WYDU Has Merged With Bloggerhouse.net Two Blogging Powerhouses Combined Please Bookmark our new site Http://bloggerhouse.net Please Update the Links On Your Websites -The WYDU Team
It's Friday, you ain't got no job, and you ain't got shit to do! Well, I wish it was like that today, unfortunately I have to work today. So be it, that's my favorite saying, well that and "Oh f*ckin' well", but that never goes over well in saved quotes on sites like facebook and all that B.S. Oh f*ckin' well.....
Anyway, here at WYDU, we have been blessed to have met and affiliated ourselves with some great people and some great artists. If you visit here enough, you know who I support with my full name behind. I do it because I believe in their music and want to get it out there to as many as people. I want you all to think like me, because naturally I have impeccable taste in music. Alright, so maybe I don't want you all to think like me, godforbid that would happen, but still I believe enough in the cats I push.
And today, we happen to have three of my self appointed WYDU affiliates with new projects/singles/ and/or videos...so let's jump into it.
WYDU resident hip hop artist/writer Has-Lo drops a new single with DeeJay Tone, whom you might remember as producing "Commentary Pt.1" on Has'Small Metal Objects EP from 2008. I've always thought these two made a good pairing, and they don't fail to impress on this latest single. Has comes with a more upbeat style, something I've always encouraged to do more of. The first track, "Breezin'," utilizes a nice George Benson sample (and borrows heavily on the album cover as well). It's a great spring time track to get those juices flowing and feel the warm spring breeze on ones face. The b-side kicks loose with "Present Is A Gift," in which Has drops some more merry lyrics for those spring time convertible rides.
Poorly Drawn People frontman Reasonand producer Falsideset their sights on the shaky foundations that serve as the basis for most post-MySpace-age rap collaborations on "I Don't Want to Build", the second single from Reason's sophomore LP, Landlords & Lullabies (out April 6 on Poorly Drawn Recordings).
Reas serves notice to inflated-ego 'netcees with his precisely executed rants: "These suckers get exposed, oh what? you been genre-hopping? well you ain't Tarantino - every month your album's droppin... if it wasn't for the Internet, your ass wouldn't exist." In the background, sidekick Dirty Hank scatters his manic vocal accents over Falside's bouncing hypnotics, which act as a perfect complement to the message of the track.
Then of course, no WYDU affiliation post would be complete without one of the Smile Rays members making an appearance. Lady Daisey, one third of the Smile Rays, has one of my most anticipated non hip hop albums on my radar with In My Pocket. The album will be droppin this coming May on BBE Records. And of course she has one the most slept on hip hop producers the world has ever known in Batsauce (Surreal, Mr.Lif) doing the beats for her as well. The funk/soul singer is preparing to release her first solo album and is getting set to release the digital single, "Magical". The song is a powerful and, well, magical ode to life itself. This week, the original album version has been released. In coming weeks, we'll see remixes by Paten Locke, DJ Vadim, Supa Dave West (of De La Soul fame), and another by Batsauce. We'll be getting first glimpse at a series of videos that will be dropping weekly until the album drops in seven weeks from now. See them here first.....
Lady Daisey has rocked venues around the globe - from small smokey clubs to massive hip hop festivals - her message is one of love and inspiration, soulfully presented over head noddin' Batsauce beats. Singing since she was 5, Lady Daisey has developed a playful powerhouse style that's sure to grab the attention and steal the hearts of everyone within ear's reach. It's like sunshine for your soul... This is Daisey & Batsauce's first BBE release and features many special mixes including tracks DJ Vadim & Lil' Ste and Supa Dave West.
I'm not sure how much of a hand I had in this little collaboration, but I'd like to think I had something to do with it. Fellow WYDU member Has-Lo, who was a favorite of the site before his part-time "employment" on WYDU, teamed up with another artist that has appeared multiple times on WYDU in the past in Zilla Rocca. The two Philly MC's have been teaming up lately to make sweet music, and Has passed on this little tidbit of the two throwing down some hot lines over the De La Soul "Forever" beat. If the two go on to make a collection of songs (an EP, LP, or anything else), I'd be a-ok with that. The two bounce effortlessly off of each other, with Zilla bringing his "at your throat" flow and Has coming with his silent assassin style as they both smack you upside the head with the goodness.
I got this email from some dude named Has-Lo. Probably into a Polka tinged R&B type of thing, but it might be worth a listen... -Trav
Two free joints from Has-Lo, the newest addition to the Public Axis roster, fresh off the online critical acclaim of his own Small Metal Objects and slightly older Fuck Has Day EPs.
Has' next project If I Don't Make It will be dropping on on Kevin Nottingham's HiPNOTT Records imprint this fall. In the meantime, check the self-producer "Alliegiance" from the HiPNOTT Records sampler, as well as another lost gem from the Jake One White Van Music remix contest-
Wait? What? We are half way through the year? Ya gotta be shitting me.... Well crap, I guess that means I should get my shit together and do my "Half Way There" post that covers all my favorite releases as far as EPs, Instrumentals albums, and full fledged albums (I haven't decided if I'm going to waste my time with a mixtape category, I'm getting to really hate those things for the most part). It's an excuse to come up with some lists, what can I say? It'll be a week long thing, as I try to bang out a bunch of posts over the weekend so I can catch up with other shit that I need to do, questions, type out interviews, bios, and assorted other things. I never get caught up, it never stops.
Today, well kick out the top 10 EPs for the first half of the year. I love a good EP, something I can sit down and a half hour later, when my ADD has totally kicked in, I can move on to the next thing. In this age of shortened attention spans and the shuffle button on the iPod, not many of us can sit down with the same album over the hour and just listen to it. Yes, I do have my listening sessions each evening, but I usually end up doing something while I'm listening, whether it be surfing the net, organizing files on my computer or doing what I'm doing right now, working on the damn blog. Plus a lot of EPs can be found for free on the net. Myself personally, I'd rather listen five or six songs from an artists, than a cat rhyming over every classic hip hop beat, 10 songs that weren't going to make the album, for 25 songs on a mixtape that I will probably never listen to, so I appreciate the free EP as a marketing tool a lot more than the mixtapes in most cases.
