MC Mas The Bright Side

 

The single ‘Bright Side’ is the first official single and video clip from the forth coming album from MC Mas.The song features vocals from singer Emma Hand and is quickly racking up massive play counts on Youtube.

MC Mas who has recently signed to NZ urban label Empire Records has been on the grind for years performing live shows around New Zealand as a solo artist, the MC for DJ Marine and more recently with back up from live band Synergy Sound System.

He’s put in the hard yards funding his own album and videos as an Independent artist and after being snapped up by record label Empire Records his hard work is set to pay off with help in the form of distribution and promotion backing from Warner music.

MC Mas is set to make huge waves in the NZ music industry so check out the current single and watch out for the next single dropping soon.

 

 

            

 

You can find MC Mas on facebook here.

JCK Signs To Empire Records

 

After a very long time since my last record deal I have finally been signed. Yes persistence and perseverance have paid off and In my 10th year of making music as JCK I have been offered and have accepted a record deal with Auckland Label Empire Records. I'm very excited about this awesome opportunity to have my music have the chance to reach more people than I could do all on my own and I'm looking forward to seeing my third album reach a greater potential than I could offer as an independent artist.

How did this happen you may ask. Well after a very long time recording a massive amount of songs I decided to put together a digital album of what I considered to be my B sides which I called The Bees. I put it out independently through CD baby and offered it for free to those in the know on bandcamp. I sent a link of the album to a contact at Move The Crowd Records who got back to me 6 months later saying he has been listening to my album and liked it. So my next question was "are you signing any new acts to Move The Crowd Records at the moment?" The answer was no but we have a new label would you like to discuss what we could do for you? Hell yeah was the reply to that and bada bing badaboom.....signed. Saweet! Sooooo watch this space for the next exciting installment.

Adam Yauch Dies Of Cancer

It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.

With fellow members Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Adrock" Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band's 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.

In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces. In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985's Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds disbursed to the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including "So Whatcha Want," "Intergalactic," "Body Movin" and "Ch-Check It Out." Under his own name, Yauch directed last year's Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for "Make Some Noise" from Beastie Boys' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.

Yauch's passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin' For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy, Oren Moverman's The Messenger, Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze's Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.

Free Music from Kurnel MC

 

Kurnel MC aka Luke Epapara has been on the grind for 12 years chasing the dream making a name for himself in acts like Master Pilot and Funk n Slow Cuts. He is also known to many as the MC of the Nelson Giants' home games at the Trafalgar Centre.

A married father of two, Luke has released six recordings, including his solo album and is offering samples of his work from the past 12 years for free...for you.

Luke has just moved to the UK and is networking hard with the natives and as always is working on new collaborations and projects.

Kurnel MC signature sound features rap music with melodies and positive vibes and this veteran of NZ Hip Hop is going from strength to strength with each offering so get some fantastic free music from soundcloud compliments of Kurnel MC.

Click on The Kurnels Picture to go to the sound cloud page or click here

Tupac (As A Hologram) Joins Snoop Dogg And Dr. Dre On Stage At 2012 Coachella

 

Warren G, 50 Cent, Eminem. They’re all artists you’d expect to join Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre during their set at 2012 Coachella Music Festival last night. But Tupac Shakur? Uh, no way. Well, the late, great rapper did indeed join Snoop and Dre on stage… as a hologram.

The all-too-real-looking Pac hologram, which was shirtless, wearing Pac’s signature saggy pants and Tims, and sporting all of Pac’s iconic tattoos, blew the crowd’s minds as he rapped “Hail Mary,” then traded verses with Snoop on “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.”

Hologram Tupac is sure to ignite more is he/isn’t he really dead conspiracy theories, but we won’t even take it that far. I’ll just say this is the coolest/freakiest thing I’ve ever seen and leave it at that.

Hip Hop Group Threaten to kill pets

 

 

 

Most music groups plead for radio stations to make their songs commercial hits but an up-and-coming Auckland hip hop group has threatened to kill presenters' pets if their music hits the airwaves.

Homebrew Crew, infamous for filming a video advising drink drivers how to avoid check points last year, took to Twitter this week saying, ''f*** The Edge. F***ZM. F*** Flava. If you ever play our music, you'll come to work the next day with your dead pet in your parking space''.

A spokesperson for the Avondale trio, who identified himself only as Tom, said his tweet was in response to a comment made on The Edge on Wednesday.

The on-air remark was, 'they're always working hard those black people'.

Tom said the comment was in relation to a hip hop artist and was racist.

''I found that offensive so I tweeted ''F*** commercial radio''. Only because I have younger cousins who listen to those kinds of stations and it scares me that such blatant racism is used so casually,'' he said.

