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Archive for October, 2006

John Robinson

October 22, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


John Robinson

All Behind Me Download
More Music Download
Raw Live Download
from The Leak Edition Volume 2 (2006, Shaman Work)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

John Robinson is a one man Hip Hop whirlwind and the storm of creativity is no more so evident than on his latest long playing offering The Leak Edition Volume 2. Inspired lyrics and deft delivery flow over beats from the finest producers including Madlib, MF DOOM, ta’Raach, Ammon Contact, Flying Lotus, Wale Oyejide and more… At 19 tracks deep, You also get a lot for your money. Give Leak Edition 2 an hour or so of your time and JR is likely to become your new favourite MC.

Categories: New HipHop

Voice

October 22, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


Voice

L.A. Contradiction Download
Mediocre Download
from Gumbo (2006, Public Transit Recordings)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

This is the long awaited debut full-length album from Voice called Gumbo. Reconnecting with her New Orleans roots “Gumbo” represents the many facets of this talented emcee. Early 2006 has been one busy time for Voice, her razor sharp delivery is featured on the new Visioneers LP Produced by Marc Mac – 4Hero (BBE Records). She’s also featured on new Zero DB LP (Ninja Tune) kicking it on a jazzy vibe. On Gumbo, Voice displays her lyrical versatility rocking her impeccable flow over 15 tracks produced underground beatmakers Marc Mac (4Hero), Moonstarr, Murr and Arch Typ.

Growing up the daughter of a classically trained jazz singer and an actor, it seemed inevitable for Voice to express herself through art and music. Voice gravitated towards her love of Hip Hop culture at an early age, studying the pioneers like Public Enemy, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, The Pharcyde, Eric B. & Rakim, MC Lyte, KRSONE and many more blasted beats and consciousness that crept into her headphones through the years. Inspired by them and more recent movers like Bahamadia, Big L, Aceyalone and Medusa, Voice strives to channel the passion, commentary, innovation and delivery that made them great into her own style and flow on the mic.

Voice’s combination of conscious lyrics and classic beats will make her a force to be reckoned with. This woman has flow, style, and wit for days. Gumbo takes the listener on a journey, from hip hop to nu jazz and all points in between, not an easy feat for any emcee, but Voice’s effortless delivery meld perfectly with the infectious beats that will be ready to bring any party some serious HEAT!!

Voice’s conscious words are mixed in to induce emotions guaranteed to get your headnodding. This New Orleans based emcee has boundless energy and enthusiasm for Hip Hop and this is only the beginning!

Loer Velocity

October 21, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


Loer Velocity

Song I Sing Download
World of Poverty Download
from Ready for A Renaissance (2006, Embedded Music)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

When I think of “Renaissance” I think about that golden age when art, scholarship and the like appeared for the first time to enlighten the populace, challenging everything it once knew. In a time where Jurassic 5 is collaborating with Dave Matthews and appearing on the local alternative station, I was hoping for some good, old-school hip hop when I was assigned to review Loer Velocity’s first solo album, Ready For A Renaissance. I was ready for smooth beats, clever rhyming and poetic lyrics-something with a nod to Digable Planets’ lyricism, the speed of Blackalicious, and maybe a smoothness of vintage soul.

Loer Velocity’s voice is melodious, the beats are effortless, and his lyrics are real. “Renaissance Man Intro” sets the tone. Loer Velocity is not going to be in blackface performing what he thinks we expect from him. From “Nuth’ns” to “A-Z,” I was not disappointed. He’s not trying too hard – like it seems nearly every other artist is.In “Get The $,” he says, “I’m forever counting pennies when I recollect/ still my bank account is slim lookin’ kinda suspect/ keepin’ up with the joneses polish my rep.” Loer Velocity goes on to the perils of daily life: hitting the snooze alarm, being late to the minimum wage job and blaming it on a late train. He continues this theme in “World of Poverty.” This is not a man hiding behind a grill and a bottle of Cristal. This honesty that life is hard reminds me of classic KRS-One.

