Pablito’s Way

 

Motion Man

Confidence Download
Pablito’s Way Download
I Crack Tall One’s (Instrumental) Download
from Pablito’s Way (2006, Threshold)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from RealNetworks / Rhapsody

The first thing you notice when you pop in this CD is that this Motion Man guy is on some other ish-in a good way, that is. Not exactly readily recognizable outside of Cali, Motion Man has been around for more than a decade. Freestyle sessions on the influential “Wake Up Show” with Sway and King Tech (who makes a cameo bigging up MM as one of the best MCs to ever bless the show) got his name out and eventually a major label deal. When that didn’t work out he teamed up with Kutmasta Kurt in 2000 and the rest, as they say, is history. Pablito’s Way (Threshold Recording) is Paul Laster, aka Motion Man’s second solo and definitely a walk on the weirder side for those unfamiliar with Bay Area product.

With Kumasta Kurt handling all of the production, he makes sure that no two songs sound the same. The muy picante title track explodes with congas and horns lending it a Spanish feel while MM lets you know in case you hadn’t realized, that he’s doing music his way. “Crack Tall Ones” is about what it sounds like: drinking beer. Dull topic, but not when set to a sped up high-pitched vocal over nod inducing drums. It also features Bay Area rapper Mistah FAB who “Cracks bottles over heads of models” instead of drinking with them. Another standout is the frenzied “Megalo Maniac”, which boasts an Bahngra song sample, a la Truth Hurts’ “Addictive” and Motion Man’s off-kilter flow rides shotgun perfectly.

Fellow strange one Kool Keith joins MM on “Professional Experts”, where the two trade verses over an organ and what sounds like live drumming that will make you scratching your head. Other guests include Gift of Gab from Blackalicious and Bay Area legend Too Short. On the dark “Sleeping Giant”, Motion Man addresses the inevitable comparison his voice will have you make: “Artist Direct called me Black Eminem/No beef with you Marshall Mathers/Slim Shady/My awkward ass style was born early ’80s/comparing is crazy.”

Motion Man brings an animated and unique approach to rapping that proves he really does make music Pablito’s Way but that’s also what makes it sometimes hard to get. But, even if you can’t quite figure out what Motion Man is talking about, at least the beats will make you keep listening.

DJ Drez – Jahta Beat

 

DJ Drez

Time Download
InI Download
The Road Download
from Jahta Beat (2007, Say It Loud Music)
Buy at iTunes Music Store

Described as, “an exploration through hip hop and downtempo with a focus on vibrations from India to North Africa” ethnic percussion and vocal work, piano, sitar, ambient synths, flute and even some deft turntabalist work create a mesmerising spiritual LP that calms the senses and encourages clarity of thought.

With ‘Voice’ and ‘Contact’ being the best examples of this majestic sound there are also flashes of snappy raw grooves like in the funky bass and chopped vocal samples of ‘Morocco’ the ice cool vibe, dope beats and sparse spoken word segments of ‘Inner Vision’ and the loose bhangra funk of ‘Time.’ And at 15 tracks long you’ll certainly be getting your money’s worth. A small victory.

P.O.S. – Punk Rock & HipHop

P.O.S.

 

Yeah Right Download
What’s That Buzzing Download
Bleeding Hearts Club Download
from Audition (2006, Rhymesayers)

Whether falling of the stage or falling off his bike, P.O.S probably puts a little too much of himself into everything he does. His live show is machine-gun patterns, flailing, and giggles. Occasionally a bloody lip. Usually his, sometimes yours. His production is like a field recording of a drunken blacksmith. Disjointed but compelling, because yo, what is dude making?

Much has been made of P.O.S’s punk rock past; the tattoos and piercings, the skater fashion, the high school pictures of young P.O.S. sporting a frohawk. Fact is, P.O.S is not a cross-over artist. He has been rapping as long as he’s been thrashing. His punk sensibility doesn’t make him less of a rapper, it makes him more of a musician. P.O.S fuses the angst and sincerity of punk rock with the bass, wit, and lyricism of underground hip-hop. On his first album, P.O.S raps, “We went from lower-lower class to lower class to upper-lower class.” And he is living his own tongue-in-cheek rags-to-sportier-rags story.

