentially, the DV spot is a place to discover, draw inspiration, and embrace the Delicious Vinyl aesthetic.
Southside Chicago rapper Chi City presents his new Kajmir Beats-produced single “Pour It Up”, featuring Baltimore’s Mullyman as well as Radikall of Liberti Movement. With over nine underground tapes bearing his name – his last being 2011′s Who Is Chi City – Chi has collaborated with Cory Gunz, Mullyman and has toured with Philadelphia Freeway, Mickey Factz, Mikey Halsted and Daytona. He was crowned Coast To Coast’s Indie Artist Next To Blow and has performed at the BET Artist Showcase and ThisIs50.com’s Independent Fridays. He has ghostwritten for B.O.B., Diggy Simmons and G.O.O.D. Music affiliates. “Seems like everyone forget the fact that you don’t have to drink to listen to a song about drinking, so i thought what if I made a song that talked about drinking and at the end of the night you can still go home feeling great regardless if you popped bottles all night or just sipped on water. But on the fl ip side I also wanted to cater to all the people that do go to the club to get wasted and I wanted to make an anthem for them to get f**ked up too, so I reached out to my homies Radikall and Mullyman to help me bring this weird cross genre idea together and hear you have it, a song for the heavy drinkers and a record for the chill ones in the club because either way we all have to ‘pour it up’ at some point in life”.
Jake Kasheta, Shane Sherzai, and Rob “Electric” Enea are Bay Area EDM trio Cappa Regime, presenting their new EP, The Phunk. The three were each working in various facets of the music industry (from festival production to studio engineering) when the three friends discovered a common love for EDM production and performance. With complimentary skill sets, the three have been slowly refining their style as Cappa Regime. They have been on a roll this year with a West Coast tour, plays at Coachella and Lunar Burn music festivals, and a slew of releases. “Endeavoring to break beyond the traditional ‘banger’ soundscape, we’ve been hard at work blending the hard-hitting electro you’ve grown to love with a diverse range of synths and a funkier pulse to reinvent our sound into something truly unique,” say Cappa Regime of their sound. They are currently finishing production on a track with Del The Funky Homosapien, one of his first electronic collaborations since his work with Gorillaz.
North St. Louis rapper/producer Muhamma “Mvstermind” Austin presents the Louis Quatorze-directed music video for “80-D”, his self-produced new single from the upcoming eponymous album. “80-D” features appearances from AtM, Ciej, Sixela Yoccm and Lyrique, all artists on Mvstermind’s MME Entertainment imprint. A onetime resident of New Orleans, Atlanta and several other US cities, Mvstermind returned to St. Louis to release A.D.D. (Artistically Day Dreaming), a nod to Mvstermind’s childhood diagnosis of attention deficit disorder featuring appearances from Dharma Jean, Kayla Steen, Sixela Yoccm, Adult Fur and AtM.
16-year-old emcee Y-Roc presents Livin’ Proof ’13, where he showcases his rap talents over seven DJ Premier instrumentals from Group Home’s 1995 Livin’ Proof album. Picking up musical influences from his father’s record collection, albums like Reasonable Doubt, Low End Theory and Doe Or Die inspired Y-Roc to step to the mic, releasing the Word Is Born EP a few months back (listen here). “The inspiration behind Livin’ Proof ’13 actually came from listening to the Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg Morning Show on Hot 97,” explains Y-Roc. “They were having a DJ Premier tribute mix on his birthday and they Peter said that if an up and coming MC would just rock over the whole Group Home album and was able to really pull it off, than they would be out of here. I’ve released material before but not like this. I began to find my sound and my sound matured so its really like my first step into the door to let people know im here.”
Dominican-American rapper/producer XODUS presents his new single “Go Away”, produced by Long Island beatsmith Paulie Monster. “It was 2005; I was young, trying to form my priorities,” the Washington Heights NYC native says about “Go Away”‘s genesis. “I’ve always been in a rush and I felt like if I kept spending time out in the street, there was no way I was going to find myself in time to do something great. So, I was literally locked away in a basement, in a long-term, long-distance relationship, and struggling with my own brain chemistry—trying to learn the key to my own happiness so I could begin the pursuit. I brought on my own introspective depression and Go Away was probably all I would have had the energy to mutter if I could have personified pain and exchanged words.” XODUS is pioneer of the Color Me Different movement, which he explains as “a consciousness, a philosophy. It’s about making your own decisions based upon your unique perspective; developing yourself through thought and self-analysis, rather than just embracing a societal default in order to ensure acceptance. ‘Reject the ordinary, embrace the ordinance.’” A full-length project is currently in the works.
Baltimore-bred, Los Angeles-based emcee E Major presents the self-directed music video to “Zodiac Freestyle”, where he drops lyrics over Flying Lotus’ “Zodiac” instrumental. To that end, he finally achieved his dream of moving to Los Angeles, a gamble for an artist with the kind of support he commands in B-More. His 2011 album Better Than Yours had already made Baltimore City Paper’s top ten albums of 2010 – two years after dubbing his Majority Rules album “a classic” – by the time his 2010 hit “Paper Runnin’” started doing the rounds on 92Q, later remixed by local legend DJ Booman. Wielding common-sense lyricism and a relaxed, persistent flow which presides on equal footing over boom-bap and trap alike, E’s shared stages with Lupe Fiasco, Wale, and Little Brother and has gotten the nod from Okayplayer, MTV, VH1 and DJ Booth. E’s new album Baltimore Bruin is set for an August release.
