Lexington and Whatevski - Preggers Can't Be Choosers

I finally got my mitts on a copy of Preggers Can't Be Choosers by the legendary duo of Lexington and Whatevski. After seeing their music video for the "hit single" Shotgun a Beer I was pretty pumped for this release but I only managed to get a copy two days ago (and I blame myself for that). It was worth the wait.
I've only listened to it once all the way through but I've got good words to say about it already:

The vast majority of the album kicks ass. The rapping is wicked, especially on tracks like Lexington's Brain and Shotgun a Beer. The production is fresh, and for whatever reason they're dropping more danceable tracks (hear Fireworks in a Lightning Storm). I preferred the production on Customer Appreciation Day but this is certainly good as well, it's just different. And it's also got an incredible verse by returning guest Hollohan aka God, who spits the most insane rhymes in The Blood Letting. Overall, I could have used a little less interlude stuff and more rapping but it's definitely not a CD you should pass up. If you liked CAD (and if you haven't heard it, you can get it HERE), then you'll like this one.

Keep it up you two, I'm waiting for the California tour!

You can find the album HERE on CDBaby!

Welcome to Winter

It is the first seriously rainy day of the season. It had rained a couple of weeks ago but transitioned back into summer heat, and then it cooled down in the last week. Today, however, I woke up to the rain.

Lovely, lovely rain.

It is beating on my window still, and when I woke up a couple hours ago I opted to stay in bed, listening to Spiral Like the Nine by Livestock, and reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. The rain makes me want to write and read, listen to music and relax, cook, and discuss philosophy and living, and soak in new knowledge.

Winter is the time for learning. It is when the outdoors becomes both less desireable to walk around in and more desireable to walk around in, depending on the amount of rainfall. It is the time to listen to great music and read great literature.

Id Obelus is awesome + 2 FREE albums

I don't know if you are entirely aware, but Mr. Rick Haschel, known to the majority of you as Id Obelus, is a totally freakin' awesome dude.

I first heard his music... hm... probably through... I dunno. I heard it a while ago when I managed to get my hands on the DJ Bizkid & Id Obelus Fully Automatic Mixtape and it was totally radical. Smash Your Television was too fresh. And of course he dropped that super kickass guest track on Nomar Slevik and Ame One's Stonehenge Diaries.

Anyway... point is, the dude has fresh raps and he introduced me to some artists that I didn't know before. He e-mailed me a couple albums the other day that I'm happy to share with you guys:

Id Obelus - Freemixes '09
This is a remix album of Obelus' stuff, so click here for a FREE DOWNLOAD!

Dreadnots - Robotic Hands of God Voice of the Last Days
As described by Id, it's "a psychadelic instrumental hiphop album from Pittsburgh's Dreadnots"
(I've been bumping Dreadnots' other album The Giant Trips for the last few days and I must say, it's a superb album! Keep 'em comin', Dreadnots are hot fyah!)
FREE DOWNLOAD!!!

Download these goods, burn 'em to CDs and bump them in your car when you drive around town. Seriously awesome, and thanks to Id for the goods. Keep listening, and never pass up on some free, good hip hop!

This is all about sharing, right?
(It sure is.)

When I Got Into Hip Hop

The realization that I liked hip hop happened for me when I was in my senior year of high school, at the very beginning of the year. I didn’t like hip hop before that time because I had grown up in 90’s California in the Sacramento area and all of the stuff that I heard on the radio was west coast mainstream stuff. I heard Tupac, NWA, Snoop Dogg, and all that stuff that was blowing up over on the left side of the country, and I honestly just didn’t like it. In senior year I discovered, quite by accident, the nerdcore hip hop scene, and oh goodness, that really quickly spiraled into a love of hip hop.

At first I was laughing about how a bunch of nerds were rapping, and then I decided to take a shot at it myself, and I discovered that I was really enjoying the community (Rhyme Torrents circa 2006). I was one of them, and I identified with them. I realized that these people weren’t making fun of hip hop as much as they were expressing themselves with it. Up until then I had though in such a mainstream way about hip hop music and it never crossed my mind that there was much else to it than the drugs, money, booze, etc. This was it. This was my introduction.

I was listening to a bunch of hip hop then that I don’t listen to now, a bunch of stuff coming out of the nerdcore community that’s kind of dated already, with low production value and terrible breath control. Everybody was just trying new things out, getting a feel for it. Through all this I discovered, thanks to Doogie Howitzer, Canadian hip hop. My mind was transformed.

I was downloading everything I could get my ears on from Canada, and I discovered during that year that the East coast was putting out all good hip hop in the nineties. I heard B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, Nas’ Illmatic, Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers, and started listening for that raw, powerful hip hop sound that really just makes you feel what they’re feeling. You can get sucked into it and understand why they're saying what they're saying.

Hip hop is an art. It took me 16 years to realize it, but there’s no doubt about it. Now I can’t help but get my greasy paws on anything that’s got a beat. Now I dig through CDs at my local music store looking for anything and everything I haven’t heard before, and I browse the internet daily hoping to open up my hip hop consciousness.

Now I’ve been awakened to a world of music I never thought existed. What else is out there that I haven’t even heard yet? I hope I stumble across something right now. I may have come into it late in the game but I'm never going to leave.

3 Things That Music Does + More or Les/Fresh Kils Video!

Sounds come out of speakers or headphones and do several things:

1) They entertain.

2) They influence mood.

3) They inspire.

At least, these things happen for me. When I'm drawing I like to listen to Spiral Like the 9 by Livestock and let the raw production and soothing, big bear vocal styles guide my Ticonderoga 2HB Soft across the page. It inspires me, helping me fall into a sort of trance and really get into the piece I'm working on.

When I'm out running around town I like to listen to Baracuda's Do Tell Mixtape because the pumping, rough-housing flow of the entire album really pushes my limits, boosting my body to a new level of physical ability.

And when I can't find a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth, I put on Burglaritis by Wordburglar, because that's the only album that can entertain my need for excessive wordplay and puns.

All this is important to me, and I need to be in different situations to reach the peak of enjoyment for each album that I have. Generally, one of these three things happens (and occasionaly, 4. They Disappoint) when I listen to music. This is why I have an endless search going for new music, I'm constantly trying to find something new to hear as I embark on my next journey.

So... enough said, let's listen to something!

This is recently out!
From Hand'Solo Records description:

More Or Les and Fresh Kils recently released their collaboration EP that is appropriately titled The Les-Kils EP. They’ve just released the video for first single, “Pop N’ Chips”, a party-having posse cut that also features Timbuktu and Ghettosocks. The song is produced by Fresh Kils. The video is directed by Darrell Faria, produced by Mike MacMmillan and edited by Jonathan Eagan.

Seriously, this is fresh, and the video is hilarious!
If you don't like this, you're a darn fool.
Enjoy!

Unlimited Versatility.

People tend to think that rapping is all about money, women, drugs, and booze.
That's only part of it.
Hip hop is a medium of unlimited versatility.
From ytcracker to Bourgeois Cyborgs to The Killaz.
It's all over the place.
Let it overtake you.
Go somewhere new.
Discover the Hidden Kingdom.

Video of the Day - We Have Come for your Children

So... I know this came out a while ago but I didn't share it with you before and I ought to share it with you now. It's got some of my favorites (Wordburglar & Ghettosocks) and the cinematography is just plain awesome. Though you can view it here, I highly suggest going to the actual YouTube video and watching it in high definition on your giant flatscreen monitors. Very flashy and nice on the eyes, yo.



