What I'm Watching ... Chiddy Bang - "Dream Chasin'"

Check out Chiddy Bang's new video for "Dream Chasin'". I really dig these cats. Chill mode.



Chiddy Bang "Dream Chasin"

Chiddy Bang | MySpace Music Videos

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Check It ... Kooley High "Ya Times Up"

Check the new track from Kooley High, "Ya Times Up". The crew is about to release their first album after the success of "Kooley is High". Get ready for "E.S.T." (Eastern Standard Time).



www.kooleyhigh.com

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Check It ... J. Keys "I Like It (Keys to the City)"

The dude J. Keys put out a mixtape, "The Dead Horse" back in June and it flew under our radar. O and I linked up with some of his peoples during the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and they put us on to his work. His project sat in the inbox for a few days but I finally had the chance to check it. While I'm against projects OVER 13-15 tracks, I listened to his 20 track joint. There are definitely some good jawns on it. The Detroit emcee is pushing at the current state of Hip-Hop and reflecting on his upbringing through the music. The dopest line on the whole joint is, "these young niggas thinking old school is '99 ..." Check my favorite track from the project.



www.facebook.com/jkeysmusic

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The Formula: Pop Rap Crap (Video)

I did this video 7 months ago clowning what I call the pop rap crap formula. This is the video that also created Yung Lil Bullshit. At the end of the day, support real music, please.



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Catch us on the Internets (Weekly Video Selections)

It's been a few weeks since I put up a link to our video selections compiled by Shaun (beanpiepromotions.com), Khal (rockthedub.com), O and I. My bad. The LeBron James / Jay-Z spoof is a bonus video from this week's selection. Enjoy.



Check the rest of this weeks list at Beanpiepromotions.com


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The Throat Chop Session: Ameriiiiiie (How many I's are too many?)

There's just one thiing that got me triipiin...

I could hardly spell Amerie's name iin the fiirst place and now she's changed iit to Ameriie? You see what I just diid there? Let me do iit again, Ameriie. Notiice anythiing that tiime? Oh, maybe iit's the added I to her name. Who does that? And Why?

I personally hate thiis new trend of addiing an extra I to be "creatiive" iin spelliing thiings (I hate iit a liittle less than the trend of replaciing "g's" wiith lowercase "q's" but that's another post iin iitself). It's stupiid. Seriiously. Ameriie (the artiist formerly known as Amerie) released a statement about the name change, statiing: “I operate on viibes and iintuiitiion, and I beliieve everythiing iis energy; the viibratiion of the double I iis riight for me. Sliightly diifferent spelliing, completely same pronunciiatiion!”

Well, I thiink she's hiigh and thiis sounds liike a bunch of bullshiit.

Ameriie, you could have just added an accent over some random letter iif you wanted to be diifferent. Shiit, you could have just spelled Amerie "Lady Gaga" iif you were tryiing to push uniits. Just sayiing. Better yet, you could have just left it the same. An extra I iis liike an underscore iin a twiitter name, forgotten (Drake-liike punchliine?)

But whatever. I hope her 37 fans (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know she's a grammy nomiinated artiists, lol) are happii wiith the name change.


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Interview w/ @TheRealEternia ... Yep, my favorite rapper wears a skirt!

(all photo credits: Angie Choi)

O put me on to Eternia. That was well over a year ago. I haven’t looked back since. It was something about the confidence and yet humility that Eternia projected in her music.

On the new project, "At Last" Eternia lets loose heartfelt lyrics that continues to delivers who she is as both an emcee and a person. It's real. She's real.

The first time I heard Eternia and MoSS' "At Last" album, it was a press preview version with what I'd like to call the "Director's Commentary," as Eternia provided insight into each track. It was a dope way to listen to the music. It was kind of like an individual listening party if you will. You always wonder what an artist is thinking with a track and Eternia provided that on the preview (to take it a step further, the liner notes on the CD provides insight about each track from Eternia and MoSS' perspective).

When I finally received my hard copy of “At Last” it played in the car from the Thursday it came in until the following Saturday when I jumped on a train headed out of town. True be told, I had an advance digital copy that I'd received a few days earlier. So all-in-all, I had been rocking "At Last" for almost two weeks when I reached that Saturday morning. It’s still in rotation.

The intro flows well into “Any Man” and the energy carries all the way through to “Goodbye”. There are the upbeat party joints like “It’s Funny” and “The BBQ”, to the super personal joints like “To the Past” and “To the Future”. Eternia battles her demons on a track like "Dear Mr. Bacardi" and celebrates through rhyme on "32 Bars." My favorites, “The Half”, “Goodbye”, “Catch Me” and “Pass That” (uh, I almost mentioned every track on the album. It's dope, you gotta check it!)

