P.O.S: "Get Down ft. Mike Mictlan" (Music Video)

The new P.O.S album is now out. It's the electro-grime rap prescription that your doctor would order, if you could afford health care. Go buy We Don't Even Live Here when you get the chance.

Also, if you haven't heard, P.O.S needs a new kidney. You can help by donating through PayPal to stefneedsanewkidney@gmail.com.

Mike Mictlan: "SNAXXX" (Mixtape)

Mike Mictlan's SNAXXX mixtape has been getting plenty of local Twitter buzz, and is finally here. It was largely produced by 2% Muck and from what I can tell so far is a grimy listen throughout. One thing that's important to point out is there's a song here called "Spicy Peeñ."There are also contributions from P.O.S, Spider Baybie Raw Dog, Greg Grease, Lizzo, and more. You can download the album for the "name your price" method at Mictlan's Bandcamp, or get the limited edition SNAXX PAXXX while supplies last. Stream the project after the jump.

WagOutParty.com Presents: Wag Out! The Mixtape

To say Minneapolis' Wag movement is starting to reach any sort of niche cultural significance would be selling it short. Franz Diego is hosting multiple parties per month at Minneapolis venues. The term is reliably blowing up on my Twitter timeline. And now, WagOutParty.com is releasing a free mixtape featuring music from all sorts of artists associated with the Wag scene: Illuminous 3, Greg Grease, The Usual SuspectS, P.O.S., Mike Mictlan, Spyder Baybie Raw Dog, Lizzo, Yakub, Audio Perm, Mike Frey and more. Hit the jump to see the entire tracklist and download the free mixtape.

Yakub: "Monkey Food ft. Mike Mictlan" (Music Video)

The video to this new song by Yakub and Mike Mictlan, and produced by DJ Three A Day, was recently premiered at the Be Scene promoted local hip-hop video showcase. It also definitely supports my theory about local rap videos and their prominent use of cameos from other local artists.

P.O.S. and Mike Mictlan: "Get Down" (Live in Madison, WI)

To the best of my knowledge, P.O.S. has been performing the unreleased song "Get Down" for about a year now. The first time I saw it was in April of 2011 at the University of Minnesota's Spring Jam. P.O.S. performed practically the whole concert standing on a chair in the crowd, and everyone went nuts to "Get Down." Lately, the song seems to be one of the nightly hits on the No Kings tour. The above video is P.O.S. and Mictlan performing "Get Down" to an absolutely packed student union at the University of Wisconisin - Madison.

Hand Over Fist: "Shux ft. P.O.S." + "Hand Over Fist" (Live)

Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak united for a semi-rare Hand Over Fist show on Thursday night at the Triple Rock. I biked to Target Field for the Twins game with some friends, and told them that we should go to this show afterward. Long story short, we didn't end up making it to the show, and I lost out big time. Here is some video of P.O.S. joining Hand Over Fist on stage to perform "Shux" and "Hand Over Fist."

Mike Mictlan & Freez: "Minne-Triple-Rockalis"

This collaboration between Mike Mictlan and Freez (of Illuminous 3) came out back in August, but somehow I completely missed out on it. I was kind of absent from the usual blogging grind this summer. Regardless, the local emcees definitely put it down for their hometown on this one. Sorry I'm horribly late, but I couldn't let this one get overlooked.

Mike Mictlan & Freez: "Minne-Triple-Rockalis"

Illuminous 3: "L ft. Mike Mictlan" (Prod. The Sundance Kid) + Interview

Here's the newest track in the monthly Illuminous Free series. The trio from Minneapolis hooks up with The Sundance Kid, who's got an exciting project in the works with Mally. They also grabbed Doomtree rhymer Mike Mictlan for the track. Great stuff from the crew.

Illuminous 3: "L ft. Mike Mictlan" (Prod. The Sundance Kid)

Rhymesayers Radio (9/25/2010)

I usually don't post these radio episodes (maybe I should start), but this one is unique. RSE Radio holds a weekly show hosted by Siddiq on KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio. Twice a year the station holds a pledge drive to help keep the broadcast commercial free. To promote this occasion, RSE brought in a ton of special guests: Slug, Brother Ali, P.O.S., Lazerbeak, M.anifest, Mike Mictlan, Travis McCoy, and Astronautalis. Some of these artists got some time to discuss recent projects of theirs and more, and a freestyle cipher may or may not, but definitely did break out at one point.

Remember to go to kfai.org and pledge any amount of money to help keep the station running.

