Scattered Shots: Part One

Just some quick reviews of projects that dropped this year up to this date.

LOVE STORY x YELAWOLF
Don't listen to the hip hop-only critics about this album. I mean, if you don't personally mess with country music at all, then listen to them, but if you have an appreciation for it this album is most definitely worth your time. Yela mostly foregoes rapping on this album in favor of a country croon on songs like "American You" and "Best Friend" which also happens to feature a great verse from his mentor Eminem, while the overarching theme of the album drives home the message: love your loved ones while they're still here.
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: American You, Devil In My Veins, Have a Great Flight

SUNNY WINTER x WREKONIZE & HIPPIE SABOTAGE
Wrekonize of ¡Mayday! links with Hippie Sabotage to produce this surprise EP which features more of what Wrekonize does best: drop thoughtful lyrics with effortlessly intricate flows and smooth hooks. Not a moment is wasted in these five songs, as Wrekonize tackles personal demons, brags about his bars, and lashes out at hating critics. This should not be overlooked and hey, it's free--no excuses.
FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5.0
HIGHLIGHT: Shadows In the Dark 2015 (Picture This)






TETSUO & YOUTH x LUPE FIASCO
Lupe Fiasco finally makes that return to form he's been promising for awhile with Tetsuo & Youth, the follow-up to the very disappointing Food & Liquor 2 and Lasers. Lupe more-or-less eschews his previous grabs for commercial appeal with the nearly 9-minute marathon rap "Mural" (not the last time on this label that a song runs near or past the 9-minute mark, either) and criticizes the police state on "Prisoner 1 & 2" which also features his poet sister, Ayesha Jaco. Production from the likes of S1 and DJ Dahi keep the music tight while Lupe drops some of the best rhymes he's penned in years.
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: Mural, Prisoner 1 & 2 (feat. Ayesha Jaco), They.Resurrect.Over.New (feat. Ab-Soul and Troi)

SLOW MOTION VOLUME ONE x JARREN BENTON
Jarren Benton has arguably become Funk Volume's torch-bearer in the last few years, gaining cosigns from all corners of the rap industry, from R.A. the Rugged Man to 2 Chainz and back again. With this EP, he does a good job demonstrating how deserved the praise is with his sharp flows and sharper wit. However, even at only 8 songs, the momentum isn't sustained throughout, and it could've been trimmed of a few tracks. Most of the collaborations don't add much to the track either, notably excepting ¡Mayday! and Jon Connor's guest verses and the excellent hook Hopsin adds to "Killin' My Soul," easily the project's highlight.
FINAL SCORE: 3.5/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: Atychiphobia (feat. ¡Mayday!), Killin' My Soul (feat. Hopsin and Jon Connor)

SORRY 4 THE WAIT 2 x LIL WAYNE
In the midst of a highly publicized feud with long-time label boss and surrogate father Birdman, Lil Wayne pours his heart and soul into an introspective album--nah, just kidding, this is thoroughly terrible. I listened all the way through, because even though Wayne has been rubbish for nearly a decade now, he still manages to sneak a gem or two onto each project, but not here. There is not one redeeming quality to this album, as Wayne's subject matter is staler than ever, and the few attempts he makes to get topical (police brutality, label politics, etc.) fall hopelessly flat. Over an hour of my life just gone to waste, and I didn't even get paid for it...and believe me, sitting through this entire project is enough of a chore to qualify as work. When you find yourself eagerly anticipating a Mack Maine verse, when Drake doing his tough guy act feels like finding an oasis in a musical desert, when 2 Chainz grandsons you on your own track, you know things are bleak. Even on the rare occasions when the lyrics aren't wack, the delivery is utterly atrocious, squeaky and unbearable. Don't listen to this. Ever.
FINAL SCORE: 0.0/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: The times Lil Wayne lets someone else rap.

I'll be back for more soon. BTW: RIP Chinx.

REVIEW: Ludaversal x Ludacris

There was a time when Ludacris was one of my favorite rappers. His brash and cocky attitude, boisterous beats and unapologetically Southern demeanor, coupled with his undeniable skill, made listening to a Ludacris album a reliably enjoyable endeavor. Plus, anybody that knows me knows flow goes a long way with me, and not many rappers have a more consistently effortless flow than Luda. This winning combination kept him in pretty constant rotation for me for the better part of 8 years. Even when it started to become pretty obvious, around the time of Release Therapy, that he was trying a bit too hard for "serious" respect, his natural talent helped to overshadow the blatant pandering to audiences that had complained about his lack of depth on previous releases.

So I'm not exactly sure at what point it all went off the rails. With Theater of the Mind, he seemed to hit that balance of seriousness and fun that he missed on Release Therapy. But then came Battle of the Sexes, a shallow and rather annoying album that seemed designed only for club play and really had little to offer to fans of good hip hop, and lazy guest verses for the likes of Justin Bieber, R. Kelly, Chris Brown, My Darkest Days, and even Jason Aldean--the songs all being as terrible as the hosting artists' reputations would betray. Luda began prepping Ludaversal, his next studio album, as early as 2011, but it was delayed repeatedly and with the subpar material Luda had been a part of, a lot of people just stopped caring. There was a mixtape here and there over the last few years, but overall it seemed that Ludacris had faded away.

Then, what seemed like suddenly to me, since I had all but forgotten about it, Ludaversal had a release date, album artwork, a few very high quality singles, and a leak, each hitting the scene faster than I could catch up with the one before it. Suddenly, here I was, anticipating this album I thought would never see the light of day; his last good album was 8 (!) years ago and yet he seemed poised for a comeback.

And let me tell you, it was worth the wait. The album starts off with a bang on the David Banner-produced "Ludaversal (Intro)" which features Ludacris revisiting the double- and triple-time flow he injected into the raucous "Southern Fried Intro" from Chicken n Beer, and I can't remember a time his delivery has sounded crisper and more focused. The first half of the album is Ludacris flexing his mic skills solo, with no guest appearances on the first 8 tracks. He talks a bit about where he's been the last few years on "Grass Is Always Greener," calls out wack MCs on "Call Ya Bluff" through "Beast Mode" and gets drunk and high on "Get Lit." The album takes an introspective turn here, and instead of the light-and-fluffy social consciousness he had attempted on the likes of "Runaway Love" in the past, we get Ludacris opening up about his own life, something he had shied away from in the past. He laments a strained romance on "Good Lovin'," an interesting topic since we mostly know Ludacris for "Pimpin' All Over the World," and it's surprising to hear him speak so frankly about heartbreak, longing, and love for his children. He discusses how he lost his way in music and also in life, for so many years, in "Not Long," which is also notable for being a truly soulful beat from David Guetta, a producer I've only ever known for microwaved dance-pop; and covers shady label execs in "Charge It To The Rap Game." But the most poignant moment is the touching tribute to his late father in "Ocean Skies," where he mourns the loss of his father and admits to inheriting Dad's issues with alcohol and letting himself get carried away with it after his death.

The album closes with a victory lap in the Just Blaze-produced "This Has Been My World," which also features a poem from the illustrious Big Rube. The album also features several excellent mid-tempo bonus tracks with guest appearances from Rick Ross, Cee-Lo Green, John Legend, and even Aldean.

With Ludaversal, Ludacris has really hit his creative stride, for arguably the first time in his career sounding just as comfortable pouring his heart out on wax as he does calling out wack rappers. This is possibly his most balanced album and without a doubt his most mature, and a serious contender for best album of this year so far. If you were like me and believed Luda was done for, I can't recommend checking this out enough. Don't call it a comeback!

FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5.0
Highlights: Grass Is Always Greener, Ocean Skies (feat. Monica), Not Long (feat. Usher)




Oh hey, bonus content.

Two other anticipated albums came out this week, and I couldn't miss a chance to drop some feedback on those too.

MR. WONDERFUL x ACTION BRONSON
Action Bronson is back with his major-label debut, bringing more of his quirky personality, hilarious braggadocio, and excellent ear for beats to Mr. Wonderful, which features production from long-time Bronson cohorts like Statik Selektah, Alchemist, and Party Supplies, among others. Bronson experiments a bit on this album, even singing on occasion, and the results hit more than they miss.
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/5.0
Highlights: Terry, Falconry (feat. Meyhem Lauren), C. Baby Blue (feat. Chance the Rapper)

I DON'T LIKE SHIT, I DON'T GO OUTSIDE x EARL SWEATSHIRT
The Odd Future rapper drops his sophomore album, although notably without his OFWGKTA brethren backing him up (the Left Brain-produced "Off Top" being the only contribution from anyone else in the crew). Earl's rhymes are every bit as dense and dexterous as ever on this outing, but he's also maintained his tendency towards a sleepy delivery, and with it now being almost totally self-produced, the beats match the rapping. Don't come here looking for energy, but if you're a fan of what Earl does, you won't be disappointed.
FINAL SCORE: 3.0/5.0
Highlights: Wool (feat. Vince Staples)

To Pimp A Butterfly x Kendrick Lamar: REVIEW

It doesn't seem like this is only (sort of) Kendrick Lamar's sophomore album. He's been a ubiquitous presence in hip hop for the last few years, despite having released no new material since 2012 and only a handful of guest verses, albeit high profile ones. Even as far back as 2010, he actually had a critically acclaimed independent album, Section 80, which for some reason most don't count as his debut. Kendrick's presence in the rap game feels well-worn at this stage, due in no small part to the monumental nature of his major-label debut, Good Kid, Maad City. I'm not going to dwell at length on my thoughts on that album; I pronounced it the album of the year at that time, because it would have been intellectually dishonest not to, being the year's most critically acclaimed hip hop album and its second biggest-selling, but it never made it to constant replay for me. With that being said, its impact was undeniable and made Kendrick one of hip hop's biggest names, and earned him comparisons to the likes of rap-Rushmore candidates 2Pac and Nas.

The big question would now be how Kendrick followed it up. The pressure on Kendrick Lamar was enormous at this point, as he would not only have to follow up a debut that has been pronounced a classic by most critics, but would have to deal with the added scrutiny of being crowned the savior of West Coast hip hop and hip hop on the whole. Add to that the pressure of the dreaded "sophomore slump" and you have nearly insurmountable expectations for the Compton native to meet.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

For what it's worth, I never found the 2Pac or Nas comparisons accurate at all, at least from a musical standpoint. Both played the role of griots, especially in the early stages of their careers, streetwise poets who were equally at home wearing the khufi or slapping it off you. Their music was known, criticized and beloved alike, for representing human duality: they were capable of provoking deep thought, but the same thought they inspired could reveal the hypocrisy they sometimes demonstrated. Nas was famously called out by Jay-Z for making songs like "Black Girl Lost" while putting out singles like "You Owe Me", but it was this capacity for contradiction that made him relatable to many.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

I said when Good Kid, Maad City came out that Kendrick's true kindred spirit was the more eccentric Andre 3000. Despite the fact that he was marketed as a young Nas, a young 2Pac, I just never saw it. It wasn't so much that Kendrick lacked that griot-with-a-touch-of-thug persona that Nas displayed, or that he lacked 2Pac's charisma and fiery temper, although both of these statements were true. It was more that, sonically, he clearly borrowed liberally from Three Stacks, right down to the space alien voices and esoteric flows, and this is even more true on To Pimp a Butterfly. The funk flows throughout this album, starting with "Wesley's Theory" which features the prime minister of funk himself, George Clinton. The song could have fit neatly into the tracklist of Aquemini, before abruptly shifting gears into a rapid-fire onslaught of slam poetry-style rhyming on the humorous "For Free? (Interlude)." From here, the album sounds remarkably like Andre 3000's flamboyant The Love Below from a sonic standpoint. Erratic flows, rhyming that feels free-association at times, and jazzy horns and keys give the songs that follow a very laid-back, smooth sound that would be perfectly at home in a jazz joint. But there is an underlying theme tying it all together that stands in marked contrast to the free-love vibe of The Love Below.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

"King Kunta." "Institutionalized." "These Walls." The album is already being described as Afrocentric, but there's a subtle militancy behind the hippie vibe that goes beyond mere Afrocentrism. The topic of racial and social injustice is a cauldron boiling just below the surface, and you can hear it in Kendrick's rhymes. He's not concerned with calling rappers' names or being the self-proclaimed "King of New York" here, as on his celebrated "Control" verse. This is a protest album.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

These words are repeated between songs, the refrain of a poem that links the songs on the album in theme. The angst grows with this repeated stanza, as the songs' lyrics become more pointed. "From Compton to Congress, set tripping all around/ain't nothing but a new flow of DemoCrips and ReBloodicans," he spits on "Hood Politics." "How Much a Dollar Cost" is one of the album's standout tracks, and the human hypocrisy is on full display:

"He begged and pleaded,
Asked me to feed him twice, I didn't believe it
Told him, 'Beat it'
Contributing money just for his pipe, I couldn't see it
He said, 'My son, temptation is one thing that I've defeated
Listen to me, I want a single bill from you
Nothing less, nothing more,'
I told him I ain't have it and closed my door
Tell me how much a dollar cost..."

I won't reveal the song's ending, but the messages of social injustice and the price of selfishness are poignant and powerful. "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" continues with the pro-black themes and features the lone guest rap on the album, from the slept-on Rapsody, sending a message against the skin-tone prejudices still present in the black community.

The cauldron suddenly and abruptly boils over on the ferocious "The Blacker the Berry," the album's most powerful track. "So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street/when gangbanging make me kill a n---- blacker than me? Hypocrite!" Kendrick snarls, and the idea of contradiction and human duality comes full circle. From here, "I" and "Mortal Man" embrace the ideas of loving oneself as the album comes to a close on a more serene note, with Kendrick finishing his poem in an "interview" with 2Pac and explaining the metaphor in the album's title.

While not without a few minor blemishes (the vocally awful "U" in particular), this album stands as proof that Kendrick could do the things I hadn't been totally convinced he could. He's a griot, a thinker, a sinner, a commentator, and while the album's overall soundscape is reminiscent of The Love Below, the message runs much deeper, and suddenly those Nas and 2Pac comparisons don't seem so farfetched. It might sound a bit too laid-back at times, especially on first listen, but the juxtaposition of its smooth demeanor against its potent message, along with its gradual build into the explosive "The Blacker the Berry," is a big part of why it works.

I remember you was conflicted...and it made for an excellent album.

FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5.0
Highlights: How Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker the Berry, Mortal Man

After Hours - Otherwise Known Review

In light of my return from hiatus, I'm getting back into form with a review of Canadian hip hop duo Otherwise Known's new album, After Hours. I'm somewhat familiar with Otherwise Known, having reviewed a solo mixtape from one-half of the duo, Nova, titled Whatever It Takes awhile back. (Every time I read that title I get the DeGrassi theme song stuck in my head, I'm sorry for embracing Canadian stereotypes :-( ). You can find that review here. Speaking of that review, the homie SYpher tag-teams this review of After Hours as well. Let's get into it. (Note: Click the track names for a YouTube link, or click here to stream the full album.)

