Peace Out

It's Halloween weekend in Madison, which means you likely won't hear from me until Sunday or Monday. But what better way to kick off the weekend than an Atmosphere, Abstract Rude, and Blueprint concert? That's where I'm headed right now. I'll catch you all when the weekend is over. Happy Halloween!

J.Loonz: Saint Paul Homage Freestyle

Along with the previous video, J.Loonz also sent me a second video, where he gets all somber and serious over a contemplative beat, freestyling about the great city of Saint Paul. What up!

J.Loonz & JX Caliber: Freestyle Session In Prague (Video)

J.Loonz sent this through a little bit ago, and I figured it was about time to throw it up for you. Him and JX Caliber get down on a fun little freestyle session in Prague.

Interview w/ Slug

Being able to work on this website is something I don't take for granted. I've been doing this for about six and a half months now, and I'm constantly trying to keep progressing. It's really gratifying whenever I see this site get noticed, so if you're a reader, much love to you. And, subsequently, the more the site gets noticed, the more unique opportunities I have to try out new things.

However, while I'm not able to do everything I want to with Midwest Broadcast (Though that will hopefully start to change soon), I have my second creative outlet, The Badger Herald, to help me out. Through them, I recently conducted my first interview, somewhat ironically with Slug of Atmosphere. The article was published today in the paper, as they are performing here in Madison tomorrow. Follow the link below to read the interview, and hear what he has to say about Lemons, working on new material, touring in Europe, and Barack Obama. It will be worth it, I promise.

Interview with Slug via The Badger Herald

The entire article is at the link above, and you should definitely check it out, but the following quotes are parts of the interview that couldn't quite make it into the newspaper version for a variety of reasons. Slug briefly discussed working on new material, the differences between American and European fans, and some other political thoughts.

Lemons was released about six months ago. Have you and Ant been working on any new material since then?

Slug: We’ve just been conceptualizing what we want to do next. And we’ve got some ideas for where we want to go, but we’ve been on tour this whole time. I generally don’t allow us to work on music when we’re on the road. I don’t like the way being on tour influences any music being made.

So, specifically, how do European hip-hop fans compare to Americans?

Slug: Actually I kind of see it the way I saw the Midwest for a long time. In Iowa City, in Minneapolis, in Saint Louis, Missouri, in Milwaukee, the kids that loved rap loved it extra much, because of the fact that it wasn’t ours. We knew we were taking part in something that was special to us. We didn’t necessarily grow up to it, but we were trying to dive in to it. When I grew up, I was all about not just rap, but DJing and graffiti and breakdancing. I tried to do everything, because, to me, that’s what you’re supposed to do if you love hip-hop. And Europe was kind of the same way. Whereas you might go to New York or LA and the breakdancers don’t even break to rap music, the rappers don’t even have DJs, and the DJs don’t even care, they spin house. In Minneapolis, much like in Europe, much like in Saint Paul, where you’re from, much like a lot of smaller towns, the audience really influences the scene and the culture very much, and in Europe it’s been like that for a long time. And I’ve just now started to see kids from other background start to show up to the concerts.

What do you think about the growing connection between hip-hop and politics?

Slug: I think it’s the same growing connection that’s happening between politics and youth. The youth have this budding connection with politics that’s just carrying over to hip-hop.

Murs: "Back Again" / "3:16" (Video)

More video of Murs' tour keeps popping up. Check this out, and then check my own post about the Murs/Kidz In The Hall show in Madison, if you haven't done so yet.


WWW.SP1200.NET

Murs, Slug, & Verbs Freestyle (Live Video)

The Murs campaign tour stopped in Columbus, OH, and coincided with Slug and Atmosphere's 'Paint The Nation' tour. Naturally, they went off on a little freestyle session during Murs' set. Accompaniment provided by Verbs and another random dude. And if you haven't done so yet, remember to check out my last post with footage of the Murs/Kidz In The Hall tour in Madison, WI.

GLC: I Ain't Even On Yet (Mixtape)

Chicago stalwart and G.O.O.D. Music label mate GLC finally put out his highly anticipated mixtape, I Ain't Even On Yet, hosted by DJ Geno. GLC is nasty, ya'll. I understand that some of you sorry souls haven't heard of him. So either get this mixtape, find some more of his music, or repeatedly hit yourself in the head with a 2x4. Big ups to FakeShoreDrive for the release.