Suptertoke 3 - We Have Come For Your Children
feat:
Ghettosocks
Wordburglar
Bath-o
More or Les
Odario Williams
Carl Sampson
Uncledropsi
D-Ray

TYT's Puzzle Pieces out tomorrow

Rapper TYT, who can be found on a billion and one releases through various Rhyme Torrents artists, is releasing yet another album, entitled Puzzle Pieces. You can order it on HIS SITE or if you'd like to first, check out some of the tracks on his MySpace Page.

In addition to being a cool cat, there are a TON of guest artists on this album, including, but not limited to, Schaffer The Darklord, Epidemic, Conyeezy, nYgel, and Nerraux (from the Awful Show Podcast).

Check it out!

Big Huge Truck

When is this album coming out? I can't get enough of the tracks that are on the MySpace page and I have absolutely no idea when this release is set to come out!! I first heard House on Wheels (feat. Noah23) when it was listed as a track on one of Noah's mixtapes (which was released as "feat. Gregory Pepper") and I fell in love with it. And MadadaM, ever since I heard Train Rawbers, has been one of my favorite producers of all time. And then, with the fairly recent release of "With Trumpets Flaring" by Gregory Pepper... I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS ALBUM!

If you don't know, the project is a collaboration between MadadaM and Gregory Pepper, two prolific artists, teamed up with a slew of the most wicked Canadian rappers (and probably other people as well). As you'll see on their MySpace, they've already teamed up with Noah23, Ceschi, Livestock, and Blue Blue Heron. And every song is great.

Right now I've been listening to the track Cautionary Tales nonstop, which features a genius collaboration with rapper Ceschi, and one of the best transitions I've ever heard in my life... so what am I going to do until the full album is out? I guess it's time to keep listening to the MySpace player and pray that these fantastic artists get crackin'!

Check it out:
OFFICIAL MYSPACE

The Red Bus

In my infinite link-hopping search for new hip hop, I stumbled across this group called Red Bus, which is a collaboration between Dedflower, Yetione, Lorax, and Observer, some artists who seem to be related to Pattern-Hungry Records, an Indianapolis-based record company. I've never heard of the group or the record label, but I'm glad I stumbled across this project.

That's the cover of the album, though it doesn't give up much information.

Aside from having fantastic rapping, the instrumentals really caught my ear because they're not really what I expected when I picked this album up. In fact, I had no idea what I was about to hear but as soon as I threw it on the player, the first thing that I thought was that I was mistaken and had accidentally downloaded an indie album and not a hip hop one.

The only downside to this album I've found thus far is that it is only 5 tracks long, so... I'm waiting for more! One of the big upsides is that it's free! So, what are you waiting for? You ought to download this so you can bump it while you're riding your bike through the county roads... ah, at least that's what I plan on doing later today.

Here's the link their MySpace page, where you can find the album inside a blog post.
CLICK HERE FOR THE RED BUS

I can't wait for their next release, and while I'm waiting, I'm going to raid Pattern-Hungry Records for some other albums. This stuff's really good.

No Davis Hip-Hop...

I love the town I live in.
Davis, CA is a bright and cheerful town full of music and art and people and culture.

The one thing it doesn't have is a solid hip hop scene.

This is a problem, and one I'm willing to start fixing.

In the meantime I'll be plugging into my ZUNE and walking around this lovely city with the hip hop on call, and when I want to see a show, well, I'll be seeing indie legends around here, which suits me quite nicely. Two nights ago I caught Spider Friends, Ribbons, and Olive Drive. Great lineup, great sets, over at The Shack. There were less than fifty people there, it was fantastic, and as always, everybody kicked it. But as much as I loved the show, I'd like to see some serious hip hop shows here, so I'm going to get on that.

I'm currently listening to Hip Hop Wieners: All Beef, No Chicken. It's a combination of John Smith and Pip Skid, from Break Bread and the label Peanuts & Corn. This album is fantastic, it's a really great crew, and then you get all these great guest spots too, like Gruf and Birdapres. I've been bumping this pretty often the last few weeks.

I'm back ya'll!

So... many apologies for disappearing for such a long time and not posting but I've been at work on a secret project for a while now and I'm getting everything in order... Legendary Hip Hop is back on track now, however, and expect sporatic posts throughout the weeks to come!

Right now, though, I wanna say, I've been listening to TONS of music I've been stumbling upon or given and there are some reviews to be put up and music to share! So stop searching yourself, 'cause I'm gonna give it to you straight.

Recently I've aquired some fantastic albums and they are most radical:
Grandmaster Pink is Nerdier than You, by Grandmaster Pink (aquire for FREE!)
GooseBumps 3.0 compilation put out by Milled Pavement Records
Welcome to Fuckland by Nomar Slevik
Million Dollar Fantasy Freak Show Mixtape by Billy the Fridge (aquire for FREE!)
and more!

So I'll be putting up some reviews soon and sharing the good music.

Keep listening!

Here Comes a New Challenger II: Turbo!

I know I'm a little late announcing this but...
Game Music 4 All (in association with Scrub Club Records and EMPulse Records) has released a fantastic album, a sequel to the first round of battle...

HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER II: TURBO!

If you haven't heard about it, let me give you the low-down: Last year, Here Comes a New Challenger pitted chiptunes and VGMusic artists against nerdcore hip hop artists to create a collaboration that spanned multiple genres and brought together communities who previously did not have proper connection to one another. The experiment was to get everybody working on the same side, and boy did it work (results: HERE)!

This time, the list has been expanded. More artists from both fronts have joined the fray, and the battle rages on. Chiptunes, vgmusic, nerd rap... you name it. If it's nerdy, it's on this album in some form or another. And with a list of artists as big as this... how can you not download this album?

Some of my favorite artists on this album:
Superpowerless (catchiest chiptunes artist from the UK, period.)
Conyeezy (rapper from the midwest who is a total nerd and music tech junkie)
Epic 1 (awesome nerd rap from Florida)
Norwegian Recycling (one of the coolest mashup artists I've ever listened to)
illgill (nerd rapper from Los Angeles who let me crash on his floor and do a show in his apartment)
DJ Snyder (producer and turntablist that most people know from Metamystics Inc.)
Videogame Orchestra (wicked chiptunes)
Category (UK rapper that I met at the first show I did)
Legendary Wizard (that's me! Of course I made an appearance on this album!)
AtariMatt (my partner in crime, chiptunes artist from Texas)

Oh, and did I mention it's free, too? That's right. Game Music 4 All is all about the spread of music, getting the music from somebody's thought process to the recording studio (be that in a professional studio or someone's parent's basement or a closet), from the studio to the internet, from the internet to your computer, and from there... well, that's when you plug in and listen.

The site is designed very well too, with options for Story Mode, Adventure Modes, and... well, I'll just let you find out! It's probably the most wicked design for an album I've seen yet.

So what are you waiting for?

You should be listening to this album, and here's everything you need to know to do so:
HCNC2:T OFFICIAL PAGE

Additional links:
Game Music 4 All
Scrub Club Records
EMPulse Records

The Nothing -- Digital Villains

Review of,

The Nothing -- Digital Villains

by John James

Hip hop group The Nothing (not the San Franciscan, but rather from all the way out in Pennsylvania) hit me up with a copy of their newest album Digital Villains last week. Not knowing what to expect having not heard of them before, I threw on my headphones and dug into the album. Emcees Solomon Pade, Mar, and Teddy Holmes join together their vocal stylings to drop their third studio album since the group formed officially in 2005. Upon asking about how they originally got together, Solomon Pade had this to say:

"We all met in Gettysburg, Pa in high school....We were always walking around freestyling recording mixtapes since like 15...but formed The Nothing in '05...so we've been friends for years...which is why we have such good chemistry with one another"

... and that chemistry definitely shows! The tracks are woven together so smoothly with beats provided by Mar (under the production moniker Wally Peanuts), and lyrics provided by all three of the emcees. What surprised me was how solid the album is throughout. It's all catchy, it's mastered very nicely, and the verses are full of lyrics that don't leave you waiting for someone to get educated, if you know what I mean.

