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2009

Driving Through The Galaxy… Next Stop, Denver!

Posted on 07-Nov-09 09:06
Music Genre: Dance/Pop | Hip-Hop

OK, so music heads may not have heard much of anything coming out of Denver, let alone the entire state of Colorado. So here we go. Let’s study one track that caught my attention titled “Supernova Car” teamed up by Kajmir Royale and Maxine. Tight production, cool lyrics, great female vocals and a hint of emceeing by one of Denver’s best up and coming artists, slash writer, slash producer. I mean, this Kajmir cat, from 2002 to 2009, actually began writing over 3,000 songs as well as a rhyme dictionary with over 300,000 words (WTF?). His lyrics has some obvious potency in this track, as well as a handful of other tracks that hip-hop fans should check out, on top of Kajmir Beats. Enjoy!


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Let’s Get Lost With Jason Mraz

Posted on 04-Sep-09 11:45

Music Genre: Alternative-Soul

Jason Mraz came on stage with Two Spot Gobi at Brighton Concorde 2 a few years back for the performance of track title “Let’s Get Lost”, which happened to be recorded live. So who’s Two Spot Gobi? They have been supporting Mraz in select markets along his European tour, plus all three Greek Theater venues in Cali, as well as being invited to perform at Leeza Gibbons Oscar Night After Party this past February. The band is truly emerging, on stage as well as online. They also just got done recording at Mraz’ home studio for their sophomore record with super producer Niko Bolas (Fiona Apple, Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Neil Young, Norah Jones, etc).

So, how did the band get linked up with Mraz … that’s another story. But what I will say is that Mraz got on the mic to sing along with the band and spit a freestyle at the end of “Let’s Get Lost”, where you can now check out and download. It’s a must have for both Mraz and Two Spot fans.

 


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The Element of Lost Angeles

Posted on 18-Aug-09 15:54

Music Genre:Hip-Hop

The L.A. hip-hop scene always has its ups and downs from what I recall, especially after the loss of Unity event promoter Bigga B who passed away in May of 1999, leaving behind a legacy that could not be copied. Flooded with candy rappers, it’s refreshing to hear tunes coming from cats who understand the roots and cross-over music that has inspired real hip-hop to this day. Take Element of Custom Made for example who’s a conscious emcee that took flight into a solo mix tape project titled “Great Expectations”. This project contains a multitude of styles where Element shows off his skills, prepping for his new release “Long Story Short” in 2010. The track we chose here is a clean version of “I’m Sorry” that consciously speaks on the disrespect towards woman. The soulful track is also available as a dirty version upon request. Enjoy!


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Hip-Hop in 3D

Posted on 15-Jun-09 00:59

Music Genre: Hip-Hop

Clever lyricist Shaun Boothe from Toronto, Canada has been blessed with the pen, creating not just Hip-Hop in 3D (a slogan he carries when speaking about his delivery), but also lyrical biographies. Yup! Imagine hearing, and watching the biographies of such legends and leaders as in Bob Marley, Jimi Henrix, MLK and Muhammad Ali with a lyrical approach. Well, MC slash producer Shaun Boothe brings this interest to the stage. You can check out these Unauthorized Biographies here.

But let’s jump on his single titled “Music Man”, which features Amanda Diva. This track caught my attention in a couple of ways; for one, its definitely radio-ready for OMW affiliates, and secondly, Shaun keeps the true hip-hop native tongue alive with his sharp flows. All hip-hop supporting affiliates should give it a listen.

 


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Change Is Now Continues

Posted on 26-May-09 14:18
By: Josh East

For the first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama has already planted many positive seeds that support his ‘change’ phenomenon, no matter what side of the table you’re on. To celebrate this effort, Hidden Beach Recordings released “CHANGE IS NOW: Renewing America’s Promise” on April 24th, which contains the official presidential inauguration music and video collection. Artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and Will.I.Am all come together to shed light on this historic election. Hidden Beach recording artist The Tony Rich Project is also featured on this release with song title “The Dream Is Real”, where the Grammy Award winning artist/producer shines with his classic melodies and clever lyrics, helping to walk his audience through what the majority of people throughout the world had felt on both election day and inauguration night. Enjoy the Tony Rich track and Stevie Wonder Music Video. One love!


