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Duck Down prepares for major revival
Nearly fifteen years after its launch Duck Down Recordings, the storied NY imprint founded by industry executive Dru Ha and Black Moon leader Buckshot, is poised to experience its biggest success since the days of Dah Shinin and "Leflah."
Duck Down has recruited Koch as its distributor for several upcoming projects. The first will be Casualties of War, a collection of outtakes from Boot Camp Clik’s 2006 album The Last Stand and tracks spotlighting the label’s roster. It’s scheduled to drop on August 14.
Rumors have swirled for months that Sean Price, one-half of Heltah Skeltah and the hero behind this year’s underground hit Jesus Price Supastar, will soon sign with Def Jam. While that has yet to pass, Price is preparing a mixtape, Master P, for release on July 24. He has also begun work on a new album tentatively titled Mic Tyson, and has formed a supergroup with Detroit rapper (and Stones Throw artist) Guilty Simpson and rapper/producer Black Milk. The trio hopes to drop an album before the end of the year.
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Tagged Boot Camp Clik, Buckshot, Duck Down, Sean Price, Special Teamz
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Now-Again compiles “Re:Sounds”
Now-Again Records is the quiet little brother of Stones Throw Records. Launched by general manager, DJ, and crate-digging superstar Eothen "Egon" Alapatt, it focuses on reissues of little-known funk bands from around the country. Groove aficionados love the imprint, but it doesn’t garner nearly as much publicity as the mighty Stones Throw.
While the casual Madlib-loving fan might not have much interest in prime reissues like Amnesty’s critically-acclaimed Free Your Mind or the much-loved Connie Price & the Keystones, he might go for the forthcoming Now-Again Re:Sounds Vol. 1. Set for release on July 17, the compilation features previously vinyl-only remixes (like Kenny Dope’s remix of Kashmere Stage Band’s "Super Strut Vol. 1") and new, deep funk-influenced cover songs by Edan, Koushik, Aloe Blacc, Guilty Simpson and many others. The track listing for Now-Again Re:Sounds Vol. 1 is below.
Panacea takes “The Scenic Route”
Last year, Washington D.C. duo Panacea gave a pleasant surprise in the form of Ink is My Drink. The album was part standard-issue backpack rap, but it had a wonderful dreamlike quality, like the musical equivalent of Margaret Brown’s Goodnight Moon, or a B-boy version of Carole King’s "Chicken Soup and Rice."
Producer K-Murdock and MC Raw Poetic will bring back its Christopher Cross-styled hip-hop with The Scenic Route. Set for release on September 4 via Glow-in-the-Dark (which enjoys a distribution deal with Rawkus), the sophomore disc takes Panacea’s panacean qualities to gauzy extremes, and soul dynamo Raheem DeVaughn makes an appearance. "It’s really dynamic this time around. I consider it my masterpiece," says K-Murdock in a press releae. "If you want to get away, but can’t afford the vacation, this is for you." The track listing for The Scenic Route is below.
Zeph & Azeem back Souls of Mischief
In the San Francisco Bay Area, DJ Zeph and Azeem enjoy enviable reputations. The former gets props as a crate-digger, club DJ and turntablist. The latter is an acclaimed spoken-word and performance artist as well as a dextrous MC who has collaborated with Anti-Pop Consortium and Michael Franti, among many others.
Unfortunately, when the duo teamed up, the resulting Rise Up (issued on Om Records in May) didn’t make much noise outside of the West Coast. It’s like that sometimes…not every artist, no matter how talented, gets to go national and blow up. But next month, the rest of the country — or at least the eastern seaboard — will get a chance to see what it’s missed when Zeph & Azeem opens for Souls of Mischief, and then throw down at the annual Scribble Jam bonanza in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dates are below.
Necro bombs Sounds of the Underground
Every rock festival and/or tour needs its token rappers, and the Hot Topic-sponsored Sounds of the Underground junket is no different. But only a sick and twisted individual would choose gore proponent Necro to represent the hip-hop generation to the suburban ‘tweens and mallrats.