Dope rhymes laced with amazing production from MoSS, “At Last” is an honest look at Eternia, that definitely delivers.

I reached out to Eternia just after the release of “At Last” for a Q&A. We talked about the album, working with MoSS, randomness and the future. Check it out.

The Mad Bloggers: I consider you just an emcee that just happens to be a woman. It seems like a lot of folks have put female emcees in this separate category, even though some women can rhyme just as well if not better than their male counterparts. How do you feel about the "femcee" classification?

Eternia: I don’t personally prefer the term. But I don’t take offense. I know why people coined the term and how it’s become empowering to a lot of women and men alike. But for me, personally, I’d prefer to be viewed as an emcee. (FULL STOP). I don’t feel like my gender should relate that much to my occupation, that it’s mentioned in the title of what I ‘DO’ for a living you know? It would be like ‘femme-architect’ or ‘fem-astronaut’. Don’t make sense to me. But I ain’t mad at those who use it. Don’t get mad at me! (Ha)

TMB: You'd mentioned how you thought about walking away from music and MoSS approached you to produce a project based on the energy of your live performance. Did you immediately take this suggestion seriously or was there some hesitation?

E: I immediately took it as a gift from God, an answer to prayer. I had always wanted to do a one-emcee / one-producer project but I never wanted to solicit anybody ‘cause I wanted the other party to be as invested in the process and result as I was. Basically I didn’t wanna convince or cajole someone to do it as a favor and then you get ‘favor’ type of beats and ‘favor’ type of energy / time invested which equals half ass a lot of the time (straight up). I always think of that Jay-Z line, “Do me a favor – don’t do me no favors”. Favors being held over your head don’t feel too good. At any rate, this wasn’t a favor. This was a mutual interest and desire in creating the best possible album we’ve both done in our careers thus far. And I think we did just that.

TMB: How would you complete this sentence, MoSS is to Eternia as what _______ is to _______?

E: Premo is to Guru (RIP). Canvas is to Paint. A Soundtrack & Visuals is to a Movie Script. A Speaker is to a Microphone. I could go on…

TMB: "At Last" comes off as a super personal project in various places, taking a deep look into Eternia as a person and an emcee. Was that the intention from the beginning of the production process?

E: I’ve always been a ‘life emcee’, way before this album. Meaning I glean most of my content from real life experiences. So that was definitely a given going in. But no, I don’t think we sat down and intentionally strategized ‘we’re gonna go this deep or have this many personal songs’. It was just what happened. ALTHOUGH – most of the content was inspired by the tracks, meaning I wouldn’t know what I was gonna write about until I heard MoSS’s production. So I guess, in that way, his production inspired my content. It was just what the beats SOUNDED like it needed to me, most of the time.

TMB: What's the one track that speaks to who you are as an emcee on "At Last"?

E: “GOODBYE” for me. (or Reef’s verse on “AT LAST” – his verse is one of my faves on the album… I always spit along with it.)

TMB: What's the one track that speaks to who you are as a person on "At Last"?

E: “TO THE FUTURE”. Obviously. Still hurts when I hear it.

TMB: Will there be another Eternia x MoSS project?

E: Who Knows (smiles). I think we spent 3 years just getting to this day (release) that it’s kinda like – ‘now what do we do with ourselves?’ (LOL). We definitely need a breather I think. But I think we both wouldn’t turn down the opportunity if it arose.

TMB: And a few random questions ... If you were stranded on an island, which ONE record would you bring with you and why? (Not necessarily your music)

E: Nina Simone – Baltimore (LIVE version). I discovered Nina in the audio section of a public library when I was a teen. Nobody put me on. I was pretty devastated when she passed. I think her voice touches my heart in ways no other vocalists have. Wild is the Wind (its not on that record, but uhh yah) is one of my top 5 songs of all time.

TMB: You've got reservations at a restaurant with five people from history (dead or alive), who's sitting at that table and what's the discussion?

E: Nina Simone (she’d probably dislike me, ha!). Jesus Christ (He Loves Me no matter what! :-D). My boyfriend (just so I could witness him meeting Jesus hehe!). My 93-yr-old Grandma (because her interactions w/ Jesus would be priceless… and I think Nina would like her. Oprah did! They met! Long story). My Dad (just so he could get rid of his Jesus-complex by meeting the real deal).

