Hades Forum

ALIEN ARMY ARE:Skizo, DJ Gruff, DJ Stile, DJ Type 10, DJ Inesha, DJ Zak, DJ Metz, DJ Double S, DJ Tayone-From: Italy


Alien Army was founded by Skizo in 1996. The concept of the group was to add different styles, combined with original thoughts, unified under one roof, in the hands of the six most prepared and talented turntablists in Italy. Creativity is at the base of the group. Consistant training, competivness and musical backgrounds form an untouchable alliance for the future of worldwide turntablizm.

Alien Army is an orchestral sextet based on turntables, mixers and effects units. The intent is to develop the concept of turntablizm in its purest form to bombard untried and unvisited realms on the five percent hip hop culture putting Italy first place in the worldwide turntable culture.
(ItalianRap)


The End - the stunning second album from Italian hip-hop DJ supergroup Alien Army, and the first available outside of Europe, has already drawn comparisons to both D-Styles' "Phantazmegorea" and QBert's "Wave Twisters." And no wonder since like those two Invisibl Skratch Piklz famed DJs, the six-member Alien Army also possess a powerfully unique strong song structure approach to turntablism: something often absent from the "skratch" music genre. "What sets Alien Army apart from even some of the best hip hop scratch DJs of today, even many of their fellow DMC or ITF champs, is that they make good head-nodding hip hop music that is universally appealing," said Billy Jam of Hip Hop Slam Records, who has featured Alien Army's music on several of the critically acclaimed compilations released on his US label including Global Turntables and Scratch Attack: the LP which also featured QBert and Steinski. Dave Paul of Bomb Hip Hop, who pioneered the current turntablist craze with his infamous Return of the DJ series, agrees that Alien Army are a most unique DJ collective. "They are not just amazing scratch DJs but more importantly quality producers who make hip hop songs, complete with choruses and hooks. The kind of tracks that you keep hitting the repeat button on. But what's really amazing about Alien Army is that they create all this great music on just turntables!"

Featuring the DJs/producers Zak, Skizo, Inesha, MicroMetz, Type10, and Tayone, Alien Army have been together for the past seven years. In that time they have become national DJ heroes in their native Italy: winning hands down twelve national DJ battle titles (DMC and ITF) and releasing the first all scratch album in Italy (Orgasmi Meccanici 1998). They have also become mainstays on Italian radio and television with regular appearances on MTV in Europe. Additionally their expansive discography includes a slew of 12" singles, battle records, and mix-CDs. DJ Skizo, the groups founding member, says that The End is what they are most proud of after spending the past year-plus honing it to perfection. For proof check out such instantly likable tracks as the sinister "Destroy" (already a hit single in Italy), the spooky mood-induced "Daily Nightmares" and the track that features US guest DJ Radar, "The Terrible Invasion Pt. 1." "Our goal with this album," said DJ Skizo, "Was to combine the ultimate frontiers of the so called scratch music, passing through electronic, electro, abstract hip-hop and downtempo."
destroy de pe albumul the end http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HYEM97AO

Who is Keith Tamashiro?

Keith Tamashiro is a graphic designer who has done record covers for DJ Shadow, Jurrassic 5, Herbie Hancock, Cut Chemist, Stones Throw, and many others. Keith suffered a brain aneurysm in March and is currently in the hospital with mounting hospital bills. Please join us for three days of benefit art and music shows scheduled in May:

MAY 24 | WEDNESDAY | LOS ANGELES
An Art Benefit showcasing a collection of exclusive
pieces, photos, and various artwork up for auction.
B+, JEFF JANK, GARY BASEMAN, KOFIE, KOZYNDAN, SAM FLORES, and more
Evil Monito/A Social Trust Art Space
Washington & Hill St., Los Angeles, CA.
Catered Reception with Hosted Bar, 7pm - 10pm
Ticket price: $30.00. Open to all, 10pm - 2am
Monetary donations welcome

MAY 25 | THURSDAY | LOS ANGELES
DJ SHADOW, CUT CHEMIST, DILATED PEOPLES, BEAT JUNKIES, JURASSIC 5
Mayan Nightclub
1038 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Doors at 7pm
$100 per ticket 100% of all proceeds go directly to
Keiths medical expenses. All of the artists are close
friends of Keith and have donated their time to
perform at this special event.

PFOA CAT DE TARE!
M-as duce la licitatie, la concert.. de-ar eleiu la Timisoara. :-<

Tanya Morgan

Who is Tanya Morgan? Although the name evokes something of a neo-soul songstress, the music is overtly hip hop. Making matters even more complicated, this woman’s name is actually the pseudonym for a group of three male MCs. Not confused yet? Well try this on for size: Tanya Morgan is a group comprised of Von Pea and Ilwil (Ilyas and Donwill) - two totally separate acts. Now, relax that furrowed brow while I get you up to speed on the future of the culture.