Then again, perhaps Necro fits right in amongst Gwar and Every Time I Die. "Metal has shown me a lot of love as a rapper. I don?t get nearly the same love from the hip-hop community," he writes on the Headbangers Ball blog. "In hip-hop, it seems everyone is out to stab each other in the back. Metal is more about music and musicians and the love for riffs and creativity. I have met most of the hip-hop legends and they don?t compare to the coolness of metal legends. But I have always considered myself both metal and hip-hop. I don?t see why there is a separation when both art forms started out super underground, rebellious, and original, and most of the world hated both."
True school summer park jams jump off in NYC
Forget what you think you heard from Nas, Oprah Winfrey, Al Sharpton or Master P. Real hip-hop is not going to die. It may fade away from the mainstream, but who cares? Real heads know that living, breathing culture — DJ’ing, graff writing, B-boying and MC’ing — has thrived both in and out of the limelight for decades, and it doesn’t need a backup dancer spot in a Christina Aguilera video to survive.
Summer park jams in New York are as old as the art form itself. This year, event promotion/publicity company Tools of War has teamed up with various sponsors and local politicians to throw a series of parties that not only bring the elements together, but feature many of the classic artists that helped birth hip-hop. Participants range from founding fathers Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore and Kool DJ Red Alert; to golden age heroes Lord Finesse and Steve Dee; and newer jocks such as Egg Foo Young. All of the events are free and family friendly.
Del returns!
On October 16, legendary West Coast hip-hop artist Del the Funky Homosapien will release The 11th Hour. The long awaited album is his first solo recording in nearly seven years — ever since 2000’s Both Sides of the Brain.
Obviously this is historic news. One of the titanic figures in alternative rap, Del has been largely quiet since 2001, when his Deltron 3030 project and his guest appearance on Gorillaz’ "Clint Eastwood" single brought him mainstream attention. A few random guest spots (notably Push Button Objects’ "360" single and Handsome Boy Modeling School’s White People) along with the occasional tour is all that’s been heard or seen of him.
Much more details on The 11th Hour, from a proper track listing to a massive fall tour with Devin the Dude, will be released in the next few weeks. For now, however, Del is embarking upon a short "Calm Before the Storm" tour to warm tings up. Those dates, which come from a MySpace bulletin Bukue One sent out this week, are listed below.
Rock the Bells, Paid Dues rock the nation
As expected, the Rock the Bells festival — which built its reputation in 2003 by featuring the last live appearance of the complete Wu-Tang Clan (RIP Ol’ Dirty Bastard) — has expanded from a two-day blowout to a summerlong holiday.
This year’s bill includes the mighty Clan (who will hopefully finish their 8 Diagrams comeback before heading on the road), Nas, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, David Banner, Immortal Technique and Jedi Mind Tricks. Freestyle phenom Supernatural and beatboxer legend Rahzal host.
As an added bonus, Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and UGK will appear on select dates. Rage and Cypress Hill are slated for Rock the Bells shows in New York, San Bernardino and San Francisco. Every concert date will include numerous special guest performers.
Meanwhile, the previously announced Paid Dues Festival is gearing up for its own national jaunt. Felt (Atmosphere and Murs), Living Legends, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, G&E (the Grouch and Eligh), Hangar 18 and Luckyiam.psc. Just like Rock the Bells, Paid Dues will be brought to you by Guerilla Union, in association with rapper/executive Murs 3:16.
For those who want to attend Paid Dues and Rock the Bells, the two processionals will unite for one massive showdown on June 28-29 in New York and August 11 in San Bernardino. Book your airplane tickets now.
Dudley Perkins and Georgia Anne Muldrow offer peaches and light
During the next several months, Dudley Perkins and Georgia Anne Muldrow plan to cement their status as the power couple of future soul.
Perkins, who also records under the name Declaime, is best known as Madlib’s homie from Oxnard, and the unique rapper/vocalist behind triumphs such as A Lil’ Light and Expressions. Meanwhile Muldrow’s full-length debut Olesi: Fragments of an Earth updated free jazz for the 21st century, and was one of the most talked-about underground soul albums of 2006.