Hopefully I'll be seeing more of these guys and I'll be keeping track of their latest releases (and I'll let all of you in on what's up as well). This CD is very well put-together and I suggest it if you like that kind of gritty, definitely underground sound, with catchy choruses and enough talent to blow your mind several times over.

The album is definitely a keeper, and these guys don't seem to have a lot of exposure, at least not over here in California (add them on MySpace!). Unfortunatly there are only two songs available on their MySpace but they're both good, and if you check out the other link below you can pick up a copy of the album and pick up the magic. Don't miss out, this album is guaranteed FRESH!

Want to know more?

Official MySpace

The Nothing on Sonic Bids

Preorder: Deeskee & Escape Artists - For the Birds EP

Deeskee & Escape Artists present...
"For The Birds" EP


(copied straight from Escape Artist's bulletin)
Featuring: 2mex, Awol One, Radioinactive, Joe Dub, The All Deadly Jizzm, LifeRexall, Avatar & Ikey Owens

Paintings and illustrations by Chris Granillo (Royal Bird illustrations)
Cover design and layout by La Mano Fria (Beta Bodega Coalition)
ONly 300 Tocopies.

PRE ORDER IT HERE!!

Random Art Projects -- Ignore Igrorance

Review of,
Random Art Projects -- Ignore Ignorance
by John James

Id Obelus and Tramaj Voyix joined forces after Id Obelus (Rick Haschel) and Matt Milo teamed up for a music session that resulted in the beginnings of the album's first epic track RandM. Matt summoned the rest of Tramaj Voyix and Random Art Projects (R.A.P.) was born. Unlike anything else I've heard, this electro-hip hop psych-rock project is a DEFINITE keeper, pushing hip hop to new boundaries. I'm certainly glad I got a copy of this album and you will be too.


Throwing on the album I got my first taste of R.A.P. through RandM, the first track on the CD which opens up with some unexpected and crazy vocal stylings and all sorts of odd and indescribable sounds coming at you left and right. There's something about the album as a whole that makes you both scared and excited, and is a hip hop album that makes me want to dance... and then hide somewhere. Dance hall tunes hit you like a disco ball bouncing strobe light waves and sounds that kind of linger and creep you out. Unlucky drops some of the danciest tunes ever and makes me want to get my groove on while I'm walking through the grocery store. The whole album is a masterpiece of musical fusion, a combination of hip hop and indie-dance grooves, woven into a must-hear musical tapestry. I can't get enough. The lyrics border on seriousness here and there with social commentary from Id Obelus, very notable in the track Tokyo, speaking about the world and all of it's failures.
If that's not your thing, don't let that hold you back because the album is also chock full of silly lyrics too, and the melodies they've put together (vocals included) are incredibly original and not worth skipping over.


Favorite Track:
Hatching! Hatching!! is my favorite track on the album because it's got a supremely dancey beat with some seriously wicked raps from Id Obelus and then the transition into the happy and satisfying chorus which gets stuck in your head like nothing else. There vibe of the production is almost like the instrumental of a Unicorns song, but the unique style of Tramij Voyix definitely shines through. The stuttering vocals 4.00 minutes into the song with the catchiest melody on the album on the keyboard keep the song fresh and catchy all the way through. In fact, I can't get enough of this song and I suggest buying the album even just for this track.

Want to learn more?
RANDOM ART PROJECTS OFFICIAL SITE

Want to buy it? It's fantastic, and available here for a mere ten bucks:
ALBUM PURCHASE

Seriously, though, this is a fantastic album.

Track of the week -- Groundhog Emcees

A track of the week that has no direct download? I apologize, but I don't have proper hosting and so I'm bringing you to the album itself, but it's worth downloading the entire album because it is fantastic. It's free, too, so don't get in a hissy fit because you have to lose a little bit of space on your computer. This album is epic, as is the track.

One of the best ways to hear new artists is, as I have mentioned previously, to catch them on a track with another artist you already listen to. As I have been expanding my horizons as much as I can recently I have found collaborations to be the best creations in the world.

A track that consistently blows me away right now, with artists I had not heard before:

Groundhog Emcees off of Touch's album Dead Words, available FOR FREE on Hand'Solo Records.

Groundhog Emcees features Touch, AC the Ace, Max Prime, Advice, Epic, Planit, Whatevski, and Lexington.

Artists from all across the board are here, bringing forth their rhyme stylings and different flows to create an epic closing track to one of my favorite Canadian hip hop albums. You can catch this track for free, so don't miss it. I can't express how important collaboration tracks are for networking and finding new listeners.

DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM
HAND'SOLO RECORDS OFFICIAL PAGE

Quick Collaboration Trees.

I'm always on the lookout for artists or albums I have never heard before, and the easiest way to find things is through collaboration searching. No doubt I've heard a lot of music through word of mouth and just by simply stumbling across things, but there's nothing that gets me to an album more quickly than hearing a great guest spot on an album.
Here's my latest download/discovery spree:

Epic > Kay the Aquanaut > K the I > etc., etc.

Not that I hadn't heard of K the I before, listening to Epic caused me to stumble across his album when I was browsing What.cd. K the I? I heard that fool on Train Rawbers first, fantastic album.

Noah23 > Gregory Pepper > Wormhole > Barracuda > etc., etc.

I've been expanding my mind. Every time I hear a great collaboration, I go find whatever I can from the guest on the track and download everything I can. Sometimes I come up empty-handed, sometimes it's a gem. I just follow artists, song titles, and whatever else comes my way until I discover new music. Everything is entangled together in a massive and ingenious web. Take advantage of that.

Keep working together, it's how a lot of us find out about you.

Going to Work in the Morning

I wake up at 3:15am to start getting ready for work at the Institute of Reading Development, the office of which is located 11.30 miles away from my house, so I hop out of bed and quickly shower, pick out a shirt and tie, throw on a jacket, grab something for lunch from the refrigerator, and hop on my bicycle. The ride takes me approximately 47.00 minutes, sometimes a little more if it's windy and sometimes a little less if I've had ample time previous to stretch properly, and it's a long time to ride through the cold 4:00am air, but every step of the way I have some form of hip hop accompanying me.

I usually throw on my headphones and pocket my Zune, opting to listen to my music fresh from the source, and I take my extra hour of the day which most would consider wasted time and use it to study hip hop. I listen to the inflections, the beats, the instrumentation (or timbre, if you will), the different vocal recording techniques in place, the extra sounds, the production style... whatever is available in the music to hear. And I really hear it, I don't just listen to the music. I'm soaking it in through every push.

And some days I do not have my Zune, and my CD player is always on some sort of hiatus, and so I spend the time looking at the beautiful scenery around me, constructing new mental images of what is going on in the countryside at 4:00 in the morning. I watch the changes in the fog level, the temperature changes, the area where I can see all the stars because there are no streetlights for a stretch of the ride, and I freestyle about it, and I write things down in my phone that I really like and I try to capture my environment in my lyrics. I like to actively become a part of my surroundings, and it has been pushing my lyrics in a direction which I cannot complain about in the slightest.