Ipecac Neat, P.O.S’s debut full-length album, was self released to unanimous praise in 2004. Recognizing P.O.S’s raw energy and talent Rhymesayers Entertainment, the reigning princes of the underground quickly signed P.O.S and re-released Ipecac Neat. Since then P.O.S has been around the country three times performing with Atmosphere and has gained an increasingly enthusiastic fan base with every pass as he prepares for the release of his sophomore album, Audition on January 31st, 2006.

What forces conspired to create P.O.S? A chance encounter one day at a cousin’s house, seven year old Stefon discovered a bass guitar. Allowed to take it home, he banged the hell out of this old hobby bass for two years without realizing he needed an amp. The bass guitar led to stef unearthing the music of punk rock. It was easy to learn and had the right aggressive energy. He now had an outlet, music. Not just any music but punk rock. He knew this was for him but didn’t always feel the same open arms from the scene as a black punk.

Body surfing at a festival, a thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Stefon kicked a kid named Kai in the face. Two weeks later while moshing at a friend’s house party, he kicked Kai in the face again. They’ve been friends ever since. The two started the punk band Om and recorded a couple tapes with album titles like, Themes for Young Lovers. P.O.S also drummed for Cadillac Blindside before founding Building Better Bombs, who still tours today.

Punk Rock was P.O.S’s first love, but after being introduced to rap by Crescent Moon (Oddjobs/Kill the Vultures), BAMF (Mike Mictlan), Company Flow’s Funcrusher album and Rhymesayers Headshots cassettes he began rapping as a hobby. Back in 1996, at fifteen years old, P.O.S joined his first rap experiment, Room 237. Based on the hotel room from The Shining, this initial experiment generated nothing more than piles of cassette recordings but Hip Hop had taken hold of him. In 2001 P.O.S along with rapper Syst, and DJ Basis founded the group Cenospecies. The crew was short-lived, releasing only one album: Indefinition. In 2002’s City Pages Best of The Twin Cites issue, Cenospecies received “Best Band To Break Up In The Past 12 Months”. The kid even falls apart pretty.

Enter Doomtree. Remember the perpetually black-eyed Kai? Well along with Kai, P.O.S regrouped and formed a production duo known as Doomtree. Over the next couple of years, the duo grew into a formidable crew of rappers, producers and dj’s, including: Mike Mictlan, Sims, Dessa, Cecil Otter, Marshall Larada, Bobby Gorgeous, Emily Bloodmobile, Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger, Turbo Nemesis, and Tom Servo. Heading up this collective P.O.S delivered their first full-length album, Ipecac Neat. Boasting innovative production, and an emcee that managed to be clever and earnest at the same time Ipecac received much critical acclaim:

Album of the Year –The Star Tribune

“This is the type of record Hip Hop fans should be pleading for.”
–Minnesota Daily

4 Minnesota Music Award Nominations

4 Critics’ Choice Award Nominations

The letters of the P.O.S acronym remain the same today, but the meaning constantly changes. Promise of Skill. Product of Society. Piece of Shit. Pissed Off Stef. Everyday is different and each definition has a purpose. P.O.S, a rapper/producer that also fronts a punk band, an artist influenced by Minor Threat as much as Dr. Dre, a musician that is self-taught to play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and can still ride a skateboard. From seventies funk to eighties hardcore to nineties rap, P.O.S has the unique ability to incorporate all his influences into a cohesive style without being calculated or contrived.

Audition, the sophomore album from P.O.S is his first real step, what he sees as his audition to the world. A first step after years of preparation, to say more with less and to present smarter songs while blending redefined styles. The songs are shorter, punker, louder and overall more abrasive while remaining grounded in Hip Hop. Audition features a unique blend of guest appearances; Slug of Atmosphere, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Greg Attonito of Bouncing Souls, Maggie of Digitata and Doomtree’s Mictlan. The majority of the album is self produced by P.O.S with additional production by Emily Bloodmobile and Lazerbeak.