Tanya Morgan was born in 2003 when MC/Producer Von Pea and MC Donwill decided to bloat their collaborative efforts into a full length album. With Ilyas locked in and along for the ride, the trio leaned on the production talent of Brickbeats (also known as Dave or Brick) to round out the other half of the album’s production. They began shuffling demos of songs back and forth as wav and mp3 files via AOL Instant Messenger© and email between takes on their other projects. Oh right. I forgot to mention that Von Pea lives in Brooklyn while both Ilwil and Brickbeats call Cincinnati home. They actually met online originally and didn’t meet in person until halfway through the album’s completion. There goes that brow again. I hope I’m not moving too fast for you.

Within the span of a year, the collective of four recorded all the material that would become their debut, Moonlighting. The tightly knit 13-song set is bound together by the story of a misled record shopper and his unwanted purchase. The album’s title is a nod to the fact that Tanya Morgan is really two acts in a group together who are, in a sense, moonlighting on their respective ‘jobs’ by working with each other. In promotion for this grand opening, the group has readied and released two projects: Sunlighting and the Sunset EP. The bandwidth busting download that is Sunlighting plays like a mixtape in a sense yet still showcases the group’s personality and presence while the Sunset EP boasts original production by Von Pea and Brickbeats, giving the listener a clearer view of what to expect with Moonlighting.

And what sound should one expect from three men who named their group after a fictitious woman? Expect the unexpected. There are no neo-soul, rap/r&b hybrid songs on the album. There is actually no crooning whatsoever. There is cursing - sometimes, but not the cursing just to be cursing. Cursing more like ensuring the ignorant listeners hear it. It is the sound of a non-violent M.O.P. who took charm classes at the Handsome Boy Modeling School and had to record an album over the beats that class professor Madlib thought twice about using for their final exam. Lyrically the three saturate their clever content with enough personality to push the listener through songs at rewind button-breaking speeds. Tanya Morgan has, in effect, dubbed their sound “Running Man Music”, and that descriptor is two fold. When the BPMs aren’t cranked up to a pitch frenetic enough to induce the dance itself, the emotion evoked by the music is enough to remind the listener of a time when Hip Hop was urgent. The album is a clever tongue-in-cheek look at what it means to be a consumer in today’s single-driven market where the album format is slowly dissolving altogether.

Collectively and individually, Tanya Morgan has worked with Nicolay, The Justus League, Fat Jon, Main Flow and a long list of others. Along with getting a nod of approval from several of their peers, Tanya is now making her rounds in various publications and websites as the buzz-worthy group to watch.

So when can we expect to meet Tanya Morgan? Well, following a gorgeous sunset, Moonlighting is tentatively scheduled to drop on a clear cloudless night in the summer of 2005. Make sure to watch. The stars will be shining brightly that night.

discography:
sunlighting mixtape
sunset ep
moonlighting(2006)
eu am ascultat monlighting si chiar imi place foarte mult cum suna.ma linistesc foarte mult.

MF Grimm - American Hunger Appetizers



I just copped the American Hunger sampler, which contains 30 snippets from the new 60 track triple album from MF Grimm. One of the standouts was a cut he did with Large Professor, with DJ Crucial on production (who you might remember from the ??€?Gingerbread Man??€? 12??€?), while the other song deals with why Grimm hasn??€�t exploited being shot in order to sell records. Considering that you??€�re lucky if a third of an album is decent these days, as long as there are at least twenty quality songs on ...Hunger I??€�ll be happy.

MF Grimm & Large Professor - Untitled Snippet [American Hunger sampler, Day By Day Ent, 2006]

MF Grimm - 50 (not the actual name of the song) [American Hunger sampler, Day By Day Ent, 2006]

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Courtesy of Day By Day Entertainment.

Now, That??€�s More Like It



While I certainly had some reservations about an album from GFK and Zev, this new leak is renewing my enthusiasm for the project.
[argumentarea o gasiti pe paginile anterioare]

Ghostface Killah & MF Doom - Angels

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Rejected album titles for this album (so far):

Face/Off
The Masked Avengers
Ghosts of Doom
Doomface
Ghostdoom
We Got The Internet Goin??€� Nuts Pt. 2
Backpacker??€�s Wet Dream
Metal Iron Dudes
Comic Books R Cool
Men Of Steel (nullus)

nu mere

PR, Rae & MK - The PJ??€�s



Sharing it??€�s title with one of the better only decent songs from the first Handsome Boy Modelling School album (nullus), here??€�s a new Pete Rock team-up with The Chef and Masta ??€?Bitch-Ass Critic Killa??€? Killa, taken from the same Nature Sounds compilation that houses that MF Doom & Ghostface piece.