Homebrew later posted a recording, repeating part of the tweet, on online music sharing site Soundcloud.

Clint Roberts, an afternoon host at The Edge tweeted back to Homebrew: ''Pretty sure we've played it. Pretty sure you were aware of it. Pretty sure you voiced the intro and outro for it.''

Roberts later jibed: ''Pretty sure my cat is still alive''.

A spokeswoman for The Edge's parent company, Media Works, said the station hadn't received any complaints about the remark. She declined to comment further.

Homebrew were shortlisted for the 2010 New Zealand Music Awards Critics Choice Prize. The group also made headlines that year for putting on a fundraising gig to raise money to shoot a music video after being denied funding by NZ On Air.

Jane Deezy new album 'Based on actual events'

 

 

 

Current, pop orientated and highly talented. Jane Deezy is the new girl making me stand up and  take notice on the NZ Hip Hop scene.

There’s not much Info I can find out about Jane Deezy on the internet, but from what I can tell, she’s of African descent and has immigrated to New Zealand and reps Hamilton and Auckland. I could be wrong but like I said there’s scant information on the internet about her. But I do have her music and her latest album called Based on actual events.

I’m listening to it now and the production in most instances is very smooth. Her lyrics are poignant and her flow is tight. She reminds me a lot of Nicki Minaj and probably deserves to be just as famous but alas she is stuck in New Zealand a country that seems to have a natural aversion to pop orientated music if it’s made by New Zealanders, but accepts it if it’s foreign and spoon fed to them by commercial radio.

This album is very commercial and that’s not a bad thing to anyone but stroppy Hip-Hop scenesters, so I say this album is dope. Jane Deezy can get down and dirty and rugged as any underground Hip-Hop artist and brings it on songs ABC’s and STD’s and You made me do this.

She has a string of potential hits on here and the song Ay Miss and Upper Cut City stood out to me as songs with huge potential for world domination.

This girl can sing and she can rap with the best of em and her production on this album is very good.

So with my highest of recommendations check out Jane Deezy, download her free album and share it with your friends and spread the word.

 

Click on the album art work to go to the Jane Deezy bandcamp site to download her album Based On Actual Events.

Sons Of Mums

 

 

 

It took 12 days of recording for Auckland Hip-Hop group Sons of Mums to make their self titled 12 track debut album. The album is definitely influenced by 90`s Hip Hop with a sound not too dissimilar to Cyprus Hill and on the stoner rap tip but with it’s own New Zealand spin.

There’s a lot of humour in the album which I always find appealing and enough musicality for it to be a good listen.  An example of humour I found pretty entertaining was in the song Chill With You which contains a sample from Once Were Warriors with Jake Heke explaining to his wife that he’d lost his job. The ominous music in the background suggesting the iconic outburst of domestic violence made famous by the movie is about to be let lose. Funny because I'm imature.. what can I say.

The concepts of the songs are crass but humorous and the stand out track to me is Fuckbook with the most memorable chorus. “She added me on Facebook she must want to fuck me”.  The Single Ego Trippin is a good listen and the song For Fake MC’s has a very catchy chorus with the very familiar riff from the Crowded House song Stormy Weather in the background.

This album picks up in quality as it goes on and definitely grows on you. There’s nothing that even hints at commercial music which most people in the New Zealand Hip-Hop scene would greatly appreciate.

So big ups for rappers Tokie Kones, Kamasuda and producer Brothyl Beatz for doing a great job in 12 days. I'm guessing this is a long term project considering both the boys Tokie and Kamasuda got huge Sons of Mums tattoos recently. Hardcore!

You can download the songs from the album by clicking on the album cover art work.

Do we have battle raps here in New Zealand?

 

When most people think about a rap battle one of the first things most people will think of is the movie Eight Mile staring Eminem. The story of a struggling MC who makes it to the top of his local battle rap competition and gains the respect of his sceptics and critics.

Do we have anything like that in New Zealand?....yes we do and It's called 1 Out Street Battle. On the 25th of February 2012 I went to my first ever rap battle at Takapuna beach. 1 Out Street Battle is New Zealands first MC Battle League and I wished I knew about these events sooner so I want to do my part to spread the word so others with an interest in Hip Hop don’t miss out.

Formed in December 2010 by Spearman, 1 Out Street Battle holds events every month. The battles consist of 3 rounds at 1 minute per round, the rappers aren’t accompanied by music which is known as acapella.