So I got what I wanted in this record – a down-to-earth lyricist telling me the truth but not begging me to feel sorry for him, a different beat with each track and poetic rhymes. “Convo Piece” is my favorite. “Lately I’ve been feelin’ kinda introverted/ and you might not fully get it by the way that I word it/ but I’m do my best to let you see in my window” and “I’ve been searchin’ deep within my soul” are not lyrics of some cocky guy trying to sell you his CD to promote his blinged-out lifestyle. He’s just inviting you in while he figures things out. And this record is a renaissance – an artist admitting that he is that average American and that he’s not living the lifestyle we see on Cribs.

A great set of tracks to put on at the end of a long day. Either listen to the lyrics and think a little deeper, or simply sit back and enjoy the beats. (Leigh Medina)

Categories: Chicago, Midwest

Frank N Dank

October 21, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


Frank N Dank

What Up Downlaod
The Hustle Download
from XTended Play Version 3.13 (2006, Needillworks)

When you’re the protégés of arguably the most sought after hip hop producer not named Pharrell or Kanye (read: Jay Dilla) the stakes is high. Over the last four years, global rap enthusiasts have reached orgasm via Detroit-bred Frank and Dank 12” singles. That’s not debatable. But what’s their formula? Well, for starters, they’re uninhibited like Paris Hilton on them bootleg love tapes, but in the musical sense. Yep, there’s a reason their “Take Dem Clothes Off” (ABB) single generated international DJ and chart accolades without a video or CD release.Not to mention undeniable rhyme chemistry built up over 20 years of friendship sure as hell don’t hurt on the mic. “Pause” from Jay Dilla’s popular 2001 Beat Generation series album Welcome 2 Detroit perfectly demonstrates why Frank is the Yin, to Dank’s Yang. And lastly, because F&D rhyme about female attraction (often) and clandestine street activities (honestly), they tend to get respect from the thugs who buy 50 Cent or Jay-Z records. Unlike the growing legions of emcee’s who boast about their ‘hood exploits—from their 25 room house in Forest Hills—F&D have always come off as credible slum correspondents, laying out the template for future Detroit player / hustler-cum-emcee’s looking to get over. “What Up” features production from Lancecape while “The Hustle” features Stones Throws’ own Oh No at the helm. Two-way your peeps ‘cause resistance to one of Detroit’s finest musical exports is futile.

Frank N Dank – What Up on YouTube

Categories: Detroit, Midwest

Jaylib/Sittin’ on Chrome/Children

October 19, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


Jaylib (J Dilla & Madlib)

No $ No Toke Download
Take It Back Download
from Chrome Children (2006, Stones Throw)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

Cartoon Network & Turner Broadcasting’s popular late night animation network Adult Swim have collaborated with indie label Stones Throw – presented by the album’s executive producer, Peanut Butter Wolf. Chrome Children contains brand new and exclusive material including MF DOOM and Madlib as Madvillain, the late J Dilla, Madlib (solo), J Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies, Percee P, and other Stones Throw all-stars. The retail CD is packaged with a DVD: MF DOOM and Madlib headline a live hip hop show as Madvillain. The full length concert video is produced and edited by Adult Swim. Chrome Children will be followed up with a nationwide, 17-date tour by Madlib and other key artists from the album. Take a sneak peek (see below)

Chrome Children on YouTube

AG – Get Dirty Radio

October 19, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


AG

Frozen Download
HipHop Quotable (feat. Aloe Blacc) Download
from Get Dirty Radio (2006, Look Records)
Buy at Amazon

Both New York and San Francisco have professional sports teams named the Giants. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that legendary MC AG—aka Andre the Giant—recorded his latest album, Get Dirty Radio, the first single from which is in your hand now, 3,000 miles away from his South Bronx birthplace, in California. What is a surprise, however, is that while longtime collaborators Lord Finesse and Showbiz appear on Get Dirty Radio, the majority of the tracks were crafted by producers the rapper’s never worked with before, including Jake One, Dabrye, Tommy Tee, Oh No, Look Records head honcho DJ Design, and— representing somewhat of a hip-hop head’s wet dream—Madlib and J Dilla.

