Cisco Adler and Shwayze Gear Up for Warped Tour, Reveal Artwork

Named by The Los Angeles Times as an “Artist To Watch in 2008,” Shwayze has recorded an album full of laid-back melodies, hip-hop rhythms and acoustic guitars paying homage to an all-day-and-into-the-night party lifestyle. Cisco Adler (Whitestarr, etc.) produced the album, co-wrote the songs and provided a roots-rock vocal tapestry that compliments Shwayze’s cooler-than-a-sea-breeze hip-hop delivery (can’t help but think of the good old days of Sublime).

MTV will air a reality series on Shwayze, documenting the process of putting out his debut, starting this July. In addition, Shwayze and Cisco, along with their first single Buzzin’, are currently being featured in the national TV campaign for the Pontiac Vibe, which you can view below.

Shwayze will spend the entire summer on this year’s Warped Tour.

Would love to know what you think of everything below. Hope you’re well.
-tito




VOTE FOR SHWAYZE ON TRL!
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/trl/voting.jhtml

Shwayze Myspace Page:
www.myspace.com/shwayze

“Buzzin” audio stream
http://www.imeem.com/shwayze/music/OdpzCCYM/shwayze_buzzin/

The Source joins The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 2008

The Source joins the BHF as Media Sponsor

Spit 16 and open up for KRS and other legends

June, 9 2008
The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is proud to announce the legendary Source Magazine has recently signed on as a sponsor of this year’s calendar.

As a part of this sponsorship Brooklyn Bodega and The Source have partnered to produce an MC contest powered by SayNow during the 2008 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival.

“The Source Presents Spit 16″ will give hungry MC’s from Flatbush to the Bay an opportunity to win an opening slot during the Festival on July 12th at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Entrants will call the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival at 718-354-8777 and record their best 16 bars.Representatives from The Source, Brooklyn Bodega and the Festival will listen to all entries and and select a winner. The winner will have a chance to share the stage with some of the best in the game on July 12th including KRS ONE and Buckshot

“This could be the big break for the next Common, Biggie, Eminem, or Mobb Deep. Not only will they be rocking in front of thousands but with the addition of our sponsor, The Source, they will reach millions more,” Wes Jackson, Festival Executive Director. “For us, bringing The Source on board is an honor. They created Hip-Hop journalism. So many of us would not be in the game if The Source hadn’t taken the lead in documenting and celebrating our culture. “The Source Presents Spit 16″ initiative will do for Hip-Hop what their Unsigned Hype column did for all those years. The same thing Brooklyn Bodega is about. Give a voice to that unknown who will change the game.”

When asked to comment on the alliance with Brooklyn Bodega Jeremy Miller, CEO of the Source responded, “As we move forward into the New Era of The Source and celebrate our 20th Anniversary, we are happy to be the Official Media Sponsor for the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival and look forward to an overwhelming response to the ‘Spit 16′ contest.”

To enter “The Source Presents Spit 16′ contest call 718-354-8777. Register and leave your original material on the line.

Winners will be announced July 1st.
For details, rules and regulations please visit www.brooklyn bodega.com

Khia – “What They Do” Featuring Gucci Mane

“Make u feel real special when I’m on you / slide low lay back and enjoy the ride”

The Song:   “What They Do” featuring Gucci Mane is the second single from Khia’s upcoming album Nasti Musik. Gucci Mane, in true player fashion, talks about getting girls drunk in the club and getting them loose. On the flipside Khia brings her feminine expertise when she rhymes, “Make u feel real special when I’m on you / slide low lay back and enjoy the ride / super wet stay gushing on the inside / waterfall, not a stream they call me a aquafina / a real bad mamma jamma / love it when you beat it.”   The Background:   Born in Philadelphia and raised in Tampa, Florida, Khia now resides in Atlanta. Khia has been writing and singing rap, R&B and gospel her whole life. Her first brush with the hip-hop club scene began when she bartended at the trend setting club XS in Tampa. The bar was home to Wild 98.7 and served as the venue for the hottest local DJ and club shows. When Khia’s mother passed away in 2000 from kidney failure, Khia used her grief as a catalyst to kick her music career into action. In 2002 Khia wrote, produced, and released her debut album Thug Misses. Distributed by Artemis Records, but with no major label contract deal, Khia found success on her own terms despite not having “Top 40″ radio play or PR team to gain exposure for her album. The now infamous single, “My Neck, My Back,” has sold 100,000 units to date and has been featured on numerous television shows and feature films. In 2005, she released her sophomore album Gangstress, which featured the single “Snatch the Cat Back.” Khia has also been featured on the Janet Jackson’s “So Excited” and Trick Daddy’s “Jodd.” Most recently Khia was featured on VH1’s Miss Rap Supreme and had an ongoing column with Allhiphop.com. Nasti Muzik was produced by Khia, Marlon “Big Cat” Rowe and Melvin “Birdman” Breeden. The album will be released on August 19, 2008.   ### Streams:   “What They Do” Featuring Gucci Mane http://media.audibletreats.com/Khia-What_They_Do.asx   “Be Your Lady” http://media.audibletreats.com/Khia-Be_Your_Lady.asx   Sing-along lyrics video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qb_huS91BbM   Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/khia   Label site: http://www.tommyboy.com/

