Really nice debut album! If u like Cunninlynguists you def need to check this album!

It’s no surprise…Hip-Hop is in a state of emergency, and when help is needed, the response is just three letters – S.O.S. There are few lyricists who possess the kind of fire that this Florida native holds. With a mic chord plugged directly into his heart, Mr. SOS has been an underground force, whose critical acclaim has pushed him further into the mainstream. His debut album How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb will bring this established mic controller to his deserved spot in Hip-Hop royalty…and he’s just getting started.

Born in San Francisco, CA, Mr. SOS was bound for South Florida by the age of six. His love affair with Hip-Hop began at a young age, starting with writing basic rhymes at 11 and learning how to deejay. “I knew Hip-Hop was something that I wanted to take seriously, but at that time, I didn’t exactly know how to do that,” explains SOS. Over the years, SOS honed his craft like most emcees – on the playground rhyming and forming makeshift rap crews. Making mixtapes out of loops and instrumentals, he started his own movement that carried onto local stages.

In 2001, SOS met Deacon the Villain and Kno of Cunninlynguists in Orlando as the group was gearing to release their debut album Will Rap For Food. SOS’ prior collaboration with the group on the track “Ain’t No Way” was then included on the first CL album, and by the second Cunninlynguist release, Southernunderground, Mr. SOS became the third member of Cunninlynguists. The group catapulted into stardom, through their clever blend of real lyricism mixed with intricate production by DJ Kno. “Had I never been a part of Cunninlynguists, my lyrics would have never been this deep,” SOS admits. SOS left Cunninlynguists by the time the group’s third LP A Piece Of Strange hit the stores. Mr. SOS then began his journey to a solo career.

Over the course of three years, SOS released the mixtape series SOS For President (Part One in 2004 and Part Two in 2005) and the EP The Pre-Op in 2006. The stage is now set for How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

When Mr. SOS left Cunninlynguists, he met a series of emotional pitfalls. From relationship issues, custody battles, and dealing with everyday life, SOS put his pain into his lyrics and adopted the persona of ‘Dr. Strangelove’. While SOS was going through his share of drama, so was the United States. With the iron fist reign of George Bush, the destruction of the American spirit was happening before our eyes. SOS began to actively question the government moreso than he had in the past and also ponder the end of the world. That became the basis of his album. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (named after the Stanley Kubrick film) is an amalgam of every bit of darkness and light in the life of SOS and how he is influenced by the world. The album, released by independent powerhouse label QN5 will feature production by Tonedeff, the UK’s Quincey Tones, Beat Chefs, as well as Mr. SOS himself, continuing the progression of cleverly mixing traditional backbeats with abstract production and pensive content. When asked why he chose the title, he simply states, “because my methods are unorthodox and also to represent the movie in a way because the movie is about the end of the world and so is my album.”

While speaking about the end of the world, SOS is now approaching the beginning of his own stardom. Throughout his entire journey, he has had one goal in mind – to push Hip-Hop forward. With his music, Hip-Hop can stop worrying about the drought of talent and learn to love the bomb that SOS is dropping on 06.02.09.

written by Slim_Fast \\ tags: 2009, Cunninlynguists, Grouprip, Mr. SOS, Underground Hip-Hop

Over the years I’ve heard the name Count Bass D however (and please don’t crucify me for this); this is the first of his works I’ve listened to. I remember seeing the album cover all over the place last year, but there’s an infinite amount of material dropping every day and so I didn’t cop and/or peep until earlier today. I don’t know why I came into the album expecting something with a boom bap feel along the lines of Brand Nubian or J-Live, and although that certainly isn’t what I found, I can’t call this joint a bad album. The first of the tracks on the album (”Make It Flow” ft. Ache) leads one to think this is going to be completely on some futuristic Deltron 3030 tip, the rest of the album proves to be pretty soulful (he does a lot if not all of his own production) and sounds like (in my own personal opinion) a mix of Cunninlynguists & Madvillain…’cmon Kno & Madlib… great ish.  I’d have to call the best track on the album “I Love You”, an instrumental track which is just too pretty for words but, that’s not knock Count’s abilities as an MC (although he can get very Doom like at times, for better or for worse).

More info after the jump. Continue reading »

written by Breezilla \\ tags: 2008, 2008 releaes, Ache, Boom Bap, Count Bass D, Cunninlynguists, Del, Del The Funky Homosapien, Deltron 3030, Doom, Grouprip, Kentucky, Kno, Madlib, Madvillain, MF Doom, Southern Hip-Hop

I fucking couldnt wait for this shit, I thought about it everyday for as long as I could remember. And its finally here, pre-orders have been sent and here it is. This album is amazing, the beats are flawless, the lyrics are bone chilling. The overall mood of the CD is somewhat depressing, but I beleive thats the point they were trying to make. Being on the road is depressing, but you gotta do, what you gotta do. This banger is a 5 Star in my book, and should be in your.