“That’s gonna let em know right there,” AG predicts. “Those are two guys who carried the tradition of digging in the crates, and DJ Design linked me up with them, so it’s like the old legend with the new kings … The album is crazy.”

On the Madlib-produced “Frozen” (the album’s first single), AG proves he’s still got the verbal skills that made him a legend: Niggas say we real cause the way we got down/ From the streets to the industry locked down/Plot now on the world that’s the next stop/ Ladies listen cause I’m known to hit the wet spot. The DJ Design-produced “Triumph” bears much personal significance for AG, who’s overcome many trials and tribulations in his life, from a murder charge (since overturned), industry-related politics and the tragic death of his good friend Big L. On the track, he pays homage to his fallen comrade, declaring Big L will never be forgotten, then goes on to say, the Big Apple, I eat it rotten/ Just to keep it poppin’. Another unquestioned highlight is one of J Dilla’s last production credits, “Hip Hop Quotable (feat. Aloe Blacc), a brilliant track which traces the history of hip-hop through its more memorable lyrics over the years, and finds AG up in the lab, stabbing that pad with a pen again.

Categories: East Coast, NYC

Rhymes and Beats – Episode 21

October 19, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment

 

HipHopCast #21 10/09/06
Audio1 & Special Guest – DJ Slin

Download
(right-click and save)

Playlist
Audio1
Intro
Method Man feat. Ol Dirty Bastard – Dirty Mef
Termanology feat. Papoose and Lil Fame – Watch How It Go Down (Remix)
Paris – The Days of Old
Shabaam Sahdeeq and DJ Revolution – Rise Up
The Raw Dialect Crew – We
Scienz of Life – Exclusive Rights
Keith Murray – My Style Is Incredible
DJ Slin (Tallinn, Estonia)
A-Rühm – Popmuusik
DJ Critikal – Digi Glove
Tommyboy – Egotripp
Noizmakaz – Miski Muu Ei Loe
Põhjamaade Hirm – Keegi On Keegi
Noizmakaz & G-Enka – Pühapäevasuitsetajamemuaarid
Põhjamaade Hirm, s’Poom, Mig-L, Mistisii, Stupid F, Riku, Metsakutsu, Nyaga, WST, Reket, Wild Disease & G-Enka – 12MC’s
Metsakutsu – Mis Tegelt Toimub (Radio Mix)
A-Rühm – 65
ETVKork, Patron – Allilma Patrioot
Noizmakaz feat. Põhjamaade Hirm, Skazo & Jilio – Tänava Sümfoonia II
Skazo – Gde Respekt?
DJ Critikal – Suveõhtud Lahtise Aknaga Virmalises

Another good episode set off with some fairly newer hiphop cuts and a classic throwback from Paris. DJ Slin, 16 year old Phenom from Tallinn, Estonia is our special guest on this episode, putting Estonian hiphop on the global map here on the Rhymes and Beats HipHopCast. You get the best of the best from Estonia featuring production from DJ Critikal (Estonia’s best producer / equivalent to a DJ Premier), Alko, Wiz 1, Chalice, ETVkork and many others. Contact DJ Slin via Myspace and check out his crew Twstr and Siege websites. We bring you the best hiphop from all corners of the world. If you would like to showcase a set of hiphop from your neck of the world, please get in contact. I dont understand what the heck they are saying but hiphop is a universal language. Some seriously dope beats tonight. Enjoy this extraordinary episode.