When I started thinking about the EPs of the first half of 2009, I was kinda disappointed. I was thinking they were kind of slow, but when I sat down and pounded a list, I had a hard time. There were several EPs that I had to leave off that contain good music. Overall, it was a strong crop of EPs and like I said, most of these are free music, released by the artists to just keep their name out there. Without further ado, here is the "Top 10 EPs for the ADD Inflicted of 2009"
10. (TIE) ScholarMan - A Meeting With Andre Kostelanetz
Sounds Like: Hip-Hop meets classical music, which is what it is, ScholarMan rhyming over beats made from the music of the late Russian composer Andre Kotelanetz.
Summary: While my knowledge of classical music doesn't run all that deep, I do have some knowledge of it. My Freshman year in college, I had to take a Intro To Music class, which basically covered the history of music. They made us buy this 10 tape collection of different periods of music, and the way I got through it was to listen for stuff to sample for a hip hop beat in the whole thing. So basically, I've had a fondness for tracks that use the classical/orchestrated vibe, and that's all this EP is from WYDU favorite, ScholarMan. "A Meeting With Andre Kotelanetz" was a brain child from ScholarMan after listening to a record from the late composer. The beats are nothing short of great, with lots of strings layered over hard drums. On the mic, you know what to expect from ScholarMan with his monotonous flow, which works quite well with this type of project.
Favorite Tracks:"Well Orchestrated", "Not Give Up"
Sounds Like: Straight up hip hop beats & rhymes. No gimmicks, no cutesy dance moves, just Serge kicking lyrics for days over solid beats.
Summary: Earlier this year, my man Gen Erik of Animal Farm let me know they were going to be in Boise to do a show. I told him I'd bring some cats and check it out. The day of the show, he emailed me saying he wasn't going to make it, but check it out anyway and he'd make sure we got on the guest list. He said half of Animal Farm would be along with fellow Focused Noise artists, Mic Crenshaw and Serge Severe. After waiting around for ever and putting up with a HORRIBLE turnout, we caught Serge's set and I was quite impressed with it. I'd already known about him through his Concrete Techniques LP from last year, but its good to catch acts live. Soon after, we ran a WYDU Spotlight on Serge, and with that, we posted up his free Orangutan Slang EP that shines some light on tracks that didn't make the Concrete Techniques project. Why not, I'm not totally sure, because there is some great tracks on this project. It has no gimmicks, just an MC rhyming over the beat, so for those of you that need flash with your hip hop, this isn't it. Those who just want rhymes and beats, this is what you seek.
Favorite Tracks:"Knock Knock", "Microphone Mandhandler", "Wit The Flow" (WHY OH WHY is this track so short?)
Sound Like: Throw some raw dinginess sound of Black Moon, toss in some numerous early 90's hip hop and add a dash of the 2000's in it and you have yourself some dirty, dusty hip hop for the 2000's.
Summary: Could it be that I show Whygee, Sunkenstate & Kid Hum a little "hometown" favoritism (I consider Denver my second home)? Nah, they deserve all the shine that I've given them over the last six plus months. I would put Whygee up against any MC from any hotbed of MCism and I'd put Kid Hum's beats against anyone elses out there as well. The Suicide Watch EP was shipped over to me by either Kid Hum or Whygee (I can't remember which one now) in late December, and after listening to it, I was very impressed the EP that they had crafted and the fact they were from Denver was an added bonus. The EP has steadily gained plays from me over the past six months, an opposite of what usually happens.
Sound Like: A new millennium, northwest version of Native Tongues. Yes, it's a big compairison, but they deserve it. Common Market are favorites of many of the underground blogs, such as WYDU. Producer Sabazi is quickly becoming one of the best underground producers east of the Pacific Ocean. The EP, Winter Ends, picks up where their full length album, Tobacco Road, left off with dope beats and thought provoking lyrics. Scion tackles everything from suicide to cheating death itself. Probably not your typical hip hop subject matter, but that's what draws me to their music. Coming in at five short and quick songs, Winter Ends still packs a punch and get you geeked up for the next release they plan on dropping.
Sounds Like: A white version of Breezly Brewin' over butter smooth beats
Summary: (Yes, it's a cheap rip off of last Friday's post, but you get the jest). Long time WYDU readers will recognize this Yonkers MC, Mouth Blocks. We did a WYDU Spotlight on him late last year and the dude's EP stayed in my rotation for a few months after that (which is no small feat). Well Mouth Blocks is back, with another EP, this time totally free. Produced by Evolve-One, the smooth mellow beats are perfect for the ruff, yet smooth flow of Mouth Blocks. Lyrically, he won't "wow" you, but he brings stuff to the table that most cats can relate to. The songs are all under three minutes, so those with the short attention spans can whip right through a song and the EP in no time flat. Cats that get down with rhymes about just trying to get through life will no doubt dig this little EP. It comes highly recommended by myself and WYDU...
Favorite Tracks: "Can't Deny Me", "How You Doin, My Friend"
Welcome! Sit down, have a glass of lemonade, and while you're at it, sample some of our fine rap music, aged underground in dusty electronic equipment according to a cherished week and a half old family recipe. Imported directly from our very own slum in Yonkers, New York, in conjunction with California's Evolve-One, this rap music meets the highest standards in excellency set forth by Local 108 Crossing Guard's Union. We're so confident that you'll enjoy Mouthblocks' free download of "It Takes One to Know One", that for a LIMITED TIME we're offering a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, if you enclose three fortune cookie fortunes in a S.A.S.E. addressed to yourself, and text 07734 07734 to Mouthblocks' disconnected cellphone. (offer only valid on Christmas day to residents of Puerto Rico)
Oh, yea, haters can suck an egg and critics get the di-dick. And if that makes me a jerk, well...
IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE
Kind Regards, Silvio ZwoechenkoHead of MarketingBaby Grey ProductionsYonkers, NY Download:It Takes One To Know One for Free: http://mouthblocks.com/
Sounds Like: "The Real Shit", with horns, classic hip hop production done by a mad Scott, Sci-Fi, and the MCs are part of the reason why you should always check for music you've never heard of before.