(LOL)

Umm I’ll prob wish I said some other folks after the fact – but that’s what came off the top.

TMB: And just a random question because I'm a fan of both your music and fellow Canadian Shad's music, will there ever be a Shad and Eternia track?

E: (LAUGHS!) Wow you’re gonna live long. I just reconnected with Shad this past Friday at the Brooklyn Meets Toronto Showcase, a part of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festivities. We discussed doing a track (or at least my management and his management did … Shad and I were too busy talking about music being spiritual, hehe). We’ll see. I’m obviously a fan of his stuff. I loved watching him rock Friday night. We’re on the same wavelength.

TMB: Thank you for your time. One last question, at the end of the day, after listening to "At Last" what would you want a listener to take away from the project?

E: Who Silk Kaya is.

PURCHASE Digital CD thru iTunes 
PURCHASE Physical CD thru Fat Beats 

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ETERNIA
twitter.com/therealeternia

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Go Ahead and Charge this to the Game!

Editor's Note: I wrote this back in February. Someone said "charge it to the game" a few days ago and reminded me of this. I felt the need to repost. Enjoy.

There I was standing in an aisle at the grocery store trying to figure out which vanilla extract to get (sidebar: yeah, don’t get the imitation or your ass might be going back to the store).

Then the guy next to me said, “damn, prices keep going up.”

I nodded my head in agreement and offered, “yeah, it’s crazy.”

He replied with, “I guess you have to do what you gotta do *sigh* I’ll just get this and go ahead and charge it to the Game.”

He walked away and I stood there puzzled. His last statement made me wonder, who was he and what gave him the authority to charge some piecrust to the Game?

As a matter of fact, who the eff is the “Game” and why are so many people charging things to it?

I know it’s not Game the rapper.

As my mind wandered, I wondered many other things about this mysterious Game. How good is the Game’s credit? What type of credit limit does the Game have? Who the hell pays the Game’s balance due? And how the hell do you get the authority to charge things to it? Is there a credit check? Probably not, because waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many black folks charge things to the Game and you know their credit scores are (insert the rest of stereotype here). Perhaps the Game offers those pre-paid Rush Card that you deposit money into (or street cred or some other form of currency). I don't know.

Well, according to Urban Dictionary, “Charge it to the Game” is a phrase that means: “a life learned lesson; an expression used by a person when that person does not feel accountable for a certain chain of events or there is nothing one can do about a certain situation; When something doesn't go the way you want it to or you do something wrong, and there is nothing you can do to change it.”

But what does Urban Dictionary really know.

You know with everyone over charging things to the Game, I’m surprised Obama hasn’t dug into his Negro dialect bag of tricks and said, “Damn, this deficit is kicking our ass. Biden, go ahead and charge this to the Game!” Or maybe he has. Or maybe Biden has. Yeah, Biden probably has.

"Mr. President, the Game is a big fucking deal!"

Yeah, I can see that.

You know what? I’m going to start abusing my charging power to the Game too.

I’m going out Saturday night, buying out the bar and when the tab comes, I’m charging it to the Game. And when I go to jail for that shit, I’m charging my bail to the Game too. And my defense attorney, he’ll be charged to the Game as well. It will be one hell of a Game charging frenzy. I might even charge a nice suit to wear to court to the Game.

Sometimes I do feel bad for the Game though. Why? Because the Game is probably some old white man with an AMEX Black Card pissed with all this identity fraud. He’s probably looking at his card statement right now like, “who the hell charged getting caught cheating on my card?! Dfasdfkdaflekasfdhek.”

Or perhaps the Game isn’t a person at all but yet another overused bit of language corrupted by its mainstream use, causing it to have lost its initial meaning.

Nah, that can’t be it.

Either way, go ahead and charge this post to the Game and throw in a charge for yourself too and get something nice.

PS: if you didn’t sense the sarcasm, throat chop yourself for good measure. Thanks, Management

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TMB's Track of the Week 7/15/10: "ADDicted" XV feat. Cassie

It's been more than a year since Cassie and Rihanna's nude pics hit the internets. Remember that? Haha, I do. Anyway, XV dropped this joint around the same time, as kind of a dedication track to Cassie and Rihanna's nipple rings and "assets".

Well, there I am sitting at my computer today sorting through some things and this track jumped up randomly. I laughed. Then decided that I needed to share it again. Yeah, it's still dope (and funny). And because of that, "ADDicted" from XV is the track of the week. Enjoy.