LISTEN -- Rhymesayers Radio (9/25/2010)

Mike Mictlan: "Prizefight" (Video) + 4 Remixes

This one's been a long time coming, but I can't say I'm let down. Great stuff. And I hear the Blowout last night was spectacular, as well. Don't sweat the technique, fellas, Doomtree's better.

At the Doomtree website, this video is also available to be viewed with your choice of 4 different audio tracks. Digitata, Medium Zach and Mux Mool, Julian Fairbanks, and Paper Tiger all made remixes. Finally, you can download each track at their site, or at the bottom of this post.

DOWNLOAD - Mike Mictlan: "Prizefight" (Remix Package)

Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak: "Prizefight" (Video Trailer)

It's been way too long since I had a Hand Over Fist post. As you can see from the clip below, the full video to "Prizefight," (one of the most passionate rap songs of 2008, and a personal favorite of mine from the Doomtree collective) will be coming in September.

Doomtree: "The Wren" (Live at McNally Smith) + Thoughts on Music Videos

A few of the members of Doomtree recently visited McNally Smith, a college for the performing arts in downtown Saint Paul. In the first clip, Sims and Dessa perform their song, "The Wren," off of the collective's self titled album, Doomtree. The second clip features the crew showing their video for "Drumsticks" to a class, and the speaking on the logistical details of making a music video.

P.O.S.'s Never Better Tour: Video From The Road

Things I like about this video: 1.) The Saint Pauli Girl in the trunk; 2.)Sims rocking the Francisco Liriano Twins t-shirt; 3.) The last six seconds.

I'm in the process of uploading my footage of P.O.S. performing in Madison on my YouTube page. So far I have video of "Goodbye" and "Half-Cocked Concepts." I'll be sure to post everything on Midwest Broadcast once it's finished. In the meantime go ahead and subscribe to the account so you know when the videos are up!

Sims: "Pop Gun War" + "Slow Burn ft. Mike Mictlan" (Concert Footage)

Previously:
Doomtree Dance Party
Concert Recap and Photos
Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak Concert Footage

Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak: "Hand Over Fist" + "Clam Casino" + "Game Over" (Concert Footage)

As promised, here's the first round of videos from the Never Better Tour's stop in Madison. Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak were the first to perform, so their videos get posted first. Next will be Sims, and then finally P.O.S. Keep checking back for the updates.

Previously: Doomtree Dance Party, Concert Recap and Photos

Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak, Sims, & P.O.S. in Madison, WI (Concert Recap + Photos)

Following the release of Never Better, P.O.S. immediately hit the road to tour the country with a few members of the Doomtree collective. I attended the tour stop in Madison, WI yesterday. This post is a general recap of the show, I'll be following this up with video footage from each of the artists over the next couple of days.

I arrived for the show at Madison's High Noon Saloon, a no-nonsense kind of venue that is usually successful hosting hip-hop shows (good acoustics, stage visibility, etc.). I had to deal with some minor fuckery, for lack of a better word, upon my entrance. Despite being asked to cover the event, I ended up not being on the guest list (likely due to some irresponsible and poor communication on my part). I ended up paying the twelve dollars to get in, and at the risk of ruining any suspense, I'll go ahead and say it was well worth my money.

When I showed up, the opening act, F. Stokes, was on the stage. The venue was unusually full for an opening act, which I credit to Doomtree's strong following in the Midwest (and college towns, at that), and the large Minnesotan population of students attending UW-Madison. Still, F. Stokes got a warm reception from the crowd, and deservedly so — he is a talented performer. Mike Mictlan and P.O.S. were hanging out amongst the crowd during his set; it was nice to see all the performers enjoying the music and conversing with fans.

In between sets, Rhymesayers' house DJ, Plain Ole Bill, was spinning records and keeping an uptempo party vibe alive. In one set, he played Lazerbeak's "Legend Recognize Legend," (in my opinion one of 2008's best beats) and the crowd got pretty excited. Soon enough, Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak took the stage to perform several tracks from their recent album, Hand Over Fist. Mictlan is a furious performer. His set was concise, with Mictlan quickly transitioning from one song to the next. Yet it was also energy packed – while Mictlan barely had time to catch is breath, he jumped around stage during every track while rarely missing a single lyric. Lazerbeak did his thing, as well. He was working his MPC during all the songs, either banging out samples, or performing the bass drum kicks and snare hits himself, which allowed for some improvisation in each track. They did songs such as "Hand Over Fist," "Suicide Jimmy Snuffa," "Clam Casino," and "Game Over (Go Big Or Go Home Boy)," from the Doomtree album. But no song was more passionately performed than the terrific "Prizefighter," as Mictlan closed his set with his spirited track dedicated to his love and devotion for hip-hop.