A smoothly-chopped David Matthews bassline (first heard on ??€?Mad Scientist??€?) is married to that Fantasy Three tune that the Crash Crew made their own via classic strong arm tactics, while Raekwon delivers another quality slang editorial, ??€?staying away from you fake-ass motherfuckers, laying up in the barber shops, getting fucked-up cuts. We don??€�t respect y??€�all.??€? Say word.

Pete Rock featuring Raekwon & Masta Killa - The PJs [Natural Selections, Nature Sounds, 2006]

sun|rah ghost&mf doom nu merge

Nu tine de mine, am discutat cu omul si-a afirmat ca-l fixuie. Asteptam!

Ultramagnetic MCs - Reunited!



Although rumors of a reunion have been floating around for the past couple of years, I can now confirm that it??€�s official ??€� after a ten year hiatus, Ced Gee, Kool Keith, TR Love and DJ Moe Love are back together doing shows and working on a new album called It??€�s The Best Kept Secret, with a working release date of July on Olio Records. First up they have a new white label 12??€? called ??€?Is It Them??€? b/w ??€?Super Spell Bound??€?. I??€�d be interested to hear what everyone thinks about the A-side (the flip is closer to Keith??€�s solo stuff production-wise, on some ??€?cosmic slop??€? funk tip).



Ultramagnetic MC??€�s - Is It Them (snippet)

Advance supplied courtesy of Black Pegasus Music.

Where have I been?


Shit. Seriously. Its been like 4 months now. what the fuck. But im so fucking pissed off at the state of hip-hop, and music in general. There has just been some really depressing shit, and I'm not even talking about the death of Proof from D-12 (im sorry but who ever truly gave a fuck about him anyways?) and not even the ethering of J-Dilla by way of lupus. What I'm talking about is this: I like hip-hop. But there's no good albums anymore. There's no good artists either. There may or may not have been a decent song here or there, but mostly it all sucks. Hip-hop in 2006 is essentially a good concept that no one really has excuted. Yeah, I know, I'm a backpacker and yadda yadda yadda, but honestly, shame on you if you think the ray-gay-ton shit and the Laffy Taffy shit is any good.

I wear my Public Enemy shirt every now and then, ignoring the fact that their last album was 90% trash (the last song was absolute genius though, its also probably one of the longer hip-hop songs ever, a miracle in the "all samples cleared" era). I also wear my Run-DMC shirt even though "Distortion" took 8 years or whatever but it's only like 10 minutes long. Oh, and I heard DMC's new abortion of a song, which I think was a pro-life rap jam (I may be wrong though, I wasnt paying attention). I mean, I'm sorry you were almost ethered by way of abortion, man, but that doesn't mean it should be illegal. It's also no excuse to put this random beeyotch in the chours, even if she saved your life from whatever. And honestly, if your voice has been destroyed (dare I say ethered) by some disease, give it up man. No one wants to hear unadvanced rhymes coming from a guy who sounds embarassed by them.

What else. This Mobb Deep shit. What the hell. Remember when they used to be hardcore? Remember "Shook Ones, pt. II" or "Hell on Earth"? Are they so broke they need to suck 50 Cent off (no homo) and make this gay shit? Prodigy, man. What happened? I mean, I know random 6 year old girls could beat Prodigy up, but "Keep it Thoro" was some hardcore shit. What happened to "heavy airplay all day wit no chorus"?

How long can we go on with Wu-Tang being the only semi-bright spot? There's Ghostface's "Fishscale", which is some cool shit for the most part, but it can't carry this year. Then there's Raekwon's shit. I mean, it's cool that they haven't fallen off that bad, but at the same time you wish they'd still make classic shit where you could go, "yeah 06 sucked but did you hear the 3 Wu-Tang releases?"

Killah Priest, where is you. Back 11 years ago or so I claimed you were pretty much the best of them currently. But you've disappeared. I mean you were on the Masta Killa shit like 2 years ago but thats about it.

Does anyone besides the Abercrombie and Fitch crowd really buy into this Kanye West hype? Young okayplayer types know that when it comes to egotistic "alternative" rappers, there's the much better Talib Kweli, who can, you know, actually rap. I have a poster of Talib too (no homo) but he has to put a stop to this whole gangsta posturing, 1) cause I just don't buy it and 2) cause it's not actually helping him make good music. Honestly, I don't care whether he's a nerd or a thug or whatever, I'd just like for him to stop making random songs with random southern rappers about whatever the fuck. Then the southern rap stans (even more annoying than the backpacker pseudo-intellectuals who listen to shit like Buck 65) don't really like Kanye cause he's a fag and cause he's too "smart" for them (southern rap stans are really stupid, these people think Bun B is some kind of intellectual). The only people who claim Kanye to be some sort of savior are people who have NO idea what they're talking about, usually dumbass old rock critics but also random rich kids.

