Legendary Hip Hop

Noah23's Final Album -- Zoom

2011-12-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

Noah23, in an attempt to retire from hip hop, has released a final album entitled Zoom. The founder of Plague Language (the home of Livestock, The Main, Baracuda, and others), who has released more albums than I care to list, has decided to give up the throne.

Nine tracks long, this album features exactly zero guest appearances, which is a total bummer in my opinion, and has no production notes. I haven't listened to this yet, to be honest, because Christmas yesterday was a mad run between two families.

But I'll reiterate what I said in a previous post -- Noah23'll be back. Dudes like him don't disappear from the hip hop scene forever. It draws you back. It's unstoppable.

But until that happens, until he gets back into the game again... click on the album cover to get down on Zoom at the Bandcamp page.

The Main - Clamnesia

2011-12-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

You... you haven't heard it?!

Clamnesia is the newest release by Guelph hip hop champion The Main, a solid 7 tracks all produced by Gregory Pepper and featuring Noah23 and Livestock.

I wrote a whole post about the album just a minute ago but Firefox crashed. Here's the shorter version:

I've been waiting for this album to come out for a long time, ever since I ran across Punch Card Blues, which is also featured on Livestock's For My Man Sitting in a Boat. In fact, the other day I was complaining about how Clamnesia was never going to come out and the very next day I got an e-mail about it being released.

Oh, joyous day! If you haven't caught this release yet, it's only FIVE BUCKS! Don't be a cheapskate, just pick it up.

Regardless, you can still listen to it in full on the bandcamp page, where you can purchase it HERE!

This release is tight.

Thanks, Mainy.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://themain101.bandcamp.com/album/clamnesia"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Clamnesia by The Main&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Vid O' The Week - Underground Pop Remix

2011-11-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

Why this? A lot of people say its not as good as the original but it is still awesome. Enjoy!

I finally listen to Aesop Rock - Labor Days

2011-10-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, somehow, you find yourself missing one of those pivotal albums, one of those albums that help define the genre for some and cause others to change their understanding of what music is entirely. And then, when you finally grab a copy and throw it on, you say to yourself, "how did I never listen to this before!"
The dishwasher and I were at work waxing philosophic about hip hop the other day and he told me that I had to listen to Aesop Rock. I told him I hadn't ever really picked up any of the dude's music because I felt like his discography was too big, I didn't know what to pick up. I asked him what the best album is.
He thinks for a second and says, "labor days. Definitely labor days."
Thus, I cop it.
Headphones in the next day, biking to work, I've got it blasting and I couldn't believe my ears. Holy hell!
How did I miss this?!?!

Needless to say, Aesop Rock's Labor Days is one of those masterpiece albums, a collection of songs that make you wish you had the raspy voice of a badass hip hop machine and a producer like Blockhead to throw you beats like the one on "Save Yourself." This album moves smoothly from one track to the next, seamless and perfect. Head nodding early 2000's hip hop at its finest. At just over an hour, it keeps you in that zone for a damn long time and I like that. He holds it down and brings you the plight of the working class in this near-perfect concept album.

Here's a sample to get you through until you find a copy of the album yourself.

One Brick (feat. Illogic)

Vid of the Day: Twin Peaks - Just Say No

2011-10-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Twin Peaks is Ghettosocks and Muneshine.
This video is fresh. Same sorta feel as their video for Audrey Horne and my guess is that it's the same director. Enjoy.

Legendary Hip Hop Mix #1

2011-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

... has been delayed for the next couple of days because I was out with Occupy Sacramento in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, the movement sweeping over the US.

From OccupyWallStreet.org:

Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.

I'm standing alongside Occupy Together and hoping for real, positive change to happen in this country. It's finally happening, folks.

In the meantime, listen to Sweatshop Union and support your local Occupation.

Mixtape SOON

2011-10-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

The first volume of Legendary Hip Hop's Mix Series is droppin' on Sunday...

1. Finalized tracklist yesterday
2. Began write-up yesterday
3. Workin' on album art today
4. Printing physical copies tomorrow
5. Releasing SUNDAY

Just a head's up; this mix is amazing.

Blu and Sene - Stoopid

2011-10-02T17:36:00.001-07:00

I'm sittin' here lookin' up things to plant in the garden for October. That's important, y'know, 'cause you can't eat the stuff they grow for the stores these days and nothin' tastes good like food picked right before it gets cooked. Anyway, I've got youtube open so I can browse around and listen to some music. I'm not on my computer so I don't have access to my library.

I'm listenin' to stuff off of Ron Contour and Factor's Saffron, which I have yet to purchase, and I accidentally click on a link to a song by Blu and Sene, which leads me on a quest all over listening to these guys. How have I never heard of them before?!

Super fresh stuff, if you haven't heard anything by either of them, here's a good start:

Blu feat. Sene - Stoopid

This track is mad fresh, flows smooth, beat's tight. All around badass. I think I've listened to this four times in a row now.

I'm gonna check these guys out.

Moka Only - Airport 5

2011-09-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Throw on my canvas backpack at around 9:30pm for a walk across town the other day. Trekkin' from South D to West to meet my girlfriend at work. I've got one CD in my walkman and it's going to have to do me well for quite some time, this is a good hour or so of a walk.

Moka Only's Airport 5, the fifth installment of the series, was the perfect jam for this session. I'm walking down the street past sorority girls in their short skirts laughing alongside frat boys trying to act tough, people driving too fast and everybody a little bit drunk. It's Thursday night but it's the first day of the semester at the local college. Around me for much of my trek is a whirlwhind of people, on the sidewalk going from one party to another or on porches and lawns of frat houses playing beerpong or giving bro hugs.

None of it registers quite right.

The smooth flows of Moka O's rapping fill my ears, the CD player volume up high with the bass boost on blast. I can't hear the outside world, I'm too entangled in the incredibly relaxing and poetic world that is Airport 5. Listening to this album, everything outside was bathed in water. I've got a swagger in my step to the beat, the production kickin' back, making worldly problems feel so damn trivial. The trees seem to sway with me and everybody moves out of my way, though I'm not an intimidating guy. I appreciate the world around me, feeling like I'm viewing it through a secret lens and nobody can really see me.

HipHopDX.com called this album "high-flying doze-off rap," as an insult (they gave it 3.2 stars), but I think that describes it in a positively perfect way. It is doze-off rap, in a sense; the flow is so smooth is makes you wonder if Moka's mouth moves at all or if he just stands in front of a mic and they all just spill out into the pop filter, and the beats transition from one to the next with such excellent precision you don't even know it. I definitely didn't doze off, but I did listen to the album through twice before I finished my trek.

Incredibly smooth jams, I'd recommend this album for anybody who likes hip hop that's not slammin' in your face. Just chill out and enjoy it, it's damn good.

Vid of the Day: Buck65 - Gee Whiz (thanks to blogotheque)

2011-09-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share with you all the magic of Buck65, a poetic and beautiful man who's latest album 20 Odd Years is a collaborative work of genius. This video was released by Blogotheque, a French website that has some of the most amazing videos of musicians performing all over the world. Buck and his cohort perform Gee Whiz and nail it 100%. Expand the video and watch it in full HD, it is filmed wonderfully.

Buck 65 | Part 1 (Gee Whiz) | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

VIDEO: Ghettosocks - Stolen Kicks (feat. PH)

2011-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

So, a music video is finally out for Ghettosocks' Stolen Kicks, off of "Treat of the Day." Featuring PH, this is one of my favorite songs of the album and I'm glad to see it come to life. I stole the information at the bottom of this post from the YouTube page.

Video by: Lithium Studios Productions
Director: Darrell Faria
Producer: Mike MacMillan
DP: Daniel Grant
Editor: Luke Higginson
Post: Alchemy
PD: Martin Von Tours. copyright Ghettosocks 2009.

Noah23 & Krem "The Terminal Illness EP"

2011-09-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Released today, "The Terminal Illness EP," a collaboration between Guelph hip hop legend Noah23 and Utah producer Krem (aka Drone Jones) is a (disappointingly) appropriate title for one of Noah's final releases.

By the way, this release is completely badass.

You can purchase/listen to the release here: Listen HERE

On May 3rd, the rapper posted on his FaceBook account that he would be retiring at the end of the year. Though he still has a few more scheduled releases (OCCVLT TRXLL PART II and Crunk23's "Illegal Ideas Incorporated"), this means there may be no hope for a Weird Apples Volume II or a follow up album to his amazing album "Fry Cook on Venus," which came out earlier this year on Circle Into Square / Fake Four.

Will he actually retire? Hopefully not.

Noah's got hip hop in his blood, he'll be back.

In the meantime, enjoy this release!

I work at a restaurant

2011-09-05T19:51:00.001-07:00

It's 2:00pm and I'm sweaty, tired, furiously working, and supposed to be at a 50th wedding anniversary in one hour. I've been at work since 8:00pm and we've had a slow day, but regardless, every Sunday shift ends with a long bout of cleaning as we get the kitchen spotless. Every inch of stainless steel surface needs to be scrubbed with kitchen cleaner and wiped down with a clean towel, of which there are very few by Sunday.

I run out to my car through the front door, forgetting to take off my apron over my chef's jacket, and I probably look like I've killed something because I rubbed pork juice all over it when I was prepping. I reach into my center console and grab the first CD that I think will pump me up for the end-of-shift cleaning spree.

Common Grackle is in my hands, then in the stereo. Their album, The Great Depression, is a work of genius that came out about a year ago, a collaboration between Canadian pop musician Gregory Pepper and prolific producer Factor.