Life prepares you with the experiences necessary to make great songs. Music provides the outlet. Performing cultivates the songs. Time gives you the patience to master your craft. It’s been a long time since a young Stefon picked up a bass guitar and P.O.S is definitely on his way to lower-middle class.

Busdriver – Kill Your Employer

 

Busdriver

Kill Your Employer Download
Kill Your Employer (Daedelus Remix) Download
from Kill Your Employer 12″ (2006, Anti Records)

On the tenuous fringes of what can be deemed ‘rap’ there lies the reviled LA maverick, Busdriver. Who for years has been wowing unsuspecting audiences with his patented visceral onslaught of rants, rhyming and displaced musical sensibility. Whether sitting-in with unlikely cohorts such as; Islands, Daedelus, Z-Trip, TTC, Boom-Bip, 2mex etc., or plowing throw his enthralling solo sets, there is a distinct brand of showmanship employed and at least a handful of concert-goers who are maladjusted enough to submit to the shear unadulterated thrill ensued. BD has no desires of cooling his jets either. At this very moment he is most likely booking shows, selling shirts or writing raps for someone else’s album. He’s rapidly becoming a fixture in the US market and a favorite among unlikely groupings of young people. He puts it simply by saying, “This is the grassroots, off-kilter, rap intelligentsia… undertow that your friends talk about”. Say no more.

Mick Boogie & Marco Polo

Mick Boogie & Marco Polo
Newport Authority – The Mixtape Download 1 / Download 2

In an effort to promote his debut album Port Authority, producer Marco Polo has teamed up with DJ Mick Boogie to release The Newport Authority, which features some album cuts and exclusives along with tracks Marco has produced in the past.

“This mixtape shows the past, present and future of what I’ve done as a producer up until now,” Marco told HipHopGame. “It includes songs I cut from my upcoming album Port Authority as well as brand new joints specifically recorded for this tape. This mixtape was created to give you a taste of what’s to come next from me.” What’s next is Port Authority, which is being released on May 15 through Soulspazm and Rawkus Records. “This album basically chronicles my move from Toronto to NYC,” says Marco. “And it’s packed with some pretty legendary cats.”

The 12” single, Kardinal Offishall’s “War” b/w Masta Ace’s “Nostalgia” and J*Davey’s “Relax” is in stores now. In light of the recent crackdown on mixtapes, The Newport Authority will be offered as a free download, but that’s not stopping Marco and Mick from pressing up official copies.

Tracklisting:

01 Newport Authority Intro
02 Skoob (of Das Efx) – How I Get Down REMIX (Cuts by Jayceeoh)
03 Special Teamz – 1 Call (Cuts By Jayceeoh)
04 Masta Ace Interlude
05 Masta Ace feat. Big Noyd – Do It Man
06 Large Professor – The Radar (Cuts By DJ Revolution) *PORT AUTHORITY EXCLUSIVE*
07 Grand Daddy I.U. – Veteran (Cuts by DJ Linx)
08 Torae – Good God Interlude
09 Kool G. Rap and D.V. Alias Khryst – Hood Tales *PORT AUTHORITY EXCLUSIVE
10 Boot Camp Clik – He Gave His Life
11 Boot Camp Clik – Hate All You Want
12 Brooklyn Academy – The Growler
13 O.C. Interlude
14 Skyzoo – Block Shit (Cuts By DJ Linx)
15 Kardinal Offishall – War *PORT AUTHORITY EXCLUSIVE*
16 O Dot Allstars feat. Catalyst, Copywrite, Tage and Kingdom – U Must
17 Torae – Casualty
18 Supernatural Interlude
19 Rasco – What Happened To The Game
20 Not A Fucking Game Interlude
21 Block McCloud feat. Jean Grae – All A Game (Cuts By DJ Linx)
22 Brand Nubian Interlude
23 Sadat X feat. Boss Money – If You
24 Pumpkinhead feat. Roc Marciano (of The UN) – Swordfish REMIX
25 Boot Camp Clik – Yeah
26 Pumpkinhead feat. Arch Rival – Swordfish

