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 Look: Donnis
“Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” – Elizabeth Drew
Atlanta born Donnis knows all too well the meaning of travel, and contrary to Elizabeth Drew’s quote, his form of conversation is rhyming on a microphone. From Japan to New York, the young troubadour is far from the “basement recording rookie.” His life experiences have not only helped him personally, but also shaped his music, which became obvious in his recent sit-down with RubyHornet. Donnis spoke on everything from his culture shock in the big apple to his upcoming mixtape with a certain streetwear heavyweight, as well as leaving the dull points at the door. Check it all out as Donnis gets under The First Look microscope.
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RH First Look: Cookin' Soul
Right off of the western coast of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea lies a gorgeous and historical city named, Valencia, which is the third largest city in Spain. Located on the Eastern tip of Spain, Valencia is known for the tourists who flock to the city's primarily gothic styled cathedrals from the 13th to the 15th century. But there is a peculiar group that seems to be quaking the streets, squares, and boulevards of Valencia. This phenomenon is the producing and DJ'ing trio known as Cookin' Soul, and they've now taken their producing skills states side by producing for several Rap and Hip Hop artist.
RH's, Ashydakid, caught up with Cookin' Soul in advance of their new mixtape, 1:00 am and Rising presented by Nah Right. Big Size, Milton, and Zock chat about the musical influences of Spain, the transition from producing in Spain to producing in the United States, getting paid, building a brand and much more. Get the full in depth First Look with the guys called Cookin' Soul right below.
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RH First Look: CurT@!n$
Following in the vast footsteps of Brooklyn, New York's Hip Hop greats, CurT@!n$, is also attempting to leave his footprints embedded in the game. At an early age he was surrounded by a conglomerate of skilled and polished Hip Hop artists, having interned for Roc a Fella Records his senior year in high school. This type of opportunity doesn't approach itself everyday, so skills were definitely acquired while being encompassed by the Roc. CurT@!n$ transformed those skills into his own mic aspirations, and after a start and pause in NYC, he relocated to L.A. where he has since signed on Tyrese's record label and is growing a name and a brand through his music and videos that tackle issues such as race and prostitution.
RubyHornet caught up with CurT@!n$ to put him on the hot seat for our First Look Column. Here CurT@!n$ speaks about the Hip Hop internet avenue and a rapper's standard of lyrical content.Read the full interview below.
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RH First Look: ChiBoys Tee's
When the fellas from Pac Division hit came into Chicago last summer, we scooped them from their hotel and gave them a driving tour of the city. One of our first questions was, "what do you think of when you think of Chicago?" Their first response was, "Michael Jordan." Their second response was "Barack Obama." And their third response was "pizza." All are understandable, as DeShawn Murray of ChiBoys Clothing says, "we all know that Jordan is the most influential sports figure of our time, and Obama is unmistakeably the most inspiring man of all time," and well, pizza is a just that good...In addition, much of the clothing celebrating the city, as far as streetwear goes, centers on MJ, or Mr. Obama, leaving a lot of the city untapped in terms of tee-shirts. That exclusion of Chicago's rich history and landmarks is what gave inspiration to Murray to throw his hat into the tee-shirt ring with ChiBoys, a "Chicago themed t-shirt line that tells the story of Chicago's history, culture, hardships, architecture and personality."
The line launched just a few short weeks ago, and we caught up with Murray to talk about the clothes, the brand, and the city in this week's RH First Look. Check it out below.
RH First Look: Bullet
More love over there, than over here is a popular phrase for underground Hip Hop artists. From Wordsworth to Little Brother, Dilated Peoples to Pugs Atomz, many emcees spit bars about feeling neglected in their hometowns, and Chicago grew quite a rep for sending artists elsewhere to achieve some sort of validation before gaining the Windy City's love. It's perplexing and frustrating for some, daunting for others, and disappointing for most. But, not so much Bullet, a Chicago emcee that reps hard...for Jupiter that is. Bullet explains,
"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."
But Bullet's not all Rodney Dangerfield. While he battles for more attention in the city, he has built a solid foundation outside city limits and hopes to capitalize on them witha record deal. Bullet talks about his plans, speaks more on Chicago, and breaks down his outerspace ambitions vs. Lil' Wayne's. Check it out below.
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RH First Look: The Kid Daytona
The Kid Daytona can flat our rap. That was one of my first thoughts after hearing the Lanky BX native, who hit the scene with a remake of Tribe Called Quest material handled with care and knowledge as well as guidance from Hot 97's Cipha Sounds. There's something a bit more to The Kid, as witnessed in his second successful "concept" project, The Daytona 500, a seven song EP in which producers from Double O to 6th Sense reinterpret Bob James' "Nautilus". The record gets better, as Daytona adds to the songs by weaving stories about career take-off, as each song contributes to his ultimate flight. We caught up with The Kid to talk about his last EP, as well as the main course, Come Fly With Me, set to drop later this year. Daytona also talks about working with Cipha Sounds, and how the loss of his parents has impacted his music. Check it all out below as The Kid Daytona goes under the RH First Look Microscope.
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RH First Look: QuESt
Drake doesn’t over saturate at all and when you hear a new record from him it’s like, "'Oh s**t did you hear that new Drake record?'" Says Miami up and comer, QuEST. While he's been a mainstay on sites such as 2dopeboyz and illRoots (who happen to be presenting his upcoming mixtape), he's not confused about his own standing in the larger Hip Hop world. "You talk to people about QuESt and there’s more people saying, 'Who’s QuESt?' then people saying, 'Oh s**t that’s QuESt!' I got to pay my dues and let people know who I am."
Find out exactly who QuESt is in our new RH First Look.
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