The first song on the album, Thank God it's Monday, featuring the legendary Kool Keith, pumps through the room, bouncing off the walls and into everybody's ears. If there are still customers out there, I'm too busy to care, I've gotta be out of here in half an hour and this music has blasted me into work mode.

I scrub furiously, the perfect marriage of hip hop production, post-pop guitar riffs and superbly layered vocals allowing me to not care that sweat is dripping off the end of my nose and I'm going to be late no matter what I do at this point. Common Grackle keeps me going.

The music is a stroke of genius. We in the back of the house thank you guys for making music we can tune into. The kind of music that allows us to tune out the endless drone of the hood pulling air out of the kitchen, the clatter of dishes being flung around the scullery, the wait staff in and out of the swinging doors bringing the french presses and teapots and whatnot to the back. It puts me in the zone, in a mood to work quickly and efficiently. Who cares if I'm late, for now I'm groovin' through the motions.

And damn, this album is fresh.

The Return of Legendary Hip Hop

2011-08-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

What could pull a hip hop writer out of retirement and back into the world of reviewing rap albums around the globe, jabberjawin' about excellent wordplay and searching for the holy grail of rhyme schemes? I mean, honestly, I certainly have been busy, be it writing/hosting music, going to school, or working as a champion-level waiter and cook, but I always keep one hand dipped in the now-overflowing well of hip hop gems to keep my ears sharp. What sane person can live without it? But man, I haven't wanted to write about it until recently, when I got my hands on a few albums that came out lately (Toolshed's The Lost, Timbuktu's Stranger Danger, and More or Les's Brunch with a Vengeance).

And I thought about it... should I get back into this? Well, the Canadians are pushing the bar really, really hard since I've stopped writing. There've been so many great albums coming out of that country that I think I'm doing an injustice by not spreading the word.

And then it hit me... I got wind of Backburner's Heatwave, a collaborative album featuring Fresh Kils, Wordburglar, Timbuktu, More Or Les, Uncle Fester, Ghettosocks, Chokeules, Jesse Dangerously, Jay Bizzy, Thesis Sahib, Beatmason, Frank Deluxe, Dexter Doolittle, Psybo, Ambition, Johnny Hardcore, Manalive, Ginzu333 & Mister E.

Did you read that lineup? It's absolutely ridiculous. Beyond awesome. They put out the first single from the album (music video coming soon) Heatwave, that just blows minds. Thesis Sahib, Timbuktu, Wordburglar, Jesse D, Chokeules, and Jay Bizzy (who I haven't heard anything new from in way too long).

Needless to say, this song makes other posse cuts look like child's play.

BACKBURNER - Heatwave by Hand'Solo

The album is out now, and it's a steal at $8.99 for a physical copy and only $5.00 for digital download in high quality, available HERE. <-- and you can listen to the whole thing for free.

I'm back. Backburner and Hand'Solo, I owe you one.

Stay tuned for more Legendary Hip Hop,

John James

Video! Ghettosocks: Out For Treats

2010-04-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Aside from being a fantastic album, Ghettosocks' Treat of the Day gives us two new music videos from the Grand Wizz, and here's one of 'em:

Out For Treats, from Treat of the Day:

Lexington and Whatevski - Preggers Can't Be Choosers

2009-10-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-31T10:20:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-07-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-04-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-03-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

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]

2009-02-21T18:09:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

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]

2009-02-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-02-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-02-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

(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

2009-02-01T21:54:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-31T22:03:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

(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!

2009-01-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-13T22:44:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-01-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

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.

Super Dragon X - Where the Fuck is your Album Mixtape

2008-12-31T12:07:00.001-08:00

Super Dragon X, known to most as the harsher-voiced of Metamystiks Incorporated's two emcees, has decided to release a mixtape of his older tracks in preparation for a new era of SDX's rap career. As SDX himself put it;

"This is the first time I've ever put out a mixtape of my own tracks, fully tagged and collected, and I hope this stuff gets some heads nodding among people who haven't heard my music yet. With scratches and a couple beats by the omnipresent DJ Snyder, these tracks run the gamut from dark sci-fi to tongue-in-cheek rants about video games."

I haven't listened to it yet, but I assure you it'll be good, 'cause if it's got any of the SDX tracks I've already got, then it's a sure-fire winner. Super Dragon X's gruff vocals and subject matter come together perfectly, and he delivers his rhymes without hestitation, never letting up on the flow and always delivering a powerful punch.

I'm excited about this because it's the first SDX mixtape and there are tracks I haven't heard before, so I'm pretty excited. Don't miss this one, because if you haven't heard SDX you're missing out!

Download from MegaUpload

Download from Galactopicon

Super Dragon X MySpace

Metamystiks Incorportated MySpace

The Mainstream is Unoriginal

2008-12-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

When I log in to my MySpace account, I'm bombarded with ads on all sides from artists who already get way too much exposure and it's starting to frustrate me. On the top left, there's a Red Jumpsuit Apartatus banner, to my left there's some news about Katy Perry. Right above the login there's an ad for Coldplay's new CD. Honestly, if I wanted to hear their music I would throw on the radio, but I don't, so I listen to Pandora or KDVS Online.

Everywhere I go I feel like there's no escape from the horrible mainstream music with their half-assed beats, even more half-assed rhymes, and the repetition that not only carries throughout the song, but throughout the playlists radio DJs choose to play these days. Some of my friends listen to the radio and every time they turn it on, it's never something new, it's always the same songs being cycled over and over.

What I'd like to see is some new music being advertised, some new music being played, and some singles that aren't a chorus played six times with three verses which takes three rappers and a producer to create. It's really disgusting. I can think of some artists who not only rap amazingly, but produce their own tracks as well. I don't undertstand it.

I want good artists to be recognized. Someday, I suppose...

Pandora Internet Radio
KDVS

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, everybody. It's a great holiday, all the family together, eating a huge ham, getting presents, spreading cheer, playing with a brand new puppy, and listening to new music! It doesn't get better than this... or does it? I think it does:

Seattle-based hip hop band Optimus Rhyme has been broken up for some time, though in the grand holiday spirit, they have released a fantastic EP featuring five brand new songs... and the kicker?

It's FREE!

Not surprisingly, it's also really awesome, and hearing unreleased music from one of my favorite groups of all time is always a plus (especially when they're no longer together). transfORmed is fantastic, a medley of new songs that combine all of the breathtaking style that Optimus Rhyme is known for, letting us know they're still kicking from a shallow grave.

OR, we still love you!

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Optimus Rhyme Official Website

transfORmed Download Link

Transitions Between Songs and Verses

2008-12-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite aspects of listening to music is hearing an album that flows from one track to the next seamlessly, getting rid of the standard album of "a collection of tracks" and instead focusing on making the album a listening experience. I noticed this because when I'm listing my favorite albums of all time, I tend to choose those which are either concept albums or those whose tracklisting flow perfectly together, regardless of genre.

Yesterday I was listening to Deltron 3030 with Fusionbot while we were driving around doing some last-minute Christmas shopping and we were discussing how the album's central theme wasn't the only thing that tied it together, but the perfect transitions between the tracks. Each track flows into one another in a way that only a well-thought out album can, which makes me think that a lot of artists just hit the recording studio and put out a collection of tracks which they've been working on over a length of time.

Even then, however, you can have great albums, as in the case of Xczircles' album Act of Gosh, which is a collection of tracks, but the album flows together so smoothly, you'd hardly even notice. Each track ends where the next one picks up, not thematically, not musically, but in that way that I just can't explain, where the beats line up and the album keeps moving at exactly the right pace. I suggest picking that album up for FREE at Xczircles' myspace (but real fans picked it up when it was pressed the first time).

And then there's the smooth transition between emcees within a track that really are perfect, either following up the vocal style, picking up on a lyrical line, or just plain doing it right.

The Four Horsemen - The Horsemen Are Here:
[Canibus]
I'll march towards France, teach them to dance
Teach them about arts, wine and romance
I'll stalk them with knives, torture their minds
Cause them to die then run off with their wives
I've lived for the day, do as I may
Then plan my escape for the day I'm betrayed

[Pakman]
If they betrayed you, then they'll betray me
The PCH gobbler, rip 'em now, let 'em bleed
Know exactly what he need, tie his legs to the tree
And no, nobody else torture this little fucker but me

Wu-Tang Clan - While the Heart Gently Weeps
[Raekwon]
Lester, smoked Chester sister, Vest, I heard it was a mess
They ripped the apple out her throat, blessed her
Hungry hyenas from Medina, all eight trained us
Who got reluct', think fast, and blast from Beamers

[Ghostface Killah]
I brought my bitch out to Pathmark, she's pushing the cart
Headed to aisle four, damn I got milk on my Clark's
That's what I get, not focusing, from hitting that bar
My mouth dried, need plenty water quick, I feel like a shark

The transition between lyrics like that, which you have to listen to, is just perfect, and I can't describe how much I wish every collaboration sounded like these two examples. I think that it's important that when artists are doing collaborations they focus on making the transitions smooth, knowing each others' verses so they can play off their lines, and sounding like a team, instead of what I generally describe as "verse-dropping" which is what most people do: providing a verse that fits to the beat, but doesn't necessarily fit to the song, which is an important aspect of the music, despite what most people seem to think. Smooth transitions and seamless verses really make an album stand out, but generally the albums that I come across tend to just throw together a collection of tracks, which can be great, but it less appealing.

