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The Roots, known for their innovative album concepts, return after a two year break to release their new album, ?Game Theory?.?Game Theory? is The Roots? most thought-provoking, incitive album since their 1999 breakthrough ?Things Fall Apart? and will be the group?s debut for Def Jam Recordings, home to the world?s premiere Hip-Hop artists. The band addresses everything from their uneasiness about society on, ?It Don?t Feel Right,? to troops at war on ?False Media? and government monitoring on ?New World.? The band also honors their fallen friend and producer James Yancey a/k/a J-Dilla whose death from kidney failure in February devastated the Hip-Hop world. All tracks are wrapped around hard hitting beats and murky grooves deploying samples from Sly Stone, the Ohio Players and the Jackson 5 among others. It?s been nearly 20 years since Ahmir ??uestlove? Thompson and Tarik ?Black Thought? Trotter met on a fateful date in 1987 at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Since then, The Roots have become popularly regarded as among today's most innovative, adventurous and influential bands. The Roots are: ?uestlove (drums), Black Thought (emcee), Leonard ?Hub? Hubbard (bass), Kamal Gray (keyboards), Kirk ?Captain Kirk? Douglas (guitar) and Frank Knuckles (percussion).
Hip Hop artist Eternia has graced the cover of Toronto's "The Eyeopener," Vancouver's "Terminal City," and Sydney Australia's "Homebase." All three magazines had one thing in common: they saw in Eternia a fiery commitment to succeed and growing star potential. If Eternia's unrelenting drive and incomparable skill is any indication, it will not be long before the rest of the world scrambles for the coattails of this lyrical phenomenon. Meet Canada's answer to: 'Who's Got Next?' For twenty-five years Eternia has contributed to the positive musical vibrations around her. Born to parents who were extremely musically inclined, she began performing in church as a toddler, and continued throughout her teens. At age eight she was introduced to the culture that would captivate her for life: Hip Hop. Eternia started reciting lyrics, and before long, she was scribing her own extraordinary material. However, it was just a hobby until 1994, when she decided to take emceeing seriously; from local stages to radio stations - no microphone has been safe ever since. Eternia has tightened her skills in street ciphers, studio sessions, and live shows. She?s rocked rhymes from crowded subway cars in the Bronx, to ciphers outside of the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe (Manhattan), to street corners in Philadelphia. Eternia honed her stage presence at a variety of N.Y.C. venues including Wetlands, S.O.B.?s, Bowery Ballroom, and Baby Jupiter, which grew to performances across the U.S.A. in every major city/state mentionable. In Canada, she?s rocked crowds and rhymed on campus radio stations from Halifax, N.S. all the way to Vancouver, B.C. In 2003, Eternia extended her musical experience overseas, where Australia proved to be fruitful ground for her vivacious lyrical passion. Following a slew of successful singles, videos & feature releases including ?Work it Out?, ?Sorrow Song? (Universal/Maple), ?Understand if I? (Battle Axe Records), & ?Just the Way it Is? (Urbnet), and the Australian national chart-topper ?Movin?? (Warner), Eternia released ?Where I Been ? The Collection? in spring 2005, a mix CD of Eternia?s past releases, exclusive drops, unreleased material, international collaborations, and fresh singles. The Collection served to prepare the public for her Debut Full-Length Album, ?It?s Called Life?, funded by FACTOR Canada and executive-produced by Eternia. The highly anticipated album was released across Canada and in Australia this October, 2005. A graduate in Broadcast Journalism and Sociology from Ryerson University, Eternia?s work ethic and commitment to her craft is unparalleled in the urban music industry. As an emcee, Eternia's focus is potent content, along with innovative lyricism, delivery and style. "I write life music. Sometimes I'm criticized for being too negative or too dark. I'm inspired by my family and personal relationships, and that stuff isn't always happy at times," she says. "It's amazing when you see your fans in the crowd react to lyrics, like 'That?s exactly how I was feeling!' That's why I make music, I want to affect people."
This extremely expensive set includes a unique backlight, but its picture quality was the most pleasant surprise.