GM: Alright say go and I'll press play.
SY: Let's dooooo it. INTROSY: Nice moody piano to set off the intro.
GM: Got a little back and forth to go with it. I love tracks like this with the dark sound.
SY: Hehehehe
MG: Cut that off in a hurry though.
SY: I liked the moody piano and back-and-forth bars, but I love the bait-and-switch approach even more. Just when you thought this was another sob story about how hip hop is dead, these guys flipped the script in a hilarious way.iCANDY (feat. Danitto Kruz and Sass D)SY: And we're going straight to the club. That was a funny way to start it off.
GM: I like this one alright so far. I remember the commercial tracks on their last tape were weak points to me but this one works.
SY: I'm not sure if I can get into this hook, but I like the back and forth in the verses.GM: Right. the hook isn't it's strong point but it's not horrible.SUPER FIENDSY: Okay now I'm at that skit at the start of Super Fiend. Actually Super Fiend itself is kind of a skit, these guys are rolling the car, drankin' and driving.
FUCK THE FIVE-O (feat. Ill Qaeda)SY: So they just got pulled over by the cops in the skit, and now this is the "fuck the police" type of song.
GM: Who's rapping at the start of this?
SY: This is Danny Knight. I remember you liked his deep voice on the mixtape.
GM: I remember liking him a lot on the last tape. Hasn't changed. This dude rapping now has bars though.
SY: These two guys are a group called Ill Qaeda, I'm not sure what their individual names are.
GM: They're actually both pretty damn nice.
SY: Nova's verse is dope, I like the back and forth with Clockwork (note: a producer playing the cop character) and the chant at the end.
GM: Yeah everyone ripped that track. Very dope.

ROLL UP SKITSY: Another skit where the guys struggle to light their weed up. This is straight comedy, haha.
GM: This is a lot of skits for a 12-track tape. They're short though, which is good.

LIGHT UPSY: So they found their lighter, now they lighting up.
GM: Yeah this is very clearly the smoke-out song.
SY: I like the flow Danny got going here.
GM: This is way too laid back for me, but I understand why it's that way. Just a little too chill for me. I do like the beat on its own.
SY: It's a good balance, Danny had the melodic thing going and Nova has the more speedy type of flow.
GM: Yeah on this track I prefer the Nova verse.
SY: And now there's another short skit here at the end of the track.

CHEMICAL BURNSY: So some of the crew went back to school, Nova's off on his own doing some other shit on this next track. Awww sheeeit he poppin' molly?
GM: I like this already.
SY: Dope beat, dope flow, I like the change in vocals too. This reminds me of some old school Eminem.
GM: Yep a combination of Eminem subject matter and Hopsin-like vocal changes. The first song or two Danny stuck out the way he did on the last tape we checked, but the further we go into it the more Nova is shining.

ILLIXER SKITSY: So when I talked to these guys, they said Danny's character dies in his verse, and then the next skit will be a "resurrection" before the album takes a more serious tone.
GM: Ah, gotcha. So he basically OD'ed.
SY: Yep.

BREAK THESE CHAINSSY: This right here is already much more serious than anything we've heard so far. Digging the Nas sample in the hook. Nice and simple.
GM: Yep. The production is nice on this tape.
SY: Yea, just as you mention that they let this beat breathe a bit before moving to the next track. Sounds like they're taking their second chance to cut out the reckless behavior from the previous songs and rapping about grinding, trying to make ends meet.

A.N.A.GM: This beat is the right kind of chill. I can vibe to this without having to be high, haha. Any idea who produced this track?
SY: I think both of them worked on it, Danny and Nova, and also probably some work from Clockwork.
GM: The whole tape has a bit of a dark vibe. I'm liking this track. Rapid-fire back-and-forth always appeals to me. Hook doesn't really appeal to me as much.
SY: Yea, and I think they do a better job harmonizing on this track, compared to their other songs.THE CRYSTAL FIST PT. 1SY: Oh I haven't heard this track when I got the preview last week. What the hell is this skit? Haha
GM: This makes me think of the "Bad Dreams" skit from Genesis by Busta Rhymes. The rapping there made think of Twiztid. Kind of on a dark, horrorcore type thing.
SY: So this took almost 3 mins before it got to the music. That's a strange way to arrange it, with a 3-min skit then a little rap, then more skit then more rap. I'll have to play it again to really follow the story.
GM: Yeah that was pretty unique. I dug the rapping parts.
SY: The song gets better the more you immerse yourself in the story, as Danny and Nova go back-and-forth again, rapping in a tone as if they're telling a scary story around a campfire.

AFTER OURSSY: But for now we're on "After Ours", the final track.
GM: I'm liking this a bit more than Whatever It Takes. Less commercial-sounding and has more of a clear direction.
SY: Yea and it has a bit of a continuous narrative throughout the album. Just like the mixtape, my favourite hook comes at the end. The sound of rain returns from the intro, and we get that vibe they teased from the intro back.

FINAL THOUGHTSGM: On Whatever It Takes I was really drawn to Danny Knight's rapping, and that happened on "iCandy" and "After Hours" again. But the rest of it, I feel like Nova shines. I think that Ill Qaeda group stole their track they were on. Overall, it's a much more cohesive listen than Whatever It Takes was, I dig the darker sound a lot. Only skip track for me (skits aside) would be "Light Up", just a bit too smoked out and relaxed for me to enjoy sober. Production is a step up on this one too.
SY: Nova gave us a taste last year with his solo mixtape, but Otherwise Known is able to step things up and make an even better, more cohesive project.  Their original production is dope all around, in every different vibe they touch on.  The album is real diverse to start, teasing the serious tone we later get at the end of the album but completely flipping the script and leading with a club track.  Even if you’re not into the clubbing or the drug-related tracks, their sense of humour on the skits and raw spitting on “Fuck The Five-O” should keep you drawn in until the more serious second half of the album. My only real issue is “The Crystal Fist Pt. 1” sounding out of place on the album. I thought it might have been a better fit as a bonus track, but it was still dope nonetheless. I also wasn’t really vibing with “iCandy”, but I understand they’re trying to show versatility by including at least one club song. Other than that, this is a solid listen that’s almost perfectly compacted into 35 minutes of diverse Hip-Hop.FINAL RATING: 4/5
A worthwhile outing from some talented up-and-comers. A bit too packed with skits, but cohesive and sticks to a tight narrative. The MCs provide great rhymes and flows with competent production provided by Otherwise Known themselves and Clockwork. My previous exposure to them was Nova's solo outing Whatever It Takes, and the distinction between mixtape and album is clear between the two projects, as After Hours is much more conceptual and solidly produced. Definitely a strong introduction to Otherwise Known if this is your first time hearing them.

The Clock Strikes 13: Ces Cru Concert Review

I'm only like, two weeks late on posting this review but I had a lot going on and had to knock out that year-end series. Strange Music's newest group, the insane lyrical duo Ces Cru, came to my city, Springfield, Missouri, two weeks ago to play a small club show with opening acts from local production crew Win Entertainment. I'm here to give you the breakdown on what the local talent has to offer and how Ces Cru's stage show stacks up next to the near-legendary status of their bossman Tech N9ne's, which is especially relevant since they are about to hit the road for their first national tour alongside labelmates Tech, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Brotha Lynch Hung, and Rittz. First, let's check out Springfield's own Win Entertainment.

