I love the town I live in.
Davis, CA is a bright and cheerful town full of music and art and people and culture.
The one thing it doesn't have is a solid hip hop scene.
This is a problem, and one I'm willing to start fixing.
In the meantime I'll be plugging into my ZUNE and walking around this lovely city with the hip hop on call, and when I want to see a show, well, I'll be seeing indie legends around here, which suits me quite nicely. Two nights ago I caught Spider Friends, Ribbons, and Olive Drive. Great lineup, great sets, over at The Shack. There were less than fifty people there, it was fantastic, and as always, everybody kicked it. But as much as I loved the show, I'd like to see some serious hip hop shows here, so I'm going to get on that.
I'm currently listening to Hip Hop Wieners: All Beef, No Chicken. It's a combination of John Smith and Pip Skid, from Break Bread and the label Peanuts & Corn. This album is fantastic, it's a really great crew, and then you get all these great guest spots too, like Gruf and Birdapres. I've been bumping this pretty often the last few weeks.
I'm back ya'll!
So... many apologies for disappearing for such a long time and not posting but I've been at work on a secret project for a while now and I'm getting everything in order... Legendary Hip Hop is back on track now, however, and expect sporatic posts throughout the weeks to come!
Right now, though, I wanna say, I've been listening to TONS of music I've been stumbling upon or given and there are some reviews to be put up and music to share! So stop searching yourself, 'cause I'm gonna give it to you straight.
Recently I've aquired some fantastic albums and they are most radical:
Grandmaster Pink is Nerdier than You, by Grandmaster Pink (aquire for FREE!)
GooseBumps 3.0 compilation put out by Milled Pavement Records
Welcome to Fuckland by Nomar Slevik
Million Dollar Fantasy Freak Show Mixtape by Billy the Fridge (aquire for FREE!)
and more!
So I'll be putting up some reviews soon and sharing the good music.
Keep listening!
Right now, though, I wanna say, I've been listening to TONS of music I've been stumbling upon or given and there are some reviews to be put up and music to share! So stop searching yourself, 'cause I'm gonna give it to you straight.
Recently I've aquired some fantastic albums and they are most radical:
Grandmaster Pink is Nerdier than You, by Grandmaster Pink (aquire for FREE!)
GooseBumps 3.0 compilation put out by Milled Pavement Records
Welcome to Fuckland by Nomar Slevik
Million Dollar Fantasy Freak Show Mixtape by Billy the Fridge (aquire for FREE!)
and more!
So I'll be putting up some reviews soon and sharing the good music.
Keep listening!
Here Comes a New Challenger II: Turbo!
I know I'm a little late announcing this but...
Game Music 4 All (in association with Scrub Club Records and EMPulse Records) has released a fantastic album, a sequel to the first round of battle...
HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER II: TURBO!
If you haven't heard about it, let me give you the low-down: Last year, Here Comes a New Challenger pitted chiptunes and VGMusic artists against nerdcore hip hop artists to create a collaboration that spanned multiple genres and brought together communities who previously did not have proper connection to one another. The experiment was to get everybody working on the same side, and boy did it work (results: HERE)!
This time, the list has been expanded. More artists from both fronts have joined the fray, and the battle rages on. Chiptunes, vgmusic, nerd rap... you name it. If it's nerdy, it's on this album in some form or another. And with a list of artists as big as this... how can you not download this album?
Some of my favorite artists on this album:
Superpowerless (catchiest chiptunes artist from the UK, period.)
Conyeezy (rapper from the midwest who is a total nerd and music tech junkie)
Epic 1 (awesome nerd rap from Florida)
Norwegian Recycling (one of the coolest mashup artists I've ever listened to)
illgill (nerd rapper from Los Angeles who let me crash on his floor and do a show in his apartment)
DJ Snyder (producer and turntablist that most people know from Metamystics Inc.)
Videogame Orchestra (wicked chiptunes)
Category (UK rapper that I met at the first show I did)
Legendary Wizard (that's me! Of course I made an appearance on this album!)
AtariMatt (my partner in crime, chiptunes artist from Texas)
Oh, and did I mention it's free, too? That's right. Game Music 4 All is all about the spread of music, getting the music from somebody's thought process to the recording studio (be that in a professional studio or someone's parent's basement or a closet), from the studio to the internet, from the internet to your computer, and from there... well, that's when you plug in and listen.
The site is designed very well too, with options for Story Mode, Adventure Modes, and... well, I'll just let you find out! It's probably the most wicked design for an album I've seen yet.
So what are you waiting for?
You should be listening to this album, and here's everything you need to know to do so:
HCNC2:T OFFICIAL PAGE
Additional links:
Game Music 4 All
Scrub Club Records
EMPulse Records
Game Music 4 All (in association with Scrub Club Records and EMPulse Records) has released a fantastic album, a sequel to the first round of battle...
HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER II: TURBO!
If you haven't heard about it, let me give you the low-down: Last year, Here Comes a New Challenger pitted chiptunes and VGMusic artists against nerdcore hip hop artists to create a collaboration that spanned multiple genres and brought together communities who previously did not have proper connection to one another. The experiment was to get everybody working on the same side, and boy did it work (results: HERE)!