Now the two are launching a new label called Epistrophik Peach Sounds. And while details on the label’s release schedule are a little sketchy, a few recordings featuring both artists will definitely drop during the summer.
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Tagged 2tall, Dudley Perkins, Epistrophik Peach Sounds, Georgia Anne Muldrow
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Marley Marl suffers heart attack
It’s been over a week since I’ve updated this site. Like I’ve said before, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the daily grind. For the handful of cats who regularly check out Plug One, as well as the hundreds of heads who have visited it recently, apologies for stepping away for a minute.
A lot has happened, most importantly Marley Marl’s heart attack. According to an Allhiphop.com story, Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams suffered a heart attack on June 5 and was transported to a New York hospital, where he is convalescing. For those that don’t know Marley Marl’s history, the 44-year-old musician is one of the greatest beat makers in history, one of a handful that is fully deserving of G.O.A.T. status.
Marley Marl’s latest release is Hip Hop Lives, a long-awaited pairing with KRS-One.
Decon preps “The Release Party” for Dilated Peoples
Decon Media, a New York-based creative agency and record label, has been issuing hip-hop related projects for much of the decade. Its highlights range from DVDs (Team Ice Cream Vol. 1, a video featuring Pharrell Williams’ Ice Cream Skake Team) and music videos (Common’s classic "1-9-9-9" clip) to audio/visual endeavors (the Hiero crew’s One Big Trip) to standard hip-hop compilations (the ongoing NBA 2K series) and artist albums (Aceyalone’s critically lauded Magnificent City).
This summer will bring a new slate of Decon Media releases. It kicks off with The Release Party from Dilated Peoples, a 3DM project. (3DM stands for Three Dimensional Media, the format Decon uses for its DVD/CD endeavors.) The DVD portion accumulates a decade of video footage featuring the L.A. vets, from their early ABB salad days to their Capitol years. The CD will include several songs, the first material they’ve issued since that Capitol deal ended last year. The Release Party drops on July 31.
Blueprint tours East Coast
Blueprint often gets slept on. For the past few years the Columbus, Ohio artist has put in major work, from running his own label (Weightless Recordings) and introducing talented rhymers like Illogic; to making instrumental albums (Chamber Music) and acting as the rapping half of Soul Position, the popular Rhymesayers group he shares with RJD2, as well as Greenhouse Effect.
While your average Definitive Jux-jocking fool probably doesn’t know who the other guy was in Soul Position, more than a few kids rocked out to 1988, his solid 2005 album on Rhymesayers. How else would he able to undertake his second tour in less than six months, one that includes several dates opening for Blowfly, and a few more on the huge Paid Dues/Rock the Bells jamboree?
"At the end of 2006 i told myself that i wasn’t going to tour in 2007 unless i had my new album finished," writes Blueprint in a May 17 post on his MySpace page. "Strangely enough my new album isn’t done and I’ve been touring. Partly because what i’m tryin to do on my next album is a little more ambitious, partly because i started messing around with some real estate stuff this winter and took 2-3 months off music, and partly because bills dont pay themselves!"
You can help ‘Print pay his damn bills when he hits your town. Tour dates are below.
P.O.S., K-os and MC Chris rock Warped Tour
For the past twelve years, the Vans Warped Tour has spread across America, bringing a mixture of mainstream punk bands eager to sell out and corporate sponsors eager to reach our nation’s impressionable youth. And each installment includes a few token rappers eager to expand their reach beyond the backpack nerds who normally attend their concerts. It’s like back in the 60s, when rock festival promoters would salve their liberal consciences by adding a few black artists to the bill.
As sucky as Warped Tour has become can — a tour that once prided itself on carrying one major sponsor (Vans shoes) is now backed by AT&T, for chrissakes — it can have a major effect on artists’ careers. Atmosphere, the Alkaholiks and many others can thank Warped Tour for ballooning their fan base. And we all know what Warped did for Gym Class Heroes.
