This is the team that never was. Raven: The Cartelian Sergeant & Myk Reid: The Second Lieutenant. Amidst this viral flood of “swagger”, confusing hi-hats, false characters and self indulgence, Searching For Soulz is hip hop purity. Raw, honest and lyrical.
Since the days of being told off by Raven’s mum for swearing too much this team has come a long way. This is grown man rap. Raven needs little introduction to fans of this art form. After his successful sophomore album Ravenous 20Ten and a short term hiatus for the arrival of his first born The Crate Cartel main-stay returns with the humanistic essence that made him one of Australia’s most acclaimed lyricists at the forefront of this project.
Only the finest emcee’s get to fly the Hungry Human flag and Myk Reid is no exception to this rule. Myk emerged publicly in 2011 with the release of his debut EP Rise Of The Foot Soldier catching the attention of rap aficionado’s nationally.
With Myk being a long time cohort of Raven this EP happening was just a matter of time. Production is handled by Geko, Must, Wik, Skwid Fingaz and Sideshow. Raven is also back on the boards for the first time in 4 years. Fellow Lost Soul original Budsa graces the only guest spot with his no bullshit style on the future anthem Hoods Up.
All purchases from the webstore here, will come with a free hard copy of the EP… Get them while they last! The EP will be available for free download now. Video clip for “Caught Up” Produced by WIK, Filmed & Edited by Discourse.
A lot of lyricists today like to hide behind mask or a persona. Perhaps this is because they have come up with an engaging alter ego. Perhaps they do not have a lot of life experience, confidence, or charisma personally. Or maybe they simply just aren’t that interesting a person. Whatever the reason, Angus Younga is going against this grain.
The second signing to the emerging Grhyme Production’s roster are Melbourne duo Broken Aesthetiks. Well known amongst underground circles for their regular gigging in metro and rural Victoria, MC Angus Younga (aka FatGut) and DJ Elev8, whose beat juggling skills left him 3rd in the Victorian DMCs, have already dropped a debut full length release entitled Broke. An intriguing mix of tales of personal strife and achievement, lows and highs, struggles and triumphs interwoven amongst punchline-laden mayhem, the duo has constructed an immersive atmosphere on Broke.
Broken Aesthetiks are gearing up to release the follow up to their debut Broke, imaginatively titled Still Broke. Get Rowdy feat. Raven is the second leak from the album, due out early 2013. Whether you’re into storytelling, exorcising demons, punchlines and metaphors or straight up wiling out – there is something here for everybody.
Every so often, an event comes along with the purpose of cementing itself a place in history. In a time where large showcases are usually catered towards the more mainstream listener, Matt Van Rooy and Catch Wreck have proudly assembled an impeccable line up of artists revered by Hip Hop aficionados and fans Australia wide.
This is a night put on by the fans, for the fans. Underground royalty, of this phenomenal caliber have never appeared together in this capacity to perform on the same night. Until now, Get ready to Catch Wreck. Catch Wreck will feature the legendary Lazy Grey with Jake Biz & DJ DCE plus Brad Strut, Simplex, Maundz, Fluent Form, K21, Raven & Myk Reid, Mata & Must, Smiley and more. DJ’s Heata and Discourse will be serving up some tasty treats on the 1′s and 2′s.
Tickets will be sold at Obese Records and here but be quick. Tickets are $30.90 plus booking fee online and at obese store, $40 at the door. Catch Wreck all goes down at the Prince Bandroom, March 1, 2013 in Melbourne.
This is the brand new film clip for Melbourne MC Maundz, the new track Take It Back is taken from the upcoming album titled Zero. Shot over a hot weekend in Preston Melbourne, the throw back clip features many notstalgic memories from back in the 90′s. The clip features a who’s who of local hip hop and is sure to get that head noddin’.
The clip is executed by Full Clip (Heata & Discourse). Additional skate photography by Andrew Dorny. Beat produced by WIK, mixed & mastered by Geko. Maundz - Zero will be out soon on Crate Cartel.
Clip stars: Maundz, Bias B, WIK, Fluent Form, Aetcix, Geko, Discourse, Raven, Bigfoot, Tornts, Sherrif Rosco, Nevs, Funky Jen, G Force, Alyson Murray, Briggs, Rob, Chenie, Hamish, Dorny, Cass Bowman, Deece, Royalz, Grega, Natasha, Chris Maunders (AKA Mini Maundz), Cyclone Rebecca, Sabina Turner, Howie, Rex Mundi CO, Deon Williams, Tim Barling, Haycha, Nath, Carson & Fraksha.
Make sure you check out the whole animated GIF set over at Peak Street, posted in celebration of this release, truly classic stuff.