Lifestyle Marketing

Thes One

Target Download
Grain Belt Beer Download
Northwestern Bell 2 Download
from Lifestyle Marketing (2007, Tres Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

With the blessing of the German born pianist and composer, Mr. Herb Pilhofer, Thes One of the critically acclaimed LA hip-hop group, People Under the Stairs, has re-worked commercials culled from the two volumes of Music That Works (released on Mr. Pilhofer’s Studio 80 label) to create his debut solo effort, Lifestyle Marketing. Coupled with a bonus CD containing highlights from Music That Works volumes and an interview between Thes and Mr. Pilhofer, Lifestyle Marketing will appeal to anyone with an interest in American music and popular culture as much as it will to die-hard fans of Thes One and his music.

Thes, one half of the world-renowned L.A. Hip-Hop duo People Under The Stairs, has gained a reputation as a prolific producer as well as one of the most studied, and produced classic hip-hop records such as O.S.T, The Next Step, and Stepfather. The German born Herb Pilhofer is an accomplished pianist/composer with a list of accomplishments a mile long. Spending most of his life in the Minneapolis, MN area, Mr. Pilhofer has fronted jazz ensembles, scored movies, won a Grammy, and helped start and run the first digital recording studio in the country called Studio 80 (where a young Prince made his first demos). But his work in creating jingles for local and national companies using electronic instruments (Moogs and other synthesizers) was not only revolutionary, but also musically exciting with rich emotional depth.

Thes has uncovered many amazing LPs in his days of digging, but the collection of original commercial jingles that Herb Pilhofer produced is a career highlight. Acting as producer, arranger, mixing/mastering engineer, and A&R, this release is a true tour de force for Thes One.

The Weatherman

Evidence

Chase The Clouds Away Download
All Said & Done Download
Mr. Slow Flow Download
from The Weatherman LP (2007, ABB Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

Evidence has been rocking mics for years as one-third of the major LA underground group Dilated Peoples, and with the release of his debut album The Weatherman LP he’s out to prove he can bring the same heat solo. Hip-hop is littered with MCs who couldn’t establish themselves from the crews they came from, and Evidence wants to avoid the fate of the Murphy Lees and Lloyd Banks of the world. His ultimate goal is to exist in the group and solo worlds with equal force, “When you say Ghostface Killah you don’t say Ghostface of Wu-Tang Clan anymore, even though he is Ghost of Wu-Tang Clan,” he said in a recent DJBooth.net interview. While Evidence has a lot of blood, sweat and tears ahead of him before he joins the ranks of Tony Starks, The Weatherman LP’s original flows, expertly tight production, and willingness to take risks is a powerful opening shot in the battle to claim his own identity.

No one ever confused Evidence with Twista, and on The Weatherman LP his syrup heavy flow remains as slow as ever. His crisp enunciation hits every syllable, a blessing considering his carefully constructed lyrics, but over the course of an album the slow vocal cadence begins to feel monotone. Luckily the beats are kinetic enough to pick up where the vocal energy leaves off, a dynamic shown on his debut single Mr. Slow Flow. Evidence knows he’s not the loudest MC on the planet, and Mr. Slow Flow’s structure (three verses and no hook) is a defiant “middle finger” to an industry pressuring him to make more radio friendly tracks. Without more mainstream appeal Evidence may never blow up, but he ain’t gonna “fake it to make it.”

