Underground Hip Hop

Brother Ali on Tour with Rakim and Kid Capri

Starting Tomorrow (September 12th), Brother Ali will join the upcoming tour with the legendary Rakim and Kid Capri in Park City, UT at Suede. Brother Ali will remain on the tour for a confirmed 14 dates, with possibly a few more shows to be added.

Here are the dates:
09/12- Park City, UT @ Suede
09/13- Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
09/14- Denver, CO @ The Roxy
09/16- Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
09/17- Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
09/18- Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
09/19- Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere's
09/20- Cincinnati, OH @ Annie's
09/22- Detroit, MI @ The Fine Arts Theatre
09/23- Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom
09/27- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
09/28- Atlanta, GA @ Eleven 50
09/29- Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend
09/30- Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

Dan The Automator Producing NBA 2k7 Soundtrack

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura will be producing the soundtrack for the next NBA game in the 2k series. The sountracks for the previous games have featured outstanding selections of hip-hop artists including: Aesop Rock, Blackalicious, Common, Lyrics Born, RJD2, The Roots, Del the Funkee Homosapien, People Under the Stairs, and more. Automator's sountrack (available in september) will continue the series' killer list of artists.

The tracks will include:
Dan the Automator--"Intro"
Slim Thug--"I Love This Game"
Rhymefest--"Bang the Ball"
Hieroglyphics--"Don't Hate the Player"
Fabolous--"Ball Til You Fall"
Aceyalone & Rakaa of Dilated Peoples--"Champions"
E-40 & San Quinn--"Baller Blockin'"
Ghostface & A.G. of DITC--"2K007"
Lupe Fiasco & Evidence of Dilated Peoples--"Catch Me"
Mos Def & Anwar Superstar--"Here Comes the Champ"
Chali 2na of Jurassic 5--"Anchor Man"
Tribe Called Quest--"Lyrics to Go (Automator remix)"
Zion I--"Fade Away"

In addition to a great soundtrack the game will also feature some hip-hop ballers available in the game including: Phife, Flavor Flav, Common, the Roots' ?uestlove, Slim Thug, Aceyalone, Aesop Rock, and Rakaa of Dilated Peoples.

Leroy Smokes

Established in the late '90s as a hip-hop/funk jam-band, the Leroy Smokes released two independent albums, each one different in style and band lineup. Despite early difficulties maintaining a consistent membership, Leroy Smokes began to earn a reputation. In addition to their notorious stage presence, the 'Smokes are constantly producing and recording as part of their ongoing studio enterprise, Smokesignyl Productions.

Now, in 2006, the drama-and-change-weary Leroy Smokes feel they might just have the solid musical family they need for the long-run. The upcoming release Love, Hustle, Theater is a much-anticipated piece of work: the culmination of three years of drive and creativity loaded into one musical Midwest Hip-Hop love story. Allow them to re-introduce themselves. This is not just an album. For this group, this is redemption.

Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

Atmosphere has released a new cd called "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having". Ant is back again with beats that are even more polished than in the past. The new beats are similar in quality to Brother Ali's CD & EP. Slug says he has also been improving his rhyming, becoming more in-tune with the music instead of just trying to dominate the tracks with his rhymes. The tour for the album finds slug being backed up by a new band as well as Ant (which is very rare).

MF Doom and DJ Dangermouse Team Up

MF Doom (aka King Geedorah, aka Victor Vaughn) and Dj Dangermouse are teaming up to make an album called "The Mouse and the Mask". The album is going to be themed on some of the Adult Swim cartoons such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Harvey Birdman. It will also feature some voices from the actual shows. Guests on the collaboration will include Ghostface Killah, Cee-Lo and Talib Kweli. Look for the album on October 11th and for previews of it on Adult Swim.

God's Bathroom Floor

God's Bathroom Floor is one of my favorite Atmosphere songs. This is largely because it is the first song that I really remember from the group. I first heard it about five years ago when Slug and Eyedea were performing a show at the Weisman Art Museum. The group didn�t have the following that they enjoy today and were able to play to a small crowd at an unusual venue. The song is about the effects of heroin. It talks about the pain and addiction as well as the numbing bliss that make it such a dangerous drug.

�I�m tired out by the distances achieved walkin in my sleep
floors got shifted since the high got a tad too deep
ask Dad to keep cool ill call him back
as soon as I resume normal, and get out of this bathroom�

�Autopsy pages read euthanasia i.e. irony
well here I be within a pool of my drool, sedated
windows dilated comatose life overdose
tell Jacob Miles keep it wild-style
I promise I'll smile
and check the floor, god's got nice tile�

�From a head full of pressure
rest the senses that I clutch
made a date with divinity but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shade of god, help me change
caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins�

Upcoming Shows

Some great shows are coming up in the next two weeks:

Tomorrow (Friday) is Carnage and Desdemona at the Red Sea
-Carnage is well known for his freestyling skills and Desdamona for her poetry. She has recently been heading up a series of B-Girl events, and can often be seen at the Blue Nile at poetry nights.

On Saturday The Digable Planets are playing First Ave
-They have reformed after 10 years as I mentioned in my last post.

Next Thursday and Friday are the release parties for Kanser held at Bryant Lake Bowl
-Kanser is a local group that is part of the Interlock Label, which is one of the two largest underground hip-hop labels in the city.

Return of the Digable Planets

The Digable Planets had dissolved due to creative differences after their album Blowout Comb�s lackluster sales. The hip hop trio used jazz to give their music the style that made them a huge success in the early nineties. Their debut album �Reachin'� featured samples from Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins and Curtis Mayfield. The song �Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)� was a huge success that became a top 20 hit. Although their second album received rave reviews, it did not have a strong single and did not sell well. This was the demise of the group.