Categories: Rhymes and Beats

Ghost [not] Deini

October 18, 2006 mattfu 2 comments


Ghost

Seldom Seen Often Heard (feat. Verb T, Kashmere and Asaviour) Download
Basic Instinct (feat. Abstract Rude) Download
Through The Hills Download
from Seldom Seen Often Heard (2006, Breakin’ Bread)
Buy the album at Suspect Packages, Beathut or Amazon UK

Did I ever mention (Swiftly ignoring that long hiatus) that I’m cooler than cool with the UK’s forerunner in rhythmic freshness, also known as Ghost? I even got him tickets to a show that never manifested, but think on that. One time Itch.FM supremo has been on point for a London minute. The focus of this post is the new album ‘Seldom Seen Often Heard’ on Breaking Bread earlier this year. Ever since I had the vinyl single, I knew this album was going to be a steaming pile of hot bakery. If possible, get past the awe-inspiring cover art, and rotate your disk size of choice. Imagine, if you will, atmospheric musical musings combined with rib shaking drum lines, topped off with the regional dialect of some of the UK’s most impressive/under-appreciated MC’s. The title track even has a video (see below)!! Big tings, catch that on late late late night Channel U if you’re familiar with this side of the pond..

Forget the disparate grime tracks (on Channel U) and find this gem, blessed by The Invisible Man, Verb T, Kashmere & Asaviour. ‘The Pay Off’ is the 12″ that got me hooked, once again with Verb T & Asaviour and the inclusion of a little funk business. More of the same ensues.. you need to buy it to get the full suspect package, don’tcha. And because Ghost is for the children, he has a MySpace that you can add lurk and tell your crew about… You can find the slick video for ‘Seldom Seen Often Heard’ (see below) so check it, also, information and other gubbins can be found there. All things considered, and bringing things back from the brink of my metro-sexual myspace tangent, this album really is stupendous.

One more thing, buy it at Suspect Packages. I’ll take this brief moment to big up Soundclash Record Store in Norwich, where I acquired my slice of UK hiphop history, and on the subject of Norwich, Canaries are my least favourite winged creature.

-Matt aka Fu (broadcasting live from somewhere in the UK)

Ghost on Youtube – Seldom Seen Often Heard

Categories: New HipHop, UK HipHop

Varsity Club – Freshman 15

October 14, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


Varsity Club

Varsity Club – Song Of All Songs Download
Rime Royal – Famous
Download
Edotkom – Perfect
Download
from Freshman 15 (2006, IV league Entertainment)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

“This is the 12 Monkeys album that didn’t happen,” says one of Varsity Club’s dozen all-star rhymers on the intro to this compilation of arena-ready hip-hop tracks. These A-team Cleveland rappers mix book smarts, street knowledge, and studio expertise. The disc collects cuts from duos Edotkom and Rime Royal, upcoming double-threat Play Havoc, and scene favorite Spittin Image. The tracks are dark, the beats are lively, and the atmosphere is hazy. “They forgot who was runnin’ this shit, doin’ the thing,” the group raps. Keep the records coming, and we won’t have the chance to forget again. – (D.X. Ferris)

Categories: Midwest, Ohio

Interview with LA’s own Lexicon

October 14, 2006 audio1 Leave a comment


Lexicon
The Rap Stars E.P.
Buy at iTunes Music Store

After releasing two successful indy hiphop albums and becoming one of the bigger names in the LA underground hiphop scene, Lexicon was frustrated. They felt they weren’t expressing themselves creatively how they wanted to, so instead of building on the props they’d achieved in the underground scene, they tore it all down, to build it up again. And in the process, they committed an underground hiphop cardinal sin — they added live instruments to their music. Lexicon began to grow weary of the un-originality that is pervading hiphop, in both the mainstream and the underground . They wanted to seperate themselves from the muck and break through the ceiling they felt was put on top of the type of music they were making. And most importantly, they wanted to make the kind of music they always wanted to make! Risky decision yes, but what’s more gratifying than doing exactly what you want to do? They spanned their influences from dance- rock to modern rock to the raw drums and stabs of classic hiphop, until they found a perfect mesh. And the thread that ties them together are that Oak and Nick are better MC’s than ever, and C-Minus is still providing neck breaking beats for every song. With C-Minus manning the beats, Oak and Nick doing what they do best, and bassist Alex Pauley and guitarist Jason “Metal 24/7″ Zimmerman adding what Lexicon felt was always missing, this is truly like nothing you have ever seen or heard before. Will the risk pay off? We’ll begin to see as Lexicon now unveils what they’ve been working on locked away in the studio for the past 2 years. Ladies and gentlemen, Lexicon presents to you THE RAPSTARS E.P, available exclusively on iTunes through B.E.A.R/Alpha Pup. Interview with Lexicon, Coming soon!