This year, the 13th edition of Warped Tour will include Canadian musician K-os and Rhymesayers prospect P.O.S. (shown in photo) along with Adult Swim alum MC Chris on select East Coast dates among the hordes of emo nincompoops. (Okay, not all of the rock bands suck: Coheed & Cambria, Fishbone and Bad Religion will be there, too.) Tour dates are below.
Aesop Rock returns with “None Shall Pass”
It’s been four long years since Aesop Rock issued his last album, 2003’s Bazooka Tooth. In the interim, he’s kept busy with an EP (2005’s Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives), an installment for Nike’s +Original Run series (the recently released All Day Nike Original Run), an audio/visual project with artist Jeremy Fish (last year’s The Next Best Thing) and guest spots on several Definitive Jux and underground hip-hop joints. According to his press bio, he even completed soundtracks for two short films (though I’m having trouble finding out about that stuff).
So dude has been busy. Still, everyone’s been waiting for the album statement, particularly since Bazooka Tooth drew mixed reviews from fans and critics. So how will his sixth effort fare? All will be revealed on August 28 when None Shall Pass hits stores via Definitive Jux. The title track was recently leaked to the Internet, and hey! It’s pretty dope. That bodes well for the new album. Track listing is below.
Galactic heads “From the Corner to the Block”
Remember when Galactic announced that it was collaborating with several rappers on a new album? Well, the New Orleans jazz-funk-jam outfit has completed their new project, From the Corner to the Block. The album is set for an August 21 release via Anti- Records.
For those who haven’t heard Galactic — and I’m one of them — From the Corner’s stellar guest list should encourage you to introduce yourself. Lyrics Born, Mr. Lif, Chali 2na, Boots Riley from the Coup, Juvenile, Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Ohmega Watts and Vursatyl from Lifesavas make vocal appearances. N’awlins legend Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, the Soul Rebels Brass Band, Trombone Shorty and Nino Moschella are among the non-rap participants. Galactic saxophonist Ben Ellman produced the album.
As part of the world-spanning jam band scene, Galactic will stay plenty busy over the summer, making appearances at numerous festivals (including Bonnaroo). For a preview of From the Corner to the Block, check out the track listing and tour dates below.
Massline spreads through the West
Massline Media may be the most surprising indie label to emerge this year. With little more than persistence and quality music from its founders — Gabriel Teodros, RA Scion, Geologic and Sabzi — the Seattle crew has netted positive reviews in major publications such as Rolling Stone and fomented support from the world’s true school believers. Call it the little label that could.
"MassLine’s philosophy rejects the notion of art for arts sake, acknowledging that cultural arts is a hammer with which communities can reshape society," reads the bio on Massline Media’s MySpace page. "Through the medium of Hiphop music, combined with grassroots community organizing and a DIY ethic, we use music not simply to entertain, but to educate and empower."
Massline currently enjoys a distribution deal with Rawkus. Its next release will be Blue Scholars’ second album, Bayani. Before it drops on June 12, however, the Massline crew will embark on an extensive tour, completing several concerts throughout the western United States. Featured on the bill are Teodros, who released his critically acclaimed Lovework in February; Common Market, which dropped its self-titled debut last year; and Blue Scholars. Tour dates, as well as the track listing for Bayani, are below.
Kanye West comes closer to “Graduation”
Well, it’s not even the end of May yet and the hype machine is revving up for Kanye West’s much-anticipated third album.
According to Island Def Jam via an MTV.com report, West’s Graduation will drop in September of this year. A Billboard.com story reported that a teaser cut produced by DJ Toomp, "Can’t Tell Me Nothing," has already leaked online in snippet form. Other anticipated cuts include "Homecoming" with Coldplay leader Chris Martin (who the New York Times’ Jon Pareles memorably called "the most insufferable band in rock") and "The Glory."
As if the prospect of dropping another mega album wasn’t enough, the most arrogant man in hip-hop is claiming major credit for two upcoming opuses, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III and Common’s Finding Forever. (West’s work on Common’s first single, "Say Something," has already found major favor with the bloggerati.) Apologies for my snarkiness…but when you’re confronted with someone as supremely talented and confident as West, you’re going to make sure he meets the bar. Regardless of how good it is (or isn’t), though, I have to admit that West gets a ghetto pass for life for dissing President George W. Bush on national TV.
