Another ATL act graces the cover of Performer
Thanks to The Kaos Effect for the heads up. Looks like anotehr ATL MC has graced the cover of Southeast Performer Magazine. Click here for the article. Stacy Epps is a talented singer and MC based here in Atlanta who has rubbed shoulders with super producers like Madlib. I first saw her live in 2006 at BB King in NYC and I’ve been a fan ever since. Her Ruff Draft EP is solid and she does much of the production herself on the project. She’s a brilliant individual accomplished in arenas outside the studio as well. Celebrate the sister. How timely this cover story breaks right after I post Kid Kaos’ “Girls Rock Too” and after this healthy conversation on ATL Blog 4 crying out loud about women in Hip Hop.
Since we’ve been on the subject of Mushinah, I think I’ll share a song they’ve collaborated on. Be sue to check Ms. Epps out on her myspace page.
Stacy Epps ft Musinah“222 (Hit me)”
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Now playing: Stacy Epps – Blessing (Prod. Apex)
via FoxyTunes
The awful, Inconvenient truth, revisited.. Atlanta is mentioned.
For some reason this won’t embded. Click this video link to see the presentation.
Thanks to TED.com for this video. I don’t see why people don’t realize there is money in this. If we can’t wait for the larger energy companies to move forward, invest in Green Companies that are setting the pace.
In Al Gore’s brand-new slideshow (premiering exclusively on TED.com), he presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists were recently predicting, and challenges us to act with a sense of “generational mission” — the kind of feeling that brought forth the civil rights movement — to set it right. Gore’s stirring presentation is followed by a brief Q&A in which he is asked for his verdict on the current political candidates’ climate policies and on what role he himself might play in future.
She did this record in 16 hours.
She is Mushinah. The project is called, of course, 16 Hours. You can either head over to RappersIknow.com to download it (I’m sure he won’t mind the extra traffic) or you can download it here. If you like Georgia Anne Muldrow, you’ll love Mushinah. I actually put one of her tracks on a Grits ‘n Gravy mix not long ago. She is like a machine the way she cranks out projects.
Finding a new sound
According to Hip Hop DX, it looks like Common is going in a different direction on his next album due for release this June, Invincible Summer. He’ll be looking to capture the energy of more dance oriented tracks. Maybe he saw the success of Timbaland in 2007 and doesn’t want to miss that gravy train. Will it be a good fit? Who can know? I do enjoy club music, but we’ve seen Common venture away from his classic sound before and it wasn’t received well. I liked Electric Circus but Hip Hop heads are a sensitive people. We’ve been tarried with too long and we’ve become attached to our artists and the styles with which they’ve afforded us to become accustomed. Either way, ATLien ,Dungeon Family alum, OutKast DJ and producer Mr. DJ is always a good look as are the Neptunes. I can’t see this going horridly.
DX: You working on the next album after Finding Forever?
C: Yeah, the new album is called Invincible Summer. It will be out in the later part of June. The music sounds new. It’s really developing. I’m really happy about it. It feels good. It’s not really heavy. The Neptunes are producing a lot of it. Also a producer named Mr. DJ . He did a lot of work with OutKast. He did “Bombs Over Baghdad” and “Ms. Jackson.” These cats are really giving me some new, fresh sounds. I’m taking it somewhere vocally that I haven’t been before. I’m enthused. I’m really excited. I think it’ll be a great summer album. I wanna make people smile and enjoy life. As much as I wanna make them think, it’s important that they smile, too.
DX: So, there will be a couple of club tracks in there?
C: When I went on the Kanye West Glow in the Dark Tour in Europe, I was overseas and just saw people partying overseas. Seeing the music that they were partying to was just a good feeling. I was like, “Wait, none of my songs are being played over here!” What am I missing in my music repertoire? You never stray away from music. You always need music that’s uplifting and conscious, but you also sometimes wanna relax and party. At a party, you might not wanna hear those things at that time.
DX: Common, why didn’t you mention Kanye’s name as a producer for this new CD?
C: With Kanye, point blank, I’m on G.O.O.D. Music. We’re always going to collaborate. If he’s not producing it, he’s gonna executive produce it and say, “Yo, Rash, we need to do these things with it.” He’ll always be a part of it, but right now he’s focusing on getting his tour together, this Glow in the Dark Tour. I always go with the flow of things. This is what I’m doing for this album. On the next album, Kanye and I will be working on it with some other new artists. But I think this will give it something fresh and it’ll give it more spice when Kanye and I get back together. Who knows? He may do something for this album, too, because I’m not finished.