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written by Whtetrashwarrior \\ tags: 2009, Club Dub, Cunninlynguists, Fishscales, Hilltop Hoods, Khujo Goodie, Killer Mike, Looptroop Rockers, Mac Lethal, PackFM, Sheisty Khrist, Skinny DeVille, Slug, Substantial, Young Chu

Real nice album outta the 12 man crew coming at ya from Ohio. Beats by A Piece of Strange as well as a Masta Ace feature. Dope!

Scribbling Idiots is JustMe, Cas Metah, Theory Hazit, Wonder Brown and Mouth Warren. Extended family includes MattmaN, Re:Flex, Motion Plus, Elias, Kaboose and Ruffian. What does that list mean to you? Well don’t be surprised if only a few of those names hit you and the larger balance passes over your head. Nevertheless make no mistake you shortly will know each member in their own right. Lets dissect shall we?

Theory Hazit, former Holy Culture Radio show host and DJ, Producer, Emcee has several indie releases under his belt including a famed Scribble Jam Beatdown championship and a highly acclaimed classic album under the Hip Hop IS Music label titled “Extra Credit”. Theo is a solid all-around artist and definitely holds his crew down and lends some of the top production to this the crews debut record “The Havenots”.

Aside from Theory there is also members making their solo mark with previous releases making noise such as JustMe, and Cas Metah who combined with solo projects also put out a collab project together. Additionally, the extended S.I. fam members Motion Plus, Elias, and Kaboose have solo albums out prior to this conglomerate release.

Having mentioned all of the prior accolades its pretty evident that the S.I. massive is not a group of newcomers to the music scene. Don’t expect a proving ground of untested lyricists and unpolished beats here. “The Havenots” is a solid release which comes equipped with sample heavy rifts of chopped strings, piano keys, funk, smooth bass lines, and dirty hard hitting drums reminiscent of Dilla, Hi-Tek, 9th Wonder, Premier, etc… Rhymes focus on subject matter from self introspective to braggadocios to spiritual enlightenment to life struggles and ailments of the indie music industry.

In a pleasant mix of dope beats and smooth rhyme schemes come a few surprises that make my highlight list slightly easier to note among an otherwise seemingly flawless track list. First off is the track “Is That You” featuring a sped up vocal sample, piano keys, bass drops and the soulful voice swinging a chorus like an old hymn calling out …”oh Lawwwwwd… its been so loooooonnng… since I’ve seen… yooooour face… is that you (is that you… is that you…)”. If you match this with a speedy flow and unique rhyme pattern not too often heard in hip-hop this makes a pretty unique track overall. Its unlikely combinations keep bringing me back to it.

“Almost Famous” is another dope track in the mix. The heady atmospheric samples and underwater bassline matched by a unique and deeply reverberating snare set the pace for a classic track. Enter the Scribbling Idiots to lace this dope soundscape with some weighty lyrics. I think this is my personal favorite track on the album.

A few more key highlights to mention are “Easily A Muse” which is like a Pete rock beat combining piano stabs, bass chops, and the right mix of attention to pattern and wordplay in the lyricism backed with nice dj turntablism. A bone-a-fide banger here.

“Alexithymia” is another dope track on my top list of highlights. This more classic jazzy cut hits hard on the clean drums and spacialy pleasant to the ear drums with the overhead sounds… Then enters the breakdowns which hit with the dramatic sax to slow it down for a sec. Lets not forget about the lyrics here. This dope track is a reflection of family and relationships. The sometimes ill relationships we have with those who are close enough to cut us deep and leave lasting impacts on our lives that affect our characters for the rest of our adult lives. The transparency of this cut is apparent.

LMNO of the famed Vizunaris crew makes an appearance on “Publicity Stunt Doubles”. Thats also a must check for track with more fresh beats, lyrics and turntable work.

For me to say that this classic album is riddled with problems or weaknesses would be so far from the truth that I couldn’t even begin to utter the words with self respect. ILLECT has a solid release here and a good find in the Scribbling Idiots. The crew has a good collective of talent and this album is one of my personal highlights of the year. Where it does find its weaker spots is so few are far between its almost worth not mentioning. However in being subjective a few things could have possibly been done different.

