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.
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Id Obelus is awesome + 2 FREE albums
I don't know if you are entirely aware, but Mr. Rick Haschel, known to the majority of you as Id Obelus, is a totally freakin' awesome dude.
I first heard his music... hm... probably through... I dunno. I heard it a while ago when I managed to get my hands on the DJ Bizkid & Id Obelus Fully Automatic Mixtape and it was totally radical. Smash Your Television was too fresh. And of course he dropped that super kickass guest track on Nomar Slevik and Ame One's Stonehenge Diaries.
Anyway... point is, the dude has fresh raps and he introduced me to some artists that I didn't know before. He e-mailed me a couple albums the other day that I'm happy to share with you guys:
Id Obelus - Freemixes '09
This is a remix album of Obelus' stuff, so click here for a FREE DOWNLOAD!
Dreadnots - Robotic Hands of God Voice of the Last Days
As described by Id, it's "a psychadelic instrumental hiphop album from Pittsburgh's Dreadnots"
(I've been bumping Dreadnots' other album The Giant Trips for the last few days and I must say, it's a superb album! Keep 'em comin', Dreadnots are hot fyah!)
FREE DOWNLOAD!!!
Download these goods, burn 'em to CDs and bump them in your car when you drive around town. Seriously awesome, and thanks to Id for the goods. Keep listening, and never pass up on some free, good hip hop!
This is all about sharing, right?
(It sure is.)
I first heard his music... hm... probably through... I dunno. I heard it a while ago when I managed to get my hands on the DJ Bizkid & Id Obelus Fully Automatic Mixtape and it was totally radical. Smash Your Television was too fresh. And of course he dropped that super kickass guest track on Nomar Slevik and Ame One's Stonehenge Diaries.
Anyway... point is, the dude has fresh raps and he introduced me to some artists that I didn't know before. He e-mailed me a couple albums the other day that I'm happy to share with you guys:
Id Obelus - Freemixes '09
This is a remix album of Obelus' stuff, so click here for a FREE DOWNLOAD!
Dreadnots - Robotic Hands of God Voice of the Last Days
As described by Id, it's "a psychadelic instrumental hiphop album from Pittsburgh's Dreadnots"
(I've been bumping Dreadnots' other album The Giant Trips for the last few days and I must say, it's a superb album! Keep 'em comin', Dreadnots are hot fyah!)
FREE DOWNLOAD!!!
Download these goods, burn 'em to CDs and bump them in your car when you drive around town. Seriously awesome, and thanks to Id for the goods. Keep listening, and never pass up on some free, good hip hop!
This is all about sharing, right?
(It sure is.)
When I Got Into Hip Hop
The realization that I liked hip hop happened for me when I was in my senior year of high school, at the very beginning of the year. I didn’t like hip hop before that time because I had grown up in 90’s California in the Sacramento area and all of the stuff that I heard on the radio was west coast mainstream stuff. I heard Tupac, NWA, Snoop Dogg, and all that stuff that was blowing up over on the left side of the country, and I honestly just didn’t like it. In senior year I discovered, quite by accident, the nerdcore hip hop scene, and oh goodness, that really quickly spiraled into a love of hip hop.
At first I was laughing about how a bunch of nerds were rapping, and then I decided to take a shot at it myself, and I discovered that I was really enjoying the community (Rhyme Torrents circa 2006). I was one of them, and I identified with them. I realized that these people weren’t making fun of hip hop as much as they were expressing themselves with it. Up until then I had though in such a mainstream way about hip hop music and it never crossed my mind that there was much else to it than the drugs, money, booze, etc. This was it. This was my introduction.
I was listening to a bunch of hip hop then that I don’t listen to now, a bunch of stuff coming out of the nerdcore community that’s kind of dated already, with low production value and terrible breath control. Everybody was just trying new things out, getting a feel for it. Through all this I discovered, thanks to Doogie Howitzer, Canadian hip hop. My mind was transformed.
I was downloading everything I could get my ears on from Canada, and I discovered during that year that the East coast was putting out all good hip hop in the nineties. I heard B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, Nas’ Illmatic, Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers, and started listening for that raw, powerful hip hop sound that really just makes you feel what they’re feeling. You can get sucked into it and understand why they're saying what they're saying.