Justus For All

Written by Mikey Fresh

June 2008

“When it’s time for the next Little Brother album, we definitely want to own our masters. I want to own all of my records, it’s not even an arguing matter anymore; I done gave up enough records already – 3 group and 1 solo album.” – Little Brother

 

 

The ability to connect and relate to your listeners is an attribute which helps classify musicians that check Hollywood egos and arrogant personas at the door to the recording studio. Since releasing their debut single in 2002, the newly formed duo of Phonte and Big Pooh collectively known as Little Brother have garnered fans with the spirit of De La Soul and the attitude of EPMD reformulated to bring the soul back to the new school generation. Now a globally recognized name amongst hip-hop purists, the group is gearing up to release an album strictly for the streets, “Our next release is a re-issue of our last mixtape Justus for All which was released about a year ago, and the reasoning is simply that the response from the fans was just so much more then we anticipated. Everywhere we’d go fans would be asking for DJ free versions and singles from the mixtape, so we are just giving the people what they asked for”, explains Big Pooh.

 

After three albums with group producer 9^th Wonder, the North Carolina boys have parted ways with their prized beatsmith. 9^th has continued his career as a well respected producer and currently teaches a hip-hop history class at NC’s Central University. Even with the media; more specifically hip-hop websites and bloggers trying to stir up a much fabled beef amongst the crew, Phonte and Pooh cite creative differences and not personal reasons for the split. Fans will certainly miss the masterpieces constructed by the trio but the NC natives didn’t stray far from their family tree to find new musical backdrops for their rhymes, “We got production by Khrysis, Odyssey, DJ Spinna and more of our extended family. There a few new songs that we added and a lot of things we tweaked to make it more of a complete album”, says Phonte in a raspy tone. The emcee is still a bit sick from a hectic recording schedule and a slew of random concert performances that have kept his live show in-tune.

 

Currently, Little Brother is working on solidifying their solo careers and both emcees have albums scheduled to be released this year. Phonte is working on a best of both worlds inspired project with songstress Nicolay. Using the moniker Foreign Exchange, the pair’s debut album promises a blend of harmonious and lyrical collaborations of hip-hop soul. “Because we’re not focusing on Little Brother right now, it’s hard to say what direction we’ll go in for the next group project, but we’re always building the Little Brother brand. We just needed time to learn different business aspects and experiment on our own,” says Phonte who has recently appeared on tracks with Playaz Circle and Kidz In The Hall. Flexing their strong willed personalities and contrasting rhyme styles, Big Pooh and Phonte are each standing tall respectively without compromising their original North Cack-a-lack sound. “I understand that I’m in the business to sell music but at the same time I got to be satisfied with the type of material that I put out,” says Pooh without hesitation and a strong assertiveness.

 

Little Brother has always been about regular people with real-life struggles and issues. Jus two young men weaving through life’s everyday challenges, these disguised comedians restore the fact that just because they happen to rap for a living ; the same bullshit happens to everybody. LB doesn’t base their clout on money or jewels, rather their words do the talking for them as should all persons who claim the title of a real-live emcee, “I only base music on whether the artist is dope or not, I could care less about what the artist is wearing, I only care about if they can rhyme or not”, laminates Phonte. They’ve been labeled as backpack rappers, underground, and have been throw into every other generic category of hip-hop. Fans know Little Brother as two dope rappers that could of very well be from their own neighborhood. Pooh and Phonte share the same philosophy when it comes creating music. They are two emcees personified into witty characters that are far more intricate then any gun-toting goon in the majority of today’s rhyme books.

The World As I See It – Hip Hop Better Start Getting Smart

Written by Vinnie Lawrence 

June 2008

Peace Cosigners! It’s been a minute but I’m back in the mix. There has been too much drama in the world of Hip Hop lately and I needed to sound off on it. The world of Hip Hop is on notice. Let’s start with Remy Ma. Miss Ma aka Reminisce Smith was recently found guilty of the attempted murder of former friend Makeda Barnes-Joseph after she “accidentally” discharged a weapon during an argument. Now let me get this straight. Remy has an argument with her former friend and in the process of this “accidentally” shoots her twice in the midsection. Now she is up for a sentence of possibly 25 years. First, where did this gun come from? Second, If this is your friend, why did this get to be so heated that she ends up getting shot? Thirdly, with all of the heat that is coming down on the world of Rap and Hip Hop from the law nowadays , why would you have ANY weapon in your possession? Bad call Remy. Now your fiancee, rapper Papoose will have to wait to marry you and your child has to deal with the stigma that comes from having a parent incarcerated. Whatever it was that got you to this point, I do hope that this will make you truly understand that even the ones high on the Hip Hop food chain can become food too in a heartbeat.