GLC: I Ain't Even On Yet (Mixtape)

Shaya: "Fall Back ft. Jake One"

Bay Area rapper Shaya dropped his debut album, Fallen Awake, a little while ago. Here's a track off the album featuring red-hot producer Jake One, who recently put out White Van Music album on Rhymesayers (But you already know all about that). And if you like the instrumental, that's provided as well.

Shaya: "Fall Back ft. Jake One"
"Fall Back" (Instrumental - Produced by Jake One)

Pace Won and Mr. Green: "Children Sing" (Video)

This is literally one of my favorite beats (And songs) of 2008 thus far. If you haven't checked out Pace Won & Mr. Green's album, The Only Color That Matters Is Green, then you should get on your grind. It was one of the most overlooked albums of this year, hands down.

Black Milk: Tronic (Album Review)

I reviewed Black Milk's latest album, Tronic, for The Badger Herald, and the article was published today. If you're interested in learning more about the album, hit the link below to jump to the review. As mentioned before, I can't cross-publish these sorts of things.

Black Milk: Tronic Album Review

Toki Wright: "State Of Emergency"

Toki Wright just leaked a lead single to his 2009 album, A Different Mirror. This ones got some strong political themes. Only one more week people! The songs is edited, though. Sorry about that. I know how much you all love swear words.

Toki Wright: "State Of Emergency"

Slug on "The Daily Fix" (Video)

Spotted this at MinneapolisFuckingRocks. On a similar note, I did an interview with Slug a while back for the newspaper I write for here at school. That will be published on Thursday, so expect to see a link for that soon.

Jake One/Brother Ali Speak on White Van Music

Seattle's dope producer Jake One sits down to talk about his recent album, White Van Music. The album is still getting play on my iPod. If you haven't heard it yet, check it out.




Update: Part 2, with Brother Ali, just hit the internet.

Rhymefest: VladTV Freestyle

One of Chicago's hottest spitters does a little analyzation/critique of the ironically commercial business of religion in our materialistic society.

Mac Lethal: "Calm Down Baby" (Video)

Mac Lethal performs this a lot at his shows. Now the track has a video. He's such a badass, rapping about how much he hates Fergie. No, but seriously. This is pretty ill.

Heiruspecs: "Let It Fly"

Damn. Speaking of Heiruspecs, they also recently premiered their newest single to their upcoming, self-titled album. Good to see the boys back in action. And check their album release party if you're going to be in Minneapolis. The poster above describes it.

Heiruspecs: "Let It Fly"

Heiruspecs: "Get Up" (Video)

Twin Cities hip-hop band Heiruspecs are back, ya'll.

Murs & Kidz In The Hall In Madison

So on Monday, October 20, the Murs & Kidz In The Hall tour stopped through Madison. I know I kind of blasted Murs For President in my recent review, but Murs is still my boy for all his older material. And you know Kidz In The Hall can put on a solid performance. So naturally, I made the trip to Madison's High Noon Saloon to check out this show.

After some absolutely terrible opening acts, Kidz In The Hall came on. They basically ran through about 75% of The In Crowd, as well as some older material and other assorted singles. But, since lots of their songs feature guest verses from rappers who obviously weren't there, Kidz In The Hall basically did a quick-hit barrage of parts of many songs. There were two unexpected sections of the show which made it a very satisfying experience: 1.) Naledge kicked a freestyle while Double O was rocking his drum pad, which I'll explain in more detail below, and 2.) They performed Naledge's section of "Swagger Like Chi," which I did not see coming at all.

I understand that I don't have to explain the Murs set much. It was fairly typical. Murs was full of energy, jumping and running around, clowning in between songs, and just overall having a good time. That man puts his heart and soul in to putting on the best show he possibly can, and it pays off in the form of great entertainment and mad respect from fans. It's early in the tour, and he was already nursing a groin injury - not quite sure why he has this groin injury, haha - but Murs still didn't hold back. He was wearing sweat pants, but probably because it was Madison, WI, on a Monday night (Although, considering the circumstances, the crowd was pretty live). For reasons you already know (if you read my review), I didn't feel like getting footage of many of his new songs, but the crowd got super hyped for a couple of them. I cared more about relatively older material from 3:16 and Murray's Revenge, but it was all dope. Enjoy the footage (In semi-chronological order).