Hip hop is an art. It took me 16 years to realize it, but there’s no doubt about it. Now I can’t help but get my greasy paws on anything that’s got a beat. Now I dig through CDs at my local music store looking for anything and everything I haven’t heard before, and I browse the internet daily hoping to open up my hip hop consciousness.
Now I’ve been awakened to a world of music I never thought existed. What else is out there that I haven’t even heard yet? I hope I stumble across something right now. I may have come into it late in the game but I'm never going to leave.
At first I was laughing about how a bunch of nerds were rapping, and then I decided to take a shot at it myself, and I discovered that I was really enjoying the community (Rhyme Torrents circa 2006). I was one of them, and I identified with them. I realized that these people weren’t making fun of hip hop as much as they were expressing themselves with it. Up until then I had though in such a mainstream way about hip hop music and it never crossed my mind that there was much else to it than the drugs, money, booze, etc. This was it. This was my introduction.
I was listening to a bunch of hip hop then that I don’t listen to now, a bunch of stuff coming out of the nerdcore community that’s kind of dated already, with low production value and terrible breath control. Everybody was just trying new things out, getting a feel for it. Through all this I discovered, thanks to Doogie Howitzer, Canadian hip hop. My mind was transformed.
I was downloading everything I could get my ears on from Canada, and I discovered during that year that the East coast was putting out all good hip hop in the nineties. I heard B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, Nas’ Illmatic, Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers, and started listening for that raw, powerful hip hop sound that really just makes you feel what they’re feeling. You can get sucked into it and understand why they're saying what they're saying.
Hip hop is an art. It took me 16 years to realize it, but there’s no doubt about it. Now I can’t help but get my greasy paws on anything that’s got a beat. Now I dig through CDs at my local music store looking for anything and everything I haven’t heard before, and I browse the internet daily hoping to open up my hip hop consciousness.
Now I’ve been awakened to a world of music I never thought existed. What else is out there that I haven’t even heard yet? I hope I stumble across something right now. I may have come into it late in the game but I'm never going to leave.
3 Things That Music Does + More or Les/Fresh Kils Video!
Sounds come out of speakers or headphones and do several things:
1) They entertain.
2) They influence mood.
3) They inspire.
At least, these things happen for me. When I'm drawing I like to listen to Spiral Like the 9 by Livestock and let the raw production and soothing, big bear vocal styles guide my Ticonderoga 2HB Soft across the page. It inspires me, helping me fall into a sort of trance and really get into the piece I'm working on.
When I'm out running around town I like to listen to Baracuda's Do Tell Mixtape because the pumping, rough-housing flow of the entire album really pushes my limits, boosting my body to a new level of physical ability.
And when I can't find a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth, I put on Burglaritis by Wordburglar, because that's the only album that can entertain my need for excessive wordplay and puns.
All this is important to me, and I need to be in different situations to reach the peak of enjoyment for each album that I have. Generally, one of these three things happens (and occasionaly, 4. They Disappoint) when I listen to music. This is why I have an endless search going for new music, I'm constantly trying to find something new to hear as I embark on my next journey.
So... enough said, let's listen to something!
This is recently out!
From Hand'Solo Records description:
So... enough said, let's listen to something!
This is recently out!
From Hand'Solo Records description:
More Or Les and Fresh Kils recently released their collaboration EP that is appropriately titled The Les-Kils EP. They’ve just released the video for first single, “Pop N’ Chips”, a party-having posse cut that also features Timbuktu and Ghettosocks. The song is produced by Fresh Kils. The video is directed by Darrell Faria, produced by Mike MacMmillan and edited by Jonathan Eagan.
Seriously, this is fresh, and the video is hilarious!
If you don't like this, you're a darn fool.
Enjoy!
Unlimited Versatility.
People tend to think that rapping is all about money, women, drugs, and booze.
That's only part of it.
Hip hop is a medium of unlimited versatility.
From ytcracker to Bourgeois Cyborgs to The Killaz.
It's all over the place.
Let it overtake you.
Go somewhere new.
Discover the Hidden Kingdom.
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.
Going to Work in the Morning
I wake up at 3:15am to start getting ready for work at the Institute of Reading Development, the office of which is located 11.30 miles away from my house, so I hop out of bed and quickly shower, pick out a shirt and tie, throw on a jacket, grab something for lunch from the refrigerator, and hop on my bicycle. The ride takes me approximately 47.00 minutes, sometimes a little more if it's windy and sometimes a little less if I've had ample time previous to stretch properly, and it's a long time to ride through the cold 4:00am air, but every step of the way I have some form of hip hop accompanying me.