The morning used to be a time when I hated being awake, opting to stay up at all hours of the night and wake up late, but now I'm utilizing the extra hours I get out of the day to study hip hop, create hip hop, and become more in tune with the things around me.

Why hip hop? I don't need an instrument on my to rap. I can improvise better with my voice than I can with any instrument I may have every used. I've had my voice since the moment I was born, and I've been learning the English language my entire life. It's only natural that I should share my experiences through my voice, and with the medium I feel most comfortable with; the language I have grown up around, and the language which I have been speaking my entire life.

Hip Hop is not a type of music, it's a type of life.

Lyric of the Week

"I've never met Pip Skid but I've seen the effects on everyone who did."
-- Bleubird (from Music Appreciation II by Epic, from the album Aging is What Friends do Together on Hand'Solo Records).

Why this lyric? I don't even listen to Pip Skid, mainly because I accidentally deleted his album from my hard drive (and I should download it again), but I listen to Epic daily, because he's one of my favorite emcees right now. This track is off of Epic's latest album, which everybody should listen to, but this lyric has been really blown me.

I think what it is about this line is that it is so simple but it has such emotion behind it. It is powerful. Plain as day.

But why is it so powerful? I would have to say the delivery of it has a lot to do with it but it's really important to note what it infers; meeting Pip Skid will change your life. And I don't mean to say it in a pretentious way, but I can see that. I've met people and heard music that really changed the way I thought/think about music and life, and everything inbetween.

In all, incredible.

Here Comes a New Challenger II: Turbo trailer

That's right... it's coming soon! The trailer for Game Music 4 All's Here Comes a New Challenger II: Turbo is right around the corner. Get stoked!



Game Music 4 All
Here Comes a New Challenger 1

Noah23 - Rock Paper Scissors

I've been listening nonstop to Noah23's epic album Rock Paper Scissors. I've had it for a while and been meaning to listen to it but I haven't been doing much other than working (way too much) recently and my ZUNE was on hiatus for a while. Actually, it was the cable that was on hiatus but that really translated directly into me not being able to use the device at all. So, I've been putting off listening to new albums until the other day when I threw on RPS and... it's indescribable.

The first thing that struck me was how much more I liked it than Upside Down Bluejay, which I thought had a pretty good vibe to it. If you don't know, RPS is a collaboration album, in that every track has a guest on it, and it's amazing all the way through. There are some guys that I can never get enough of (Wordburglar, Epic, Livestock, Demune, Gregory Pepper) and some new guys that I'm rapidly searching for music from now.

So... best track on the album?
Elephants March (feat. Fidget and Bleubird)
With more change-ups than a relief pitcher, this track switches styles constantly, mid-verse, and comes straight up with wicked rhymes from all three emcees right off the get-go. I can't stop listening to this, and in fact, I'm going to ask Noah if I can throw it on the premier FlipTape (new music article that's coming soon!) so that you can all hear it too. I'm not able to post it up because it's not a free album.
But seriously, there are components of this song (that I'll discuss in full later) that just make me excited to be a fan of real hip hop. Perfect. I'd say this is one of my favorite all-time hip hop songs now, and that's a hard list to get on.

Go show your support, and listen to Noah23's other projects too. I first heard the guy on Train Rawbers Volume 1 and I'll never stop, as long as he keeps putting out albums.

Noah23's Official MySpace
Rock Paper Scissors Album
Plague Language Official MySpace

illGill/Chozo_Ninpo -- Church of Fudge!

illgill (aka William Gillis) and Chozo_Ninpo (aka Porchmonkey) have teamed up with a slew of artists for their RPM 2009 release CHURCH OF FUDGE! Did I tell you that I love illGill's music? I'm always excited when he puts out new songs.

Featuring: Don Vito, Attackslug, Gabriel, MC Loki, MC Coolwhip, Mister b., Funky49, MC 8-Bit, King Pheenix, and Fatty Goodness and more!

It's a rickety ride through hell and back, surely. I can't say for sure though because I am currently downloading it myself, but I'm assuming it's going to be awesome. If you're not aware, RPM is a challenge in which artists have one month to create an album from scratch.

So I'm listening to it and it's wicked so far. What I like the most is that there are special guest appearances I didn't know about, including Tripp Vomit, a Los Angeles emcee I met during West Coast Wig Out, but I haven't gotten to hear any of his recorded work until now. He's dope.

Also, illGill sounds wicked, and Chozo opens with a wicked verse on Losing Control. Awesome, and nice to hear from him again.
Download it. Seriously. It's free!!!!

illgill official website
download link!

(I know this post may seem half-assed but that's only because today is the first day in my life that I've had a real job and I worked from 9:00am until 5:00pm today and woke up at 5:30am this morning. So... to be completely honest, I'm very tired.)

Review: Ame One and Nomar Slevik - Stonehenge Diaries

It opens with Salisbury Plains, introducing Ame One and Nomar Slevik, along with DJ Bizkid, geneva.b, Id Obelus, and Raystar, the guests scattered throughout the album. Haunting melodies hook you in immediately with some Lauence of Arabia-style vocals from an unknown female vocalist. The first track after the intro, produced again by DJ Bizkid, opens with an homage to The Notorious B.I.G., with Nomar singing, "I don't wanna live no more // Sometimes I hear death knockin' at my front door." and what follows are a couple of fantastic verses and a very catch hook (I'm a whole country // I'm a hundred thousand people...).

From here it's only uphill. The tracks progress with some wicked beats, chilling out and relaxing here and there and pumping it up, too. What I like about this album is the way the artists are laid out on it. There are different people on every track. Aside from the fact that it is a collaboration album, it really is a collaboration album. Ame One and Nomar Slevik don't even appear on every track together, sometimes it's just one of them, but every track has some other guest on it as well.

I think the production is wicked throughout. I'm not a huge fan of the production on one of the tracks (Home) but... every other track is nuts. The first verse on What's Happening is wicked, and I can't stop replaying it. Suntory probably has the best production on the album, alongside the introductory track. Id Obelus really kills it on this track. The sounds on this album are incredible.

Megaliths, the last track before the remixes of Slow Down and Second Chances, which bring both of the tracks into a new light, is an awesome showcase of styles, with Nomar, Ame, Id Obelus, and Raystar on the track, with DJ Bizkid credited for mastering the track. The Nomar Slevik Remix of Second Chances is even better than the original and is exactly the type of production I would like to hear with this vocal track.

Overall, this album is a superb mix of artists coming together through Nomar Slevik and Ame One to create a soundscape that is perfect for taking a weekend of traveling through. Stonehenge Diaries is a fantastic album, and if you want it, there's a few places you can get it, so go get it!

Purchase the album through iTunes, eMusic, SIQ Records and other musical outlets. Support these artists, they really deserve it. And it's only $6.00, so don't you go getting cheap on me, here. It doesn't get better than this. I feel this album will be on rotation for some time to come, certainly, and look out for Nomar's new album Welcome To Fuckland, coming out soon through dis.eased wrekkids!

(Due to some miscommunication issues, partially my fault for not clarifying things before posting, there is some incorrect information in this article, and for some reason I'm having trouble working through it again, so I'm going to post the correct information, as pointed out to me by Mr. Nomar Slevik:

"I mixed and mastered the whole album except for Slow Down 1 which was mixed by Ame One and Slow Down 2 which was mixed by Raystar.