On the minor occasion you can find some of the samples being a little monotonous. Case in point is “Moonlighting” where the short stabs in the verse rifts get a little annoying and I found distracting from the verses themselves. Also some of the mixes use a nice spacial filter to separate some of the elements and make the beats more transparent but they at times compete with the central focus on the lyrics and vocal range on the mixes.

Look. If its not obvious to you yet… You need to just stop reading this review and go pick up a copy of this album. The S.I. crew may be a group of “Havenots” but what they do have is a classic album on their hands! Don’t sleep on this one! I’ll definitely be on the look-out for more material from these guys.

Oh yea, and I cannot forget to mention that in addition to the album you can also find a bonus INSTRUMENTALS version as well. For all the beat heads that love to just rock to instrumentals this is a delight worth its weight in gold!

For fans of: Mars ILL, Deepspace5, Theory Hazit, Cas Metah, JustMe, Cas Metah, Motion Plus, Kaboose, Elias, underground hip-hop

Tracklist after the jump. You can cop this CD here.

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written by TheDude \\ tags: A Piece of Strange, Cas Metah, Cunninlynguists, Deacon The Villain, Deepspace5, Elias, Grouprip, JustMe, Kaboose, Kno, LMNO, Mars ILL, Masta Ace, Mattman, Motion Plus, Mouth Warren, Music, Ohio, Rap, Re:Flex, Ruffian, Scribbling Idiots, Theory Hazit, UndergroundHip-Hop, Vintage, Wonder Brown

Requested by my boy Ant, here low on the official mixtape series for the critically acclaimed anime series, Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks. Anybody who’s seen a few episodes of the show has probably caught onto many of the social undertones and themes of the show (many which have carried over from McGruder’s comic strip by the same title), and his same anti-mainstream society motif shows up in the majority of the musical features on the tapes. Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, Tanya Morgan, Pacific Division, Jean Grae, Mos Def, Little Brother, Blu, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Tribe, Cunninlynguists, AZ, Rakim, Quasimoto, Bishop Lamonot and so many more. Do yourself a favor and at least peep one of these.

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written by Breezilla \\ tags: 9th Wonder, A Tribe Called Quest, A.G., Aeon, Akir, Amanda Diva, Asheru, AZ, Bishop Lamont, Black Lincolns, Black Milk, Blackberry Jones, Blacksheep, Blackstar, Bleu Collar, Blu, Boondocks, C.L. Smooth, Chaundon, Common, Cool Cee Brown, Cormega, Crunch Ex, Cunninlynguists, D-Sisive, Danger Doom, David Banner, Dead Prez, Diz Gibran, DJ Premier, DJ Spinna, DJ Unexpected, DJay Cas, Donte, Doujah Raze, Dres, Edo G, Emilio Rojas, Erykah Badu, Ghostface Killah, Gnarls Barkley, Hall of Fame, Hi-Tek, Hip-Hop, Homeskillet, Huyusheru, Illa J, Illmind, India.Arie, J Dilla, J'Davey, Ja$, Jaylib, Jean Grae, JJ The Genius, Joell Ortiz, Khrysis, Last Poets, Lauryn Hill, Little Brother, Maimouna Yousef, Main Flow, Masta Ace, Metaphor The Great, Method Man, MF Doom, Mick Boogie, Mood, Mos Def, Muneshine, Nicotine Beats, NY Oil, P.H.E.A.R., Pacific Division, Pharoahe Monch, Phene, Pugz Atomz, Quasimoto, Raekwon, Rakim, Rapper Big Pooh, Rashid Hadee, Sean Price, Sha Stimuli, Skyzoo, Stimula, Styles P, Sway, Talib Kweli, Tanya Morgan, The Kickdrums, The Procussions, The Roots, Tough Junkie, U-N-I, Von Pea, Witchdoctor, Xzibit

This is easily my favourite free release of 2008. The album is so good, it may even be my favourite free download ever.  For the unfortunate ones who have yet to hear about Inverse, it consists of two emcees outta Cali by the names of Toby and Tunji. They’re getting support from some underground heavy weights  (Kno of CunninLynguists and Little Brother to name a couple) so you better believe they bringing that straight fire. Since these are all original beats, Inverse preferes to call this project a street album rather than a mixtape. Peep this, you’ll be wanting more. Beats from M-Phazes, Kno (of CunninLynguists)/APOS Music, 9th Wonder,  DecapBeats,  Cook Classics,  Styalz Fuego and more. Some additional info from their bio:

Inverse is as real as it gets. Through songs that are upbeat, emotional, bracing and oftentimes lighthearted accounts of their true life experiences, the two California-bred rappers share distinct similarities and differences that form the basis and balance for their music. Rapping under their given names, emcees Toby and Tunji appear extremely different on the surface – one white, one black; one from a Jewish household, the other raised Muslim; one raised in Los Angeles, the other in the bay area by Nigerian parents. What they share is a passion for music that transcends any labels. With their honest brand of soulful, straightforward hip hop, the group is part of a newly emerging generation of artists born in the ’80s, raised by hip hop in the ’90s, and poised to help revitalize the culture in the 2000s.

