The fantastic piece you see above is what one can find if you rummage around a company’s closet for a while, one of my supervisors found this fantastic letter press block art sitting and collecting dust in a closet. It’s made up of (mostly) wooden letter press blocks and can still be removed if shaken. Needless to say we all want to take this bad boy home but will be hopefully displaying it in our office to showcase part of the history of the print industry.
Connecticut based Hip-Hop artist Pruven has a new album out now called ‘Stamina of Thought’, released under the Uncommon Records label. This falls into the category of music for thought instead of just for the sake of sounding good, lyrics that should be listened to and the dope soundtrack that carries it along. My favorite track so far is M & J but have to go thru the album fully. Check the album below and support Progressive Hip-Hop that tries to make a difference, you can also buy the album on iTunes and Amazon.
The highly anticipated Ana Tijoux follow-up album to the Grammy nominated ’1977′ came out today and it continues what Ana is known for, multiverse lyrical gold that can take you from pride to ruin and back while it’s sound is perfectly placed with her flow. Before ’1977′ was released I saw Tijoux perform In LAMC and she became the top buzz of all media and music watchers as she rhymed effortlessly on stage while everyone impressed. Her lyrics didn’t hit me at first and I’m guessing it was because my first experience was live, loud and with a great amount of people screaming and having fun. After the album released I knew she was a force to recon with and can hang with the best of em, slaying words and thoughts intertwined with harmony… Yep it was too dope. After that she released the “Elefant Mixtape” which was a more hyped up and hard-hitting album sound wise, it gained but more fans for the dope emcee and gave her more exposure that she needed.
“La Bala” is the next step in her career with a friendlier sound and forward approach to lyrics rightfully sitting her in the Latina (or female) Hip-Hop throne. She spits history, life and beyond, heartfelt with each bar you can’t help but nod away smiling. Yet another honest emcee achieving life as they create, at no point does she serve a cold/fake dish. The album has a bit of soul, street, great beats and immense knowledge pours out the speakers thanks to Tijoux’s flow. “La Bala” continues her reign right where the last release left off… Killin’ em, I’m proud to see more Latino emcees doing right by what they say and not just spilling garbage. Be aware that she rhymes in Spanish but I’m sure it won’t make a difference for those that appreciate good sounds.
Dope Hip-Hop fired from Ana’s gun with “La Bala” hits the spot, can’t wait to see what’s next and if Summerstage is in the picture this year! Check out the video for ‘Shock’ below and pick up the album now on iTunes or anywhere you can.
To start off I didn’t expect for an album from a Philly emcee that goes by Dewey Decibel (Emcee Unless) and attached art to sound soo laid back and west coast, it works in an awesome way and makes you just wanna chill along from beginning to end. It has a weird yet fitting mix of boom bap flow and chill instrumental with red purple and orange sunset visions gleaming off cars with that smooth wind flowing. Produced entirely by Eligh of Living Legends, he sets the stage for the chill ride that lies ahead. Dewey’s lyrics have interesting word weaving when at first you don’t know where he’ll come from then ends up interwoven nicely with the natural flow of the project. Overall I enjoyed the tape a good deal, it really did make me want to head back to Cali and chill but there was a hint of chorus repetition which moved me the wrong way like “watch me disappear like Richard Gear.” Thankfully this is but a teeny bump in the road of the #BoomboxBookworm experience, this album is a valiant effort from Dewey Decibel which also shows that east and west coast Hip-Hop can coexist and complement each other in a good way.
An alluring and cohesive album with cool artwork and a vibe that’s chill while showcasing some serious lyrical skill, #BoomboxBookworm by Dewey Decibel grows on you and it does it quick. The album comes out January 31st thru Bold New Breed Records and will premiere on Phrequency but also be available on his Bandcamp page for free as well, I have embedded a track from the album below so you can get a taste of the album.