Back to tear up the stage in 2012 is Sydney’s finest Dialectrix. Fresh off the release of his soul laden, technologically themed single New Generation,Dialectrix is hitting the road to showcase his heralded flow and uniquely kinetic live experience.
Dialectrix is a veteran on the mic whose live show comprises high energy party anthems mixed with thoughtful social criticisms. The live wire word smith is hitting stages as part of his New Generation East coast tour. Dialectrix will be starting with hometown Sydney’s Annandale Hotel on Friday, 27 April with supporting performances by Ellesquire, Calski and Rainman with DJ sets by Ology.
D-Trix will also visit Melbourne’s Laundry on Saturday May 5th, supported by local acts including Fluent Form, Discourse, Raven, Maundz and In Good Company. The tour heralds the release of upcoming album The Cold Light Of Day, which is due out later this year.
There has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding Soulmate Records latest signee emcee Prime’s – Good Morning release… Friday we all saw why. The South Australian emcee has released his debut solo for free download exclusively through his website.
The free download features 18 tracks with original production from One Above, Cam Bluff, Answer, Purpose, Mules and more. We also see Raven, Motive, 4th and Purpose share mic duties. Good Morning (with it’s 18-piece cover art series) is available for FREE download exclusively from PrimeIsHere.com
Stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Prime, dropping soon.
Tracklisting: 1. 8am – Produced by Mules 2. Tunguska – Produced by One Above * 3. Money – Produced by Answer 4. Alone (feat. Purpose) 5. For The First Time – Produced by Kelakovski 6. Right Here – Produced by Answer 7. Restore My Faith – Produced by Answer 8. The Closest That I Get (feat. Motive) – Produced by One Above * 9. Devilish – Produced by Answer 10. Unthinkable 11. Pour It On A Page (feat. 4TH of Vegas Aces) – Produced by Cam Bluff 12. You’re Only A Man (skit) 13. Three Men (feat. Raven & Purpose) – Produced by Answer * 14. House Of Balloons 15. Heaven And Hell – Produced by Purpose 16. Can Anbody Hear Me? – Produced by Ante Escobar * 17. One Click – Produced by Answer 18. Keep On Running – Produced by M-Phazes
Fresh off the release of his sophomore album Ravenous 20Ten, Raven with label mates Fluent Form and Discourse and newjack Myk Reid will be bringing the album live to Australia on The Ravenous Tour in 2011. Since its release in late 2010 Ravenous 20Ten has fast been touted as one of the best albums of the year and Raven has been praised as one of the country’s best emcees. With a live performance career spanning over 5 years Raven has developed a powerful stage presence and improvisational performance full of thought provoking lyrics and neck breaking antics. This being Ravens debut solo tour will be live in Geelong, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra with some of the best local supports in the business on board. Don’t miss this chance to see why Raven is one the most talked about lyricists in Australia right now.
Tickets on sale from available now at: www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX (438 849) Melbourne – Polyester Records (City & Fitzroy) and Greville Records Sydney – Red Eye Records, Fish Records, Resist Records Adelaide – Leading Edge Adelaide, We Are Godzilla Brisbane – Rocking Horse Records, Butterbeats, Kill The Music Canberra – Tickets through Ticketek ONLY. On sale date to be advised.
Devils Advocate taken from the album Ravenous 20Ten. Out Now! Clip executed by Full Clip (Heata & Discourse) . Track Produced by Engineer.
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.
Ravenous20Ten 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 listener’s 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 [check above] 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 this year stay tuned for more details.
In anticipation for the debut Vegas Aces release V.A.ALL.DAY (Feb 4th) your good friends in VA and Born Fresh have decided to host a sexy little competition. Cam Bluff is fast becoming a new go-to-guy for production (Spit Syndicate, The Tongue, The Optimen, Pure Product, Raven etc) and we want you to put him to the test. Basically we want you to submit a sample/sound for Cam to flip and make an exclusive beat out of. The sample can be anything – an old or new song of whatever genre, ad music, movie score, a beatboxing parrot, whatever you think would make for a slammin’ signature Bluff beat.
The most creative submission will have their sample used in an exclusive Vegas Aces song and will receive a Born Fresh prize pack consisting of Vegas Aces – V.A.ALL.DAY, Seven EP, Crate Creeps – It’s About That Time, Prophet Rayza 6 Books EP, Pure Product – Eviction Notice, and the last personal copy of Tommy Illfigga’s Unfiltered. So start entering your samples to jeremy@bornfresh.com.au (feel free to send mp3′s, wav’s, links to sounds/music, YouTube links etc) for your chance to win! V.A.ALL.DAY
Here is the brand new clip for A-Dictions track Lost For Words taken from the 2010 Release Walkin’ Alone, distrbiuted by Obese Records. Find our album review below and the link for the interview below that.