No Doze/ New Music
Well, I’ve been listening to alot of older music lately. I can’t explain exactly why this is. What is old? Well, mainly I’ve been listening to First wave Ska, Old School Hip Hop, Parliament and Led Zeppelin. I’ve been enjoying myself. But, alas, I have a responsibility bringing new projects and artists to you, my readers. Most of this music isn’t incredibly new, but it’s still got that new cd smell about it. Let’s start with a group you should have heard of already. It’s called Idle Warship and it’s single is nothing like the other tracks I’ve heard from them. Looks like they want to go the way Bilal did with First Born Second and totally confuse both record companies and consumers. I’d normally frown at this, but since this song is about the Industry it could have been a little ‘how’s your father’ from Talib Kweli and Res, the duo that comprises Idle Warship. I love some Res. Santogold wrote most of her first album How I do and much of it was produced by Esthero’s production team. She knows how to keep good company. She is a talented singer and performer in her own right and being easy on the eyes doesn’t hurt her appeal either. We all know who Talib Kweli is. The Brooklyn MC has been on his Janet Jackson- he’s taken control of his career with the creation of his own label Blacksmith. What I hear is an explosive fusion music spanning from electronic to spoken word, Hip Hop and Soul. I’m curious to see where this goes. Remember, the single is nowhere near as interesting as other tracks, but I’ll respect them by going ahead and releasing the single first.
Idle Warship- “Industry Diary”
The next group isn’t new either, but The Black Keys have recently dropped their acclaimed album Attack and Release. I was a huge fan of Rubber Factory and other projects from this group, but this here is just incredibly fresh. Why? I don’tknow if it’s because I’ve been bombarded with too much lo-fi folk music or too much clean yet hard driving, pop driven Rock lately but this here seems grimey. It coats your ears in wonderful soot as it eases into your countenance. It’s that smooth, yes. Would I lie to you? Maybe if I was getting paid under the table, I would. A man’s gotta eat. Thankfully, this isn’t the case. I’ve got just a handful of loyal readers andI tell y’all the truth. Attack and Release has a down-home, basement blues sensibility about it without sounding like it was recorded in a closet. I guess having Dangermouse on as the producer doesn’t hurt, right? I have yet to put my finger on how Dangermouse is able to create these compositions that at once hearken to a tangible past without sounding like either an homage or a facsimile, but he pulls it off, again. Don’t take my word for it. Listen for yourself.
The Black Keys- “Lies”
The third and last National/International group of this No Doze Segment is the Kidz in the Hall. Yeah, this isn’t about the comedy troupe. This is about the Chicago-based Hip Hop duo that seems to be dropping mixtapes every other hour on the hour. Not only have they dropped some of the more interesting mixtape projects of late like Naledge is Power, Detention and others that slip my mind but they’ve been getting their politic on, as I’ve noted in past posts (again, without Internet Explorer you can’t view ATL Heat’s archives. I have no idea why that is, and I’m tired of trying to fix it. When I move to wordpress in the summer, it’ll be fixed). Well, looks like they’ve remixed their Obama support. They’ve added Talib Kweli and Under Ground King Bun B. Oh yes, those Obamaites have star power.
Kidz in the Hall ft Talib Kweli & Bun B – “Work to Do”
That quickly we are back in the A-town. I love talking about what we have going on in the city. I think I’ll start with an R&B songtress that might have slipped off your radar but is back into the swing of things in a big way with a song produced by last week’s No Doze segment producers, Battery 5. I’m talking about former TLC member, Chilli. Fresh off what can be regarded as her drama filled post-TLC career, the sister is back to work with a song already getting spins here in Atlanta clubs and on local Radio.
Chilli- “Dum, Dum, Dum”
Listen, folks…I am one man. I can’t be everywhere. I can’t do everything. I also work nights so I miss most shows, it seems. That is how small of a picture you are getting about ATL’s music scene when you come to this site. This is part of the reason why I have so many links along the right-hand side of this blog. Peruse them. Click the links, find out what going on. Why? Because I didn’t even know this act existed. HEED is a live band from Decatur doing it WELL. Front man Big HEED reminds me of B.o.B in that he has a street sensibility about his flows but his content, his subject matter is broad. He has an armory stocked with lyrical weapons of which he can choose coupled with the luxury of baddest drummer in Atlanta by his side, Alien 1. Alien 1 is a dynamo. If you’ve EVER had a chance to see him live, you cannot forget him. He’ll jump over his drums, stand on them, flip sticks, walk around with his snare…anything the spirit moves him to do. If you haven’t seen them live, you are losing in life. Seriously.