For many, this is a dream collaboration between two of the most cherished artists in hip-hop, pitting the dusty, wig-twisting originality of Madlib's smoked out sounds capes against DOOM's nostalgic, visual rhyme style. Brothers from another mother, DOOM and Madlib have long admired each others work, first meeting face-to-face in Southern California in summer 2002, and since then they've shared a whole bunch of Cali-green, run through countless bottles of Grey Goose vodka and Heineken (well, that would be DOOM) and assembled over twenty tracks into a superb psychedelic romp of the highest caliber. The closest one can come to describing this beautiful chaos is a sublime companion piece to Madlib's previous evil adventure, Quasimoto's "The Unseen." But, as DOOM himself would ask anyone asking for a description: "He's the villain, so what about it?" In recent years the metal-faced maniac has released albums under the aliases of Viktor Vaughn, King Gheedora and Monster Island Czars. But rewind to 1993: DOOM (then Zev Love X) made his debut with the groundbreaking album 'Mr. Hood' as part of the group KMD, which has since achieved critical acclaim and cited as a key record in hip-hop's "Golden Age." Zev Love X, Subroc, and Onyx had just finished work on the follow up, "Bl_ck B_st_rds", a politicized commentary on the portrayal of race by the media, when their label Elektra decide to shelve the album over the controversial cover art which depicts a 'blackface sambo' character hanging from a gallows. Shortly after KMD were dropped and Zev Love X's brother Subroc was killed in a car crash. Like true-life story from the pages of a comic book, Zev Love X disappeared completely from public view, going back to the lab and fashioning new beats and lyrics, only to reemerge as the masked MF DOOM with the now classic "Operation Doomsday" in 1999. "Zev Luv X still exists, DOOM is a character, neither one of them is really me, they're a fa?ade I use to voice a certain view," Explains the MC behind the mask, Daniel Dumile. "Zev was like you're average nerd cat, might drop a jewel here and there, might tell you something you don't now, humble and modest. Whereas the DOOM character is more aggressive, on some real take over shit, but still trying to play likes he's a good guy. It's not so much I changed; I just took on another character." A string of creatively inspired singles on the influential Fondle 'Em label in the late 90's heralded DOOM's return. "Being from the underground, there's not so much bureaucracy, you can come out how you wanna come out. It's music straight up and down, if you're good you're good." DOOM sees himself as a conduit for his music. "I try not to tamper with it too much, I'm like the narrator or the spokesman. My music is raw, yet at the same time it can be easy listening." The spontaneity in DOOM's working process whether writing lyrics or building beats, calls to mind the spontaneous prose of Kerouac or the 'cut up' techniques of William Burroughs, in its praise of the purity of the original thought. Nostalgia is a central theme for DOOM: "I love cartoons, I still watch them to this day. I have an 8 year old son, he comes home and we just watch them together," smiles DOOM. "Dexter Laboratory, and of course all the Japanese shit, Dragonball Z, all them ill." DOOM's music harnesses the instinctive, inherent power of childlike thought; "There's no in-between with kids, they're so pure they can feel something if it's fat. As you get older you lose that innocence and purity of the original thought, so called 'growing up'," DOOM ponders. "I mean - you gotta keep that, that's the essence right there." Using his music to test the limits of his mind, DOOM finds creative inspiration in everything he does: "Any artistic genre feeds what I do as a musician, I do paintings, but music inspires my painting, and paintings or art inspires my music. Creativity and imagination is the key to what everybody's trying to figure out on Earth, it's the one thing that bridges everything together. It can solve a lot of problems with all this war and retarded shit that's going on." From the mellow keys of 'Accordion' with Madlib's deft tinkling to the bumping bass groove of 'America's Most Blunted' and the soulful beats of 'Fancy Clown' under his Viktor Vaughan guise, Madvillain sees Madlib on top form providing the freshest, most blunted foils for DOOM's ill flows. "Music is a universal language and I'm trying to show that all of us laugh at the same things, I'm trying to bring us all to more of an understanding. We need to bring this whole thing together," explains DOOM. With their Madvillain double-team, MF DOOM and Madlib have made a sure-fire classic sure to take the world by storm - will anyone dare step try and stop them?