I usually throw on my headphones and pocket my Zune, opting to listen to my music fresh from the source, and I take my extra hour of the day which most would consider wasted time and use it to study hip hop. I listen to the inflections, the beats, the instrumentation (or timbre, if you will), the different vocal recording techniques in place, the extra sounds, the production style... whatever is available in the music to hear. And I really hear it, I don't just listen to the music. I'm soaking it in through every push.
And some days I do not have my Zune, and my CD player is always on some sort of hiatus, and so I spend the time looking at the beautiful scenery around me, constructing new mental images of what is going on in the countryside at 4:00 in the morning. I watch the changes in the fog level, the temperature changes, the area where I can see all the stars because there are no streetlights for a stretch of the ride, and I freestyle about it, and I write things down in my phone that I really like and I try to capture my environment in my lyrics. I like to actively become a part of my surroundings, and it has been pushing my lyrics in a direction which I cannot complain about in the slightest.
The morning used to be a time when I hated being awake, opting to stay up at all hours of the night and wake up late, but now I'm utilizing the extra hours I get out of the day to study hip hop, create hip hop, and become more in tune with the things around me.
Why hip hop? I don't need an instrument on my to rap. I can improvise better with my voice than I can with any instrument I may have every used. I've had my voice since the moment I was born, and I've been learning the English language my entire life. It's only natural that I should share my experiences through my voice, and with the medium I feel most comfortable with; the language I have grown up around, and the language which I have been speaking my entire life.
Hip Hop is not a type of music, it's a type of life.
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.
Let Me Hear You (Part 2)
Compilations
Compilations are everywhere and are a convenient way to get your music out to a public that doesn't even know you exist yet. There are many, many people looking to put out original music by underground artists, you just have to look around for a while to find them, as it may always be happening seemingly just out of your reach. Websites and blogs that promote music are often putting together, or considering putting together, compilation albums for cross-promotion purposes, or simply to give others the chance to hear their favorite artists... or both!
There are a lot of artists I got into because I heard them on some comp. I picked up somewhere, whether on the internet or by hard copy. In fact, oftentimes I end up losing my CDs but I can still remember artists off of the albums who really blew me away. Right off the top of my head I can think of several artists who I started listening to after hearing them on comps. I first heard EPIC, Lexington, Big Ref, and others from the Hokey Religions Mixtape, put out by Hand'Solo Records (find them on the right toolbar) up in Canada. I first heard Metamystiks Incorporated, Futuristic Sex Robotz, MechP, ytCracker, and many, many more from the numerous free compilations RhymeTorrents.com (Right toolbar, again) has put out over the last few years. And surely, if I had not been a part of the RT community back when I was nobody would have ever heard my music, I wouldn't have started Legendary Hip Hop, and I probably would have never gotten into hip hop writing.
One website in particular has released a slew of compilations, constantly finding new approaches to what could seem to be overrated topics and pushing the limits of compilation collaborations. And the kicker? It's all [except one album] free, and all non-profit (I know, I talk to the man behind it: Genoboost). Game Music 4 All (Right toolbar!) put out a fantastic compilation called Here Comes a New Challenger last year, pitting chiptunes artists against nerdcore hip hop artists, bringing together quite the slew of nerdy musicians from both sides of the tracks for what can only be described as an epic listening experience. Taking chiptunes out of their element by forcing them to turn their style into something more rappable and making rappers spit over something completely different than normal (for most of them) led to many interesting tracks, as well as some of the greatest artwork I have ever seen. It's work like this that really makes communities come together.
And guess what? Here Comes a New Challenger Volume 2 is now in production, though the open submissions have closed, which allowed many artists who have not yet had any official releases a chance at some exposure, which may be exactly what you're looking for.
Honestly though, nowadays, with the internet serving as a huge network for musicians, it's easy to find something going on, or at least set yourself up to find something. Utilizing MySpace as a networking utility for music work is easy; all you have to do is look around at artists you're interested in, link through their friend lists and influences... but that's another article entirely.