I produced Track 1-Salisbury Plains with Cuts by DJ Bizkid
Ame One produced Track 2-Stonehenge Days with vocals by me and cuts by DJ Bizkid
Ame One produced Track 3-Slow Down with vocals by Raystar and geneva.b
I produced Track 4-Second Chances with vocals by Id Obelus
Ame One produced Track 5-Home with vocals by me
I produced Track 6-Whats Happening with vocals by Raystar
Ame One produced Track 7-Dumb Dee with vocals by Id Obelus
Ame One & I both produced Track 8-Megaliths with vocals by me, Raystar and Id Obelus and cuts by DJ Bizkid
And lastly I produced the Second Chances remix as well."

Sorry about that. Do enjoy the album!)

Stonehenge Diaries @ SIQ Records
Nomar Slevik
Ame One

Music Video of the Day [February 21]

Th' Mole
Go Horsie (DJ Amazing Clay RMX) Part 1



Th' Mole hooked me up with his new album, Th' Mole's Greatest Hits (Ha Ha Ha) Vol. 1 released on Daly City Records, and it's pretty awesome, let me tell you. I've been listening to it a bunch recently and this track is certainly on it, along with a bunch of other wicked tracks. What I like about Th' Mole, besides the fact that he is indeed a cool dude, is that his music is not what I would normally expect out of hip hop, it's all completely ridiculous and over the top.

This is quite apparent in his new music video for Go Horsie's remix by DJ Amazing Clay. I mean, look at the guy, he pops out of his closet in a superhero costume and goes completely crazy. This song is so much fun I've been blasting it on the stereo so I can dance around the bathroom and cut my face while I'm shaving. This song has so much energy, it's ridiculous. Th' Mole is clearly a hero.

I suggest listening to this song and then telling the dude that you loved it. It would make his day, certainly.

The Mole Official MySpace
The Mole on Daly City Records

Hand'Solo Records Presents.... THE MOTHERLOAD

The info below the picture is exactly as it was written on the original page, because I certainly didn't want to do a re-write of it, as it's fairly well-said already. Here it is; The Motherboard's online community has come together to create a massive track, an 8-minute earful of different sounds, different styles, and some very unique artists. 12 Emcees, 13 Producers, 1 extremely epic song. Hand'Solo Records is distributing it, so you can hop on over to their page to download it by clicking the links later in this post. Read about the music here, or you can read it there. Either way, don't miss this one, it really is fantastic, and with constant switches in emcees, beats, and styles, it doesn't get tedious, as most 8 minute songs tend to be. I highly recommend it. It doesn't get much better than this and I coudln't get it off my playlist if I tried.
This is the best hip hop track of 2009, and damn, that bar is set pretty high. Who can beat it?
The Motherboard, a forum of like-minded musical experimentalists, have finalized their first single and now Hand’Solo Records prepares to release their new song into the ether for mass consumption. Features Hand’Solo regulars Noah 23 and Selfhelp as well as new friends to the fold like Nomar Slevik, Th’ Mole, Debmaster, Wormhole, Strange Powers, and more.

www.handsolorecords.com/motherload

Credits:

0:00-0:52 - beat by Myn Dwun, raps by Wormhole & Th’ Mole
1:03-1:49 - beat by DJ 0.000001 & C Money Burns, raps by Noah23
2:06-2:54 - beat by Nomar Slevik, raps by Demune
3:05-3:47 - beat by Hobs Sputnik, raps by Anubis5
3:53-4:27 - beat by Thee Anomalous Nicholai, raps by Hobs Sputnik
4:35-5:19 - beat by MFBoat, raps by geneva.b & MFBoat
5:24-6:07 - beat by Lostsatellite, raps by Selfhelp
6:14-7:09 - beat by Wormhole & Th’ Mole, raps by Lxor
7:22-8:08 - beat by Debmaster, raps by Myn Dwun

Live MPC samples during intro/transitions/outro by Strange Powers.
Executive produced, edited and mixed by Th’ Mole.
Mastered by Nomar Slevik.
Cover Art by CAPS3.

Distributed by Hand’Solo Records. handsolorecords.com

The Motherboard, 2009. secretcloud.com/motherboard damotherboard.blogspot.com

What the critics are saying:

"FUCK YEAH!" - Strange Powers
“I’m proud of it.” - Th’ Mole
“This piece of music is one of the better 8+ minutes of my life”. - CAPS3
“I love the cover.” - Nomar Slevik
"Who in the hell was the last Emcee... that was a great closer!!!" - Demune
"Good work people. I want to hear this on mushrooms!" - Noah 23
"Maybe I am crazy..." - Selfhelp

Music Video of the Day [February 15]

The Adventures of Duane and Brando
Mega Man 2



One of my favorite groups right now, Duane and Brando specialize in dropping the maddest tracks ever, based on the storylines of classic video games. They haven't thrown a track down that I don't like yet so it's nice to hear more music from them and have it at the same high quality. I, and many other fans, am waiting for the full-length album to drop... whenever it's supposed to.

I just now saw this on a bulletin post that they put out and thought it was dope, so please, watch away! Friend them on MySpace, too, I'm sure they'd love it. Let 'em know I sent you.

Let Me Hear You (Part 2)

Compilations

Compilations are everywhere and are a convenient way to get your music out to a public that doesn't even know you exist yet. There are many, many people looking to put out original music by underground artists, you just have to look around for a while to find them, as it may always be happening seemingly just out of your reach. Websites and blogs that promote music are often putting together, or considering putting together, compilation albums for cross-promotion purposes, or simply to give others the chance to hear their favorite artists... or both!

There are a lot of artists I got into because I heard them on some comp. I picked up somewhere, whether on the internet or by hard copy. In fact, oftentimes I end up losing my CDs but I can still remember artists off of the albums who really blew me away. Right off the top of my head I can think of several artists who I started listening to after hearing them on comps. I first heard EPIC, Lexington, Big Ref, and others from the Hokey Religions Mixtape, put out by Hand'Solo Records (find them on the right toolbar) up in Canada. I first heard Metamystiks Incorporated, Futuristic Sex Robotz, MechP, ytCracker, and many, many more from the numerous free compilations RhymeTorrents.com (Right toolbar, again) has put out over the last few years. And surely, if I had not been a part of the RT community back when I was nobody would have ever heard my music, I wouldn't have started Legendary Hip Hop, and I probably would have never gotten into hip hop writing.

One website in particular has released a slew of compilations, constantly finding new approaches to what could seem to be overrated topics and pushing the limits of compilation collaborations. And the kicker? It's all [except one album] free, and all non-profit (I know, I talk to the man behind it: Genoboost). Game Music 4 All (Right toolbar!) put out a fantastic compilation called Here Comes a New Challenger last year, pitting chiptunes artists against nerdcore hip hop artists, bringing together quite the slew of nerdy musicians from both sides of the tracks for what can only be described as an epic listening experience. Taking chiptunes out of their element by forcing them to turn their style into something more rappable and making rappers spit over something completely different than normal (for most of them) led to many interesting tracks, as well as some of the greatest artwork I have ever seen. It's work like this that really makes communities come together.

And guess what? Here Comes a New Challenger Volume 2 is now in production, though the open submissions have closed, which allowed many artists who have not yet had any official releases a chance at some exposure, which may be exactly what you're looking for.

Honestly though, nowadays, with the internet serving as a huge network for musicians, it's easy to find something going on, or at least set yourself up to find something. Utilizing MySpace as a networking utility for music work is easy; all you have to do is look around at artists you're interested in, link through their friend lists and influences... but that's another article entirely.