Lexicon Throwbacks:
Rock (Remix feat. Louis Logic, Celph Titled, Ryu and J-Zone) Download
Makin’ Music (Remix feat. Apathy and Celph Titled) Download
Ordinary Download
______________________________
BrokeBBoys Interview with Lexicon

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions with us.

Please introduce yourselves to the world:
Oak:
Hello world. How ya doin? I’m Gideon Black, aka Big Oak. Me and my lil brother are the rappers on this here Rapstars EP you’re hearin about. In fact, this interview will read much better if you go buy the EP from iTunes for only $3.99 and then listen it to while reading this.
Nick: Anything is better if you are listening to Lexicon at the same time! And oh, i’m his little brother, by the way.

How did you guys begin your career as Lexicon? Take us to the beginning of time and how ya got here.
Nick:
Well in the beginning, there was nothing. Then on the first day, i think it was light? On onwards down to us. Haha.. But like Oak said, we are brothers, and music was a big part of our upbringing. Our grandpa was a touring singer with Tommy Dorsey, Leena Horne is my mom’s god mother, and our parents were big music buffs themselves, so much of our Saturday mornings were spent singing along with Billy Joel and Quincy Jones, and The Police on the reel to reel. So music was just kinda in us from the get go. Then a friend of Oak’s gave him Kurtis Blow’s Basketball and it was over…we pretty much lived, ate, and breathed hiphop for the next decade or so, so it was impossible that we weren’t going to try to do it ourselves as immersed in the culture we were. So by about 1995 or so, Oak knew some people at the UCSB college radio station, and they put us on the air freestyling, which led to meeting some producers, some other rappers, helping start out a solid hiphop scene in the 805 (Lootpack, Subtitle, Oh-No, etc.). We just kept honing our craft and kept adding a little from all of our outside influences, and got our own thing going, and came down to LA in the late nineties and took some trips to Project Blow’d and opened for Dilated Peoples and Eminem and all the great underground hiphop stuff, and put out a couple of indie records on Spy Tech Records, and really just tried to make a name for ourselves in LA and in the world! Then we got mad at music in general, grabbed some guitars and some of our musician friends, locked the door to our studio, and popped out the Rapstars E.P. It’s 2006 now. And that’s pretty much it..

How do you feel about the new “RAPSTAR EP”?
Oak:
We feel great about it! It’s been way too long since our last official release. Our last full length called “Youth is Yours” came out in he last quarter of 03, so it’s been almost 3 years. Obviously you can hear the difference in our sound if you listen to both records, so this EP is extra special because it’s the introduction of what we’ve been working on for over 2 years to the public. And it’s a teaser/preview of what the full length record will sound like, so it’s also exciting to officially let people know what to expect from us from now on. We know this sound is kinda startling to our old fans, but we’re doing what we love so all we can do is hope everyone continues to love what we love. Does that make sense?
Nick:
It’s kind of our Frankenstein. We’ve been with it alone for the past three years, and no one heard a thing, so we feel like when we put it out, we kinda gave it that jolt and put it to life. It’s fun to watch it terrorize! ha!