Summary: I get a lot of music in my inbox and I honestly try to listen to most of it. I love finding new music. Sci-Fi (who should be familiar to those that jam Tha Connection releases as he has done several songs with the NY crew) hit me up about a three man crew out of the States named Ill Poetix that he was doing the production for. The trio was is also on his Advantage Music Group label and wehn I checked out a myspace page link he gave me, the song "The Touch" was the first track I heard and I was immediately hooked. The thing is, it's not just that song though that is dope, all five tracks should be on a person's iPod, but you will be seeing "The Touch" high up on the year end list for my favorite songs. Comprising of MCs The 4th, 808 (Stop 1) and Ivisuai, the group is definitely a group that I will be waiting impatiently for new music from.
Favorite Tracks: "The Touch", "What Y'all Waitin' For"
Sounds Like: A combination of a lot of jazzy groups you've heard before and nothing like you've heard before. Upbeat, jazzy, and generally feel good music.
Summary: The new free EP from The Physics barely sneaked in under the deadline and I've been playing it almost daily since Tunji from Inverse sent it to me. Representing the great Northwest, a region I call home and always anxious to promote the great music coming out of the area, The Physics drop a fun, jazzy and catchy album (check "I Just Want To Beat" and tell me you weren't singing it afterwards). After doing some research, I noticed they had a full length release in '07 that completely got by me. If it's anything like High Society, it might be worth tracking down.
Click on the album cover to download High Society for free!!
Two years after the release of their critically lauded full length debut, Future Talk, Seattle-based hip hop group The Physics are back with June 2009’s release of High Society, an eight track EP of new material representing a natural progression both musically and personally. Steeped heavily in references to jazz and soul, Just D’Amato’s production (alongside Phee Dill & Dyalect) provides the smoothed-out backdrop against which lyricists Thig Natural and Monk Wordsmith (absent from Future Talk but a notable presence here) do their thing and do it with skill. Featuring guest appearances by beastly Seattle MCs Language Arts (“Back Track”) and Macklemore (“Good”) as well as one of the year’s most buzzed about local duos, the fresh-as-all-hell females of Thee Satisfaction (“Radio Head”), High Society dims the lights on the laidback aesthetic established in Future Talk and invites the listener to get real grown—and enjoy it. While this EP may feel like a main course, don’t get it twisted: it’s merely just a taste of what’s to come, a prelude to an additional as-yet-untitled release slated for later in the summer.
4. Brother Ali - The Truth Is Here
Sounds Like: Political, lyrical, assertive, underground, all over thick bass lines and catchy loops.
Summary: I'll admit that I'm not usually a Brother Ali fan. Yes, I like Ant's beats, and I think he is one heck of a lyricist, but his voice usually ends up grating on me before the end of an album. This time around though, I was impressed enough with everything else involved that it made his voice easier to get with. It's not even that it's an EP, it clocks in at nine songs, it's just good music all the way around, with "Palm The Joker", "Philistine David", "The Believers", and "Baby Don't Go" all getting extended plays from me this year.
Favorite Tracks:"Philistine David", "Palm The Joker"
Sounds Like: The Ventures meets Billy Joel meets Louis Logic (before he "became" Louis Dorley) Summary: No, it's not the new Louis Logic project. It's the Louis Dorley and Beatman & Rockin' project. When one reads the biography of their latest EP, Beaches Love Us, one has to kinda wonder how something that is a "live band that fuses 60s surf rock with balkan, afro beat and hip hop styles," will actually sound. The answer? Pretty damn good, if you have an open mind when listening to your music. It's something different and the fusion of the smorgasbord of musical flavors works really well. Coming in at a mere four songs, it's like a good carnival ride, just when the good part gets going, it's over. That's a good sign though, wanting more. True, you have to have an open mind when it comes to Louis' new direction, but for those of you that listen to more than hip hop or at least can respect other musical sounds, Beaches Love Us is a fun EP to listen to. You have to wonder what a whole album will be sounding like, hopefully we won't have to wait too long.
Favorite Tracks:"Black Widow", "Blast From The Past"
2. Has-Lo - You Can Live Thru Anything If Magic Made It
Sounds Like: The RZA had a son with a Ninja princess and gave him an MPC to play with
Summary: I'm not sure if I should call this an EP, a remix project (which it clearly is I supposed) or a mixtape. I will call it a damn good effort. We all knew Has-Lo could rap, and if you were into his music at all, you had heard his production, but did you really KNOW he could produce? Well, Has made sure you knew it after releasing his free EP, You Can Live Thru Anything If Magic Made It. Taking some hip hop classics, personal favorites and other goodies, Has made them his own by putting some of his dusty analoged funk on them. Tracks like Big Pun's "Leather Face", Ghost's"Love Session" and Nas' "Shootouts" all get bottom heavy, pounding drums boost from Hassy Davis. What's next? Time shall see......
01 Intro 02 Big Pun - Leather Face (has-lo remix) 03 O.C. - Time's Up (has-lo remix) 04 Royce Da 5' 9, Elzhi & Supastition - Best To Do It (has-lo remix) 05 Cormega - Montana Diaries (has-lo remix) 06 Interlude #1 07 Ghostface Killah - Love Session (has-lo remix) 08 Sean Price - Onion Head (has-lo remix) 09 Common - Chi City (has-lo remix) 10 Nas - Shootouts (has-lo remix) 11 Outro 12 (Bonus Track) Tree Woodz - Move the Crowd (has-lo remix)
1. Poorly Drawn People - Motion Not Emotion
Sounds Like: Jim Morrison came back to life and started a rap group Summary: Sometimes I worry if my personal interaction with artists sometimes skews my view of their music. Case in point with Poorly Drawn People, which is the group Storm Davis is a part of. Storm is an MC that I've had a good blogger/artist relationship over the past two years. I like dude cause he reminds me of my good friends and of someone that I would get a long with real well. So when PDP dropped Motion Not Emotion, I gave it a listen, and actually was planning on being harder on it than the average submission, just because I didn't want people to accuse me of favoritism (not that I give a rats ass what people think). After the first listen though, I knew that this was a good, nah it was a GREAT, release.
I hated to include this as an EP, although that's what the four man group of Storm Davis, Reason, Dox, and DJ Sterbyrock label it. The truth is, this is one of my favorite projects of any sorts this year. I've been blasting their music since running across Storm Davis' solo album, Kegstand Poetry for The Recovering Alcoholic, back in '07. We started talking and he let me know about the rest of his crew. From there, PDP's mixtape, Nothing Stays Gold, dropped in 2007 and last years Shoot For The Stars, Hit The Ceiling got major play on the iPod/car stereo, discman, computer and home stereo.