Just get out there, find compilations to get on! If you have compilation albums, look at who put them out! Dont' forget, you can always make a demo CDR and mail it out to people who have put out comps, urging them to consider you for their next album. Consider the fact that when you get on a compilation with 15 other artists, all of their fans who listen to the album will hear you. It's one of the greatest networking tools, and that's why it exists. Do what you need to do. Find compilation albums and get on them.

Spread the music.

Review: Lexington and Whatevski -- Customer Appreciation Day

Lexington and Whatevksi's Customer Appreciation Day is one of the best albums I picked up in 2008, and because it was a free album, well... that only made it better. In fact, this is such a solid piece of work I find it almost unfair that I didn't pay for it. Released on Hand'Solo Records, the album first caught my eye because of the provocative cover, which displays the title of the album sharpied onto a woman's bare chest. I figured, Canadian Hip Hop has been treating me well, why not give it a try. I like what Hand'Solo's been putting out and I was desperate for some new music on my Zune so I downloaded it.
Little did I know this album would change my perception of hip hop. Honestly, I haven't heard anything like this before and it really blew me away. From the opening track's intro with a man crying out for "spange" for a Lexington + Whatevski show to the closing ad for their full-length album Preggers Can't Be Choosers, it was perfect. These guys do to hip hop what Bird did to basketball... they took something that everybody can take a shot at and kinged their pawns. That is to say, they not only did something different, but they raised the bar doing it.

The album progresses with some of the best beats I've ever heard, dirty and dark, a stinky carnival full of drunks kind of sound, mixed with some hard-hitting drums. I'm dying to hear an instrumental version of this album if they ever release that, actually. The production is some of my favorite I've ever heard and I can only describe it as a magical experience. Wherever they're digging up samples from... well, I wish I had access to what they're listening to and the skill to arrange in such a way. Every chorus is catchy, and the layering of sounds is almost too intense, though never overwhelming... if that makes sense.

Lyrically, Lex and Evski kill it. From serious tracks like Back When to hilarious tracks like Dick in Ya Drink, it's all over the place. Vulgarity aside, the lyrics are fantastic. It's a great balance between philosophical and comical, and all the flow is solid throughout.

Speaking of the flow, the album is littered with guest rappers who absolutely rip it up. Planit, Touch, Hollohan aka G.O.D., B-Money, Ryan Crack the Dirt Dogg, and Mr. Grim make appearances, and all of them do justice. Aside from the extreme weirdness of the first half of Planit's verse on Dead and Famous. It's all solid, though, and Planit's verse has grown on me. I guess I was just weirded out about that kind of flow when I first heard it.

All in all, I give this album a 10 out of 10 because since I've downloaded it, I've listened to it all the way through at least once a week and still it surprises me. Most of the tracks have made it onto my bicycling/traveling playlist, almost every track is fantastic, and I am left in awe at how well-done this all is, especially for a free release.

Lexington and Whatevski are without a doubt in my top 10 favorite hip hop artists/groups, and solely because this album is so perfect. If you don't download it, you're a damned fool, it's a fantastic album all the way through and goddammit, it's free!

Best track? I can't even name one. Good People and Back When are probably my favorites. Don't forget to check back for the release of Preggers Can't Be Choosers, their new album. You can find more information at the following locations.

Hand'Solo Records Page
Lexington and Whatevski Official Website

Track of the Week -- Where Temptation Playa

For this week I decided to go with something I just heard today that I thought I should share with you all because it totally blew me away when I heard it this morning. I was browsing the RhymeTorrents.Org forums, seein' what's up with all those nerds, hoping there might have been some album release news or something of the sort... anything, really, but alas nothing of the sort. Instead I was treated to a gift from the artist SLI (or rather, signedlongint). Aparently he's into mashups now, and that's good, 'cause I'm into mashups but I can't stand making them.

Signedlongint - Where Temptation Playa

The mashup combines Where'd You Go by Fort Minor, Temptations by Tupac, and I'm a Playa by Tech N9ne. I've been a Tech N9ne fan for a time now, though I'm not a huge fan of Pac or Fort Minor (though I can't argue that they both generally sound really solid, I just don't really listen to either of them often), so I wanted to take a listen. Though I was expecting to hear a bunch of verses from different peeps it's basically a remix of I'm a Playa, using the instrumentals from the other two songs to build something new.

What I really enjoyed, however, was the fresh take on the Tech N9ne song. It was very empty compared to his regularly way overproduced instrumentals, and it gave the song a completely different feel. It also moved the emphasis of the words around in Krizz Calico's verse which was an interesting way to go about things.

Anyhow, I though it was an awesome track and I wanted to share it with you all. It seems SLI's website is down now, so I'm not gonna post a link but props to Blue Glowy Records for hosting the track so I didn't have to bother Conyeezy.

Art! Art! Art! -- Giant Robot San Francisco: BEASTS!

If you like hip hop, you're bound to like art, and I'm not just talking about graffiti and urban art, though that's all fine and dandy too. I mean, I love it, of course. I still do graffiti and urban art from time to time, though not as much as I used to. What I"m talking about is modern art... I'm skeptical about calling it modern art 'cause that makes it seem like some Jackson Pollock paint-splashing art or something, but what I'm really talking about it gallery art that people are doing, like the kind of art Giant Robot San Francisco promotes.

Giant Robot is putting on a gallery right now in promotion of their book BEASTS!, featuring 100 pieces of art from the book, from a variety of amazing artists. I know it's a little bit late, seeing as the gallery opened January 17th, but it also closes on February 18th, so there's still time to visit, and I intend on going as soon as I can get a free day.

Scott Teplin - Loathsome Worm

There's a ton of great stuff here. The above piece is wicked but it comes at too high a price for me ($2000), though I would love to have that up on the wall. Art is an important part of the creative mind, which most underground hip hop artists quite understand. It's all about making something new. So, go! I feel that people shouldn't only focus on hip hop but also on the art that goes with it. It's a culture as much as it is a type of music, and though it may not be technically hip hop-related art, I think it is. I think it's a bastard descendant, and we should still embrace it. To each their own, but to everybody something.

Scott Campbell - Cliff Ogres

I also want that piece but it's also too much for me to buy ($200), and though it's ten percent cheaper than the other piece, I can barely afford rent this coming month, and thus I cannot afford to build an art collection of such awesome pieces at this point. Thus is life. There's a lot more awesome art where that came from, however, and you shouldn't miss this gallery! It is sure to be a fantastic experience with a bunch of eye-openers. Get inspired. Create.

Giant Robot San Francisco Official Website

Let Me Hear You (Part 1)

(For the first installment of this new column, I wanted to explain why I decided to write it. This is intended to be released as an eight part series, including this article, expressing my views on how one should go about making some sort of name for themselves with their music. Not that I feel inclined to become famous or try and have a big break with a record deal, but because I think that if you want people to hear your music, you should try and get it out there; I feel like I have a fairly good grasp on the concept of making music widely available, and though I am no expert on the subject, I'm going to tell it how it is.)

Introduction

A lot of people want to get their music known, but they have no idea how to do it. Back when I was in Junior High School I had my first band (and holy crap did we suck) and I didn't understand music at all. I thought it was all about getting heard by somebody and then picked up by a label, major or not. As I slowly progressed in my musical ability and started doing more and more projects and learning about different genres I had never heard of before, I started realizing that there was a lot more to be heard than what is on the radio, and there is a lot more to be seen than what is at a venue.

