Long overdue but well worth the wait, up & coming Melbourne MC, J-Mac has been honing his craft for years, whether it be onstage with Tranquil Artillery & The Aphilliates or on the street in any cipher he steps to, the man loves to rap! And its evident on his first solo offering – The Wake Up Call.
A 7 track EP recorded by Must Volkoff, featuring production from Must Volkoff himself, Trem One, Vince Van Go, Engineer & cuts from Secondhand DJ’s – Rellik & Meta4. J.Mac displays a sharp style combined with witty punchlines and effortless flow, flexing from braggadocio to storytelling wit ease. With guest spots from Rawthentic’s M-CEO – P.Link & the Electronic Mailer, Pang Productions own 1/6, The Wake Up Call as it suggests is not to be slept on.
Rawthentic Records presents – The Wake Up Call the debut solo EP from J.Mac of The Aphilliates. Available at Independent record stores & online via soulclap.com & iTunes now.
Hailing from the notorious district of South Auckland, New Zealand, P.Link & his mother crossed the Tasman at the tender age of 3 in search of greener grasses. Settling briefly in Melbourne’s outer east, His fam quickly decided that coastal life was for them after a weekend visit to his future home – Phillip Island. Along with his partner in crime, J.Mac, P was consumed by the artform and the natural progression to penning their own material was made.
A few years later alongside local MC’s – Downpat, Eazy, Lystic, Drummer – Lorne, Keyboarder – Brez & DJ – A-Tap they formed the 8-piece Tranquil Artillery. After many beer-fueled, school night Jams, Tranquil made their stage debut in 2003. After making a little noise locally they set out for Melbourne city, earning themselves a solid live rep including shows with – Lyrical Commission, Bliss N Eso, 360, TZU & countless others. After a few years honing his stage presence with Tranquil, P.Link took some time out from the group to concentrate on his new Project – The Aphilliates, consisting of himself, J.Mac & DJ Rellik, he aimed to take it back to the raw Melbourne sound he was raised on.
Within a little over a year they recorded and independently released The Aphilliates Mixtape & once again started earning themselves a solid live rep under the new moniker. While promoting the mixtape P also started gathering up old & new material to put together a small solo release. What started as a side project soon turned into his main focus and before long he had recorded a 6 track EP entitled In My Element.
In My Element is furious 6 track EP, recorded by Must at Pang Productions, featuring production from the man himself – Must, The King – Trem One & Canadian Aphillite – Engineer with cuts from DJ Rellik and one guest spot from fellow Rawthentic stable mate – J. Mac.
In My Element gives the listener a brief introduction to the Melburnite behind the mic, through graphic tales of heartbreak, friendship, betrayal and everything in between. Riddled with cuts and proper producto, In My Element stays true to the art with P.Link displaying a huner and presence very few ‘newcomers‘ can match. In My Element is available now through independent record stores, online via Soul Calp and coming soon digitally via iTunes.
Tracklist 1. Tell em its P – produced by Must 2. In my element – produced by Must 3. Welcome 2 Melbourne – produced by Trem 4. Told me she loved me – produced by Engineer 5. Its a shame – produced by Must 6. Fatal attraction feat. J. Mac – produced by Trem
Drakezilla is a prehistoric creature that mutated due to atomic radiation and rose from the depths of the sea to make hot jams with his Atomic Breath… and stomp cities. Drakezilla is currently finishing up a new album titled Redhead Redemption which features production from Trials, Sammsonite, Engineer, Mdusu, Mules and more.
Guests include Smiles Again (Mind Over Matter), Syntax and Johnny Utah. Drakezilla has now dropped the official video for the track I Look Down which wasproduced by Trials, additional drums by Drakezilla and bass & keys by Mdusu. The whole video was animated by Elle Reid. You can check out the video clip below and also grab the track for free download over at Drakezilla’s – Triple J Unearthed page here.
Following the success of his debut solo album Humble Beginnings (2008), Raven is back with his sophomore release Ravenous 20Ten. Rising through the underground of Melbourne Hip-Hop as an emcee with the group Lost Soulz, Raven emerged as a lyricist to watch out for. Featuring as a member of the Hungry Humans crew and Crate Cartel Records, he has cemented a name for himself as a well respected artist with vivid lyrical content and strong presence.
Ravenous 20Ten combines traditional Hip-Hop with personal and politically charged topics to create a concept album where Raven observes two worlds; the world that immediately surrounds him and the world that surrounds us all. It is a journey through the different stages of Ravens adult life. Starting with the powerful Ravenous 20Ten Intro the emotive soundscape combined with Ravens technical flow demand the listeners? attention which is then held from start to Finish.
