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.
7 GRAND RECORDS ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF GURU’S JAZZMATAZZ: THE TIMEBOMB/BACK TO THE FUTURE MIXTAPE FEATURING DAMIAN MARLEY, LORD TARIQ, ZION I, COMMON, DOO WOP, TONY TOUCH, ACEYALONE, NATURE, K-BORN, HIGH POWER, MR. LIF, AND MORE. PRODUCED BY SUPERPRODUCER SOLAR HOSTED BY THE MIXTAPE LEGEND DJ DOO WOP.
(7 Grand Records, New York, NY January 3, 2008) – Fresh off an international tour, Guru, super-producer, Solar, and 7 Grand Records announce the February 2008 release of Guru’s Jazzmatazz: The Timebomb/Back To The Future Mixtape, the “raw” companion to the Jazzmatazz Vol. 4 album. The Mixtape carefully and superbly crafted by Super-producer Solar exhibits the “Golden Era” New York essence along with a cutting edge futuristic twist! Hence the title, “Back To The Future.”
The tracks are pure “bangers” and the guest appearances are classic as they compliment Guru’s iconic yet streetwise vocals! The MC’s selected represent the best of America’s true Hip Hop artists that hail from the “Underground” scene that Guru has remained so true to. There are features such as reggae artist Damian Marley, Aceyalone and Zion I from the West Coast, Blue Scholars from Seattle, Mr. Lif from Boston, Yungun from London, as well as legends Lord Tariq from the Bronx, Nature from Queensbridge, C. Knowledge from Digable Planets and Tony Touch to name a few. The album also features up-and-coming 7 Grand Records artists K. Born & Highpower from Philadelphia and Young Pablo from Paterson, New Jersey. This is no ordinary mixtape CD as it is hosted by the Mixtape King himself, DJ Doo Wop, who is featured on a couple of tracks.
“Since the inception of Jazzmatazz, one of our main focuses has been to create music for every generation, for the music lover. The Jazzmatazz series has always been about charting new territories, blurring genre lines, and collaborating with artists to create music that’s timeless and relevant.”
With a career that spans over a decade and one that is now eleven-LP’s deep, Guru has been able to stay relevant when many of his counterparts have faded into the background. Now with a musical and business partnership in full motion with Solar, and the formation of their new label, 7 Grand, Guru feels even more reinvigorated. “7 Grand Records allows me not only to be creative, but to finally be in control of my creativity. Between us you’ve got a legendary spitter that’s still hungry and still relevant, teamed up with the hottest New York producer in the game, which makes for a musical vision that is powerfully important and virtually unstoppable.” Solar adds, “7 Grand Records is the epitome of what great NY Hip-Hop represents taken to the new millennium and beyond! Now in control of our own label, we’re free to introduce forward-thinking Hip-Hop concepts to the masses,” explains Solar.
In the past, Guru’s Jazzmatazz endeavors have enabled him to collaborate with a who’s who list of legendary musical icons including Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Chaka Khan, Isaac Hayes, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis and popular cross-over favorites including Macy Gray, The Roots, Erykah Badu and Angie Stone. When asked how he has been able stay such a viable force in the music industry Guru states matter of factly “be honest with yourself, be original, be open to criticism and don’t be afraid to reinvent and recreate yourself.”
With Guru’s Jazzmatazz Volume 4: The Hip-Hop Messenger (Back To The Future) and it’s companion mixtape Guru’s Jazzmatazz: The Time Bomb (Back To The Future Mixtape), Guru and Solar have delivered another fresh approach, one that’s not only an interesting attempt at boundary-crossing but also a compelling enough to bridge the jazz, hip-hop & soul enthusiast all at the same time.
Comin’ straight outta the L.A. underground, Thirsty Fish represent real hip hop to the fullest. As part of the Project Blowed collective (which includes Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Busdriver, and more) Thirsty Fish have been schooled in the fine art of freestyling from years of battling and ciphers in legendary Leimert Park. And all that hard work has clearly paid off as members Open Mike Eagle, Psychosiz and DumbFounDead tag-team freestyle with ease, like they were born with mics in their hands.
Thirsty Fish’s latest album, Something in the Water, showcases the trio’s complex wordplay, dope beats, and unique sense of humor. The guys have skills, but they aren’t frontin’ like they’re fake thugs. It’s a return to the backpack sound of yesteryear, but with a fresh, new twist. And if you dig their sound, check out DumbFounDead’s side-project Super Barrio Bros, an all-videogame influenced mixtape laced with game samples, sounds and rhymes. Clearly these guys are true gamers, and it showed in the booth at the Engine Room when they stepped up to the mic, dropping references to every game under the sun as well as G4tv, Attack of the Show, X-Play, Electric Playground and even Leo Laporte and TechTV!
Freestyle 101 is taking two weeks off for the holidays, so make sure to tune in on Tuesday, January 8th at 3 p.m. PST. when we resume with new webisodes featuring Planet Asia, MC Frontalot, RBX, Sticky Fingaz of Onyx, LMNO, Hangar 18, Pack FM, and many more every. Until then, peep us on MySpace, check out our behind-the-scenes photos, and rant in our Forums.
Citrus Sessions, Vol. 1, the new full-length album featuring MYKA NYNE (formerly Mikah 9) is in stores NOW! Citrus Sessions, Vol. 1 is a juicy collection of “Grown Folk” hip-hop from one of L.A.’s most pre-eminent emcees. Grown Folk hip-hop is a blend of sophisticated instrumental music combined with thought-provoking lyrics, enhanced with bouncy beats and delivered with a sexy swagger.
As a founding member of the legendary L.A. hip-hop group, Freestyle Fellowship, Myka Nyne was an integral part in the freestyle movement of spitting lyrics. Being a west-coast hip-hop pioneer and a classically trained jazz trumpet player, Myka Nyne invokes the same sense of uniqueness and musical appreciation to Citrus Sessions, Vol. 1. The album features hard-core beats to laid back grooves that highlight Myka Nyne’s signature style of chop delivery. Myka Nyne succinctly sums up his work on Citrus Sessions, Vol. 1, “Metaphorically speaking it is a musical flavor in my mind and technically speaking it is the quintessential statement of my career.”
Citrus Sessions, Vol. 1 also features production by heavy-hitters such as Josef Leimberg (Snoop), Headnodic (Crown City Rockers), Jeff Bhasker (The Game) and Erick Krasno (Talib Kweli.) The guest appearances on the album include Abstract Rude, P.E.A.C.E. and Tracy Lane.