So here's the deal, hip-hop. Either you produce an album I enjoy all the way through this year, or I just give up. I dont want another "Nation of Millions" or "Illmatic" or what have you, just something where I wont have to delete half of it from my hard drive cause its just garbage (Ghostface, I'm looking at you, no homo)

As for music, same deal. Ozomatli is probably the only band I have any faith left in, and if their new album coming in September is no good, that's it. I quit new music.

(NEW music, that is. I'm still entitled to listen to the 8 million Frank Zappa albums no one has heard of or whatever old shit I please.)

*** Chiar e uimitor faptul cum unii chit ca stau zilnic pe net, au o gramada de prieteni nu pot sa se adapteze situatiei. Prefera sa se izoleze, sa asculte aceleasi albume on & on si gata. Am postat articolul asta (daca-l pot numi asa), gasindu-l din intamplare pe-un site oarecare, m-a frapat faptul ca am si eu o gramada de prieteni care-au ramas pe old-school, care vor sa ramana pe old-school, detesta toate chestiile astea alternative, e un fel de repulsie neargumentata nici macar pentru ei insisi. Sunt "N" albume scoase din 2004 pana acum care sunt pur si simplu ok, antrenante, melodioase s.a.m.d. Ideea e ca avem parte de producatori foarte buni, care stiu, isi doresc sa reproduca orice sound il aud pe strada sau natura. Oameni buni, ascultati ce s-a scos in ultima perioada, fiindca situatia nu e chiar atat de-n umbra precum pare. Trebuie sa fie fiecare constient de faptul ca albumele clasice vor insemna aproape tot timpul un impas pentru autor, chiar de aceea apreciati ceea ce se face. Un proiect implica multe, nu e nimic facut batand din palme sau fluerand! Un alt mic amanunt: acel feeling pe care-l detinea probabil fiecare dintre noi, in fond si la urma-urmei se pierde, treptat, dar se pierde. Parca tot tam-tam'ul asta, toata informatia asta ce-o detinem ne impinge a fi mult mai atenti, radicali (din alte unghiuri, perspective).. dar cum orice evolutie are si-o pierdere.. invatam sa traim cu asta!

Vintage Kane, Dinco gets pissed and the end of the Addicts



BDK??€�s pioneering work with see-through outfits has yet to be properly acknowledged.

Another steal from XXL. This might be the only other decent track ever to feature in the Bangers section, given the glut of Southern trash on there. A little Big Daddy Kane unleased shit, taped off of Westwood??€�s show, from around the Prince of Darkness era, judging by the sing-songy sections of his lyrics that became an annoying part of his repertoire later in his career. The beat could be some Easy Moe Bee work, but that??€�s a rough guess.

Big Daddy Kane - Sing My Song [unreleased]



In the "pointless diss record" department we find Fuck It (Busta Rhymes Diss) from Dinco, who??€�s decided to get at his old Leaders of the New School pal some thirteen years after their last album together. As "the other guy" from L.O.N.S., Dinco faces an uphill battle catching anyone??€�s ear in 2006, but I guess he figured that this was the best way to get a little attention for himself. Considering that the only worthwhile thing Busta has done in recent times is banging one or more of those Pussycat Dolls chicks, I could care less about a diss song towards him, but I??€�m hoping that the D loses the drum machine and follows up with some quality tracks like The Treacherous Three, a slept-on cut he did with Chris Lowe and Sadat X a couple of years back. I??€�m not holding my breath though.

Dinco - Fuck It (Busta Rhymes Diss)

In blog news, the Vinyl Addicts have closed-up shop, after having brought us some great material (the video posts in particular) for the last year or so. Even when they posted records I already had, it was still quicker to grab them off there than rip them onto my hard drive off the vinyl, so thanks for all the hard work fellas! You??€�ve got until the end of April before all the old files get removed, so get in while the going is good.

