It’s human nature to look towards the future, and one of RH’s most prominent and popular series, RH First Look, aims to do exactly that. The column, which we ran weekly in 2009, showcases emerging artists, actors, clothing brands, and others that we feel are either on the comeup or soon will be. Our First Looks in 2009 ranged from underground emcees such as J The S, to clothing brands such as Home Room. We delved into beauties such as Jovi Rockwell and Frieda Pinto, and got to know bubbling Hip Hoppers such as Donnis and Dave Coresh. For the last Monday of ’09, we’ve decided to take a look back at all our First Looks. See the list below.
Freida Pinto (published 1.4.09)
If starting the year on a good note is your thing, then you have to give props to our first First Look of the year, the beautifully talented Freida Pinto. Pinto was fresh off stellar reviews for “Slumdog Millionaire” when she took time out to talk with us. Freida talked about growing up in India, breaking into movies, and what it was like to land her role in one of ’09’s top films. “It’s not everyday that a middle class girl from the suburbs of Mumbai gets to walk down the red carpet at international film festivals with her first film. I feel truly blessed. It’s wonderful to realize that my first step into the film world has been embraced by audiences and critics alike, it’s given me a lot of confidence.” Read the full first look here.
Y-Love was second First Look of the year, and offer quite an interesting perspective. Along with being a dope emcee, Kosha Dillz describes Y-Love as “Jewish. Proud. Black. Rap. Electro..Rock.” Y-Love, who also blessed us with a Freestyle In The Park during a brief stop in Chicago, proved to be all those things and more. And with such a history, he made for quite the interesting interview, speaking on music, race, religion and the connections between them all. “For me, I find that there’s this attitude of “Jews are supposed to be white” that I have to counteract when I get on stage in front of a new audience. Often, to some audiences, I’m respected as an MC before I’m taken seriously as a Jew.” Read the entire First Look here.
Cymarshall Law (published 1.19.09)
While Cymarshall got a prominent look on RH during one of Rhymefest’s “Give It To Me” Contest evaluations, Cy’s first piece of shine on RH came courtesy of his First Look back in January. Cy proved to be a traveling man, and completed this First Look while in England on his way to Sweden via Barcelona. The English born emcee with Jamaican roots has a distinguishable voice and flow to match his name and background. “Nobody sounds like me, voice or flow, I have my own style. Thats maybe why I don’t run with too many cats, I’m just too different for them. But I was taught to embrace what’s different about me, and others will soon follow, and it’s happening right now. Plus I can go from making songs with KRS to Sean P and never lose who I am in the process, I’m versatile.” Read the entire First Look here.
Keezo Kane (published 1.25.09)
Chicago’s Keezo Kane has played the background many times, contributing production for a slew of good music and G.O.O.D. music. It was with the GLC x Kanye West hit, “Big Screen” that Keezo hit the forefront and we laced him with this RH First Look. “I can honestly say I have heat for days, and I can challenge anyone to a beat battle if they’re up for it. I’m constantly grinding. I make beats 95% of the day, everyday. Anybody that knows me personally will tell you. Anybody that’s been to my crib will tell you that Keezo sits in the crib all day making tracks!!” Read the full First Look here.
Named after Jake The Snake, J The S brings the same kind of venom as his WWF counterpart. That was subject of this First Look orchestrated by RH contributor Kosha Dillz. “I think an artist needs to be an ARTIST, not just a puppet or clown. They also must have character, charisma, an aura about them, and know the right people, cause in the end, that’s a big factor.” Read the full First Look here.
K-Salaam & Beatnick (published 2.8.09)
You’d be hard pressed to find a production team that had a better ’09 than K-Salaam & Beatnick. They told us it was coming in this First Look, and we had no choice but to believe them. “…know that we are going to be around for a very long time.” Read the full First Look here.
Melanie Fiona (published 2.14.09)
One of my favorite First Look’s was Kosha Dillz’ interview with Melanie Fiona. Since this First Look she’s been all over the place with the release of her debut, The Bridge. “When I was almost finished with the album, I thought about how it made me feel and the reaction of people whom I shared the music with. And from a 3 year old to an 80 something year old, the reaction was the same….. it made them feel good. I knew I had created something special that “bridged the gap” not only between age groups, but genres of music, genders and cultures. And there we have it…The Bridge. Favorite bridge??? Lemme visit a few more and get back to you.” Read the full First Look here.