J Rod

J Rod is a 14-year-old rapper who looks 9. It's a somewhat comical sight to see him on stage bouncing around because he just looks so small and young commanding a whole stage by himself. Now, I'm not going to hate on a kid so young. He shows potential with a competent flow and a heaping helping of charisma. His vocal presence leaves a little to be desired, but he really enjoys himself up there and you can't knock that. In a few years, we'll see where he's at. I looked for his music on YouTube, but his name is too generic, couldn't find anything.

Will Abele

Will Abele (pronounced like "able") is someone I had seen back in the summer, playing hypeman to P. Win (who we'll discuss later) as Win opened for Tech N9ne, and later on I saw them both again opening for Stevie Stone. Something has definitely changed since then, because I was completely unimpressed both times. Now, this venue (a small club called the Outland Ballroom) had a better sound system than the Stone show did, and I paid more attention than I did at the Tech show, which may have something to do with it, but it even seemed to be more musically sound than before. His whole steez seems to be "white Flo-Rida" with some of the beats he raps over being complete Europop, so it's very trendy and rather unoriginal, but I'm not mad at the actual performance aspect of it. He has a very sound flow, a good stage presence, and his lyrics are above average. He even performed a slower, more introspective song with Nelly-esque sing-song flow that I actually rather liked. He's definitely improved significantly over the past few months and it was a solid showing for him. Again, no luck finding his music on the 'Tube.

DJ Mr. Kristopher

This kid is just a dubstep/house DJ. He doesn't rap or anything, but he had a good mix of some club tracks mixed with hip hop that had the crowd moving, and was enjoyable to watch. The music itself borderline hurt my ears (not a fan of all this house/Europop stuff) but his music was well-done and it was a good show. Nothing much else to say.

Yung Bar/Newgoon

Ces Cru came into the club to bring out gear to their merchandise booth and sign autographs, so sorry kids, I didn't watch either of your acts.

Mask & Glove

At some point during either the Yung Bar or Newgoon set (I don't know who was who so I don't know who performed second) Ces Cru left the room again, and I approached the stage to check out Mask & Glove. First of all, I found out they were unaffiliated with Win Entertainment and second of all, WOW. Everything about this was dope as HELL. Excellent rapping, commanding microphone and stage presence, no lip-syncing at all (you could see the veins popping out on their necks and their faces turning red as they spit every bar without any sign of vocal weakness, and this was LYRICAL music). It was traditional hip hop, even with an actual DJ doing cuts and scratches, not just playing Mr. Replay. His name was DJ Nick Fury, and while I'm uncertain due to information I've found on them since if he is their full-time DJ, he was VERY good. (They also kept repeatedly pointing out that "this is a real DJ" to the point I almost wondered if they were taking shots at Mr. Kristopher or the other DJs there who didn't even use turntables during their sets.) Anyway, this was EXTREMELY impressive. I don't know where to find their group music, but one of the two MCs, Loogey, has a mixtape you can download here, and here is a track featuring both MCs on Brief's SoundCloud. And I have a YouTube clip:

P Win

As I said with Will Abele, I'd seen him twice prior to this show, once as the opener for Tech N9ne and once as the opener for Stevie Stone. Neither time was I impressed. But, since Will Abele managed to show out and change my opinion of him a little, I had every expectation that P Win, as the most-hyped artist associated with Win Entertainment, might do the same. Well, to make a long story short, he didn't. This is now the second time Win has gotten to be the closing act for Win Entertainment and been shown up by someone that had to go up before him (last time was Springfield's own Playmakers at the Stevie Stone show, also Win Entertainment artists who were in St. Louis opening for Method Man on this night--having beaten out P Win himself for the chance at a local "battle of the bands" event). The thing about P Win is that he's a small, young white boy who is CLEARLY a Stevie Stone fan, as he attempts to incorporate Stevie's flow, stage moves, and Midwestern drawl, and none of this suits his voice or look. For those that don't know, Stevie Stone sounds like this and there are very few that can pull that sound off. Win is not one of them. But, he's a young guy, he enjoys himself on stage, and he's achieving some success so I can't hate, but he does definitely need to find his own sound as a performer if he wants his success to take him to a higher level. He's been invited to tour with St. Louis rapper Spaide Ripper this year (some of you might recognize that name from Scarface's My Homies compilation album), so I guess he's doing alright for himself, but I'm not on the bandwagon. Here's a video of him trying too hard.

Ces Cru

And now for the main event, and they even brought along Tech N9ne's own intro guy Scenario to do his patented "official shit-talker of Strange Music" bit. Any time Scenario is around, you're going to be entertained, the dude is hilarious and an excellent emcee/hypeman and even occasional DJ. Ces were joined by Stevie Stone's DJ P-Caso, and they immediately launched into their patented multisyllabic rhymes, performing nearly every selection from their Strange Music debut EP 13 as well as some older selections from their respective solo mixtapes and their previous full-length The Playground. Again, there were no tricks here, as the Cru spit every syllable without even a hint of a vocal track playing in the background, and although they don't engage too much in the on-stage theatrics and choreography of their label boss, they command the stage in their own way, simply with their tongue-twisting rhyme schemes and incredible flows. Ubiquitous and Godemis each took a solo turn, with Ubi performing his solo track "Swing Set" from Playground and Godi performing a selection from his The Deevil mixtape (unfortunately I can't now remember which one). They had some simple choreography incorporated for 13's "Colosseum", and stunned the crowd with their flows on the tongue-twisting "It's Over" and "Ion Dat". I have to say, these guys may not do the triple-time thing, but there is a lot of double-time rapping and complicated rhymes, and they did not flub so much as a word, and it was impressive as hell to see. Finally, for the closer they performed crowd favorite "4 Nothin'", which is rap performed as a round, something I've never heard anywhere else. This song has the potential to be the equivalent of Tech N9ne's "Stamina" as a crowd-pleaser and attention-getter, and once again there was not so much as a hint of mistake in the performance. Ubiquitous is more of a natural showman than Godemis, but throughout, they both impress constantly with their crowd-moving abilities, and I have every reason to believe they'll bring even more of this to the Independent Powerhouse Tour this spring. Check out the tour schedule here and see if they'll be in your city, this is a must-see.

I leave you with the only song that they didn't perform of those I was hoping to see.

P.S. Download Godemis's solo mixtape, The Deevil and Ubiquitous's solo Matter Don't Money for free to get a feel for what they do. Neither tape is as good as their group material, but they're packed with bars and give more of an insight into their individual personalities than the group work does.

The K.O.D. Epic

Tech N9ne just released his new EP, Boiling Point, the third EP associated with his K.O.D. album and the fourth installment in the collection altogether. With the new release, I took the liberty of sequencing the EPs together into the K.O.D. tracklist to make one cohesive playlist that I refer to as The K.O.D. Epic. The songs fit into the three segments designated on the original album ("Anger", "Madness", and "The Hole") and are sequenced into the track listing to allow for a smooth transition between like-minded songs and to leave all skits intact. Put it all together and enjoy. Also, read my K.O.D. review here.

Note: I was going to embed a playlist but I did this on iTunes and it's too much trouble to create a third-party playlist and then embed it, you can do all that yourselves.