Sims performed next, once again accompanied by Lazerbeak rocking the MPC. Sims' performance featured more crowd involvement, as he regularly stopped in between songs to talk to the audience, often with a mix of sarcasm, humor, and seriousness. Still, his songs were full of vigor and deft lyricism (I'm starting to notice a pattern). Many of Sims' older tracks from Lights Out Paris received warm welcomes; but his best material came from the Doomtree album, as well. Sims kicked off the excellent "Pop Gun War" with an acapella, and it only got better when Lazerbeak's thumping beat (reminiscent of Jay-Z's "PSA," to me at least) dropped. Near the end of the set, Mictlan joined Sims for a riveting performance of "Slow Burn." The crew, producers and emcees alike, all have unmatched chemistry together, which reflected through their show.

Lastly, P.O.S.'s set was a truely versatile performance. In promotion for his tour, P.O.S. claimed that he would be doing "a little bit of everything" during the show; he couldn't have been more right. He started out his set with a guitar solo, jumped right into the punk/hip-hop anti-Bush anthem, "Half-Cocked Concepts," despite the fact that we have a new president. P.O.S. wasted no time moving on to songs from his latest album, Never Better. P.O.S. gave gripping renditions of "Graves (We Wrote The Book)," "Never Better," and "Drumroll." He brought out Sims and Mictlan for the collaboration tracks "Accident" and "Savion Glover." In between songs, P.O.S. would play his guitar or freestyle on his MPC with Plain Ole Bill scratching a record. P.O.S. really established himself as a jack of all trades, able to keep the crowd engaged in countless ways. He also has an uncanny ability to relate with his fans, constantly talking and asking questions; at one point he even had an old school thumb war a drunk challenger in the first row (and won twice in a row, naturally). The absolute highlight of his set, though, was his extended emotional performance of "Let It Rattle," which I was able to capture on video and will be posting soon. In true humble fashion, though, P.O.S. declared his fan athem "Optimist (We Are Not For Them)" his last song of the night. He lied — P.O.S. actually closed by trudging two feet deep into the crowd and letting it rip with "Stand Up (Let's Get Murdered)" — but it was a fitting near-ending to a spectacular show.

Throughout the entire night, these Doomtree members only furthered their reuptation as being a relatable, fan-friendly set of performers. Not to mention, they can rap, play guitar, make great beats, and put on one hell of a performance.

Doomtree Dance Party (Video)

Mike Mictlan, Sims, and P.O.S. cutting up a rug. The rest of the videos will be up within two days maximum.

Best Of 2008: Top 25 Albums (Entries 10-6)

Previous Midwest Broadcast Best of 2008 Posts:
Non-Hip-Hop Albums
Top 15 Mixtapes
Top 25 Albums (Entries 25-21 + Honorable Mentions)
Top 25 Albums (Entries 20-16)
Top 25 Albums (Entries 15-11)


Intro: I have little time for additional commentary right now. I'm up north in Two Harbors, MN, at an internet cafe that is closing in about 5 minutes. I'll be back in the cities tomorrow afternoon, and will play some serious catchup in the blog game, and will post the top 5 albums of my best of 2008 list. Stay tuned!

10. Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak: Hand Over Fist
My expectations for the Doomtree collective in 2008 were rather modest. I had variably kept track of updates from individual members of the posse, mainly P.O.S. However, I grossly underestimated the rest of the group’s ability to reliably make above average music. Although multiple Doomtree members released solo albums in 2008, none shined more brightly than the collaboration album between rapper Mike Mictlan and producer Lazerbeak, Hand Over Fist. This is an album of hard-knocking beats and intricate lyricism — a tried but true formula. Some of Mictlan’s rhymes are among the best of the year, as are some of Lazerbeak’s beats. I was able to find few weak spots, and don’t have much to gripe about. Lazerbeak, his real name escapes me at the moment, is also a guitarist for the Plastic Constellations. I have a feeling he plays the guitar himself for a number of these tracks, instead of relying on sampling. If true, that’s pretty cool. Key Tracks: “Hand Over Fist,” “Suicide Jimmy Snuffa,” “Clam Casino,” “Wolf Tickets,” “L.A. Raiders Hat,” “Prizefight”

