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Articles Archive for July 2013

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[31 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Last week, Roach Gigz released his new mixtape, Roachy Balboa III. The tape, premiered by The FADER, has earned strong early feedback, and with momentum growing, Roach is back today, on the heels of having RBIII selected as Stereogum’s Mixtape Of The Week, with the latest in what will be a string of new videos from RBIII, this one for a party track dedicated to the rapper’s beverage of choice: beer.  “Crack A 40″ features a verse from Kool John, a member of the HBK Gang that includes rapper Iamsu! and producer P-Lo, both of whom are also featured on Roach’s mixtape.
The track, which is produced by Trev Case, also …

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[29 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Fresh off his tour through Australia, Funk Volume rapper Dizzy Wright has released the latest single and video from his upcoming mixtape The Golden Age, entitled “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” which was produced by Will Power aka SupaHotBeats . Directed by George J. for Geeezy Productions, the visual offers a glimpse into the world of the rising hip-hop star, capturing both the simple pleasures of a trip to the barbershop and chilling with friends over pizza along with Dizzy’s captivating flair interacting one-on-one with the camera, and also teases more to come as he embarks on his next chapter. Showing the same engaging personality he’s …

New Releases »

[26 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

The Bangerz have stood alongside a veritable Who’s-Who list of groundbreaking artists, including Diplo, Chris Brown, Afrika Bambaataa, Kelis, The Clipse, Ghostface Killah, Z-Trip, Major Lazer and Odd Future. Their ongoing collaboration with dance crew The Jabbawockeez has created some of the most innovative explorations of the intersection between music and dance to date. The six-person production/DJ crew returns in full force with PRiSM, a 14-track electronic explosion that leaves the listener’s head spinning in the best possible way.

The extraordinary musical IQ of the group is on display here-heavy trap tracks sit right alongside funky house, covering the scope …

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[24 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Fresh off the release of the deluxe remastered edition of his mixtape KILT 2, rapper and producerIamsu! will be headlining the 23-city HBK Forever Tour, presented by Pink Dolphin.  Also, HBK will release their debut mixtape, entitled Gang Forever, right before the tour kicks off via LiveMixtapes on August 12th. In celebration of the news, Su! and his HBK compadres have released a new video which follows the underwater antics of the crew in the pool at a backyard BBQ laying down verses over Wiz Khalifa‘s “STU” instrumental, which The Invasion produced for Wiz’sCabin Fever 2 mixtape. The track will not be on Gang Forever, which will have all original music.
Heart Break Gang is a bevy of talented individuals …

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[23 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Funk Volume rapper Jarren Benton is known for both eye-catching visuals and lyrical content that run the gamut from comical to shocking, and the new video for “Life In The Jungle,” the latest single off his impressive debut album My Grandmas Basement, continues to prove why he has become one of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars. HotNewHipHop produced and premiered the visual, which was directed by Armen Soudjian, who drew inspiration from a variety of sources, but none more than Jarren himself. “The second I heard the song, it was Jarren’s speed/lyricism along with the beat that made me visualize a dark, yet fun …

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[23 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

The new video “Let’s Build” from Chicago artist F.Stokes may have been shot on the streets of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, but Stokes says the track was actually “made in 1985 or ’86 in a welfare office on the Southside of Chicago.  This piece is derived from the cold, empty, hopeless emotions I felt when I saw my mother filling out the paper work as me and my sister waited.” Regardless of the moment when it began to come together, the visuals fully feature the legendary Brooklyn neighborhood, which was the setting for Spike Lee‘s classic Do …

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[18 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Philly’s own Japhia Life delivers a brash grind-house style video for the menacing street single “Cloud” produced by J!Rodgers off of his critically acclaimed Westside Pharmacy album. The video is directed by Quentin Filipino (Eye Witness Media) & co-directed by Japhia. NoMalice of the rap duo Clipse (Re-Up Gang) makes an appearance solidifying Japhia as carrying on the legacy and tradition of lyric driven street hip-hop. It is a visual breath of fresh air and gives a sure glimpse of what we can expect in the future from the emcee …

New Releases, Video »

[18 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Since beginning his “Ill Mind Of Hopsin” video series 4 years ago, Funk Volume Records co-founder Hopsin has already racked up nearly 120 million views to his YouTube channel, in addition to seeing his label thrust into the spotlight with the recent explosive success of artists Dizzy Wright and Jarren Benton. Today he released the latest installment, “Ill Mind Of Hopsin 6,” in which he details the experience of losing a childhood friend to drug addiction. The track will be featured on his highly anticipated upcoming album Knock Madness, which will be released on November 26. Known for explicitly detailing his struggle toward success …

Announcements, Video »

[18 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Although The Public Interest album date has not yet been revealed, today we bring you the album artwork designed by Soul Acadamy’s Callan Grecia.