At its root The Weatherman LP is a deeply personal album. His mother’s recent death emerges as a theme throughout the album and Evidence sought refuge in music to deal with the pain. I Still Love You ends the album with a celebration of his mother’s life, and Chase the Clouds Away details his emergence from the depression that followed his mother’s passing. The Alchemist produced track is uplifting without getting corny. It takes a strong MC to get personal without hiding behind hard posturing, even though the last seconds of the track reveal Evidence is nervous about keeping it so truly real.

The true strength of The Weatherman LP is in its collaborations. Evidence splits production duties, and the featured verse-list reads as a who’s who of underground rap: Planet Asia, Rakaa, Joe Scudda, Big Pooh, and more put down some serious skill. On Line Of Scrimmage Evidence adopts his track-mate Slug’s twisted cadence, and stylistic collaborations like this allow Evidence to break out, even if only for a verse, of his sometimes numbing trademark ‘slow flow.’ On Believe in Me, Res puts down a soulfully strong hook that will undoubtedly move a crowd. While Evidence may not be the most dynamic MC, he’s smart enough to know his weakness and recruit others to fill in the gaps to create a complete package.

Becoming your own man doesn’t happen overnight, and on The Weatherman LP Evidence is busy building a foundation. Top-line production and originality make for a solid album that may not merit instant classic status, but definitely puts hip-hop on alert. With a continued grind, which is suggested through both his music and self-advocating voice, anyone who is of the doubting nature need only pick up the album. It’s full of evidence.

- Nathan S

The Sole Vibe – The Appetizer

The Sole Vibe
The Appetizer Download

Message from Mario Dones and Family:
“I know, it’s about time. We’ve been making music together since 2004.This is a taste of what we’ve been doing and a glipse at what’s to come… Brought to you by The Sole Vibe & the Oakland Faders… Enjoy!”

P.S.
Respect to the winners of the KODA – Beat Tape 1.5 contest, Zubin (L.A.) and Dan (Unknown). Yes, We were featured on an article about Bay Area hiphop bloggers, written by Tamara Palmer in the SF WEEKLY. Lookout for the CD’s in the mail, homies.

KODA – BEAT TAPE 1.5

KODA
Beat Tape Vol. 1.5
45amp Recordings, 2007

KODA’s “Beat Tape Vol 1.5″ – A journey into sound and crate digging inspired by the works of Madlib, JDilla, Prince Paul, 45 King, DJ Krush, and DJ Cam. KODA brings 40 + tracks featuring true hip hop and instrumentals of Jazz, Grooves, and Breaks. A demo version of the release was leaked out to the internet months ago, featuring over 30 tracks giving people a taste of unreleased work. With over 300 hip hop instrumentals and tracks yet to be heard by the public, the “Beat Tape” series is sure to keep listeners busy.

We got 2 copies to give away for answering this Broke BBoys trivia:
Name the SF based newspaper that wrote a small piece on The Broke BBoys back in 2005?

Please send your answers to: thabboy@gmail.com. First 2 correct answers receive the brand new “Beat Tape Vol. 1.5″ from KODA. If your a fan of Madlib, Dilla and other forward thinking producers, This CD is a a must for your musical collection. You heard about it here FIRST!

Ski Beatz – Underrated & Hella Overlooked

Ski Beatz
Beatz, Rhymes & Samples: SKI BEATZ Download

Beatz, Rhymes & Samples: SKI BEATZ is a mixtape dedicated to, and hosted by, one of the most overlooked producers in hiphop history. Since his groundbreaking work with the Bizzie Boyz to his early 90’s work as a member of Original Flavor, Ski Beats has produced some of the greatest hiphop songs ever – but dont take my work for it – just ask Marley marl who once stated that if he could have produced any single in hiphop history that it would have been “Streets Is Watching” (Jay-Z, produced by Ski Beatz). This mixtape (mixed by DJ Raize) featured many of Ski’s classic productions (Jay-Z, Camp Lo, Fat Joe, Pacewon, etc.) mixed in with the original records that he sampled to create the beats. Towards the end you’ll get to check out a few new tracks that Ski recently produced for artists such as Cover, Jean Grae and Camp Lo.

-DJ Bri G