Shawn Chrystopher (published 2.22.09)
The West Coast has a great ’09, continuing the ’08 trend of bringing out new talent. Shawn Chrystopher is part of L.A.’s new class, but with his own touch. “I wont sleep for 2 to 3 days working on music, tweaking sounds, compressing drums, and I think that work ethic, that love and passion of all that is music is the lane that I’m actually cruising in right now. There’s no mold because none of us are similar in anyway. People who don’t understand the movement, who don’t understand the music, want to put us all in the same group because we dress a certain way. Is it our fault that we are bring fashion into Hip Hop? I didn’t think so.” Read the full First Look here.
Flex Mathews (published 3.3.09)
I met Flex for the first time during a tour stop in Chicago. The D.C. native stays on the road, and provided a few simple tips for keeping in good health. “I show all the artist I come across a lot of respect and remember that I am walking into their home so I wipe my feet at the door. Kill the ego ASAP if you have one, you will go a lot further, I promise. Stay away from groupies, they are dirty, and plan to kill you. The last one is the most important one, STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS. They will only stop or delay your forward movement to reaching your goal.” Read the full First Look here.
Chicago’s Hey Champ made for one of our more entertaining First Looks. Since the interview, the crew released a dope mixtape, performed at Lollapalooza, toured internationally, and left FNF, where they were briefly signed. It’s all part of the journey for 3 kids from Rockford. “Depeche Mode helped bridged the worlds of electronic pop and guitar rock, so we definitely see why people make that comparison. Our influences are many: Zeppelin, Giorgio Moroder, Beatles, Daft Punk, Claudio Simonetti, Queen, Human League, Jean-Michel Jarre. But we’re not out to recreate anyone’s sound, we’re just trying to makes songs that we’d want to listen and dance to.” Read the full First Look here.
Black Skeptik (published 3.13.09)
Poet, grant writer, rapper, Black Skeptik is all those and more. “Poetry is verbal jazz…the lyrical expression of one’s soul….and all that other deep stuff. Black Skeptik weaves poetry with Hip Hop in a way that Walt Whitman, and Big L would both be proud of.” Read the full First Look here.
Nez and Rio (published 3.27.09)
Brainiac Society’s in house production duo of Nez & Rio hit the First Look column after turning in the winning entry in the “Swagger Like Chi” remix contest. “Our sound is uniquely cohesive. We both have the ability to make anything fresh and that’s what makes it work. You never really know who’s doing what on the beat.” Read the full First Look here.
I met Mike for the first time at SXSW through 6th Sense. Shortly after he released a very dope acoustic version of “Amazing”. Shortly after that we did this First Look. “My music is definitely unique and ever evolving. A lot of my music is about understanding the meaning and purpose of love on a personal and broad level. People ask me about spirituality a lot, I say I live based on a philosophy of love, and a lot of that is also living with and expressing its opposites, hate and anger, struggling with ego.” Read the full First Look here.
Damaged Good$ (published 4.13.09)
DMG$ are a Texas duo who linked up with East London’s X-Rabit for a very solid LP. While they share the home state of Paul Wall, Bun B, Scarface, and others, the duo doesn’t share as much in terms of sound. And like most upcoming rappers these days, continue to dodge the Hipster title. “In the places we’re from, hipsters don’t exist. There’s just hood people and people just trying to work everyday. There’s no one walking around in super-super tight pants. Maybe that’s how hipsters look, I don’t know. There’s nobody like that…We ask people, ‘what is a hipster? You’re calling me that, but can you tell me what that is?’ And they never can come up with a definition.” Read the full First Look here.
Tiron was another Cali emcee who caught our attention after dropping his Ketchup mixtape. At a young age Tiron made the move from Chicago to Cali, impacting him greatly. “The influences in Cali that made me into who I am today was probably the fact that it’s so much of a melting pot here. You can learn from a bunch of different cultures which gives you a larger view on things. I skated, played football, did musical theater, played soccer, went to camps…a bunch of stuff I might not have had the opportunity to do had I stayed in Chicago.” Read the full First Look here.