Walkin Alone is the title to Melbourne duo emcee’s Breach and Boltz. Many will recognise these two, with previous mixtape releases under their belt, some may also remember Boltz’ classic Wishlist release from years back. Walkin Alone is an album which combines the observations of city life, relationships, the future and even the 7 deadly sins into a hip hop painted outline of Boltz and Breachs reality. Walkin Alone the title track to the album has Breach and Boltz asking the hip hop community to join them on a journey or they will be going it alone. Lewis One provides the beat to the lead single and was the answer to our A-Diction – Walkin Alone competition. We had three copies to giveaway and those winners have been announced below.
As the level of pressure increases on groups to produce quality debut albums, no shortcuts we made on Walkin Alone. The list of producers include some of Australia’s best, M-Phazes, Jase, Lewis One, Mules and Whisper. Behind the mic the guys are joined by a range of respected emcee’s with Haunts and G-Force making memorable contributions; in addition to Scott Burns, Billy Bunks, Whisper, Raven and Fraksha who appear on the posse cut track Capital Vices. We should also mention the amazing vocals from Vida Sunshyne and Bekah.
“Routine is another word for habit,
do something enough and you’ll forget why you began it
God damn it now your old and gray
and still searching for a dream that’s been thrown away.
Kanyes definition of a man, is everything I’m not made me everything I am,
but as for me I thinking more honestly everything I’m not,
is everything I wanna be.
My advice is life your life, never let em say you’re not doing it right….”.
As we progress through the album it’s clear that Boltz and Breach have paid considerable attention to the overall flow and structure of the album. Each and every track builds on the last, offering something new and exciting for your ears enjoyment. It’s with this dynamic flow that A-Diction are able to present an amazing ‘walk’ throughout the album and the lives of Breach and Boltz. We found ourselves wanting to listen to the album from start to finish every time, rather than jumping in at say track 4 then skipping 5 songs to our favorites. Obviously there are some clear highlights including the track Consistent feat.Bekah, with Mules delivering some absolute fire on the beat. It’s then backed up by an outstanding M-Phazes produced track titled One Fact. Both tracks will be keeping those chriopractors in business over the next few months.
“I manufacture tracks proper not just a, monotonous records that get forgotten in seconds.
See its a habit of my that in the back of my mind,
I got these thoughts and they just happen to rhyme,
to have you clapping in time, I bless you with the rapping that’s fine,
I’ll come to your rescue like your were trapped in a mine…”.
The humorous Wingman“goes out to single guys” and has A-Diction discussing the plan of attack for any successful Friday and Saturday night. Whisperdoes a brilliant job on the beat with the bouncy feel tying in nicely to the theme of the track. Next track worthy a mention is the Drop The Beat (Remix), featuring G-Force and Vida Sunshyne. This is one of the most impressive remixes we have heard in a long time. Enough said?
Jase delivers with a funky soul filled beat on Ladies and Gentlemen. We also pay the “That’s What She Said” joke….nice work fellas. There has been much talk about the posse cut track Capital Vices (prod. M-Phazes) feat. Fraksha, Billy Bunks, Scott Burns, Whisper and Raven. We all love a posse track but the way A-Diction tackled this one, was as an original concept as we’ve seen. Each of the 7 seven rappers undertake one of the 7 Deadly Sins with each spitting a verse to great results. This will surely go down as one of the best posse tracks of the last few years. Mules exceptional production work continues on the track Just You, which sees Breach and Boltz slowing things up with a nice soulful joint about the inner workings of friendships.
The ease for which A-Diction are able present a vast range of styles and pull off each and everyone is a testament to the skill and hard work that the guys have put in to prepare for this debut. At no point did the sound seem out of their depth, in fact the album was quite inviting and appraochable….sorta like that really hot chick who’s easy to get along with. The track Unbalanced is a dark tale of humanity and the pain that ‘some’ share throughout the world. Trillholds it down for his only produced track on the album and once again A-Diction continue to deliver some great verses:
“The 3rd world starves the situations hectic,
while western obesity’s become an epidemic,
the greed and gluttony I’ve seen in my country
to me, it just seems to be a beast that is ugly.
Seems strange that we,
can still find things to complain about and its so crazy how,
we stress over the rent or new mortgage,
but we aint never had to worry bout a food shortage….”
Backed with some impressive artwork by renowned illustrator R. Lyons, great beats from Australia’s best producers and also the dynamic duo that is A-Diction,Walkin Alone is set to awaken the sleepers.A-Diction deliver an amazing album that’s meant to be listened too and enjoyed. The guys have grabbed 2010 by the scruff of the neck, slapped that bitch up and left a nice big Walkin’ Alone imprint on her check. (We don’t condone violence against numbers). We really can’t fault this effort – all in all get some! We score A-Diction’s – Walkin Alone 4.3 out of 5.
