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.
LMNO is a member of Los Angeles hip hop collective The Visionaries, alongside 2Mex, Lord Zen, Dannu, KeyKool and DJ Rhettmatic. The Visionaries latest album is titled We Are The Ones (We’ve Been waiting For) and is the group’s fourth effort. The group has been acknowledged for its positive impact and contribution to hip hop, and was even recently inducted into the Universal Zulu Nation. Their music was also featured on the MTV feature film Oceans Twelve, Volcano High and Midway’s NFL Blitz.
Yet LMNO has a solo career as well, and his upcoming album Selective Hearing is due out this March. You can also hear him on the latest CD by fellow Long Beach resident RBX., also a Freestyle 101 vet. LMNO spends his time over the past 12 years touring the world with his group or on the solo tip and has gained a reputation for his explosive live performances.
So Freestyle 101 was stoked when LMNO decided to drop by Reef Studios and kick freestyle about Atari, Pac-Man, the L.A. Raiders, and hip hop. He also had a lot to say about the underground hip hop scene in Los Angeles, and why it breeds such hungry MCs.
A new Freestyle 101 goes up every Tuesday at 3 p.m. EST. Make sure to tune in for webisodes featuring Insane Poetry, Pack FM, Sheek Louch, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Lil’ Fame of M.O.P., Ice-T, Heltah Skeltah, Buckshot of Black Moon, Fat Joe and many more every. Until then, check us on MySpace, dig our brand new behind-the-scenes photos from our New York trip, and sound off in our Forums.
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.
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.