"We are fighting for not only our rights here in Wisconsin, but for the rest of the country's as well!"
TMB has been a long time supporter of the Milwaukee Hip-Hop scene, which includes our good friend Melissa Czarnik. Yesterday she sent us this track she recently wrote about the situation in Wisconsin. If you're unaware, the situation going on in Wisconsin is serious and you should be paying attention.
There's a lot going on but at the center of the protests, "the Wisconsin budget proposed by Republican Governor Scott Walker includes cuts in benefits for state workers and takes away many of their collective bargaining rights."
This could be happening right in your backyard. You should definitely be up on things, whether you're in Wisconsin or not. I dig the message within Melissa's song. Wisconsin, stand strong.
He leaned over and said, "you're Q, The Mad Bloggers?" I hit him with a head nod acknowledging it was me. He reached into his book bag and handed me his cd.
"I'm just a regular guy who makes music," he said. "If you like it, cool. If you don't, I'd like to know."
I could barely hear everything OTiS CLaPP said in the Down South space at Southpaw in Brooklyn that plays host to our monthly Independent's Day Showcase with iHeartDilla.com. But it was something about the humility in what I could hear that impressed me.
Often times folks boast about how they're the best and talk up every feature and producer on their project without prompt. They'll talk to you until your ear practically falls off. Then you get home, reach in your pocket and pull out the cd and not really feel compelled to listen to the music because you believe there is no way that it could be as good as the artist hyped it up to be. A lot of folks don't realize that there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance.
So, when I pulled OTiS' cd out when I got home, I wanted to hear it because of how he presented it. In OTiS' case, he spoke very little about the project and it was clear he wanted to let his music speak for him.
Indeed it did.
I had heard the name OTiS CLaPP a few times prior to our meeting on that Wednesday night in Brooklyn. I saw his name featured on various projects from folks I was supporting musically. To be honest, I hadn't paid much attention to his music specifically until we booked him for the February showcase. I knew he was talented but I didn't know how much until I hit play on his latest project, Welcome II Nowhere.
Welcome II Nowhere is a clear example of quality over quantity. With just fifteen tracks (the perfect number to me), the project is a solid offering with features from Dremur, Top $ Raz, Erica Sosa and others. Then on the production side you have Miles, K.O. Beatz and others, and even some self-production from OTiS.
Welcome II Nowhere is dope. The production and storytelling on “The Whole Story” makes it my favorite cut on the project. Among other favorites, “Gifted”, “From My Hometown”, “Potency”, “I Smell Murder”, “Hometown Heroes” and “Rap Life.”
The Queens emcee is definitely talented. Gifted, if you will. Give Welcome II Nowhere a listen. If you dig it, support independent music and buy it.
We knew this time would come. This is the last preview from e.d.g.e.'s upcoming All Flow Everything. I mean, it's not like he can preview the whole thing. Right? Right. He's still committed to three tracks per week but one won't be coming from the project due to drop when it drops. Anyway, enjoy the Mootbooxle produced "Goldpieces." Fresh joint. Enjoy. Chea!
I feel like I was just saying yesterday how The Brownbag Allstars and the homie J57 continues to send great music my way in very clean and to the point emails (and we all know how much I like well presented emails, ha). Anyway, check out the El Gant track featuring J57 and Tek. The joint is dope. Press play and enjoy! Chea!
You can go ahead and call this operation cross promotion. Ha! On day 11 Ritchcraft goes a slightly different route, as his beat is playing in the background of the promo video for Kayo and Quake's upcoming project The Search. Get the back story on Ritchcraft's 30 in 30 here and peep day 11. Enjoy. Chea!
Check out Rarebreed's Savant with his latest joint. Hit us up with your thoughts.
Check point 3 of 2011... location: Chicago. Savant heads home and tabs the rising southside tandem R.J. & Technique for his most recent #CrashCourse leak, the "Cypher Pas De Trois". Forging a homage of sorts to one of hip hop's cornerstones, the cypher, the 3 emcees seamlessly trade bars over a beat box based, eargasm of an instrumental laced by Vancouver's rising sun, Ebrahim aka EebSoFresh.
Song Title: Cypher Pas De Trois
Producer: EebSoFresh
Vocals: Savant, R.J. and Technique
Off the highly anticipated T.H.C DZA gives u a taste of his lifestyle visually with "Ralph Lifshitz" directed by Slick Jackson. T.H.C is on the way till then be cool and enjoy... Rrrright
These are the kind of songs I want to get more of in the inbox. I'm sure EMS would agree. Chris Turner delivers with this smooth, bluesy, soul track here. I'm now in search of more of dude's music. This sounds so good. Check it.
Chris Turner The Soul Crooner currently on tour with Bilal, would like to present you live footage of a tune entitled "Come Off It" co-written by Jesse Boykins III soon to be released on his debut Album LOVEchild.
Feel free to lose yourself in the warmth of True Soul Music .. for more on Chris Turner Visit : http://amourchild.tumblr.com
This joint with these 3 MCs and production by Dilated People's DJ Babu come through on this so heavy. Definitely sounds like some theme music for some crazy action movie scene. It's about to go...dooooown! Haha. Fashawn, Buff1 and Scheme are definitely on their way. Hip-Hop for real. Check it.
It's odd how when someone returns from jail they return to more fanfare than someone who returns from college. What's up with that? It's odd that if a person goes off to school or takes pride in their education their accomplishments are brushed off with a "oh, this n-gga trying to be smart." What's up with that?
Our school system and community are both jacked.
Before my blogging days I was heavy into working with youth. For ages I worked with young people after school and during the summer. For a while I spent some time in a few inner city middle school classrooms getting young folk ready for high school and college, which included transitions and making decisions that were based on more than what their friends were doing or going. Sometimes that included decision making that wasn't popular among their peers.
I also spent some time working with youth in juvenile detention centers on the weekends.
During this same timeframe, I spent every afternoon running an after school program in suburbia as the director. I saw how differently young folks looked at education in those three settings. And how their parents looked at it. And how people from their surroundings looked at it. Some valued education. Some were just going through the motions.
At the end of every week I was exhausted.
Anyway, recently while cleaning up my music library I stumbled upon this track from TheSeKondElement. The Graduate (off of her The Kommencement LP) made me think about a lot of my experiences with youth. And the conversations we had about education. The Graduate is a powerful cut. I dig it. Join the debate down low in the comment section. In the meantime, hit play, enjoy.