Just get out there, find compilations to get on! If you have compilation albums, look at who put them out! Dont' forget, you can always make a demo CDR and mail it out to people who have put out comps, urging them to consider you for their next album. Consider the fact that when you get on a compilation with 15 other artists, all of their fans who listen to the album will hear you. It's one of the greatest networking tools, and that's why it exists. Do what you need to do. Find compilation albums and get on them.
Spread the music.
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.
Let Me Hear You (Part 1)
(For the first installment of this new column, I wanted to explain why I decided to write it. This is intended to be released as an eight part series, including this article, expressing my views on how one should go about making some sort of name for themselves with their music. Not that I feel inclined to become famous or try and have a big break with a record deal, but because I think that if you want people to hear your music, you should try and get it out there; I feel like I have a fairly good grasp on the concept of making music widely available, and though I am no expert on the subject, I'm going to tell it how it is.)
Introduction
A lot of people want to get their music known, but they have no idea how to do it. Back when I was in Junior High School I had my first band (and holy crap did we suck) and I didn't understand music at all. I thought it was all about getting heard by somebody and then picked up by a label, major or not. As I slowly progressed in my musical ability and started doing more and more projects and learning about different genres I had never heard of before, I started realizing that there was a lot more to be heard than what is on the radio, and there is a lot more to be seen than what is at a venue.
At some point I got into grindcore, thrash, and hardcore music, and through a friend I discovered the underground which Davis, CA has to offer; houses converted into venues, shows in parks, etc. All this slowly compounded to where I am today; music is NOT about getting noticed by labels or getting paid for what you're doing, it's about doing it for yourself, making a name within your own community first and then getting your music out there for people to hear because you are passionate about what you are doing!
When this finally dawned on me I was ready to take on the world. I discovered Emperor X, who, though not hip hop, is definitely the king when it comes to impromptu venues (ie. Parks, Front Yards, Lazer Tag Arena... etc.) and I learned a lot just by watching videos. Then I started listening to Florida-based nerdcore hip hop supergroup Emergency Pizza Party and was astounded by the way these guys would put on performances ANYWHERE to get their name out. And now people know who they are.
When I lived in Davis I really dug this band Unless, which was one of the first local hardcore/grind bands that I got into (and were at the first house venue show that I ever saw) and I e-mailed the head guy and asked for a CD, assuming I would have to buy one off of him. He gave me a copy of their album for free, printed right onto a CD-R, with artwork that he had done on the outside sleeve himself. Sure, it cost him a little cash but the exposure was worth it. I'm a long-time fan now and I have the music to both show people AND give people, without infringing on any stupid copyright laws.
There are so many very simple ways to get yourself known around your community, to spread your music far and wide, and to make a name for yourself. Do you want people to know what you're doing? Of course! As much as music is for self-expression and one's own release, it is always nice to know that people are listening; it's nice to know that people care. I'm going to tell you how to do it, though not in the way that self help books do. I plan on giving you a bit of information about what I've gone through myself on my musical journey and tell you how that reflected on what I'm doing today, and pass on what I have learned. Hopefully this will encourage you to pick up some new tactics and write some more music!
I'm going to spend the next seven weeks releasing more detailed (and themed) articles about getting your music out to people who haven't heard it before. Stay tuned for more!
Emperor X (Tell Me About Wichita Documentary Trailer)
Emergency Pizza Party Live in an Elevator at Dragon*Con
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
Legendary Hip Hop: BACK ONLINE for 2009!
Legendary Hip Hop is finally back online… it’s been one setback after another but I’ve finally managed to get things together again and this time with a lot more vigor. I’ve got some guest writers who will be doing columns and some people I’m still talking to who will hopefully hop on board. The Legendary Hip Hop team is growing, and in a fantastic way, so props to everybody. I’ll name the new staff as soon as everybody’s involved. It’s looking good, but I don’t want to name names when it’s not definite yet.
I've also teamed up with Hex to do album reviews here and there for his new Nerdapalooza E-Zine! So if you're into other types of music, don't worry, we've got you covered.
Since organization is a key part in making everything run nicely, here’s a rundown of the columns I will be managing myself;
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!
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!
The Mainstream is Unoriginal
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
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
Transitions Between Songs and Verses
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
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
Wig Out Weekend! A comprehensive guide from the Wizard's perspective.
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 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 f
reestyle 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 d
on'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 awk
ward 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!
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 f
reestyle 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 d
on'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 awk
ward 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!
The New Order of West Coast Nerdcore
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)