Mr. Voodoo
Voodoo Magic
by: Sasha D

For the real underground heads, who have been in this for a while, you'll undoubtedly heard of Agu, better know as the legandry Mr Voodoo. One of the most distinctive voices and flows in hip hop, he makes up one third of, arguably, well no, I'm writing this article so…THE TIGHTEST trio in hip hop…Natural Elements! Along with fellow members L Swift and A Butta, Natural Elements had the underground hip hop community anticipating an album since 1994. Numerous radio appearances, a whole heap of single releases and guest spots meant that hip hop was ready for the album… but what happened? Alphabeats.com caught up with Agu (formally known as Mr Voodoo) to ask what's he been up to and what the future holds.
Peace Mr Voodoo, thanks for taking some time out to answer these questions for alphabeats.com. First up, you are part of the amazing trio known as the Natural Elements. Natural Elements have always been a major underground favourite. However, there seems to be very little information about you guys. Please tell us how the Natural Elements formed as a crew, how you guys got together, the name, when you hooked up...
What's up?! this is Mr Voo aka Agu. First before I answer your questions I'd like to formally announce a name change. It's not actually a name change rather the name I've been known as all my life-AGU. For those that can remember the old days when I was on the underground railroad with J_Smooth on WBAI FM that was the name I used. So this just represents going back to the essence. NO fake shit, NO fake names, NO games. With that said, let's get on to the questions… Now for the first question, Natural Elements (NE) started way back in 1993 as a click of solo rappers under the tutelage of Charlemagne. It must've been like maybe ten of us- this kid named Dante, G-Blast, Howie Smalls, Tim the Xecutioner, L-Swift, and myself. We was getting together and doing songs in this dude Vidal's attic, having like ciphers that lasted for hours. We had mad talent up there but no one was recognizing so this is where the whole D.I.Y.E (Do It Yourself Ethic) arose. Char, Vidal, Char's brother Randy all got together and said "fuck these labels, let's get this cracking ourselves!" This is where the whole fortress shit started. This shit started hand in hand. So they felt I was the one that was "ready". We put out "Come Off Hard." That shit was getting a mad buzz so they put out a compilation with the other heads on there. This was Char's project and it was the first time niggas heard L-Swift. Hemlock was supposed to be on that but a conflict of interest prevented it from making the EP. This was like 1995. The demo was circulating but it wasn't on wax until 1996. That was the year that the world first heard of NE as a group. In 1996, I came back from a hiatus with "Lyrical Tactics-Come Off Hard pt. 2" and "S.H.I.N.E." That was the first time officially we came as a group.
So are Natural Elements still a group or have you broken up? It seems that each of you are doing your own thing individually?
NE has not broken up. We're still together. We just needed a break from this group shit to put all of our personal issues in order. We still communicating with each other. I got mad love for L (Swift) and A (butta). Hopefully, we gonna be getting together in the future to do some things. An album is inevitabilty but it's just a matter of when…hopefully soon.
How did you get involved in rhyming? What were your influences?
Me, I started rhyming in '85 or '86. I heard this Treacherous Three song where they was using this style I ain't never heard before. I mean they was saying shit like "I'll conceive a cybernetic evaluation of this rap sensation" and "I'm genuine like Paul Mason wine I'll say no rhyme before it's time." I ain't never heard no shit like that and this was like 1985. These niggas was way ahead of their time. That just told me that this rap shit was going to the next level. Then Kane, KRS one and the god Rakim came thru and that was it. Those were my chief influences. I ain't really got no present influences. I just try and do me.
Please explain what happened with the whole Def Jam situation? I know that the Natural Elements crew was signed with Def Jam in '94. What went wrong there?
The NE thing came about because of this DEF JAM deal we had. We ain't never really had no intentions of being a group until this proposal was made to us by Dante Ross and this other kid Martin More who became A&R for Penalty records and is responsible for bringing Capone and Noreaga there. But they came at me, L-Swift, and my man Ka with some like demo deal shit. They told us they was feeling us and felt like we would do well as a group since we was always on stage reppin together, or on the radio shows or whatever. We was like a deal with Def Jam? Hell yeah! We went in recorded some joints and submitted them. At first Dante was like I'mma sign y'all niggas but then politics played in and he wound up signing Smooth da Hustla"s brother Trigga because they was the shit at that moment. I thank them though. Cause if it wasn't for them planting that seed in our heads NE-the group might never have been.