 

Let’s move on to “the King of the South”, T. I., also known by Johnny Law as Clifford Harris, was also recently found guilty in March of weapons possession and has agreed to a deal that will include a year of prison and 3 years house probation. He also has to do 1000 – 1500 hours of community service talking to youths about the perils of drugs, gangs and guns. This young man had the world nodding its head to his music and he had many different parts in movies that were getting a lot of attention for him in a positive light. He was going to be a driving force in the Hip Hop game for years to come. Knowing that you had a criminal record in the past, didn’t you think that you were not being watched? Didn’t you think your friends were being watched? Like I said he was on top of his game.The king has been exiled and his court has been dethroned. I wish you well sir. Now Johnny Law is singing one of your own lyrics to you. They are all singing, “Whachu know about that?”

 

Even the “Queen Bee” Lil’ Kim nee Kimberly Jones has been pinched by the law for perjury and obstructing justice. Many think she was crazy for covering up for her friends after a shooting. She was one of the first heavy hitters to serve time for an offense. She even admitted that in hindsight she would probably think twice about doing it again. Too little too late. People in the world of Hip Hop tend to have too many demons to confront. The last thing she should have been doing was covering up somebody else’s mess. That was a hard lesson to learn and it cost her a position in the hierarchy of Hip Hop that she could have claimed with a slamming album. Can the “Queen Bee” regain her place on the throne after her exile? Stay tuned.

 

I could probably on about others in the game that have been caught out there for one offense or many. You all know the names in the game. Diddy, Jay – Z, Ja Rule, Tony Yayo, Suge Knight, Lil’ Wayne and many others have crossed paths with the law. Some have gotten over and moved on to bigger and better things. Others wear it as a badge of honor that they have parlayed into a career that by all general accounts should have been over from the first major offense. It is getting too hot out there for folks in the Hip Hop game. If you already have a criminal record then you know that you are being watched pretty much 24/7. If you are associating  with anyone who has any kind of record, you are definitely being watched somehow. I would think by now that folks in the game would be tired of that. Its about time to get that monkey off your back.

 

Rappers, MC’s…lend me your ears. STOP BEING STUPID!!! If you are one of the major players in the game right now then you are a commodity to your record label that they would be smart to protect. Instead of you getting your own security which usually include your peeps from the hood, who already probably have a criminal record themselves, why not get the record execs to get you some proper security who aren’t convicted felons and can carry a weapon lawfully if you are so afraid of some kind of retaliation from a rival rap faction. Instead of blowing your money on excessive bling and cars, try investing your money in ways that can make you more. Diddy and  Jay – Z  made Sean John and Rocawear a staple in the fashion community worldwide. Fifty Cent made millions in Vitamin Water stock and G – Unit clothing and sneakers from Reebok. Nelly has women showing off what they were born with in Apple Bottom jeans. If Russell Simmons can make Phat Farm into a worldwide household name then why can’t you?

 

Money can be made and lost too quickly in the Hip Hop world. The lives of your family and friends who deal with you every day can be changed as well with anything you do in a positive or negative light. People has gone out of their way to protect artists only to be hurt or even killed for what they do. Being a star in the world of Hip Hop is a life changing profession. Your life is put on a platter for all to see. People want to embrace you for your talents while others want to disgrace you for being on top of your game. Its time to get smart about the choices you make for yourself.

 

Years ago they said that Hip Hop would never survive beyond a few years. They said it was a fad. This fad has now become a multi billion dollar business with everything from soft drinks to clothing, sports to video games all profiting from the talents of many different artists in Hip Hop. With so many ways to earn money in the world of Hip Hop, many still choose to do it the wrong way. Bad choice. Bad career move. The record companies who embrace you will blacklist you. The endorsers who promised you millions now move on to better opportunities.

 

Hip Hop isn’t just about the music anymore. It is a lifestyle that can make many people into millionaires within months of dropping one or two hot singles that get mass airplay and downloads on the Internet. Yet so many in the game still want to be “gangsters”. They emulate figures in the movies and on TV that all have a negative connotation to them. I see kids walking around with “Scarface” jackets and t-shirts on. The baggy jeans worn so low they drag the sidewalk are the norm for most kids. We know that came from how most prisoners wear their pants in jail and prison. When does all the negativity stop? When can we get back to how it used to be in Hip Hop where storytelling and a flair for comedy kept your head nodding? Are we always going to have Hip Hop associated with bling and law breaking activities that will continue to give politicians fuel to have this art form slowly taken away from our culture? Its time for everyone in the game to get it together, get smart or else it will be gone before you know it.

 

THINK ABOUT IT>>>