The aim of the game is to make fun of your opponent with clever word play and rhyme schemes and believe me there are no holds bared. The MC’s touch on any subject they feel will demoralise or rattle their opponent and gain points with the audience including extremely personal subject matter like raping family members, insinuations of incest and being abandoned by parents as a child. You wouldn’t want to do this if you were over sensitive. But as with all things Hip Hop very little is taken seriously and insults hurled dissipate into the air as fast as they're spoken and to be honest it’s not too dissimilar to watching stand up comedy.

The venue changes every month usually a beach and occasionally a bar and all that’s required are the people and someone to film the battles and its game on. The event is hosted by Spearman and Tokie Kones and they often have a well known MC as guest host. There are a dozen or so regular battlers and contenders come from all over the country to participate. The battles give the MC’s a platform to display their skills and to gain exposure with the ever widening audience.

Contenders often post amusing vlogs that poke fun at their opponents in anticipation for their upcoming battle. It’s almost like the hype build up seen in pro wrestling and is pretty darn funny.

 

This is a fascinating and highly entertaining event and I suggest you come and check the next battle out.

If you want to keep tabs on the events go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/1-OUT-Street-Battles-NZ/142510922480462 and like 1 Out Street Battle on Facebook.

In the mean time have a look at some of the contenders from the days events.

 

Who is Permanent Head Damage?

 

If you type in NZ Hip Hop into Google not far from the top you will find Permanent Head Damage aka PHD formerly known as The Pot Heads .

These guys are hard not to notice. First thing you notice about them is that they’re everywhere on the net with a massive web presence. The second thing you notice is their presentation. The logo is sick the web site is dope and all their imagery and art work is stunning. Last but not least you notice the music. Open the web page and the first song to play off their Reverbnation widget is an infectious song called My team a fantastic example of their signature double time rap verses and smoothly produced backing tracks.

They have plenty of free music available too. I downloaded their 11 track mixtape off of their website http://www.phdhiphopnz.co.nz/ and its well worth a listen.

If you want to delve further into the music they have 3 albums available on Itunes. http://itunes.apple.com/nz/artist/phd/id421346995 These guys are prolific to say the least.

PHD who are Ryan Lovins (USA)  Jarod Liversedge (NZ) and DJ Selekta Q aka Jaime MacKinnon have been around for ages. I rememeber seeing them on TV years ago as The Pot Heads so they've been earning their stripes and paying their dues like all good music acts must.

Their regime of live shows continues with a fundraiser gig at Aucklands Rising Sun on Friday 20th of April 2012. The gig is to raise money for PHD to tour Australia and they will have a fantastic line up on the night with support from. ★ Pakkz Tha General ★ Sammy Gallows (Christchurch) ★ Envioso ★ Frantik ★ Big Freshh ★ SikeOne ★ DJ's Selekta Q & Oscar H.

So check these guys out and if you’re around go and watch them live at The Rising Sun on the 20th. In the mean timecheck out their latest music video K.O.T.U

 

                      

 

Levi Hawkens Nek Minute song

 

You've seen him on Youtube after he left his scooter out side the dairy and you've seen him on the Jonno project as Mike Mc Minute from 60 Nek Minutes now Levi Hawken is back with the the Nek Minnit Single. He even got to perform it at the Big Day Out. Levi Hawken has gotten a lot of mileage out of this catch phrase but I'm not complaining I love it. I even got the Nek Minute TShirt for my birthday.

 

So who is this guy? Well just watch his 20/20 interview and find out. Not only is he an ex pro skater and amazing skate board bomber but he's a fantastic artist who learnt his chops doing graph on the streets. His strange appearance is due to a disorder called ectodermal dysplasia which effects the cranial structure, gives the sufferer sharp teeth and effects the sweat glands. When I first saw him on Youtube I thought he was a crack head but he doesn't smoke or drink and his only form of transport is his skateboard. This guy is mega talented and his new single isn't to be taken seriously but is entertaining to say the least.

MANTHYNG featuring MC Elroy aka Levi Hawken - Nek Minnit (official single)

 

 

Check out the 20/20 interview with Levi Hawken.

http://tvnz.co.nz/20-20-news/june-23-4247765/video

 

Get JCK on your Android phone with this awesome free App.

Robba N Goblin

 

There's a new rap duo in town and they are called Robba N Goblin. They say whats on their mind and whats on their mind is mischief. So If you like shocking lyrics and bad attitudes and a good dose of the o'l FTW! then this group is for you.

The Cuzzies Ghost Chips

 

We've all seen the drink driving legend campaign on tv with the Maori boys, the ghost chips and the internalising a complicated situation in my head.... yeah you know the one.

Well the New Zealand Hip Hop group the Cuzzies have made a crack up song about it. I stumbled upon this video on Youtube and with 420k hits it seems I'm late to the party. But hey better late than never. What I like about it is the comedy element. They're basically taking the piss out of the Maori stereotype especially in their song I love Hangi and hey they can because they are Maori.