Styles of Beyond brings “Rocket Surgery” to Projekt Revolution tour
Rap-friendly metal band Linkin Park is preparing to release its third full-length album, Minutes to Midnight, and has already announced an itinerary for its summer-long Projekt Revolution. Amidst a horde of emo bands is Styles of Beyond. "We’re the only rap group on this sucka, so feel free to break out the Running Man, Roger Rabbit, or the Chicken Noodle Soup while we’re rockin’!!" wrote the band in a May 10 MySpace post.
That’s all fine and good, you might say, but what’s up with the f***in album? According to an April 10 post on SOB’s MySpace page, the group has finished their forthcoming album on Linkin Park rapper/producer Mike Shinoda’s Warner Bros.-distributed imprint, Machine Shop Recordings.
"We are just about done with the album and we’ve finally picked a title (drum roll please…) ROCKET SURGERY. Cause hip-hop ain’t brain science," writes Ryoji Shinozaki, who manages SOB member DJ Cheapshot’s boutique label Spy Tech Records. He goes on to write that Rocket Surgery will come out in June/July, but an official release date is still pending.
Serius Jones preps debut, addresses hip-hop haters
In recent years, every major catastrophe has brought a response from the rap community, a hastily-assembled track that comments on current affairs. The 9/11 attacks brought Wu-Tang Clan’s "Rules." (Around the same time, Sage Francis dropped his classic "Makeshift Patriot.") More recently, last December Papoose answered the Sean Bell police shooting with "50 Shots."
The fierce generational and societal debates surrounding hip-hop music and culture, which is lately reaching a fever pitch, already yielded a brilliant track from Killer Mike last year called "That’s Life." Serius Jones’ recent salvo, "Can’t Stop the Game," doesn’t compare to Mike’s fiery verses. But it does address Don Imus’ recent comments against the University of Virginia, which inadvertently (and some might say unfairly) started all the madness.
"If you think hip-hop is dead, then you got it confused/I know you done got the scoop if you watching the news/Some ugly-ass white dude named Imus just got exposed/Calling young black girls nappy-headed hos/Got caught and trying to blame what we do/Bitching up, like, ‘Well the rappers are saying it, too’/Now all of a sudden the media wants to make us the scapegoat/Yeah, we off the slave ship but we in the same boat," he raps.
"This song speaks on the overall state of Hip Hop," says Serius Jones in a press release. "There are so few representatives speaking on our behalf, so I felt obligated to make a song to blast on those who always try and blame Hip Hop for society’s problems. I feel that Hip Hop is an easy scapegoat for people like Imus who are racist by nature. Oprah definitely has something against rappers. She should be focusing her energy on changing the system which corrupts the youth mentality instead of trying to redirect our art form. The solution is for influential older Black people to listen and understand the youth, instead of trying to attack, ban us and censor our voice. Listen to the voice instead of the words, or you will never understand it."
Talib Kweli schedules “Ear Drum”
After nearly a year in delays, Talib Kweli finally has a release date for his third solo album.
Ear Drum is set for release on July 24 via his Warner Bros.-distributed imprint, Blacksmith Music. It features production from Kanye West, will.i.am, Madlib and former Reflection Eternal partner DJ Hi-Tek. The album title, says Kweli in a press release, represents "the image of the ear and of the drum, which are powerful enough by themselves, but put them together and it’s an instrument in your body that helps you hear. They’re also two very simple, yet powerful words. I wanted to focus on finding a sound that makes you move, and that’s where the word ‘eardrum’ popped in my head."
A lot is riding on Ear Drum for Brooklyn’s finest. Ten years removed from his "Fortified Live" debut with Reflection Eternal (yes, it’s been that long), many people in the music industry have written Kweli off, asserting that his time has passed and he’ll never break through to a wider audience. That may be the reason why a solid single released last year, "Listen," failed to connect. It was a strong single, but too predictable.