1. Choking From It (Seepage)
2. Seepage (Seepage)
3. Show Me a God (K.O.D.)
4. The Warning [Skit] (K.O.D.)
5. Demons (K.O.D.)
6. Stress Relief (The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.)
7. Uralya (Boiling Point)
8. Blackened the Sun (K.O.D.)
9. Strange Music Box (K.O.D.)
10. Sundae [Skit] (K.O.D.)
11. Check Yo Temperature (K.O.D.)
12. Asshole (Seepage)
13. F.U.N. [Fuck U Niggas] (K.O.D. bonus track)
14. Like I Died (K.O.D. bonus track)
15. Like I Died [Remix] (The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.)
16. B. Boy (K.O.D.)
17. Fire In AC (Boiling Point)
18. Hunterish (K.O.D.)
19. The Pick Up [Skit] (K.O.D.)
20. In the Trunk (K.O.D.)
21. Should I Killer (Boiling Point)
22. 00N9NA (The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.)
23. Pinocchiho (K.O.D.)
24. Bite Me (Seepage)
25. Alucard (Seepage)
26. Horns (K.O.D.)
27. Hunger (Boiling Point)
28. Paint On Your Pillowcase (Boiling Point)
29. Interview With Jason Whitlock [Skit] (K.O.D.)
30. It Was an Accident (K.O.D.)
31. Shadows On the Road (K.O.D.)
32. Trippin' Comin' (Seepage)
33. Heavy (Boiling Point)
34. Low (K.O.D.)
35. Pain Killer (The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.)
36. Messages [Skit] (K.O.D.)
37. Killing You (K.O.D.)
38. Leave Me Alone (K.O.D.)
39. Alone (Boiling Point)
40. Prayer By Brother K.T. [Skit] (K.O.D.)
41. K.O.D. (K.O.D.)
42. The Martini (K.O.D.)
43. Last Sad Song (The Lost Scripts of K.O.D.)

REVIEW: Cruel Summer - G.O.O.D. Music

What up everyone? I know it's been forever since I've done a review but there's been a lot of things going on, not necessarily keeping me too busy, but preoccupying me to the point where I haven't had a real desire to write lately. I also haven't had consistent access to reliable internet for the last few months (my increased presence on Twitter notwithstanding, I have a smart phone, get off my back) so I haven't felt like doing much. But no more. I know the album has been out a few weeks but I really wanted to review this so if you're tired of hearing about it already...cry. Okay, let's get into this.

1. To the World - Kanye West and R. Kelly
Okay, we're really not off to a good start. I don't know how R. Kelly is still taken seriously even a little bit in 2012. This is Kells doing his best Akon impression and singing the most faux-tough guy lyrics ever ("Let me see you put your middle fingers up to the world") that sound like something Eminem wrote in 2004 for Encore and subsequently scrapped. Actually, even Kanye's flow is reminiscent of that era Eminem. The beat, produced by approximately 18 people like most recent Kanye tracks, is extra cheese as well. I don't see me giving this one ANY play again.
Instrumental rating: 2.5/5.0 Produced by Pop, co-produced by Kanye West, Hudson Mohawke, Ken Lewis, Mano, Travis Scott, and Anthony Kilhoffer
Lyrical rating: 2.0/5.0

2. Clique - Big Sean, Jay-Z, and Kanye West
The mumbly singing at the beginning is kind of random...but once the song starts it's immediately a lot more to my liking than the struggle on the last track. There's no track I've ever heard that I've thought "YO THIS NEEDS A VERSE FROM BIG SEAN" but he kind of does his thing on here. Of course, it's for naught once "G.O.O.D. Music's drug-dealing cousin" gets on the mic and delivers one of his better verses in recent memory. The verses Jay gives Kanye on Kanye albums are just incredible...no clue why that fire was so lacking on Watch the Throne. Kanye really steals the show with his verse, though. He seems to have all but left behind his old backpacker persona in favor of an exceedingly cocky (even by his standards) one, but somehow it works for him; his verses are packed with swagger and braggadocio and it suits the mood of the album excellently. Oh, and the beat is really dope...I don't have much to say in description of it, it's not too complex but it works. One complaint though...Sean both calls himself "B.I.G." on this track and compares his crew to Wu-Tang...chill Sean.
Instrumental rating: 4.0/5.0 Produced by Hit-Boy, co-produced by Kanye West, Anthony Kilhoffer, and 40
Lyrical rating: 4.0/5.0

3. Mercy - 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Kanye West, and Pusha T

For starters, this is more like the Big Sean I'm familiar with. Basic punchlines, basic flow. If this beat wasn't so great his verse would be a real downer (besides the instant quotable, "white girls politicking, that's that Sarah Palin"--this album is chock full of lines like that). Pusha fares better with a more energetic flow and punchlines galore. Then things get weird, with the reggae sample ("Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle) wailing unintelligibly for a few lines before Kanye comes in and the beat abruptly switches to an up-tempo techno. I really wasn't a fan of the change at first, but in time it's grown on me, despite having no apparent relevance to the song other than to make a fairly pedestrian Kanye verse sound more urgent. He manages a great line or two as well though: "don't do no press but I get the most press kit, plus yo, my bitch make yo' bitch look like Precious!" Finally the beat returns to normal for a scene-stealing verse from 2 Chainz...yeah, I said it, loosen up your backpack straps, 2 Chainz is the star of this track. The beat is hard with its heavy bass and dancehall samples over midtempo keys (not sure that "keys" is the right word there but if you don't know what I mean listen to the song).
Instrumental rating: 4.0/5.0 Produced by Lifted, co-produced by Mike Dean, Mike Will, Kanye West, and Hudson Mohawke
Lyrical rating: 4.0/5.0

4. New God Flow - Ghostface Killah, Kanye West, and Pusha T
This track was released well before the album dropped with verses from Kanye and Pusha, while the hook was a vocal sample from Ghost's "Mighty Healthy", and it already was incredible. Pusha spits two excellent verses, and not to be outdone, Kanye contributes one of his best verses in recent memory as well over foreboding piano and a dark, spare instrumental. When the tracklist was released and I noticed Ghost listed as a feature, my first thought was "Wow, Kanye is really still carrying on this corny trend of listing sampled artists as a feature like he did on 'Otis' and 'The Joy'?" and forgot about it. When I finally got my hands on the album and played it, I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see the track had been updated with a MONSTROUS verse from Tone himself, in my opinion the single best verse on the album, and it's hardcore as ever too: "bust hammers with pot holders and yo, dead a cow for its fucking leather" are the hardest bars ever to be associated with a Kanye track in my memory. This is an instant classic to me.
Instrumental rating: 4.5/5.0 Produced by Kanye West, co-produced by Boogz & Tapez and Anthony Kilhoffer
Lyrical rating: 5.0/5.0


5. The Morning - 2 Chainz, Chef Raekwon, Common, Cyhi da Prynce, D'banj, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Pusha T
A spare beat dotted with electronic blips sets the stage for this posse cut, which is a pretty solid track but unspectacular. Common makes what is curiously his only appearance on the album, but has the misfortune of following a great Raekwon verse, marking the second time on this album a Wu-Tang member has stolen the show from the artists it's supposed to be showcasing. It's honestly like they heard Big Sean say his "crew deeper than Wu-Tang" on "Clique" and set out to prove him horribly wrong. Really, the verses after Rae are all fairly unspectacular, especially Kanye, who rehashes bars he already spit in the previous track which reeks of laziness. D'banj, who is apparently G.O.O.D. but I had never heard of before, brings a competent hook.
Instrumental rating: 3.0/5.0 Produced by Kanye West, co-produced by Illmind, Jeff Bhasker, and Travis Scott
Lyrical rating: 3.5/5.0


