Sup fam, as many of you already know, CTR was on hiatus for the last few days as we had a redirect to our new forums at www.5vemics.com. With 5 Mics we’re trying to bring indie heads a community on the scale of some larger hip-hop forums, but this time with a focus on the underdogs. This will allow heads to connect with each other and introduce you all to more music than we could ever imagine dropping on CTR alone. This, however; does not mean CTR is going to be closed now or anytime on the horizon, but we do plan on making some minor changes to CTR. Within the next week CheckTheRhime will be accessible via the urls www.checktherhime.com and www.5vemics.com where a new and improved version of CTR will be serving as the 5 mics homepage (under the name CheckTheRhime @ 5 Mics). We will still be wordpress based, all of our posts & comments will still be here. The shoutbox and other plugins will remain intact and the only major changes will be a few feeds from different sections of the blogs on the sidebar and under categorized tabs (one being a link to the 5 Mics forums). Aside from those minor changes CTR will still be run and updated by the same crew and content will still be delivered in the same style/manner, so please stick with us as we try to take this thing to the next level. Check back here for updates and peep 5 Mics for the love of hip-hop. We’re already nearing 400 users with over 3,000 posts and near 800 threads.
What’s In My Backpack Vol. 2: The Best of 2008 coming soon.
BTW… Did I mention we’ve surpassed 300k hits since we started in April? Not bad, eh?
Real fresh mix brought to ya by Skratch Bastid. The skill of scratching really is becoming a lost art which makes me appreciate this mix a lot more. Check it out..
This is the latest mix-cd from the great Canadian DJ Skratch Bastid. This follows up the amazing “Get Up from 2007. This mix features a very wide variety of music all blended perfectly by Bastid for your listening and dancing pleasure.
And we’re back Good to be back as noted on the side, I’ve definitely missed CTR just as much as you’ve missed us. I hope the time off gave you a chance to check out our new project over at 5Mics. It’s hot!
Living Legends is back with another sick compilation of rare and previously unreleased material from their extensive catalogue. Cali stand up!
Got home from work around 7am, slept a few hours, have to be back to work at 5. Fuck the world, here’s a classic.
Black on Both Sides is a manifestation of compelling, honest hip-hop. The genre’s underground torchbearer, the mighty Mos Def (half of Black Star), injects intellect, humor, and knowledge into all of his rhymes. Overall, the album has an understated quality, but pure enjoyment comes with discovering the clever lyrical gems Mos drops. The expansiveness of his mindstate is showcased best on “New World Water,” in which he fully limns our uses of, needs for, and exploitation of water. On “Ms. Fat Booty,” a love tale with unexpected twists is woven intricately around Aretha Franklin’s wailing vocals. Whether rapping, singing, or lecturing, Mos Def is firmly rooted in African American consciousness and examines social issues with great ease. Black on Both Sides will endure for many years; it’s an album worthy of numerous listens. –Celine Wong
Late night insomnia drove me to do a random discography so here’s to Cincinnati finest producer, Hi-Tek (sorry Ill Poetic :D). I think most cats are familiar with Tek’s name due to his collaboration with Talib Kweli under the name Reflection Eternal (hands down a classic hip-hop album), but Tek has dropped his own respective gems out of Talib’s shadow. Most of Tek’s “solo” albums are heavy with the guest appearances, but Tek also gets on the mic from time to time and handles it very well. If you’re familiar with Tek due to his big billed production credits (G-Unit affiliates mainly) don’t let that fool you and note he’s done prodcution for everyone from Little Brother, Cormega, Common, and Dead Prez to Ghostface, Gym Class Heroes, and Phife Dawg. All 4 of the efforts in this drop are solid to say the least, but if you’re going to only grab one for a test run I recommend Train of Thought or Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip for starters. Talib_Kweli_and_Hi-Tek-Reflection_Eternal-2001-M*
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More info after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
From the opening track til the last, The Wilderness Crew comes correct with a nice variety of instrument-infused beats mixed with hella smooth lyrics. With a style similar to the 50 Fingers album posted below, Wilderness Crew are definitely doin their thang repping the ever-growing Vancouver hip-hop scene. Their self-titled debut is a truly unique blend that slightly reminds me of Sweatshop Union. If you’re a fan of that type of soulful music definitely check this one out, you will not be disappointed. A blurb from cdbaby:
For seven plus years Brett Mjanes, Eli Dill and Eric Amberg have been developing the sound that is ‘The Wilderness Crew’. Connected through the heart, soul and mind, the three friends formed an unbreakable bond while growing up together on the Sunshine Coast (BC Canada).