WRITTEN BY UNDERGROUND RAPPER ARMAGIDEON. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is not known for breeding hit emcees as it is a house hold name for brewing the beer that stretches from sea to shining sea. Armagideon has managed to shine through the stereotypes as he set to release his debut album Tryin' Times. The twenty-three year old artist could quite easily be the Midwest's best kept secret. Beginning his musical journey on his front porch writing rhymes and break dancing at the tender age of twelve, Armagideon paid his dues as a member of Kings Paradice Records. For over a decade Kings Paradice Records has been the Milwaukee/Chicago hip hop source for innovative artists and quality hip hop products. Armagideon began as a roady, selling merchandise and towing his writing skills. Now, Armagideon is getting a taste of his dreams by touring constantly, by self marketing and distributing his own product. Armagideon has performed with the likes of neighboring emcee Common, veteran artists Whodini and Afrika Bamm. Eager to succeed, Armagideon has taken advantage of every single opportunity to shine. During a Common concert, Common asked the crowd, "Does Milwaukee have any real emcees?" Before Common could finish his sentence Armagideon catapulted himself to the stage and before he could realize what was happening, he was rapping along side one of his favorite artists. Other notable opening performances by Armagideon include Dead Prez, KRS ONE, Lil Webbie, Professor Griff, Erykah Badu, Mike Jones, Black Eyed Peas, N.E.R.D.and Young Bloodz. The sound is original and the lyrics have substance, a perfect combination that is sure to promise a bright future for this young artist. Armagideon's Lyrics are in his words, "a piece of my experience and people of the struggle across the Globe...I have traveled to Cuba, Jamaica and Peru and no matter where I go struggle is struggle and poverty is poverty, I have to be that voice." Working with selfless dedication to his message, he spills his heart out in songs like "Shine" and "Crazy Lady". Overall Armagideon's sound is a breath of fresh air from all the emcee battles, bling bling and murder music. It is hip hop in it's truest form and if you can appreciate authenticity then you will love the musical message of Armagideon. for more info visit http://www/myspace.com/gideonsarmy
Diverse (featuring RJD2 and Lyrics Born): "Explosive"
From the mailroom to "Move," to "One A.M." and beyond, Diverse innovates. A self-described poet, his rhymes are true. Shunning the pseudo-hard stance taken by some emcees in favor of everyday human experience, Diverse consistently ups the ante. Over the course of numerous releases and collaborations, his rhymes have shown that flash and substance don?t necessarily have to be adversaries. "Move" was released on Chocolate Industries in 2001, receiving a strong response from critics and listeners alike. A collaboration with Mos Def on the first installment of "Urban Renewal Program" followed soon thereafter; "Wylin? Out" would go on to dominate college radio airwaves for the better part of the summer. The "Certified/Build" 12" was enough to keep heads happy for a minute, but soon the pressure would be on. Diverse?s debut full-length "One A.M." dropped in the latter part of 2003 to critical acclaim, featuring collaborations with Jean Grae, Prefuse 73 and Madlib among others. The tour appearances and showcases that followed packed venues, seeing fans channel the same charismatic energy that keeps our guy in the studio late at night. With a grueling tour schedule and verbal delivery that would make UPS envious, Diverse has still found time to collaborate with other artists and work on fresh releases of his own. Be on the lookout for the next full-length, "Round About," in your area sometime next year.
Groove along to the beats from this funky Soul Train classic.
What if everyone watched CNET Live?
Brian Cooley ponders the potential consequences of CNET Live's conquest of cyberspace.
Chemical Brothers, featuring K-Os: "Get Yourself High"
The Chemical Brothers enter the dragon.