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Timepiece Discovery

Posted on 19-May-09 10:50

Music Genre: Hip-Hop

By: Josh East

Positioning himself as a time traveler, Baron Von Alias is an adventurous character, with a fake mustache, top hat, rain coat and pocket watch. I first discovered Baron through a particular track delivered by Foundation Media titled “Hear and Now” that features Guilty Simpson who does his thing. Baron’s lyrical approach is mild, yet catchy, as his UK native tongue consistently embraces rare b-boy words and phrases. The “Hear and Now” track on Baron’s Timepiece release is a definite underground hip-hop pleaser ready for mix-show and college radio.


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Official Art

Posted on 02-May-09 00:04

Music Genre: Hip-Hop | Jazz | Funk

By: Josh East

Seeing changes within the hip-hop culture around the new millennium was a bit saddening when candy-kids began to flood the scene with their fashion shows and gave praise to a more mainstream appeal. This caused an instant reaction where emcees were coming out of the woodwork, and sadly most had neither stage presence nor direction. It was like the culture needed a cleansing.

What I recall that helped bring heads back together was the cross-over music trend that filtered through the classic hip-hop sound; when more and more live hip-hop bands came to the stage. Let’s take ArtOfficial for example, a 6-piece band (two of them MCs) that brings in a Jazz and Funk element to its hip-hop roots. I’m sold whenever live instruments are in action, especially when lyricists compliment the band. As I listened to ArtOfficial’s “Big City Bright Lights” single, it was like a breath of fresh air in the sense that it’s not just positive music, but also reaches a level of maturity in musicianship. College, mix-show and Internet radio needs to pick this up if not done so already.


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Who Wonders?

Posted on 27-Apr-09 12:21

Music Genre: Americana | Alt-Country

By: Josh East

It’s interesting to hear the combination of Americana and Alt-Country music with a focused taste on acoustic, bluegrass, folk and indie rock flavors. As for Chris Pickering, he helps us define these music genres in his recent album release “Excuses Excuses”, where I came across a track titled “Wonders” that stuck out from the rest. The song’s overall composition took me on ride, with ups and downs, smiles and frowns. His infectious lyrics indeed made an impact, as well as the brilliant musicianship from the band. As dramatic as it might sound, Chris shed some light on his musical format, helping me to appreciate the Americana/Alt-County genres deeper then ever before. TV and film music sups should get their hands on this for synch consideration.


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The Band That Draws Attention To Themselves

Posted on 20-Apr-09 14:15
By: Josh East

The artistic name of Australian band Yves Klein Blue comes from the name International Klein Blue (IKB), which is a deep hue blue mixed by famous French artist Yves Klein that ‘does not lose its brilliance over time, forever appearing wet and freshly applied’. As a metaphor, the band’s name is somewhat timeless in nature, creating a mixture of classic pop, old punk and indie rock. When I first listened to their new EP “Yves Klein Blue Draws Attention To Themselves” that released this past April 5th, track titled “19” caught my attention from the rest, reminding me of a clash between the Violent Femmes and The Smiths. Of course I didn’t choose their lead single “Polka”, however I must admit, the track did grow on me. Polka is catchy and takes you on a ride wondering where the song is going to lead you next. Both tracks are definitely radio-ready and Polka has begun to take its course getting adds on specialty radio throughout the U.S. Take a listen to both, you be the judge.


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A Japanenglish Special Delivery

Posted on 28-Mar-09 21:47
By: Josh East

So it’s kind of obvious that Japanenglish is a slang term like Spanglish, combining the Japanese and English language, which is exactly what Tigarah writes, records and voices on the mic. Being moved by a number of music genres, Tigarah’s eclectic sound delivers cultural influenced topics, with a scent of conscious tendencies. Her track title “Space Travel” is filled with infectious beats that indeed took me on a ride, wishing that Japanese was a second language. In some parts of the track I hear a new wave come-back and can see this easily becoming a night club hit. Radio wise, I foresee dance and multi-format programmed stations picking this track up.


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