Xczircles - Act of Gosh Download

Epic-1 - Black Friday

2008-12-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Epic-1 has released his debut album Black Friday, a fantastic piece of poetry spread across five of the coolest tracks I've heard in a while. EMPulse Records, home to some great artists (Rocket Propelled Geeks, Krondor Krew, In Real Life, and more!) picked up Epic-1 a while ago, and since he popped up on Rocket Propelled Geeks' track Boomstick Serenade I've been eagerly awaiting a release by the man.

Black Friday is a five-track EP, available for free from EMPulse Records, with new tracks from Epic-1 over some seriously wicked production. With everything from nerdy rhymes to serious stuff and just messing around on the track, he's got it down, no doubt. Epic-1's voice is soothing, his rhymes are fresh the entire album through, he throws around metaphors like a hero, and the songs transition very smoothly between each other. It's a great EP.

Favorite Track: Black Friday

There's no doubt that the production on this track is awesome, and Epic-1's vocals float smoothly over the melodies, especially in the choruses. What I really like is that his vocal range allows his choruses to not simply sound like an extension to the verse, but to be catchy, original, and clean, which I really like. And being free, how can you pass this one up?

EMPulse Records

Epic-1's Myspace

Download the Album for Free!

Just a Few More Things to Fix Up

2008-12-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

I've been fixing up the website and I think it's looking quite nice right now.
There's going to be better organization on the far right-hand bar when I'm done.
Give me a little more time!

Coming Reviews:

Id Obelus - The Inevitable Crushing
Epic-1 - Black Friday EP
Hand'Solo Records - Hokey Religions Live
Touch - Dead Words
More!

Coming Interviews:

Id Obelus
illGill
Doctor Popular
More!

Important Update! New Site Coming!

2008-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Legendary Hip Hop is looking to expand, change, and rebuild. This will likely be a frustrating and invigorating process followed by the introduction of new LHH team members, a switch to Wordpress for more flexibility in posting, and more updates and information for you to feast your eyes and ears upon.

We are changing our focus!

LHH is going to primarily focus on everything from indie/underground hip hop to nerdy hip hop and start more promotion, including releasing mixtapes, compilations, putting together shows, and more! The new team is being assembled now and the complete transformation to a new site (with all the old articles intact and the same website URL) will likely be done in January of 2009. With the start of the new year comes new things!

We are looking to plan shows from Sonoma County to San Francisco to The Sacramento Area, and a couple shows are already in planning. Come January, Legendary Hip Hop will be back on board with way more involvment in the community! We want to unite venues with artists for consistency in shows, and get DIY venues across the state to collaborate for DIY show tours and more. LHH is planning for a nuclear explosion of hip hop shows, collaborations, albums, and compilations.

The Plan:
Change LHH in a way that more information can be sent your way, more consistently and in a better organized fashion. If you're afraid that it won't be as good, don't be. It'll be better. Much better, in fact.

If you are interested in joining the LHH team, e-mail me at the address on the right and I'll talk to you about what you can do to help. There are likely positions open, if you are flexible in your interests, though keep in mind that I'm already assembling a team.

More news to come! I'm not going to stop updates while we are in transition, so there will be some album reviews this week and information on upcoming events in the Sonoma County Area.

Midwest Nerdfest CANCELLED

2008-12-02T22:48:00.000-08:00

The highly anticipated Midwest Nerdfest, organized by Madhatter of Scrub Club Records, unfortunately had to be canceled. Though it would have undoubtedly been incredible, as The Sinister Six were scheduled to perform as a group for the first time (since the members are scattered all throughout the country), and there were even rumors of Kabuto, SCR's newest artist and a beast of epic proportions, performing at the festival... And, to kick it all off, there was going to be a costume contest which Blazercake(s) and myself had gotten pretty excited for, though I'll have to refrain from telling you what our costumes were in case there is another costume contest anytime soon. Here's an excerpt from the blog post about the cancelation;

Sponsorship was looking good, although the main and most important sponsor of them all (the audio / video company) flaked out on me and I hadn't replaced them yet... everything else was pretty much locked in place. Unfortunately, due to medical bills for our daughter, Shel and I had to file bankruptcy. We believed we could still pull this off, but I ended up being stuck in some identity loophole with the credit agencies (apparently, they can't confirm I exist at this point)... and since we haven't been able to fully go through with the bankruptcy, we won't be able to take in money from ticket sales or sponsors because that would look really suspicious to the government.

To read the entire explaination, please visit THIS LINK.

Though show was canceled, Scrub Club remains strong. This week, Noncents Volume III is scheduled for release, featuring Madhatter and Chester, as well as newer Scrub Club members Kabuto and Deafinition. As for other albums in the works on the label are Deafinition's unnamed debut album, Kabuto's Parseltongue Mixtape, and Benjamin Bear's Nightmare People. As for other work, Scrub Club is focusing on finishing up their tabletop roleplaying game Time Paradox, hopefully scheduled for a 2009 release.

San Francisco Entertainment System in the planning stages

2008-11-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

After the successful West Coast Wig Out, when we were all at the Fat Burger expanding our beltlines and trying to stretch the weekend out a little longer, Anthony of GM4A and I discussed the future of California promotion and what we should be focusing on. As it turns out, we talked about the possibility of bouncing shows between San Francisco and Los Angeles every few months, so that everybody can get in on the action. So... GM4A's West Coast Wig Out's sister show San Fransico Entertainment System, hosted by Legendary Hip Hop is in the planning stages right now. We are shooting for a show about the same size as WCWO (or bigger) but with a different lineup (give or take). Hopefully, there will be the triumphant return of some of the WCWO artists who kicked a lot of ass last time and a bunch more, but honestly we don't know what's to come. It's in the early planning stages currently.

What I can tell you is that in the next two weeks I'll be going to San Francisco to talk with Doc Pop about putting the show together and then it'll be officially in the works and on the path to victory. We're looking at a February date if that is possible and as many acts as we can cram into one beautiful show. I'll be posting updates soon on the plans.

A Few Free Albums to Consider

2008-11-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

So, I've updated the circulation on my ZUNE in the past few days with a ton of releases I've snagged all over the web. I've been trying to expand my listening range all over the hip hop board, though I must say, I always am aiming to expand my artist list and keep everything rotating constantly. Aside from hip hop I've recently been listening to a lot of Half-Handed Cloud, P:ano, Emperor X, and so forth... but more importantly, here's how it's been going down:

I hit up rhymetorrents for a couple of releases...

GOSHone
ctrl_alt_ego
I got the pleasure of seeing GOSHone debut this album and perform a bunch of tracks from it at West Coast Wig Out, and though I didn't snag a hard copy when I was there (I was trying not to spend money) I downloaded it as soon as I saw it was available. It's his debut album and the entire thing flows smoothly. What I really like about it is that the whole album is consistent in production, audio levels, style, and mastering. It sounds like an album, not a collection of songs, which I really like.
Available here!

Heightened Titans
Self-titled
Though I haven't listened to this entire release yet, I've heard tracks here and there and I dig it, though I'm not going to give it any sort of review. What I want to note is that The HT of Empulse Records decided to re-master the original release and I've only heard good reviews of it. I'm going to throw it on and play Metal Slug X this weekend.
Available here!

And then I headed to the Motherboard...

DJ 0.000001 feat. The Mole
Whirled Fusion
This is a wicked album, an eclectic deejay mixup of varying types of music put together delicately into entirely new compositions by DJ 0.000001. It's really cool, 'cause it all runs together and sounds great. It doesn't sound like your typical artist mashups and more like original songs based on other songs... I don't know how to describe it, really. And then, scattered throughout the ashes is rapping by The Mole. My favorite track on the album is How to Be Cool (Remix), because the rapping is awesome, the beat is crazy, and the lyrics are hilarious.
Available here!

Noah23
Upside Down Bluejay
I snagged this because I heard Noah23 on the Hand'Solo release Hokey Religions and Ancient Weapons and his verse on Keep the Channel Locked was one of my favorite of the album. I didn't know what I was getting into, but this release has a ton of different styles and all sorts of talent. The guy's vocabulary is something to be reckoned with, too, he's so solid. Also, as a bonus, there was a track with Livestock, who I first heard on the Train Rawbers album which is STILL in rotation on the player. I'm glad I've got a release from Noah23 now.
Available here!

CAPS3 - Pixel
2008
I don't even know if that's really what it's called. I've downloaded this but I haven't gotten to listen to it yet because I've been trying to get through all the music on my computer that hasn't been heard yet. All I know is, it's got CAPS3, and I haven't heard much of the guy's music yet, so hopefully it's good. There's a track on it called Diggin' up Ogres though, so it can't be bad.
Available here!

I've got a lot to listen to and a lot more to write, myself. Hopefully none of the artists listed here didn't want their albums listed for whatever reason, contact me and I will immediately take down the link for you. Keep on listening to whatever you like, I'm gonna do the same.

Wig Out Weekend! A comprehensive guide from the Wizard's perspective.

2008-11-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

November 14

Union Station
After going to sleep around 2:30am, I woke up at 6:00am, took a shower, threw on some clothes, packed everything I needed for the weekend, and waited for my ride to show up at the front door, while some Nickelodeon played on in the background. My ride showed up so Blazercake(s) and I crammed into a packed Nissan Altima with our friends who were driving down to Los Angeles with us. We left around 7:00 and got dropped off at Union Station in L.A. around 2:30 or 3:00pm. Since we had a while until Genoboost and his crew could come pick us up (because Mikey got into a car accident of sorts), we wandered around Chinatown and a Mexican area, feasting on snacks of horchata and mochi. It was and interesting experience. I thought we'd never get picked up at one point as cake(s) and I sat listening to Mexican mariachi music while watching a woman swoon over a cop in the park. It was entertaining. I got a call from Anthony that they were stuck in traffic.

