RH First Look: Miz Metro
Who's that girl? One she's pretty. Two she's betty boop cute. Three she's dope but not too dope. Four she embodies the NYC sex in the city rapper that can be a hero to all women searching for empowerment, and individualism. Her style, passion, and a betty boop tone combats Marilyn Monroe's poses with rhymes and voice. She's in a musical League of her own if you will, sans the madonna baseball skills. Shoot, she's even got a cosign from Perez Hilton.
And she's just graduating college!
I recently played a pre-Austin warm-up gig in Brooklyn and got to see her rock an awesome set with DJ Vinyl Richie and her bassist. It was more than enough to make me think, this girl needs to be on the road now.
Her debut album, Unlimited, is fresh she'll tell you the rest in this new RubyHornet First Look.
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RH First Look: Priceless The Kid
I first met Priceless the Kid in August of 2009 at his release party for his No Barcode EP. Performing for a sold-out crowd at Atlanta’s King Plow Arts Center with support from a full live band, Priceless tore the house down with a stellar set complete with guest appearances from Yelawolf and The Mad Violinist. Since then he’s been grinding away on his latest project, Diamond Life, and indulging in the occasional marijuana cigarette. We caught up with the Atlanta-based artist, who was gearing up for the March 29th release of his sophomore project supported by California streetwear and skate brand Diamond Supply Co.
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RH First Look: B. Dolan
B. Dolan just released his second LP, Fallen House Sunken City, and he already has the perfect way to exit the rap game thanks to his labelmate and longtime friend, Sage Francis.
"When I met Sage Francis in 2002, both of us looked distinct from each other. I was a little bit taller than him. We were both bald, but I don't think he had a beard at the time we met," B. told us a few weeks ago. "Over the years however, we've somehow grown into the same f**king body type. All that healthy gas station cuisine and living the dream, I guess. So now people physically confuse us... And neither of us are willing to shave our beards, because it's a horror show under there. Luckily, Sage Francis is a dude I respect forever, and the association doesn't cause me to lose any sleep at night. And the physical similarity may just allow us to work out some imposter-scheme a la Doom. Might be a good retirement plan."
The retirement is a long way off, as Dolan is currently on a marathon tour of Eurpoe before criss-crossing the USA with Francis on a spring/summer tour. Dolan's new record is a realistic, morbid, and sometimes morbidly funny take on the music industry as well as the well-being of our society. Dolan's double-duty as the founder of the consumer's right advocacy group Knowmore.org adds to the passion of his music while his music offers him a release from his activist endeavors. The two compliment each other to enhance Dolan's mic skills as well as his ability to write real life stories. Such is the case with Fallen House, Sunken City. At first glance the album's title appears to be directly related to the collapse of the housing market and ensuing recession, but Dolan insists the title was thought of before the s**t hit the fan, as he told us.
"There certainly was a spooky correlation between releasing an album about underwater houses just as that started literally happening to people. It isn't the first time that kind of strange coincidence has come along. I like to think it comes from being sensitive to the world around me and paying attention to signs. Although, it doesn't take a psychic at this point to know we're headed for all kinds of collapse."
We put B. Dolan under the First Look microscope to find out more about his debut album, knowmore.org, and much much more. Check out the full interview below.
RH First Look: Aleon Craft
Last fall I made a trip out to Atlanta. While I was in town I asked a few people about artists that were "bubbling" as the tastemakers say... One name was repeated a little bit more than others, and I got a real vision of things when this young man's music came on at the club... Everybody went nuts. The person I speak of is Aleon Craft, who retooled the spelling of his name a little bit, the direction of his music, and the mentality of his hustle from the harder way to the smarter way. Craft says, "I've more so just started moving smarter and strategically.... I have grown and matured, mentally and musically."
That growth was in part manifested by a unique collaboration with Atlanta's Symphony Orchestra, a musical partnership that was perhaps as unexpected as musical partnerships go. Craft spoke to us about working with the symphony, his not so out of this world partnership with SMKA, and more in this new RH First Look.
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RH First Look: Miguel
Miguel presented some troublesome issues to industry exec and A&R's. His bi-racial background (Mexican and Black), singing voice, and subject matter didn't quite fit the mold of "R&B superstar", so Miguel was told to stick to writing for other artists, rather than seeking the spotlight for himself. It was get in how you fit in for Miguel, who didn't let definitions deter him from his dream of making music.
"It was hard for them to place, they didn’t know what to do with that," he told me via phone. "But fortunately, times have changed and with the advent of the Internet, our spectrum of music and the palette of music that we’re familiar with and able to pull from is a lot broader. That’s what has changed. Also as a person I’ve grown more aware of myself and comfortable in my own skin, so that definitely helps. I’m sure they can feel it more now."
Miguel's music has been felt from a growing fanbase, as well as a collective of emerging Hip Hop artists ranging from his high school friend, Blu to NYC's Emilio Rojas. We caught up with Miguel to put him under the First Look Microscope. Here he talks about his entrance to writing as a way to deal with his parents divorce, the buzz term that is genre-defying, and what it means to be level-headed. Check it out below.
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RH First Look: Dessa
If you are familiar with Minneapolis' underground outfit, Doomtree or its most recognizable member, POS, then you surely know its first lady, Dessa. One of the most impressive things about Doomtree is the productivity of all of its members, as many of them release their own material, using the larger collective as an anchor to show off their skills and set the table for their individual creative endeavors. Dessa's solo works include a book, Spiral Bound, as well as a new LP, A Badly Broken Code. She goes under the First Look microscope this week with Kosha Dillz and we learn about both. Check it out.
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RH First Look: Rockie Fresh
He's too hipster. He's just trendy. I just don't like his music. Say what you will about the kid, and all those previous statements have been, but Rockie Fresh has definitely created a buzz for himself. His point was proven December 15th when he released his debut mixtape, Rockie's Modern Life, which recorded over 1,000 downloads in just one day. Not too bad for a cat who just started rhyming in 2006.
"All of these new age rappers are changing the direction of the genre and creating something for our generation to call our own," said Rockie on the new generation of artists to hit the Hip Hop. RH correspondent, Ashydakid, caught up with Rockie Fresh for a full interview, digging into his family background, the new generation he identifies with, and the importance of versatility. Check it put right below and see why another thing people are saying is, "that kid's got talent."
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RH First Look: Lazlo Supreme
Lazlo Supreme is a Hip Hop band from Minneapolis, and contrary to some preconceived notions, it's not Atmosphere and Rhymesayers that have had the most influenced on the aspiring trio. The band's leader and emcee, Toussaint tells us, "The main inspiration for our direction comes from The Black Keys... heard them while The Blend was on tour in Philly. I came back to Minneapolis and saw them in concert. I thought, 'Damn, these two dudes can rip it up by themselves, there has to be a way to roll with just drums and keys.'"
Toussaint found a way in Lazlo Supreme, a band also composed of keyboardist Linden and drummer Patrick. The band is readying their official debut, and will be releasing an EP, Evil Made Easy, in late January. All of their music appears to come with healthy doses of comedy and cynicism, something which Ashydakid explores in this exclusive RH First Look. Learn up on Lazlo Supreme via the full interview below.
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