These guys are funny as and I´m pretty sure I've seen some of the same guys with 6 pack abs in J Geek and The Geeks. It's very similar in concept especially with the kapa haka influenced coriography. I´m sure some people will find the racial stereo typing controversial, but you´re probably an egg if you do. Any way without further adieu

You gotta check out Ghost Chips by The Cuzzies

And also I love Hangi by The Cuzzies.

JCK - The Bees Album Review

 

JCK (aka James Castady-Kristament) has been producing his brand of hip hop since 2002 with songs being picked up by radio stations and music TV.  It’s easy to see why he gets so much interest after listening to his latest album, The Bees.

He makes music that stands out from the usual bland, radio friendly pop masquerading as hip hop that seems to be paraded endlessly in the media as the next big thing.  JCK isn’t afraid to step outside the boundaries of the genre and use ideas from other musical styles to craft his songs.

His subject matter is yet another point of difference – dark and edgy, yet at times hilarious (like on the opener Rise of the Emo Clones) it’s refreshing to hear.

There are moments where he lapses into cliché, such as on the track Killer which stands out for its excessiveness and blatant violent overtones, a contrast to the majority of the album.

It’s the tracks where JCK raps about things close to his life, or makes entertaining observations on things he’s seen or pop culture, that show his real talent.

The Bees is an album that takes some time to get into, but overall is worth listening to.

 

CROWD GANG BITCH

So I downloaded the free Crowd Gang Bitch album off of www.ayebro.co.nz today. I admit I had no Idea who Crowd Gang Bitch were and I’m not sure why I decided to download it but I think it was the cover art that intrigued me or maybe it was subliminal messages flashing at me or something.

So It turns out that Crowd Gang Bitch are like a hip hop super group made up of members signed to Move The Crowd Records. Dirty Sesh, Young Sid, Cavell and  Sir T are the rappers with production from Dirty Sesh, Pretty Major, Smokey Beatz, 44, and Shuko, None of whome I‘ve heard of until now bar Dirty Sesh. But I could fill a warehouse with shit I haven’t heard of.

Anyway…The opening track ‘Whiskey’ is the stand out track with the video to go with it. It’s a live video and looks like a mean as gig and showcases the talents of Young Sid and Dirty Sesh.

I really liked the songs ‘High Hopes’ which describes the difference between the hip hop dream and the disappointing reality of it all after it has come true and also describes the struggle to get the public to “feel” you.

The other track that stood out to me is ‘Radio Song’ which describes Crowd Gang Bitch’s awareness of the pressures to conform to the radio format and their reluctance and defiance to do so.

 ‘Say Something’ featuring Vince Harder and Cavell fits the description of a radio song very well and is my pick for the albums radio friendly unit shifter.

My only criticism of the album is the accents of the rappers constantly vacillating between Yankee and Kiwi which to me shows that the rappers haven’t yet found their true identity as New Zealanders.

I really liked the skits in this album which showed a more humble humorous and real side to the Move the Crowd rappers.

Over all this album is hot and I’m stoked I downloaded it. Thanks Crowd Gang Bitch…ridiculous name maybe?….hmmmm….maybe!

 

Anyway get the album here by clicking on the cover art work below.

 

 

And check out the music video for Whiskey below.

 

KAPABAL 'NO REST'

Kapabal has been around for a long time and represents Hutt Valley Wellington. I’ve never really checked him out thoroughly before now but have always been aware of his presence over the years. After seeing his reviews for his new album No Rest I thought I’d check him out and see if the reviewers were being biased or hard on him because he’s a white rapper.

My first impression is ....hey its NZ Hip Hop with no "yanking off" that’s a good sign, at least he’s not trying to be American. The song Flammable has got some pretty dope production and a catchy hook although everywhere I look on the internet I see people criticising his work. That must be frustrating.

No Rest is Kapabals third album and he has produced engineered written and performed the songs which is a feet in it´s self. No wonder the album is called No Rest. The Album has 16 tracks and has a an urban dance feel with a lot of synths and 808 snare rolls and hard hitting boom bap. The lyrics are quite conscious especially in the song 'Going on around me'. This is my favourite track on the album.

I admire the unmistakable New Zealand sound of Kapabals work and his vision and persistence in this very tough NZ Hip Hop game and I think the production on the album No Rest is quality, although I think the one thing letting Kapabal down is his flow, most often coming off a little jaunty and awkward. But in saying that all in all I enjoyed discovering Kapabals new album and think he’s well worth a listen. Which you can do at The apple Itunes store.

 

The flammable music video below.