Well, they graduated from the mixtape scene to an EP, but it's got the flavor and cohesiveness of a full fledged album in the form of Motion Not Emotion. Coming in at tweleve songs, you get the typical PDP tongue in cheek humor, John Friesz name drops (props to whoever knows that name), missed women (and it's fuckin' annoying....listen to the song) and sound drops from "Better Off Dead", the classic 80's movie. They take everything you liked (or will like) about their mixtapes and put it all on one project. If you have heard them in the past, this needs to be heard. If you haven't heard of Poorly Drawn People, then you needs to hear this.....
Favorite Songs: Stress Filled Days, Might Blow Up, Ain't Hard To Make a Million Dollars, Stealer's Wheel, Better Off Dead, Motion Not Emotion
If you download it (and this is a totally legit download) and you like it, hit up them up and purchase a hard copy, you know those disc things that you can play in those disc thing players. Or just cop a shirt....either or.
01- Stress Filled Days [04:11] 02- Might Blow Up [03:50] 03- Aint Hard To Make a Million Dollars [04:25] 04- A Quarter Milli [00:38] 05- Sawbucks and Fins Ft ESH [04:33] 06- Stealers Wheel [03:30] 07- Elmer’s Lament Ft Labeless Illteligence [04:03] 08- Celebrity Rehab [03:39] 09- Way With Words [04:36] 10- Better Off Dead [03:42] 11- Static [04:20] 12- Motion Not Emotion [05:56]
I just got back from Denver after spending parts of five days there. Needless to say I haven't even hardly looked at the blog over that time and am maaaaad behind on answering emails and the such. So work with me as I play catch up this week and try to get back in the swing of things.
First up for today, I gotta prop up my man Kevin Nottingham and his new adventure, HiPNOTT Records and also the fact that it has my man Has-Lo on it. I know a lot of people that check my site out, also check out Kev's, but just in case you missed it.......
From Kevin Nottingham
Ever since I announced the formation of my new label, HiPNOTT Records, I have been wanting to give you all a "taste" of what's to come. The music really is THAT GOOD... and the music is the sole reason I put the label together.
So I compiled a sampler, if you will, of music from all the artists currently on my roster. Some tracks are brand new and being premiered here first, while others are some of the best that these artists have had in their vaults.
At any rate, A Taste of HiPNOTT should give you a good idea of what the label will sound like and what's to come this year.
In addition, anyone that's in the L.A. area, I'm gonna head out there this weekend for Nobody Famous' album release party. So if you're in the area and wanna hang, check the attached flyer! Any promotion of the party is appreciated also...
Check out HiPNOTT Records' artist roster! - Cee & Bekah / SMV3 coming 4th quarter '09 - Dasha / debut EP coming in August - G.C. / $5 Cover coming in August - Has-Lo / In Case I Don't Make It coming 4th quarter '09 - Nobody Famous / Order Up Vol 3: Chicken & Waffles coming in July - NoTiOn / Corner of Notion & 9th coming 4th quarter '09 - Speek Greene / The Long Look coming 4th quarter '09 - Tommy Gunnz / new project coming 4th quarter '09 - Trav Williams / IllTravisout now!
The place is here, the time is now. After dropping numerous teasers, we are finally dropping Has-Lo's remix project You Can Live Thru Anything If Magic Made It. I know for a fact that Has put a lot of work into this project. I was lucky enough to hear several tracks before he shipped me the complete project a week or so ago, and take it from an "unbiased" source, everything is hot. Those of you who follow WYDU, know I've been pretty high on Has since he hit me up with his Fuck Has Day EP back in December of 07. Since then, I've witnessed Has grow as an artist, and even though I've been his "ears" for numerous songs, beats, and projects over the past year, he still is able to surprise me.
I'll be the first to admit, I take Has' production skills for granted. He's such a dope MC as we've all witnessed on tracks like "Unsigned MCs", "Small Metal Objects", and "The Quiet Things", that you forget that he produced all those tracks on both of his EPs, except for one track off of Small Metal Objects. Has wanted to showcase his skills on the MPC, and I think he has done that quiet adequately on this release. His version of "Leather Face" by Big Pun is as good, if not better than the original. He laces up "Best To Do It" by Royce, Elzhi and Supastition the way it should have been in the first place and he makes Ghostface's "Love Session" all his own.
So if you are a fan of dusty, boom bap beats, remix projects, or just magic in general, do yourself a favor and check it out. Leave a comment for my man, I'm sure he'd love to hear what you think of it, good, bad or indifferent.
Has-Lo -You Can Live Thru Anything If Magic Made It
01 Intro 02 Big Pun - Leather Face (has-lo remix) 03 O.C. - Time's Up (has-lo remix) 04 Royce Da 5' 9, Elzhi & Supastition - Best To Do It (has-lo remix) 05 Cormega - Montana Diaries (has-lo remix) 06 Interlude #1 07 Ghostface Killah - Love Session (has-lo remix) 08 Sean Price - Onion Head (has-lo remix) 09 Common - Chi City (has-lo remix) 10 Nas - Shootouts (has-lo remix) 11 Outro 12 (Bonus Track) Tree Woodz - Move the Crowd (has-lo remix)
Ahh yes, what is good? Sorry for the flood of mindless, fast food like posts of late, been trying to catch up on a few things with the blog and wanted some stuff to hold you over in the mean while. But there is some quality material to be found in some of that free stuff if you haven't already checked it.
Tonight, I'm proud to bring a WYDU exclusive to the heads out there. If you are a frequent visitor to the site, you will recognize my man, Has-Lo's name. He's been a frequent contributor to the site most of this year. But you will also recognize that it all started when Has sent me his Fuck Has Day EP back around the end of 2007, which I jammed religiously for a period of six months or so (still do). Over time Has and I have forged a friendship, but regardless of that, I still believe the man has talent that needs to be heard by the masses. Hopefully that will come in the form of several full length projects, including an exciting opus with another WYDU favorite, Small Pro. But more on those in the interview with Has.