Formed in early 2001, the group cut early demos and songs with Swedish producers Soul Supreme (KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock) and K-Laz while still in their teens, leading to internet acclaim and video airplay on MTV Europe (for “The Reason,” chosen as the single from K-Laz’s album The Soulsnatcher). The group spent the next few years playing shows all over California and forming alliances with rising hip hop artists QN5 Music (Tonedeff, CunninLynguists, Pack FM, Extended Famm, etc.), Brother Ali, Little Brother and Trek Life. Choosing to hone their mic and songwriting skills before officially releasing any music, the group recorded and shelved several songs before preparing their first project So Far, a collection of old and new songs and collaborations with close friends that introduces Tunji and Toby to the world. Not to be confused with their forthcoming debut album, the group describes So Far as “a look at who we are, what we’re about, and what we’ve been working on – 14 original songs, some old, some new, all Inverse.”

Readying their debut album Long Day’s Journey for a 2008 release, Inverse draws on influences as far-reaching as OutKast, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Atmosphere and The Beatles, but most importantly from themselves and the world around them. Executive produced by A Piece Of Strange Music (the production duo of Deacon The Villain and Kno), the album will feature collaborations with Brother Ali, CunninLynguists, 9th Wonder, M-Phazes and more. The music is refreshingly honest, soulful and raw, anchored by poignant, personal rhymes and catchy melodies. Tunji and Toby rap truthfully about happiness, pain and everything in between, sounding only like themselves. Though only just getting started, Inverse stands poised to help usher in the next phase of hip hop music – just make sure you remember the name.

Tracklist:

1. So Far [Produced by Yoel]
2. Remember The Name [Produced by Cook Classics]
3. Everything Is Beautiful [Produced by Cook Classics]
4. Spotlight feat. Just Will [Produced by Decap]
5. Til The End (C.A.L.I.) feat. Trek Life & Deacon The Villain [Produced by Kno]
6. Constellation feat. A-Dub & Nieve [Produced by M-Phazes]
7. I Believe [Produced by Decap]
8. We Can Fly feat. MUD [Produced by Cook Classics]
9. HipHopSoul feat. Noah King [Produced by M-Phazes]
10. Wanna Groove feat. Tatyana Ali [Produced by MATTER]
11. Sunnycalifornia [Produced by Cook Classics]
12. Look Around [Produced by Kno]
13. All My Tomorrows [Produced by Decap]
14. One Step [Produced by Styalz Fuego]

Free Download

I know zshare has been givin people problems over the last few days. I’m currently at work so I can’t test if it’s not working at the moment, please let me know in the comments and I can upload it from my computer at home when I get there.

written by TheDude \\ tags: 2008, 9th Wonder, A-Dub, APOS, Cook Classics, Cunninlynguists, Deacon The Villain, DecapBeats, Free, Inverse, Little Brother, M-Phazes, Mixtape, MUD, Nieve, Noah King, Styalz Fuego, Tatyana Ali, Toby, Trek Life, Tunji

Cunnin is without a doubt my favourite group that’s currently doing their thang. I got into them when A Piece of Strange was released and I couldn’t believe how good they are (and why I’ve been sleeping on them for soooo long). I’ve always had a negative steretype towards the South, but acts such as Cunninlynguists and Little Brother are definitely out of this world. Kno is unreal when it comes to lacing pure fire beats, anything he touches turns to gold…CHECK ALL THESE NOW!

Cunninlynguists LPs:
Cunninlynguists-Will_Rap_For_Food-2001-FUA
Cunninlynguists-Southernunderground-Retail-2003-CMS
Cunninlynguists-Sloppy_Seconds_Volume_One-2003-SWE
Cunninlynguists-Sloppy_Seconds_Volume_2-2005-FTD
CunninLynguists-A_Piece_of_Strange-2005-CMS
Cunninlynguists-QN5_Rmx_Vol.2-2006-FTD_INT
Cunninlynguists-Dirty_Acres-2007-C4

Cunninlynguists Singles:
Cunninlynguists_And_Cashmere_The_Pro-Dirtay_BW_Smoke_Out-VLS-2004-C4
Cunninlynguists-Seasons_F_Masta_Ace-Proper_VLS-2003-CMS
Cunninlynguists-So_Live__12_Inch-2001-EGO