At some point I got into grindcore, thrash, and hardcore music, and through a friend I discovered the underground which Davis, CA has to offer; houses converted into venues, shows in parks, etc. All this slowly compounded to where I am today; music is NOT about getting noticed by labels or getting paid for what you're doing, it's about doing it for yourself, making a name within your own community first and then getting your music out there for people to hear because you are passionate about what you are doing!

When this finally dawned on me I was ready to take on the world. I discovered Emperor X, who, though not hip hop, is definitely the king when it comes to impromptu venues (ie. Parks, Front Yards, Lazer Tag Arena... etc.) and I learned a lot just by watching videos. Then I started listening to Florida-based nerdcore hip hop supergroup Emergency Pizza Party and was astounded by the way these guys would put on performances ANYWHERE to get their name out. And now people know who they are.

When I lived in Davis I really dug this band Unless, which was one of the first local hardcore/grind bands that I got into (and were at the first house venue show that I ever saw) and I e-mailed the head guy and asked for a CD, assuming I would have to buy one off of him. He gave me a copy of their album for free, printed right onto a CD-R, with artwork that he had done on the outside sleeve himself. Sure, it cost him a little cash but the exposure was worth it. I'm a long-time fan now and I have the music to both show people AND give people, without infringing on any stupid copyright laws.

There are so many very simple ways to get yourself known around your community, to spread your music far and wide, and to make a name for yourself. Do you want people to know what you're doing? Of course! As much as music is for self-expression and one's own release, it is always nice to know that people are listening; it's nice to know that people care. I'm going to tell you how to do it, though not in the way that self help books do. I plan on giving you a bit of information about what I've gone through myself on my musical journey and tell you how that reflected on what I'm doing today, and pass on what I have learned. Hopefully this will encourage you to pick up some new tactics and write some more music!

I'm going to spend the next seven weeks releasing more detailed (and themed) articles about getting your music out to people who haven't heard it before. Stay tuned for more!

Emperor X (Tell Me About Wichita Documentary Trailer)
Emergency Pizza Party Live in an Elevator at Dragon*Con

ECID -- Red Beretta Pre-Order

ECID, the rapper and producer behind label Fill in the Breaks is releasing a new album, and this time a concept album, no less. The mind behind 2006's Biograffiti and 2007's Economy Size Godd Costume brings us 2009's Red Beretta, a concept album advertised with the premise, "the bizarre events that turn a modern day hero into a monster." He's got an interesting and captivating style; his vocals are off the wall and his subject matter is insightfully candid... he definitely gives you a dose of his opinions on people, relationships, politics, and everything else whether you want to hear it or not. And now there's a new album coming out and it's going to be something entirely different, so expect it to be good.



Right now Red Beretta is available for pre-order. From a recent bulletin post:

"Pre-Order Ecid's new album "Red Beretta" for only $15+Shipping & you will receive the cd (which includes a 16 page lyric book w/art by minneapolis artist James Penfield), a free hi quality download of "Bargain Junkie Classics 4", Stickers, & a poster. All pre-orders will ship one week before the March 24th release date. Pre-Orders deal ends March 17th."

So hit this one up! It should be fantastic. Go to the Fill in the Breaks page for more info.

Fill in the Breaks
ECID Official MySpace

Track of the Week -- House on Wheels

This new column is exactly as it sounds; each week on Saturday I'm going to put up a track that I've been listening to a lot. The goal is to give you readers something you've never heard before, and hopefully introduce you to artists you've never heard of as well. Special thanks to Conyeezy for the webhosting, otherwise this article would not exist. He's the man, no doubt.

Noah 23 - House on Wheels (feat. Gregory Pepper & MadadaM)

Off of Noah23's album Upside Down BlueJay, this track was the kicker for me. It comes in towards the end of the album and I was blown away by how perfectly it is put together. It starts off with a haunting melody for a short 10 seconds before Gregory Pepper's voice kicks in over the beat, which quickly builds tension before displaying a wicked rendition of a certain Pixies lyric... Then Noah23 comes in and spits a wicked minute-long rap over one of my favorite beats I've ever heard, provided by the man himself, MadadaM.

In short, I love this track. It introduced me to Gregory Pepper, who I had not heard of previously, and now I can't get enough of the dude's music. He's not a hip hop artist but he's fantastic nonetheless. If I had money I would buy his albums, but luckily you can listen to them for free on his website, which tides me over when I need a fix. And you can't go wrong with MadadaM and Noah23, either. The first time I heard either of them was on the TrainRawber's album, which I still spin fairly often, and they did a damn good job. In fact, some of MadadaM's beats are so incredible, I think that album needs to have an instrumental release. They frequently collaborate and everything they put out together is fantastic. Noah23's rapping style always keeps me captivated and I'll surely be putting out the word when his next release becomes available. I always try to keep track of the guy's music. What a great lyricist.

Okay, well, that's enough for today, hopefully you enjoyed the track! Now please, go support these fantastic artists, and tune in next Saturday for... Track of the Week!

Would you like to know more?
Noah23
Gregory Pepper
MadadaM

Rootbeer - "Pink Limousine" Tour

If you haven't heard of Rootbeer, it's a couple of emcees who have great taste when it comes to the fliest clothes available... oh, and they can rap, too. The combination of Flynn Adam and Pigeon John could be described as fantastic or even "dope," as the two emcees (in the only two tracks available so far on their MySpace page) weave seamlessly together to make a comfortable and warm hip hop quilt that you can wrap your ears up in... or something to that effect.

Either way, news has reached my ears that the duo is going on tour AND releasing an EP, entitled The Pink Limousine. Though this may sound fruity, rest assured that it's going to be 100% awesome. Being a long-time fan of Pigeon John, I have faith in this release, as I do with all of his releases. Now that I think about it, there's nothing better than cruising around in the Sentra with Daniel bumping Pigeon John and the Summertime Pool Party during the summer when it's nice and hot out and all the tunes get you in that mood to chill out... I suggest you buy that album immediately. Actually, if not for Rootbeer, I probably wouldn't have heard of Flynn Adam, at least not when I did, and I have yet to cop his own EP Such a Time, which I'd buy if I had any money (as currently I am unemployed). YOU should buy it so you can get ready for the dubious duo's tour, then e-mail me a .zip of the tracks, so I can hear them too. I'll pay my dues when I see 'em live! And of course, after the show I'll be writing a review and I'll be really critical of all of their mistakes. Last time Pigeon John came through here at the local Petaluma Phoenix Theater, I missed it, so there's no way I'm missing this show.

Anyhow... The Pink Limousine is officially out on March 10th both digitally and available in hard copies. I'll be at the show March 30th, in San Francisco. The tour dates are as follows;

Sat Mar 14 – Goleta, Residence Hall
Tue Mar 17 – Phoenix, Chasers
Wed Mar 18- Austin, SXSW
Thurs Mar 19- Austin, SXSW
Friday Mar 20- Austin, SXSW
Sat Mar 21 – Austin, SXSW
Mon Mar 23 – Santa Fe, Moonlight Lounge
Tue Mar 24 – Denver, The Marquis Theater
Wed Mar 25 – Salt Lake City, The Urban Lounge
Fri Mar 27 – Seattle, WA Nectar’s
Sat Mar 28 – Portland, Someday Lounge
Sun Mar 29 – Eugene, WOW Hall
Mon Mar 30 – San Francisco, Bottom of the Hill
Tue Mar 31 – Reno, The Tonic Lounge
Fri Apr 3 – Santa Barbara, Club Mercy
Sat Apr 4 – Costa Mesa, Detroit Bar

And if you want to hear more;
Rootbeer MySpace Page
Pigeon John
Flynn Adam

10 Coolest Music Industry Homies by Th' Mole

(Legendary Wizard: Before you read this, I wanted to spout some knowledge; Th' Mole is an awesome dude, I gave his album Whirled Fusion a quick review when it came out and he's been nothing but cool to me, so when he asked if I'd publish this article, naturally I hopped on it. Hopefully he'll be writing more articles for LHH in the future, but for now, please enjoy! I thought it'd be nice to kick of the new year with a guest writer... check the links after each description and support some real underground music!)