Emilio Rojas (published 4.27.09)
We talked to Emilio Rojas shortly before the release of Recession Proof. Since then Emilio’s rocked with us in Chicago for Dimes and Dozens, gave us a walking tour of NYC, and dropped another mixtape with DJ Green Lantern. In this First Look, Emilio shared a story about his trip to Venezuela. “On the way to one of my shows there, we were pulled over by four police officers armed with Automatic Rifles. They took all of our ID’s, and as soon as they saw that I was from the United States things got a little shaky. We got out unscathed though then went to the show that night and KILLED it. The crowds in Venezuela were so energetic and live. I can’t wait to get back there. Big shouts to System Crew CCS for showing me around while I was down there.” Read the full First Look here.
Miami’s QuEST was a First Look feature back in May. He’s also amongst our FL veterans that turned in a very productive ’09. After this interview, he dropped Only One Month Left with our own RTC, as well as the long awaited Broken Headphones project. With so much music coming out, we asked QuEST if he was concerned about over saturation. He definitely wasn’t. “No, only because lately I’ve been taking it easy and the material I have been putting out has been relatively just freestyles. It’s not like I’m pulling a Charles Hamilton and dropping mixtapes every month.” Read the full First Look here.
Dom Kennedy (published 5.17.09)
Cali pops up again in Leimert Park’s Dom Kennedy, who spoke to us about his new LP and his career growth back in May. “I think my music is more mature. You can hear me make that jump from amateur to professional.” Read the full interview here.
The Kid Daytona (published 5.26.09)
The Kid Daytona was bubbling on the NY scene when we first met at SXSW. A few months later, as Daytona prepped for the release of Come Fly With Me, he chopped it up with us about his music and the significance of flight, a repeating theme for the Kid. “To me, flying is like the most peaceful thing ever… It’s like… imagine if we could fly how ill it would be?? I lost my mom and my dad when I was young, so often I would imagine flying away so I can go up there just to have a conversation with them.” Read the full First Look here.
Bullet had been making noise on Chicago’s scene for a minute before gracing our First Look pages. While the Windy City is his home, it’s not his final destination. “I personally got tired of trying to be a part of something that was so cliquish. I got tired of reaching out to certain people, so I did it on my own and was like, ‘you know what? You can have Chicago. My mind is somewhere else.’ Hence the reason I rep Jupiter.” Read the full First Look here.
ChiBoys Tees put a very new spin on streetwear, literally finding inspiration in the landmarks and history of Chicago. We talked to founder DeShawn Murray about the new line and the city he reps on each and every shirt. “have always been proud of my Chicago roots, but felt that I didn’t have a fly way to rep my city. That’s when I decided to take it upon myself to change that. I saw that void and have spent the past two years figuring out a way to fill it so that people from the Chi have a dope way to represent where they’re from.” Read the full interview here.
Atlanta’s EMB hit the First Look section in June with a sound as diverse as its members. “You have many different listeners around the world that listen to Hip Hop music in languages they don’t even understand. We have many influences in our music such as reggae, calypso, marenge, traditional Hip Hop, soul music, hell even the foolish Hip Hop influences us.” Read the full First Look here.
CurT@!n$ also saw his stock rise quite a bit in ’09. He dropped some very dope and thought provoking videos, appeared in a commercial with will.i.am, and also toured with KITH and Warren G. It was his early days as an intern for Roc-a-Fella that he talked about in this interview. “To me that was like being a water boy for the Bulls in ’96. When I was at Roc-a-Fella in that short period of time, we were the real champions of Hip Hop. The best team in the game. Flawless season.” Read the full First Look here.
Scheme carries the Molemen’s torch, and it’s quite a torch to bear. The Windy City Hip Hopper is up for the challenge as he told us, “To me they’ve done the un-doable here in Chicago as far as being around for as long as they have. Without having a full stable of artists on the label, their beats and compilations have spoken volumes for them and that’s not doable, it’s unheard for a lot of people. For Chicago Hip Hop and Hip Hop in general, it’s the fact that they’ve been around for so long and the consistency of their product and sticking to their guns that they’ve made an impact. They’ve stuck to what they believe in, and their mantra forever, and that’s why I respect them.” Read the full First Look here.
Cookin’ Soul (published 7.6.09)
Barcelona’s Cookin’ Soul won the Redman and Method Man remix contest, dropped a mixtape with NahRight and became all the rage in ’09. Their music is smooth, and fluid, and comes somewhat easy to the crew. “The “brand” is sometimes difficult. Some people may label you as an “underground” producer and love you and then hate you to death when you work for a commercial artist. We don’t put ourselves in no trench or barriers. We have a very-very open minded attitude with our music.” Read the full interview here.