Speaking of the new project, How did you guys start delving more into the indie/rock genre? The live instrumentation and rock aspect of the music.
Nick:
Our music taste is pretty broad, and has gotten much broader in the past 5 years or so since Hiphop really hasn’t been making anything that is exciting these days. To be honest, i hardly even consider myself a hiphop fan any more these days because i just don’t like what is coming out! So we’ve always dabbled with those other influences, we even have had a couple of side projects with full bands and even did a couple of Lexicon shows with a full band, but we always kept it seperate from “Lexicon.” But we realized that we were playing scared a little, so we just decided FUCK IT..who cares what the kids think, lets just make what we want to make!
Oak:
Everything Nick said, plus the fact that nobody has really done the rock/hiphop thing the right way. In the past the groups that tried it were mostly just straight rock groups with a frontman who could rap a little bit. But with us, we’re MC’s first and foremost. So our mission is to blend genres, but still keep it hiphop. I think our approach is more organic, and not so in your face aggresive with little bits of spit flying out of our mouths. As cliche as it sounds, we keep it real. Really. What we do is way more real than any stupid song you hear on the radio by a “real MC” talking about the same damn thing that every other song is talking about. Isn’t that “keeping it fake?” Does everyone reaaallly like their rims and chains that much, or do those type of songs simply guarantee a little radio play if done well enough? Remember when hiphop was all about being creative and orginal? You know, those little things that the entire foundation of hiphop was build upon? Remember when biting was truly considered a sin in hiphop? Now you gotta bite and copy to survive. How did this happen? There’s no way in hell we’ll ever make a song about something that isn’t totally true to us, or about a topic that we don’t truly feel strongly about, just to get some play. A lot of rappers out there really need to think about whether their integrity is worth a few months in regular rotation.

How they feel about other music scenes and their ties to hiphop.
Oak:
Every scene is represented pretty well in LA. If anything the hiphop is at it’s worst right now. It’s either way to commercial…and don’t get me wrong…i love me some commercial hiphop, but most of this shit just has no integrity. And if it’s not too commercial, it’s way too underground…boring beats, super abtract lyrics…not fun at all. My thing is that i don’t care what scene or genre it is…if the music is dope, it’s dope. I like dope music. Dope music makes me happy.
Nick:
Good music is good music and good people are good people. LA is like a million small scenes all in one city..and i’ve ended up at everything from Rock-a-billy bars to Goth Industrial clubs, and its really all the same, just a different way to dress! As long as people are making genuinely dope stuff, i’m into it.

Do you see yourselves ever dabbling with electronic driven genres or collaborations?
Nick:
Yes! There is so much good electro out there right now, and more and more creeping its way into my ipod, so i definately could see us doing remix’s off of the new album with some electro-producers. Daniel from Haujobb, a dope german group, is actually remixing Junk Food right now!

Any artists/producers you havent worked with that you’d love to work with?
Oak:
There’s so many producers that we love that we haven’t worked with. We really like keeping our music and projects within the fam, but we’d always love to work with our heros. Personally i’d love to be able to sit down with Timbaland and work on a few songs. Rick Rubin too. I feel like both of them would really get us and our sound. And even though it’s the trendy pick right now, but Dangermouse would be great to work with too. He understands how to blend genres the right way, so i think it would be a good fit.
Nick:
And a hot duet with John Tesh.
Oak:
I recorded a hot duet with John Tesh the other night while you were sleeping Nick. Ah ha.
Nick:
I know… I think your penis is gay for him.

What is your view on the current state of hip hop.
Nick:
Heh. I think we may have already vented about this enough! It’s terrible. The mainstream has gotten so uncreative that you seriously need to act, look, dress, and even have almost the same hook as the last number one single or you have no chance of making it. It’s a one-hot wonder era, completely. about three of these cats out there are career artists. And the underground is just non-existent. There is no scene like there was when we were coming up. Maybe in other cities it still exists, but its dead in LA. And i haven’t heard a good indie hiphop, that really made me, ya know, get goosebumps, in years.
Oak:
Yeah I’ve already said enough. I’m sick of complaining. I’ll tell you what i really like in hiphop right now: Lupe Fiasco’s record. Ludacris in general. Outkast. The Game’s new song “one blood.” Will I Am. Fergie’s “London Bridge” (honestly…tell me it’s not dope…i don’t believe you). Hot Dolla’s “2 Steppin.” The Roots new record “Game Theory” – that’s what hiphop should sound like in 2006.