Now, ten years after their breakup, the group has reformed and is once again touring. They are also working on a new album. The Digable Planets will be playing this Saturday at First Avenue.

Heiruspecs Downtown

Last night the Heiruspecs did a free show downtown at Peavy Plaza. It was a really nice night out, so some friends and I went down nicollet to take a look. There was a huge crowd of people at the show. We went across the street to Brit's Pub and got a table and some food. Although the English Pub atmosphere wasn't exactly fitting with the hip hop, it was a perfect place to be sitting and listening.

For those unfamiliar with the group, Heiruspecs is a local hip hop crew that plays their own instruments. They have released a few albums and are very popular around the area.

New Age CD Marketing

Influenced possibly by piracy or just giving the customer a better product, many artists have started to include more than just music with their releases. A variety of new releases come with extras such as computer enhanced content, DVD videos, artwork, bonus CDs, and even the chance to win a contest. In the mainstream 50 Cent�s album came with an entry into a contest and The Game came with a bonus DVD. The underground has also added additional content to many of the releases. The latest Aesop Rock collector CD came with an illustrated lyric book containing the lyrics for his full discography. The �Felt� release this summer from Slug and Murs will have a comic book as a bonus. Slug�s re-release of �Headshots: Seven� included a bonus �Best of Headshots� CD as well as two previously unreleased records (�Sad Clown 5&6�). For their release this fall the CunninLynguists have a new concept. They will release a DVD video after the album that uses the CD as the audio track to sync with the DVD. Although these bonuses are sometimes gimmicky and unwanted, they are often enticing to fans of the groups. They definitely offer another reason to purchase the albums with content that is not as easy to obtain on the internet.

Blackalicious

Blackalicious is a hip-hop group composed of members Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel. Their lyrics are often very abstract. The content is often based on spirituality and is very uplifting. The two formed the group in California under their label SoulSides Records, which includes members DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truth Seeker, and Lyrics Born. The record company went out of business and eventually reformed as Quannum Records. Blackalicious have released two full albums, 2000�s �Nia� and �Blazing Arrow� in 2002. This fall they plan to release their next album, �The Craft�. The latest disc will focus on what makes an artist and will be exploring different styles of music. Guests on the album will include Floetry, George Clinton, Pigeon John, Lateef and Lyrics Born.

Selling Out

Underground fans seem to be very concerned with their favorite artists �selling out�. What exactly is selling out? Some fans say someone has sold out as soon as others are familiar with the artist. This is just an elitist mentality that some fans like to have. They aren�t as concerned with the music as they are with knowing something that nobody else does. Other fans say that they have sold out as soon as they get a deal with a large record company. This is very often a sad reality, but it does not necessarily require selling out. This is only the case if the artist is willing to sacrifice their artistic integrity to make themselves more marketable for the label. This happens often in the music industry, and many times shows the lack of integrity the artist had to begin with. Selling out is about changing who you are to get money or fame. If an underground artist stays true to themselves and gets money and fame fans should be happy that they knew them first and that good music is being heard by others.

Music Piracy

Music piracy has been around since before the internet. People selling bootlegs on the street were only able to reach a small audience, but the internet has huge distribution and hence greater need for policing. There is a great debate about the legality and morality of pirating music. Many people make the case that they would not buy the music that they download. Others would argue that they use it to sample music before purchase or to find new artists. Another point that downloaders make is that the artists do not really loose that much money from downloads. This is all very difficult to prove. Piracy has much greater potential to do damage to underground artists. Many of these artists rely on their sales numbers to allow them to gain larger distribution and make a better living for themselves. The important thing to remember is that when you download an album from an artist on an independent label that you would otherwise purchase, you are actually taking money from that artist. Sharing music can definitely help spread the artist�s work, and this should be seen by the artists with limited distribution as an important aspect of marketing. If you do enjoy the album, I would recommend buying it or at least attending a show to show support. Support the music that you would like to see more of.

Common Sense

"Be" is the latest release from the emcee Common. In 1992 he released his first single as Common Sense and ever since has been an icon in the underground hip hop scene. His song "I Used to Love H.E.R" was a huge success and is still listed in the best rap songs of all time. In more recent times he has shortened his name to Common and earned a Grammy nomination for his song "The Light". Common is back in 2005 with his album "Be". Most of the production for the album was done by Kanye West and the beats are all well put together and will keep your foot tapping. Overall, this album is one of the best from Common and certainly the best of his recent work. The magazine XXL has even given the album the status of "Classic", the first album the magazine has awarded this status to.

"I was rolling around, in my mind it occured
What if God was a Her?
Would I treat her the same?
Would I still be runnin' game on Her?
In what type of ways would I want Her?
Would I want her for her mind
Or her heavenly body
Couldn't be out here bogus
With someone so godly
If I was wit her would I still be wantin' my ex
The lies, the greed, the weed, the sex
Wouldn't be ashamed to give Her part of my check
Wearing a cross, I mean Her heart on my neck"
- Common �Faithful�

The 5th Element

The 5th Element is a record store on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown. The store is owned by Saddiq of Rhymesayers Entertainment. When you first enter the store the smell of their favorite Nag Champa incense will immediately hit you. To your left there is a board with lists of upcoming shows and a variety of fliers laid out on a table. The store is full of music and has a wall full of records and a few large racks of CDs (as well as a few dvds). As you reach the back you will find some racks of t-shirts and sweatshirts for many hip hop artists. The store is often staffed by local artists or you will find some hanging out. Familiar faces include Saddiq, Felipe (Los Nativos), Brother Ali, Jaybird, Slug (Atmosphere) and his brother Jordon. The store is the best place in town to go find whatever hip hop gear or information you need.