Talking of record labels, the NE fam were then signed to the Tommy Boy black label in 1998 and you dropped the '2Tons' single, while the heads anticipated an album, which was dope as hell (I was fortunate enough to get a copy) but which never was released. What happened there?
The Tommy Boy situation was hectic. We was suppose to have an album put out in 1999. First, halfway through the album our A&R was fired. We still were still on and finished the album but they kept sitting on it. We were like let us go but give us our masters. So we got 'em. A whole fuckin album that no one may ever hear. If there's anyone out there that's interested in this-holler at us. They just stored somewhere collecting dust.
'I'm maximal you minimal/ Stolen African mineral/ Ill with the literal…/ When you hear it you'll/ get hysterical/ for you to beat me, it's gonna take a mirical/… see I've been dumb lyrical ever since they cut my umbilical/ so me being wack? That's not applicable…' (Lyrical Tactics 1996)
This whole business with labels must have been a very frustrating time for you. I even remember reading the Source magazine in '96 when you got hip hop quotable and thinking that yourself and the crew were about to blow…Did you ever think that you want to quit this whole thing?
After that deal we were like maybe we should take a break, sort things out. I started feeling like fuck this game. But then I felt like I came too far. I can't tell you what L and A was feeling, but I was like I ain't ready to quit yet.
After that whole situation, you dropped a single with Alchemist 'Chryme life' on Stimulated. How did that come about? What was it like working with Alchemist?
The Stimulated Dummies project came about due to an old friend- Dante Ross. He was feeling me from the Def Jam days and wanted me drop something with his label. When they told me that I was gonna be working with Alchemist. I was like it's over! This shit is gonna be a banger. Duke is mad cool. Real easy to work with. He let's you do your thing. But when it comes to the beat thing- he's the man.
Let's talk about your solo stuff now. You've got your new promo 12" on the streets 'Ahh who am I'. The single is produced by Looie. How did you guys hook up?
Me and Loo met through a mutual friend at work who knew about me rhyming and knew that Loo was trying to produce. When the deal at Tommy Boy fell thru I hollered at him and we just clicked from there.
Looie is definitely a hot producer judging by what I've heard. Is he executive producer on all your new projects?
Basically what we do is a collaborative thing. He does the beats and all but I still offer some input as far as concepts, samples whatever. But he's the man when it comes to the beats.
So does the 12" signal a forthcoming album? Any titles for the album, any world premier info you could hit alphabeats.com of with?!
This is just a preview of things to come. I'm like 11 songs deep and still going. My goal is to flood the rap market like drug kingpins flood the streets-with nothing but dope product. I'm trying to stay ahead of the game. An album is in the works but that's not my focus right now. If I do an album it's going to be called "hemlock." That's what I been doing since 1993. Feeding y'all Hemlock. The plan is to kill you slowly with hot product just like Macbeth did until I takeover.
What kind of approach are you taking with the album? What is the concept, subject matter?
The approach I'll be taking to this is simple- hot beats, hot lyrics. I'm from the street so of course I'm dealing with street shit. But I'll tackle all issues concerning our communities. The theme is simple-hip hop is back. Can't let it die. I live, eat, shit, sleep, this. I ain't looking for no record deals. Record industry is wack. We playing this game from the outside like a shooting guard killing the opposition team with three-pointers. If a deal comes it comes. See this is a pimp and ho business so I'm trying to put myself in situation where I'm not being hoed any more.
Is a Natural Elements album likely? If so when?
As for L-Swift and A-Butta, there's nothing but love for them dudes. We all know, although we don't say it, that as soloists we're a force to be reckoned with but as a group we're damn near invincible. But each of us has a road to take, if it leads to us getting together in the future then so be it.
Do you still plan to work with Charlemagne? Why aren't the NE crew still working with the Fortress team?
I love Char. He gave me my start without him I wouldn't be here. He's my #1 choice for producers I wanna work with.
DJ Premier had a joint of yours on his 'NY reality check' LP. He definitely seems to respect Natural Elements as a crew…any plans of hooking up with Premo?
The Premo situation is ill. I know for a fact he wants to work with not only me but NE. Him and GURU are partly responsible for our popularity in the underground. Premo was one of the only dj's on commercial radio at the time that gave "Come off Hard" spins. So he's been a supporter from the start. Him and Guru got on rap city in front of millions of viewers and said we were their favorite rap group at that time. So I know the love is there. But we, NE got to get our shit together and as for me when the time is right we'll do it. Right now I ain't really thinking about working with other rappers but I'm feeling a whole lot of rappers.
Any last words/shouts….?