Tonight, Has-Lo and WYDU present Has' newest EP, Small Metal Objects. Although offering a different sound and vibe than his Fuck Has Day, it's still got that Has-Lo flavor. It's evident by the EP's lead-off track, "Ain't Got It In Ya", with it's booming bass and Has' lyrics declaring his love for the ever duplicate "soul sound" that runs a muck on way too many underground releases these days. We've already debuted the video for "The Quiet Things", which could easily be on people's top 25 single year end lists. All in all, it's just another notch in the path for Has to take off, which I really think the dude has the talent to do and hope he will, good music is hard to find.
To avoid sounding like a fanboy, (if I haven't already) we'll move on...Download Small Metal Objects, produced by Has himself, except for track 7, produced by DJ Tone. Download, pass it around, do whatcha gotta do
WYDU: Alright, it's about time we done did this! Just in case there are some people out there that hasn't read WYDU in the past, why don't you tell them your name...
Has-Lo: My name is Has-Lo, aka Hassy Davis, aka The Iceman Chuck Lo-dell, aka the highly unpredictable mind thief the Lo-Assassin, should I go on? Lo Custamato...
W: Are you on some Herschel Walker type shit? Are those supposed to be alter-ego's or something?
HL: Nah, they are just little aliases. Then again, yeah, little alter-egos, everyone has to have 'em. Wu-Tang are the ones that invented it, but everyone has to have an alter-ego. I have like twelve of them, they are listed on the myspace.
W: Which one is the rawest one, the one that will jump out of the shadows, rob you for your Gucci bag and straight up kill ya?
HL: That's Lo-Assassin. The funny thing is though, people like Lo-Assassin better than they do Has-Lo. Lo-Assassin is that grimy lyricist that just destroys microphones. People like that because it's more aggressive. Usually use Lo-Assassin, it's a more aggressive rhyme. So people dig that. The 18 people that have heard me rap, like that more (laughs).
W: I looked on Last FM, and you got like 500 plays, so somebody out there is playing your shit! You got fans and everything.
HL: You know, I gotta check that stuff out more. But yeah, I guess I have a couple fans. I see my stuff on forums every once in awhile.
W: Yeah, you had some people talking about you on Rate Your Music awhile back.
HL: Yeah, I saw that NO ONE answered that guy, shout out to that guy! He was like, "Have you heard of this cat called Has-Lo, he has this joint called 'Fuck Has Day'?" And nobody responded to that dude! Everyone was like, "ereeerrrrrr uhhhhhh".....
W: Hey, at least you are getting mentioned...
HL: True, true
W: Alright, let's start from the beginning; What made you start the crazy journey of being a hip hop artist?
HL: My mom bought me some early hip hop, I actually still have this, it was a 12 inch for the Fat Boys. Then I got LL Cool J Radio on cassette, but it didn't really kick off until I got my first radio. It was for Christmas and I got the first EPMD and the first MC Hammer album. I remember sitting there one day thinking, "I could do that." I would try to write raps and then I just didn't stop. In fourth grade, all the boys in the class had our own little rap crew, we all had our rap names and stuff. I just kept rappin' and rappin' until now.
W: Who was your favorite Fat Boy?
HL: Ya know, the thing is, it was kind of ahead of my time. I really didn't learn their names. And "Radio" wasn't my most favorite LL album ever. 1988 was more my time frame. Somethings I can't really relate to. I can still listen to it, the 12 inch LP for the single "Jump Off", but nah, it was still ahead of my time. Now EPMD, I can tell you about that, I loved them dudes, man...
W: So Erick or Parrish?
HL: Depends. Both of those guys had their moments. I was just listening to "You're a Customer" just yesterday and Parrish just killed it. Right now, I'd probably go with PMD.
W: I can see that, I was pretty big into Erick Sermon for awhile, but he's kinda of lacked a little bit lately. Back to the task on hand, you do both your production and rhyming. Do you prefer one over the other? Is it a different mindstate between the two?
HL: Production used to be kind of a slippery slope for me. Sometimes, you can get into making beats and you might feel more comfortable just turning the machine on because you're not thinking the same way. Instead of trying to put words together, which can be an overwhelming process, unless of course you are someone that can right a rap in 15 minutes and uses the same word over and over, then it's easy. But it's difficult. So it's kind of comforting sometimes to just deal with music. You sit down with a record you want to sample and you can hear it rearranged in your head. I can put a loop here, add some drums and you can have a masterpiece. At one time, I was into doing rhymes, but at the time, I didn't have a beat machine. I use an MPC and I didn't have one for a year, and it forced to start rhyming full time. I realized recently that I like rhyming more than I like making beats.
The mind state is not so much a mind state as much as it is a feeling. Sometimes, I might go outside and it's all sunny, there is light breeze and children our playing and it's just beautiful out. So I want to make a beat that makes me feel those butterflies outside and I had that beautiful moment. I'll sample a record a that does that. Same thing, if I'm hurting over something and I'm feeling down and out, I want to express that as well. You can express different feelings musically, that's where my mind state is at when I'm creating songs. So it's a feeling other than a mind state....or is that the same thing? haha
W: (laughs) I don't know, it sounds good that way though. I know you and I have talked about this before, that people adapt a sound as a producer then kind of turns it into their "own" sound. As far as production, who were some of the influences to your sound?
HL: The RZA from '93-'97 is my big influence. Then Pete Rock from '98 until the early 2000's, that early Soul Survivor sound, in that SP 1200 era. Another one is J-Zone. J-Zone's beats would rock so hard, they would knock your block off. I got into him around 2003 when he was doing the earlier Old Maid stuff and he had those earlier 12 inches out. He was all these 808's all over the place that shit was just KNOCKIN'. Obviously DJ Premier, everybody has been influenced by DJ Premier in some way. If I went upstairs and asked my mom, "who's ya favorite producer", she'd say DJ Premier. It's a given. Those are the top ones and probably a couple of other people that I can't think of right now.
W: You already mentioned that you use the MPC for crafting your beats, so obviously you are a hardware user. Where do you stand on the whole software vs hardware debate?