Donnis came into Chicago to host our Dimes and Dozens party. The ATL upstart was also readying a new mixtape, which we found out during his stay would be endorsed by 10.Deep. The mixtape got rave reviews, and has set Donnis up for success in the new year. While Atlanta is his home, Donnis has traveled the world thanks and recognizes that he may not typify ATL’s sound. “I think my sound, clearly from my voice, is down south. I’m from the south, but I think with the music I’ve kind of got a northern kind of spit. It’s a little different than what’s going on down in Atlanta right now, so I felt like New York would probably be a better outlet ‘til my home caught on.” Read the full First Look here.
Lush Life does it all, and showcased his multiple skills on Cassette City. In this interview, LL talked about his self-described progressive Hip Hop, and its no so nice implications. “I feel like progressive Hip Hop is pigeon holed and it’s gotta be some weird crazy Def Jux dark s**t, but I make poppy records. So my thought was that you can be experimental and still not be out there with some crazy s**t. So the 90’s is a huge element of my sound but I didn’t want it to be the only back bone.” Read the full interview here.
Fresh Daily’s name is not only an indication of his rhymes, but also his fashion. “The Hip Hop scene in NYC however delegated you to du-rags, jerseys and Air Force ones to fit into ubiquitous anonymity. I always had a fresh pair of dunks on and a matching cap and a dope, relatively obscure graphic tee on. I was always a fashionable dude by my own standards which when paired with my talent, made me signature.” Read the full First Look here.
Big Homie D.O.E. (published 8.2.09)
Big Homie D.O.E. went from relatively unknown to a standout in Chicago’s Hip Hop scene thanks to a fateful performance at Mikkey Halsted’s release party. That performance caught the attention of Naledge from KITH who quickly brought D.O.E. into the Brainiac Society fold and has taught him a lot in a short time. “I can say he works extremely hard. I’ve learned that, Lol…Every time I come to the studio, I better have some 16’s stashed somewhere. You never know what Naledge may want a verse for.” Read the full interview here.
Dave Coresh (published 8.10.09)
We followed up D.O.E.’s First Look with another artist on the rise, Dave Coresh. Dave stood out as much for his music as for his fearlessness in the face of criticism. “I think you just have to have the notion in your mind that it’s coming. Some people are not going to like your stuff, and some people are going to tell you they don’t like it. If you don’t have confidence in your work, why would you put it out in the first place?” Read the full First Look here.
Marion Write (published 8.17.09)
Marion Write hit us with a random track one day, and we’ve been fans since. We talked to Write before the release of his last project, The Epilogue To Greatness, and asked him about the title and its large implications. “I believe it’s true that this is my best work to date. My new projects always seem to improve. I just felt I had to slate this particular project the “greatest” because I knew this one was going to be my introduction to a lot of new followers all over the country and I wanted people to talk. ” Read the full First Look here.
While the name may imply group, Jet Audio is a one man wrecking crew. “About being a group, I get that misconception all the time. I really don’t understand how people come to that conclusion. Maybe they feel that one man isn’t capable of producing the sound I have created (laughs). So just to clear the air, Jet Audio is a one man band man.” Read the full First Look here.
AJ Crew’s first release wasn’t like most rookie outputs. He recorded the full project at SoundScape Studios, which gave me an unexpected guest spot. “He stepped in, introduced himself, etc. and just vibed on the record and asked to be on it. That was definitely a blessing. Nothing that I could have foreseen at all. I think that was definitely the work of God and His plans for what was meant to be for this project, etc.” Read the full First Look here.
Tough Junkie (published 9.7.09)
Tough Junkie’s shared many thoughts in his First Look, most of them regarding Hip Hop music and culture. “It is a poor man’s culture; making something from nothing. I learned that a brother that’s down on his luck can simply just keep to himself and hit up the day labor work. But he chooses to ask people for change. Why? To socialize and be heard just for a moment. Hip-hop, right?” Read the full First Look here.
Jovi Rockwell (published 9.14.09)
Jovi Rockwell is dope. “My sound is different and diverse and I have my culture to thank for that! My family and I have had our differences, especially in the beginning, you know, they were like, ‘what about a plan “B”‘!! They didn’t really take me seriously because I’ve always dreamed big, these so-called unreachable things for the ordinary person. I’ve had to fight to show them that I ain’t no ordinary chick and I mean business (lol), but they get it now, and I have my whole family cheering me on and I am very very grateful for that.” Read the full First Look here.