6. Cold - Kanye West

Yes, DJ Khaled is credited as a feature on the track listing but if you aren't rapping or singing I want to know what business you have getting a "feature" credit. I blame Diddy for this trend. Actually, I never even heard DJ Khaled's signature ad-libs anywhere on the track...there is an outro by DJ Pharris, but no Khaled that I hear. Anyway, this is Kanye's only go for dolo on the album and he fares well, with a heavy-hitter beat again punctuated with electronic blips. Kanye spits some aggressive ignorance on this track, which is notable for offending both PETA ("tell PETA my mink is dragging on the floor"; PETA publicly criticized Ye for that one) and Theraflu ("Theraflu" was the original title for the song but after Theraflu attempted to distance themselves from the track, Kanye changed the name to "Way Too Cold" before settling on "Cold"). This is nothing groundbreaking but a solid track nonetheless with some top-shelf Kanye smack-talk.
Instrumental rating: 3.5/5.0 Produced by Hit-Boy, surprisingly all by himself!
Lyrical rating: 3.5/5.0

7. Higher - Cocaine 80s, Mase, Pusha T, and The-Dream
I'm going to get a few complaints out of the way right off the bat. First, I hate The-Dream. He's a great songwriter but he's a terrible singer that has no business anywhere near a mic ever, and he stole Christina Milian from me, planted his filthy seed in her, and left her. I'm looking for you, Terius, and I plan to settle this. So you already know I hate this hook because of him. Next complaint is the Brett Favre of rap himself has decided to once again come out of retirement to spit his struggle on yet another track as if ANYBODY in 2012 is sitting around clamoring for more Mase verses. Pastor Mason needs to take his seat and remain in it. Finally it's yet another electronic beat and these are getting increasingly forgettable as the album goes on. Also there's this weird effect that sounds like a baby crying, and I never liked that when Timbaland did it, and he did it better. Pusha drops a pretty nice verse, but with the current of mediocrity he's swimming against it gets lost.
Instrumental rating: 2.5/5.0 Produced by Hit-Boy, co-produced by Kanye West and Mike Dean
Lyrical rating: 2.5/5.0

8. Sin City - Cyhi da Prynce, John Legend, Malik Yusef, Teyana Taylor, and Travis Scott
Massive amount of bass and reverb on this track. I'm not sure who this Travis Scott guy is on the first verse, but he's wack right out of the gate. There's also an obnoxious amount of vocal effects being used in this song, whether it's on the verses, or Teyana Taylor's otherwise beautiful hook. Malik Yusef has a kinda cool spoken word interlude before Cyhi takes over. Now, Cyhi is a decent rapper I guess. He's pretty inoffensive most of the time but he rarely really IMPRESSES me, and that's the same thing here. I'm vibing with the track alright, and Cyhi is just spitting typical Cyhi fare, but then he actually has the nerve to say "she rode the broom on the beach, that's a sand-witch, so I ate her like it" and it was all I could do not to hit skip. A wack punchline usually just makes me roll my eyes, but occasionally you get one of those doozies that about ruins the track...this is one of those times. Anyway, he limps through the rest of the verse before Teyana's sultry voice takes over again--I can't help but think this track would be about 20 times better if it was just her and Malik. Truthfully, I never did hear John Legend on this, but whatever. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention to these tracks to catch the more subtle features; it can be hard to do when there's like 8 people on every other track.
Instrumental rating: 3.5/5.0 These beats aren't terrible but you really do expect so much more from a Kanye project. This one is produced by Tommy Brown, co-produced by Travis Scott.
Lyrical rating: 2.0/5.0 Kick Travis Scott and Cyhi off this and it'd be worth at least a point and a half more.

9. The One - 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Kanye West, and Marsha Ambrosius
"This must be the obligatory inspirational track," I thought, as the choir vocals and lyrical piano melody played and the sultry voice of Marsha Ambrosius began wafting from my speakers. "This is where they tell us how they all worked so hard to get to the top and no one can take it away and you can too and other such uplifting talk." And then suddenly the Floet croons that she's "got a pistol on my hip and it's gonna be some shit, if you want then bring it on, see I'm a motherfucking soldier" and my jaw about hit the floor. Already Marsha has delivered the most hardcore bars on the entire album outside of the Ghostface Killah verse earlier. Anyway, Kanye mostly just brags on his verse, comparing himself to Michael (Tyson, Jordan, Jackson, AND Phelps). Big Sean delivers a verse that even he sounds bored with, but it's not TERRIBLE, barring the "my weed loud, I need a hearing aid" line he sneaks in there. 2 Chainz closes out the rapping with a verse you'll either love or hate, depending on your general feelings toward 2 Chainz, for me it's forgettable. James Fauntleroy brings the track to a close with a sung outro.
Instrumental rating: 3.5/5.0 Produced by Kanye West, co-produced by Hudson Mohawke, Twilite Tone, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mannie Fresh, and Lifted, because apparently it takes half a dozen people to make a slightly above average beat these days.
Lyrical rating: 3.0/5.0


10. Creepers - Kid Cudi
I'm a Cudi fan, but I really couldn't get into this track. The beat has kind of an annoying clapping rhythm that carries on the whole song, and Cudi is mostly shooting blanks lyrically with lines like "if I had one wish it'd be for more wishes, duh, fuck tryna make it rhyme". Come on Scott. There's not much else to say about it; Cudi being the only one besides Kanye to have a solo track, this should've been so much better than it was--something I'm finding myself saying a lot.
Instrumental rating: 3.0/5.0 Produced by Dan Black
Lyrical rating: 2.0/5.0

11. Bliss - John Legend and Teyana Taylor
Right off the bat, where have the beats like this been the whole album?! This is easily the best beat since "New God Flow" and possibly the best instrumental on the album. It's very orchestral and cinematic, and it's laced with the beautiful vocals of Legend and Taylor, singing of a "Bliss"ful love. This is excellent material here; every rapper on G.O.O.D. Music has just been showed up by the label's two songbirds.
Instrumental rating: 4.5/5.0 Produced by Hudson Mohawke (oh and look, he made a beat more complex and BETTER than all the rest, and completely by himself...you know what they say about too many cooks...)
Lyrical rating: 4.5/5.0


12. Don't Like - Big Sean, Chief Keef, Jadakiss, Kanye West, and Pusha T
This is easily the most infamous track on the whole album. First, there's the obvious complaint that Keef himself is wack as a rapper. Then, there's the controversy about the culture of violence that Keef glamorizes and the very public ignorance he displayed with the spotlight this track gave him. Then there's the rant Keef tweeted about how he didn't need Kanye's help to blow up. Then there's the horrific diss track Chris Brown put out to Drake over this beat...I'm holding these guys indirectly responsible. Finally, and least offensively, there's the somewhat ironic fact that Keef, easily the worst rapper featured on the album and not a G.O.O.D. Music artist, is responsible both for the album's most popular catchphrase ("that's that shit I don't like") and one of its most successful singles. As for the rest of the artists, we get a solid verse from Pusha, a decent verse from Kanye, a surprisingly dope verse from Sean, and finally an unusually raspy, even by his standards, verse from Jada. Jada didn't deserve closing duties on this--his verse is the most forgettable outside of Keef's. Sean really went in here, this is his best contribution to the album and he steals the entire show on the song. Beatwise, again, this is an outside producer who contributed a fat, pounding beat that is among the best here.
Instrumental rating: 4.5/5.0 Produced by Young Chop, co-produced by Kanye West, Twilite Tone, and Noah Goldstein
Lyrical rating: 3.0/5.0


OVERALL
Instrumental rating: 3.6/5.0
Lyrical rating: 3.3/5.0
Composite rating: 3.5/5.0
Honestly, I feel like I may have been a little overly generous. This album is simply drowned in mediocrity; you expect SOOOO much more musically from a Kanye album and the MCs, despite notable contributions from Ghost and Rae and the consistently solid but still unspectacular Pusha T, mostly fail to deliver anything powerful. And where in the world were Mos Def and Q-Tip? The best songs were the singles we all had heard before it even dropped...other than the addition of "Bliss" I was very underwhelmed by the album tracks. Still, it's not a complete loss, it has enough going for it to make it worth hearing, and a few tracks will certainly get repeat play--but overall it was a letdown. Purchase at your own risk--you'd probably be best off simply downloading the best tracks on iTunes and passing on the rest.