I'd like to end this interview by giving a strong thank you to all my supporters and NE supporters, without y'all we could not have keep going for all these years. Your support is sincerely appreciated.

One Love… Agu

Mars Ill

Mars Ill’s latest endeavor, PRO PAIN, is an offering that is as diverse as it is consistent in its superior delivery. After building a base that started with local club dates, the group pressed limited edition vinyl and embarked on national tours to support their first and second releases, Raw Material and Backbreakanomics, respectively. PRO PAIN, their third full-length release, remains on Mars ILL’s course of continued evolution.

The framework of Mars Ill, the two-piece Atlanta collective comprised of Manchild (emcee) and Dust (DJ) may seem deviant of others in the circuit but the results achieved are in a class of their own. Razor sharp rhymes interact with street smart lyrics, turntable scratches and free flowing hip-hop rhythms. There is a hearty dose of sweat-stained reality derived from years of slugging it out on the Atlanta scene.

“Atlanta is very much responsible for who we are as artists and people, from weekly open mics to working with a community of artists over the years,” explains Manchild. “This one’s about showing the world who we are as artists and taking it to the next level, raising it up one more notch then we were before. I certainly see a lot of guys living a particular lifestyle and I’d be an actor if I tried to be like that,” admits Manchild. “To us it’s all about the music and making the best quality you can, not about the smoke, the mirrors and the hype. Every time we do something, we put a lot of ourselves into it and seek growth. The goal is to communicate better while still keeping the groove going.”

Mars Ill digs deep on PRO PAIN, laying out personal struggles and setbacks while providing a realistic hope Having that “no holds barred” mentality sets the pair and assigns an instant credibility and relate-ability to the tracks on PRO PAIN. Sonically, the album is marked by progressive pop prodding, powerful production and a delicate balance between underground acceptance and accessibility. A fusion of grassroots beat box experimentation coasts neck and neck with slick lyrical statements sure to captivate longtime followers and capture new observers.

New tracks that up the ante include “When Heaven Scrapes,” an entrancing neo-soul shuffle, and “Effortless,” a poetically charged wake up call to stop complaining about catastrophes and how to cut them down to a more manageable stature. “Sound Off” is equally as potent, signaling a call to arms for people to plug into their communities and increase fellowship.

Mars ILL themselves employ several Georgia locals on the project. “Saturday Night Special” is supplemented by lightening speed battle emcee Ishues, “Write of Passage” includes the shimmering saunter of Ben Hameen and J-Mil of Collective Efforts, while “More” is met with supplementation from Ahmad (part of fellow Gotee act 4th Avenue Jones’).

“We want to show the world who these guys are,” enthuses manCHILD. “There’s a lot of incredible talent out there that deserves a platform. By working together, it only helps us all make better music.”

eu recomand albumul RAW MATERIAL DIN 2001.Backbreakanomics din 2003 e mai slabutz
.anyway.in 2006 au lansat albumul PRO PAIN


The release of Mars Ill’s hip-hop triumph ProPain is the very definition of “long-awaited.” Rap fans were salivating at the dangling carrot of a new Mars Ill album. However, no one was quite sure when the CD would come out. Not even Mars Ill.

“The first release was October of 2004,” Dust tells CBNmusic. “There was a sample on there that the lawyers were not comfortable with. They decided to push it all the way to June of [2005].”

ManCHILD adds, “Then, it was just kind of dropping the ball on getting it ready to be released.”

The Atlanta duo of ManCHILD and Dust had to “revamp some things” after the June release date fell through. ProPain finally saw the light of day on April 25, 2006, to rave reviews. Mars Ill agrees with the critics. “We prayed about it definitely,” ManCHILD says. “It’s definitely our favorite record by far.”

This could be because the setbacks and delays afforded the group more time to perfect their masterpiece.

“We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it,” ManCHILD says. “We had time to take out stuff that didn’t work.”

Mars Ill has always been a group that marched to their own beat machine, and Dust explains that, while making ProPain, they weren’t looking for something that followed the current sounds in rap.

“We’re never the type of band that makes really trendy music,” Dust says. “I feel like whether it came out in 2004, 2006 or 2008, it’s timeless.”

“It still has legs; it’s still relevant,” ManCHILD concurs.

Mars Ill’s music has always stayed fresh because of their obsession with finding the perfect sample.

“Anything that we use is meant to be anonymous,” says Dust. “We’re not going to take somebody else’s popularity and transfer it to our own. I come from the old school production where our beats are drawing from all the classic music that came before you.”

It’s an art form that is lost on today’s hip-hop world where sampling pop songs for a catchy hook is a quick way to the top of the charts.

“Sampling is a necessary evil in our business. You just have to learn how to work within the game,” ManCHILD says.

“The game” has been especially good to Mars Ill. Few rap artists can say they get respect from both the mainstream and the Christian side of the industry. However, the hip-hop press has always had its eye on Mars Ill. So how do they keep a foot in both worlds?

“Quality… we’ve never compared ourselves with what’s happening in the Christian industry,” ManCHILD says. “Of course we’re both believers but we never said, ‘We’re gonna be the most credible Christian rap group.’ Instead we said, ‘What are the artists that we grew up on?’ If we want to do this, we want to do it to the best of our abilities."

He continues, "Also, we don’t speak a lot of Christianese. We don’t say things that normally a person couldn’t understand. We kind of compliment their perspective. It’s a respect issue.”

Dust mentions that another reason their music appeals to a mass audience is that they hold fast to the ideas and rhythms from rap’s roots.