Do you think social networks like MySpace have helped or hurt underground hip hop? Ive heard both arguments.
Oak:
Me too, and I think both arguements are accurate. I know first hand that it’s helpful, because the internet in general, and social networks more specifically, have really, truly helped us reach a wide range of people. The ease of networking on myspace and letting people hear new songs as soon as they’re finished and interacting with fans is amazing. I don’t know how we could be doing any of this without the internet. It’s hard to even remember how people heard about good new music without the internet! But of course problems come with it. Anyone can technically “release” music now, and so much of it sucks. And i don’t mean that in an asshole way…there’s just people out there who shouldn’t be making music…there’s something that they’re better at than that. But the internet and myspace makes people feel like “if so and so can release a record, i can to!” Underground hiphop specifically has been hit hard by this cause some kid in his room can write a little rap or freestyle and put it online and actually think he’s contributing something to music. Some kid can’t just pick up a guitar and think he knows how to play it. You actually have to know how to play it. But everyone thinks they know how to rap. And now everyone does rap. So a lot of rap music sucks. I never realized it was that simple!
Nick:
Haha! It realize is that simple. I think the internet as a whole has killed a lot of shit. It’s not a bad thing at all, but its just, now something that is “cool” or “edgy” is passed around the internet in a couple of hours and it loses its charm fast. The internet is a cool-killer, you don’t have to hunt for shit any more. And in terms of hiphop, or music as a whole, it has taken away the excitement. Part of loving hiphop so much was just finding the groups. Now you can just do a band search on myspace and read what other people think and read their history and maybe even exchange a couple of emails with them..way before you ever even buy the cd or see them live. it’s just not the same.

Funny story. A while back, My wife was watching “America’s Next Top Model” and all of the sudden, from the other room, I heard “Rock” coming from the TV and I ran and yelled “That’s fuckin’ Lexicon theyre playing right there!”… Does it trip you out to hear your music played on television and in movies?
Nick:
Haha! I love it! You don’t know many people blame hearing that on their wives and girlfriends though… Just admit it.. We all watch that shit!!! But its great to hear it in things like movies and TV. We write our music simply as a soundtrack to life, so to see it being used as just that is amazing.

Do you guys have any videos or tours in the works?
Oak:
Both are in the works. We’re in the process of finding a home for the full length record,and once that comes together, we’ll be able to finalize tour plans. If everything stays on course, which is much easier said than done, the album should be out by March 07 and we’ll be touring all over the place around that time. As for videos, we actually just linked up with this kid from Spain named Espaun. He’s an amazing artist and we’re gonna do a video with him for the lead single off of the EP called “Big Money.” Based on what we’ve seen of his, and what his vision is for this video, it’s gonna be something special.

Any advice to up & coming artists:
Nick:
As cheesy as it sounds, and as obvious as it sounds… Go with your gut. When we look back on this ride we’ve had so far, Our first instinct almost every time seemed to turn out right. I have no regrets, but there is nothing more frustrating then run so hard just to end up right back where you were. Do the music you want, Listen to the people you choose, and don’t let nobody tell ya otherwise!
Oak:
Three things… They sound easy, but they’re so tough to maintain, but they’re the key:
1.
Believe in yourself
2.
Appreciate every single little thing that happens along the way.
3.
Work as hard as you possibly can.

Any last comments… Anything on your mind?
Nick:
Buy the Rapstars E.P., email us on myspace and say hi, and Don’t eat spinach!
Oak:
Why, What’s wrong with spinach? I was just eating a bag of Ready-Pac like potato chips… So yummy! Wait… I think I have the flu. Nick, will you call mom?

Lexicon on Youtube