Kidz In The Hall: "Black Out"


Kidz In The Hall: Freestyle
Side Note: Double O was having some trouble finding the instrumental to whatever track they were intending to perform. So, after Naledge BSing with the crowd for a bit to buy time, they just said fuck it and kicked a freestyle.


Kidz In The Hall: "Love Hangover"


Kidz In The Hall: "Swagger Like Chi"


Kidz In The Hall: "Mr. Alladatshit"


Murs: "H-U-S-T-L-E"


Murs: "Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars and 18 Months Later)"


Murs: "Road Is My Religion"


Murs: "Dirty Girl"


Murs: "L.A."

J.Loonz: "It's Obvious ft. JX Caliber"

I do know one thing: I will never run out of clowning photo from the inaugural Nerd-Hop photo shoot, work provided by the lovely and talented Andrea Brubaker. That is, unless J.Loonz gets another 300-some odd posts on Midwest Broadcast. Which, I suppose, is actually somewhat likely considering his work ethic of late. Loonz just shot me some more new jawn that he put down over in Prague with fellow spitter JX Caliber. He told me he's got some video, too, which is intriging. Expect that getting thrown up shortly.

J.Loonz: "It's Obvious ft. JX Caliber"

Murs & Kidz In The Hall Tour Update (Video)

I will be at this show tonight in Madison. Expect footage soon. Otherwise this is kind of a worthless video.

Big Quarters: "Good Look"

Big Quarters (Blog / Myspace) is dropping 5 songs a month for a small fee of $5, as part of their new promotional system. Here's a little teaser. If you like what you hear, check out their sites (posted above), and get up on some good music.

Big Quarters: "Good Look" (Zshare is down so you have to settle for Rapidshare right now.)

Slug Speaks on the Youth Vote (Video)

Here's a little video featuring some Atmosphere performance footage, interspersed with clips of Slug/others talking about the upcoming election.
Side Note: I realize many of you who check this are from Minnesota, but that's UW-Madison's campus where a lot of this footage was shot. Beautiful, huh? Haha.
Side Note 2: I just did a 10 minute phone interview with Slug yesterday morning. He's coming to Madison Halloween night for the Atmos tour, and my interview will be published at the basecamp on Thursday, October 30. I'll provide a heads up when that happens.

Kanye West: "Heartless"

Kanye just released a new, yet unmastered, version of another single from the upcoming 808s and Heartbreak, titled Heartless. More singing, more autotune. Download link is via Kanye's Blog, because sometimes if I post songs like these on my own, I get threatened by Blogger for violating various publishing laws and they warn that I might get my site deleted. Damn.

Kanye West: "Heartless"

Bonus: Here is an excerpt from The Fader's recap of Kanye's album listening party:

As for album: yes, it's almost entirely sung by West, aside from one verse by Young Jeezy on "Amazing" and a duet with Lil Wayne; yes, it is sung almost entirely through Auto-Tune; yes, some people are not going to be sure what to make of it, but we applaud West's decision to step off a creative ledge wearing a jetpack that no one else is sure will actually work.

Granted, I do agree with all of that, and I commend Kanye's desire to just make music and get it out there. But it doesn't mean I'll indefinitely like the album. And for those that are getting less and less excited about this, Kanye claims that he'll have another album out in June.

Eyezon & Sean Lane: "Out 'O Mines"

Eyezon, who I posted about a while back, recently dropped a new track. This one, called "Out 'O Mines," is dedicated to the universal loved one who unfortunately slipped away. Yeah, tough guys, I know you still got a soft side. Sean Lane uses a nice, foggy soul sample on this track. It's good stuff. Remember to check on their collaborative album, A People Like Us, dropping in January of 2009.

Eyezon & Sean Lane: "Out 'O Mines"

J.Loonz: "Europe"

Photography by Andrea Brubaker

J.Loonz breaks us off with another track put down from across the Atlantic. This joint has got mad swag, a little humor, and more good rhyming that we've grown used to from Loonz. Now if only he'll enter the Rhymesayers/Jake One recording contract contest like I told him to!

J.Loonz: "Europe"

Joy Denalane: "Change ft. Lupe Fiasco" (Obama Video Version)

I'm really just posting this because I like the song a lot. Don't know much about Joy Denalane, though. I remember that this song was on the iTunes store's "free single of the week" feature at least a year ago, which was when I first heard this. Oh well. Lupe does his thing as usual. Lots of the song gets drowned out by Obama sound bites.