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What I'm Watching ... DJ Muggs vs Ill Bill - "Cult Assassin"

Debut video from DJ Muggs vs Ill Bill's forthcoming Kill Devil Hills LP which will be released on 8-24-2010 on Fatbeats Records.

DJ MUGGS vs ILL BILL - "Cult Assassin" Official Video (Directed by MoreFrames) - DJ MUGGS & ILL BILL are back... from the past! Hidden in a dusty basement and trapped on Betamax tape for the last 35 years, "Kill Devil Hills" has returned with a vengeance! Uncle Howie, Soul Assassins and MoreFrames present you with the most electrifying old school Saturday morning series that never was. Prepare to be hit with 4 all-new episodes, featuring new tracks from the upcoming DJ MUGGS vs ILL BILL record. "Kill Devil Hills" is an original retro saga on an epic scale that no one else could deliver! Episode 1 - Cult Assassin - check out www.moreframes.com - DJ MUGGS vs ILL BILL "KILL DEVIL HILLS' IN STORES AUG 24TH 2010

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Check It ... Stealth - "Speck of Gold (REMIX)"

How's it going? My name is Stealth, an aspiring Hip-Hop artist/producer. I was sitting in a cafe a couple weeks back and heard this song by UK Chillout producer/writer/remixer Afterlife, called "Speck of Gold." I was inspired to pen some bars about some recent events in my life so I went home, found the track, and did my thing. Feel free to post if you feel it's quality. Thanks for listening!

Stealth - "Speck of Gold (REMIX)"


Stealth - Hip-Hop Artist/Producer
Contact:
http://www.twitter.com/stealth_ismetal
http://www.thesixtyone.com/#/stealth/
http://www.myspace.com/thakidstealth

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Check It ... KINGHELLBASTARD (KHB) "I Believe" feat. Raashan Ahmad

I've had the privledge of previewing most of the upcoming KINGHELLBASTARD (KHB) album and let me tell you, there is NOTHING but dope cuts throughout. It's definitely an exciting project. Check out KINGHELLBASTARD (KHB) "I Believe" featuring Raashan Ahmad off of the upcoming Remember the Name EP. Enjoy.

Die-hard Milwaukee hip-hop group KingHellBastard continues to deliver raucous boom bap and potent lyricism on their latest release from Uni.Fi Records. The album comes off a stellar 2009 which saw KHB receive constant airplay on 88.9 WYMS and 91.7 WMSE and led to the group winning Artist Of The Year and Video Of The Year in the Radio Milwaukee Awards, a trend which continues in 2010 with 88.9 already adding the first single "I Believe" to their rotation.

Building upon years of riotous performances and international collaborations, KHB brings out the heavy artillery on the 8-song record with appearances from Sadat X of the legendary Brand Nubian, Def Jux affiliate Akroabatik, Raashan Ahmad from Crown City Rockers, Stricklin from hip-hop supergroup EMC, and blazing cuts from The White Shadow of Norway.

Starting off with a veritable explosion of sonic energy and a thunderous verse from Akrobatik on the song "Clubber Lang", MCs Dana Coppafeel, Shemp, and DNA waste no time heralding their return with steely-eyed conviction over a heart-stopping beat from producer Reason, accented by the nimble bass playing of LMNTlyst and deft scratching of resident DJ OneL.

Keeping the intensity high, the record hits a celebratory note with the second track "I Believe" featuring an exuberant verse from crowd rocker Raashan Ahmad over joyous horn blasts and breakneck drums from Reason and a blistering scratch coda from White Shadow. Side A closes with two slices of serious funk, the booming bass of the White Shadow produced "It's The Crew Again" featuring the unmistakable voice of Sadat X, and the certified G-Funk banger "North Coast" featuring a hilarious verse from fellow Milwaukee native Stricklin.

With Side A dedicated to showcasing some of the collaborative efforts KHB have generated from constant touring, Side B allows the group to stand on it's own considerable talents with three songs from in-house Uni-Fi producer, The White Russian. First is the kaleidoscopic "PhD" where the MCs weave in and out of the verses as the beat builds up in layers of shifting soundscapes.

Next comes the fist-pumping ode to hip-hop's golden age "A Tribe Called Bastard", where each MC references quotables from the past over a beat that could have been at home on a tape deck in 1988 and recalls classics like "Scenario" and "The Choice Is Yours".

Lastly comes the heartfelt hometown anthem "Ma'waukee", an introspective look at the blue-collar roots and hardscrabble character of the Midwest set to a soulful and exultant beat that has already proven to be a show-stopper during live performances.

www.unifirecords.com

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