From The Mighty Underdogs debut full length album, Droppin' Science, we're featuring the video for "Gunfight" this week! It's a pretty awesome video by Ben Stokes they have going on, and I just love the opening verse that contains the lines, "I stepped out the saloon / About a quarter to noon / Might as well have been a quarter to doom!"
As a current "La Coka Nostra" member and former member of "Non Phixion", Ill Bill is known for being intense. The recently released music video for "My Uncle" - from his current album entitled "The Hour of Reprise" - is no exception.
"My Uncle" speaks of Ill Bill's childhood in which he grew up in a family where drugs were seen as commonplace. His voice angrily cuts through the intensity of the track as he spits out the frustrations of watching his uncle deteriorate from being his childhood hero to a hopeless addict. But, even in all the anger and frustration, there is a hint of hope in Ill Bill's voice. Ill Bill even says it himself in regards to his uncle: "we got love for you."
[ Via: Adam Wallenta ]
Say what you will about Asher Roth, but one thing is undeniable: the buzz surrounding this guy is insane.
In DJ:LA, filmmakers Jerry Chan and Mitchel Dumlao combine the sights and sounds of Los Angeles with hip-hop music to create one of the most innovative short films I have ever seen.
[ Via: via: militantangeleno ]
TZU is hip-hop with a rock aesthetic. Straight out of Melbourne, these guys don't shy away from using instruments like guitars, drums and keyboards in their live performances. Their most recent album, Computer Love, takes their sound to the next level as they experiment with funk, soul and electronica.
Some of you Midwestern hip hop fans may already be familiar with the Minneapolis-based collective known as Doomtree. I guess it's fitting we spotlight the group as the RNC rages on in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Even though Doomtree just independently released their self-titled debut album this summer, many of the group's 5 emcees and 6 DJs/producers have been part of the hip hop scene for years, particularly in the Twin Cities area. Given the size of the crew, it's hard to get them all together in the same place at the same time for a gig, but every December they gather for the annual Doomtree Blowout.
Roots Manuva, otherwise known as Rodney Smith, from London is our EPIC Spotlight for today's episode. In this video for "Buff Nuff", Roots plays an ice cream man with the power to throw girls into a frenzy for... ice cream. Maybe it's just my mind in the gutter, but I think the ice cream licking might be a euphemism for something else.
Saul Williams is no stranger to EPIC FU. Last year we covered the release of his once-freely downloadable album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust, co-produced by Trent Reznor. A few weeks ago we explored the controversy around his commercial collaboration with Nike, and today we're spotlighting his latest music video -- Convict Colony off NiggyTardust.
For me one of the standout qualities of Saul's music is the rawness and intensity he achieves while not sounding too experimental or heading into the unlistenable/unenjoyable territory. He's walks a fine line there, and the result is a stand-out experience that tends to stick with you.
NiggyTardust is no longer available as a free download, so you'll have to pick it up on iTunes. It's definitely worth exploring.
DJVT is short for De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, a Dutch phrase that translates to The Youth of Today. They are an Amsterdam-based hip hop group known for being playful with their lyrics, and it definitely shows in their video for Hollereer.
Check out this music video for North of Ping Pong. It's a Cockney rap narrative, directed by Adam Smith, following the passengers of a taxi cab as they spit out some pretty fresh rhymes to the cab driver's beat.
Can I count the number of ways I love this song and video? Lyrics Born is our Epic Spotlight for this Thursday's show, and if you like hip-hop with a party flavor this jam could be your summer anthem. Another great jam submitted to us by Adam Wallenta, aka Illusemcee, who's rapidly becoming a regular resource for the latest in indie hip-hop.
Lyrics' most recent album, "Everywhere at Once," features live band members and other Cali-based hip-hop producers like Jake One and Trackademicks. The awesome video for "I Like It, I Love It" was directed by Neon.
Last Tuesday we chose Time Machine as our Epic Spotlight. Guess what? We're spotlighting them again this week. One of their other singles, "The Groove That Just Won't Stop", is another treat.
Time Machine hails from Los Angeles and, like Steve mentioned last time, is composed of emcees Biscuit, JetSetJay, and producer DJ Makealek. This song is a nice throw back to old school hip hop and makes me want to cruise around in a convertible with the top down. The video, which is actually produced in part by JetSetJay, makes use of stop motion and neon animations to take us through a night out with two of their friends. It definitely has my foot tapping.
This past Tuesday we shined the spotlight on Time Machine and their jam The Unfortunate Twist featuring Greg Nice off of their new album Life is Expensive. Our friend Adam Wallenta pointed out this one to us, so hat tip to you, sir.
Time Machine is part of the indie hip-hop scene with emcees Biscuit and Jet Set Jay, and DJ / Producer Mekalek. They also recently did remixes of MIA and Kid Sister/Janet Jackson that have been getting a lot of play.
Furry madness prevails in this classic video for DJ Format's We Know Something You Don't Know. DJ Format A.K.A. Matt Ford was pimping furries way back in 2002. This is hip hop at it's most fun. The track features vocals from Chali 2na and Akil of Jurassic 5.
This particular video was also notable for launching the career of director Ruben Fleischer, who would later go on to direct music videos for MIA (Galang -- awesome vid BTW) and Kid Sister featuring Kanye West (Pro Nails).
Video game fans might recognize the name Hadouken from the classic Street Fighter series. That Hadouken was a devastating fireball special move -- this Hadouken is an English grime band with hip-hop and dancehall influences.
The group came together in fall of 2006 and started to get a lot of attention after the release of their music video for That Boy That Girl in early 2007. They just debuted their first full-length album Music For An Accelerated Culture last month.
Meanest Man Contest is a hip-hop duo featuring Quarterbar and Eric Steuer. The guys met in college and first started recording rap songs on a "barely-working 4-track." In 2002 they released their first single, Contaminated Dance Step.
The Grouch, an independent hip-hop artist and member of the Living Legends rap crew just released a new solo album, "Show You the World," in April. "I worked on this record for almost three years," writes the Grouch. "More, this record was an idea that sprang to mind after the birth of my daughter, Rio, in 2006. As soon as she arrived all I could do is think about wanting to show her everything that I love. I was quickly humbled when I realized I was learning as much from her as she was from me."
I love this video for "Artsy", one of the songs off his album, because so much is going on at once, and the irony of the lyrics is classic. It's like an early "Pork and Beans" of the hip-hop world, borrowing imagery from Eminem's iPod ad, Gnarls Barkley's ink blots, and hand gestures from an HP commercial. According to the Grouch himself, he says the concept "was that we were stealing from other people's artsy campaigns that they had already put out." I think my favorite line is: "'You ain't artsier than me / cause you live in Los Feliz / bitch you ain't Jesus." (sent in by Paul Dateh, thanks!)