“We both come from the era of what was special about hip-hop,” he says. “Not to say there’s not stuff that’s special now. A lot of the last five or six years has just been recycled ideas and music. You know how you felt when you first heard your favorite rap group back in the day. They were the first ones doing it – like Tribe Called Quest. When they first came on the scene, they were very laid back. That’s kinda where we come from with our music. We want to bring some new feeling to something that’s already a classic.”

Digable Planets


When hip-hop trio Digable Planets emerged in the early ‘90s, their memorable moniker raised eyebrows. What, exactly, did it mean? The name sprang, they explained, from the notion that “every individual is a planet.” But the unique worlds that their tracks mapped out were not insular ones; as their Grammy-winning hit “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" would prove, the Planets were primed to connect with audiences weary of the aggressive posturing of gangsta rap. Filled with literate lyrics, honey-smooth flow, and inventive arrangements, their albums Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space) (1993) and Blowout Comb (1994) redefined hip-hop, and set standards for the generation of soul poets and innovative producers that followed, as the new anthology Beyond The Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles effortlessly reiterates.

The group first took shape in the early ‘90s, in New York City. Former Seattle resident Butterfly (a k a Ishmael Butler) hooked up with Philadelphia native Doodlebug (Craig Irving), who was a member of New York collective Dread Poets Society, and Ladybug (Mary Ann Vieira), a Maryland denizen of Brazilian descent. Like the name chosen for their band, the new handles each member adopted also reflected a universal consciousness.

“Insects stick together and work for mutually beneficial causes,” Ladybug observed in Essence. Doodlebug added, “Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent beings on the planet, and yet we can’t seem to come together in a peaceful manner.”

On their 1993 debut, Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space), the threesome showed just how rich and vibrant the musical product of three distinctive minds working in harmony could be. Musically, they incorporated elements of funk, samba, and psychedelia into their street-savvy hip-hop; jazz, in particular, played a pivotal role. The group gave shout-outs to icons Charles Mingus and Charlie Parker, and sampled others, including Sonny Rollins and the Last Poets.

“Like hip-hop, they developed a language and style that was unique,” noted Butterfly of their jazz forefathers. “Those cats used their vernacular to communicate a new perspective.” With unabashedly intelligent lyrical references to everything from Karl Marx (on the reggae-tinged “Where I'm From“) and Jimi Hendrix, to feminist bell hooks and poet Nikki Giovanni, the Planets boldly followed suit.

Critics responded to the Planets’ debut platter enthusiastically. “Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space) is everything hip-hop should be: artistically sound, unabashedly conscious and downright cool,” proclaimed Kevin Powell in a four-star review for Rolling Stone. “And Digable Planets is the kind of rap act every fan should cram to understand.” The record would eventually hit #15 on the Billboard 200, break the Top 5 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and achieve Platinum sales status.

Buoyed up by a bubbling bass line and curlicues of brass (the latter lifted from a sample of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers), and peppered with finger-pops, the sublimely chill single “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" became the album’s biggest hit. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, winning legions of fans across a variety of radio formats as well as in clubs. The track deservedly earned the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

After touring extensively, accompanied by a live band, the trio returned to the studio, emerging in 1994 with their sophomore outing, Blowout Comb. Even more so than its predecessor, the Planets’ second full-length pushed stylistic boundaries. The group downplayed samples in favor of live performances: “Dog It“ juxtaposed animated sax and vibraphone turns (by Donald “Duck” Harrison and Bill Lounge, respectively) with a slightly harder vocal style, while sultry, summery singing on “Dial 7 (Axioms Of Creamy Spies)" evoked an air of vintage ‘70s soul. Special guests on the Blowout Comb sessions included Brooklyn rapper Jeru The Damaja (”Graffiti“) and pioneering female hip-hop DJ Jazzy Joyce (”9th Wonder (Blackitolism)“), who also toured with the group.

Although Digable Planets dissolved in 1996, all three members have remained active musically. Butterfly went on to form the band Cherrywine, releasing the album Bright Black in 2003. He also composed music for commercial clients including Pepsi and Fila, and ventured into acting, with roles in film (the 2002 Sundance fave I Am Ali) and Off Broadway. Mecca the Ladybug – now Ladybug Mecca – dropped her new solo album, Trip The Light Fantastic, in June, 2005 on her very own record label “Nu Paradigm Entertainment”. She also composed the score for a short film entitled “The Monster” courtesy of “Scenarios USA” - Kids Creating Social Change in 2001. A segment of the film was featured on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Working as Cee Knowledge, Doodlebug has been leading Philadelphia live hip-hop ensemble Cosmic Funk Orchestra since 2000. In addition Doodlebug is actively the CEO of the successful multimedia company “7 and a Cresent”. But most importantly for Digable Planets fans worldwide, the original trio recently reformed to play a number of well-received live dates (including Lollapalooza 2005), and begin work on their first album in over a decade.