HL: My take is I DON'T CARE. The reason I use the MPC is cause I prefer the "feel" of it, not because I think it makes you a better producer or a "realer" producer. I don't think it makes you more hip hop. I've met people and when they let me hear their beats, it never crosses my mind they were made on a computer. I ask them what they are using and the say something like "The Voltron 12 Million", and it's like, "what, I never heard of that!" But that's cool, it doesn't matter. Do what feels right. I'm sure Akinyele can make beats by pinching girls nipples, then great...(laughs)
W: Shit, I wanna be a producer if that happens!
HL: Eeeeverybody would want to be a producer! Go to the strip club and make them beats, with a fist full of ones!
W: I've always wondered myself, probably more so than anyone else, is how you came up with the name Has-Lo? I hate questions like this, cause their so fuckin' generic
HL: It's kind of a silly story. It was probably back in '99 and I had always struggled with what my rap name was going to be. I didn't want some corny rap name. I had this little song that I recorded. I had down this freestyle, so I picked pieces of this freestyle and made it into an actual song. It was called "L.O.V.E.", it was an acronym for Living Off Vintage Emceeing. My middle name is Hassan, so I chopped the first part of my middle name and the first part of the song and came up with Has-Lo. I think I used to say Hassy Love first, but started chopping it in half.
W: Let's talk your beginnings, you started off in a group, correct?
HL: (laughs) Yeah, if you want to call it that. I had two groups before I was officially solo. I had this group in high school. Then I had this group, where the idea was kind of like Gangstarr. I'd rhyme and dude would make beats, which never really made sense to people, cause I make beats. I ended up doing a quarter of the beats, or more, then I would do all the rhyming and put it together and arrange it. I would pretty much do the majority of everything. We would do shows, and he wouldn't show up to them. No one really understood the group dynamic, it just didn't make any sense.
W: When did the solo career start then?
HL: Right after me and that person fell out. I felt like a needed a full fledged solo project. So you have Fuck Has Day. I was in that group for eight or nine years, so it was a long time. W: What's the story behind the EP, the title and such.
HL: I had this saying when things wouldn't be going right. When the world is against you and everyone is fucking with you and everything is fucking with you, I used to be like "It must be fuck Has day." Kind of like Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong, will. It's kind of my life story actually. You have fuck Has festivals going on, there must be a fuck Has parade going on. That's how I felt when I was making it. Anything that could go wrong, was going wrong. Everyone's favorite holiday, they celebrate this year around. I know it.
W: You got some love on the blogs. How do you feel about how it was received? Would you change anything if you had to do it over?
HL: Probably not. I was happy with the way it was received by the different blog sites. It was good to find some kind of avenue on the internet that people would give it some kind of attention. It's really hard to get heard. Everybody raps, but no one wants to listen. You rap, yeah, that's cool I guess, that's what I got most of the time. It's like some bloggers would be like "Yeah, he sent me an email about eight months ago. I listened to it, then I didn't. But then I went back to it...boy was I wrong, this is dope!" So yeah, it was kind of hard to crack in some cases. For some reason, everybody that listens to it doesn't like two tracks, but it's never the same tracks. It was hard to nail down. Overall, I was happy with it came out. You have to be confident in what you release, and I was. It was a good experience over all.
W: As an unsigned and independent artist, how do you feel about the internet and it's role in the whole "game" these days.
HL: I'm one of those dudes that is trying to "crack" the internet. I think it's desirable, if you don't have the money to go on tours and do all that shit. If you are a broke dude with the craziest music ever, you can still be heard, you still have opportunities.
On the other hand, the internet is becoming like other avenues because of saturation. In the 80's you could go to a record label without a meeting scheduled and have a chance at getting signed. You'll get thrown out of the building now. The internet has become kinda like that. The rules that apply to the physical world are now being associated with the internet. Because everyone raps. If your song isn't produced by Timbaland, or have Scarface on the guest track, it's a lot harder to get your song out there, if you don't have that name attached to it. Maybe it's always been like that, maybe I'm just learning that.
W: So when you getting Timbaland?
HL: When am I getting Timbaland? (laughs) The best Timbaland beat would be "Hola Hovito". He never does beats like that though. I respect his technical abilities, but I was never a big Timbaland fan.
W: Confirm or deny, did you and Small Pro meet up on WYDU?
HL: We met through.... technically yes. I was featured on WYDU with Fuck Has Day, he was on WYDU for Crooklyn Gangster. I checked out the remix and the beats were HOT. So I looked him up on myspace and he was from Philly, which I'm from as well. So I sent him a message and we started talking back and forth.
W: Nice, I guess I had some kind of cosmic force in the universe. When you guys get famous, you better mention me. You two worked together to remix Fuck Has Day, as Remixed But Still Fucked.
HL: I wanted to do a remix EP of Fuck Has Day with other producers to get their take on it. I started make plans, and I asked Small Pro to be apart of it, Odin Smith to be a part of it, my man DJ Tone, all three you can check out on myspace, in my top friends. Anyway, I wasn't going to do anything on the remix album. I thought it'd be nice for people to hear different versions of Fuck Has Day, so if they didn't get something on the original, it might catch them on the remix. A revision of it might change their mind. Small Pro actually wanted to do the whole thing. Small Pro is into albums, he wants to do the whole project. I told him I thought that would be dope. I could still come out with a remix project with varied producers, but I could still give him the acapellas and let him go for broke. I was interested in seeing where he would take it, what kind of samples he'd add. He was the first person I gave the acapellas to when I got them and he was the first person done. He kept it a secret from me and wouldn't let me hear them, like a jerk....But yeah, it came out real good.
W: It was good to hear his take on it. Like I said in my review, he made some of the songs kind of his own thing, which is kind of cool.
HL: This all lead to the question of; What could we do together?
W: And you just set up the next question perfectly, so what does the future hold for Has-Lo and Small Pro?
HL: We are working on our album right now, I just started some recording, it's still in the early stages. That's what this is all leading up to, a Has-Lo/Small Pro album. It's going to be retarded.
W: You guys going the independent route, or do you plan on shopping it around?
HL: I hope to shop it around. I hope we are in a better position to cast a wider net.
W: So the new project is called Small Metal Objects, what's the deal with that?