Zimbabwe Legit: "Doin' Damage in My Native Language"
As youngsters, Akim and Dumi's exposure to hip-hop came via their oldest brother. Nicknamed Fu Man Chu, he was the leader of a pioneering DJ crew and his extensive record collection of early rap and classic funk provided a window into the realm of Hip Hop music. Many of his records were acquired through friends that traveled out of the country and picked up wax that wasn't available locally. Getting access to Hip Hop in Zimbabwe was extremely difficult and the only chance to hear rap on the radio was a weekly 30-minute show that played a few hits. Akim and Dumi soon began popping and breaking. After a while they got into rhyming, using instrumentals by the likes of Eric B and Rakim, Kool Moe Dee, Mantronix and UTFO. They used two radios, one to play the instrumental and the other to make low-quality recordings. Eventually, they connected with friends who had more advanced equipment, and at one point Akim even got the opportunity to rhyme on the weekly Hip Hop radio show. As Hip Hop entered its Afrocentric era, the two identified with it more than ever. They got serious about pursuing their dream to become like artists they were listening to and reading about in magazines such as Hip-Hop Connection, Word Up and The Source. The Source Magazine featured a monthly column called Gangsta Limpin' written by Dave Funkenklein. At the time, he was also working at Red Alert Productions, which was closely affiliated with the Native Tongues. Dumi wrote Funkenklein a letter, letting him know that in an era when it was so popular to rap about Africa and rock dashikis, medallions, beads and Kente cloth, there were some emcees in Zimbabwe that were making Hip Hop music of their own. Funkenklein wrote back and said he thought it was cool to hear that there were heads in Africa rapping, and casually mentioned that if Dumi was ever to come to the U.S. to give him a call. Dumi was actually about to move to America to join Akim at college. Shortly after Dumi arrived in New York in the summer of 1990, the brothers began working on a demo to send to Funkenklein. They aimed to stand out by highlighting their unique perspective as emcees coming out of Africa. Funkenklein was initially uncertain of how rappers from Africa might sound, but upon hearing the demo, he was impressed and set up a meeting with Dumi and Akim at the sparse 29th street offices of Red Alert Productions. When they met, Funkenklein said that he was feeling the rhymes, but wanted to hear what they could do with some dope American producers. He had one such producer in mind for the job, Mr. Lawnge from the group Black Sheep, newly signed to Mercury Records. They met up with Mr. Lawnge and Dres, as well as some Mercury execs, and Akim and Dumi kicked some impromptu rhymes that had everyone buggin'. Fast forward some months later and Funkenklein was out in Hollywood, heading up a newly established rap label. He pitched the idea of a record from the Brothers from Africa, and the label was down to cut studio demos and see what kind of response they got. Akim and Dumi took on the name Zimbabwe Legit and hopped into the studio to record a 4-track demo. The label liked the demo enough to sign the duo to a contract, and before long, the group was laying down tracks at the renowned Calliope studios where artists like the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul also recorded. Once the project was completed, the 4-song Zimbabwe Legit EP dropped to a flurry of press, mostly glowing and positive. Despite all the attention, several missteps hampered the success of the project and caused the dream to be derailed, or at least deferred. People reported not being able to find the record in stores, and some radio DJs said that they never received promo service. There was a severe lack of budget for marketing and promotion, and the label even balked at doing a video. Eventually, thanks to some of Funkenklein's connections, the group was able to do a no budget video using a camera crew that worked for free. The dilemma of Zimbabwe Legit was this: even though the group was signed to a subsidiary of a major entertainment conglomerate and the man at the forefront was a Hip Hop visionary, the suits in the back setting the budgets and cutting the checks were straight clueless. Funkenklein even said that they kept asking him to bring them a group like Kris Kross. Zimbabwe Legit was not your typical run-of-the-mill rap group and they required careful marketing and promotion that the label was not 100% willing to supply. On Organized Konfusion?s "Stress", Prince Po raps "I'm spreading like leprosy throughout the record labels, cause mines put me and Monch's career in jeopardy." Organized Konfusion was signed to the same label, and experienced some of the same frustrations. Meanwhile, Dave Funkenklein was enduring a battle with Cancer. Once his health declined, other people were assigned to run the label. Things worsened, and after a while, Zimbabwe Legit ceased to be a priority. It was not long before it all unraveled and eventually the label that had also been home to Organized Konfusion, The Lifers Group, Raw Fusion, Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, and The Boo Yaa T.R.I.B.E. closed its doors. Sadly, Funkenklein, a true Hip Hop purist and visionary, passed away in 1994. Undaunted, Zimbabwe Legit never stopped recording. This album is from that era, when talent and promise never got their due shine. Nowadays rappers are everywhere, from St. Louis to New Orleans to France and Japan. Enjoy listening to a ground-breaking group that helped open the door for international Hip Hop.
