One of the most exciting artists Big Dada (of Ninja Tune fame) has signed recently is the Liverpool bred Bang On. A born MC, Elliott Egerton’s delivery effortlessly moves between funny and furious, as he spins yarns and nails metaphors that make rap sound like a good idea again. Combined with raw, bass-hefty production that could make a bleeding edge dubstepper weep, he’s set to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming year.
His debut single, ‘Hands High’ is one of the most astonishing records we’ve ever released. You can now hear it, and, even better, see the spectacular video by Goetz Werner, who shot Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Graftin’ and ‘Off To Work.’ Click here, and brace yourself.
When you listen to the top 40 rap hits nowadays, sometimes you hear lyrics so ridiculous that you wonder if the mc really believes his own hype, or if it’s just an act to gain exposure. Eminem reached superstar status with his raw humor and shock factor. Outkast has shown enough overall depth in their music so that their playful tracks don’t come off so shallow. But putting a positive message in hip-hop has gone out of style, and few are able to pull it off in a balanced way.
In 2009 the purpose of music is entertainment, but leave it up to this subversive mc from Alabama to bring the ruckus and rock a message. Thed Weller is like a good guy pro wrestler: he’s trying to do the right thing, but ain’t afraid to kick a little ass along the way. With battle raps like this, you’ll think about joining the good guys.
I’ve been rappin since Nissans was Datsuns / my rhymes connect like Al Graham Bell pagin Watson
I’m from a whole other world / it is my space that you lost in / wack mcs set their soul for sale, that’s what it’s costin
I’m like frosting over any cake track / I’ll take the dopest mc and make him think he can’t rap / In fact
That’s what Thed Weller thrives on / I’ll rap your ears to death and won’t stop until I rap your eyes gone…
- Better Than I Can Tell You
Don’t get it twisted though, Thed Weller’s Better Than I Can Tell You LP isn’t the typical ego-driven chant-down-babylon manifesto against the mainstream. The track Grown Man Music expresses his music’s maturity, while Hold it in the Road (some serious production on this track by Constantine the Emcee) speaks on walking the straight path in a world that rewards shortcuts. The album weaves together organic instruments and raw sampling, ranging from melodic hip-hop ballad to old school banger. Thed also sprinkles in some soul, featuring several guest singers who add to the musical possibilities and keep the album from stagnating.
The full album is available for free mp3 download at ThedWeller.com until Jan. 20. All proceeds from this album go to benefit the Hip-Hop is Music Foundation (HHIM) so if you download the free album, think about kicking down a couple bucks to promote the art form.
With over 50 thousand downloads and still going strong Asoka is arguably one of the fastest rising stars on the underground scene. Unlike other underground artists, Asoka has already worked with numerous multi-platinum stars some of which include: 50 Cent and G-Unit, Juelz Santana, 2Pac’s legendary group The Outlawz, and Eminem & Dr Dre’s protégé Stat Quo.
In 2006 Asoka appeared on an official 2Pac Shakur CD sponsored by Shakur’s company Makaveli-Branded. As always Asoka continued making his way around the mixtape circuit while working on his new album. 17 months in the making, with over a hundred songs in the vault, Asoka stepped out of the studio with “The Underground Artist.” Picking only his favorite records from the period, the album is packed with 21 songs and has a running time of 79 minutes and 56 seconds.
Artists featured on the album include:
- Stat Quo from Shady/Aftermath
- Young Noble from Young Buck’s Ca$hVille Ent.
- Hussein Fatal from The Outlawz
- Sonjay Dutt from SPIKE TV’s TNA Wrestling
Immortal Technique has been touring the world after his previous release Revolutionary Vol. 2, including the Rock the Bells Tour for the past 3 years. This has kept him quite busy with the anticipation of his next release growing steadily by the day. Finally Immortal Technique and DJ Green Lantern (DJ for Jay Z & Sirius Satellite) complete their vision of colliding their worlds into one full-length album, The 3rd World. The mix of street Hip Hop with the vivid landscapes of global struggle shows that world politics and music politics are almost one in the same. While still a full-length album, DJ Green Lantern blends and mixes it from start to finish, with about a 1/3 of the production to his name. Expect to hear Immortal Technique’s striking lyrics on an even more street influenced production that occasionally fortifies him to show his bi-lingual versatility on the mic.
Immortal Technique has been touring the world after his previous release Revolutionary Vol. 2, including the Rock the Bells Tour for the past 3 years. This has kept him quite busy with the anticipation of his next release growing steadily by the day. Finally Immortal Technique and DJ Green Lantern (DJ for Jay Z & Sirius Satellite) complete their vision of colliding their worlds into one full-length album, The 3rd World. The mix of street Hip Hop with the vivid landscapes of global struggle shows that world politics and music politics are almost one in the same. While still a full-length album, DJ Green Lantern blends and mixes it from start to finish, with about a 1/3 of the production to his name. Expect to hear Immortal Technique’s striking lyrics on an even more street influenced production that occasionally fortifies him to show his bi-lingual versatility on the mic.