HEED-“LEGZ”
HEED live at A-town Day 2008 from FireBrand on Vimeo.
Last but not least is Kid Kaos aka Senor Kaos. If you don’t know, you should know that Kaos is the man around Atlanta in the promotions game. He’s also one half of Vintage Imperial. Vintage Imperial doubles for the marketing arm of Kaos’s promotions business and the group that the ATL Underground is holding it’s breath to hear from again. It’s been a few years since Senor Kaos has blessed us with a single of his own. We’ve heard him on DJ Unknown’s 200.6 FM Mixtape in 2006 and we got a taste on that Audubon Society Volume 4. But this jawn is all his and it’s already getting spin on Radio 1 in London. So lets run a check right quick. Kid Kaos:
1.) 1/2 of Hip Hop duo Vintage Imperial
2.) Owner of Vintage Imperial Marketing and Promotions
3.) Runs The Kaos Effect Blog
4.) Promoter of Creative Control at Cenci with DJ Jamad, DJ Lord, Applejac & Steve Dinero.
Yeah, he’s holding down the A. And yeah, I’m showing him extra love because we are both originally from Brooklyn. Talk about it. Show some love for the Kid Kaos. He’s known for dropping classics automatically.
Kid Kaos/Senor Kaos-“Automatic Classic”
Kid Kaos/Senor Kaos- “Building Character”
Kid Kaos/Senor Kaos- “Girls Rock Too”
Nothing wrong with a throwback.
I know, I know. We’ve had it up to *here* with Throwbacks, haven’t we? It was cool at first when Bigboi was doing it back in like 99′, now you’d swear it was done, over with. However, under those cheap, knock-off all-over-print hoodies often lurks a cheap, knock-off Throwback. However, this isn’t about that. This is about the Platinum Finger Series from legendary Atlanta Mixtape king, DJ Jelly. I remember when this first platinum finger dropped. I was at Georgia Southern, and it was playa’s ball. I put this mixtape on and left the studio so I could go party. I’m lying. I’m responsible. I’d never do that. I did however, put this mixtape on and everyone loved it. Then I bolted out the door for the strip and got my buck-wild on. Every week DJ Jelly is dropping a “throwback mix” on Southernstyle DJ’s. I’m a hip hop head, yes. But I like to party too. Contrary to popular belief there is room for both. I can’t think of any party music that was “deep”, so keeping that in mind let’s take a sec and think back…
DJ Jelly- Platinum Finger
Looks like Janelle Monae had a warm reception in NYC.
Nice. That’s what I like to see. By the looks of things they rolled out the red carpet and invited out alot of celebs for Janelle Monae’s performance in New York on Thursday. I’m thrilled for her and the nice folks over at Wondaland. AUCenter, stand up!!! If you’ve ever seen this sister perform live, you know it was a great show. I hope they were prepared for what they were in for! I’ve been hearing grumblings about her sound being watered down potentially by the Diddy machine. I don’t gather from seeing this sister or the team of people around her that they are the kind to tamper with their artistry. If they do, so be it. That’s part of the game too. Motown wasn’t exactly an organic experiment in music history. Part of the process in being a professional artist is knowing one’s audience. I just happen to be one of those nerds that like the punk-rock middle finger to the system sensibility. No matter, Janelle is great. Love her, world. Take a gander at who came out with this lovely picture gallery.
Some people are mad at our country’s money situation.
Well that’s what you get for speculating. Cherry pickingv is for the birds. We’ve dug ourselves into a very messy situation thanks to the Clinton and Bush regimes’ laissez-faire attitude towards the markets, taxation and regulation. Oh, don’t be mistaken. Clinton’s folks have a great deal of blame, in my opinon, with our current mortgage situation in this country. Had the predatory lending and pro-sumer lending options been reigned in as many wanted for years such as Rob Wilson from WAOK here in Atlanta, we wouldn’t be in this deep of a mess. Between Hedge funds, Derivatives and other complexed Dark Market activity, we need to take a deeper look at our financial system. I used to read Worth Magazine and other financial rags back in my Financial Advisor days and the most popular instruments talked about were hedge funds and mortgage backed securities. When people assume there is no risk, there will be consequences. We’ve seen this before in Asia as recently as 1998 during the Clinton Administration. We witnessed the fall of the Baht, and spread of contagion. We learned NOTHING. Don’t for one second think the rest of the Free Market world aren’t facing the same problems either. England just had to nationalize Northern Rock (one of their biggest banks), and Germany, Italy, Spain as well as other Western European countries are all in trouble with millions of empty new homes. It’s like Thailand all over again. Didn’t this just happen 10 years ago? Why aren’t people using common sense? Why are we listening to fast-food financial advice? Get some proper perspectives from NPR about our current situation broken down to easily understood terms here:
Fresh Air from WHYY, April 3, 2008 · Perplexed by the U.S. economy? You’re not alone. Law professor Michael Greenberger joins Fresh Air to explain the sub-prime mortgage crisis, credit defaults, the shaky future of other types of loans and what we can expect from the U.S. financial markets.