M.anifest: "Age Of Obama"

The homie M.anifest just shot this over to me a bit ago. He teamed up with Budo, the tremendously talented Seattle producer who also joins M.anifest and Krukid in the group A.R.M., to put down an intelligent, uplifting pro-Obama track. M.anifest has got the rare ability to express his thoughts in song better than most. I hope you're well-versed in his work. Normally, I'd do my best to explain this track for you myself, but M.anifest already did so himself:

I teamed up with Producer Budo (Seattle) to make this "age of Obama," joint in ode of the man that made the fist bump (in)famous. We made this joint to remind folks that it would be a scarier America and a scarier world if Obama doesn't get into office… so y'all know what to do. Good leadership is off essence even in a failing status quo/system.You can call it a PSA to remind folks to be weary of being complacent and to see this shit through.

There you have it. Enjoy.

M.anifest: Age Of Obama (Produced by Budo)

Common: Unsigned Hype Demo (Mixtape)

So Fake Shore Drive posted this a few days back, but since my computer was having some technical difficulties, I was not up to date with my posting. But I'm back! I'm gonna try to keep up with posting over the next couple of days, but I'm very busy until Wednesday afternoon, so expect me to get officially back on track then.
So this mixtape is Common's demo that earned him a submission in The Source's "Unsigned Hype" section, which may have jump started his career. And now he's rich and famous. But it's always fun to hear rappers before they are rich and famous.

Common: Unsigned Hype Demo (Mixtape)

MB Update

I made a post near the end of the summer detailing some computer difficulties, and explaining how over the next few days, my posting frequency might diminish a little bit. Well, for reasons beyond me, and less than two months later, my computer is broken AGAIN. The battery is broken and it does not work unless plugged in to the charger at all times. Thus, I'm going to the Apple store right now to get it fixed. So, hopefully I'll get it back soon, and when I do, expect a slew of posts and reviews, including the new Jake One and Foreign Exchange! Peace ya'll, and have a good weekend.

Blu: XXL Freestyle (Video)

One of the hottest spitters in the game today freestyles for the cameras of XXL.

Illa J & DJ Aaron LaCrate: Freestyle (Video)

This got shot over in the inbox, and I'm down with the homie Illa J, so I figured that I'd throw it up here for you all. In case you don't remember, Illa J is the younger brother of J Dilla, and he's coming out with a project called Yancey Boys, which features him rhyming over some of his brother's (RIP) old beats. Novermber 4. Dope.
This video is Illa J kicking a little freestyle in the booth over a beat from DJ Aaron LaCrate.

Black Milk: ELEC (Mixtape)

With TRONIC dropping in the near future, Black Milk has put out a promotional mixtape featuring tracks he's been a part of recently. So, you get a little bit of Black Milk rapping, a little bit of his amazing production, and a couple leaked tracks from TRONIC, as well. The mixtape features the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price, and fellow Detroit spitters Royce Da 5'9", eLZhi, and Guilty Simpson. Tracklist is as follows, download link at the bottom.

1. Fat Ray & Black Milk: Take Control
2. Black Milk: Give The Drummer Sum
3. Ras Kass & Royce Da 5'9": Go Hard
4. eLZhi: Motown 25 ft. Royce Da 5'9"
5. eLZhi: D.E.M.O.N.S.
6. eLZhi & Bishop Lamont: Goatit
7. Black Milk: Dub Rock
8. Fat Ray & Black Milk: Nothing To Hide
9. Jake One: I'm Comin' ft. Black Milk & Nottz
   
10. Dabrye: Special ft. Guilty Simpson (Black Milk Remix)
11. T3: Yawl ft. eLZhi
12. Guilty Simpson: Mouth Music
13. Slum Village: Call Me ft. Dwele
    
14. Pharoahe Monch: Bar Tap
15. Young RJ: Welcome To The District ft. Black Milk
16. Black Milk: The Matrix ft. Sean Price, Pharoahe Monch & DJ Premier
17. Slum Village: Bootleggin'
18. GZA: 7 Pounds
19. Bishop Lamont & DJ Rhetttmatic: Bang That Shit Out
20. Guilty Simpson: My Moment
21. Marv Won: Talk About
22. Kardinal Offishall: Everything
23. Fat Ray & Black Milk: Get Focus ft. Phat Kat
24. Fat Ray & Black Milk: When It Goes Down
25. Black Milk & Bishop Lamont: Inconvenient Truth