OnCue linked up with Ashydakid for this First Look following the release of OC’s Red Hot Chili Peppers mashup mixtape. The mix represented a lot of growth for Cue who told us, “My music is the best representation of me, I did a lot of soul-searching since the release of Elevator Muzik, and now the music is more me, than ever.” Read the full First Look here.
Kentrell styles himself musically after Michael Jackson and Prince. Some may even say hair wise, which was one focus of our First Look. “I never said, ‘give me the Prince or Michael Jackson hairstyle.’ My stylist was the first to recommend me growing out my hair. At first I got laughed at, but I also received more attention whether good or bad. So as an artist in this day, it makes me different and stand out. So I just let the butters flow and now so many women love my hair.” Read the full First Look here.
Another Chicago artist that made a big splash in ’09 was YP. He dropped his first album, Classified, and regularly appeared on blogs and websites. Part of his success is due to his ability to take praise as well as criticism. “We are in a city that takes you through so many dips and turns that you have no choice but to have thick skin. I got too much real stuff going on around me to really take what they say literally. They don’t go home with me, my dude.” Read the full First Look here.
D. Black is a product of Seattle’s Hip Hop scene. Beyond his skills, his spirituality is ever present in his music, as displayed on his recently released Ali’Yah. “I called this record Ali’Yah because I am ascending into a realm or space of Holiness (spiritually). It’s as if I went to the Holy land, and found peace in doing so. I get to share a piece of my Torah. Ali’Yah is a reflection of my heart and nature just as the “Torah” is a reflection of G-d’s Heart and essence.” Read the full interview here.
San Fransisco’s HomeRoom brand was the subject of this First Look. They are another brand that made strides in a tough year for the clothing industry. “2009 has been a tough year, but I look back on how we began the year, and the progress we’ve made since then is really amazing. We had to sit down as a company and critique ourselves, making sure we optimized every avenue we took whether it was designing or marketing.” Read the full First Look here.
Diamond District (published 11.16.09)
Diamond District’s power trio released a critically acclaimed LP in 2009 with In The Ruff, the perfect LP figuratively and literally… “The name of the album means so much to us, we’re all emerging artists from an emerging city in Hip Hop. It’s the perfect analogy to describe us, our potential shines through the coal that is the preconceived opinions the rest of the country has on DC Hip Hop.” Read the full First Look here.
All Natural’s Rita J hit the First Look column following the release of Artist Workshop. The Chicago to Atlanta emcee is unfortunately one of few female rappers to be taken seriously be their male counterparts. “I think some men are afraid to let the ladies shine. We need to have better representation in Hip Hop. There needs to be balance within the culture.” Read the full First Look here.
BBU mixes danceable grooves with dead prez like lyrics. It’s an interesting combination, and a passion that they still struggle somewhat to fit around full-time jobs. “We have full time jobs and still put our blood sweat and tears into it because we feel making music, and making good art period, is just as important as going to a rally to stop the war or knocking on doors for people to come and vote, or setting up a free HIV clinic.” Read the full interview here.
While Kam Moye is no rookie, he is new to Hip Hop. That’s because Kam’s previous work was released under the moniker Supasition. He changed his name prior to releasing his last album, Splitting Image. He talked about the name change in this interview. “I’ve made some great music as Supastition but it was time to move on. Nobody wants to do the same thing in life at 30 years old that they did at 20 years old. Kam Moye is my real name, and I’d rather make music reflective of my age and my life rather than the blueprint of what Hip Hop is supposed to be.” Read the full First Look here.
Lazlo Supreme (published 12.14.09)
Lazlo Supreme are interesting cats out of Minnesota. And while Atmosphere and The Rhymesayers crew still dominates, LS is going for something a little different. “The main inspiration for our direction comes from The Black Keys.” Read the full First Look here.
Rockie Fresh (published 12.20.09)
Our First Looks of ’09 end with Chicago’s Rockie Fresh. Rockie burst onto the scene with a sleek mixtape that saw him display multiple styles, fitting in somewhere between Hipster and Hip Hop Head. “My entire life I’ve been interacting with different groups of people from different backgrounds. These diverse interactions put me in balance between that hipster and hood lifestyle.” Read the full First Look here.