With exposure via the international surf community and a healthy local fan base, The Wilderness Crew is reaching more ears everyday. Their first full length independent CD (self titled) has recently been released.
Tracklist after the jump. Make sure to support these cats by grabbing their album here.
Copped this a few days and never really got the chance to look into it (mostly due to the releases that particular grp pres, not usually my style). I started listening to it earlier today and was pleasantly surprised. I went on the hunt for more info on 50 Fingers and eventually found out they’re a new group from the British Columbia part of Canada. If you’re looking for sick beats (produced entirely by Factor) mixed with furiour rap style then you should throughoughly enjoy this. Lemme know what ya think! Here’s a blurb from their MySpace:
So there we were about 40% through our 2006 Western Canada tour, Stuporstars Of Rap. The Gumshoe Strut and I had been trading driving shifts for a number of hours on the way to our next stop, (saska)Toon Town. We had no idea where we were staying. The original intention had been to MAYBE make a song or two, if time permitted and what ended up happening was a night of intoxicated creation only some artists like 2pac and Moka Only can brag about. The first part came right after our show at Amigo’s Cantina, heavily blunted, those who would later be referred to as 50 Fingers, made their way to Factor G’s Studio and banged out six heaters in roughly 12 hours. Written, produced, recorded. The process here was: make/listen to the beat, write the song, record the song, celebrate with a congratulatory blunt (during which time the projects name and title were chosen). The only thing anybody really slowed down for was either a much needed piss break or an occasional slice of Pizza. All kinds of ideas were thrown around. Bunnies. Brothers United. It was clear, 50 Fingers. Maybe it was the BC blunts consumed? The Alcohol?, It had so much meaning but at the same time made you wonder, are you sure we can’t come up with anything better? We had: songs for the workers, strange songs, depressing songs, intro songs, songs with Nolto!, and songs to get your life together to. Clearly more than satisfied, we thanked Factor and his gal for their hospitality and made our way to (winni)Peg Gritty. It was a long drive but time flowed by swiftly mainly due to the buzz we all had from this new music, it was dope. The day after our show while sitting in a Corydon avenue mall food court with gracious host, Yy, we receive a discouraging call from our Red Deer contact saying that the venue we were going to be performing at was shut down due to some liquor license issues and that the show would not be happening. Fuck. What are we going to do with this extra day? Lightbulb. “Uh, hey Graham? What are you up to tomorrow bud? Nothing? Sweet dude, you down to make another six songs??”. All right, now we can probably make an album out of this. Slightly more prepared this time, we stuck with the same formula for the process of creation but the attitude was geared toward less-serious subject matter, more fun-loving and flamboyant. Songs about getting hammered, songs about compromise, songs about us, fast piano songs and unhealthy songs. What you have for the end product is a combination of some of Canada’s most original talent, joining forces to make an impromptu heritage album for the Canadian hip hop blueprint. Two years after it was made.
I haven’t really had a chance to peep this joint for myself, and being that he’s a foreign artist I most often times wouldn’t drop this until I’ve had the chance to sample it myself, but this one seems to be popping up everywhere and I’ve only heard people saying positive things about this release. From the few things I’ve heard for myself, although there’s obviously a language difference the production is incredibly beautiful. I wouldn’t call it bluesy, it’s definitely more jazz oriented (blended with hip-hop of course). It’s the type of ish I enjoy smoking to or riding to on lazy weekend mornings. Peep the video, if you like it peep the album and as always buy if you like (and if you can afford those expensive as Japanese imports).
Here’s another submission we got from one of our readers. Shouts to xBriteFuturex for this one (and two other drops). I personally had no clue there was any kind of hip-hop scene in Oregon whatsoever, but BF is bringing it to light for us. Peeped their myspace page, seem straight. Def check this one if you’re looking for something completely new.
First album from the alliance crew. the crew consits of G_Force, Rapsodee P. & DJ Celsius. theyre great unknown nw hiphop artists that reside in my hometown of eugene, so if you like them please buy theyre isht and support some real hiphop.
from thier myspace-
>>>>>>The Alliance Crew is a Northwest Hip-hop group based out of Oregon. Its cofounders, G Force and Rapsodee P., were long time friends before starting the group in 1999. Nine years later and with the addition of DJ Celsius they\’re sound has continued to expand and mature to the embodiment of a solid Hip-hop trio. With G Force\’s professional production and unique flow, DJ Celsius\’s scratching expertise which have gained attention from the likes of such heavy weights as D-styles, and Rapsodee P.\’s wordplay and recognition as veteran lyricist, the trio has begun commanding respect throughout the northwest.