Black Milk: ELEC (Mixtape)

Heltah Skeltah: D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team) (Album Review)

The illustrious rap duo, Heltah Skeltah, have been absent from the limelight for about a decade now. So, for those of who need familiarization, here is a succinct description. Heltah Skeltah is composed of Rock, or “Da Rockness Monstah,” if you so choose, and Ruck, more commonly known as Sean Price. They debuted their first album, Nocturnal, in 1996 to much acclaim; however, their second effort, Magnum Force, was critically panned, and labeled as attempting to appeal to more commercial interests. Then, over the past 10 years, Rock has all but disappeared. Meanwhile, Sean Price has released a couple of respectable solo albums. The duo now returns with their highly anticipated third album, D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team). Will the album live up to its hype, or fall short of expectations?

Even a quick glance at the album cover will reaffirm that Heltah Skeltah are not your average hip-hop group. The album artwork features a burning police car and armored truck, bountiful bags of money, and Rock and Ruck dressed in thugged-out supervillain attire. And that is exactly the role they set out of play on D.I.R.T.: the hip-hop anti-hero.

The intro track features Ruck smooth-talking over a melodic piano loop until it dramatically transitions in to a tough, battle rap track. Ruck quotes at the beginning, ”The first thing I plan on doing is fuckin’ smacking your head off, you stupid bitch. What the fuck I look like, an R&B singer? This is guerilla rap right here.” He is definitely not joking. Neither is Rock, who is actually dealing with legal accusations of attempted murder in real life.

They kid you not. The album’s lead single, “Everything Is Heltah Skeltah,” is punchline rap at its most vicious. Listing off every artist who gets clowned on this album would be a futile task. But, Ruck and Rock’s strangely purist hip-hop mentality is refreshing. Though their music does not warm the soul by any means, it is comforting to see emcees take their craft seriously in today’s era of rap. For further evidence, listen to “The Art Of Disrespekinazation,” a clear shot at all the mainstream rappers who no longer appreciate the artistic lyricism in hip-hop.

The album’s highlight track is “D.I.R.T. (Another Book Camp Clik Yeah Song).” Over a rough, drum-driven beat from Khrysis, Heltah Skeltah take turns rapping, and undoubtedly hold it down for their crew.

The production on this album differentiates from the classic Heltah Skeltah style. Ruck previously stated, “We didn’t try to get cute with this album and pick some out-the-box beats.” This is an appropriate description, as there are plenty of innovative beats on D.I.R.T, crafted by some of hip-hop’s rising producers. Illmind provided the beat for “Everything Is Heltah Skeltah,” which is based around a classical piano loop, and infused with some space-age synth work. Soul Theory’s “Twinz” features neurotic, busy synth work, and some staccato hi-hats. The closing track, “Ruck ‘N Roll,” produced by Stu Bangas, is reminiscent of a 1980s hair band’s arena rock concert.

Assessed together, the production does not necessarily blend together for a unified album, but the originality makes up for that. And lyrically, while D.I.R.T starts moderately lagging for tracks such as “Ape Food” and “Hellz Kitchen,” it is, more or less, a consistent and entertaining barrage of skillful lyrical attacks.

D.I.R.T is not an album for all occasions. You won’t bump this during your walk in the park, nor will you hear it at any house parties or clubs. But whenever you grow tired of BET or the radio, you can throw this album on and vibe to some genuinely grimy rap music from Ruck and Rock.

Rating: 7/10

U-N-I: "Soul Hop" (Video)

U-N-I's video for their track, "Soul Hop," just dropped. Don't forget to check their "Beautiful Day (Remix)," either, because it's nasty.

Krukid: "Swagger Lockdown (A Voting PSA)

Krukid of A.R.M. dropped a single combining two beats of the moment, "Swagger Like Us" and "Love Lockdown," to drop some political knowledge for us. Nice timing, right in the wake of presidential debate #2. My favorite part of the debate was when McCain was quoted as saying, "We're not rifle shots, we're Americans." What the fuck does that even mean?

Krukid: "Swagger Lockdown (A Voting PSA)"

Opio: "Some Superfly Sh!t (Remix) ft. Del & Guilty Simpson"

Opio put out his album, Vulture's Wisdom, Vol. 1, just a little while ago. This track is a remix to the original album version, with verses from Del and Guilty Simpson. The beat is funky.