HL: It'll probably be out by the time you start reading this...(yes) That was another situation that I was going through things. So I thought, I'll just put it to songs. I'll do four or five tracks and use a digi 8-track that I have in my basement. I'll use this make the EP by myself and just put it out. It will have this dusty basement type of feel. Then it turns out, I went up to Albany, New York, to visit some friends, DJ Tone and some other cats. He was like, "Just wait to you come up here and you can record it in my studio." So I waited. When I went up there, I took my MPC up there and I just started making tracks. I had a couple songs done. It all came together in like two days. I wrote some of the songs while I was there, I did some of the beats while I was there. I put it all together in about 48 hours, the quickest I'd ever done a project. It's meant to have that kind of dusty element to it. It's not really so much about the snare drum being just the right volume, or my adlibs being to high. It's just left the way it was.
W: How do you compare it to Fuck Has Day? Besides what you just mentioned of course....
HL:Fuck Has Day is more methodical, it's more thought out. It took me months of planning before I started the final product on Fuck Has Day. I spent a lot more time with recording and all that. Small Metal Objects is spontaneous. I'm confident enough in my abilities that I can make a song that is dope in a spontaneous style.
W: What's the future hold for Has-Lo?
HL: The next thing, I hope, that will be coming out, is Icon The Mic King and I have digi 12 inch records that will be coming out. Shout out to Icon. That is currently being mixed down. There is that. I'm working on my own full length. I'm doing an album with Odin Smith called Immovable Objects. Ironically, I named my EP Small Metal Objects, without thinking I already had a working title of Immovable Objects for an album. You can take that as a connection. Kind of full, three projects. The first album you'll probably hear is the Immovable Objects, it's near finished. Odin Smith has a couple more things to do then that should be a wrap.
W: Gotcha hustle on...
HL: I wasted so much time in a group, I just want to build up some kind of catalog. Not saying there is anything wrong with groups. I just wasted so much time in a dead end situation. I could've been amassing an actual real catalog for myself.
W: Making up for lost time. Any last words for the fair fellow readers out there in blog land.
HL: If a rapper uses the same words in every sentence for four bars, like...I'm getting head in the whip, then I come out of the club and I hop in the whip, then I go home withcha wife and she hit me with the whip.....You see how he said "whip" three or four different times and nothing in between rhymed? He has NO style or skill. Stop listening to him and listen to Fuck Has Day or Small Metal Objects, listen to me instead. (Trav busts out laughing)
W: You mean, that's not creative?
HL: It's not creative, he is fooling you! He is taking your money and using it for drugs. Ask yourself how you feel about that, then realize Hassy-Lo is the better candidate for your listening time and pleasure and your hard earned money.
My man Has-Lo has a new project coming out soon. I'm not sure how much I'm able to say about it, so I'll just save the details for the man himself. None the less he has put out his first video, which is a track from the upcoming project. The track is called "The Quiet Things". One of my main beefs with hip hop in my older age is that it doesn't spark a whole lot of emotion. This track is not guilty of that, as it will come in handy the next time I get dumped, which with my track record could be any down now.
Can you believe that we are half way through the year 2008? Seems like just yesterday I was cussing under my breath as I was diggin' off the drive way for the third day in the row after a big snow storm. Now I'm sweating my ass off in 100 degree weather. Go figure. What do you all think about 2008 so far musically? Personally myself, I thought we got off to somewhat of a slow start, but it has picked up nicely since our 1st quarter report that dropped back in April. Nothing that has totally amazed me like "Below The Heavens" did last year, but still some damn solid offerings that have been served up warm dish style.
If you know me and have read this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm always looking for a reason to put up a list of some sort. I have some sort of list fetish, so a half way report is as good of any reason to do a list as any. The next few days, we'll be going over my favorite songs, mixtapes, instrumental releases, and albums. Notice I said MY favorite, not what I think was the best,although, I'll always say my opinions are among the best of the batch, because my tastes are so impeccable...ease up, I'm just kidding, plus I've been looking for a reason to use the word "impeccable" for awhile now.
Today we'll cover 10 EP's that I think people should hear. A top 10 list of sorts. You are probably saying to yourself right now, "EPs? What the hell is this cracker smoking now?" Well, in this age of shortened attention spans and the heavy promotion of music on the internet, EP's have really taken off this year so far. In compliling my list of EPs worthy of consideration, I had 19 projects that I felt were good enough to be included on this list. One, Joe Beats & Blak's "Strategy", I would later find out was dropped in 2007, which is unfortunate, because it was dwindled down into the top 10 list, until I found out it was released over a year ago. I still recommend tracking it down, especially if you are a Joe Beats fan. A lot of this EP's were free releases, so I'll be including links for them as well. There is enough dope listening to keep you guys going for a day or two.
10 MUST HEAR EPs: The Top 10 EPs of Jan-July 08
10. Baje One - Weightless Sounds Like: Those Junk Science cats, minus one dude....oh, and maybe Iller Than Theirs, Cool Calm Pete....but not your typical Def Jux music.
Summary:Junk Science is a group I've pushed on this site before. They bring a different sound and vibe to the game. They are not the most lyrical, nor the hottest beats, but the whole package is something that I've been able to relate to. This is EP, Weightless, is from Junk Science's Baje One, the MC, for those of you not on the up and up. It's a short little six track EP, that serves as Baje One's vehicle for his own music without having to check in with a group member. This is some grown folks music, and the track, Mission Statment, has my favorite verse of the year.
From the start, from the jump, from the get gograbbed the micphone, swore I'd never let gowhen I was sixteen, woulda gotten a tattoolike, this is not a stage, not just going to pass throughIn the middle of the rottenest appleKings of hip hop sat on top of the castledayum, I was barely a rapper thencame with good intentions on the train with a pad and penand that kid, I don't know where he went toand truth, I can't remember half the shit he went throughI see the pictures and all that I think is its not meI ran from that person, buck naked and scott free (?)He and I, we don't share the same visionthe same spectrum, the same prismHe was black and white friction and non fictionI understand now life is contradictionLike life is wonderful, but life will punish youlife is beautiful, sometimes there is funerals......
And it goes on. It's not necessarily the lyrics themselves, but the meaning behind them. The love/hate relationship with hip hop and life in general. The lyrics have been my "soundtrack" for the year. "Mission Statement" is easily one of my favorite tracks of the year. The rest of the album is very good as well, worth checking out.