>>>>>>>They have two releases, the most first of which dropped in 2006 entitled: “The Theory of Natural selection.” The album is a combination of all of the elements one might find in Hip-hop music. One\’s never let down with G Force\’s expansive repertoire of laid back melodies, soothing jazz rifts, soulful samples, and bassy head bangers. However, the beats or only the beginning; with DJ Celsius\’s skillful solos and rhythmic manipulation of vocal samples, the precision of their product only becomes more evident. To sum up the rest of the equation Rapsodeep and G Force ride the rhythm with “…no resemblance to new jack emcee(s)”. Their subject matter is all encompassing from content like from political awareness, poetry, raw wordplay, boastful bravados to personal experiences, spanning all sorts of tempos and flows.
>>>>>>>> Their second release dropped in May of 2008 entitled: “Don\’t Know How to Exist.” This new album was created in a matter of weeks. Having started the album in early April, and finishing the material with in less time than expected, the album was officially released on May 24th 2008, at the \’Get Your Ass off the Couch\’ event sponsored by BTM Records. The album was created around G_Force\’s productions, which encompass soulful chops all the way to synth based beats. As usual G_Force and front man Rapsodee P. spit back in forth with stylized wit and seasoned chemistry. Backing the two, as always, the renown Dj Celsius mans the turntables with a distinctly clean and unique style, lacing up synchronized scratch chorus and skillful solos. Also appearing on the album are a couple BTM regulars you might expect, such as Knox and Efekt. But some things the album offers you might not of expected are guest appearances by Rochelle Hunter (of Girl Meets Gravity) on Galaxy Trip, and guest productions by 5th Sequence and Goofru. Check the album out!!! Its AVAILABLE NOW in stores @ Portland and Eugene OR (message us for the list of locations), I Tunes and Cd Baby.com
>>>>>>The first single released from the album is entitled “Paid No Mind” and you can hear on the ALLIANCE CREW\’s official www.myspace.com/thealliancecrew.
>>>>>Alliance has been unyielding in their musical momentum having performed at a variety of venues, college co-ops, cafes and other events. They have opened for the likes of, Tre Hardson, Zion I, Lyrics Born and more. When not being invited to accompany other acts they\’ve sponsored and promoted shows of their own including the Tre Hardson concert. Whether performing with other acts or sponsoring their own events Alliance has turned out crowds anywhere from 200-800 people.
theBside requested something jazzy and being one of my favorite hip-hop acts of all time, Digable Planets were the first thing to pop into my head. My favorite album from the trio is already floating around on CTR somewhere (Blowout Comb, also one of the best 5 albums ever made IMO), but this is a nice rundown of some of DPs standout tracks from their full length efforts. I would’ve personally added or replaced a few tracks with others, but this compilation certainly is a good way for heads to become accquainted with Digable Planets if they aren’t already, yet is still nice for any fan to have in their collection. Recommended for fans of Tribe, Panacea & Jazzanova.
I really like this album. Got some nice jazzy tracks. “Early Dayz Amazement” and “Passin’ By” in particular vibe nicely for me. If you don’t know these cats, check this out if you like Insight, Nujabes, Y Society, Panacea, Cyne, etc. Cop this here and check out their MySpace.
Didn’t realize they’d dropped this one yet. Here’s an online magazine from our affiliates at Musical Schizophrenia. Probably one of the best, if not the absolute best online magazine dedicated to underground/independent hip-hop music on the web. Def a must if you’re missing the days of free issues of Pound Magazine (some old .pdfs of back issues are still available). Please don’t sleep on this one, shouts to Heaps.
Interviews: Mr. J Medeiros (of The Procussions), Pete Philly, Nicolay (of Foreign Exchange) & Praverb Music: Q-Tip, Panacea, Giant Panda, People Under The Stairs, Surreal, Common Market, Jean Grae, Qwel (of Typical Cats), Foreign Exchange, Murs & way more… Art: Kirpy, Ghostpatrol & Matty -WTA
Had a request for a Juice discography not too long ago so here it is. I first got into him when browsing some Molemen CDs (nice production team outta Chi-town) a while back, dude’s been around for a minute. Check him out below.