Opio: Some Superfly Sh!t ft. Del & Guilty Simpson

Here, also is the bonus video for the track:

Atmosphere: "You" (Video)

Atmosphere doesn't ever stop. After releasing Lemons, they have done TV performances, tours (EVEN TO EUROPE), interviews, and much more promotion work. And now, they released the official video to "You." Is that a fingerboard? I remember playing with those way back in junior high. Damn. That dude's got some (unique) skills, though. Interesting video. Look out for cameos from Brother Ali, Muja Messiah, and more!

U-N-I: "Beautiful Day (Remix) ft. Evidence, Big Pooh, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn, Mickey Factz, Theo & Kes Kaos

I'm not quite sure if I've ever made a post about U-N-I before, but if you don't know about them, then you need to step your game up. The California group makes great everyday, uplifting hip-hop. And if they didn't get an absolutely crazy lineup for this track, then the Pope doesn't wear a funny hat. Check out their mixtape, Fried Chicken and Watermelon. All of this made possible by those Two Dope Boys.

U-N-I: "Beautiful Day (Remix) ft. EVERYBODY"

Murs: Murray's Revenge (DVD Trailer)

I know I kind of hated on Murs' latest album (Click to read my review). But, it kind of sucked, right? Whatever. I still love Murs, everyone makes shitty records sometimes. And possibly to make up for it, he's releasing a DVD next week, which looks like it was recorded around the time of his 9th Wonder collabos, which were very good. Could be a nice addition to the DVD collection.

Kanye West: "Love Lockdown" (Video)

Ellen DeGeneres had the world premier to the "Love Lockdown" video. I don't even know to to say.

Vikings 30, Saints 27

Good to see the Vikings get victory number 2 on the season on Monday Night Football yesterday. What really made me the happiest was that it was a hard fought game that we may or may not have deserved to win. Usually the Vikings find some way to destroy their chances in those situations, but we stuck it out yesterday and got the W. Defense looked great, player of the game has to be my boy Antoine Winfield, who was unstoppable out their for a little while! Now if only out special teams can get their coverage game together...

Common: "NY State Of Mind" & "UMC" (Live Video)

Common rips one of my favorite rap songs of all time in the first video, and then performs his song, "Universal Mind Control," in the second video. I still can't make up my mind about "UMC," but I do know that I regret not making the venture to Mil-Town or Chicago to see this concert.

Update: Just added the official video to UMC at the bottom. Shouts to NahRight for that one.

"NY State Of Mind"



"Universal Mind Control"



Thanks 2DB for the live footage, who they jacked apparently from someone else.

"Universal Mind Control" (Official Video)

Jay Electronica Freestyle (Video)

Jay Electronica from stay dougie on Vimeo.

DJ Revolution: King Of The Decks (Album Review)

Whether you know who DJ Revolution is or not, odds are that you have heard his work before. He is best known for being the host DJ on Los Angeles radio station Power 106’s “Wake Up Show,” the most widely syndicated hip-hop radio show in the world. So, by default, DJ Revolution is likely the most listened-to DJ in the world. But he earned that title by dedicating much of his life to the often-underappreciated craft of working the turntables. His most recent album, King Of The Decks, helps reaffirm his nearly unparalleled skill.

In an interview, the legendary DJ said, “The connection between the DJ and the emcee has been severed. King Of The Decks is my attempt at reconnecting it.” Aptly put, DJ Revolution does just that, compiling a top-notch list of emcees to contribute to his album. The title track, “King of the Decks,” features Sean Price kicking some characteristically sly braggadocio about how he and DJ Revolution are two of the best doing it. “Funky Piano” boasts a couple of West Coast heavyweights in Crooked I and Bishop Lamont. And “EY!” highlights Joell Ortiz’s premier storytelling ability and Termanology’s impressive wordplay.

Clearly, DJ Revolution stopped at nothing to get first-rate rappers on his album. The album’s best tracks are more of the same. First, KRS-One phones in one of his better verses in recent years for “The DJ,” breaking down the logistics of traditional emceeing and DJing as only he could. “Do My Thing” showcases Detroit rappers Guilty Simpson and Royce Da 5’9” going toe-to-toe with superb verses. Lastly, on the conceptual and clever “Pros & Cons,” Evidence raps two contrasting verses. The first is laden with positively connotated words starting with the prefix “pro,” and the second verse is dominated by negatively associated words beginning with “con.”