Artwork Explained
The image of the president embodies the theme of the album. He’s autonomous with the public interest and being its custodian (keeping it, keeping the public’s interest). The title is also a factor here, because, even though it is Black Moss’s personal experiences, ‘public interest’ insinuates a more universal viewpoint, rather than an individualistic take on the views expressed. Although the image of the president may …

Tours »

[15 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Dizzy Wright, who is a member of the 2013 XXL Freshmen Class and is signed to independent label Funk Volume alongside Hopsin, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, and DJ Hoppa, will be covering the United States on his upcoming The Golden Age Tour. The tour is presented by both Funk Volume and HotNewHipHop, is sponsored by Gig It, and will feature New York rapper Emilio Rojas as supporting act.
As the tour approaches, Dizzy is certainly keeping busy. Fresh off a performance at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, he is heading out on a …

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[12 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

G and Q, together known as the Dallas-meets-Phoenix rap duo Full | REBEL | Jacket, premiered their self-directed video for their new track “27th” today on AllHipHop.  The song itself, which according to Q is “inspired by the mind state of individuals who have bills coming on the 1st but are short on the ’27th’”, is an abrasive and energetic track.  To see the duo sporting classy, button-up shirts in an elegant restaurant setting is a somewhat unexpected visual to pair with the aggressive song, but Full | REBEL | Jacket pull it off …

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[12 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Oakland, California rap collective Hieroglyphics premiered the second visual off of their soon-to-be-released album The Kitchen today on Rolling Stone.  The video for“It’s Partly Me”, a comical clip about doomed relationships, shows the group as characters from the 1970s.  Hiero member Pep Love explains that the latest visual “is like a throwback concept to blaxploitation movies from the ’70s…it’s a funny video.”
The group’s new album is their first studio album since 2003’s Full Circle.  Sacramento DJs/producers The Sleeprockers worked on all 17 tracks of The Kitchen, which drops on July 16th.
Check out the video premiere here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/hieroglyphics-get-introspective-on-its-partly-me-premiere-20130712

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[11 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Today, The FADER premieres the video for “Where You Been?,” the first official single from A.Dd+‘s forthcoming album, DiveHiFlyLo. The album will be out later this year, and will serve as a culmination to all of the recent successes and accolades that the Dallas duo of Slim Gravy and Paris Pershun have been stacking up in the two years since the release of their breakout album When Pigs Fly, a project that earned praise from Pitchfork, found A.Dd+ on the cover of local alternative weekly the Dallas Observer, and ultimately put them on Red Bull-sponsored tours.
Given those successes, and all that the duo plans …

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[11 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Roach Gigz has been on a roll lately building up anticipation for the July 25th release of Roachy Balboa III, the latest in his series of acclaimed mixtapes, and shows no signs of slowing down. Today VICE’s Noisey Music premiered his latest visual for the track “Goomba Circus,” which was shot by David Camarena along the Santa Cruz, California, boardwalk as well as at a sold-out stop from Roach’s recent tour. “We were on a nationwide tour and we just wanted to give a glimpse into what is was like,” says Roach. A sense of fun and frivolity permeate throughout his music …

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[11 Jul 2013 | No Comment | ]

Chicago wordsmith F.Stokes shares a driving sense of purpose in the new video for “Shaka Zulu,” a standout track from his recent album Fearless Beauty that was produced by Doomtree member Paper Tiger. Amid a grainy, grimy backdrop that is true to the Windy City, Stokes issues his rallying cry: “I’m fighting ’til we all free/Shaka Zulu.”
“Location was everything,” he muses when he looks back at the video. “This video was inspired, physically, by the landscape of my neighborhood, and how aesthetically and habitably the Southside of Chicago relates to an African jungle.” This parallel extends beyond the physical street corner, into the psyches of the young …