On the opening crowd pleasers Pusher Man and Barb Wire feat. Maundz) We learn of Ravens love for the raw spirit of hip hop which is ever current in all his music. From here we are taken to the streets of Melbourne on tracks like Beer Pressure and That Attitude which summarise the highs and lows of a night out on the town. The vibe changes at this point with Raven being whisked into the daily grind on the moody Devils Advocate which delves into the pressure of the corporate world and the sacrifices that are required to survive it. On I’m an Emcee and Fitness he bounces back to his roots as an emcee in impressive fashion.
On the second half of the album Raven uses his ability to give his detailed perspective on the world. One of the albums biggest surprises is The Hermit Song produced by Brisbane’s latest super-producer Cam Bluff (Vegas Aces). This anthemic banger pays homage to those who quite frankly would rather just stay home! Assisting on the mic are fellow Crate Cartel emcees Fluent Form, Geko and Maundz, Geelong’s Insomniacs Fatty Phew, Luke Mac and Spit, long time affiliate Aetcix and Myk Reid and Adelaide’s Certified Wise member Vents.
Ravenous 20Ten features production from some of Australia’s most sort after producers including Geko, Cam Bluff and WIK plus more. Canadian heavy hitter Engineer (Diabolic, Immortal Technique, Rhyme Asylum) also adds his sound to round out the album. Emotionally driven, this is a story of parties, protests and procrastination! This is Ravenous 20Ten.
Tour dates for Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Geelong and Melbourne have been scheduled for early 2011.
Track listing: 01. Ravenous 20Ten Intro Produced by Cam Bluff 02. Pusher Man Produced by Geko 03. Barb Wire feat. Maundz Produced by WIK 04. Beer Pressure Produced by Mules 05. That Attitude Produced by WIK 06. Devils Advocate Produced by Engineer 07. I’m An Emcee Produced by Engineer 08. Fitness Produced by J Smith & The Dutchman 09. My Generation Is feat. Fluent Form and Geko Produced by Geko 10. The Righteous and The Wretched feat. Vents Produced by Geko 11. Ravolution Produced by Discourse 12. The Hermit Song Produced by Cam Bluff 13. What The Future Holds feat. Geko and Luke Mac Produced by Geko 14. Final Decision Produced by Engineer 15. Hush feat. Aetcix, Luke Mac, Spit, Myk Reid, Geko and Fatty Phew Produced by Geko
Available: December 3rd, 2010 Released by: Crate Cartel Distributed by: Obese Records
Rhyme Asylum are a Hip-Hop group hailing from London, United Kingdom comprising of music artists: Possessed, Psiklone & Skirmish. ‘RA’ are focused on bringing back classic “Boom Bap” hip-hop, accompanied by thought provoking, vivid lyricism.
The group’s most recent self-released project Solitary Confinement released April 23rd and features Ill Bill, Crooked I, Reain and DarkStar. Plus heavyweight production from all over the globe from: Engineer, Al’Tarba, The Returners, Chemo, Hirolla, Profound,DJ Butcher, Think and Ill Fated.
The album art features photography from the incredibly talented RomanyWG. The photographer/Urbexer (Urban Explorer) produces phenomenal images in abandoned buildings across the world. During the album photo shoot, he captured shots of the group members inside a real, abandoned padded cell!
Like many other hip-hop outfits across the world, Rhyme Asylum are currently a totally independent venture. Aside from its obvious asylum-themed connotations, the title: Solitary Confinement was intended as a metaphor for their independent, unsigned status. The group wanted to raise awareness of the difficulty of financing and self-releasing a project; emphasizing the importance of a loyal and supportive fan base. For without it there is no way the music can continue to grow…
Follow the link here to buy the Physical or digital versions of the release.
Track Listing:
01. Solitary Confinement [4:32]
02. For the Hate [4:38]
03. This is Where [3:42]
04. Divine Right of Kings [3:51]
05. Next Level [4:05]
06. Event Horizon feat. Crooked I [5:13]
07. Axe of Violence [2:39]
08. I Know [5:30]
09. Strange Deranged feat. Reain [3:34]
10. The ‘N Word’ [2:05]
11. The Art of Raw [3:41]
12. Returmination [3:58]
13. Who Goes There [4:11]
14. Don’t Wanna Be [4:02]
15. Straight Jacket Immortals [3:45]
16. Broken Window [4:59]
17. Open Mic Surgery feat. DarkStar & Ill Bill [4:14]
18. Life Support [3:51]
Production Credits:
Tracks 1 & 11 Produced By: Think
Tracks 5 & 9 Produced By: Al’Tarba
Tracks 4 Produced By: DJ Butcher
Track 7 Produced By: Profound
Track 12 Produced By: The Returners
Track 14 Produced By: Hirolla
Track 15 Produced By: Chemo
Track 18 Produced By: Ill Fated
Tracks 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 16 & 17 Produced By: Engineer