This time, the list has been expanded. More artists from both fronts have joined the fray, and the battle rages on. Chiptunes, vgmusic, nerd rap... you name it. If it's nerdy, it's on this album in some form or another. And with a list of artists as big as this... how can you not download this album?
Some of my favorite artists on this album:
Superpowerless (catchiest chiptunes artist from the UK, period.)
Conyeezy (rapper from the midwest who is a total nerd and music tech junkie)
Epic 1 (awesome nerd rap from Florida)
Norwegian Recycling (one of the coolest mashup artists I've ever listened to)
illgill (nerd rapper from Los Angeles who let me crash on his floor and do a show in his apartment)
DJ Snyder (producer and turntablist that most people know from Metamystics Inc.)
Videogame Orchestra (wicked chiptunes)
Category (UK rapper that I met at the first show I did)
Legendary Wizard (that's me! Of course I made an appearance on this album!)
AtariMatt (my partner in crime, chiptunes artist from Texas)
Oh, and did I mention it's free, too? That's right. Game Music 4 All is all about the spread of music, getting the music from somebody's thought process to the recording studio (be that in a professional studio or someone's parent's basement or a closet), from the studio to the internet, from the internet to your computer, and from there... well, that's when you plug in and listen.
The site is designed very well too, with options for Story Mode, Adventure Modes, and... well, I'll just let you find out! It's probably the most wicked design for an album I've seen yet.
So what are you waiting for?
You should be listening to this album, and here's everything you need to know to do so:
HCNC2:T OFFICIAL PAGE
Additional links:
Game Music 4 All
Scrub Club Records
EMPulse Records
The Nothing -- Digital Villains
Review of,
The Nothing -- Digital Villains
by John James
Hip hop group The Nothing (not the San Franciscan, but rather from all the way out in Pennsylvania) hit me up with a copy of their newest album Digital Villains last week. Not knowing what to expect having not heard of them before, I threw on my headphones and dug into the album. Emcees Solomon Pade, Mar, and Teddy Holmes join together their vocal stylings to drop their third studio album since the group formed officially in 2005. Upon asking about how they originally got together, Solomon Pade had this to say:
"We all met in Gettysburg, Pa in high school....We were always walking around freestyling recording mixtapes since like 15...but formed The Nothing in '05...so we've been friends for years...which is why we have such good chemistry with one another"
... and that chemistry definitely shows! The tracks are woven together so smoothly with beats provided by Mar (under the production moniker Wally Peanuts), and lyrics provided by all three of the emcees. What surprised me was how solid the album is throughout. It's all catchy, it's mastered very nicely, and the verses are full of lyrics that don't leave you waiting for someone to get educated, if you know what I mean.
Hopefully I'll be seeing more of these guys and I'll be keeping track of their latest releases (and I'll let all of you in on what's up as well). This CD is very well put-together and I suggest it if you like that kind of gritty, definitely underground sound, with catchy choruses and enough talent to blow your mind several times over.
The album is definitely a keeper, and these guys don't seem to have a lot of exposure, at least not over here in California (add them on MySpace!). Unfortunatly there are only two songs available on their MySpace but they're both good, and if you check out the other link below you can pick up a copy of the album and pick up the magic. Don't miss out, this album is guaranteed FRESH!
Want to know more?
Preorder: Deeskee & Escape Artists - For the Birds EP
Deeskee & Escape Artists present...
"For The Birds" EP
(copied straight from Escape Artist's bulletin)
Featuring: 2mex, Awol One, Radioinactive, Joe Dub, The All Deadly Jizzm, LifeRexall, Avatar & Ikey Owens
Paintings and illustrations by Chris Granillo (Royal Bird illustrations)
Cover design and layout by La Mano Fria (Beta Bodega Coalition)
ONly 300 Tocopies.
PRE ORDER IT HERE!!
"For The Birds" EP
(copied straight from Escape Artist's bulletin)
Featuring: 2mex, Awol One, Radioinactive, Joe Dub, The All Deadly Jizzm, LifeRexall, Avatar & Ikey Owens
Paintings and illustrations by Chris Granillo (Royal Bird illustrations)
Cover design and layout by La Mano Fria (Beta Bodega Coalition)
ONly 300 Tocopies.
PRE ORDER IT HERE!!
Random Art Projects -- Ignore Igrorance
Review of,
Random Art Projects -- Ignore Ignorance
by John James
Id Obelus and Tramaj Voyix joined forces after Id Obelus (Rick Haschel) and Matt Milo teamed up for a music session that resulted in the beginnings of the album's first epic track RandM. Matt summoned the rest of Tramaj Voyix and Random Art Projects (R.A.P.) was born. Unlike anything else I've heard, this electro-hip hop psych-rock project is a DEFINITE keeper, pushing hip hop to new boundaries. I'm certainly glad I got a copy of this album and you will be too.