Rest In Peace Pakelika

"When you say goodbye to a tangerine sky, you lose your pain, lose your fear, lose your sorrow..."

Rest in peace to the Visual Assassin, Pakelika, formerly of the Kottonmouth Kings, who died August 11 of cardiac arrest during an asthma attack.

Take Me To Your Leader: Interview With Wrekonize

Bands aren't too common in hip-hop music. Typically, the combination of rapping and live instrumentation probably sparks the majority of people to think of late '90s and early '00s nu-metal, and with the exception of a few very talented groups like criminally slept-on Critical Bill and hip-hop-metal fusion chameleons Linkin Park, that tends to be an unsavory lot. On the flipside of that are true hip-hop bands, and well, with the exception of the exceptionally talented Roots, there are almost none of those to achieve any real commercial success, despite the increasing popularity of hip-hop acts touring with live bands.

Enter ¡Mayday!, a 6-person collective from Miami, Florida, who emerged on the scene in 2006 with their self-titled and self-released debut album. Since then, ¡Mayday!'s profile has been steadily increasing, with Cee-Lo Green appearing in their first music video ("Groundhog Day"), an acclaimed sophomore album in 2010 (Stuck On an Island), and appearances in two Lil' Wayne videos ("Da Da Da" and "Get a Life") as his backing band. I, like many others, wasn't a fan of Wayne's Rebirth project (to put it nicely) but the videos served to boost ¡Mayday!'s visibility greatly, leading to a somewhat surprising signing to Strange Music in April 2011 (only surprising because Strange tends to sign artists with whom they already have an established business history and the ¡Mayday! move seemed sudden to this long-time Strange fan).

In reality, the move wasn't sudden at all. The signing was a few years in the making, as Strange Music vice president Dave Weiner had actually been after CEO Travis O'Guin to look into them for quite some time. I won't detail this all here as it has been described in depth in ¡Mayday!'s free ebook, Darker Shades For Brighter Nights (download here). In any event, ¡Mayday! almost immediately embarked on Tech N9ne's "All 6's and 7's Tour" with Jay Rock, Krizz Kaliko, Stevie Stone, and Kutt Calhoun and upon returning home, produced an entire EP for Tech N9ne (Klusterfuk) before beginning work on their Strange Music debut, Take Me To Your Leader. I personally have the project as my album of the year pick so far, as it featured an organic, traditional boom-bap atmosphere mixed with hints of rock and blues along with stellar lyrical performances from co-frontmen Bernz and Wrekonize. The album dropped earlier this April to universal acclaim while the band was again on tour, this time as part of Tech N9ne's world-record breaking "Hostile Takeover Tour". Following the conclusion of the tour, I was able to contact Wrekonize for an interview discussing his band, his solo career, the tour, and their brand new EP, Thrift Store Halos, which releases tonight at 12 ET on iTunes.


Wrekonize's comments are in red.

For starters, can you initiate my readers who may be unfamiliar with the guys that make up ¡Mayday! and your functions in the band?

We're a 6 piece band made up of 4 instrumentalists and 2 vocalists. Plex Luthor is our guitarist, keyboardist, and main producer. Gianni Cash is our bassist, keyboardist, and our second producer. LT Hopkins is our drummer. NonMS (pronounced like "'nonymous") is our percussionist. Bernz and myself make up the vocals.

You just came off the Hostile Takeover Tour, a record-breaking 95-show tour with Prozak, Machine Gun Kelly, Krizz Kaliko, Stevie Stone, and of course, Tech N9ne. How does it feel to be a part of history?

It's an incredible feeling. Very fulfilling experience. It was a very intense schedule and we almost killed each other a few times but overall it was a bonding experience that is often hard to describe and put into words. There is nothing like touring at the level Strange Music does it to begin with. Then add on the fact that you're breaking the world record for a consecutive tour on top of that and it really puts the gold medal feeling around your neck for surviving it.

Was there a moment about this tour that really stood out to you?

The day after we played a sold out show in New York City we were invited on to Sway's morning show on Shade 45 (Sirius Radio). 4 of us from the group were able to perform and we were in studio alongside Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, & Stevie Stone. It was an incredible experience to be a part of that group of artists and be proud of everything that was going out on the airwaves. It meant a lot to me because 10 years prior I was 19 on MTV battling for accolades with Sway hosting. So to return almost a decade later as an established artist on the rise signed to the best independent label on the planet brought me an incredible feeling of accomplishment. I wish I would have done better on the Five Fingers freestyle but i'll knock it out if and when there's a next time.

I attended the final show in Springfield, MO, and I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of energy everyone displayed. What's your band's secret to remaining that consistently high-octane for such a grueling tour?

You have to pace yourself and treat your body right. That's key. Get a good amount of rest and be really careful with how you treat your immune system. I drank a lot but I tried to counterbalance it with vitamins and decent diet, rest, etc.

You recently revealed that you've begun work on a new EP. Can you tell us anything about that?

Actually the EP is done already! We had pretty much the entire thing recorded before we left on the road. It's 7 tracks. 2 of which have been previously released. At the time I'm writing this there's one more day before it is released.

The first music video from Thrift Store Halos, "Darker Shades".

The group's collaborations on Take Me To Your Leader were extremely natural and organic. Every MC chosen seemed to have chemistry with you and Bernz to the extent that they could've passed as just another member of the band. Do you attribute that to the nature of ¡Mayday! that you guys are just super easy to work with, were the collaborations just that carefully chosen, or was it some combination of the two?

Definitely a combination of the two. We are an extremely easy bunch of people to work with. We may be picky with artistic decisions but when we work with artists I believe from our management down to our actual band members we create such a relaxed environment that it brings something organic out of the guests we feature. I'm very proud of that especially when we work with an artist that people would never expect.

Who was your favorite collaborator for Take Me To Your Leader?

I'd have to say Tech N9ne because his verse was so ridiculous on "Badlands". But I definitely enjoyed all the features we locked in for the album. Also loved Murs's verse on "Hardcore Bitches". I prided myself in being one of the ones who really saw the vision of him on that song. Just like I predicted, he delivered. Hard to imagine anyone else on that record now.

I couldn't agree more about that Murs verse, that was my favorite collaboration on the album personally. Can you tell us about collaborations you guys may be pursuing in the near future?

We aren't picky with collaborations. We love to work with people from all walks of life. There's still a few golden collabs I personally want though. Outkast being one, and Nas being another. But at the end of the day we have a great management team who makes collaborating with other artists a very natural cohesive process that I don't even have to be too conscious of at the end of the day.

Your albums to date have been exclusively produced by the band. Recently though, you released a remix to "Badlands" produced by Strange favorite, Michael "Seven" Summers. Did Seven create a new beat to the existing a cappella, or did he arrange a new track for the band to play? Do you see the band ever doing that sort of work with outside producers in the future?

