[Video] Arjaye Jeter: "Rapxploitation" (Prod. by Thelonious Martin)
Arjaye Jeter's standout record "Rapxploitation", produced by Thelonious Martin, receives the visual treatment and the emcee hits various spots in Chicago while rocking some very dope Jugrnaut gear. Shot by Hatwood312.
[Closed Sessions] "Blackbird" Feat Action Bronson (prod by Thelonious Martin)
Shortly after we secured Action Bronson to play the November edition of Digital Freshness, I told him jokingly via Twitter that Chicago's finest meats and cheeses awaited him in the windy city upon arrival. I say that to many of our guests, but this time it took on a new meaning given Action's former career in the culinary arts and current status a true and blue foodie. Staying true to form, Action responded that he really wanted to eat at Blackbird, an award winning restaurant and a top spot to eat in a city known for top spots to eat. It's also a little exclusive and heavily booked. We were able to pull some strings and get the inside hook up on a table at Blackbird on a busy Friday night before Action's Saturday night performance. In exchange for helping us get a table, our connect had one request, that we dress appropriately for the occasion. No jeans. Nice shoes. Collared shirt. Shouldn't be a problem, I told him.
A few days later we picked up Action Bronson at Midway airport. After an introduction and talk of unseasonably warm weather for mid-November, Action said matter-of-factly, "this is the only shirt I brought, and I don't wear pants." And just like that, while we all ate in collared shirts, slacks, and dress shoes, Action Bronson became the first person to "dine at Blackbird with hoodies and some Balances." I can't prove that, but I'm pretty sure it's true.
The dinner was great. Everyone at Blackbird treated us extremely well, and I think every single chef from the kitchen came out to talk with Action about the food and experience. The next day we hit SoundScape for the Closed Session and Action immediately centered in on production from Thelonious Martin. At the time, Thelonious was only a couple months into his freshman year of college and trying to really break into Chicago's music scene. He also had Saturday classes, and so while Bronson was going nuts over Thelonious' beats, Thelonious was sitting in class. I sent him a text, he faked sick, and the rest is history.
The song is the second single and documentary from Closed Sessions Vol. 2, which will be released in August presented by MTV2 Sucker Free. You can download the new song as well as watch the short documentary on the next page. Check back July 25th for the third release.
RH First Look: Thelonious Martin
Before I hopped on the phone with Thelonious Martin a couple weeks back, I was expecting a talented young producer to speak on his success at such a young age, throwing stories at me about the exciting lives of teenage musicians thriving in the urban metropolis of New Jersey and New York. I was not expecting quite possibly the most grounded young musician I have ever spoken to. Thelonious Martin just graduated high school and is already primed to take the next step in his young career. "Within the first few years of me being in school, I always told myself, I want to go to school… I saw that fact that going to school is more important than anything," states Thelonious who claims that while he's at school this coming year at Columbia (Chicago), you will be able to find him in 1 of 3 places: the classroom, his dorm room, or the studio. After releasing countless beat tapes, Martin is ready to move on from that part in his career, wanting to focus more on mixtapes and albums.
His collective, Tastemakers NJ, is a lifestyle brand comprised of artists, musicians and business savvy teenagers that have recently released the compilation Summer Ale, proving they are yet another young collective poised to make their brand known to the larger Hip-Hop Community. "We have people to handle the marketing stuff, people to handle all the photography, artwork, and like in terms of small operating things we don't need a big corporate head saying 'oh we gotta do this and that today,' because if we're really passionate about making music, we are going to handle our business."
Equipped with a check-list of goals he'd like to accomplish by the age of 25, this 18-year old musician operates at a much more mature level. Striving to never take a day off, Martin has all the skills, aside from the music itself, that molds a young musician into an internationally acclaimed artist. Oh yeah, you don't get those skills without a strong passion for the music at a young age (middle school), and when you start that young, the music takes care of itself. Dropping his last beat tape (ever?) Super about a month ago, Martin just wrapped the mixing for fellow Tastemaker Topaz Jones's debut LP Hello My Name Is. The beats thump and the MC's always come correct, as Thelonious and Tastermakers NJ both will definitely be around just as long as they please. Read on after the jump.