Anthony, Mike, and Herbert showed up with a sign that said Legendary Wizard on it, written so elegantly with a sharpie I could hardly tell it was not a font, so it would be unmistakable who they were trying to pick up, unless another wizard like Gandalf the Grey or The Wizard Lakimir decided to climb in the car for a free ride. Anyway, we got picked up, headed back towards the highway, and eventually made it to Herbert: Fully Loaded's house, where we proceeded to play Bubble Bobble on one TV while Blazercake(s) played Megaman 9 on the other. There was also some Super Smash Brawl happening at some point, but I'm not really any good at the game so I didn't partake.

Eventually we decided it was late enough that we should head towards illGill's house (known as The WarpZone) for the Gundam Deathsythe show and we all piled back into the car. I was nervous because this meant that I was actually going to perform soon, and I hadn't performed a hip hop song since September of 2007 at Nerdapalooza BETA. Needless to say, that is a very long time, and I was getting stage fright before I even got there. Driving around LA would have been awful had it not been for the wonderful music we blasted the entire journey. Constantly, there was some sort of awesome music coming out of Herbert's stereo (which happened to be of a very high quality, I might add).

The WarpZone

We arrived at the WarpZone at some point near 8:00pm, though it could have been later than that. I met ZombieK (again), illGill, Luzid, D-Form, Drunk C, Kid Creation, A_Rival, and some other cool cats who were there at the beginning of the night. Everybody was kind of wandering around drinking beer and chatting it up, getting to know everybody, since for a lot of us this was the first time we'd ever been in the same room. It was a lot of fun meeting everybody, and we sort of lounged around for an hour before the webcam was available and the stage was prepared for music.

The stage of the WarpZone was the floorspace in front of illGill's TV in the living room of his apartment, next to a PA speaker with three microphones plugged in and the PS2 running CDs of beats through the TV, which was hooked up to some decent speakers. It was awesome. I felt very at home, as I had been to house shows in Davis, just never for a hip hop show. Everybody gathered around and The World Famous Chubby Chasers took the stage.

The Chubby Chasers, the trio of D-Form, Drunk C, and Kid Creation, really blew me away live, though there were mess-ups here and there. Since I'd heard all of the Chubby Chaser music before, I was stoked to hear live renditions of some of the songs, including my favorite, Met Her on Craigslist, which was just as catchy as the rest of their set. Not surprisingly, Drunk C was drunk. They rocked the stage and got everybody pumped up.

Then Luzid took the stage. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't expect the guy to be able to rap. I hadn't heard his music beforehand and my expectations were low, which is exactly what I like about nerdcore hip hop. Luzid looks like a classic nerd, but damn, the guy had some killer flows. Aside from a couple of trip-ups and being too quiet for my liking, he ripped the mic up with some of the coolest beats ever. All during his set, though, I was fretting because my set was coming up next and I couldn't stop sweating. I donned my outfit (a yellow shirt, sweatband, jeans, and a water polo player's jacket with yellow lining) and got ready to spit rhymes.

Standing in front of everybody I felt very awkward and uncomfortable, just KNOWING that I was going to mess up all of my lyrics, lose track of where I was, not be able to freestyle the rest, and look like a damned fool in front of everybody. I started sweating profusely and couldn't think straight. My hands were visibly shaking and I think I looked like an idiot. Nonetheless, everybody gathered around and as the beat for the first track came in, I performed Please Insert Coins fairly well, messing up at a part that I was shaky about anyway, and then the power went out when someone slammed the door. It was during the last chorus and at first I was stunned, but then I finished the song strongly with no backing beat and everybody chimed in. It was amazing. Blazercake(s) joined me for the other three songs of my set and we totally ripped it up, despite skipping on the beat CD here and there. I was surprised by our reception but at the same time I felt like we had earned it. Honestly, our set closer, Mean Creek, has some wicked rapping in there. It was an accomplishment and honor to play in the presence of some of the people there and I'm glad illGill invited me to the show. Between my act and the next act, Anthony interviewed me outside in the fresh and cold air.

MC Mega came up next and was totally nuts. I used to dislike the guy for no reason, 'cause something about his rap didn't sit well with me, but then I got to see him live and it totally changed my mind. I thought he was going to be mediocre but the man has so much energy when he raps and he did a damn good job on every song. He kept the crowd going and pumped up the volume, a significant increase from our crowd reception, but what can I say? It was nuts.

A_Rival, with his brother DJ Circut on the turntables, had the most incredible set, blowing everybody away with solid rapping, catchy tunes, live turntablism, and great choruses, including the entire crowd in the chants. It really changed how I thought of a stage performance and inspired me to pick up my crowd interaction. They had it down so well. I was elated.

To close the show was illGill, the man of the hour, and the owner of The WarpZone. He was drunk and ridiculous, but entertaining nonetheless. For some reason, people kept taking the mic and freestyling over his beats, but he showed them who was who and threw down a couple of freestyles of his own. A freestyle session that lasted over an hour between A_Rival and Trip Vomit ensued, and I came in for a brief moment to diss both of them and consequently get ripped to shreds like wet paper. I need not say that this was embarrassing and I got what I deserved, but we all had a good laugh about it and nobody was too worried.

For the next few hours, Trip, MC Mega, myself, Blazercake(s), and some other people kicked it in illGill's roommate's room, freestyling and talking about everything ranging from racism to hip hop to politics to living a DIY lifestyle to video games. It was an incredibly poetic display of distant minds joining together to formulate thoughts on a wide variety of subjects. There's no other way to put it, it was just plain badass. We all got to know each others' views on everything and hung out. At some point we ate chips and salsa and illGill's roommate played a bunch of Team Fortress 2, which I haven't yet gotten my mits upon.

Everybody went to sleep around 4:00am all over the house. The living room was crammed with bodies and everybody slept the booze off. I made a bed out of two water polo jackets. The insides are lined with a towel-like fabric which made for an almost-comfortable bed.

November 15th

Coffee and Bagels
Everybody started waking up around 10:30am, despite the serious lack of sleep. illGill came into the living room and announced that he was going to walk to the bank and pick up some coffee, so everybody decided to tag along. Half the people in the house were hungover and we all threw on whatever clothes we had, brushed our teeth, gathered a little stamina, and headed out. It was hotter than hell outside and the sun was ungodly bright.

We walked about two miles to a strip of downtown that had numerous eatieries, coffee shops, and little stores. I got a coffee at some place where illGill went into and it was pretty delicious. It hit the spot, however, and woke me up, which is exactly what I wanted it to do. I was tired as all hell and not ready to start the day still. We saw illGill's roommate at the bank and he came into the shop to get some coffee so I talked to him about how he should get a propeller on his biking hat so he can look like a kid. We got bagels, which tided me over unitl 7:00pm, so they must have been really good.

We checked out this store that had wicked shoes but I couldn't afford anything because I needed to save my money, but it was cool nonetheless and we eventually wandered back to illGill's house, where people took showers and readied themselves for the day in full. I was waiting for Mikey and Herbert to take me to a warehouse which had been converted almost into a mall, full of booths like a trade show. Everybody was chilling out playing Tekken 5.

Super VG Brothers!
Blazercake(s) and I were picked up at some point by Herbert and Mikey and we headed down to the warehouse trade show place, where we met AppleMonkey (I don't remember his real name) who owns the Super Video Game Brothers shop, which is pretty much the coolest shop in the world. The SuperVGBros shop sells primarily NES and SNES games, but also all sorts of games from older systems and some memorabilia too! The warehouse was very cool though, and had everything; action figures, video games (both old and current), tee shirts, card games, sports memorobila... it was nuts. We had a bunch of flyers that Herbert had done up for the show and we split into groups and proceeded to give them to anybody who was passing by. I don't think anybody from the warehouse came to the show, which is a bummer, but at least they've been schooled in nerdcore. Hopefully they'll take that flyer home, check out some of the acts, and fall into a genre they've never even heard of before. Or something cool like that. I'd like to think it made a difference.

When we were going around giving out flyers, we asked if we could drop a stack off at this guy's booth where they were selling newer video games. They were playing the new Mortal Kombat vs. DC game and I gotta say, being a Marvel vs. Capcom fan, the style of that game really blew me away. I was surprised to see very, very clean animation and what could have been an interesting story mode. Either way, it looked good. So, the dude who owned the booth asked what we were promoting, and being a jerk, Mikey told the guy that I was rapping at the show and both of them look at me.
"Spit somethin'," Mikey said.
Thinking quickly and trying not to make the show sound like a crappy one, I replied with "Drop a beat!"
So Mikey dropped a beatbox and I rapped the second verse of Please Insert Coins for the man and it sounded surprisingly good on such short notice and over a different tempo. The dude loved it, and from that point on, our main goal was to get people to understand what we were trying to promote by walking around handing out handing out fliers while Mikey beatboxed and I rapped. We handed out dozens of flyers with Blazercake(s) and Herbert in tow.