But, as is typical with most DJ albums, not every track can feature above-average lyricists. Some songs disrupt the consistency of the album, and are forgettable material. “The Big Top,” “Willie Lynch,” and “Blow Up The Spot” are three of these tracks that feature less-than-compelling verses from assorted emcees, including The Special Teamz, Styliztik Jones, and Strong Arm Steady.

But, as a whole, the production on the album is rather steady. Since there are numerous rappers with vastly different styles on King Of The Decks, DJ Revolution’s beats serve as a reliable backdrop. There are also some interlude-type songs involving DJ Revolution displaying his amazing scratching expertise. These culminate in one of the closing tracks, “The Re-Match,” which is a pseudo DJ battle between DJ Revolution and DJ Spinbad. As expected, DJ Revolution wins, but not without both turntablists scratching together cohesive diss verses from random vocal samples. If anything, this serves as an entertaing listen, and a testament to the massive amount of crate digging any expert DJ must undertake.

Despite its inconsistencies, King Of The Decks is a very listenable album. Complete with solid production, DJing, and rapping, it undoubtedly deserves numerous spins – or revolutions – in your iPod.

Rating: 7/10

Kevin Youkilis vs. Ra Scion

It hit me when I was watching the Red Sox game for a little bit last night.

All I'm saying is that I've never seen them both in the same room at the same time.

Eyezon & Sean Lane: "When I Make It" & "Lord Hold Me"

Hip-hop blogs often spend time flooding the web with countless "exclusive" tracks and remixes nearly every day of the damn year. Even being part of the blogging circuit myself, I often find this difficult to keep up with. And rightfully so. I often end up skipping over music from artists I've never heard before, for a couple of reasons. 1.) Usually it is not worth it. 2.) I've got enough unheard music of my own to keep me busy for months. What's my point? I can empathize with this problem. Thus, I usually try to only post songs that exceed a certain quality, either sonically, lyrically, or both. So, when I post tracks from artists many of you haven't heard before, and I give a strong cosign for them, as I'm doing now, you should take it seriously. I got these tracks in the inbox a little while ago, and I think they deserve your attention.

Eyezon is a NorCal emcee via South Africa who has some skill on the mic. His parter in crime is Sean Lane, the producer of both of the following tracks. The two have got an album being released in January, titled A People Like Us. I've had the privilege of listening to most of that, and it's a good one. Please believe I'll keep you updated with more posts from these two, as they move closer to January and more material is getting released. Until then, enjoy!

Eyezon & Sean Lane: "When I Make It"
Eyezon & Sean Lane: "Lord Hold Me"

Add-2: "The Dating Game" (Video)

I posted Chicago emcee Add-2's mixtape, A Tale of Two's City, Vol. 2 a while back when it was still nice outside. That post actually got some good response in terms of hits and downloads, so when he released a video for the track "The Dating Game," off of said mixtape, I naturally had to throw a post up. This video is real simple, but clever and entertaining. Plus it's a fun song. Keep checking back for more Add-2 in the future, he's dope!

Add-2 The Dating Game Video By Matthew Metoyer
by Add-2

Brother Ali On White Van Music

Brother Ali chops it up for a few good minutes about Jake One's upcoming album, White Van Music (October 7, people!), and really kicks some intellectual game on us about the supposed divide between mainstream and underground hip-hop. Sometimes I wish everyone was as real as Brother Ali, but then I think to myself that he wouldn't be so special if that were true. I love the way he thinks and approaches the music scene in general. But regardless, he's got some interesting things to say, bumps about 15 seconds of the joint with M.O.P. on it, and has a couple funny stories to tell, also. Please go buy that album on October 7, or support RSE directly buy purchasing the online order right here! You know this is one I'm for sure gonna cop.



Bonus: I didn't post this initially, but I suppose I'll throw it up now. Jake One now has a little compilation mixtape out in promotion of his album, titled Jake One: Great Beat Writer. The good folks over at HipHopDX threw this together, and it's essentially a collection of songs he's done over his career. If you have not yet familiarized yourself with his work, this could serve as a good prelude to White Van Music. All kinds of tracks, from 50 Cent and G-Unit to De La Soul to I-Self Devine. Very thorough. Download link below the album art.


