RH First Look: D. Black
D. Black came up in a musical family. Both his mother and father were member of the Emerald Street Boys and Girls, Seattle's first Hip Hop crew. The music took permanent residence in D. Black's heart, and at the young age of 14, he went under the guidance of Seattle's Vitamin D. and later Jake One. When asked about his relationship with D. Black, Jake One, who featured D. Black on his own LP White Van Music, describes D as his little brother that he didn't necessarily want to listen to who then became the little brother who couldn't be ignored. Any reluctance Jake had about putting D. Black on the album quickly disappeared after DJ Premier and others would ask the Seattle beatsmith, 'yo, who is that kid on the track "God Like".
With last month's release of his sophomore album, Ali' Yah, Damien Black caught our attention as well. The album's title is Hebrew for "ascend", and as Jews know, and Black explains, the word "is used when a Jew migrates back to the Holy land (Jerusalem) or when one is called up to read from the Torah," he tells us. "In a sense they are ascending to commit a very Holy act, both in the physical and spiritual...Ali’Yah is a reflection of my heart and nature just as the “Torah” is a reflection of G-d’s Heart and essence." Our own Ashydakid goes heart to heart with D. Black in this week's edition of RH First Look. Check it out below.
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Mick Boogie: Re-Living Thing Mixtape
We posted a couple of this joints freely, and now finally the full project has arrived. I'm a big fan of PBJ, and the project gets sweeter as Mick Boogie has enlisted a slew of RH favorites to round out the remixes. 6th Sense, Naledge, Donnis, Evidence, Mickey Factz, Rhymefest, Jet Audio and others can all be found on the tracklist below.
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RH First Look: A.J. Crew
My first meeting with A.J. Crew came at SoundScape studios, where I was working with Michael Kolar on something or other. I asked the kid if he was working on something at the time, and he said that he wasn't, that he was just at SoundScape to hang out. What he really meant was watch and learn. Many times at SoundScape I would find the unassuming Crew sitting on various couches while working on his lap top, sitting in during studio sessions, and of course, working on his own Nightmares and Daydreams, his first formal project that will see it's release on September 1st. Crew's first run is similar to many starts nowadays, with a free collection of work, spread viraly to gain an audience. However, Crew is quick to point out that Nightmares and Daydreams is a free-album, not a mixtape. He tells us, "Calling your project a "mixtape" gives it a certain connotation. People instantly think a DJ, drops, other people's beats, remixes, poor recording quality. A "free album" is what it is. It's a project that was went about like creating an album."
There's another, more pronounced difference between Crew and others his age that are just getting started on presenting music to the public, Crew's studio-ratness allowed him to soak up technical skills and the engineering talent of one of Chicago's top studios, as well as let him build with the studio's other clientele, including Rhymefest, who heard Crew's "Destiny & Desire" and decided to provide the upstart with a guest verse. We learn the story behind that encounter, as well as much more as Crew goes under the First Look microscope.
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RH First Look: Jet Audio
Biting wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't prominent. Proven methods wouldn't last the test of time if they didn't work. While the middle ground between pure biting and pure originality is where most fall, and perhaps where the new innovations emerge, it is the biting that kills promising trends, and makes something creative into something boring and repetitive. We all know the story how the labels live in worry, which causes them to latch onto anything popular and hit the repeat button as if it is the only button. It stems from fear, a fear that is a basic human element: fear of leaving one's comfort zone. That fear holds people back in a variety of situations, from approaching a woman at a bar or party, accepting a challenging job in a new city, or, in a producer's world, trying new sounds, all at the risk of possible advancement.
"If we didn't take risks, music would never evolve", says producer Jet Audio, who recently released his own compilation, The Stand Alone Complex. Sensing something new and original in his production, we sent Ashydakid to talk to Jet about his own risks and rewards, the meaning behind the title, as well as his own background and history. Check out the full RH First Look below, and also check back later in the week, as we'll have some new music from Jet featuring Kardinal Offishall and Donnis coming later in the week.
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RH TV: Dave Coresh Freestyle In The Park
Dave Coresh hits Freestyle In The Park. Check it out below, and read up on Dave here via our First Look.
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RH First Look: Big Homie D.O.E.
I've been following Big Homie D.O.E. for a while now. His catchy hooks and lyrics to go along with them made him stand out amongst the pack, and his recent move to our homie Naledge's Brainiac Society has only served to increase his visiblity, improve his work ethic, and place him in the right situation where opportunity meets preparation. Many people wondered how the somewhat intellectual approach of Naledge would work with the "in your face" personality of The Big Homie D.O.E., but as he said, it's not as much of a stretch as some may think. Sticking to his vision to "express the thoughts and feelings of myself, my peers and others through timeless music," D.O.E. has found synergery with Naledge through similar goals pertaining to the music. With that being his main focus there's almost no way that Naledge and D.O.E. couldn't work well together because at the end of the day making timeless music is what Hip-Hop is all about, right?
RH's Ashydakid caught up with The Big Homie D.O.E. for a candid First Look. Check it out below..
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RH First Look: Lush Life
Philadelphia producer/emcee/instrumentalist, Lushlife, is no stranger to originality. His work ranges from 60's rock, futuristic electronic, soul, boom-bap, and pop. His projects expand from the successful mash up of West Sounds (Kanye West meets the Beach Boys), to the sample heavy Order of Operations, to his newest pop and instrumentation inspired Cassette City. Although his music has changed from project to project, the thing that has held true is its alternative roots to stay one step ahead and one step to the left of your average Hip Hop listening experience. RubyHornet conversed with Lushlife to untangle his mind on everything from his past work to his current project and all of his inspirations in between. Check out Lush Life as he goes under the First Look microscope.
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RH First Listen: "Rapper Weed"
After rocking the stage at our Dimes and Dozens party (co-presented by dubFrequency) Curren$y went into SoundScape Studios with us for a closed session. We turned the lights down, played some beats, rolled a little something up, and let the creativity fly. Rocking over original production courtesy of Tony Baines, Curren$y created "Rapper Weed", a mellow joint about, well, mellow joints. Download it free below, and tell a friend to tell a friend. Also look for more RH x SoundScape releases in the future, and video from Dimes and Dozens coming later today.