At some point we ended up at a hat shop, and Blazercake(s) got a wicked fedora (which was intended to be cooler than illGill's hat) and I got a $6 pair of '90's style glasses, which I wore all night, including on stage at the show. We kicked it at the Super VG Bros shop for a while longer, talking about the upcoming show, video games, and how cool the warehouse was/is, and Blazercake(s) and I did a rendition of Mean Creek which was really rad, over a couple of beats that AppleMonkey had on his iPod. Anthony filmed it and the video will be available whenever he gets around to it.

We said our sullen goodbyes to everybody (but not after I picked up a copy of Shadowgate for the NES) and headed out to the venue to prepare for the show.

WEST COAST WIG OUT!
When we got to the venue, we thought we would be late but luckily the traffic wasn't too bad. When we got to The CIA I can say that we were pretty shocked by how ghetto it looked. It was really dark and weird and didn't look open. It was 7:00pm and Blazercake(s) and I were hungry, so we walked down the street to a burrito place and picked up a couple of delicious burritos. Somehow, however, in our rush to get back to the venue in time, as we were supposed to go on at 7:30pm, we took a wrong turn and got lost. I turned to cake(s) and said, "where the hell is the venue?" and then we took another wrong turn down a different street and started to panic. Luckily, cake(s) had his wits about him and figured out where we were and where we needed to be, so we ended up getting to the venue around 7:25pm, but the sound guy still hadn't shown up. We later found out that he thought the show was starting at 8:30pm, which gave us time to prepare, eat, and introduce ourselves to everybody who was now chillin' out in front of the venue.

When the sound guy showed up, he let us into the back and Blazercake(s) and I got ready to do our set. I was fretting about remembering my lyrics, even though I was doing a five song set and I had practiced everything thoroughly. I was mostly nervous because my sister had driven down several hours to come to the show from San Luis Obispo and I didn't want to let her down with a crappy set. I was just happy she could make it at all, since she had previously cancelled on me for this show. In the end, she was able to get time off and came down to cheer me on.

Around 8:30pm, Anthony said a few words about the show which he had worked so har dto organize and the curtains opened, revealing a very uncertain Legendary Wizard standing on the stage unsure of what to say. I'm sure I stuttered in my opening talks, but we went into the first song and I felt surprisingly comfortable on stage in front of everybody. Though I prefer the feeling of being on ground level with everybody at a show, there's a certain sense of greatness doing a show on a stage, above everybody. It's a lot more intense.

The adrenaline pumped through my veins and I did the set almost flawlessly. When Blazercake(s) rocked the stage with me, the crowd went wild, and we closed the set with a perfect rendition of Mean Creek which blew some people away, since they'd never heard me rap like that before. I don't know what to say about the performance other than I feel that I did a great job, and I was nervous as hell, despite what I kept telling cake(s).

After the set, the two of us, now certified hip hop superstars, joined the crowd, saying hellos to our friends and aquaintances, and watching the rest of the show. Up after us was GOSHone, who I'd never seen live before, and he debuted his new album ctrl_alt_ego and rocked the stage with a bunch of new material. He was pretty awesome, since I didn't know what to expect. Good stage presence.

Um... it's all a blur, really, from that point, going between kicking it with people in the crowd between sets, hanging out on the back porch where there was a projector playing ridiculous violent and disgusting videos all night (The CIA is a weird place), and watching the acts. If I've forgotten somebody's act, I'll feel really bad, but I remember DevoSpice was hilarious, A_Rival rocked the stage like a pro AGAIN, this time even better than the last, The Megas blew me away with their show, which I didn't know what to expect of, and illGill closed the night with a ridiculous set and very good rapping, which didn't translate well during the WarpZone show, but impressed me this time around.

DevoSpice was something else. All of his songs were sufficiently hilarious and I didn't know that he was that funny. I'm crossin' my fingers for the guy, hoping that he gets the nomination for best comedy album of the year 2008 (that's the Grammy's!), 'cause he really deserves it. In fact, he flew from New York to LA for just one show. That's determination, I gotta say.

During the Megas, illGill showed up to start a mosh pit and everybody got way into it. I remember this vividly because I was minding my own business, entertained fully by the band's incredible tunes, and then I look to my left and illGill is literally grabbing me and throwing me at somebody. I stumbled into what became a pit and we battled to hard rock renditions of Mega Man songs, which, if you ask me, is one of the best things to battle to.

illGill closed the set to a show of almost nobody, because everybody who came for The Megas, which was the bulk of the crowd, left to go do something much less interesting, I'm sure, as illGill's set was both full of good rapping and a great storytelling session at the end, which everybody missed out on. At one point, he had five or six of us on stage with him and then he went offstage and walked around on the floor, which was occupied by only a few people walking around. We all felt really awkward up there dancing. Mikey did some breakdancing, but it wasn't as awesome as with DJ Circuit was breaking during A_Rival's set (not that his wasn't good). The show was incredible.

The Aftermath
After the show there were many pictures to be taken with everybody available and we loitered outside of the venue for a good hour talking about stuff. A_Rival suggested we hit up this burger place called Fatburger, which provided the most brutal huge burgers ever, and we were there for another long period of time. I sat at one end of the giant table next to Anthony, IKilledACat (from the RT forums, who is an awesome guy and I'm glad we got to kick it), ZombieK, Blazercake(s), and Herbert. Anthony, IKilledACat, and I talked for a long time about the state of nerdcore hip hop; who's who, what's coming out, the great music of the past month, more releases, planning more shows, album art, etc. It was a productive conversation that led to me starting the planning of my own Wigout-style show, but up here in lovely San Francisco, but that's an explaination for another day.

The night ended with a journey back to illGill's apartment, where we proceeded to sleep on the floor in roughly the same configuration as last time, and when we woke up in the morning, everybody packed up and got ready to go. I have to say, as I got into that car when our friends came to pick us up, I really couldn't stand it. I had so much fun with everybody that I had met down in L.A. that I didn't want to come back here to Rohert Park, but it really did leave me with a newfound urge to get the music scene more active in this town.

And next year... at West Coast Wig Out 2... oh boy. It's on!

HOLD!

2008-11-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Things on the website are on hold until I figure things out. I'm not sure what direction I'd like to take this, if I'd like to make it an organization focusing on music promotion or if I'd like to just cancel it altogether and work on other projects that are on the backburner.

Right now I'm just stressing over the impending shows at The WarpZone and The CIA, respectively.

WEST COAST WIG OUT is Saturday, 11/15/08.

WWW.GAMEMUSIC4ALL.COM/WESTCOASTWIGOUT

Be there or be squared.

Nerdcore Group Releases!

2008-11-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

There seem to be a lot of nerdcore supergroups coming together these days. As it goes, more and more artists are working together on extended projects, as opposed to simply individual tracks. I love it, and I wanted to do a brief coverage of some stuff that's out there right now. With a HUGE amount of stuff coming up in the nerdcore community in the past month of October and a lot of projected music for the lovely month of November (including my album!), I can barely keep up. Here's a lowdown:

Group: The Sinister Six
Album: Invasion of the Mic Snatchers
Emcees: MadHatter, ZeaLouS1, Chester, Benjamin Bear, MC_Loki, YTCracker
Website: Scrub Club Records Album Page

Group: 8-Bit Boys
Album: 8-Bit Diagrams
Emcees: Entity, YTCracker, The Ranger, TYT
Website: Official Website

Group: Emergency Pizza Party
Album: Z.E.D. (Zombie Emergency Defense)
Emcees: MC Wreckshin, Sir Up, Betty Rebel, Fanatical, Benjamin Bear
Website: EPP Official Website

Group: Heightened Titans
Album: Heightened Titans
Emcees: Whoremoans, TYT, The Ranger
Website: Official MySpace

As you can see, there's a lot out there right now. I can only vouch right now for Emergency Pizza Party and The Sinister Six, as I am downloading the other two albums as I write this, but I can say that by listening to the sample tracks on both of the albums I'm excited. EPP's album was a great concept album and the entire thing flowed through perfectly. I thought it was an incredible step up from their previous album release (and not just because Fanatical and Bbear are back). The Sinister Six was album was well worth the wait. Every emcee killed it on every track, and there's not a lot that wasn't done amazingly.

There have been a ton of great songs coming out. Listen up! For all of you nerdcore haters out there who don't like the label nerdcore, or don't like the idea of nerds making hip hop... it's time you face the facts! There's no turning back, and (the end of) 2008 is the year of the nerd.

Download the albums and throw them on your music player of choice, go on a walk out in the fresh air, and listen to the magic.

Coming Soon!

2008-10-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts recently, as things have been hectic around here. I've got some great stuff coming up, just bear with the temporary pauses. Here's a brief overview of what is coming soon:

1. West Coast Wig Out special: The excitement (and tension) build! The who's who at WCWO and why you should be watching this show. This article is going to have a bunch of cool information and reasons why you should not miss this one.

2. The Creation of Battle Stations!: the new group formed between myself and chiptunes hero AtariMatt, on the label Sinkhole Texas Inc., and what it's all about.

3. Interview with Overturned Big Rig about the Petaluma, CA music scene and what his music is all about.

4. The long-awaited Legendary Wizard full-length album (featuring some special guests) coming in November.

5. Interview with world class yo-yo master and rapper/chiptunes artist Doctor Popular, coverage of the YT Cracker/MC Lars/Frontalot show in San Francisco, and more stuff, all in due time!

6. The possibility of a Legendary Hip Hop magazine... it's in the works right now, but it won't surface at all until probably around January at the earliest, there's a lot to be done. I'm looking for writers right now as well as sponsors. Though, this publication would be under a different name, and there's more details I'm working out about it these days, so I'll do an article on it at some point when more information is hammered out.