In no particular order, these people have all helped me out a lot, for no particular reason, which is extremely rare to find in this self-centered art biz.

Hectic Recs - Based in Netherlands, run by Jorrit Hompe. Jorrit has done a lot for me, from helping to release my first vinyl (yay!) to booking tons of awesome shows across Europe, including opening slots for legends like DJ Krush, Venetian Snares, etc.
Link!

Anti-Party Music - Another record label, based in Finland, run by Tommi, AKA Eevil Stoo, who is horrible about returning e-mail and therefore not very much in touch with me anymore. But even though we don't converse much these days, I will never forget the awesome treatment I received 2004-2006, from awesome shows with Orko and the Birdy Gang, to the Organopolis EP cassette release, making a little nobody like me feel very special.
Link!

Dis.eased Wrekkids - Run by the homie William, this little start-up label has been very supportive, featuring me in the super cool Healing Cancer zine and CD compilation, distributing my releases, and offering sage advice. Also, this dude has done us Westerners the huge favor of importing the music of Homicide, a very cool politically-minded noise rap group from Indonesia. Link!

Mochipet & Daly City Records - Astonishingly, I've come to find that Daly City Records is run almost completely by Mochipet, AKA my savior. In the past Mochipet has helped me out by booking me at shows, and collaborating on several songs. I'm very happy about my new relationship with this label, and I hope that it will make me filthy rich!!
Link!

S.P.A.Z. - The Semi-Permanent Autonomous Zone is a very loosely organized collective of artists, thinkers, veggie buses, and soundsystems, based mainly in the Bay Area, and has warmly embraced me. S.P.A.Z. magically mutates, adapts, contracts and expands with bare-bones funding and volunteer participation. When I am rich and famous I hope to make S.P.A.Z. my touring crew.
Link!

5lowershop - The 5lowershop warehouse collective (based in S.F.) is the demon-haunted, drug-addicted offspring of S.P.A.Z., well-known for showcasing the best in loud and dirty electronic music. They are sort of dark and creepy but we get along well, for some reason. Shout out to Heartworm.
Link!

Otherworld - Another warehouse/soundystem collective, based in Oakland. I used to live in the same warehouse and we have continued to do shows and hang out since then. These guys know how to do underground electronic events correctly, and they are nice!
Link!

Sugarbunni - This girl has helped me a lot by booking me at various events. We were doing a monthly event for a while, which quickly deteriorated cause we had trouble working together in that capacity, but we have remained relatively close even through sour times, and I will be forever grateful for all her help.
Link!

Chrome Kids - This is a blog. My man, The Kaptin, has been super supportive of me recently, going far above and beyond the usual amount of engagement between press and artists. Again, this dude was just some stranger who decided to help me, and this is ever-so-rare for me, so I really appreciate it.
Link!

Nomar Slevik - He's a rapper, based in Portland, Maine, who I've known, only via internet, for about 7 years now, and we've done a lot of collaborating and conversing. This is one rare dude that I know I can count on, whether I need to borrow money, get some quality mastering, or I just need an instant message shoulder to cry on.
Link!

Legendary Hip Hop: BACK ONLINE for 2009!

Legendary Hip Hop is finally back online… it’s been one setback after another but I’ve finally managed to get things together again and this time with a lot more vigor. I’ve got some guest writers who will be doing columns and some people I’m still talking to who will hopefully hop on board. The Legendary Hip Hop team is growing, and in a fantastic way, so props to everybody. I’ll name the new staff as soon as everybody’s involved. It’s looking good, but I don’t want to name names when it’s not definite yet.
I've also teamed up with Hex to do album reviews here and there for his new Nerdapalooza E-Zine! So if you're into other types of music, don't worry, we've got you covered.

Since organization is a key part in making everything run nicely, here’s a rundown of the columns I will be managing myself;

• Wine Country Hip Hop -- Focusing on hip hop in Sonoma County, WCHH is a bi-weekly column profiling either a hip hop artist, a group, an artist, or a show in the Sonoma County area. The main focus is on interviews and information to get people more active locally.

• The Underground -- Articles focusing on underground hip hop artists, album releases, and so much more! Really, this one’s kind of pushing just falling into the news articles and other various updates, so we’ll see what happens to it as a column. Bi-weekly, presumably.

• Nerds are Hip Hop Too! -- NaHHT is a weekly column covering the who’s who and what’s what in Nerdcore Hip Hop, pointing out releases, notable artists, interviews, and LOTS of free music!

• Don’t Forget the Music -- Bi-weekly column discussing the instrumentals behind hip hop, something the mainstream has forgotten about in favor of three-note synth beats… DFtM is bringing back the real beats, the real beat smiths, and is planning on showing off some seriously talented instrumentalists in the underground scene.

• Artist of the Month -- Huge interviews and profiles on my choice artist of the month. Think of it as the main course… I’m gonna be posting up free tracks, some free albums, album art, pictures, interviews… the whole Shebang! It’s a doozy.

• Weekly Album Review -- Exactly what you’d expect. Each week I’ll throw up a review of a certain spectacular album that catches my ear. If it’s a freely distributed album, I’m going to put it up there as well.

Also, the other things that are in the works are wicked; I’ll be putting together monthly mixtapes of tracks I like that have been distributed for free in .zip and .rar files with liner notes so you know why I chose everything (starting February), photographs of dope street art in Sonoma County, guest authors putting together columns to share their wisdom, original compilations, a Sonoma County Events Calendar, and more! So get excited, why don’t you!

It’s a new year and time for a new branch of LHH to take form! Welcome to 2009, ladies and gentlemen!

Temporary Hiatus

I apologize for the lack of recent posts, as I have been completely swamped with worries about getting a job. I'm currently at a point where I do not have a job and with the way the economy is right now... not a lot of prospects.

I'm also trying to redesign Legendary Hip Hop because it's still not what I want it to be. I want to get more out of this so it's going to go through a lot of changes soon.

Bear with me! I want to get on track, give me a little time and I promise I'll be back. Check back on Sunday for some new fun things.

Once again, sorry for my pause in posting, it's not just laziness, it's the need to change things around.

Art Show: It's Our Year (2009)

I met Jimmy Hits when I went down to L.A. for West Coast Wig Out and he told me about his art crew, The Majority, and that they put on a monthly art show in Petaluma. Unfortunately for me, I have not been able to attend because the shows are all 21+, but they feature themed art by members of The Majority as well as live music. But the real kicker? It's a free art show, which means that you have no reason not to check it out. There's another one coming up this month on the 24th, and since I can't go, you should. Check out the flier, go to the show, say what's up to JHits for me, and have a good time!

This time though, I'm going to try and get the owners of the venue to let me in on the pretense that I'm a member of the underground hip hop media and that this would be good exposure for their place. We'll see what comes of it.