Terry Jones who is better known by his stage name, MC Juice is a rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for beating Eminem in the famous Scribble Jam freestyle battle competition in 1997.
Known for his smooth flow and his ability as a ‘punchline rapper’ he has received acclaim for his freestyles and battle raps. One notorious contest was his $5k battle against Supernatural.
Perhaps his first notable album release was the independent album 100% J.U.I.C.E. featuring the track “Sincerely” in which he speaks of his underground status, and proclaims to be “the kat that got famous for never being famous.” MC Juice’s latest album was entitled All Bets Off and was released in early 2005.’ MC Juice is also very well known for other critically acclaimed albums such as “Tip of the Iceberg,” “Listen2ThaWerds,” and the acclaimed freestyle mixtape “30 Minute Freestyle.” Due to the complexity of his freestyle lyrics, he is often accused of writing his freestyle, something he denies.
The one & only, original J-U-ICE from Chicago, where I was born. At four years old I moved to L.A. where I spent my school years. Having many creative people in my family I found a love for music, specifically rap, and wrote my first rhyme by the time I was 6 yrs old. A little after high school, I moved back to Chicago. After being told so many good things about my “amazing” word play and showmanship, I decided to leave college to pursue this music thing full time. I’ve been in dozens of rap competitions and beaten hundreds of rappers, and I’ve lost only twice. I enjoy making new songs so I actually have an extensive music catalog (approx. 250 recorded). Currently there are a handful of projects floating around people’s CD players - The Man, 100% JUICE, Tip Of The Iceberg, Listen 2 The Words, All Bets Off, New Money - thru my company Conglomerate Music Group. Look out for my new project scheduled to debut in 09′. Support good music - Support Hip-Hop.
Note: Dunno how many of you noticed it, but we have a new page set up where you can submit posts to CTR. Here’s the first submission we’ve received from Silvaboombaye. Very much appreciated mayne.
Brother Ali is one of the most gifted and talented emcees of our generation.
When we reflect on this era in Hip-Hop music, he is likely to be in the
forefront of the discussion as one of the realest and nicest to ever do it.
With the download of this album, I encourage you to purchase and continue
to purchase his albums from your local record distributor or off of Itunes.
When he is in your area I encourage you all to check out his live shows.
You will not be disappointed.
Follow PackFM on a 10-year voyage down memory lane with this LIMITED EDITION collectible DVD, FMania: The Best of.. Built from the ground up for QN5 collectors - only 1000 of these have been made and numbered.
Packed to the gills with content, this DVD brings you never-before-seen concert footage, interviews and behind-the-scenes commentary, including a candid interview where Mr. FMakalishus recaps his Top 5 Favorite Moments on stage. Plus, ALL of your favorite PackFM music videos in full DVD quality including the EXCLUSIVE “Nigga Pass” animated cartoon and more!
FMania: The Best of. also comes with a bonus CD that includes an 80-minute blend of the greatest and rarest PackFM tracks including his very first recorded track ever “Hit List” - all on one disc!
Tracklist after the jump. You can cop this one here.
Haven’t listened to this one out yet but it looks real interesting. Check out what Theme Magazine had to say about Cosmic Headphones:
Brooklyn’s Eagle Nebula brings to the world her debut album “Cosmic Headphones, a musical collection of high creative tastes produced by Georgia Anne Muldrow and executive produced by Dudley Perkins (of Stones Throw fame). Her throwback delivery and playful lyrics immediately brought back memories of a time when true hip hop was king. Witty and intelligent, Eagle playfully rhymes about living with optimism in “Daily Debut” but can switch gears to the personally contemplative “What I Like” without skipping a beat. Her message is positive and inspirational without coming off as tacky or preachy. “Cosmic Headphones” is a fresh breath of air in a rap game that is currently polluted with ringtone singles and recycled cliches as an excuse for lyrical content. Do yourself a favor and see what the new wave of hip hop sounds like.
Tracklist after the jump. You can buy the CD here.
Some real hot Vinyl drops over the past couple of days. Here’s a summary for ya, didn’t feel like making individual threads; it’s the holidays and I’m definitely lazy.
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Good to be back as noted on the side, I’ve definitely missed CTR just as much as you’ve missed us. I hope the time off gave you a chance to check out our new project over at 5Mics. It’s hot!
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