Favorite Tracks: "Mission Statement", "I (No) O U"
Sounds Like: A Rhymesayers MC met up with a female version of Chino XL and had children, the offspring would be SoloX.
Summary: Every so often, listening to something you see posted on a forum pays off. I found SoloX's, Black September, on the Philaflava forum (which really does have some talented musicians on it) and felt they were five strong tracks found on the EP. SoloX is a hungry MC, and you can tell by the way he attacks to tracks on this EP. Most of it is just him flexing his lyrical skills, but the beats are also quality as well. Nice first impression, the kid is on my radar for the future.
Favorite Tracks:"Just To Let You Know", "Black September"
Sounds Like: A midwestern version of a poorman's Tribe. Not saying Pillowtalk Politiks are like Tribe, but they got that same vibe, mellow, smooth, jazzy shit.
Summary: I'd rank Pillowtalks Politiks self titled EP right up there of favorite things I had sent to me this year. This Minneapolis crew sent me this unmixed version of their EP back in January, and it's held on to get played every other week or so still. The beats are laid back, on the mellow tip, it's a great EP to sit back and relax to. I'm waiting to hear more from this crew in the upcoming future.
Favorite Tracks:"Ezer Is Never Was", "Not Preaching".
Sounds Like: The Funkadelic Monster puked all over Blueprint's studio...don't worry, it's a better thing than it sounds.
Summary:Weightless Records is kind of like QN5 for me, they always provide dope releases nine times out of ten. Blueprint has always been pretty dope, whether he does his own solo thing, or he was rhyming over RJD2 beats, 'Print is one of the better MC's out there that probably doesn't get his just due. I'm a BIG fan of funk production, like the old Redman, Keith Murray, and Erick Sermon albums from back in the day. Blueprint'sBlueprint Vs. Funkadelic is like those, but on GHB, Anabolic Steriods and heroin. It's supercharged, but it's funkin' dope. Sorry pun on words, but for free, you can't go wrong with this release.
Best Songs:"The Day To Day", "Don't Make Me Laugh"
Sounds Like:Vic sounds like someone that would have been in the Mobb Deep crew about 10 years ago. He comes with the classic, raw NYC sound.
Summary: I wouldn't have called "Each Dawn I Die" an EP if Little Vic himself said in an interview with WYDU earlier this year that he calls it an EP....or an shortened LP? We'll save face, and since three of the tracks were already released, we'll call it an EP, and a damn good one at that. I slept on this initially, until I had to interview him. After that, I listened to this EP/Shortened LP quite often for the next couple months. Dude stepped his game up and I look forward to more from this NYC MC, New York hip hop isn't dead yet.
Summary: Bring your hate, I could care less. Slug and Ant drop their fourth of four EP's, spanning the four seasons. I would give my nod for the best with Sad Clown, Bad Summer, but Bad Spring might be my second favorite of the batch. The beat for the lead off track, "Less One", is more than just a bit ill and would have sounded great on ....Paint That Shit Gold. The EP sounds a lot more like some of the material found on that full length release, the same sound, the same mood and the same style. A nice companion EP.
4. Analogic & Rashid Hadee - Serenade For The Moment(sorry, no link)
Sounds Like:Rashid Hadee sounds like....I can't really compare him to anyone. Not that he is truly original, but he does have his own sound. Analogic sounds like a cross between M-Phazes and Khrysis of JL and another New Jers producer, K-Def .
Summary: I've long been aware of Rashid Hadee from his appearances with his group, Chapter 13 and his Neblina Records releases. His not the most lyrical MC, but he is a entertaining MC, one that can hold my ADD attention span fairly well for an MC. This pairing was a great idea, as these are some of the best beats I've heard Hadee over. Analogic is a newer producer on the scene. In the vein of soul producers, but he has grown beyond that in my opinion. A very talented producer and one to keep your eye on in the future. Serenade For The Moment contains seven dope tracks, that will appease hip hop fans.
Favorite Tracks:"Explode", "Serenade For The Moment".
3. Has-Lo & Small Professor - Fuck Has Day: Remixed But Still Fucked Sounds Like:Has-Lo sounds like Elmer Fudd on the mic and Small Professor's beats sound like Howler Monkeys trapped in a garbage can being beat with a baseball bat...otherwise, download it and find out for yourselves.
Summary: What do you get when you combine WYDU's favorite "new artist" with our favorite "new producer"? You get Remixed But Still Fucked. Small Professor first made noise last year with winning our "Best Free Album" of the year award with his version of Jay-Z's American Gangster, better known as Crooklyn Gangster. I wrote all about the original and the remixed version earlier in the year, so I won't rehash it. I will say that I look forward to hearing a lot more from both of these artists, and hopefully this won't be their only co-effort together. Something tells me it won't be. Something tells me this won't be the last we see from either artists on these lists this week as well.
2. Kooley High - Summer Sessions EP(Sorry, no Link)
Sounds Like: They got that North Kakalak sound.....(See Interview Coming Tomorrow)
Summary: One of the guys, or associates of Kooley High (I'm still not sure which one or who...haha) sent me this EP back in February or so. It's still getting play four months later. That should say something about the quality of this EP. If you are into the Justus League sound and the overall sound coming out from North Carolina, then you should be checking out this EP. Consisting of six members, including a female MC, Kooley High should be the next thing to come out of North Carolina when they drop their full length later this year. Y'all been warned.
Sounds Like: A dash of Wu-Tang, a smidgen of Prodigy (pre-50 Days), with a sprinkle of all raw east coast MC's.
Summary: There is no favoritism going on here. Yes, Has does some work at WYDU, but I've been trumpeting the greatness of the his Fuck Has Day EP before that ever came down. This EP brings quality raw hip hop to the table. Has' slow, drawn on rhyme style fits well over his somewhat sparse, yet complex beats. It's proof that you can hip hop can sound both old school, with a new school spin on the sound. Has' rhymes encompass everything from humor of "Fuck Has Day", to an ill concept on "Hands", in which his hands take over. He even touches on lost love on, "All's Fair", for all the grown folks that have been through that same shit. It's an excellent EP and I'll keep telling everyone that hasn't heard yet to get off their ass and give this a listen.