Jake One: Great Beat Writer (Mixtape) (Or Stream it at HipHopDX)

A Self-Promotion Never Hurt Anyone

So I just expanded Midwest Broadcast promotion pages to a bunch of different media outlets. I'm gonna put links down below, and if you have account on any of these sites, join the group/friend the Midwest broadcast page/subscrube/etc. That's what's good!

Midwest Broadcast on YouTube
Midwest Broadcast on Facebook
Midwest Broadcast on Myspace
Midwest Broadcast on Last.fm

Be In A Heiruspecs Music Video!

So, for those who haven't been exactly keeping up with Saint Paul hip-hop band Heiruspecs, they're coming out with a new album this December. Which is very exciting, because we haven't been hearing too much from them for a couple of years now. What else is exciting, is that for those of you in the Twin Cities, you can appear in their upcoming music video, which they're shooting this coming Saturday in Saint Pizzy. Details are as follows, which came from their Myspace page:

Heiruspecs will be filming their new video for the song "Get Up" at Eclipse Records in Saint Paul on Saturday afternoon. Please show up at 1PM if you would like to be a part of the video.
Eclipse Records is located at 1922 University Ave W at the corner of University and Prior in the Midway section of Saint Paul. For more information please check out myspace.com/eclipserecords651 . Questions, please call 651-645-7724.

I hope to see some of you in the video once it drops! Also check the above image for info on their album release party/concert!

Evidence: "Bigger Dreams"

Evidence just dropped a new "freestyle" over The Game's "Big Dreams" instrumental. This dude has been on his grind lately. Want some evidence (No pun intended)? The Layover EP drops Novermber 25. He's apparently got a Layover Mixtape, which this particular song should be a part of. He's working on his sophomore studio album, Cats & Dogs. And every track he's been on lately has been, at the very least, above average. Ev is killin' the game!

Evidence: "Bigger Dreams"

Murs: Murs For President (Album Review)

So I wrote an album review for Murs' new album for my other creative/critical outlet, The Badger Herald. If you're at all interested, and I know you undoubtedly are, you can link to the article directly below. Due to copyright issues, I can't do any cross-publishing on both Midwest Broadcast and The Herald.

Murs: Murs For President (Album Review)

Be forewarned. I didn't think it was his best effort. If you disagree, comment and let me know what you think!

Common Market: "Gol'Dust" + "Nina Sing" (Videos)

Common Market stopped by KEXP radio (What up Seattle! haha) to kick a couple dope songs off their latest album, Tobacco Road. I can't say enough about this album. I was gonna write a full-length review for it, but honestly, I've got about 4 or 5 other reviews to take care of, so I don't think I'll have time. Let this be my brief plug. Tobacco Road should definitely be in your collection, along with their previous albums (Do some research!). Conceptually, Ra Scion is a talented and intelligent emcee, who isn't afraid to step out of the box and be original. As for production, well, we're dealing with Sabzi here, so you know that it's going to be something amazing. The album is no different, nearly every beat is beautiful and innovative. For further evidence, here they are performing two songs live, "Gol'Dust" and "Nina Sings."

"Gol'Dust"


"Nina Sing"


And if you need a little more convincing, check my last post featuring their single, "Trouble Is."

Black Milk: "The Matrix ft. DJ Premier, Pharoahe Monch, & Sean Price"

Black Milk is doing his very best to solidify himself as one of the most innovative producers doing it right now. I dropped the album art and tracklist for TRONIC a little while back, and while the entire thing looks amazing, one track in particular jumped out at me. And now here it is for you. Black Milk. Pharoahe. Sean Price. Premo on the cuts. Introducing "The Matrix."

Black Milk: The Matrix ft. DJ Premier, Pharoahe Monch, & Sean Price

Previously: Black Milk: Give The Drummer Sum (Just in case you missed it)

TRONIC in stores October 28!

Brother Ali Speaks on "Explode The Vote" Concert

To all my Golden Gopher homies, there is an ill concert tomorrow at Coffman Union, which is so necessary to attend, unless you want to fall in the hater category.



In case you're still up in the air about this concert....

So go, damn it! I'm lookin' at you Eric!

The Alchemist, Dilated Peoples, Aceyalone & 88-Keys: "Fresh Rhymes & Videotape Anthem" (Video)

I made a post about this track a little while ago. Here's the musical video for the song.