Elite Assembly’s Deal the Villain is back with an EP of hard hitting sounds sprinkled with funk and soul, the dude hibernates for a while then always comes out with something crazy. Willing and able to smack that wise crackin internet thug grin off your face, Deal delivers witty lyrics that’ll raise some eyebrows and makes you smile when he yells nostalgia markers like “blathering blatherskite!!” Hoody HipHop is at it’s best blend when DTV blends in his words with an intelligent and varied sounding beat arsenal, this EP is mostly produced by himself and a PreZZure beat (favorite) that will make you snap ya neck off along with a Madlib joint. To top off a great EP he sends it off with a dope Leef produced beat for ‘The Bully Bunch’ at the end featuring BullyMouth (Daniel Joseph, Eggs) and Tommy Chase of St. Joe Louis), the Giants romped and stomped on this one Jersey style. DTV always got a spot here as long as he churns and smacks em out like “The People’s EP.”
Download the EP for FREE below and as an act of gratitude to all his supporting fans he released a dope instrumental album which is also up for free, find out why DTV is a Jersey favorite for yourself and download yourself some good music.
The Audible Doctor just hit me off with his newly released remix off the Mobb Deep compilation “Infamous Team” and it keeps it NYC HipHop grimy. Always a fan of Audible Doc’s work so I had to post this up, it’s a dope EP that features Mobb Deep, Big Noyd, & Infamous Mobb. Listen to the track below and don’t forget to check out the EP on iTunes, it’s out now and only 5 bucks!
Keep Getting That Paper (Audible Doctor Remix) Feat. Mobb Deep & Rapper Noyd by audibledoctor
Let’s try and make a habit of posting the upcoming reviews I have in the works shall we? I’m officially starting said “habit” today with 4 album reviews hitting the site here this week.
First album ‘My Favorite Demons’ a collaboration between 2 fantastic groups (almost all) from Jersey, Brokn Englsh, St. Joe Louis and the duo from Geneva JR & PH7. Up next is ‘La Bala’, the upcoming album to the grammy nominated ’1977′ from Ana Tijoux, highly regarded as the leading female Hip-Hop emcee of Latin America.
The new EP from Deal the Villain is out and about, being one our favorite emcee in Jersey you know I had to have this on the site and will be nothing short of classic DTV goodness. Last but certainly not least is Dewey Decibel and his #BoomboxBookworm project that has a nice change of pace from my usual East Coast sounds, produced by Eligh (Living Legends) this one has dope written all over it.
I have linked the album covers to their respective projects except for Ana’s and Dewey, I linked to the free singles so feel free to check them out. The Ana Tijoux and Dewey Decible projects don’t come out till January 31st but we will have early reviews for both projects here.
Stay Giant
Just getting into #BoomBoxbookWorm by Dewey Decibel and wanted to share a video for the track “Hello Hello” from the upcoming (Jan. 31st) tape. Produced entirely by Living Legends Eligh, it has a heavy west coast feel to it overall and it sounds great so far. Stay tuned for the review coming this weekend.
Mars Volta sibling band Zechs Marquise has a new video out for the trip-hop sounding ‘Everlasting Beacon of Light’ from their last album ‘Getting Paid‘, and as the song progresses the visuals get much more engaging just like the song. The Zechs Marquise is a sideband for Marcel of Mars Volta, not sure how these guys and Omar do it but it’s always dope and different than everything out. It starts off all smooth and smoky then it gets amped a few levels for the end. Great song and now it has great visuals to accompany it.
Just recently unveiled at CES by Madcatz is the new PS3 and 360 product line for the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken game (March 16) and it’s looking better than your daddy’s arcade joystick memories for sure… and at home which is even better. It also has a connecting kit so you can join both arcade sticks for a true arcade feel while trash talking obviously. Check below for more images and some info from Madcatz themselves. I never really preferred Tekken (Panda…pssssh!) so I’m going with Street Fighter characters in this game. What say you my Giants?
The Street Fighter X Tekken Arcade FightStick V.S. features genuine Sanwa Denshi™ arcade components. The unique chassis allows gamers to join two sticks together via the Arcade FightStick V.S. Connector Kit (sold separately) for a highly realistic arcade presentation.
The Street Fighter X Tekken FightPad SD features a 15% smaller chassis than previous FightPad designs, inspired by the gaming preferences of legendary Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono.
Additional information is available at the Madcatz site.