7. Sinister Six Review: You'd better believe I'm gonna do a review on this one! I've been hyping it up because it's going to be so damn wicked and I know it. I'll have a review out as soon as I get through listening to it a couple times.

Huge Madhatter Interview: Sinister Six! Midwest Nerdfest!

2008-10-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

With the Invasion of the Mic Snatchers release by nerdcore supergroup Sinister Six now set for an October 25th release date, I couldn't help myself but ask the Scrub Club front man of the group, Madhatter, if he'd be interested in doing an interview. Low and behold, he was interested, and here on Legendary Hip Hop we have the definitive Sin Six and Midwest Nerdfest interview with the man behind the madness.

If you're yearning for more afterwards, Madhatter is going to be on The Takeover Sunday night talking with none other than fellow Sin Six member Zealous1, so don't miss it. Check out 247takeover.com for more information!

Why the name "Sinister Six"?
If anyone out there is a Marvel Comics fan, then they will get the reference immediately. However, for the rest of you, I'll explain it. Basically, back in the day, Spider-Man pissed off a lot of bad guys. After getting their asses handed to them by Spidey like every other day, six of them decided to ban together. Each one thought they were more than capable of defeating Spider-Man by themselves, but they figured all six of them together would be impossible to defeat.
That's my reasoning behind the name, because all of us are dope emcees, but this six together? Shit, you better start packing and find the first Greyhound bus out of state, because we come hard like Voltron or Tommy's Dragon Zord, know what I mean? We connect, we combine, we shoot lasers out of our shoulders and shit and we leave no competition alive.

How'd you come up with the Sin Six lineup? There are a lot of fantastic artists and I would assume they're all pretty busy with other work as well. What did their vocal styles contribute to the overall sound of the album?

Oh lawd. Sin Six has been though many different lineups, just like the Marvel Sinister Six, really. When I first came up with this concept, it was 2003 or so, and I had gathered together a group of newcomers and Hip Hop elders here in my city of Wichita. However, that fell through due to a few lazy people in the group... I decided to bring back the project when I realized how incredibly supportive the Nerdcore family is. That being said, here's how it all went down:

Benjamin Bear was down right away when I offered a spot. He was someone who I really respected and is my favorite underground musician at the moment. He's so versatile, so original, and so talented in many ways. He ended up providing the "wiry, crazy" vocal sets for the album, almost like the Zack de la Rocha of rap, but at other times, he's what I call the Hip Hop Hippy. His shit's out of this world. I don't mean to pick favorites or anything, but I also think his presence on Invasion Of The Mic Snatchers is just KILLER. Dude comes out swinging with some of the craziest, rudest flows you've ever heard. And he's different on every single track. You aren't going to believe it.

Chester was ready to finally start recording after a few years of writing dope rhymes and having no outlet to pour them from. Originally, his spot was taken by former Scrub Club member Big Stephen, but business just didn't work out. When Steve was out of the picture, Chester jumped in and just set the mic on fire. It's his first time recording ANY music, let alone Hip Hop on this level, and I'm very proud of him. My favorite verse on the whole album is his in "Deeper." Gives me shivers, the visuals that kid puts into my head. His vocal style is mostly monotone and snappy, it's truly an original style I've never heard before. It sneaks up and commands attention to his deep lines and twisted metaphors.

Loki? I love that cat. But first, I have to tell you... There was originally a female member of the Six - Shelshocker. However, throughout the process of this album taking place, she suddenly had to be a full-time mother, part-time worker, and an excellent wife at the same time. That's my girl and I love her to death. It was also the first time she'd ever recorded or written anything, and I thought she did great. Due to time and difficulties, she stepped aside and let MC_Loki take her place. He stepped in and I swear to Gog (Yes, Gog) that he had all but one of his verses recorded within the first week. Let's just say he was eager, hah. He's just got about a year under his belt on music work, but he's 157% dedicated and is a great collaborator, friend, and business partner. I'd tell you about his vocal styles, but honestly, this dude switches it up in almost every song. That's another great quality he has, always growing, always leveling up.

YTCracker, hahhh. I had been tuning in to his shit through various sources (I think I may have found his music on YTMND to begin with, believe it or not) for about 2 years, and I really dug him. Like Dig Dug, I wanted to dig him and blow him up! So I figured I'd offer him a spot before I knew exactly how big he was to the scene. After he gladly accepted and was excited to get to work, I was as humble as possible. We're all grateful to have him as a part of Sin Six, and damn does he tear shit up. He's like that, he's always either ripping the mic to shreds or he's making you laugh.

He's the smooth one of our bunch, the ladykiller if you will... Well... if you don't count out our killer Splatterhouse teddybear ZeaLous1, that is. Here's the epitome of the big ol' dude that girls love nowadays, but he's also just about as rough as it comes on the mic. Like Loki and Chester's entrance to the group, this spot was originally taken by former Kare Bear Mafia member MC Donalds. However, as his group fell apart and he dealt with moving and drama of his own, he opened up the position and I went on the hunt. Zealous was an obvious shoe-in, and I killed myself for not thinking of him in the beginnings of these plans. He also accepted with excitement and laid down some monstrous, complex rhymes. He's our My Pet Monster, giant-sized.

As for me, well, I elected me. Haha. I suppose I'm the "tank" of the group. I lay down hard hitting punches and keep a good base for every track to build from while the other 5 groups come up behind the bewildered enemies and destory them with their flows. I'd like to think I really came with a lot of variety in my styles for this one. One moment I'm rapping, the next I'm singing, the next I'm screaming like a pitbull bit the tip of my penis and wouldn't let go for about 7 whole minutes.

What was the recording process like? How did it all come together, since you guys are scattered all over the map? I know people are interested in knowing how it works to have a rap group that never gets to work together in person.

It was a nightmare, haha. I hope people realize just how hard it was for me to get this album out quickly under all the problems, sacrifices, and scheduling that came crashing down around all of us. Here's some elements that slowed the projects down:

- Three Sin Six members got married (but not to eachother, eww)
- Three member switches
- I learned two new mastering techniques and had to go back to make everything sound better both times
- Me and former Sin Six member Shelshocker had a Daughter come into our life
- Family problems for most members
- Four job or hourly schedule changes
- A few friends of members became sick, one even was close to death for a bit
- Severe rootkit virus attack on my computer about two months back (Still working on that)
- Member communication slowing and sometimes halting for a month at a time
- Six of the busiest motherfuckers in life, I swear, haha Etc. etc. ...

So if anyone was wondering before, now you know what we faced in making this album. The process was simple enough - I made beats and posted them to the members through a special website that only we could see, with directions and track mappings so everyone could know where they came in on a track and what the subject was. From there, the members sent their raw vocals to me, I fixed them up and mixed them down. This process is MADDENING with six different people, haha. Luckily, Chester (and at one time Shel and Stephen) lived locally and we could record on my equipment. As for Bear, Loki, Zeal, and YT, that shit was just difficult to equal out in the final mix. But I was up for the challenge. The final product is fantastic. (I hope?)

Considering that you put one together, what do you see for the future of Nerdcore Supergroups?

I'd like to think we're the Wu Tang of Nerdcore now, haha. That's the spirit of our project, really. As for other groups, I hope it wakes more people up to collaborations, no matter how out-of-reach the goal may seem. It's possible, we're living proof, that the internet has become an awesome tool for musicians. Thousands of miles difference, yet we still put out dope product together. Network, people! Don't compete, combine! Join forces! CAPTTAINNN PLANNETTT!

Would you like to see more groups come together, or do you prefer individual artists? I'm a fan of individual artists releasing posse tracks and coming together for group projects myself, so I know I would like to see an expanse in group-work.
Group work is great only if the heart is really into it. I think all six of us have a great bond with eachother in respect... In other words, I didn't just put this project together so that six people can just lay out some fresh lines and not give a fuck about the actual album or the mission of the disc. We were all deeply mentally involved in the image, and I think THAT is what makes groups great. Otherwise, it's just a lame showcase of individual projects that ends up in a dead end. I enjoy both individuals and groups though, on seperate fronts. Groups are just harder to accomplish, so I admire the skill of the project more, you know?

Is there a future for Sinister Six? After this album, can we anticipate a follow-up? I know I'm already excited enough for this release, and I'd like to get excited for another potential release as well. haha

Shit, I know a good amount of us are cool with more music, but the difficulty of getting things together was rediculous, haha. I think you can at least expect a track or two to pop up now and then. As for an entire album? I guess you humans will just have to come out of your Vaults in 200 years and see if we're still on the surface. In the immediate future, though... if all cards are played right... The Sin Six brethren will be performing together LIVE at Midwest Nerdfest! Stay tuned to that!

If there are guest rappers on the album, how did you pick them?

TyT and The Ranger appear on the album doing lines. Doing lines... sniffing... lines... off of Kate Beckinsale's ass. No... wait. Sorry, I'll pass the lame cocaine humor and hot chick talk and get back to the interview. They're DROPPING lines of rhymes on a few tracks. TyT takes the intro on "Tear It Up" to get the listener ready for the verbal assault. The Ranger appears in the song "Herald," and at this time, I haven't even heard it yet. But it will be done by this weekend. I picked TyT because his style is just so hype and it fit perfectly for that nutty, hyphy (if you will) track. As for Ranger, his skills also impress me, so I asked that asshole if he wanted to do it and he said yes. The rest is history. Haha. Just fucking with ya, Ranger.