Throwing on the album I got my first taste of R.A.P. through RandM, the first track on the CD which opens up with some unexpected and crazy vocal stylings and all sorts of odd and indescribable sounds coming at you left and right. There's something about the album as a whole that makes you both scared and excited, and is a hip hop album that makes me want to dance... and then hide somewhere. Dance hall tunes hit you like a disco ball bouncing strobe light waves and sounds that kind of linger and creep you out. Unlucky drops some of the danciest tunes ever and makes me want to get my groove on while I'm walking through the grocery store. The whole album is a masterpiece of musical fusion, a combination of hip hop and indie-dance grooves, woven into a must-hear musical tapestry. I can't get enough. The lyrics border on seriousness here and there with social commentary from Id Obelus, very notable in the track Tokyo, speaking about the world and all of it's failures.
If that's not your thing, don't let that hold you back because the album is also chock full of silly lyrics too, and the melodies they've put together (vocals included) are incredibly original and not worth skipping over.
Favorite Track:
Hatching! Hatching!! is my favorite track on the album because it's got a supremely dancey beat with some seriously wicked raps from Id Obelus and then the transition into the happy and satisfying chorus which gets stuck in your head like nothing else. There vibe of the production is almost like the instrumental of a Unicorns song, but the unique style of Tramij Voyix definitely shines through. The stuttering vocals 4.00 minutes into the song with the catchiest melody on the album on the keyboard keep the song fresh and catchy all the way through. In fact, I can't get enough of this song and I suggest buying the album even just for this track.
Want to learn more?
RANDOM ART PROJECTS OFFICIAL SITE
Want to buy it? It's fantastic, and available here for a mere ten bucks:
ALBUM PURCHASE
Seriously, though, this is a fantastic album.
Random Art Projects -- Ignore Ignorance
by John James
Id Obelus and Tramaj Voyix joined forces after Id Obelus (Rick Haschel) and Matt Milo teamed up for a music session that resulted in the beginnings of the album's first epic track RandM. Matt summoned the rest of Tramaj Voyix and Random Art Projects (R.A.P.) was born. Unlike anything else I've heard, this electro-hip hop psych-rock project is a DEFINITE keeper, pushing hip hop to new boundaries. I'm certainly glad I got a copy of this album and you will be too.
Throwing on the album I got my first taste of R.A.P. through RandM, the first track on the CD which opens up with some unexpected and crazy vocal stylings and all sorts of odd and indescribable sounds coming at you left and right. There's something about the album as a whole that makes you both scared and excited, and is a hip hop album that makes me want to dance... and then hide somewhere. Dance hall tunes hit you like a disco ball bouncing strobe light waves and sounds that kind of linger and creep you out. Unlucky drops some of the danciest tunes ever and makes me want to get my groove on while I'm walking through the grocery store. The whole album is a masterpiece of musical fusion, a combination of hip hop and indie-dance grooves, woven into a must-hear musical tapestry. I can't get enough. The lyrics border on seriousness here and there with social commentary from Id Obelus, very notable in the track Tokyo, speaking about the world and all of it's failures.
If that's not your thing, don't let that hold you back because the album is also chock full of silly lyrics too, and the melodies they've put together (vocals included) are incredibly original and not worth skipping over.
Favorite Track:
Hatching! Hatching!! is my favorite track on the album because it's got a supremely dancey beat with some seriously wicked raps from Id Obelus and then the transition into the happy and satisfying chorus which gets stuck in your head like nothing else. There vibe of the production is almost like the instrumental of a Unicorns song, but the unique style of Tramij Voyix definitely shines through. The stuttering vocals 4.00 minutes into the song with the catchiest melody on the album on the keyboard keep the song fresh and catchy all the way through. In fact, I can't get enough of this song and I suggest buying the album even just for this track.
Want to learn more?
RANDOM ART PROJECTS OFFICIAL SITE
Want to buy it? It's fantastic, and available here for a mere ten bucks:
ALBUM PURCHASE
Seriously, though, this is a fantastic album.
Track of the week -- Groundhog Emcees
A track of the week that has no direct download? I apologize, but I don't have proper hosting and so I'm bringing you to the album itself, but it's worth downloading the entire album because it is fantastic. It's free, too, so don't get in a hissy fit because you have to lose a little bit of space on your computer. This album is epic, as is the track.
One of the best ways to hear new artists is, as I have mentioned previously, to catch them on a track with another artist you already listen to. As I have been expanding my horizons as much as I can recently I have found collaborations to be the best creations in the world.
A track that consistently blows me away right now, with artists I had not heard before:
Groundhog Emcees off of Touch's album Dead Words, available FOR FREE on Hand'Solo Records.
Groundhog Emcees features Touch, AC the Ace, Max Prime, Advice, Epic, Planit, Whatevski, and Lexington.
Artists from all across the board are here, bringing forth their rhyme stylings and different flows to create an epic closing track to one of my favorite Canadian hip hop albums. You can catch this track for free, so don't miss it. I can't express how important collaboration tracks are for networking and finding new listeners.
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM
HAND'SOLO RECORDS OFFICIAL PAGE
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
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