We sent Seven the a cappella for him to remix. Plex serves as our main producer with Gianni Ca$h taking on more duties every other day. But I do think we'd be open to having an outside producer come and work with us. But more of a Rick Rubin type. Not just a beatmaker but a through and through producer. We'd definitely be open to that.

What is the demand like for ¡Mayday! production outside of Strange?

It's growing every day. Which is a beautiful thing. I've known Plex for a decade now and he's overdue to be a sought out producer.

How well do you and Bernz mesh conceptually? Are your ideas generally in tune for a song, is there much disagreement for where to take a song lyrically, or does one of you handle the brunt of the conceptualizing?

Bernz is the idea guy for sure. He is always noting down quotes and things he hears in conversation to bring up in our writing sessions. We have an extremely fluid working relationship. We have our disagreements but for the most part we mesh or clash just the right amount and the material comes out better for it.

What about Wrekonize as a solo artist? Will you be continuing your solo work and will that be through Strange or through some other outlet?

I'll always release solo material. There is something about writing something that is completely yours and knowing you can pull off a record on your own that exhilarates me. It brings me something that working in a group atmosphere can't bring me. That's why I enjoy doing both. Currently Strange is expressing interest in releasing a solo album of mine sometime next year. So we'll see how that pans out.

How different is the creative process for you as a solo artist versus your work with ¡Mayday!?

I love to write things that are personal to me. When writing by myself I drift off and tend to be a bit more cryptic. I just feel like I write things in solitude that I would never write with another person and vice versa. Hence my love for both.

You claimed a solo production credit on Tech N9ne's Klusterfuk released earlier this year, a dubstep-influenced track called "Blur." Did you already have an interest in dubstep music or did Tech specifically approach you for this type of track?

I been trying to find my stride as a producer for a long time now. It's been at a slower pace seeing as I have other duties to juggle. My vocals and video editing take up a lot of time. But I'm working more and more at trying to be a production force as well. I have been into dubstep for some time now. I didn't know if Tech was going to dig the beat or not but I did hear him on it in my mind. It was one of the last submissions for the EP. Bernz & I had laid the hook on it already and it matched up perfectly for a crazy night Tech had just experienced. "Blur" was born.

Will you be doing more production work on your own in the future?

Most definitely!

Some of the readers may remember you better as the MC that won MTV Battle a few years back. The prize was supposed to be a contract with Roc-a-Fella Records. Why didn't that pan out and do you have any kind of relationship with Jay-Z or Dame Dash now?

It was supposed to be a single deal. That was never honored. I never spoke to Dame or Jay after that. My thoughts then, along with my manager at the time, were if they didn't want to work with me, why hunt them down and waste my time. They also had a gang load of artists signed at the time so it seemed like I would be sure to get lost in the shuffle either way. Jay could make it up to me by jumping on a ¡MAYDAY! track though. haha

What role does your diverse background play in your musical taste and style?

My family have always been heavily involved in the arts. Mostly music & theatre. My parents were in a band together when they were in their teens. We always had a great variety of music playing in the house. I feel like my dad bringing in the new hot shit from all kinds of genres opened me up to having an expansive palette for music. My mother was a backup vocalist. She still to this day has impeccable harmonies. She would play records in the car and harmonize to them when we were younger. That was my subconscious ear training. I also do that today.

Finally, can you break down a few of your biggest influences in music?

I take influence from everything and everyone around me. Sounds cliche but it's the truth. Daily conversations and situations that happen around me weigh in heavy on my writing. My parents playing me a wide range of artists including everything from Pink Floyd & Led Zeppelin to Duran Duran to Fleetwood Mac and beyond played a great part of building me into not only a diverse listener but a diverse artist.

Thanks so much for your time. Looking forward to the EP release!

No prob!



Order Thrift Store Halos, which features appearances from Brotha Lynch Hung, Ces Cru, and Del tha Funkee Homosapien, here.

R.I.P. the Jacker: The Rise and Fall of Canibus

Today's blog was brought to you by the letter L

Today we are gathered to lay to rest one of hip-hop's true treasures, Germaine "Canibus" Williams. Mr. Williams was beloved in the hip-hop community for his uncanny ability to advance his career further into the depths of failure than ever before seen. Every failure he suffered was considered to be the absolute low point of his career, but Mr. Williams was persistent, and never settled for what he had already achieved. He was determined to master failure and pilot it to new levels never thought possible, and reached these heights masterfully.

Canibus received his first brush with failure when he linked with Wyclef Jean to release his debut album Can-I-Bus. Unsatisfied with simply having a corny pun in his album title, Canibus chose the worst beats 'Clef had to offer, assuring that the album would be critically and commercially panned. From there 'Bus entered his first major rap battle with LL Cool J, historically marking the first major rap battle to be decided by a single line, when L (ironically Canibus's favorite letter) crushed him by informing him that "99% of his fans didn't exist." Canibus had begun to establish himself as a loser, but his thirst for failure proved insatiable.


In 2002, Canibus enlisted in the military, and while he was away, Jedi Mind Tricks producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind used some of Canibus's vocal tracks to make the only 'Bus album remotely worth listening to, Rip the Jacker. Canibus was unhappy with the respect he had earned, as it completely undermined the years he had put in fighting for the opposite, and so he engaged in a battle with Eminem following his discharge from the military, creating the puzzling diss track "U Didn't Care." Canibus adopted the persona of Eminem's character Stan from the song of the same name, marking the first time a rapper has ever been dissed by a fictional character. Canibus was crushed again by Em, who released a comical track mocking "Stanibus" and his voice and subject matter, not even taking the poor little weirdo seriously. Canibus returned to his hole in the ground to continue writing furiously, releasing a slew of albums and essentially disappearing from the radar...until 2010.



Canibus has a love for being crushed in lyrical competitions, and so it was only logical that he would attempt to revive the beef with Eminem, using unpublished verses from Em's group D12 on another diss track, attempting to somehow make Eminem believe his own crew had turned on him. The trick backfired, as Canibus evidently forgot D12 were capable of refuting his story. The following year, 'Bus entered a lyrical skirmish with Slaughterhouse members Joe Budden and Royce da 5'9", and achieved another plateau in failure by releasing an 8-minute diss track to Royce that only contained roughly 10 bars of rhyming, interspersed with Canibus's manic ramblings.


Later in 2011, Canibus had begun to worry that another MC, J. Cole, was encroaching on his territory, as Cole had taken several Ls of his own. Canibus, furious that failure was being achieved and he wasn't involved, took shots at Cole, who was reportedly a huge fan and reacted only with disappointment. Canibus later made a sweaty apology video and released it on YouTube, rescinding his Cole statements.


Then came that fateful day. June 9, 2012, Canibus entered a Pay-Per-View battle with renowned battle rapper Dizaster. With the world watching (you know, the small, small world that doesn't care about the NBA and NHL playoffs, baseball, and one of the biggest boxing matches in recent years) Canibus finally took failure a step too far, spitting a barrage of weak lyrics and eventually forgetting most of his bars and resorting to pulling out a notebook in mid-battle, only to find that he was having trouble reading his writing. Dizaster was given the unanimous victory and Canibus, overwhelmed by the force of his failure, passed from this Earth. The cause of death was given as "choking."
Canibus's given age was 37 years old, although this conflicts with Canibus's own statements in his music that he was anywhere between 2000 and 10,000 years old.

Rest in peace.