Who are your influences as an artist, and how did they help shape your style of rapping that you put out now?

As an artist, I would have to say Mike Patton and Tech N9ne are at the top of my list. Mike Patton doesn't even rap (mostly), he's just the God of all music and the muse of all noise creation. If you're unaware of him, better Wiki that shit immediately and download his 70+ projects. You wanna talk about a hard, dedicated worker in music, he's your guy, and my ultimate inspiration to make music the way I myself want to, and then if anyone else likes it, then that's all plus. As for Tech, he started from nothing... a drummer just like myself on the down-and-out, but he rose up higher and higher, got himself a major undergound label going, and does giant shows and works with giant people. He's also got giant talent, ANDRE the Giant talent. His ability to switch up his cadence just like we did on the snares growing up led me to experiment with my delivery, and I keep learning new tricks off of my own trials. So yeah, those two get me going when it's time to sit down and get to work.

For our readers, what is Scrub Club Records and what does it hope to do?

To put it simply, I started Scrub Club as a way for independent musicians to help eachother out, and to gather up all the stray underdogs (music or not) so we could be a family. That's the real simple version. The complex version, you can read all about on our site. But basically, we hope to reach out and teach people to live their own lives, stay positive but cynical and realistic, and also to prepare them for the upcoming collapse of the music industry... With things like Wal Mart choking prices from the major labels to idiots trying to pass the Orphan Music plan... the collapse will happen soon. We also believe in free trade of music and in return are completely not-for-profit. Head to our official site at www.scrubclubrecords.com to read all about my collapse theory and Scrub Club's mission statement.

Also for our readers, what is Midwest Nerdfest all about?

Ah! Excellent. I was hoping we'd talk about this. It's a 3-day festival that incorporates all objects that make us nerds: Role playing, video games, books, Nerdcore emcees and gaming cover bands, horror, anime, costumes, Alice In Wonderland, art, caffeine, meeting new people into the stuff we're into, movies, game shows, the list goes on and on. I started it for three reasons:

- To showcase Nerdcore / video game cover band talent and bring it for the first time to the true Midwest
- To get similar people together to build new friendships, collaborations, and business partners
- To host an event that mixes this all together instead of big events that just focus on one nerdy theme or event

It's non-profit, it's all funded by sponsors, and it's all about entertainment. It's gonna be a BLAST that weekend in March. Head to www.mwnerdfest.com for more on all of that!

I'm looking at the current roster for Midwest Nerdfest. How did you go about choosing artists to perform? It seems to be being kept pretty much under wraps right now, so I'm waiting for more artists to pop up before I can get excited for any act over somebody else (but I will say that I can't wait to see Scrub Club's frontline live!).

Hah! Awesome to hear, man. Our new set is really gonna blow people's minds. Let's just say we're not your typical Hip Hop group on stage. I half chose the musicians and guests for Nerdfest that I truly wanted to see perform and bring out here to Kansas to spread their far-away message that I felt needed to be heard. The other half were people that came to me requesting a chance, or people suggested that needed help in getting their name out.

I won't say anything official, but we've got some really decent talent in the works. Newcomers AND superstars of the nerd world! Oh! And hot chicks, too, damn it!

So it seems like Midwest Nerdfest more than just a show. I'd like to think of it as something of cultural significance. You guys are going to be bringing together a lot of nerdy people in one place!

Indeed, and that's the main focus, a gathering of dorks from all over. It's definately not just a concert. We'll have console gaming, tabletop gaming, arcade games, live game shows with our guests, costume contests, silent auctions, guest panels and autograph signings, an Alice In Wonderland MadHatter's Tea Party, which will be a spot for Spoken Word performances and delicious tea from our homies Zoomdweebies (zoomdweebies.com) and some energy drinks from Bawls. There will be a masquerade ball, movie screenings including a special VIP Breakfast Club showing including a dope breakfast buffer for a limited number of festivalgoers, live podcasts, a freestyle battle, a dance-off, and so much more that I have to keep a secret for now. Shit, I already said too much! This is going to be a very different and innovative convention.

What is the percieved future for the Nerdfest? Do you plan on making it an annual festival?
Yes, absolutely. Depending on how well this first year goes, of course. Any and all profit that is not donated to charity or local businesses will be cached away to save up for bigger guests, events, and prizes. Also, if it all goes peachy, we'll look to expand the size of the venue by about 350%.

The convention center looks fantastic. Uh... it's not a question, just a comment. I'm stoked to see a show there hahaha.
Ha! Hell yeah, man. The stage isn't very high, but it's wide and built hardcore, so crazy bands like Killer Ro-... I mean, uh... I mean, it's built very well and adaptable for large, insane stage shows during the concerts. As for the vendors and events, there's plenty of room for those as well, and you'll never find yourself with nothing to do!

What do you see for the future of your own music?
I'm about to slow it down a bit. After I finish my next major album "John Henry," I'm going to focus on helping out my labelmates release music as a priority over my own projects. But I will keep this label going strong until I'm too weak to click a mouse button. And at that time, I'll be passing it on to someone else. Scrub Club and the No Dough philosophy is important to me not just as a label's mission, but as a way of life for all Scrubs, underdogs, nerds, and freaks of society. We already have a new artist by the name of Deafinition that is gonna warp your brain like FTL travel on his first release. And Chester, who's a fresh guitarist, is also working on a crazy string and beat album that either he or I am singing on... and Benjamin Bear is going to release Nightmare People, more than likely sometime in 2009. Can't wait for that, either. Whew. Plus we have our Spoken Word album almost done... beyond that, we'll be open for collabs after Midwest Nerdfest is all said and done!

Any last words of wisdom? Shout-outs?

"Don't go sticking your dipstick in no dirty oil." That was from my uncle. I fucking hated that guy. But he's dead now anyway. Oh, here's some real advice! Join us here at Scrub Club so we can all take over this shitty excuse for today's rap scene so we can mold it back to the way music was done in the early 1900s. It could only benefit us all, and strike at the hearts of Soulja Boys everywhere.

Greets and cheers, pops and snaps to my Sin Six brethren, my loving wife and beautiful daughter, our fans, friends, and supporters, Kate Beckinsale, the Nerdcore community, Upper Deck Entertainment, Frank and the crew at Zoomdweebies, Marie Navarro at Bawls, The people who are about to bring us Fallout 3, Taco Bueno, OH! And Kate Beckinsale.

That's all for now, but expect some more great interviews in the near future. Thanks to Madhatter for being so cooperative and prompt. For more information about anything from the interview, check out the following:

Scrub Club Records Official Site
Sinister Six Official Site
MidWest Nerdfest Official Site
The Takeover!

GM4A Interview with 8-Bit Artist

2008-10-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

From Thursday to Saturday night I was back in my hometown of Davis, spending some quality time with my parents and friends who still live in town, so I was busy and didn't spend any time online staying up to date on current events or writing any articles. I got back to Rohnert Park last night and was talking to Anthony about what he'd been up to and he pointed me toward an interview he conducted with 8-Bit Artist, an amazing guy who makes and sells a ton of great 8-bit and 16-bit themed art. Ever since I was introduced to his work, I really dug it, since it not only brings back memories of sitting in my friend's tree house playing all the NES games we could get in our grubby little hands, but it's spot on. His pieces range from great, to ultra-brilliant. One of my favorite pieces is a screen from Super Bomberman 3, which captures the intensity of an explosion of pixels on the canvas.

Anyway, I suggest reading the interview, as it is well written and interesting, giving a lot of insight into how 8-Bit Artist got into the work, what he's working on, what he plans to do, how he does it, and all sorts of interesting tidbits. Go ahead, don't be shy! Read it!

GM4A Interview: 8-Bit Artist
8-Bit Artist Official MySpace

And for the record, I should be getting another couple articles I've written up on the site soon, and FlipTape is coming too, so I'll keep you all posted on what that entails in the near future.

The New Order of West Coast Nerdcore

2008-10-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Upon the success of HexWarrior's brainchild, Nerdapalooza South East 2007 (usually abbreviated as NaPSE), the West Coast has responded with not only a positive attitude in trying to bring more nerd music to California, but a new order of West Coast NCHH show promotion has been born! With a lack of nerdcore shows in California and an abundance of musicians unable to put together their own shows, there has risen a new tier of NCHH promoters for the west coast. The West Coast Wig Out Team, headed by Anthony "Genoboost" Ruybalid (of GM4A) and John James "Legendary Wizard" Dudek (myself, the author), is not only putting together West Coast Wig Out and Nerdapalooza WEST, a partner of NaPSE, but also planning on expanding to connect nerd music artists of all genres into a large California-based network, so that in the near future there will be more shows, collaborations, album releases, and festivals put together by members of all nerd musicians, be they a part of nerdcore hip hop, VG rock, chiptunes, comedy rock, or what have you.

With several shows in planning, and the upcoming West Coast Wig Out showcasing some of California's nerdcore talent, both known and unknown, it is hard to deny the emergence of the west coast as a major player for nerd music in years to come. Genoboost and myself are working to create a friendly music environment spanning all of California in order to make it easier for musicians to readily work together. Cross-genre collaborations are already opening doors to music previously never thought possible. The April 2008 release of Game Music 4 All's Here Comes a New Challenger (available here) provided a groundbreaking multi-genre collaboration experience for many. I know that in my own experiences working on a track for this album, being paired with chiptunes artist AtariMatt exposed me to not only a style I have never stepped into before, but also a network of musicians to work with and share music.