Greenberger is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law and the director of the University’s Center for Health and Homeland Security.
I tried to get tickets twice, but ticket master was down.
Aint a lick of shame in my game,folks. I’ll talk about it. I have no problems admitting that it ain’t even near in my budget to go to this show. That’s just real life. I’m a student and I work in media. Why do alot of us get free fixin’s in Radio, TV and Print journalism? It’s because folk know we are broke. We do it for the love, people. I just happen to work in Radio which is the lowest on the media totem pole and my tastes exceed pay grade. Bearing this in mind, my wife confiscated my credit cards, family. It’s true, it’s true. I aint gotta lie to you. For some reason companies expect to be paid on time. They even send you a little notice in the mail when you forget to, so I didn’t even protest this matronly maneuver. At this point all I can hope for is a freelance gig to drop in my lap before the show sells out. Damned Ticketmaster ruined everything. Had I ordered the darn tickets about 5 hours earlier I’d be in the clear. Btw, hi baby! Don’t be mad at me, honey. I aint even spent it. For y’all without cash flow issues, though:
big – a world premiere
Featuring Atlanta Ballet
and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton
Choreographed by Lauri Stallings
April 10 – 13, 2008An adventuresome, exhilarating evening featuring the world-renowned musical artistry
of Grammy Award-winning Antwan `Big Boi’, Patton as well as artists of Purple Ribbon Entertainment.Daring, progressive, soulful, these very talented artists perform a stunning collaborative
piece, LIVE on stage with Atlanta Ballet’s exquisite dancers.Preliminary song list for big include such tracks as “Morris Brown” from the Idlewild
soundtrack, “The Way You Move” from Speakerboxx, and possibly, one of OutKast’s
defining songs “Bombs Over Baghdad”.
Well, I guess it’s official: Mr. & Mrs. Carter.
There aren’t many occasions you’ll see Jay-Z mentioned twice on this blog. I just haven’t been much of a fan of his work since Reasonable Doubt. Yeah. I’m one of THOSE people. Congrats to President Carter and his lovely wife, though. I’m not one for picking wedding songs, but tell me there is a more fitting one than this song. I’m sure other blogs will choose Bonnie & Clyde or some such foolishness, but damn it if this song aint regal.
Reconstructing Atlanta
Have y’all been to the website for Reconstructing Atlanta? It’s interesting stuff. I promised myself I’d submit some photos as a Clark-Atlanta student for their ongoing student projects, but alas I’m lazy. Actually I was sick and lazy… I think apathetic is an adjective I can toss in there too. In any case, it’s very interesting work and I think everyone should at least give it a gander. Chances are they’ll have an exhibit up somewhere along the very FREE and very FUN Downtown Atlanta Art Stroll which occurs first Thursdays of every month. I wish more college students would participate in that. If anything it’s a great resource for free food and wine. Even if you can’t do that, at least check out this site. 718 visits is kind of pathetic. Let’s get them some traffic. 
While I’m here talking about ongoing projects in Atlanta, I think I should mention the J-Dilla Lupus walk. Kid Kaos aka Senor Kaos’s blog The Kaos Effect has a message from J-Dilla’s Uncle, someone we in Atlanta know as “Uncle Herm”, check it out, participate, volunteer. Help the Dilla foundation fight this disease. Lupus is a horrible disease. I watched an older cousin die from it. It was very sad. She was a brilliant spirit and much like Jay Dilla she brought a light to this world starting by being active in her community. I’m not afraid to say that Dilla changed my life. Slum Village, The Ummah (musical faction), and the Soulquarians have a very large and defined fingerprint on my musical tastes and sensibilities. Much of that is due to the genius of Dilla. R.I.P. On a brigther note, we’ve got lots of parties going down Thursday as well as live shows I’d love to get into. Just not right now. I’m busy procrastinating.
Welcome to my glorious mess. 
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