Kno:
Kno__Of_Cunninlynguists-Kno_vs_Hov__The_White_Albulum_-Proper-2004-C4

Mr. SOS (formely of Cunninlynguists):
Mr_SOS-SOS_For_President-2004-FTD
Mr.SOS-SOS_For_President_2-Inauguration-2005-FTD_INT
Mr._SOS-The_Pre-Op_EP-2006-UKP

My main dopegirl Breezilla has two nice Cunnin-threads already on the site so no need to repeat em. Check out these two posted by her:
Deacon The Villain (of Cunninlynguists) – The Sermons LP (2002)
Kno (of Cunninlynguists) – Excrementals Vol. 1 – 5

I don’t think I’ve missed anything, but if I have please let me know in the comments and I’ll update this thread.
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written by TheDude \\ tags: Cunninlynguists, Deacon The Villain, Hip-Hop, Kno, Mr. SOS, Music, QN5, Underground Hip-Hop

Man to be truthful, I slept on this one when it first came out… hell, I slept on the Cunninlynguists for a long ass time, but ever since I heard 07’s 3rd best album (Below the Heavens is number 1 & The Undisputed Truth is 2nd) I’ve been trying to compile the physical copies of their entire collection. Anyway this is probably one of the best underground groups from the south or anywhere in general so peep the preview track, download the album and if you like it, buy it here. For fans of Outkast, Devin the Dude, & Little Brother.

Dirty Acres.mp3

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written by admin \\ tags: Cunninlynguists, Devin the Dude, Little Brother, Outkast, QN5

The dudes over at sphere of hiphop damn near gave this album a classic rating and looking at Theo’s past efforts I can certainly believe the hype. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet for myself but from what I know Theo (who’s a member of Scribbling Idiots… Braille, Omegha Watts, MotionPlus, Kaboose etc.) is capable of and from what works I’ve heard from producer Vintage, we might be calling this one of 08’s top 10 (for fans of Pharoahe Monch, Masta Ace, & Cunninlynguists). Check the review, d/l the album and if you like it, buy it here.

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written by admin \\ tags: Braille, Cunninlynguists, Kaboose, Masta Ace, MotionPlus, Omegha Watts, Pharoahe Monch, Scribbling Idiots, Theory Hazit, Vintage

Got asked for some Qn5 a while back so I present you with Asterisk 4 (2007), Baby Blue For Pink EP (2008), & Extended F@mm’sHappy Fuck You Songs (2002). Even better, no RapidShare links this time (that’s Extended F@mm in the pic for the curious).

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written by admin \\ tags: Archrival, Cashmere, Copywrite, Cunninlynguists, Deacon The Villain, Domingo, Elite, Extended F@mm, Fresh Daily, Immaculate, Kno, Leo D., Masta Ace, Mr. SOS, Okwerdz, PackFM, Poison Pen, QN5, Sean Price, Session, SunnyStylez, Supastition, Tanya Morgan, Tondeff

If you’re a fan of Kno’s production then get ‘em before they’re gone… nuff said:

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written by admin \\ tags: Cunninlynguists, Instrumentals, Kno, QN5, Rare

1. Intro
2. Southernunderground
3. The South
4. Love Aint (Feat. Tonedeff)
5. Rain
6. Doin Aight
7. Interlude 1
8. Old School
9. Seasons (Feat. Masta Ace)
10. Nasty Filthy (Feat. Supastitio)
11. Falling Down
12. Sunrise-Sunset
13. Interlude 2
14. Appreciation Remix (Feat. Cash)
15. Dying Nation
16. War Continue reading »

written by admin \\ tags: Cunninlynguists, Southernunderground

I was wandering through my music folders and ended up finding this forgotten album. I gave it a quick listen through to refresh my memory, and I once again came to the conclusion that Kno is an amazing producer. Kno is able to give a completely different feel to the album. It is incredibly different from the production on The Black Album and when listening to some of the tracks, you can almost forget that you’ve heard Jay-Z spit those verses before. Check it out if you’re interested.

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written by admin \\ tags: Blend, Cunninlynguists, Jay-Z, Kno, White Album

If you don’t know who The Cunninlynguists are or how they get down then I pity you greatly (check back in a few days, I’ll hook you up). If you do, then you’ll be excited about this drop. This is group member Deacon the Villain’s unreleased LP (produced by Tondeff of Extended F@mm). It’s been floating around the internet for sometime, but I know there’s a lot of cats who didn’t even know it exists so catch it while you can.

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written by admin \\ tags: 2002, Cunninlynguists, Deacon The Villain, Kentucky, QN5, Tonedeff