9. Johnson & Jonson: Johnson & Jonson (Review)
Blu’s “other” album of 2008 was also one of the year’s better releases. Johnson & Johnson pairs the Cali emcee up with mysterious producer Mainframe, a person for whom even a thorough Google search session turns up little information. All I know is that, without exaggeration, Mainframe had one of the best rookie production debuts in recent memory. Johnson & Johnson intro track, a song that can often make or break any album for me, was one of my favorite songs of the year. Mainframe looped a grunge guitar riff, layered in some snyths, a flute (yeah, really), and some ill drums and let Blu do his thing. This album was superior to C.R.A.C. Knuckles’ The Piece Talks because it had more general structure, but was still free-flowing and creative. And while I’m talking about the better tracks of the year, “The Only Way” needs to be included in that discussion as well, in which Blu absolutely raps circles around a repeated vocal sample about the struggles about escaping ghetto life. Key Tracks: “J&J,” “Up All NIte,” “Wow!,” “The Only Way,” “The Oath,” “Hold On John”

8. Doomtree: Doomtree
Minneapolis group Doomtree’s debut full-posse studio album is the crew’s second appearance in the top 10, and rightfully so. Let me explain the group dynamics of Doomtree for those of you that are not quite familiar. They are composed of five rappers and four producers. Usually, between two and three rappers appear on a single track, while either one producer does the beat himself or two producers collaborate on a single track. The rappers all have varying backgrounds: spoken word poetry, hip-hop, punk rock, etc. Basically, everyone in the group has a somewhat unique style, and they somehow had to find a way to bland that all together for a single album. So, for Doomtree to not be in complete disarray could be considered a resounding success. But for the album to be great, which it was, should be attributed more to divine intervention. I have no idea how it worked, but it did. Key Tracks: “Drumsticks,” “The Wren,” “Dots & Dashes,” “Accident,” “Twentyfourseven ft. I Self Devine,” “Pop Gun War”

7. Common Market: Tobacco Road
Many people know of Common Market because its producer, Sabzi, is also in the more popular group Blue Scholars. This may or may not be fair, but regardless of how one discovered Common Market, their 2008 release Tobacco Road should help catapult them to the forefront of the Northwest’s underground hip-hop scene. Rapper Ra Scion is mistakenly underrated sometimes. Perhaps it’s the Freeway-esque beard that, because he’s white, make him look more Amish or pro-wrestler than rapper. Perhaps his slightly more famous beatmaking partner overshadows him. Either way, Ra Scion, with a voice occasionally eerily reminiscent of Talib Kweli, spit some of the year’s most intelligent verses. Still, the lyrics only formulate one-half of the album. Ra Scoin’s counterpart, Sabzi, delivers on his end of the bargain. Tobacco Road is beautifully crafted, with melodic, soothing, and harmonious beats and surefire yet elaborate lyrics, it holds the highly coveted crown for 2008’s most underrated album. Key Tracks: “Trouble Is,” “Winter Takes All,” “Nina Sing ft. Funklove,” “Crucible ft. Geologic,” “Tobacco Road”

6. Elzhi: The Preface (Review)
A lot can be said of Black Milk’s production on The Preface (he crafted beats for 14 of the 16 tracks), but in all reality, his work for Fat Ray and his solo project were superior efforts. The production on The Preface was still great — Black Milk’s usual ear-splitting snare hits and quick choppy loops are plentiful here — but this album was Elzhi’s lyrical showcase. For anyone who has followed Elzhi’s career, this project was a long time in the making. Elzhi is no stranger to the rap game, but with his first solo album, he needed to craft a record that accurately displays his unmatched knack for rhyming. In fact, on The Preface, Elzhi may at times get too carried away, overcompensating by making his rhyme schemes and delivery unnecessarily complex. Yet if the album’s biggest drawback is the fact that Elzhi is too good at rapping, then little concern should be expressed regarding the quality of The Preface. Elzhi has a lyrical gift that he is not shy about demonstrating, and The Preface accurately affirmed his status as one of rap’s best lyricists. Key Tracks: “Intro (The Preface),” “Motown 25 ft. Royce Da 5’9”,” “Brag Swag,” “The Leak ft. Ayah,” “Hands Up,” “Growing Up ft. AB”

Doomtree: "Game Over" (Music Video)

Minneapolis rap posse Doomtree dropped another video off their recent, self-titled album. "Game Over" features Mictlan on the raps, Paper Tiger on the beat, and Turbo Nemesis doing the cuts and scratches. Enjoy.

Follow this link to cop Doomtree