With Anthony working from his home base of Los Angeles and myself working from my location in Rohnert Park (located about 1 hour from San Francisco), we are looking to become forces in California nerd music show planning. But don't get me wrong; The two of us are not looking for a monopoly, but rather trying to form a more solid network between ALL nerd musicians, and not just those of the same genre, as well as hoping to encourage others to start shows of their own, put together compilations, work together, and get more music out there for the world to hear. Though there is constantly a struggle to play more shows, release more music, gain more fans, and be a part of more collaborations, generally the nerdcore hip hop scene is freindly and tends to work together to spread the genre just as much as artists work to promote themselves individually. We want to keep it that way.

The new order of west coast nerdcore is now! The key players of west coast nerdcore hip hop will be quite apparent by the end of Summer 2009, both musically and in the planning department. But don't count out those who are going to rise up to the challenge, either. And this summer, with such a powerful roster of nerd msuic shows and festivals, how can the general public ignore this uprising? Nerdapalooza WEST, NaPSE II, Midwest Nerdfest, as well as PAX and CES showcasing nerd music... it is obvious that we're all in this together. There's no stopping us. But the West Coast is coming forth and shaping up its act. A lack of shows and an abundance of musicians is such a waste of potential talent.

Soon we will be seeing a massive surge in nerd music shows all throughout California, and when we look back on it, we'll see that Genoboost and myself pushed it to the limit. Just wait, then look at the history books.

The message: Start booking shows, start putting out albums, collaborate with each other, release compilation albums. Work together. The west coast is going to be a powerplayer, and the time is now!

-John James "Legendary Wizard" Dudek

The Sinister Six!

2008-10-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

The Sinister Six, nerdcore's most powerful supervillain supergroup has an album due to drop any day now, and I'm only getting more and more excited about it's release. Formed by Scrub Club Records headman Madhatter McGinnis, the current Sin Six lineup is absolutely astounding; Madhatter, Zealous1, YTCracker, Benjamin Bear, MC_Loki, and scene newcomer Chester. A slight change from the original 2007 Sin Six lineup (Chester first replaced Big Stephen, and later MC_Loki replaced Shelshocker, both of whom originially appeared on the "Make Way" track and music video), the group still looks to be a powerhouse of musical genius. Originally developed some time around 2004 by Scrub Club Records (with, aside from Madhatter, a completely different lineup) but never completed, the Sinister Six setup and name resurfaced with a slew of fresh, incredibly talented emcees and a new agenda some time in 2007.

What was once a secret project, only characterized by silhouettes of the emcees and clues to their individual identities, The Sinister Six has become the talk of the nerdcore hip hop community, and one of the most anticipated NCHH albums this year. And furthermore, it looks at this point to be a free release! Hopefully, this will stay the case. The release date is not yet set, however, and the wait is frustrating myself (and I'm sure many other fans).

What I'm really hoping for, though, is a potential live performance by the Six at one of this summers' nerdcore festivals. I would assume that most of the members will be available for Nerdapalooza SE 2009, and hopefully they will also be assembled for MidWest Nerdfest. Of course, it's only a hope that they are even planning on performing together as a group, since there has been no leaked information on any plans of the sort. But hey, I can dream, can't I?

Anyway, I think it's important that we all sit back and just wait. The Sinister Six invasion is coming, and there's nothing we can do until it's all in the bag. The Invasion of the Mic Snatchers, according to the Official MySpace page, is due to release on 10.?.08, which means we can expect the album in less than a month.

Sinister Six Official Webpage
Sinister Six MySpace
Scrub Club Records Official Webpage

"Rap's got a glitch and we got the fix // Ya'll make way for the Sinister Six!" --Make Way (2007)

West Coast Wig Out

2008-10-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

West Coast Wig Out, presented by GameMusic4All.com, is an all-day music festival showcasing California's amazing lineup of Nerdcore Hip Hop music. The brainchild of Anthony "Genoboost" Ruybalid, West Coast Wig Out intends to show that the East Coast isn't the only place to find nerd music festivals. In his words, "I want to organize a show like this to help get the nerdcore and vgm scenes more organized around Southern California. Also, to put on a big fun show for people to enjoy and for these acts to gain more recognition and fans." With such a fantastic lineup to boot, the show can't be less than absolutely fantastic.

Scheduled to perform: Zealous1, Super Barrio Brothers, Sudden Death, Nomad, MC Mega, MC Cheshire Grin, Maja, Legendary wizard, IllGill, GOSHone, Chubby Chasers, A_Rival, and more. Links to artists' music is available on the official WCWO webpage (a link is provided below).
Below are a couple questions I had for Anthony regarding the show:

Me:
Why should people attend this show?
Anthony:
"People should attend the show for a few reasons. One, people who love video games will meet many other like minded people, including the performers, who are all video game lovers. Two, people who aren't big fans of the sort of music being played on the radio may find more common ground in these underground hard working musicians who only care about getting their music out there. Three, It should just be a good old fashioned awesome show with lots of talent!"
Me:
What's in store for the future of GM4A's show promotion?
Anthony:
If this show is successful we hope to be doing many more shows in the future around California, mostly in my home base of Los Angeles though. Hopefully shows large and small, and encompassing more styles such as chiptunes, and VG rock.
Me:
Anything else you'd like to say about the show?
Anthony:
The only thing I have to add is that this will be the single biggest show for nerdcore in California to date. It will hopefully mark the beginning of many more amazing shows! Also bare with us as this is the first all day event we are organizing!

When and Where:
12PM-1AM November 15th, 2008
@
The CIA
11334 Burbank Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601

The show only costs a measly $10, so if you're in the area, don't be shy, don't be cheap, and come support the Nerdcore hip hop scene. If you're interested in other events and music that GM4A is putting out, check out their website. There are VG music compilations, nerd music news, and much more.

West Coast Wig Out Official Website
www.GameMusic4All.com

Legendary Wizard's Birthday!

2008-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

It is my birthday today, and I shall treat it as such! I'm watching Iron Man: Special Edition, eating corndogs and homemade potato chips, kicking back with everybody, and just relaxing.

But more importantly, I'm not writing any articles today and I might do a double-post tomorrow or something to make up for it.

www.EmergencyPizzaParty.com

2008-10-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Nerdcore's original supergroup Emergency Pizza Party finally has a website! It's got pages for all the members, news, show dates, all their music, pictures and video, a store, and to top it all off, they've got a sweet-ass forum! The bit I've been taking advantage of, however, is the convenient availability of all of EPP's music in one location! I've gotten tracks that I'd never heard before (I Want to Get on It, Calico Alley) and Iv'e been able to get those tracks that left my computer like all of my other lost files.

Actually, with the emergence of their website, I was able to discover that lost members Fanatical and Benjamin Bear have rejoined the group (apparently this was made public at Nerdapalooza SE but since I didn't go and was so disappointed that I didn't want to read anything about the show, I had no clue until the other day). I was clued in by the exciting biography, available on the INFO page of their website.

EPP at CES (with some other people)

If you don't already know who Emergency Pizza Party is, you're missing out. Created in 2005, emcees MC Wreckshin, Sir Up, Betty Rebel, Fanatical, Benjamin Bear, and DJ JeffMK have been rocking the underground charts, creating fantastic (and often ridiculous) songs, and pioneering the "guerilla rap project" (which I'm currently writing an article on).

Check out the website here:

www.EmergencyPizzaParty.com

Currently in the works is a full-length album tentatively titled Underground Dinosaurs Rule China and another album (due before the end of the year) titled Z.E.D.

Anticipating... 8-Bit Boys - 8-Bit Diagrams!

2008-10-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

The 8-Bit Boys's album 8-Bit Diagrams has become available for pre-order! If you don't know, the 8-Bit Boys are a nerdcore hip hop supergroup created by Entity, featuring himself, The Ranger (of The Down Underdogs), TYT, and the nerdrap king himeself, YTCracker. With such an incredible line-up, it's hard to imagine anything less than extraordinary music coming out of this group. In their words:

"The NES was truely an amazing console. Most of our fondest memories are from those grey cartridges we’d have to blow out half a dozen times just to get them to work. Yes, the games were great but the music was also quite a spectacle to behold. From Adventure Island to Zelda, it wasn’t only the gameplay that got you into the game...but also the soundtrack. We, as fans of that music aim to take it a step further, by combining it with hip-hop elements and create something entirely new..."

The album should be nothing short of spectacular, though it hasn't been stated how many tracks are going to be on the final cut, which bothers me. At the low price of $9.99, though, how can you pass it up? Sure, it's expensive if you're used to all the free music the nerdcore community has put out, but the quality of the entire album is surely going to blow the majority of nerdcore albums out of the water. And I'm willing to bet that 8-Bit Diagrams is one hell of an album, so I'm going to preorder it (as soon as there's money in my PayPal account. For more information, visit their webite (preorder it and watch the intro video) or MySpace (there's a couple songs up and some interesting trailers):

8-Bit Boys Official Website
8-Bit Boys MySpace

As soon as this album comes out I'll be doing a full review on it!

A New Beginning

2008-10-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new and improved Legendary Hip Hop website! I figured it was time that I do a complete overhaul and I'm working on a new setup for everything right now because I didn't like how it previously looked, I wasn't posting very often at all, and I just felt like I ought to do this properly if I'm going to do it at all.

I'll be posting what's going on soon, but right now I have to do a lot of work outside of my music projects and taking care of business means putting some things on hold.

Expect the Legendary Hip Hop blog to look real nice soon! And expect some good posts, too!

This is under construction!